This week in Trumpland: a quiet start to the week was enlivened by covfefe – and then the president exited Paris, after which criticism was swift and brutalA bit of a quieter week for Donald Trump – except towards the end, when he did his best to push the planet into a watery grave.
Teifi Marshes, Pembrokeshire Bilidowcar the cormorant’s called in Welsh – Billy the DuckerBound for hides in the Teifi Marshes reserve, I paused to lean against railings on the riverside path and a cormorant arrowed into view, threw up its broad, webbed feet to brake, and touched down on the water.Seeing it reminded me of a morning 20 years ago in a fishing boat careening into Roonagh in County Mayo on green combers that were the aftermath of an Easter storm. A cormorant had kept us close, wave-skimming company. I asked the skipper, Jack Heanue, what the folk of Inishturk – an English-speaking island – thought of these weirdly beautiful birds. Continue reading...
Former New York mayor, now UN cities and climate ambassador, says Trump may have withdrawn from Paris accord but American people haven’tThe United States will meet its Paris accord greenhouse gas targets despite Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has said.
Draft decision says Australia would not, at this rate, meet interim or long-term targets in the Reef 2050 reportUnesco has expressed “serious concern†about the impact of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef and warned Australia it will not meet the targets of the Reef 2050 report without considerable work to improve water quality.The criticism was contained in a draft decision published as part of the agenda for the upcoming world heritage committee meeting (pdf), which will take place in Krakow, Poland, in the first two weeks of July. Continue reading...
It’s clearer than ever the economic interests Trump claims to defend can only be served by acting on global warmingFor precious decades experts have explained, over and over, that the science of climate change is incontrovertible, the consequences of blindly sticking with fossil fuels catastrophic and the costs of inaction far higher than switching to a low-emissions economy.But these facts had no impact on the sceptics, who cling to a worldview where they find “alternative factsâ€, where fossil fuel power is the only path to prosperity and mounting environmental and economic evidence to the contrary is some kind of dastardly leftwing plot. Continue reading...
Got a minute? White House won’t say whether president believes in climate change … global condemnation greets Paris decision … and everything else in US politics. By Tom McCarthy10.20pm BSTDonald Trump won’t say whether he still believes that climate change is a “hoax†– and following his withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, the White House was at pains to keep the president’s personal views carefully concealed.Yes or no?10.20pm BSTThe concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. Continue reading...
Elected officials already say they will ‘honor and uphold the commitments of Paris’ while the Sierra Club urges people to call the White House to complain
The president said he was exiting the Paris climate deal on behalf of Pittsburgh – but his view of the environmentally minded city is off by decades, residents sayHe said he was doing it for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh replied: stop polluting our city’s good name.
A NDP-Green pact in BC, a $15 minimum wage in Ontario, and a surging Quebec Solidaire point toward a winning agenda in the age of climate crisisFor progressive-minded people in Canada, the last few days have presented a rare, strange scenario: almost too much to celebrate.
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...
Downing Street source says Canada and Japan did not join declaration condemning Donald Trump for pulling out of accordDowning Street has defended Theresa May not signing up to a joint declaration by Germany, France and Italy in opposition to Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord by stressing that other countries also chose a different path.A source pointed out that Japan and Canada had not signed up to the letter and said the prime minister’s approach was “consistent as to how we approach dealings with international leadersâ€.
by Daniel Boffey, Kate Connolly and Anushka Asthana on (#2RKAJ)
Brussels rejects Trump’s offer to renegotiate landmark deal, as global politicians, business leaders and US state governors criticise presidentThe European Union has rejected Donald Trump’s offer to renegotiate the Paris climate agreement and pledged instead to bypass Washington to work with US business leaders and state governors to implement the historic accord’s commitments.Less than 24 hours after the US president announced his decision to withdraw from the 2015 agreement and strike a new, less ambitious deal with the rest of the world, Brussels declared its outright refusal to engage in such talks. Continue reading...
by Rowena Mason Deputy political editor on (#2RKRC)
Labour leader says PM should have condemned decision to pull US out of climate agreement in stronger termsJeremy Corbyn has accused Theresa May of a “dereliction of duty to our country and our planet†for failing to give a stronger condemnation of Donald Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate change agreement.The Labour leader said the prime minister was showing herself to be subservient to the US president and claimed he would take a very different approach to relations with Washington. Continue reading...
Politicians, governments and newspapers across the world react with dismay and frustration over US president’s decision to pull the world’s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases out of the agreement Continue reading...
In Trump’s darkest speech since the ‘American carnage’ inaugural address, the world was presented as something to fear rather than aspire to leadDonald Trump’s rejection of the Paris climate change treaty is the most emphatic answer to date the question the rest of the world has been asking since January: What does “America First†mean?“I am elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,†the president declared in the Rose Garden, after a jazz group had entertained the invited audience. Continue reading...
The president’s decision to withdraw from the climate agreement reflects his contempt for internationalism – and the rise of a newly isolationist USSo we do have a new US – for the present. In the jargon of Trumpology, the president has tossed a sop to his climate-change denying chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and disappointed his green daughter, Ivanka. Or at least he is withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accord in three years (Bannon) but “renegotiating†it (Ivanka).Related: President's Paris climate speech annotated: Trump's claims analysed Continue reading...
Local government buildings in New York, Boston, Washington DC, Montreal and Paris lit up after US withdrawal from accordLandmarks in cities across the world have been lit up green in support of the Paris climate accord after Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday that the US would withdraw from the agreement.In New York, the spire of the One World Trade Centre was illuminated. The New York state governor, Andrew Cuomo, tweeted: Continue reading...
Advice from CCA and Energy Market Commission says policy uncertainty leaves wholesale electricity overpriced by up to $40 per megawatt hourThe government has been told wholesale electricity prices are above long-run costs by around $27 to $40 per megawatt hour because of policy uncertainty triggered by years of destructive political in-fighting about carbon pricing.
Prices of raw ivory in Vietnam have fallen, which traders are linking to China’s announcement of its domestic ivory ban, according to new researchThe price of raw ivory in Asia has fallen dramatically since the Chinese government announced plans to ban its domestic legal ivory trade, according to new research seen by the Guardian. Poaching, however, is not dropping in parallel.
Food shortages, spiralling prices and rampant corruption cast a long shadow over Uhuru Kenyatta’s government ahead of elections in AugustThe severe drought affecting Kenya, which has driven up the cost of food and fuelled inflation, has become a key issue on the election campaign trail.Food security has deteriorated since the end of 2016 and conditions remain dire in half of the country’s 47 counties. The situation has been exacerbated by the impact of climate change, and it is anticipated that some regions could reach emergency levels of need by September.
The red squirrel is under threat of extinction across Britain. Their supporters believe the only way to save them is to exterminate their enemy: the greys. But are they just prejudiced against non-native species? By Patrick BarkhamOne snowy dawn in March, I went hunting for squirrels in the Lake District. In the silent and empty woods beneath the Aira Force waterfall, the only thing moving was a solitary red squirrel, balanced on a nut-filled feeder hanging from a tree. If you grew up, as I did, with the grey squirrel, seeing a red squirrel is a shock. We’re used to the grey – a sleek, North American import, swaggering across parks, raiding bird tables, all fat haunches and bulbous black eyes. In contrast, the red squirrel, although native to Britain, looks exotic: so dainty and alertly pretty, with fine tufts of hair above its ears as extravagant as the eyebrows of Denis Healey. Here, in the snow, this forest sprite quivered with improbable, balletic grace and then – clang – slipped on the icy lid of the feeder and fell to the ground. It landed on its feet.Julie Bailey, a former gymnast with a cascade of red hair, had picked me up from the nearby town of Penrith and driven her black 4x4 along slushy roads to admire this natural acrobat. At Aira Force, she stepped out of the car and, leaning on a stick, walked carefully across the snow. She and her husband, Phil, used to enjoy watching red squirrels at their feeders in the garden; these animals were still a common sight across northern Cumbria a decade or so ago. Bailey worked in pharmaceuticals and coached boys in gymnastics, including her son. But in 2005, she broke her back. She couldn’t walk for four years. Seventeen spinal operations later, she only walks thanks to a spinal cord stimulator, powered by a battery in her stomach. When it malfunctions, she collapses. She doesn’t make a fuss, but she is in pain 24 hours a day and is intolerant to painkillers. “Because I was stuck at home,†she said, “I started taking more notice of my squirrels. They really gave me a purpose.†Continue reading...
Project would generate 12,000 jobs in construction phase and 300 ongoing, says proponent Offshore EnergyThe first serious proposal for an Australian offshore windfarm will see up to 250 turbines built within a 574 square kilometre area off the coast of Gippsland in eastern Victoria if approved.Offshore Energy has been working with the federal government to get the rights to investigate the feasibility of constructing the project, including planning and environmental studies. Continue reading...
Inverlael, Highlands The bog is dirt-black and soupy, threatening to mire us at every step. All we can do is give the horses free rein to seek a safe routeAt the weir at Glenbeg, we abandon the path and head west, using the river as a guide. The bog is dirt-black and soupy, threatening to mire us at every step; all we can do is give the horses free rein to seek a safe route through the morass. They lower their heads, ears pricked as they inspect the ground, and veer off along sheep-trodden detours, leaping sloughs and streamlets. Highland ponies in their element.
In a televised address, French president Emmanuel Macron rules out any renegotiation after Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris agreement on Thursday, calling the move a mistake. Macron, speaking in French and English, urged scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and anyone disappointed by the decision to see France as a ‘second homeland’, adding: ‘I call on them come and work here with us.’ The French president said: ‘The Paris agreement remain irreversible and will be implemented not just by France but by all the other nations. We will succeed because we are fully committed, because wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: make our planet great again.’ Continue reading...
Energy minister Josh Frydenberg says he’s disappointed with US decision but believes 26-28% emissions reductions by 2030 on 2050 levels are reasonableThe Coalition government has recommitted to Australia’s emissions targets in the Paris agreement after Donald Trump’s withdrawal but Malcolm Turnbull faces internal division as conservative MPs celebrated the American decision.The energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, said he was disappointed with Trump’s decision but reiterated the Turnbull government’s full commitment to the Paris deal. Continue reading...
Trump said ‘I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris’ – but city’s mayor retorts: ‘We stand with the world and will follow the agreement’Donald Trump may claim to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, but the mayor of the Steel City said he supports Paris.Bill Peduto, the mayor of Pittsburgh, fired back after Trump referenced the city in his speech defending the White House’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord. Continue reading...
Donald Trump made a speech at the White House on Thursday in which he confirmed the US would be withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. Over nearly 25 minutes, Trump argued that the agreement was bad for America, but said he’d be open to renegotiating a deal which was ‘fair to the United States’
Conditions over the past few years are putting stress on butterfly populations as food sources are diminished, but certain species are thrivingA beautiful creature has fluttered into my path. Well, actually, it landed on the doormat with a resounding thud. The Butterflies of Sussex might sound of limited geographical interest but it’s the best new butterfly guidebook in the country.Newcomers will enjoy the fascinating anecdotes and beautiful photos by lepidopterist Neil Hulme. Obsessives searching for the elusive purple emperor will gobble up the grid references for the “master trees†around which male emperors congregate shortly after midsummer. Continue reading...
Diocese of Rockhampton, which covers Queensland gas and mining towns, votes to sell coal seam gas and thermal coal assetsThe Anglican church in Australia’s largest coalmining region, including the site of Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine, has vowed to renounce interests in fossil fuels.The Anglican diocese of Rockhampton, which includes central Queensland mining and gas towns across 20 parishes – the largest of which is bigger than Victoria – voted to divest from the likes of thermal coal and coal seam gas at a synod meeting on 20 May. Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#2RGRN)
George W Bush failed in his attempt to block global action on climate change. His mistake – about to be repeated by Trump – was to imagine the UN process was weakA smell of burning coal fills the chilly air as delegates pile into the conference chamber. Outside, protestors shiver in polar bear suits under threatening skies and forbidding grey concrete; inside, smiles, colourful costumes and a warm glow. Negotiators, politicians, activists who have spent their lives fighting climate change are jubilant. The US has stalled global action on climate change for two full presidential terms, but no longer. In the chamber, at last, the White House meltdown is in full flow.This is no vision of a future under Donald Trump: it was the disaster and backtracking that marked the end of climate negotiations for his Republican predecessor, George W Bush, in 2008. Then, as now, a US president in thrall to oil interests tried to block international agreement on emissions. Then, as now, doomsayers foresaw a deathblow to the UN climate negotiations. Then, as now, the US economy was drunk on cheap fossil fuels. Continue reading...
Bankers and celebrities are often on the forefront of climate change discussions. Does that harm, rather than help, the cause?All signs now point to Donald Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris agreement, the closest thing the international community has to a plan for dealing with climate change.In the lead-up to this week’s expected decision, the nationalist, Steve Bannon-led wing of the White House has tried to paint climate change – and the agreement, by extension – as a concern of elites. Continue reading...
The summer months are officially here for the northern hemisphere, while winter beckons for the south. We’d like to see your wildlife photosThe temperature is up and the sun is out (for now) as June introduces the summer months to the northern hemisphere. For the southern hemisphere all the preparations for winter will now come in handy for the months ahead. So what sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps? We’d love to see your photos of the June wildlife near you.You can share your June wildlife photos, videos and stories with us by clicking on the blue ‘Contribute’ buttons. Or if you’re out and about you can look for our assignments in the new Guardian app. Continue reading...
If it pulls out, the US would be the only country to argue that the accord demands too much of signatory nationsThe Paris climate pact agreed at the end of 2015 was a historic achievement after more than two decades of failed efforts to reach a global consensus on climate change. It became legally binding about a year later, after countries responsible for 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions had ratified it.Only two countries have not joined: Syria, which was crippled by war at the time of negotiations, and Nicaragua, which refused to sign up because it considered the deal too weak. Therefore, if the US pulls out on Thursday – as is expected – it would be the only country in the world to argue that the Paris accord demands too much of signatory nations. Continue reading...
As the US president weighs up whether or not to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, we look at his most frightening actions on global warmingRelated: Donald Trump will make 'final decision' on Paris climate deal next week Continue reading...
by Daniel Boffey and Arthur Neslen in Brussels on (#2RCXK)
Beijing and Brussels to set up new alliance to reduce global carbon emissions as Donald Trump says he will announce decision later on ThursdayChina and the EU will forge an alliance to take a leading role in tackling climate change in response to Donald Trump’s expected decision to pull the US out of the historic Paris agreement.
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#2RFRA)
World leaders, businesses, scientists and charities join in urging the US president not to abandon the global accordWorld leaders, businesses, investors, scientists and development charities have joined in urging Donald Trump not to withdraw the US from the Paris climate change agreement.
Senator says rail line will be ‘piece of national infrastructure’ and should not be controlled by ‘foreign multi-national’Pauline Hanson has asked the federal government to build the rail line to open up Queensland’s Galilee coalfields instead of allowing it to be controlled by a “foreign multi-nationalâ€.The One Nation leader and Queensland senator said she opposed the government granting the Indian conglomerate Adani a $900m concessional loan through its $5bn Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility for the rail line. Continue reading...
Deputy PM departs from official Coalition line, saying ‘to speculate on what Donald Trump might do is insanity’ and I’m going to ‘see what happens’Barnaby Joyce has declined to say whether Australia should remain within the Paris climate accord if the United States pulls out, in a departure from the official government line that Australia will stay the course.
Environment | The Guardian