Iceland is among the first supermarkets to introduce the new ‘trust mark’ that shows shoppers which food packaging has no hidden plastic in itA new plastic-free “trust mark†is being introduced today, allowing shoppers to see at a glance whether products use plastic in their packaging.The label will be prominently displayed on food and drink products, making it easier for consumers to choose greener alternatives. Continue reading...
Study on rats said to show that the chemical, found in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller, poses ‘a significant public health concern’A chemical found in the world’s most widely used weedkiller can have disrupting effects on sexual development, genes and beneficial gut bacteria at doses considered safe, according to a wide-ranging pilot study in rats.
Exclusive: AECOM spokesman says workers have ‘demobilised’ and company is no longer working on projectThe global engineering company AECOM, the firm that had been designing Adani’s $2.2bn rail line to its Carmichael coalmine, has severed its ties with the Indian conglomerate.Guardian Australia understands the company and Adani ended their association with the project design part-finished. Continue reading...
Government-commissioned report says proposed site at Sambor reach is the ‘worst possible place’ for hydropower due to impact on wildlifeA Chinese-backed plan to build Cambodia’s biggest dam could “literally kill†the Mekong river, according to a confidential assessment seen by the Guardian which says that the proposed site at Sambor is the “worst possible place†for hydropower.
News of milestone comes as MPs say policy changes have caused collapse in investment in renewablesBritain’s windfarms provided more electricity than its eight nuclear power stations in the first three months of 2018, marking the first time wind has overtaken nuclear across a quarter.The renewable energy industry hailed the milestone as a sign the UK was well on its way to an electricity system powered by cheap, domestic green energy. Continue reading...
Kit Hill and Metherell, Tamar Valley: This pear tree remains spectacular, with creamy blossom on wide-spreading branchesAt dawn, birdsong floats up from shrubby undergrowth towards the cold summit of Kit Hill. Mist lies in the lowest valleys and, like the scattered enclaves of yellow oilseed rape and plastic-covered maize plantings, appears luminous among the pale greens and blues of the expansive patchwork of fields and woods.The first cuckoo call of the season impels a brief runabout in honour of family tradition to ensure another year of liveliness – although my predecessors would have had no need to come uphill and away from the valley to hear this bird. The sound of melodeon, trombone, drum and bells echoes around the monumental mine-stack as the Cornish Wreckers dance morris in celebration of May and of “winter gone awayâ€. Continue reading...
Japanese knotweed is said to cost UK economy £170m a year, but so far only solution is controversial glyphosate-based herbicideJapanese knotweed is a thug of a plant capable of growing a foot a week at this time of year; it spreads rapidly from underground rhizomes; erodes riverbanks, leading to flooding; smothers other plants; blocks drains and wreaks such havoc on homes and gardens that it blights property prices. It is estimated that controlling Japanese knotweed costs the UK economy about £170m each year. An entire industry has been built on trying to control the plant, using at least 15 different active control methods. There is, however, no impartial study of how effective any of these treatments are.Scientists at Swansea University recently concluded the world’s largest field trial over five years on tackling Japanese knotweed. Their depressing assessment is that eradicating the plant using weedkillers is useless, and so too are physical methods such as covering up and cutting down knotweed. Continue reading...
Whatever the WWF says, peak demand for gas-fired generation will be larger, says Steve Bolter, while Chris Underwood pours cold water on the IMechE’s hydrogen proposalThe WWF has been oversimplistic in its argument that no further gas-fired power stations are needed (Report, 14 May). The forecast increase in annual renewable electricity production is only just sufficient to balance the closure of coal-fired electricity generation and the fall in nuclear generation resulting from the retirement of many of our nuclear power stations (most of which are already working beyond their design lives). However, this does not mean more no more gas generation capacity is needed. Electricity demand varies, and renewables are intermittent. There has to be enough capacity to meet demand at all times.While pump storage systems and batteries are able to store enough energy to cope with short-term variations in demand and the availability of renewable generation, it would not be environmentally friendly, efficient or cost-effective to use such systems to store energy from summer to winter, or even to store enough to survive a long midwinter period of high pressure over the North Sea. Continue reading...
Almost all single use plastics, including coffee cups, bags and water bottles will be replaced with compostable or reusable versions by 2019The UK parliament has unveiled a package of measures to “virtually eliminate†single-use plastics from Westminster in the next year.The move will see a range of items – from coffee cups to straws, plastic bags to water bottles – removed from the parliamentary estate, to be replaced by compostable or reuseable options by 2019. Continue reading...
City Hall sources say mayor is hoping to introduce separate car-free days in each borough this year, with ‘more ambitious plans’ for 2019London is considering introducing car-free days in an attempt to tackle the city’s air pollution crisis that experts say is responsible for thousands of early deaths each year.Officials at City Hall were due to meet on Tuesday to examine how best to roll out a ban across specific areas of the capital on different days this year - with “more ambitious plans†in the pipeline for 2019. Continue reading...
Xia Boyu, 69, reaches summit after his feet were amputated in his first bid 43 years ago and losing his legs to cancerA Chinese mountaineer who lost both feet trying to summit Everest 43 years ago and then had his legs amputated due to cancer has successfully climbed the mountain on his fifth attempt.Xia Boyu on Monday reached the top of the world’s highest peak with a group of 13 others more than four decades after his first crack at it. Continue reading...
Situated in the heart of the ‘coral triangle’, this young nation boasts some of the most biodiverse waters in the world. As it emerges from years of unrest, it now faces the challenge of protecting its coasts, and the communities that rely on them, in the face of growing development Continue reading...
Government releases new acreages for offshore exploration as protesters oppose drillingThe government has released a new acreage for offshore oil and gas exploration in the Great Australian Bight that green groups says should have been kept off limits after it was cancelled by BP.The permit is one of two that BP cancelled after the company abandoned its plans for oil and gas drilling in the bight in 2016. Its remaining two permits were sold to the Norwegian oil and gas multinational Statoil. Continue reading...
Aigas, Highlands: The pine marten brought a touch of night in its sharp black muzzle and in the big silent dark-stockinged feetFor more than 90 minutes we’d sat until cold air quieted the wood and the day thinned into the long shadows of the trees. By 10.30pm we were centred in an arc of artificial lamp glow. There was just the sound of a last robin across the loch, its spindly song an analogue for the vanishing day.The silent theatricality of the moment was thus complete when the creature strolled into our vision without the merest hint of drama. Its step was sprightly, its acceptance of the lamp instantaneous. It brought a touch of night in its sharp black muzzle and in the big silent dark-stockinged feet – and every now and then it paused from eating to stare hard at its own route through the trees, reassuring itself of solitude – but otherwise we were all at ease with the mutual encounter. For 10 minutes there were no sounds but the crunch of nut and the click of camera. Continue reading...
Frozen food is the latest industry millennials have been credited with saving. But it’s too late for gum, soap and thongsFrozen food is super hot right now. According to David Palmer, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, sales volumes have grown for the first time in five years. And millennials are largely responsible for this, spending 9% more per shopping trip for frozen foods last year than other groups, according to Reuters.So why are millennials, a supposedly foodie generation, buying so many frozen meals? Well, largely because it’s convenient. “The average millennial doesn’t have time to make a full meal with fresh meat and produce, a Euromonitor analyst explained. “More and more they’re seeing these products as viable options.†Continue reading...
Rwanda’s plastic bag ban | Sugar in recipes | School funding | Autocorrect | Tessa JowellWhile “other East African nations are considering following suit†(Nairobi feels the force of world’s most draconian plastic bag ban, 26 April), Rwanda banned plastic bags in 2008. Plastic bags can trap pools of water which host mosquitos so their ban helps fight malaria.
Max Berryman, 21, taken to hospital in Truro with injuries sustained off Land’s EndA fisherman was airlifted to hospital after being bitten on the leg by a shark landed on a boat off the Cornish coast.Crewmates of Max Berryman, 21, tended to his wounds before a coastguard helicopter winched him off the vessel and back to the mainland. Continue reading...
We asked you to tell us about the time you crossed from one side of the debate to the otherI first thought it was fake as I used to watch Fox News with my family. In 2015 I met my partner Stephen who knew that the facts of climate change couldn’t be ignored. He took it upon himself to try to convince me. We started watching documentaries on the subject on Netflix. The first documentary that caught my attention was Cowspiracy directed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn. This documentary really hit home and I even wrote an essay on it. Then came What the Health by the same directors. After we watched the movie Stephen and I turned to an all plant-based diet. We have our ups and downs on staying true to our new lifestyle change, but we always keep in mind that for every burger we don’t eat that is 660 gallons of water that we are saving for others in need. I was lucky enough that Stephen took the time and saw that if I could see the issues I would see that the facts are true.
A review of records by the Guardian reveals Douglas Domenech held meetings with Texas Public Policy Foundation, which was involved in suing the departmentAs allegations of ethics violations mount at the US Environmental Protection Agency, new evidence is raising ethics concerns about key Trump-administration appointees at the interior department.Records reviewed by the Guardian and Pacific Standard show that a high-level interior official, Douglas Domenech, held meetings with a previous employer, the Koch-linked Texas Public Policy Foundation, while it was involved in legal action against the department. Continue reading...
Local people and environmentalists have 16 working days left to stop the first spade going into the ground at a beauty spot in Co DurhamFour months after the UK government announced it was phasing out coal, campaigners are digging in to stop what they say will be the devastation of opencast mining at a beauty spot in the north-east of England.Local people and environmentalists have 16 working days left to stop the first spade going into the ground on 71 hectares of grassland, fields and woods in the Pont valley, Co Durham. Continue reading...
Hit by record droughts and rainfall and wildfires, California leads the way in tackling global warmingIn 1988 – the same year Nasa’s James Hansen warned Congress about the threats posed by human-caused global warming – water expert Peter Gleick wrote about the wet and dry extremes that it would create for California:California will get the worst of all possible worlds – more flooding in the winter, less available water in the summer. Continue reading...
New Forest: Janet Elizabeth Case braved treacherous sink holes and snagging briars to see these enchanting flowers 80 years agoFascinated by JEC’s account of her search for the bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliata) in a Country diary dated 5 June 1933 (I’d come across it in the slim grey selection of her diaries published posthumously in 1939), we tried last year to relive the adventure. Continue reading...
LNG was major contributor to 1.5% rise in year to December 2017, government data showsSign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar, increasing for the third consecutive year according to new data published by the Department of Environment and Energy.The Turnbull government published new quarterly emissions data late on Friday which reveals Australia’s climate pollution increased by 1.5% in the year to December 2017. Continue reading...
Report suggests renewables, battery storage and flexible technologies can replace coal plantsThe UK has no need to build new large gas-fired power stations to replace the coal plants that the government has pledged to switch off by 2025, the World Wide Fund for Nature has argued.The gap can instead be filled by renewables, battery storage and flexible technologies, allowing the UK to go from “coal to clean†and skip new gas completely, according to a report by the environmental group.
Petrochemical firm Ineos founder knocks Hinduja brothers from top spot in Sunday Times Rich ListFracking and chemicals billionaire Jim Ratcliffe increased his wealth by more than £15bn last year to take the crown as Britain’s richest person, with a £21bn fortune.Ratcliffe, 65, has overtaken the Hinduja brothers, to take the Sunday Times Rich List title thanks to a huge increase in value of his petrochemical company Ineos, the UK’s biggest fracking firm. Continue reading...
A guide to flora with a hunger for flesh – and the intriguing and elaborate ways in which they get hold of itScientists at the University of Freiburg in Germany have for the first time characterised the snapping movement of this rare aquatic carnivorous plant, found in wetlands around the world. Aldrovanda vesiculosa snaps its “trap†shut 10 times faster than the much larger Venus flytrap, using a combination of hydraulics and the release of pre-stress to capture water fleas and possibly even tadpoles and small fish. Continue reading...
Compensation offered to encourage local communities to allow test boreholes is described as ‘completely inadequate’MPs from both major parties have attacked the government’s latest incentive to entice communities into volunteering to host Britain’s first deep underground store for nuclear waste as “completely inadequateâ€.Ministers have offered up to £1m per community for areas that constructively engage in offering to take part in the scheme, and a further sum of up to £2.5m where deep borehole investigations take place. Continue reading...
Former ministers condemn new body’s lack of power for legal action against governmentA former Tory cabinet minister is backing efforts to force through tough green laws after Brexit, amid anger over plans that would weaken environmental protections once Britain leaves the European Union.Four former environment and climate change secretaries from three parties told the Observer they had concerns about “toothless†plans announced by the government last week, which suggested the new post-Brexit green watchdog would lack the power to take the government to court. Continue reading...
Gabon’s wild and beautiful rainforest is on the frontline against ivory poachers, part of international criminal networks that also fund terroristsDeep in the steamy rainforest of Gabon, a poaching gang’s night-time fire is smouldering and two long elephant tusks lie among the tangled roots. The axe that hacked them off lies nearby.Just after dawn, the insect buzz and bird chatter is suddenly pierced by a whistle blast and camouflaged park guards burst out from their forest cover, swiftly pinning the poachers to the ground. Continue reading...
In this book extract, Geoff Cousins describes how the farmer, the activist, the tourism operator and ‘an old bald man with hope in his heart’ travelled to India to protest against Adani
Gore says pipeline expansion in Canada ‘would be a step backward in our efforts to solve the climate crisis’Al Gore has thrown his support behind opponents of a contentious Canadian pipeline project and condemned the planned expansion as federal officials in Canada scramble to ensure it goes ahead.“The Kinder Morgan pipeline carrying dirty tar sands oil would be a step backward in our efforts to solve the climate crisis,†Gore tweeted on Thursday. Continue reading...
A bloom of bioluminescent phytoplankton has dazzled San Diego residents as the abundance of the algae along the coats lights up the water.The bloom was cause by a red tide, resulting in a higher level than normal of the plankton in the water. When the small organisms are disturbed, they let off light, making them more visible.
An unusual algal bloom, known as a red tide, has drawn many to the beach in the hopes of witnessing the stunning spectacleA dense bloom of bioluminescent algae off the coast of southern California has lit up the Pacific Ocean with an eerie and fantastical neon blue glow, sending photographers and spectators to the beach at night in hopes of witnessing the natural phenomenon.The algal bloom, also known as a red tide, was observed this week lighting up the waves along a 15-mile stretch of coastline. Continue reading...
In 62 separate meetings, 13 teams of athletes and advocates made their ask of politicians: protect public lands by supporting fundingAlex Honnold was stuck in traffic.The world’s most renowned rock climber was due on Capitol Hill for a US Senate reception with other top climbers from around the country, who had descended en masse on Washington to lobby for greater protections for public lands. Continue reading...
by Jonathan Watts and Rebecca Smithers on (#3PZNB)
We now use 14,000 of the handy cloths every second - but they are increasingly clogging rivers and putting wildlife at risk. So how can we wean ourselves off them?
This week’s edition of the Upside looks at how the world can conserve water despite climate change, and how seeds planted in a Yorkshire valley have grown a global movementOne of the obvious consequences of climate change is that our reservoirs of fresh water are running out. As global temperatures continue to rise, people around the globe will have to figure out how to manage with less water.This week we looked at how one city united to tackle its water crisis, and found other tales of people coming together and turning around bleak situations. Continue reading...
Bromley Council has taken steps to protect a group of mature trackside trees that are likely to be targeted in the rail operator’s plans to fell all ‘leaf-fall’ speciesA local authority has imposed preservation orders on trees growing on Network Rail land to stop them being felled by the operator.Bromley Council said on Friday it had issued two tree preservation orders (TPO) on a group of mature oaks, sycamores and ash trees which grow alongside the railway – many of which are likely to be targeted if the rail operator carries out its “enhanced clearance†plan to reduce delays, as revealed in the Guardian this week. Continue reading...
In my job, I have been stung countless times. But nothing comes close to the pain bullet ants inflictI carried out my first experiment with a stinging insect when I was seven, picking a honey bee off a dandelion and placing it on the arm of my teacher. My hypothesis was that it might sting her, and it turned out to be correct, much to her dismay.Where I grew up, in the Appalachian area of the north-east US, we had lots of honey bees and wasps of various sorts. As a kid, I was stung by virtually all of them. I realised that they registered the same sort of pain – the intensity may vary from one to the next, but they were fairly similar. But an accidental run-in with a colony of harvester ants led to a life-changing revelation: they didn’t feel at all as I expected they would. They really hurt. Continue reading...
Researchers at Sydney’s Macquarie University discover sharks can recognise jazz music, but struggle to differentiate between styles of music. Continue reading...
From pop-up bike lanes to painted potholes, here are the imaginative ways frustrated cyclists are taking action to create a safer environmentAcross the world, transport planning and infrastructure tends to favour the car, and facilities for cyclists and pedestrians are an afterthought. In response, frustrated urban cyclists have thrown caution to the wind and written their own will into the fabric of the city, overturning the dominance of the car and creating a safer environment for cycling in imaginative ways.Cycling has the power to turn individuals into a community and communities have the power to improve our cities. These examples show how activism can be a real solution to urban problems. Continue reading...
The initial forecasts of an above-average season for hurricanes, beginning on 1 June, follow a punishing spate of storms last yearThe US may have to brace itself for another harrowing spate of hurricanes this year, with forecasts of an active 2018 season coming amid new research that shows powerful Atlantic storms are intensifying far more rapidly than they did 30 years ago.Related: 'We've been forgotten': Hurricane Harvey and the long path to recovery Continue reading...
Vatican meeting between the climate-change skeptics in 2017 looked at setting up two-sided ‘debate’ about global warmingCardinal George Pell discussed a plan to set up a two-sided “debate†about human-caused climate change with the US Environmental Protection Agency chief, Scott Pruitt , at the Vatican in 2017, it has been revealed.According to documents collated by The New York Times, Pruitt joined Pell and others for a $240-a-head dinner in June 2017, an engagement that was left off official schedules of Pruitt’s Vatican visit. Continue reading...