Financial analysts say regulator’s report makes it clear ‘many Australian companies are not meeting their legal requirements’Australian companies should be doing more to disclose risks to their business from climate change, according to a report by the corporate regulator Asic.The review, published on Thursday, examined climate risk disclosures by 60 companies in the ASX 300, in 25 recent initial public offering (IPO) prospectuses, and across 15,000 annual reports. Continue reading...
Automotive industry risks blowing its carbon budget within 10 years without drastic change, analysis showsNew petrol and diesel car sales in Europe must be phased out before 2030 if the auto sector is to play its part in holding global warming to the Paris agreement’s 1.5C goal, a new analysis has found.Forecourt plug-in hybrids will also have to disappear by 2035 at the latest, according to analysis by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), commissioned by Greenpeace. Continue reading...
Child suffers ‘significant’ leg injury, Australian officials say, as they praise swift actions of doctor in first incidentA girl has been attacked by a shark at the same Queensland island where a woman was mauled less than 24 hours earlier.A rescue helicopter flew to Cid Harbour in the Whitsunday Islands region around lunchtime on Thursday to retrieve a “a female child in a serious condition with a significant leg injuryâ€, rescue services tweeted. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Smithers Consumer affairs correspondent on (#3Z5C1)
Walkers and KP Snacks are among those failing to address consumer concerns over recyclability, say green campaignersMajor UK crisp brands are failing to address consumer concerns about their unrecyclable plastic packets, new research claims, with many relying on pledges that won’t come into effect for years.The latest findings from campaign group 38 Degrees come after more than 310,000 signed its petition demanding that brand leader, Walkers, take the initiative and ditch plastic packaging in favour of amore sustainable alternative. Recent polling has found that plastic waste will soon leapfrog price as shoppers’ top concern. Continue reading...
by Adam Gabbatt in Fayetteville, North Carolina on (#3Z5C2)
Scientists say global warming is behind severe storms but many who face them don’t think humans are the problemScientists warn that human-induced climate change is responsible for an increase in the number and severity of storms – such as Hurricane Florence, which has engulfed the Carolinas in the last week.But many who weathered the tempest, deep in Trump country, don’t believe global warming fueled it and don’t think humans are the problem – or the solution. Continue reading...
by Adam Gabbatt in Goldsboro, North Carolina on (#3Z462)
Pig waste pits and toxic coal ash pose threat to rivers and homes in North and South CarolinaAs residents in the Carolinas continued to deal with the fallout from Hurricane Florence, fears have grown over the storm’s longer-term pollution risks – from pig excrement and toxic coal ash potentially seeping into rivers and into people’s homes.Officials said 13 “hog lagoons†– pits filled with pig waste – had overflowed in North Carolina due to the storm, with dozens more likely to follow. In South Carolina, 200,000 tons of coal ash lie in the path of the deluged Waccamaw river, which is expected to reach a record flood stage this week. Continue reading...
A new book explores how, for decades, businesses of all sizes have been burying hazardous waste all over citiesEvery day, in cities across the country, businesses open up, close down, or move to new locations. And every day, in those very same cities, people move in and people move out. A once-industrial neighborhood is reinvented as a trendy hot spot populated by new restaurants and young professionals in search of loft apartments; a formerly low-income neighborhood of modest bungalows is gradually taken over by gentrifying upper-income young families. Continue reading...
Senator who kicked off inquiry says Australia contributes to rhinoceros and elephant poaching by providing a marketA bipartisan parliamentary committee has recommended a national ban on the domestic trade of elephant ivory and rhino horn.Australia’s environment minister, Melissa Price, is considering the recommendations from a Senate inquiry examining the trade before she attends an international wildlife trade conference in London next month. Continue reading...
Plenty of sunshine is needed to bring out the intense reds and yellows from the leaves, and this year we’re set for a dazzling displayAutumn colour is perhaps the most striking of nature’s seasonal displays, but the vividness of the annual spectacle is largely dependent on good environmental conditions. This year, following a fine summer and with an Indian summer predicted, we look to be on course for a dazzling display that could trump recent years and extend well into November.Shorter daylight hours and colder nights are what trigger leaf drop – or senescence – but frost, like rain, can damage leaves and cause early leaf fall. Plenty of sunshine is needed to encourage concentrations of colour pigments which help to intensify leaf colour. Continue reading...
Hot weather and conservation drive help once-extinct insect make dramatic comebackA previously extinct butterfly, the large blue, has enjoyed its best UK summer on record thanks to the lovely weather and a determined conservation effort on hills in the West Country of England.The large blue, a popular specimen among Victorian collectors, was declared extinct in Britain in the 1970s but has since made a dramatic comeback. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#3Z2X1)
‘Shocking’ study reveals plastic contaminates our skies as well as the oceans, say scientistsMicroplastic can escape from polluted waters via flying insects, new research has revealed, contaminating new environments and threatening birds and other creatures that eat the insects.Scientists fed microplastics to mosquito larvae, which live in water, but found that the particles remained inside the animals as they transformed into flying adults. Other recent research found that half of the mayfly and caddisfly larvae in rivers in Wales contained microplastics. Continue reading...
Documents show Margie McKenzie failed to declare her interest in Gempearl for her first two years on boardA board director for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has been accused of a potential conflict of interest over public funding directed to companies working on crown-of-thorns starfish culling.Margie McKenzie sits on the board of the authority and also owns a company called Gempearl with her husband, Col McKenzie. Continue reading...
Advocates said retracting the regulation would cause more smog-forming pollution that can cause heart and lung illnessesThe Trump administration is rolling back Obama-era standards to limit planet-warming methane pollution from oil and gas operations on federal lands.Environmental advocates said retracting the regulation would contribute to global warming and cause more smog-forming pollution that can cause heart and lung illnesses. Continue reading...
ReachTel poll of Angus Taylor’s voters finds 42.3% want Australia to cut emissions more deeplyMore voters in the electorate of the new energy minister, Angus Taylor, support an emissions reduction target for electricity and a higher national target than the Paris commitment than oppose those positions.A ReachTel poll of 690 residents across the federal electorate of Hume, which reaches from Boorowa in the southern tablelands of New South Wales to Camden on Sydney’s southern fringe, was commissioned by the Australia Institute. It found the sample was divided over a range of climate and energy questions, but more people supported stronger action on emissions reduction than opposed it. Continue reading...
Uncertainty around Third Energy’s North Yorkshire project blamed for resignationsThird Energy, one of the firms at the frontline of the UK’s fracking drive, has been hit by the departure of two of its directors due to delays over its flagship project in North Yorkshire. Campaigners said the resignations were a sign of a company “in meltdownâ€.The Barclays-backed company had looked likely to be the first shale explorer to frack in the UK for years, but its plans for the KM8 well have been pushed back by government checks over its financial health. Continue reading...
John Schubert appears before Senate inquiry into the grant awarded to his small non-profit without tenderThe chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, John Schubert, has told a Senate inquiry he did not know the government was going to offer a $444m grant when he agreed to meet with the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and his environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg.In the hearing on Tuesday, Schubert said the prime minister’s office called with an invitation two days before the 9 April meeting but gave no information on what was to be discussed. Continue reading...
The flow of Gulf capital into Britain stifles the development of more sound economic policies and keeps us too close to some of the world’s worst regimesThis month marks 10 years since the financial crisis turned into a full-blown crash, and 10 years since the purchase of Manchester City Football Club by the royal family of Abu Dhabi. What links the two is the flow of revenues generated by the sale of oil and gas (“petrodollarsâ€) into Britain from the Gulf Arab monarchies – principally Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. The role of Gulf petrodollars remains the untold story of the financial crisis and of the continuing dysfunction of late-period neoliberalism in the UK.Related: Ten years after Lehmans, it’s as if we’ve learned nothing from the crash | Aditya Chakrabortty Continue reading...
Green groups say the federal government decision amounts to ‘preferential treatment’The federal government has ruled the Indian mining company Adani does not have to complete a full environmental impact statement for its application to drastically expand a dam and build a pipeline for its Carmichael coalmine.
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#3YZXN)
Three years after the Dieselgate scandal erupted, number of highly polluting diesel vehicles on Europe’s roads has risen to 43 millionThe number of dirty diesel vehicles pumping out toxic emissions on Europe’s streets is still rising three years after the Dieselgate scandal began, according to a new report. More than 7m such cars and vans remain on UK roads alone.There were 29m diesel vehicles whose emissions on the road were significantly higher than official laboratory-based EU limits when the diesel scandal erupted in September 2015. But that has now risen by to 43m, according to analysis by the group Transport & Environment (T&E). France has the most dirty diesels on the road, with 8.7m, followed by Germany’s 8.2m and the UK’s 7.3m. Continue reading...
State government’s decision has appalled scientists and conservationists, and widens divide between city and countryWhen the Batemans marine park, not far from my home on the New South Wales south coast, was first created, fishing on a beach next to my property was illegal. Then, under immense pressure from recreational fishers, the zoning throughout the marine park was changed. A few hundred metres offshore stayed a no-take zone but line fishing and spearfishing is now allowed from my local beach. One of my greatest pleasures is to head down to the water with my children and cast into the breakers at dusk, hoping to catch my dinner.The rezoning along the Batemans coast meant substantial areas remained off limits to recreational anglers like me. But there are still more than enough spots to fish throughout the marine park. The tourists still come and everyone who wants to catch a fish can. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Research finds claims emissions targets make electricity more expensive are misguidedEmissions reduction targets, even relatively ambitious ones, will not drive up power prices for Australian consumers, according to new research from the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss) and the Brotherhood of St Laurence.While the Morrison government has abandoned the national energy guarantee because conservatives complain that emissions reduction policies drive up power prices, the new research finds that critique is misguided. Continue reading...
Extra coal-burning may lead to problems meeting binding carbon targetsBritain’s ability to meet its emissions targets is being challenged by a comeback for coal power stations that threatens to drive up the energy sector’s carbon emissions for the first time in six years.Coal plants have become more economic to run than their gas counterparts in the past month because wholesale gas prices have hit 10-year highs. A report by Imperial College London said the extra coal-burning had increased emissions by 15% in September, equivalent to an extra 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hour. Continue reading...
Two trains built by the French train maker Alstom are now operating on a 62 mile stretch of line in northern GermanyGermany has rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology.Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, on Monday began running a 62 mile (100km) route between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany – a stretch normally plied by diesel trains. Continue reading...
Coalition’s backdown follows reversals on stadiums, greyhounds, council amalgamations and emergency services levyThe New South Wales government has performed yet another about-face, ditching a proposed ban on fishing at 25 “no take†sanctuary zones in a proposed marine park stretching between Newcastle and Wollongong.Just weeks after the government announced the plan to create the Sydney region marine park, the primary industries minister, Niall Blair, backed down on Monday after sustained opposition from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party. Continue reading...
Accusation comes only weeks before the UK’s first fracking in seven yearsThe shale gas explorer Cuadrilla has accused the Labour party of being divided on its proposed fracking ban and of unnecessarily politicising the search for shale gas.Francis Egan, the chief executive of Cuadrilla, which is only weeks away from beginning the UK’s first fracking in seven years, said the prospect of a Labour government coming to power was a risk that he would be “silly to ignoreâ€. Continue reading...
Great whites follow seals and collisions with swimmers and surfers ensue. I decline to demonize the scything dorsal finThe terrible news of a young man’s death after an attack by a shark off Cape Cod comes wreathed in a kind of narrative that cannot be any consolation to his family, suffering the grief of his violent taking.Related: Cape Cod shark attack: Man dies from injuries suffered in incident Continue reading...
The catastrophic prospect of 300m tonnes of carbon a year appears to have been averted, but even 25m poses a danger to the climateThe recent announcement by Adani that it will halve the costs of its rail line to the proposed Carmichael coalmine by building a shorter, narrow-gauge line raises an obvious question: if such a massive cost-saving is feasible, why didn’t Adani go that way in the first place?The short answer is this is the latest in a string of changes that have massively downsized both the Carmichael project and the bigger plans to develop the Galilee Basin. The longer answer is that, despite optimistic talk about a long-term future for coal, the writing is on the wall. The only way to make money out of coal is to do so quickly, before the present gradual decline turns into a collapse. Continue reading...
‘We need to stick to the Paris agreement, we need to stop burning coal and we need to commit to more renewable energy,’ Longreach farmer says“This drought has really hit our family hard,†says Longreach farmer Jody Brown. “Climate change is making the droughts more severe.â€Those two sentences are the opening lines to a new advertisement challenging the federal government’s stance on climate change and the drought in Australia’s eastern states. Continue reading...
In Dar-es-Salaam, local fishermen are being squeezed out by illegal boats with explosives which take much of the catch, killing coral reef and putting an eco-system at riskFishing boat XTK191, known as Home Boy, returned to Kivukoni fish market in downtown Dar es Salaam at dawn one day last week. The 15 young men on board the old dhow dropped anchor and heaved their catch over the side for others to run it across the beach to where hundreds of traders milled.Within an hour of landing in eastern Africa’s largest fish market, Home Boy’s fish, crabs, prawn, lobsters, tuna, squid and shark pups were being sold in impromptu auctions, along with the catches of several dozen other boats. Continue reading...
Policymakers, farmers and consumers face ‘deeply uncomfortable choices’, says author of report advising urgent reduction of unsustainable livestock sector
There is no such thing as a category 6 hurricane or tropical storm - yet. But a combination of warmer oceans and more water in the atmosphere could make the devastation of 2017 pale in comparisonThere is no such thing as a category 6 hurricane or tropical storm – yet. The highest level – the top of the scale for the most powerful, most devastating hurricane or tropical storm capable of destroying entire cities like New Orleans or New York – is a category 5 storm.Meteorologists and scientists never imagined that there would be a need for a category 6 storm, with winds that exceed 200 miles per hour on a sustained basis, sweeping away everything in its path. Until now, such a storm wasn’t possible, so there was no need for a new category above category 5. Continue reading...
Bags for fruit and veg to be replaced by compostable versions and 5p bags to be axedWaitrose & Partners is to remove traditional plastic bags for loose fruit and vegetables and 5p single-use plastic bags from its stores by next spring.The supermarket said the move would cut 134m plastic bags, the equivalent of 500 tonnes of plastic a year. Continue reading...
Japan hints it may leave International Whaling Commission after attempt to resume commercial hunting voted downAustralia has encouraged Japan to remain within the International Whaling Commission after the country’s attempt to lift a 33-year ban on commercial whaling failed to win enough votes.Japan’s so-called “way forward†proposal for the IWC to start a “sustainable whaling†program lost by 41 votes to 27 on a tense final morning of the IWC meeting in Florianópolis, Brazil. Continue reading...
by Emily Holden and Oliver Milman in San Francisco on (#3YTE3)
Announcement at climate summit comes after former US secretary of state John Kerry warns that international action is slowingCalifornia is set to launch a satellite to track greenhouse gases, as former US Secretary of State John Kerry and island nation leaders warned that the world is far off course to avoid the worst effects of rising temperatures.Gov. Jerry Brown announced plans for the satellite on the last day of a climate change summit hosted by San Francisco, in a final rebuke to President Donald Trump’s denial of man-made warming. Continue reading...
Government criticised after alerting Southampton and Derby to ‘serious consequences’The government has warned two councils of “serious consequences†after they failed to meet the deadline for dealing with air pollution.In 2015, five local authorities with some of the worst pollution outside London – Derby, Southampton, Leeds, Nottingham and Birmingham – were ordered to produce proposals to tackle air pollution by 15 September. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#3YSRT)
Anti-whaling nations defeat proposals that would have allowed for the return of huntsAn attempt to overturn the decades-old global ban on commercial whaling has failed, to the relief of conservationists.Anti-whaling nations defeated by a decisive margin proposals from the Japanese government that would have allowed for the return of whale hunts. Continue reading...
by Nazia Parveen North of England correspondent on (#3YSJ7)
Villagers believe changing status of moorland near firing range will stop farmers grazingCumbrian villagers have accused the Ministry of Defence of attempting a “land grab†after a proposal to turn common land into a firing range.A public inquiry has been launched over plans to remove the common land status from an area of moorland near Appleby-in-Westmorland. Continue reading...
Thousands of volunteers will help remove plastic and other litter from beaches this weekendRecord numbers of volunteers are anticipated this weekend to help clear litter from the UK’s beaches, in the 25th annual Great British Beach Clean organised by a leading marine charity.The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has been running the four-day beach cleaning event for the last 24 years and expects the 2018 event to beat all previous records. Originally a modest citizen science project, it has become the largest and most longstanding beach litter survey in the UK, with all items recorded according to an internationally agreed methodology. Continue reading...
President’s ‘energy first’ agenda means vast tracts of public land up for sale – without proper consultation, critics sayDemocrats and conservatives alike are decrying moves by the Trump administration to permit oil and gas drilling near national parks and in wildlife migration corridors, and charge that the public is not being adequately consulted.Officials from the US interior department are pursuing an “energy first†agenda, and some 2.9m acres are up for lease auction, including many parcels close to recreation areas such as Petrified Forest national park in Arizona, Chaco Culture national historical park in New Mexico, and Dinosaur national monument in Colorado. Continue reading...
Tackling a tough, three-day course around Stavanger, Peter Kimpton battles the elements to discover a stunning landscape that involves as much water as landGarlanded with wispy clouds, jagged mountains rise sharply above glassy lakes, reflected to sky with such perfection you are almost dizzy with how upside down it all appears. Or is that a mirage – from exhaustion? From the moment 250 cyclists clattered nervously, like skinny, helmeted warriors on to a ferry at 6.45am to battle through the water in mist and rain for 45 minutes even before the start, it was clear this would be no ordinary event. Cycling in Norway is less travelling on land, more an undulating series of roads and bridges linking breathtaking fjords; a constant movement between mountain, sea and lake.Haute Routes sportives are always challenging, designed to replicate professional-level riding, except unlike Alpine routes, this inaugural event is three days long, pleasingly located in one place, the harbour city of Stavanger on Norway’s west coast. One hotel, one race village nearby, and three days of circular routes. So the logistics were easy, everything close at hand, and the post-ride food and massages were excellent. Continue reading...
Country’s commissioner makes impassioned case against a business that no longer has a ‘social licence’There is no longer a “social licence†for countries to kill whales for profit, Australia has told the International Whaling Commission in Brazil.In an impassioned intervention, Australia’s IWC commissioner, Dr Nick Gales, told the key meeting that Japan’s proposal to lift a 30-year ban on commercial whaling was a “business proposition†that Australians reject. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian