New report links the growing global demand for cocoa to deforestation in Asia and AfricaA box of chocolates may not be the most environmentally friendly way to show your love this Valentine’s Day, a report published today claims.The cocoa in chocolate products is probably driving deforestation across the globe, according to new research by the environmental campaigning organisation Mighty Earth. Continue reading...
If there was a prize for most unsuitable British bird name, grey wagtail would win hands downMy heart sinks as I hear for the umpteenth time “I’ve just seen a yellow wagtail†and I explain that, although the bird was indeed a wagtail, and did sport a flash of lemon-yellow beneath the tail, it was in fact a grey wagtail.I reflect, not for the first time, that if there was a prize for most unsuitable British bird name, the grey wagtail would win hands down. Continue reading...
Decision follows the corporation’s landmark series Blue Planet II, which highlighted plastic pollution in the oceansThe BBC will ban single-use plastics from its operations by 2020, in the wake of its landmark series Blue Planet II which highlighted plastic pollution in the oceans.Plastic cups and cutlery will be removed across BBC sites by the end of 2018, ending the use of around 2m plastic cups used by visitors and staff each year, the corporation said. Continue reading...
The government is providing $255m to projects it says will benefit threatened animals and plants – yet there is little chance the species actually occur at many of the sites• ‘A national disgrace’: Australia’s extinction crisis is unfolding in plain sightThe Polly Woodside, a three-masted historic cargo ship built in 1885, is a prominent feature of Melbourne’s south wharf. It’s a site for tour groups, birthday parties, and an event known as pirate day held on the first Sunday of every month.According to the federal government, the vessel has also been the location for some of its $255m worth of work protecting threatened species since the appointment of Australia’s first threatened species commissioner in 2014. Continue reading...
Research shows drones can deliver certain items faster and with less environmental impact than trucks – but there are drawbacksDrones invoke varying perceptions, from fun gadget to fly in the park to deadly military weapons. In the future, they may even be viewed as a handy tool in the battle to fight climate change.Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport of goods could be cut if drones replace trucks in some instances, researchers have found, providing an environmental edge to the push by companies such as Amazon and Google to expand drone deliveries. Continue reading...
The island nation is the first to use more electricity on mining cryptocurriencies than on its households – thanks in part to its magma-fuelled power plantsBitcoin’s price may be down more than 50% from its highs in December, but no one has told Iceland, where the cryptocurrency and its offspring are reshaping the economy.According to Johann Snorri Sigurbergsson, an employee of the energy company HS Orka, Icelandic cryptocurrency “mining†is likely to double its energy consumption to about 100 megawatts this year. That is more than households use in the nation of 340,000 people, according to the national energy authority. Continue reading...
The crossing, unassisted by an icebreaker vessel, marks a milestone as thawing polar ice opens up Russia’s northern coastline, reports Climate Home NewsAn LNG tanker designed for icy conditions has become the first commercial ship to travel the Arctic’s northern sea route in winter.It marks a milestone in the opening up of Russia’s northern coastline, as thawing polar ice makes industrial development and maritime trade increasingly viable. Continue reading...
Trump’s plan would threaten endangered species or fragile habitats with limits for environmental reviewsThe Trump administration is attempting to speed up or even sweep away various environmental reviews in its plan to fix America’s crumbling infrastructure and construct a wall along the border with Mexico.
Research shows that pace of melting in Antarctica and Greenland has acceleratedMelting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are speeding up the already fast pace of sea level rise, new satellite data shows.At the current rate, the world’s oceans will be on average at least 60cm (2ft) higher by the end of the century, according to research published in Monday’s Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. Continue reading...
Department investigation finds failure to disclose ‘may have been negligent’ but would not have changed decisionA federal environment department investigation into Adani’s failure to disclose its CEO’s link to a mining company convicted of causing serious environmental harm says the failure to disclose “may have been negligentâ€. But knowledge of the link would not have altered the decision to grant Carmichael mine ministerial approval, an internal document says.The document, released to the ABC following a freedom of information request to the federal environment department, is the summary of an investigation conducted by the department following the revelation that the chief executive of Adani Mining, Jeyakumar Janakaraj, had charge of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Zambia when the company pleaded guilty to serious environmental offences, including polluting the major river. Continue reading...
Pulborough Brooks, West Sussex: This is no idle flyover – the peregrine falcon is focused, intent, trying to single out possible targets Continue reading...
NSW and Victoria say move to disallow 18% cut in northern basin target could ‘kill off’ planNew South Wales and Victoria are threatening to pull out of the Murray-Darling Basin plan if the Senate votes to knock out changes that would reduce the environmental water recovery target for the northern basin, raising the stakes on tomorrow’s vote.The 70GL cut to the environmental water recovery target, representing a 18% reduction, has been recommended by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority after an inquiry. Continue reading...
Government says it has no information on extent of clearing under new, less-restrictive lawsProsecutions in New South Wales for illegal land clearing have dropped by 80% in the past three years, according to data released under freedom of information laws.The information, obtained by the NSW Labor opposition, shows the Berejiklian government claims not to have any information about how much clearing has occurred under new laws that came into force in August 2017 aimed at making land clearing easier. Continue reading...
Shutdown of BiFab operations in two locations would mean loss of hundreds of jobsHundreds of workers at the BiFab marine engineering yards are to be made redundant, union leaders have said.
Company pledges to introduce free drinking water facilities in many of nation’s busiest stationsNetwork Rail has pledged to install water fountains in the majority of its 17 managed UK stations by the end of the year.Related: Bottled water is a nonsense. Just ban it and fill our towns with drinking fountains | Sonia Sodha Continue reading...
Poll finds 72% approve of making businesses pass on certain proportion of tax cutsAn emphatic majority of Australians want a pay rise if companies get a tax cut courtesy of the Turnbull government’s commitment to cut the corporate rate to 25%, according to the latest Guardian Essential poll.The latest poll of 1,026 respondents shows 72% of the sample would approve of forcing businesses to pass on a certain proportion of their tax cuts as pay rises for their workers, and the approval for that trade-off stretches across all voting groups, and across full-time and part-time workers. Continue reading...
First data ever gathered from extremely remote area of the South Indian Ocean has a surprisingly high volume of plastic particles, say scientistsMicroplastics have been found in some of the most remote and uncharted regions of the oceans raising more concerns over the global scale of plastic pollution.Samples taken from the middle of the South Indian Ocean – at latitude 45.5 degrees south – show microplastic particles detected at relatively high volumes. Sören Gutekunst, from the Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, who analysed the samples, said the data showed 42 particles per cubic metre, which was surprising given the remoteness of the area. Continue reading...
15 February 1918 The ground was seamed and lined by their tracks until it resembled the photographs taken from aircraft of trenches at the frontYesterday morning, and to a lesser extent this morning, worms were unusually active; the influence of spring had penetrated underground and sent them to the surface to feel rather than see the improved conditions. They crawled in thousands over the footpaths; they were crushed and mutilated in hundreds beneath the feet of passers-by; the ground was seamed and lined by their tracks until it resembled the photographs taken from aircraft of trenches at the front. These extensive peregrinations must have begun at an early hour.Related: From the archive, 19 May 1984: Here's hoping the Guinness worm will turn Continue reading...
Everyday hubbub can increase your chance of cardiovascular problems, new research claims. Here are four ways to mitigate the effects of background soundsIf you find it vexing that a loud bang can trigger a heart attack, bad news: it turns out a low rumble can, too. Several studies have identified links between noise pollution from railways, airports or roads and cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure, stroke and heart failure. According to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, this is probably because sound can cause a spike in stress hormones, which damages the heart over time.The researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany who compiled the research said one of the main ways noise pollution affects heart health is by disrupting sleep. Thankfully, there are simple way to mitigating those effects. Continue reading...
Solar farm approvals and record rooftop installations expected to ‘turbo-boost’ productionA record-breaking month of rooftop installations and a flood of large-scale solar farms could almost double Australia’s solar power capacity in a single year, industry analysts say.A massive solar energy boom is being predicted for 2018, after an unprecedented number of industrial solar farms were approved by the New South Wales and Queensland governments last year. Continue reading...
The Danish capital ranks high on the list of the world’s healthiest and happiest cities. With obesity and depression on the rise worldwide, here are its lessons for how to combat them culturallyMaybe it’s the Viking heritage. There is an icy open-air pool in the waters of Copenhagen’s harbour, and although it is mid-winter Danes still jump in every day. On the front cover of the city’s health plan, a lean older man is pictured climbing out, dripping, his mouth open in a shout that could be horror or pleasure. “Enjoy life, Copenhageners,†urges the caption.It’s not every Copenhagener who wants to take strenuous exercise in cold water either for fun or to get fit. But the packed bike lanes of the Danish capital, even at this sometimes subzero time of year, are testimony to the success of a city that is aspiring to be one of the healthiest in the world. Copenhagen consistently sits at the very top of the UN’s happiness index and is one of the star performers in the Healthy Cities initiative of the World Health Organisation, which, almost unknown and unsung, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The initiative was the idea of a group of individuals inspired by the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978, which was about elevating the status of primary care and public health in a world where everybody equated healthcare with hospital treatment after you got ill. Continue reading...
Gender imbalance at energy firms and industry events is slowing transition to greener power, claims expertThe lack of women in energy companies is holding back the sector’s efforts to tackle climate change, a leading industry watcher has warned.Catherine Mitchell, a professor of energy policy at the University of Exeter, said poor gender diversity meant the industry was less open to new ideas, in particular the move to a lower-carbon energy system. Continue reading...
Rio’s vast annual street celebration features copious amounts of sparkling microplastics that find their way into the marine food chainWith Rio’s enormous carnival in full swing, the streets are full of revellers in colourful fancy dress, thronging the city’s many samba street parties. And among the looks, there is one carnival constant: multicoloured glitter smeared over bare skin.
Tanya Plibersek rejects Jeyakumar Janakaraj’s claim Bill Shorten casting doubt on future foreign investmentLabor has rejected claims it is destabilising Australia’s ability to attract investment through its growing scepticism of the controversial Adani Queensland coalmine.
North Yorkshire project halted for inquiry into stability of Third Energy, whose chairman is former chief executive of outsourcing giantA controversial plan to start fracking for shale gas in rural North Yorkshire has been thrown into doubt amid mounting concerns over the finances and management of the company behind the scheme.In a move that has encouraged anti-fracking protestors, energy secretary Greg Clark has ordered the start of drilling at Kirby Misperton to be put on hold pending an investigation into the “financial resilience†of Third Energy. Continue reading...
Popular species like grouper and wrasse could be gone from dining tables in decades as trade drives wild populations to the brink of collapse.The US$1 billion a year Live Reef Fish for Food Trade (LRFFT) is threatening the future of key reef predator species like grouper, coral trout and Napoleon wrasse, according to a recent study.
Bus driver raises cash via Twitter to give ‘magical’ poetry and picture book to all 2,681 schoolsA book created to celebrate the disappearing words of everyday nature, from acorn and wren to conker and dandelion, is fast becoming a cultural phenomenon with help from a crowdfunding campaign by a school bus driver.
Airedale, West Yorkshire: Neck held straight, upright and officer-like, the drake appears dressed in close-fitted tweeds, a fine houndstooth of tan and greyI don’t know a bird book that has much to say about the gadwall (Anas strepera). Generally this unobtrusive winter duck is compared with the more common mallard, and comes off worse: smaller (just), duller (much), either shriller (the duck) or coarser (the drake) in quack. But like many a winter bird – think of the intricate copper-trimmed scalloping of a starling’s non-breeding plumage – the gadwall repays a little close attention. Continue reading...
Environmentalists say car could have been powerful statement to promote electric cars in AustraliaThe new Holden Commodore – the first to be made overseas – is a “missed opportunity†to launch a high-profile electric or hybrid car in Australia, according to pro-renewables groups.The 2018 Commodore has been launched after the last operational Holden plant in Australia, in Elizabeth, South Australia, closed on 20 October last year. Continue reading...
Figures released by the EPA show that 115 crime cases were opened in 2017, down from a peak of nearly 400 in 2009The Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement activity against polluters has fallen to its lowest level in a decade, with the first year of the Trump administration seeing a sharp drop in fines for companies that break environmental rules.Figures released by the EPA show that 115 environmental crime cases were opened in the 2017 financial year, down from a peak of nearly 400 in the 2009 financial year, which was largely under the Obama administration. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#3FGBF)
Exclusive: Brexit fears and falling pound left fruit and vegetable farms short of more than 4,000 workers, with senior MPs warning of a crisisFruit and vegetable farms across the UK were left short of thousands of migrant workers in 2017, leaving some produce to rot in the fields and farmers suffering big losses. Continue reading...
The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...
Canadian government viewed Trump’s election as “positive news†for Keystone XL and energy industryThe Trudeau government treated Donald Trump’s election as “positive news†for Canada’s energy industry and welcomed the help of Canada’s main corporate oil group in lobbying the US administration, documents show.
Sinah Common, Hayling Island, Hampshire: Despite years of dedicated gorse-scanning this was the first time I’d seen one of these secretive little birds on my patchThe gorse thicket was ablaze with flower, but the heady coconut-suncream scent of the golden blossom was at odds with the biting wind and overcast sky. As a shower began to fall like a haze of iron filings, I decided to take shelter behind one of the well-preserved anti-aircraft gun emplacements – a relic from the second world war, when decoy fires were set on Hayling Island to draw the Luftwaffe away from the important military targets on nearby Portsea Island.
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#3FEWB)
Only one quarter of the world’s governments have urban development policies and most are not enough to make cities sustainableNational governments around the world are neglecting the needs of their major cities with non-existent or inadequate development policies, a new report has found.National governments are key to making cities more sustainable, because cities are limited in the policy measures they can take for themselves, the report points out. However, only a quarter of the world’s governments have urban development policies at all, and most of those that do exist are not sufficient to make cities sustainable. Continue reading...
CSIRO researchers use world-first genetic analysis to estimate population, but believe numbers could be as high as 12,800About 5,500 great white sharks are cruising in the waters off Australia’s east coast, new research has revealed.
Lock the Gate says previous decisions not factored in to recommendation allowing 250ha of endangered area to be clearedCoalmining companies were given approval to clear nearly 10% of what is now a critically endangered forest in the New South Wales Hunter Valley over the past decade, according to evidence before a government commission.
Museum of London opens putrid exhibit that ‘reflects the dark side of ourselves’Its aroma was once a mix of rotting meat and a toddler’s nappy that had been left out for months, but it has now, mercifully, calmed down.“At the moment it smells like dirty toilets,†said Sharon Robinson-Calver, who has led the conservation team at the Museum of London for one of its most challenging and unusual projects. Continue reading...
Chris Junior Anaekwe, a self-appointed ‘ambassador’ for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, drew praise on Twitter after he persuaded local teens to tackle rubbish in OnitshaA Nigerian man living in one of the world’s most polluted cities has been hailed for “leading by example†and cleaning up his community in the face of government inaction.Chris Junior Anaekwe, 28, drew the applause of the internet for leading a group of local teenagers in tackling rubbish in their neighbourhood in Onitsha, a port city in southern Nigeria. Continue reading...