Environment | The Guardian

Former head of Greenpeace UK and Labour peer revered as fearless campaignerPeter Melchett, the environmental campaigner and Labour peer, has died aged 71.Lord Melchett, who lived in Norfolk, became the executive director of Greenpeace UK in 1989 and was most recently policy director of the Soil Association. Continue reading...

Researchers say underwater drone can monitor coral bleaching and inject coral-eating starfish with vinegarAn underwater drone that can keep watch over the Great Barrier Reef’s health and kill invading species is ready to be put to the test.Researchers from Queensland University of Technology say their robot reef protector can monitor coral bleaching, water quality, pest species, pollution and sediment buildup. Continue reading...

Proliferation of music festivals and other events across capital’s green spaces means disruption and restrictions to access for residentsAccess to parks across London is being increasingly restricted by corporate events such as music festivals, a researcher has found, linking it to “creeping privatisation” of public space.Findings presented at the Royal Geographical Society’s annual conference on Friday show that, more than ever before, London parks are being rented out to private companies as councils seek to boost revenue to fund key services. Continue reading...

Tuilaepa Sailele berates leaders who fail to take issue seriously, singling out Australia, India, China and the USThe prime minister of Samoa has called climate change an “existential threat ... for all our Pacific family” and said that any world leader who denied climate change’s existence should be taken to a mental hospital.In a searing speech delivered on Thursday night during a visit to Sydney, Tuilaepa Sailele berated leaders who fail to take climate change seriously, singling out Australia, as well as India, China and the US, which he said were the “three countries that are responsible for all this disaster”.

Anger after hundreds of fish and reptiles have been left in tiny pools amid crumbling concrete since JanuaryAnger is mounting in Japan after a dolphin, 46 penguins and hundreds of fish were found to have been abandoned for months in a derelict aquarium. Continue reading...

Wealthy nations’ drastic increase in construction sand consumption contributes to erosion of estuariesThe secretive trade of coastal sand to wealthy countries such as China is seriously damaging the wildlife of poorer nations whose resources are being plundered, according to a new study.Sand and gravel are the most extracted groups of materials worldwide after water, with sand used in the concrete and asphalt of global cities. China consumed more sand between 2011 and 2013 than the US did during the entire 20th century. India has more than tripled its annual use of construction sand since 2000. Continue reading...

Nearby residents warned to stay inside as firefighters battle to contain blazeA huge fire at a warehouse containing toxic materials in Melbourne’s west could burn for days, authorities have warned, as they prepare to spend the night battling the blaze.More than 50 primary schools and childcare centres were closed on Thursday as plumes of acrid smoke spewed from the fire at the factory in West Footscray. Continue reading...

Rising temperatures make insects eat and breed more, leading to food losses growing world population cannot afford, say scientistsRising global temperatures mean pests will devour far more of the world’s crops, according to the first global analysis of the subject, even if climate change is restricted to the international target of 2C.Increasing heat boosts both the number and appetite of insects, and researchers project they will destroy almost 50% more wheat than they do today with a 2C rise, and 30% more maize. Rice, the third key staple, is less affected as it is grown in the tropics, which are already near the optimal temperature for insects – although bugs will still eat 20% more. Continue reading...

Onus still falls on national governments to cut emissions to stave off worst impacts of climate change, Yale researchers sayIndividual cities, regions and businesses across the globe are banding together determinedly to confront climate change - but their emissions reductions are relatively small and don’t fully compensate for a recalcitrant US under the Trump administration, a new study has found.A cavalcade of city mayors, regional government representatives and business executives from around the world will convene in San Francisco next month for a major summit touting the role of action beyond national governments to stave off the worst impacts of climate change. Continue reading...

Native American leaders in Montana believe the Keystone oil pipeline puts them in grave danger – but they are up against powerful business interests

The country has just faced its 12th driest winter on record and the bureau says there is no change in sightAustralia’s weather forecasters have offered the country’s drought-hit farmers scarce relief after predicting that warmer and drier conditions are set to continue through spring.After a drier than average year so far, the Bureau of Meteorology released its spring outlook on Thursday and warned that southern and south-eastern parts of the country are facing the prospect of an early summer heatwave. Continue reading...

Productivity Commission says plan is lagging behind schedule and $5bn of taxpayers funds is at riskThe Murray-Darling Basin plan could fail to deliver on its next phase and $5bn of taxpayers’ funds is at risk unless urgent changes are made to how the plan is being implemented, the Productivity Commission has said in its five year review.The commission found the plan so far has delivered a significant amount of water to the environment. It found 20% of water once used for agriculture was helping restore rivers and wetlands. Continue reading...

Japanese government expected to propose reforms to the International Whaling Commission allowing them to circumvent the current banAttempts by Japan to resume commercial whaling are likely to raise controversy at the International Whaling Commission meeting, as opponents decry the country’s suggested reforms as a covert way to revive the banned practice.The Japanese government is tabling proposals that would allow members of the IWC to circumvent some of its key decisions, such as ending the killing of whales for consumption of their meat. Continue reading...

The wild tale of America’s energy revolution, and the cowboy who made and lost billions on shale. By Bethany McLeanBetween 2006 and 2015, the energy world was turned upside-down by an epic development in the oil industry few had foreseen. From the low point, in 2006, when it imported 60% of its oil, the US became an oil powerhouse – eclipsing both Saudi Arabia and Russia – and by the end of 2015, was the world’s largest producer of natural gas.This remarkable transformation was brought about by American entrepreneurs who figured out how to literally force open rocks often more than a mile below the surface of the earth, to produce gas, and then oil. Those rocks – called shale, source rock or tight rock, and once thought to be impermeable – were opened by combining two technologies: horizontal drilling, in which the drill bit can travel more than two miles horizontally, and hydraulic fracturing, in which fluid is pumped into the earth at a high enough pressure to crack open hydrocarbon-bearing rocks, while a so-called proppant, usually sand, holds the rocks open a sliver of an inch so the hydrocarbons can flow. A fracking entrepreneur likens the process to creating hallways in an office building that has none – and then calling a fire drill. Continue reading...

Analysis shows 7,200MW of renewables added to grid after closures of coal-fired plantsWhile the Morrison government has identified lowering power prices as a key early priority, a new analysis says wholesale prices will almost halve over the next four years because of the technology many Coalition conservatives oppose – renewables.The latest renewable energy index compiled by Green Energy Markets confirms analysis by the Energy Security Board that wholesale electricity prices are on the way down because of an addition of 7,200 megawatts of extra large-scale supply from renewable energy. Continue reading...

Study finds potential for fisheries to benefit in future - as long as warming can be kept in checkBetter management of fisheries and fishing rights around the world could increase profits and leave more fish in the sea as long as measures to meet climate obligations are taken, new research has found.Even if temperatures rise by as much as 4C above pre-industrial levels – in the upper range of current forecasts – the damaging effects on fishing can be reduced through improving how stocks are fished and managed. Continue reading...

The mining conglomerate is asking the court to quash a request to produce information regarding its coal imports from IndonesiaMining conglomerate the Adani Group is trying to prevent Indian authorities from accessing its business records as part of an investigation into an alleged $4bn fraud by power companies.

A new study finds that weather associated with El Niño events is becoming more severe

Exclusive: On-the-road fuel efficiency is far lower than in lab tests, pushing up costs and CO2 emissions, research showsDrivers in Europe have paid €150bn more on fuel than they would have if their vehicles had performed as well on-the-road as in official laboratory-based tests, according to a new report.Car companies have legally gamed official tests of fuel economy for many years by, for example, using very hard tyres during tests or taking out equipment to make cars lighter. The gap between test and actual performance has soared from 9% in 2000 to 42% today. Continue reading...

Report blames climate change on cosmic ray fluctuations and sunspot activity, drawing derision from climate scientistsA European parliament report that blames climate change on cosmic ray fluctuations, sunspots and planetary gravitational pulls, is so hackneyed and ill-informed it would “make the dinosaurs blush,” climate scientists say.The non-binding opinion written by Ukip MEP, John Stuart Agnew, has shocked EU lawmakers for its dismissal of climate science – and the support he received to write it from mainstream rightwing and liberal political blocs. Continue reading...

Warragamba Dam in decline but private plant may not be fully operational for another year

Labor and Greens say former PM could ‘put to bed’ why government money was given to private charityMalcolm Turnbull could be compelled to appear at a Senate inquiry examining the government’s $443.8m grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation under a Labor and Greens push.Although MPs cannot be compelled to answer questions in Senate committees, Turnbull’s decision to resign as member for Wentworth on Friday means he could be forced to front the inquiry examining the grant. Continue reading...

Insects’ acquired taste for pesticide-laced food is similar to nicotine addiction in smokers, say scientistsBumblebees acquire a taste for pesticide-laced food that can be compared to nicotine addiction in smokers, say scientists.The more of the nicotine-like chemicals they consume, the more they appear to want, a study has shown. Continue reading...

Survey suggests Wentworth voters are watching Morrison’s steps on climate and energyThe major parties are neck and neck in the Sydney seat of Wentworth, and voters in the electorate are concerned that the new prime minister, Scott Morrison, is not as committed to action on climate change as Malcolm Turnbull was, according to a new opinion poll.With Turnbull’s resignation about to trigger a byelection in the Sydney seat the former prime minister holds with a margin of 17.7%, the new ReachTel poll funded by the Australia Institute, with a sample size of 886 residents, suggests voters in Wentworth are focused on Morrison’s early steps on climate and energy. Continue reading...

All but the cleanest vehicles to be banned from nine streets in Islington and HackneyTwo London councils are to ban all but the cleanest vehicles from some areas at peak times to help tackle the city’s air pollution crisis.In the UK’s first scheme of its kind, only ultra-low emission vehicles such as electric cars, e-bikes, and the newest hybrids and hydrogen vehicles will be allowed on nine streets in Hackney and Islington from 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm on weekdays. Continue reading...

Map produced by aerial survey of 10,000-mile coastline shows rubbish ‘at industrial levels’An aerial survey of Scotland’s long and rocky coastline has revealed that large amounts of industrial rubbish have washed up on the shore.The litter, made up of plastic barrels, fishing nets, timbers, crates and industrial equipment, has collected across large areas of shoreline and rocky coves, often washed into highly inaccessible areas. Continue reading...

California’s ‘megafires’ are making a demanding job even harder, say firefighters mourning their colleaguesThe firefighter Jeremy Stoke was helping residents evacuate from the northern California city of Redding when the wildfire menacing their neighborhood arrived suddenly in an apocalyptic form: a riot of wind and flame known as a “firenado”.As the firestorm ripped trees out of the ground and incinerated cars, Stoke radioed for help. But the potent combination of smoke and heat made it impossible to reach him, and his radio went silent. His colleagues found his body the next morning. Continue reading...

The first four of London’s new water fountains have been used tens of thousands of times since they were installedLondon’s new wave of drinking fountains have proved popular, with figures suggesting that thirsty members of the public have drunk thousands of litres of water from them since the first four were installed in the capital earlier this year.According to the team behind the installations, more than 8,000 litres of water have been dispensed in under a month from two drinking fountains installed at Liverpool Street Station – equal to 16,000 standard bottles of water – while another fountain, installed off Carnaby Street in March, has been used more than 10,000 times a month since tracking began in early June. Continue reading...

Charges against irrigator John Norman involve federal funds allocated for water projectsOne of Australia’s most successful cotton irrigators has been charged with conspiring to defraud the commonwealth of more than $20m.Queensland’s former cotton farmer of the year, John Norman, 43, was charged on Tuesday with six counts of fraud involving commonwealth funds allocated for water efficiency projects under the Murray-Darling basin plan.

Statewide assessment, which comes amid summer of extreme wildfires, warns of deadly cost if climate change is not stoppedCalifornia’s summer of deadly wildfires and dangerous heatwaves will soon be the new normal if nothing is done to stop climate change, a report released on Monday warns.City heatwaves could lead to two to three times as many deaths by 2050, the report says. By 2100, without a reduction in emissions, the state could see a 77% increase in the average area burned by wildfires. The report also warns of erosion of up to 67% of its famous coastline, up to an 8.8F (4.9C) rise in average maximum temperatures, and billions of dollars in damages. Continue reading...

Brent Finlay, former president of the National Farmers’ Federation, says Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce are the latest who are failing the bushThe former president of the National Farmers’ Federation, Brent Finlay, has accused politicians of “jumping in front of the cameras” while shirking effective policy work on drought and climate change.As Scott Morrison and his special drought envoy, Barnaby Joyce, toured south-west Queensland on Tuesday, Finlay described the former deputy prime minister and agriculture minister as the last in a long line of ministers who had “no real appetite” for national drought policy in a changing climate. Continue reading...

Local mayor forbids people to go in the sea after creature tried to rub against swimmersA mayor on France’s Brittany coast took the rare step of banning swimming for several days after a solitary frisky dolphin tried to get too close to bathers.Roger Lars decided last week that it was safest to ban swimming and diving on the coast near Landévennec, where the over-friendly dolphin had been spotted. Continue reading...

Windfarms fall short in heatwave, but 2018 was still UK’s second greenest summerBritain’s long heatwave threw the country’s green energy revolution into reverse and pushed up carbon emissions this summer, leading experts to stress the need for a diverse energy mix.The summer of 2017 was lauded as the “greenest ever” for electricity generation, thanks to a growing number of windfarms and solar installations edging out coal and gas power stations. Continue reading...

Some of the reporting of the climate impacts of the Dirty Power Plan has been inaccurateLast October, then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that the agency would repeal the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. But because the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant and the Obama EPA correctly concluded that it poses a threat to public welfare via climate change, the EPA is legally obligated to do something to address that threat. That meant they needed a replacement plan.Last week, the Trump EPA unveiled that plan and inaccurately named it the ‘Affordable Clean Energy Rule.’ The rule basically just extends the life of some dirty coal power plants and encourages them to run a bit more efficiently. The rule’s costs in worsening public health far exceed its monetary benefits. It would more accurately be named the ‘Expensive Dirty Power Plan.’ Continue reading...

MPs and outlets including the Guardian listened to Chris Faulkner on fracking. He is now under arrest for fraudThe self-appointed evangelist of the Texas fracking boom launched into a jargon-laced monologue, prompting the chairman of the UK parliament’s Welsh affairs committee to request he speak in plain English.Related: UK fracking push could fuel global plastics crisis, say campaigners Continue reading...

Manuscript note has linked the 18th century poet to one of lost gardens of Georgian EnglandTwo words in faded brown ink on the back of a translation of Homer’s Odyssey have linked the 18th century poet Alexander Pope to the design of a grand garden created for one of his best friends, Henrietta Howard, a mistress of George II.Emily Parker, a landscape historian, said the words “Plum Bush” jumped off the page at her as she pored over Pope’s manuscripts in the British Library, looking for proof that he had indeed designed one of the great lost gardens of Georgian England. Continue reading...

Milestone reached nearly a year after China but ahead of the USThere are now more than a million electric cars in Europe after sales soared by more than 40% in the first half of the year, new figures reveal.Europe hit the milestone nearly a year after China, which has a much larger car market, but ahead of the US, which is expected to reach the landmark later this year driven by the appetite for Tesla’s latest model. Continue reading...

A cluster of new technologies aim to fulfill humanity’s ancient desire to influence the weather. But is it a good idea?Farmers in Mexico have accused Volkswagen of ruining their crops by installing “hail cannons”, which fire shockwaves into the atmosphere in an effort to prevent hail storms from damaging the cars rolling off the production line.The devices are being blamed for causing a drought during months when farmers near the German carmaker’s plant in Puebla expected plenty of rain. Continue reading...

Civic leaders representing 20 million people sign letter calling for clean air planCity leaders across England and Wales have teamed up to demand that Theresa May take immediate action to fight air pollution, which scientists say causes at least 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK.A total of 17 mayors and civic leaders, representing 20 million people throughout the country, have signed a letter that calls for a national action plan to clean up the nation’s air to be implemented as a matter of urgency. They include the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, as well as mayors Andy Burnham (Greater Manchester), Steve Rotheram (Liverpool city region), and Dan Jarvis (Sheffield), along with leaders from authorities around the country including Cardiff, Leeds, Newcastle and Southampton. Continue reading...

Parts of drought-ravaged eastern Australia receive more rain in two days than in previous months combined

In California and beyond, lawmakers are taking action for the environment. But advocates for people with disabilities say the bans create yet another hurdle to dining in publicAt first glance, bans on plastic straws might seem like a simple – and harmless – next step for the environmentally conscious.Love sea turtles? No more straws. Want to save the planet? “Stop sucking.” Continue reading...

A genetic study has found that some specimens of the invasive reptile that has decimated local wildlife are a mixture of two Asian species which could make it an even more formidable predatorFrom carnivorous giant lizards to toxic climbing tree frogs, the Florida Everglades have become a haven to invasive species steadily destroying and devouring the flora and fauna of the state’s famed River of Grass.Now comes news of a hybrid super-predator slithering its way through the waterways of the 1.5m-acre wilderness: a genetically blended python that researchers believe might be able to better embrace the subtropical environment and expand its range more rapidly than any species before it. Continue reading...

Ministers consider doubling existing 5p levy and imposing it on even smallest storesMinisters have been considering rolling out the plastic bag levy to all shops and doubling it to 10p.The prime minister was reportedly planning to announce the proposals next week as part of a series of measures designed to encourage the reuse of carrier bags and reduce the UK’s reliance on plastics, which are harmful to the environment. Continue reading...

Red avadavat birds, pink dolphins and a bamboo rat are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

Use of mechanical device to pull kelp plants from beds would destroy local ecosystem, say campaignersA proposal to mechanically dredge kelp forests off the coast of Scotland has led to an outcry from conservationists, who say it would destroy local ecosystems.Ayr-based company Marine Biopolymers has approached Marine Scotland to apply for a licence to use a comb-like device that pulls entire kelp plants from the bed. In order to inform the environmental appraisal required by Marine Scotland, Marine Biopolymers has published a report describing the potential environmental impacts to be researched further for a full assessment. Continue reading...

Funding sought to ‘reimagine 21st-century seaside resort’ in once-booming Lancashire townThe Eden Project plans to open a version of its Cornish tourist attraction in Morecambe in a move hailed as a “game-changer” for the Lancashire seaside resort.The environmental centre, which attracts more than 1 million visitors a year, said it was looking for funding for the project after carrying out a feasibility study. Continue reading...

Mayor on Île d’Oléron is leading the fight, saying the island is ‘not about mass consumption’Inside a ramshackle former holiday club on the picturesque Île d’Oléron off France’s Atlantic coast, a group of people were screen-printing old T-shirts with anti-burger slogans inspired by the student protests of May 1968. The artwork implored “comrades” to choose their side in the island’s battle with McDonald’s.“Oléron is a beautiful place, it’s important to protect it,” said Nicolas, 36, an IT worker, who volunteers on a local project to make furniture from discarded wooden pallets. “We don’t need McDonald’s in a place that is pioneering local organic food, sustainable development, zero waste – alternative ways of living that aren’t about mass consumption.” Continue reading...

Government advisers reject central bank’s proposal to sell billions held in oil stocksGovernment advisers have urged Norway not to ditch oil and gas investments from its $1tn sovereign wealth fund, in a setback for those backing the world’s biggest fossil fuel divestment.Norway’s central bank last year recommended the fund sell the billions it holds in oil stocks to avoid the risk of a permanent drop in crude prices. Continue reading...

Moderate rainfall predicted for Queensland and NSW won’t make a ‘big difference’While many in eastern Australia woke to rain on Friday, the wet weather will not be enough to bring significant relief to farmers affected by the drought in New South Wales and Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology has said.But farmers are still hopeful forecast rain will start to make a dent in what has been described as the area’s worst drought in 50 years. Continue reading...