Environment | The Guardian

If you don't believe the scientists, will you believe the insurance companies?

My homeplace has experienced four natural disasters in eight years. But I'd never seen the like of this bird before, vibrantly green and startlingly beautifulWe were midway through our cyclone preparation when my mother broke her leg. She stepped into her bedroom to retrieve something, tripped and fell, and that was that. My mother is 74 and hardy, so this sudden break took us by surprise. Once I got her home, leg in brace, we'd lost significant time, and my household was down to one functional human: me.This is the fourth natural disaster I've experienced in the last eight years. One-in-100-year floods (2017), unprecedented bushfires (2019), one-in-1,000-year floods (2022) and now Cyclone Alfred. Cyclones are a new threat. I've lived in my homeplace, in northern New South Wales, for almost 50 years and we've never had a cyclone cross land in our vicinity. We were, as they say, in uncharted waters. Continue reading...

Research shows apex predators are increasing in numbers and excreting important nutrients into Top End waterways

Swings between drought and floods striking from Dallas to Shanghai, while Madrid and Cairo are among cities whose climate has flippedClimate whiplash is already hitting major cities around the world, bringing deadly swings between extreme wet and dry weather as the climate crisis intensifies, a report has revealed.Dozens more cities, including Lucknow, Madrid and Riyadh have suffered a climate flip" in the last 20 years, switching from dry to wet extremes, or vice versa. The report analysed the 100 most populous cities, plus 12 selected ones, and found that 95% of them showed a distinct trend towards wetter or drier weather. Continue reading...

Applications to the sustainable farming initiative no longer accepted but no clarity on what will replace it and whenFarming and countryside groups in England are furious that the government has paused a key post-Brexit farming payments scheme with little information about what will replace it and when.In a statement on Tuesday evening the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the sustainable farming incentive would no longer accept new applications. Continue reading...

In addition to layoffs and hiring freezes, a God squad' can effectively veto ESA protections for endangered speciesDonald Trump's administration, backed by House Republicans and Elon Musk's Doge agency, are carrying out an attack on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and federal wildlife agencies that, if successful, will almost certainly drive numerous species into extinction, environmental advocates warn.The three-pronged attack is designed to freeze endangered wildlife protections to more quickly push through oil, gas and development projects, opponents say. Continue reading...

RFK Jr's Maha' giving fresh momentum to longtime efforts to outlaw additives, which is now a bipartisan movementAt least a dozen US states - from traditionally conservative Oklahoma to liberal-leaning New York - are rushing to pass laws outlawing commonly used dyes and other chemical additives in foods, citing a need to protect public health.In one of the most far-reaching efforts, West Virginia last week advanced a sweeping ban on a range of common food dyes that have been linked to health problems, particularly for children, with overwhelming support from both Republicans and Democrats. Continue reading...

Millions of children could lose free school meals as food costs rise, warns School Nutrition Association presidentThe US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has slashed two programs that provided more than $1bn for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farms and ranchers.About $660m of those funds were contained in the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which provided funds to schools and child care facilities but is now being eliminated. Continue reading...

Highly toxic jet fuel leaking from oil tanker threatens local ecosystems as investigations begin into collision's causeLeaking fuel from the collision between a cargo ship and oil tanker in the North Sea would have a devastating" impact on marine life, experts have said, as investigations began into the cause of the incident.Fires continued to burn onboard both vessels 24 hours after the Stena Immaculate tanker and cargo ship Solong collided off the coast of Yorkshire on Monday morning. A search for a missing crew member was called off overnight. Continue reading...

Tiny bits of plastic can end up in water and soil at alarming levels, said lead author of University of Missouri paperFertilizers that shed microplastics are increasingly spreading on America's cropland, research shows, raising new worry about the soil contamination and safety of the US food supply.A peer-reviewed University of Missouri paper found common types of controlled-release fertilizers are often encapsulated with plastic and can be so small that they could be considered microplastics. Those are designed to break down into even smaller pieces of plastic once spread in fields. Continue reading...

Staff crisis at Environment Agency, which helps monitor 950 sites, means it is hearing about incidents later than normal, insider saysThe team responsible for preventing environmental risks at England's most hazardous industrial sites is facing a recruitment crisis and one insider has warned environmental incidents are going unchecked.The control of major accident hazards (Comah) regulations cover 950 of England's most hazardous industrial sites - from nuclear power plants to chemical manufacturers - in locations such as Buncefield oil depot near Hemel Hempstead, where, in 2005, the largest explosion in peacetime took place in the UK. Continue reading...

The Guardianas del Conchalito ignored chants of get back to your kitchens', determined to protect the environment and create a sustainable shellfish operationAhead of the small boat, as it bobs on the waters near La Paz in the Mexican state of Baja California, is a long line of old plastic bottles strung together on top of the waves. Underneath them are as many as 100,000 oysters, waiting to be sold to the upmarket hotels down the coast.Cheli Mendez, who oversees the project, pulls a shell up from below, cuts it open with a knife, and gives me the contents to try: a plump, tasty oyster. Mendez is one of a group known as Guardianas del Conchalito, or guardians of the shells, and theirs is the first oyster-growing business in the region run entirely by women, she says.The women dug a channel with shovels and pickaxes to allow seawater to reach the mangroves Continue reading...

Concerns for elderly and vulnerable as some homes in south-east Queensland face days without power

Campaigners to argue in court of appeal that plan is not in public interest and special administration is best optionEnvironmental campaigners will challenge the granting of a high-interest 3bn emergency loan to struggling Thames Water at an appeal on Tuesday, arguing the eye-watering" costs for a short-term fix are not in the public interest.With protests planned outside the court of appeal, Charlie Maynard, a Liberal Democrat MP who represents the campaigners, will argue in a three-day hearing that the public and consumer interest is not served by the debt package, which comes with a bill of almost 1bn in interest payments and financial adviser fees. Continue reading...

Annual survey by IQAir based on toxic PM2.5 particles reveals some progress in pollution levels in India and ChinaNearly every country on Earth has dirtier air than doctors recommend breathing, a report has found.Only seven countries met the World Health Organization's guidelines for tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 last year, according to analysis from the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. Continue reading...

'There's good news when it comes to the rivers in the northern rivers - all are receding,' the New South Wales premier says, adding: The immediate threat to the community has been reduced.' State Emergency Service deputy commissioner Damien Johnston says overnight rainfall was not significant enough to affect river systems but warns residents: You do need to be vigilant'

Chris Minns vows to remove overseas visitors, tourists, backpackers' from Lismore houses during ex-Cyclone Alfred cleanup

Authorities warn more fatalities expected as a year's worth of rain falls on Bahia Blanca in eight hoursRescue teams in Argentina are searching for two girls, aged one and five, who were swept away by severe floods that ripped through Buenos Aires province, killing at least 16 people.A year's worth of rain fell on the city of Bahia Blanca and the town of Cerri on Friday, rapidly inundating neighbourhoods and destroying homes, bridges and roads. The rainfall - 400mm (15.7in) recorded in just eight hours - was more than twice the city's previous record of 175mm (6.8in) set in 1930. Continue reading...

Chris Wright signals abandonment of Biden's irrational, quasi-religious' climate policies at industry conferenceThe world needs more planet-heating fossil fuel, not less, Donald Trump's newly appointed energy secretary, Chris Wright, told oil and gas bigwigs on Monday.We are unabashedly pursuing a policy of more American energy production and infrastructure, not less," he said in the opening plenary talk of CERAWeek, a swanky annual conference in Houston, Texas, led by the financial firm S&P Global. Continue reading...

Regional voters are often stereotyped so I propose a new demographic category ahead of the election: conservative, uncommitted rural voters with environmental sympathies

Laura Leaf had a sick possum for company when she spent three nights in a spare room at Mallory Wilson's Nerang home

Number of animals affected by neurological toxin increases in past week as experts warn of impact from climate crisisThe number of marine mammals in California affected by a neurological toxin from algae has surged in the past week, in what could be another deadly year for animals such as sea lions, seals, dolphins and larger whales.According to the Marine Mammal Care Center, a rescue facility based in Sausalito, California, the facility is treating more than 30 animals affected by a toxic algal bloom, with eight animals admitted on Wednesday. The algae bloom off the California coast has been on the rise in recent years, producing a neurological toxin called domoic acid. Continue reading...

They prefer to carry branches in their teeth, like dogs. And when they swim, they hold their front paws to their chests, like a severe governess in a Victorian novelThe heads of beavers, large rodents known for building dams, are their own kind of highly complex dam structure, with various retractable walls that let water in or keep it out. They can close valves in their nostrils and ears and a special membrane over their eyes; their epiglottis, the flap that stops water entering the lungs, is inside their nose instead of their throat; they use their tongue to shield their throats from water; and their lips to shield their mouths - their lips can close behind their front teeth. Their teeth are rust-orange, because they are strengthened with iron.Their back feet are webbed like a duck's; on land, their front feet act like hands, digging, grasping and carrying things from the riverbed to the surface - rocks, for example, tucked under their chins and cradled by their arms. When they swim, they do so while holding their front paws to their chests, like a severe governess in a Victorian novel, or a child pretending to be a rabbit. They prefer to carry branches in their teeth, like dogs. The biggest beavers weigh 50kg.As boats will sometimes lie along the shore,

Biodiversity is great in theory, but there are reasons to fend off invasive species and the knock-on effect of their presenceBritain would be a wasteland if it weren't for immigration. Fifteen thousand years ago, most of the country was buried a kilometre deep in ice - not ideal conditions for life. That all changed as we moved out of the last ice age into the current, milder climate phase. The ice sheets retreated, leaving an empty landscape for anything with the wherewithal to seize the opportunity and move in. Tens of thousands of species did, mainly heading north from the European continent to which Britain was then joined. The result was a native biota where almost every species is an immigrant. Our ancestors were among them.Immigration is a natural process, but it's one that has been fundamentally changed thanks to humanity's wanderlust. As we've moved around the world we have taken many other species along with us - some deliberately, some accidentally - to areas they couldn't have reached without our assistance. These include many of the most familiar denizens of the British countryside. Grey squirrel, ring-necked parakeet, horse chestnut, rhododendron - none of these would be in Britain if they hadn't been brought by people. They are what ecologists call aliens. Anywhere people live you'll also find aliens.Tim Blackburn is professor of invasion biology at University College London and author of The Jewel Box: How Moths Illuminate Nature's Hidden Rules

Rainfall in Bahia Blanca led to 10 deaths, swept away vehicles, destroyed bridges and left areas underwaterThe city of Bahia Blanca in Argentina had a new rainfall record on Friday, after a recent heatwave. More than 400mm (15.7in) of rain was recorded in just eight hours, more than twice the city's previous record of 175mm set in 1930, and roughly equivalent to a year's worth of rainfall.The heatwave primed the atmosphere for heavy rainfall by creating high instability and raising humidity levels. Then on Friday, as a cold front swept across the region, this warm moist air was able to rise, cool and rapidly condense, leading to severe thunderstorms across the region. As the front then continued northwards towards Buenos Aires over the weekend, further severe storms were triggered, containing heavy rain, hail and strong gusts. Continue reading...

Pfas are poisoning our soil and polluting our lungs. The EPA is finally sounding the alarm - but that's not enough

Two Italian cacti smugglers have been fined for illegally trading plants from Chile - and for the cost of restoring the environment. Conservationists hope more cases will followChile's Atacama desert is one of the driest places on Earth, a surprisingly cool environment, sucked clean of moisture by the cold ocean to the west. This arid, golden landscape is home to many rare species of cacti, which attract professional and amateur botanists from around the world keen to make discoveries and experience the thrill of naming a new species.But they are not the only ones prowling the sands: Atacama has become a hotspot for succulent smuggling. Continue reading...

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The toxic Tasmanian salmon industry has gone too far this time

Bureau urged to review its systems after Fraser Coast mayor says Hervey Bay was pelted with 260mm of rain after being told it was not in firing line

Chris Minns stresses that the New South Wales evacuation centres set up for people fleeing flooding will be closed once the immediate threat from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred is over. The premier says his government contributed $5bn for social housing in its last budget. 'Evacuation centres are not going to be long-term solutions for homelessness on the northern rivers,' he says. 'And I just want to be really transparent and clear ... They can't operate longer than they were intended to'

Environment secretary points to measures to stop lake being choked by unacceptable levels' of pollutionThe government has said it will clean up Windermere" after criticism over the volume of sewage being pumped into England's largest lake.The environment secretary, Steve Reed, pledged only rainwater" would enter the famous body of water in the Lake District, putting an end to the situation where it Windermere was being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution". Continue reading...

Damage to trees in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene was extraordinary and humbling' but urban areas face particular problemsThe city of Asheville and its surrounding areas have been left vulnerable to floods, fires and extreme heat after Hurricane Helene uprooted thousands of trees that provided shade and protection from storms.Helene was catastrophic for the region's trees - in part due to the heavy precursor rainstorm that pounded southern Appalachia for two days straight, drenching the soil before Helene hit, bringing yet more heavy rain and 60-100mph winds. Continue reading...

Millions of people in northern NSW and south-east Queensland are bunkering down for dangerous conditions including flash flooding, heavy rain and intense winds after the storm now downgraded to a tropical low crossed the coast

In the Zuleta community in Ecuador, farming is about more than just sustenance: it is about cultivating a deep relationship with the land based on ancestral knowledge. In her travels in the region, Colombo-Ecuadorian photographer Yinna Higuera collaborates with rural women, who in exchange share their understanding of medicinal plants and give her leaves from their gardens. In her Traces series, which has been shortlisted for a Sony world photography award, Higuera uses chlorophyll printing to superimpose the women's portraits on banana leaves, vegetables and herbs. Each of these women has a unique story," she says, yet they all share a profound bond with the land. Through these portraits, my goal is to make their strength and wisdom visible, honouring their role as stewards of the earth."

BoM path tracker shows ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred reaching mainland between Maroochydore and Brisbane

Biden-era suit sought to curb emissions of the carcinogen chloroprene at Denka plant formerly owned by DuPontThe Donald Trump administration has formally agreed to drop a landmark environmental justice case in Louisiana's Cancer Alley" region, marking a blow to clean air advocates in the region and a win for the Japanese petrochemical giant at the centre of the litigation.Legal filings made public on Friday morning reveal that Trump's Department of Justice agreed to dismiss a long-running lawsuit against the operators of a synthetic rubber plant in Reserve, Louisiana, which is allegedly largely responsible for some of the highest cancer risk rates in the US for the surrounding majority-Black neighborhoods. Continue reading...

Bob Brown Foundation's drone footage appears to show farm workers pumping live salmon into a tub carrying dead fish and then sealing it

Trump pulls out of Cop28 loss and damage deal that recognises harms done by richer, polluting economies to vulnerable nationsThe Trump administration has withdrawn the US from a global agreement under which the developed nations most responsible for the climate crisis pledged to partly compensate developing countries for irreversible harms caused by global heating.The loss and damage fund was agreed at the Cop28 UN climate summit in late 2023 - a hard-won victory after years of diplomatic and grassroots advocacy by developing nations that bear the brunt of the climate crisis despite having contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions. The fund signalled a commitment by developed, polluting countries to provide financial support for some of the irreversible economic and noneconomic losses from sea level rise, desertification, drought and floods already happening. Continue reading...

Government considering such a move over state-owned firm set up by Labour in June's spending review, say reports

Council of Europe says Swiss government failing to respect human rights court's ruling on emissions

Using high-definition camera traps on trails in Congo's Nouabale-Ndoki national park, Will Burrard-Lucas, a photographer for the Wildlife Conservation Society, has captured Africa's most elusive and rarely seen animals Continue reading...

Investor-state dispute settlements don't just mean growing debt burdens for countries: they are also a barrier to action on the climate crisisDonald Trump has thrown a hand grenade into the global economic architecture, destroying some things that are working well. But amid the devastation, some things seem to be surviving that really should be taken down. Among the most notable of these is an arcane set of international agreements by which private investors can sue governments, known as ISDS: investor-state dispute settlement. These disputes are litigated not in public courts with impartial judges but in private arbitration - behind closed doors, and rife with conflicts of interest.Early on, when they were snuck into many trade agreements, no one paid much attention. For instance, these provisions in Nafta, the so-called free trade agreement between the US, Mexico, and Canada, never got a discussion within the cabinet while I served in the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton when Nafta got adopted. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Cameras stationed by Swellnet to monitor swells on Australia's east coast show the difference a couple of days can make when a tropical cyclone like Alfred approaches. The cameras record how eight beaches, in Queensland and New South Wales, change from Monday to Thursday. Continue reading...

Cyclone Alfred formed in the Coral Sea towards the end of February when sea surface temperatures were almost 1C hotter than usual

Cyclone Alfred is heading for the south-east Queensland coast, causing high winds and big surf. It's expected to make landfall late on Friday or early Saturday between Noosa and Coolangatta.Alfred's slow progress to the mainland could prolong already severe conditions to the south of its projected path, particularly in parts of the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales

Drop in line with rate of overall insect loss as scientists point to habitat loss, pesticide use and the climate crisisButterflies may be among the most beloved of all creatures, routinely deified in art and verse, but they are in alarming decline in the United States with populations plummeting by a fifth in just the past two decades, according to the most comprehensive study yet of their fortunes.The abundance of butterflies in the US slumped 22% between 2000 and 2020, the new analysis of more than 76,000 mostly regional surveys, published in Science, found. For every five butterflies fluttering daintily around at the start of the century, just four remain today. Continue reading...

Caroline Cotto's research group taste-tests meat alternatives so plant-based companies can attract new customers - and help the climateI am sitting in a Manhattan restaurant on a frigid Thursday in January, eating six mini servings of steak and mashed potatoes, one after another. The first steak I am served has a nice texture but is sort of unnaturally reddish. The second has a great crispy sear on the outside, but leaves behind a lingering chemical aftertaste. The next is fine on its own, but I imagine would be quite delicious shredded, drenched in barbecue sauce and served on a bun with vinegary pickles and a side of slaw.If you peeked into this restaurant, you'd see nothing out of the ordinary - just a diverse range of New Yorkers huddled over plates of food. But everyone present is here for more than just a hot meal. We're participating in a blind taste test of plant- (or sometimes mushroom-) based steaks, organized by a group of people who hope that better-tasting meat alternatives just might be a key to fighting the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Murray Auchincloss paid 5.4m in 2024 as oil company ditched green investment strategyBP cut the pay of its chief executive after a chastening year in which the British oil company missed profit targets and ditched its green investment strategy as it came under pressure from a US-based activist investor.Murray Auchincloss's pay decreased by 30% to 5.4m for 2024, according to the company's annual report published on Thursday. Continue reading...