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Updated 2025-07-09 16:01
Louisiana town the canary in the coalmine as climate effects worsen
Lake Charles has been battered by storms over the past 20 years - and now its most famous landmark lies in ruinsLast week, one south-west Louisiana city in particular was girding itself for Hurricane Francine's blow: Lake Charles, located about four hours west of New Orleans and two hours east of Houston.In the lottery of hurricane paths over the past 20 years, Lake Charles has been very, very unlucky. But Francine's impact on the city turned out to be relatively minor, a summer storm like locals are used to. Continue reading...
First large-scale UK onshore salmon project at risk over ‘factory farm’ claimss
Animal rights campaigners win a judicial review over pioneering 120m scheme at Grimsby portOn former railway sidings at Grimsby docks in Lincolnshire, the seafood industry is backing new plans for an onshore salmon farm that it claims will create jobs, cut emissions and help meet the nation's huge demand for the fish.The scheme would be the UK's first large-scale onshore salmon farm, with the fish growing to a weight of four or five kilograms. The project's backer says the closed system would prevent disease and invasions of sea lice, which can blight open-net salmon farms. Continue reading...
Key flood defences in disrepair across England as wet autumn looms, data reveals
Leaked government figures show proportion of assets in adequate condition has fallen significantly below' targetThousands of flood defences in England that are supposed to protect properties from serious damage are in a state of disrepair, according to official figures leaked to the Observer before what is expected to be a wetter than usual autumn.Data from inside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency about the so-called asset condition" of key flood defences shows the proportion of those regarded as being in adequate condition now stands at just 92.6%, compared with 97.9% in 2018-19. This is the proportion of defences judged to be fit for purpose after rigorous inspection by experts. Continue reading...
Mother of man accused in California wildfire says ‘he did not light that fire’
Arson charges filed against Justin Wayne Halstenberg in San Bernardino county, which has burned 38,000 acresThe mother of the 34-year-old man accused of starting the Line fire in southern California - which has scorched at least 38,000 acres (15,378 hectares) and destroyed one home - has spoken out in defense of her son, telling the Los Angeles Times on Thursday that he did not light that fire".Arson-related charges have been filed against Justin Wayne Halstenberg, who is accused of starting the San Bernardino county blaze on 5 September. He is due to be arraigned on Monday according to the San Bernardino county district attorney's office. Continue reading...
TfL to refund drivers wrongly issued with Ulez fines after cameras vandalised
Two cameras in Chingford were twisted around to face roads outside the low-emission zone boundaryTransport for London (TfL) has said it will refund drivers wrongly issued with ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) charges because of vandalised enforcement cameras.The transport body confirmed two cameras in Chingford, north-east London, became misaligned" for a short period and many fines were issued incorrectly. It is understood the cameras were twisted the wrong way so that they were facing roads outside the Ulez boundary. Continue reading...
Fury in Turkey as animal lovers and politicians attack ‘massacre law’ to deal with 4m stray dogs
A new bill forcing local authorities to remove homeless animals from city streets has led to a furious backlashNext to the network of the highways that crisscross Turkey, among the lush forests or mountain peaks that dot the country, large stray dogs are a common sight. Most are pale white Akba dogs or Kangal shepherds, with their distinctive dark muzzle, pale golden coat and large bodies designed to herd livestock, although on the streets of Istanbul they are more commonly found lazing outside coffee shops, rotund and docile from a lifetime of treats.In cities at least, the stray dogs are popular enough to be seen as part of the architecture. One particularly large and sleepy example that dozes outside an ice-cream shop on Istanbul's main shopping street has become a local celebrity nicknamed The Boulder", complete with a string of rave reviews left by delighted tourists. The dog is marked as an Istanbul tourist attraction on Google Maps, which features a recommendation to avoid petting him. Continue reading...
Billpayers in England and Wales tricked into ‘stealth bailout’ of water companies
Campaign group challenges industry regulator over price rises for customers that will pay to upgrade infrastructureThe water industry regulator has been accused of overseeing a stealth bailout of water companies" over proposals to increase bills by up to 44% over the next five years.Campaign group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (Wasp), which exposed suspected illegal discharges of sewage across England and Wales, has challenged Ofwat, the industry regulator, over the proposed price rises. The final determinations are due to be announced in December. Continue reading...
Zimbabwe orders cull of 200 elephants amid food shortages from drought
Environment minister says country has more elephants than it needs while critics of hunt say they are a major tourist drawcardZimbabwe will cull 200 elephants as it faces an unprecedented drought that has led to food shortages, a move that tackle a ballooning population of the animals, the country's wildlife authority has said.Zimbabwe had more elephants than it needed", the environment minister said in parliament on Wednesday, adding that the government had instructed the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) to begin the culling process. Continue reading...
‘Not on my watch’: how windfarms became a key issue in NSW local elections
From Port Stephens to Illawarra, council candidates are running against renewable schemes because of lack of consultation'
Huge banner scuppers prime Sydney Harbour view gained by killing of 300 trees
Mayor says blatant disregard for environment is offensive' as councils struggle to deal with increasing environmental destruction
The Hague becomes world’s first city to pass law banning fossil fuel-related ads
Legislation makes it illegal to advertise fossil fuel products and services with a high carbon footprintThe Hague has become the first city in the world to pass a law banning advertisements promoting fossil fuel products and climate-busting services.Legislation passed on Thursday spells the end of publicly and privately funded advertising for petrol and diesel, aviation and cruise ships in the streets of the Dutch city, including on billboards and bus shelters. It takes effect from the start of next year. Continue reading...
A mass shooting revealed their brutal living conditions. Will new housing ease these farmworkers’ trauma?
Survivors of the 2023 massacre in Half Moon Bay, California, were moved from dilapidated sheds to subsidized housing but struggle with a sense of security and normalcyJust a short car ride from the famous crescent shoreline of Half Moon Bay, the California beach town best known for big wave surf contests, a gravel road off Highway 1 leads to a cluster of ramshackle sheds and trailers.For years, few people knew about the dozens of farmworkers who lived in them, growing fresh gourmet mushrooms to deliver to grocery stores and restaurants across the state. Continue reading...
‘Democrats are losing’: a battle on EVs could cost Kamala Harris votes in Michigan
Trump promises to end electric vehicle mandate. Harris has been silent, risking swing state autoworkers' critical votesAs the critical swing state of Michigan hangs in the balance, experts warn that Democrats' poor messaging over the shift to electric vehicles could lose them the state in November's election.I will end the electric vehicle mandate on day one, thereby saving the US auto industry from complete obliteration, which is happening right now," Donald Trump told the Republican national convention in a speech this summer that would reach tens of millions of people. Continue reading...
Extreme heat due to climate crisis puts people at greater risk of kidney disease
Researchers are finding heat-related illnesses can also contribute to heart disease and cognitive impairmentAt a dialysis center in Atlanta, Lauren Kasper tended to patients resting in hospital beds, some too sick to be transferred to a chair. Many arrived in wheelchairs or walked with canes, their bodies weakened from kidney disease.As she hooked them up to dialysis machines, Kasper, a nurse practitioner, was struck by how young many of her patients were. Continue reading...
How national parks failed nature – and how to fix them
The image of huge, glorious landscapes, where wildlife runs free under the protection of the state, is far from reality
England’s national parks overseen by ‘bloated’, mostly white male boards
Exclusive: Campaigners call for overhaul as Guardian investigation shows nature rarely on agenda
Maine officials trying to hide scale of ex-navy base PFAS spill, advocates suspect
Government's communication called unconscionable' after one of largest spills of toxic forever chemicals'A former US navy base in Maine has caused among the largest accidental spills of toxic PFAS forever chemicals" ever recorded in the nation, and public health advocates suspect state officials are attempting to cover up its scale by reporting misleading and incomplete data.Meanwhile, state and regional officials were slow to alert the public and are resisting calls to immediately test some private drinking water wells in the area despite its notoriously complex hydrology, which could potentially spread the contamination widely. Continue reading...
British Columbia shaken by election campaign rife with backstabbing
Voters in Canada province will go to polls in October with climate policies and Indigenous rights at stakeCanada's westernmost province has been gripped by a chaotic provincial election campaign, rife with political backstabbing, abrupt resignations and unexpected allegiances.And as an unpopular premier squares off against a climate crisis skeptic, the October vote could have profound consequences for British Columbia, a province seen as the vanguard for progressive climate policy. Continue reading...
Pedalling perils: five dangers every UK cyclist needs to watch out for
The hazards of urban roads are familiar to many: from drivers itching to get in front, to corner cutters and e-bike dabblersMore or less anyone who has ridden a bike, particularly in a town or city, has a mental list of the types of road users or situations you really need to look out for. The more you cycle, the longer and more entrenched this list becomes, to the extent that you can almost sense a familiar peril lurking a good minute or two's pedalling distance away.Below are some examples from my list, the product of years cycling around several cities; London more than most. I'd say at least four are nonetheless fairly universal, at least to urban areas lacking proper cycling infrastructure. But there are others - do tell us yours below. Continue reading...
Wild at Art 2024 winners: Australia’s threatened species through the eyes of children – in pictures
Nearly 5,000 primary school students took part in the Australian Conservation Foundation's Wild at Art competition, which invites children to create an artwork depicting one of the country's threatened native animals or plants
Week in wildlife in pictures: a rebellious kingfisher, golfing bobcats and a sex-mad marsupial
The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
Enemy at the gate? The West Australian turns its guns on Labor to back the mining giants | Weekly Beast
The newspaper owned by billionaire Kerry Stokes has not been shy about attacking environmental reforms - but are readers getting the full picture?
More than 80% of EU marine protected areas are ineffective, study shows
Activities such as mining, dredging and bottom trawling in most MPAs mean conservation targets will be missed, say researchersMost of Europe's marine protected areas, set up to safeguard species and habitats, will not meet conservation targets as they provide only marginal" protection against industrial activities such as dredging, mining and bottom trawling, a study has revealed.Low levels of protection in 86% of marine protected areas (MPAs) have left the EU far from reaching its 2030 biodiversity targets, which are designed to reduce the risk of species' extinction, researchers said in a paper published in the One Earth journal. The EU aims to protect 30% of its seas by 2030, with 10% strictly" protected from damaging activities. Continue reading...
Labor’s new ‘renewable hydrogen’ targets aim for Australia to produce 15m tonnes by 2050
In announcing the strategy, climate minister Chris Bowen also took a swipe at the climate inactivism' of critics of the nascent industry
Los Angeles hit by double whammy of wildfires and earthquake
Residents rattled by a 4.7 magnitude quake while firefighters work to put out blazes east of the cityMillions of residents in the Los Angeles area were rattled by a 4.7 magnitude earthquake that hit early on Thursday morning and came as the region continues to battle multiple wildfires that have yet to be brought under control.The quake's epicenter was 4 miles north of Malibu, according to the US Geological Survey. The tremor unleashed boulders on to a Malibu road, visibly shook Santa Monica's historic 1909 wooden pier and jolted people from bed. No injuries or damages were immediately reported. Continue reading...
Louisiana residents breathe a sigh of relief as Hurricane Francine recedes
Storm did not cause large-scale damage or loss of life, but ferocity of winds and rain raises fears for the futureAs Hurricane Francine churned offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, Danielle Morris, a resident of the village of Dulac out in the swampy Louisiana coast, made a tough call.We're crazy and we're staying," she said, speaking by phone before the hurricane hit, as she stocked up on gasoline for the family's generator. Some might agree with her judgment of her own sanity - Morris lost her previous home in Hurricane Ida in 2021. Continue reading...
Fear for koalas after bushwalker finds fire ant nests in Queensland sanctuary
Calls for suppression efforts to be extended after at least five nests discovered at Logan in the Daisy Hill koala bushlands
Labor’s stalled environmental agenda under pressure from left and right
While the Greens remain hopeful of compromise, the PM has indicated he wants a deal struck with the Coalition
Rapid intensification of Hurricane Francine is a sign of a hotter world
The storm's winds increased 35mph in 24 hours - something that global heating is only making more commonHurricane Francine may now be weakening after pummeling Louisiana but the storm's rapid and surprise intensification into a category 2 storm is one that scientists say is only getting more common due to global heating.Francine crunched into Terrebonne parish, in southern Louisiana, on Wednesday, bringing sustained winds of about 100mph (160km/h) as it came ashore from the Gulf of Mexico, causing flash flooding and power outages for hundreds of thousands of people. New Orleans got a month's worth of rain within just a day. Continue reading...
Government rules out underground cabling in National Grid upgrade
Rollout of pylons in countryside is a cheaper, quicker way to integrate green electricity, energy adviser saysThe government has ruled out burying electricity cables underground as part of its energy strategy, which will involve the unrolling of hundreds of pylons across the British countryside, Ed Miliband's clean energy adviser has said.Chris Stark, the former leader of the Climate Change Committee, now heads the government's mission control" department for decarbonising the grid by boosting renewable energy and building connections across the country. Continue reading...
Burned-out firefighters are fleeing the US Forest Service amid labor disputes: ‘We are decimated’
As increasingly explosive fire seasons ravage the country, federal firefighters say their employer is exacerbating exhaustion by misclassifying their jobsFirefighters are feeling the strain of another long and intense season, with months to go before the highest risks subside. But as they battle the flames, the thousands of people working for the US Forest Service (USFS), the largest federal employer of firefighters, are also fighting for changes within the agency to tackle issues they say have made the work even harder.Federal firefighters have been waiting for years for revisions to outdated job descriptions, which have forced them to do more for less. Many have opted to leave altogether. Continue reading...
US lawmakers push to exclude lucrative chemicals from official PFAS definition
Language in Senate defense bill is probably first step to shield widely used toxic F-gases from regulationUS lawmakers and the military are pushing for a new definition of toxic PFAS forever chemicals" that would exclude a subclass of toxic compounds increasingly used across the economy and considered to be potent greenhouse gases.Language included in the defense bill by the Senate armed services committee asks the military to detail how it uses fluorinated gases, or F-gases, stating that the committee is interested in learning more about how the [department of defense] may or may not be impacted by the definition" of PFAS. Continue reading...
Big oil faces a rising number of climate-focused lawsuits, report finds
Communities, states and advocacy groups push to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for role in climate crisisBig oil is facing a soaring number of climate-focused lawsuits, a new analysis has found. It's a sign that more communities are demanding accountability for the industry's contributions to the climate crisis.For the report, published on Thursday, Oil Change International and the climate research organization Zero Carbon Analytics pulled data from a Columbia University database, focusing on cases in which the world's 25 largest fossil fuel producers were named as defendants. Continue reading...
Beware the great green deception: 'perceptionware' is being used to hoodwink us | George Monbiot
Grand schemes, many backed by government, masquerade as taking action on the environment. They should be disownedLet's talk about perceptionware. Perceptionware is technology whose main purpose is to create an impression of action. Whether it will ever work at scale is less important, in some cases entirely beside the point. If it reassures the public and persuades government not to regulate damaging industries, that's mission accomplished.Managing perceptions is an expensive business. Real money, especially public money, is spent on fake solutions. Take carbon capture and storage: catching and burying carbon dioxide emissions from power stations, oil and gas fields, and steel and cement plants. For 20 years, it has spectacularly failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, its only clear successes involve enhanced oil recovery: carbon dioxide is used to drive oil out of geological formations that are otherwise difficult to exploit. With astonishing chutzpah, some oil companies have claimed the small amount of carbon that remains trapped in the rocks as a climate benefit. Though it is greatly outweighed by the extra oil extracted, they have, as a result, received billions in government subsidies. Continue reading...
‘I’ll have them with hot sauce’: should vegans eat oysters?
Bivalve veganism is built on the philosophy that molluscs such as mussels and oysters feel no pain. But some say the scientific jury is still outAlex Karol is fantasising about the next time she gets to slurp up some freshly shucked oysters. I'll have them with lemon juice, shallots, and a couple of drops of hot sauce. Sometimes, I have a couple with a splash of vodka," says the London- and Toronto-based publicist. Cost curbs her craving for oysters to one meal a month, and so even just talking about them makes her hungry. I really, really enjoy them - like, properly enjoy them. I wish that I had oysters every single day of my life."Oysters are not to everyone's taste but Karol's enthusiasm for the filter-feeding bivalves comes as a surprise - because she is vegan. She is otherwise strict: she does not even consume honey. But a few years back she found she was struggling to get certain nutrients in suitable quantities from plants alone, and someone tipped her off to the idea that you could eat oysters and still be vegan. It was called bivalve veganism" - and Karol was sold. Continue reading...
Low-carbon homes can save £1,341 in bills and should be compulsory, study shows
UK government urged to change regulations so new homes incorporate solar panels, heat pump, high-grade insulation and battery storageBuilding new homes to low-carbon standards would save the occupants thousands of pounds, new research has shown, as experts urged the government to change the regulations on housing development.People living in a typical three-bedroom, semi-detached newly built house would save an average of 1,341 a year if it was equipped with solar panels, a heat pump, high-grade insulation and battery storage. Continue reading...
Europe saved its predators from the brink of extinction. So why is it killing thousands of bears, wolves and lynx?
With Sweden issuing permits to kill a fifth of its bears, and Romanian MPs voting to double its quota, the debate over hunting season has become a political issueThe forest was unnaturally still when Soa Chovanova Supekova first picked up the bear's scent. It was roe deer rutting season in southern Slovakia, and the hills below the Carpathian mountains were busy with tourists biking and foraging for mushrooms. Fellow hunters who had come face to face with bears had told Supekova the fear had been so great they could not lift their rifles. Sitting with her father, a hunter in his 80s who had killed a few bears, she found herself in a similar state of dread - she was out on that trip expecting to kill deer, and did not want to come on a bear unexpectedly.Fear permeated me ... the smell penetrated to the tip of my bones," says Supekova, the founder of the Club of Slovak Lady Hunters. But the bear never appeared. The next morning, the daughter-and-father hunting duo saw its droppings. We breathed a sigh of relief only in the car." Continue reading...
Don’t eat up the claim, peddled by the Coalition and conservative media, that greenies are ‘coming for your steak’ | Temperature Check
Climate Change Authority's report didn't even contain a recommendations section, let alone a command to eat less red meat
Massachusetts man buys $395,000 house despite warnings it will ‘fall into ocean’
David Moot nabs dream' Cape Cod home next to eroding cliff in imminent danger of crumbling due to climate crisisA man who says life's too short to resist buying a home that might fall off a cliff in a few years has taken ownership of a house with a beautiful view that's just 25ft (7.6 metres) from a sandy, crumbling cliff.David Moot paid $395,000 for the house on Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast and said he intends to enjoy it while it lasts. Continue reading...
2024 Wainwright prizes are ‘heartwearming’ tribute to a new generation of nature writers
Top nature writing honour goes to Late Light by Michael Malay, which explores modern Britain through the unloved' lives of eels, moths, crickets and musselsA book that explores modern Britain by examining four unloved" animals - eels, moths, crickets and mussels - has won this year's Wainwright prize for nature writing.Michael Malay, a lecturer in literature and environmental humanities at the University of Bristol, took home the award for Late Light, in which he tells his story of moving to the UK as an Indonesian Australian, drawing parallels with the lives of the animals he looks at. Continue reading...
Climate experts lament Harris’s vow to keep fracking in debate with ‘walking oil spill’ Trump
Harris has a progressive record on climate but indicated a shift, probably to assuage voters in swing statesKamala Harris stridently backed new fracking and expanded US gas production in comments that raised eyebrows among some environmentalists as, yet again, the unfolding climate crisis was largely overlooked during a set piece presidential debate.Harris, in a televised debate with Donald Trump on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, rebuffed the former president's claim that she will end fracking on day one" if elected by touting booming levels of drilling during her term as vice-president, in which US oil and gas production has hit record highs.Fact-checking the presidential debateHarris slams Trump for falsehoods in fiery debateTaylor Swift endorses Harris in post signed childless cat lady'Maga mad libs': How the debate played out on social mediaPresidential poll tracker Continue reading...
Thai cave boys’ coach trapped again six years later by typhoon floods
Ekkapol Chantawong, who spent nearly three weeks underground in 2018, forced to spend night on roof of homeThe coach of the young Thai footballers who captured the world's attention when they spent nearly three weeks trapped in a cave has found himself in another watery predicament - stuck on his roof by flash floods.Ekkapol Chantawong said he was drawing on his 2018 experience with the Wild Boars team to get through the situation at his home in the northern Thai district of Mae Sai. Continue reading...
‘Chronic threat’ of PFAS firefighting foams raised in 2003 secret UK report
Exclusive: Environment Agency warned about forever chemicals' 20 years before it started to regulate themThe Environment Agency was warned about the chronic threat" that firefighting foams containing PFAS forever chemicals" pose to the environment in 2003, 20 years before it started the process of regulating the chemicals, it can be revealed.In a 200-page report obtained by the Ends Report via a freedom of information request and shared with the Guardian, consultants commissioned by the Environment Agency conducted an environmental review of firefighting foams with a particular emphasis on their fluorosurfactant content". Continue reading...
Resisting fascism includes respecting our environment and fellow species | Terry Tempest Williams
I do not think it is a leap to see our exploitive relationship with Earth as part of a centuries-long war against the environmentStanding on the edge of Utah's terminal Great Salt Lake is to witness the religion of over water-consumption in the desert. Our inland sea is disappearing in climate chaos evidenced by extreme heat and a megadrought not seen in 2,500 years. Ten million migrating birds depend on this water body for food, rest and breeding. Flocks of Wilson's phalaropes, small and handsome shorebirds, spin in saline waters creating water columns alive with brine shrimp and flies and resulting in a feeding frenzy. American avocets and black-necked stilts stand stoically in the shallows. Thousands of ducks are sprinkled on the lake like pepper. Water and sky merge as one. There is no horizon. All appears well in this serene landscape of pastel blues animated by birds. It is not.The health of the Great Salt Lake is only as strong as the health of the human community that surrounds it. And vice versa. If the 2 million people living within the Great Salt Lake watershed with Salt Lake City at its center do not mobilize to put more water in the lake, the death of the Great Salt Lake will be their own. This will also be the demise of millions of migrating birds.Terry Tempest Williams is a writer, naturalist and activist Continue reading...
Jacinta Price alleges ‘opportunists’ claiming Indigenous heritage to block resources projects
Shadow minister for Indigenous Australians says Albanese government turning a blind eye' to alleged weaponisation' of identity
Labor claims Aukus nuclear waste dumping issue just a Greens scare campaign
Legislation before Australian parliament covers the way the country's nuclear-powered submarine program will be regulated
Scorched earth: how the search for gold has scarred DRC’s Haut-Uélé province
In the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, forests have been cleared for mines and the roads that service them. Large companies take what they can and move on, leaving abandoned ponds, toxic rivers and scraps of precious metal left in the ground
Giant tortoises in Seychelles face threat from luxury hotel development
Conservationists and botanists express concern over plans for Qatari-funded upscale resort on Assomption IslandThe habitat of the largest giant tortoise population in the world is threatened by a Qatari-funded hotel development that aims to bring luxury yachts, private jets and well-heeled tourists to a remote island in the Indian Ocean, conservationists have warned.Plans for an upscale resort on Assomption, which is part of the Aldabra island group, are currently under discussion by the Seychelles authorities, and construction is already finished on an airport expansion that would allow bigger aircraft to land on the 11.6-sq-km (4.5-sq-mile) coral island. Continue reading...
Brazilian president flies into Amazon amid alarm over droughts and wildfires
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says Amazonia suffering its worst drought in more than 40 yearsLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva has flown into the Amazon amid growing alarm over the droughts and wildfires sweeping the rainforest region and others parts of Brazil.Speaking during a visit to a riverside community near the city of Tefe, the Brazilian president said Amazonia was suffering its worst drought in more than 40 years. He said he had come to discover what is going on with these mighty rivers" that in some places now resemble deserts. Continue reading...
A comic guide to what changed (and what didn’t) for US school lunches
This year, the USDA put some limits on added sugars for the first time. But changes face robust resistance Continue reading...
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