Environment | The Guardian

Law restricting NGOs in run up to polling day have pushed climate and pollution issues off the election agenda, say opposition parties and green groupsDebate on environmental issues has been stifled in the run-up the general election leaving voters in the dark , opposition parties have claimed, as a result of the Lobbying Act and government determination to avoid criticism over problems such as air pollution.Green groups have privately raised concern, along with other charities, over the impact of the law, and now have the support of all major parties apart from the Conservatives.

Pikestone Fell, Weardale An oystercatcher, a gaudy pied clown with crimson beak and eyes, flew straight towards us, piping hystericallyIn winter this part of the Weardale Way can be a morass, but the rain-leached soil drains quickly in spring. After weeks of dry, windy, weather, the mud had turned to sand and our boots were soon covered in yellow dust. In some sheltered hollows heather, at last showing a green tint of new shoots, shimmered in a heat haze.Our route followed the wall that divides upland pasture from heather moorland. Together they provide habitats for grouse and the wading birds that return here from the coast to breed, and late May is the peak time for egg hatching. Continue reading...

Australian Institute of Marine Science says reef’s capacity to recover under threat from climate change and pollutionParts of the Great Barrier Reef not regularly affected by problems such as cyclones have demonstrated the reef still has the ability to regenerate, with a survey showing sharp declines in coral cover in the north but increases elsewhere.However, the latest results from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims), collected by divers visiting 243 individual reefs, do not include the losses caused by bleaching this year, or the effects of cyclone Debbie, both of which killed coral in the central section. Continue reading...

Intensive farming cited as main reason for destroying natural barriers to deluge and making low lying areas more vulnerable to floodsOnly a tenth of England’s extensive floodplains are now fit for purpose – 90% no longer function properly – with the shortfall putting an increasing number of homes and businesses at risk of flooding, according to a new report.

RepuTex says ceasing all land clearing by 2030 would save between 300m and 650m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissionsEnding land clearing in Australia by 2030 would cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by about as much as the whole of Australia produces in a year , a new report has found.Queensland has been clearing about 300,000ha of land a year since the Newman government weakened restrictions on land clearing there and the Palaszczuk government failed to tighten them. Continue reading...

‘Historic’ vote by nearly two-thirds of shareholders will force annual ‘stress test’ to measure how regulation will affect assetsExxonMobil, the world’s biggest oil company, was compelled by shareholders to be more open about the impact of climate change on its business in a “historic” surprise vote on Wednesday.The public rebuke came as Donald Trump reportedly prepared to pull out of the Paris climate accord, the agreement forged by close to 200 countries to address climate change. Continue reading...

Danish capital last year saw more bicycles enter city than cars, with almost half of residents cycling to work or schoolCopenhagen now has so many cyclists that the city is installing electronic information panels along its bike lanes to help prevent two-wheeled traffic jams.In what city hall has called a world first, an initial five screens will be fitted at strategic points on the Danish capital’s 390km (240-mile) network of protected bike lanes, the state broadcaster Danmarks Radio reported. Continue reading...

Environmental lawyers who have defeated ministers twice return to court in a bid to remove ‘major flaws’ from air quality plansEnvironmental lawyers are taking the government to the high court for a third time in a bid to remove “major flaws” from minister’s plans to tackle the UK’s illegal levels of air pollution.ClientEarth has inflicted two humiliating defeats on the government over previous plans, which were ruled not to meet legal requirements. Lawyers from ClientEarth had requested improvements to the latest plan from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) but were refused, prompting the new court action. Continue reading...

Expedition leader says the deep-sea fish had not been seen in waters off Australia since 1873A “faceless” deep-sea fish not seen for more than a century has been rediscovered by scientists trawling the depths of a massive abyss off Australia’s east coast, along with “amazing” quantities of rubbish.The 40cm fish was rediscovered 4km below sea level in waters south of Sydney by scientists from Museums Victoria and the Australian government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) on the weekend. Continue reading...

In historic decision, land court advises Queensland government to refuse environmental and mining licencesA court has recommended the Queensland government reject a controversial coalmine in what farmers and lawyers hailed as a historic victory in one of Australia’s largest environmental public interest cases.The saga of the $900m New Acland mine proposal, which included a public slanging match between the broadcaster Alan Jones and Campbell Newman that led to a defamation suit by the former premier, drew to an extraordinary conclusion with a ruling by a land court member, Paul Smith, on Wednesday. Continue reading...

St Dominic, Tamar Valley Pennywort and mosses add to the verdure of the shadiest lanes, now green tunnels overhung by ash flowersRain enhances the growth of luxuriant ferns that dominate hedge banks and undergrowth in the woods. Beside narrow lanes, fronds of male ferns and soft shield ferns overwhelm the pink, white and blue of campion, stitchwort and bluebell, masking the eroded earth of rabbit burrows.Foxglove, sorrel and bracken emerge through the leafy tops of these old banks, where, despite the annual cutback with mechanical flails, diverse woody shrubs are covered in fresh leaves interwoven with new shoots of rose, honeysuckle and bramble. Continue reading...

Minister says Australia’s view clear to US although departmental secretary unable to point to ‘particular discussion’The employment minister, Michaelia Cash, says Australia’s national interest is best served if Donald Trump stays the course with the Paris climate agreement.

Karla Way-McPhail, who runs mining labour and equipment companies, will not say whether she will recuse herself from Carmichael decisionA director of the independent board due to provide recommendations regarding a $900m taxpayer loan to Adani publicly declared she was “very supportive” of its “vital” coal project, a day after she was accused of allowing a perceived conflict of interest to develop.Karla Way-McPhail, who runs mining labour and equipment hire companies, last week told a central Queensland newspaper that Adani’s Carmichael mine project would be “a huge boost” for the region. Continue reading...

Rosa King’s mother says keeper had always loved working at Hamerton Zoo Park, which remains closed after death

António Guterres says exiting landmark accord would threaten US economy and society: ‘If someone leaves a void, I guarantee someone will fill it’The UN secretary general, António Guterres, warned on Tuesday that if the US exits the Paris climate agreement, there could be negative economic, security and societal consequences for the country. Continue reading...

Owner of plant – site of worst commercial nuclear power accident in US history – urges state to preserve ‘clean, reliable’ energy sourceThe owner of Three Mile Island, site of the worst commercial nuclear power accident in US history, will shut down the plant in 2019 unless it receives a financial rescue from the Pennsylvania state government.In March 1979, equipment failure and operator errors led to a partial core meltdown of one of Three Mile Island’s two reactors. The damaged reactor has been mothballed since then but the other reactor is still in use. Continue reading...

Actor’s efforts to persuade Temple Guiting to generate its own electricity captured in BBC4’s Great Village Green CrusadeRobert Llewellyn is not a typical eco-activist. “Oh, I’m absolutely un-green,” says the actor and TV presenter. “I’m as un-green as a corporate exec. I fly a lot. Though I have hugged a tree. Actually, I’ve lent against one while I was having a wee in the woods, I’m not sure if that counts?”You don’t need to wear an environmental hairshirt, however, to believe it’s possible to live in a different, more sustainable way. For the actor, who presented Scrapheap Challenge on Channel 4 and is best known for playing Kryten on BBC2’s Red Dwarf, that belief stemmed from a longstanding passion for new technologies, particularly renewable energy. Continue reading...

In the run-up to the general election, six Guardian reporters are writing from constituencies across the country to find out what matters to you and your area. In the latest dispatch from Erdington, Birmingham, Nazia Parveen and photographer Christopher Thomond learn that a growing rubbish crisis could easily lay waste to local politicians’ careersIn 1990s New York, the then mayor, Rudi Giuliani, tested an academic theory called broken windows: by tackling minor lawlessness, serious crime would fall.The idea was that by creating nicer neighbourhoods a sense of pride within communities would be fostered, which in turn would lead to a reduction in crime. It broadly worked. Now the question is whether a similar approach can work in the Birmingham suburb of Erdington. Continue reading...

Speaking in Sydney, US senator says he is ‘afraid about what the world is going to look like for our children’The death of the Great Barrier Reef is one of the “great tragedies of our lives”, US senator John McCain has said, arguing America should uphold its commitment to the Paris climate agreement, or accede to it with minor modifications.Speaking in Sydney on Tuesday night, the veteran politician and former Republican party presidential candidate said climate change was undeniably real and that it was incumbent upon world leaders to act now to halt and reverse global warming. Continue reading...

New Noaa research shows that strict conservation measures in Hawaii have not spared corals from a warming ocean in one of its most prized baysSome of America’s most protected corals have been blighted by bleaching, with scientists warning that US reefs are on course to largely disappear within just a few decades because of global warming.Related: Coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef worse than expected, surveys show Continue reading...

Senate crossbencher says government should instead look to emissions intensity scheme for electricity generators, while Labor says plan is a ‘stunt’The key Senate powerbroker Nick Xenophon has warned the Turnbull government he has “real reservations” about allowing the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to invest in carbon capture and storage technology.

A 21st-century American infrastructure agenda depends on the Paris AgreementThere is only one part of President Trump’s agenda with real opportunity for a big win, right now, and that is infrastructure. And the Paris Agreement—the strongest ever signal pointing toward transformational infrastructure investment—is the only way to mobilize the capital necessary to get to that big win.The common misunderstanding about the Paris accord is its impact on business and investment. Opponents fret about costs and economic change, but achieving the Paris Agreement’s goals will unlock capital investment at a rate no other policy initiative can match. Continue reading...

Indian mining giant says coalmine project is back on track after agreement with Palaszczuk governmentAdani has agreed to a new royalties deal with the Queensland government, weeks after an earlier proposal was junked amid internal uproar that it gave the Carmichael coal project too much taxpayer support.On Friday, ministers attended a snap cabinet meeting and agreed a royalties “holiday” for Adani’s $16bn project, Australia’s biggest proposed coal mine, would be wound back. Continue reading...

In northern South Africa, former soldiers are fighting both the illegal wildlife trade and the twin scourges of unemployment and PTSDThe sun has set over the scrubby savannah. The moon is full. It is time for Ryan Tate and his men to go to work. In camouflage fatigues, they check their weapons and head to the vehicles.Somewhere beyond the ring of light cast by the campfire, out in the vast dark expanse of thornbushes, baobab trees, rocks and grass, are the rhinos. Somewhere, too, may be the poachers who will kill them to get their precious horns. Continue reading...

Ford, Devon For some, the figures are the crowning glory of a roof – and a chance to show off a thatcher’s skill and imaginationAt the end of the roof I’m working on, the peacock sits, still as a bookend. Two pheasants eye each other coyly on the ridge of the thatched cottage opposite, while on a house further down the lane, a fox prowls between the chimneys. Up among the rooftops of this village near Plymouth, I am surrounded by a shadowy cast of creatures: straw animal finials.

Josh Frydenberg says proposed change will demonstrate Turnbull government’s ‘non-ideological approach’ to energy policyThe Turnbull government will move to overhaul the rules governing the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to allow the so-called “green” bank to invest in carbon capture and storage technology.

Economists, including Joseph Stiglitz and Nicholas Stern, say taxes of $100 per metric tonne could be needed by 2030A group of leading economists warned on Monday that the world risks catastrophic global warming in just 13 years unless countries ramp up taxes on carbon emissions to as much as $100 (£77) per metric tonne.Experts including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern said governments needed to move quickly to tackle polluting industries with a tax on carbon dioxide at $40-$80 per tonne by 2020. Continue reading...

European commission given more powers to monitor testing and fine firms after Germany’s initial objections are overcomeThe European Union has moved towards cracking down on carmakers who cheat emissions tests by giving the EU executive more powers to monitor testing and impose fines.The European council overcame initial objections from Germany and agreed to try to reform the system for approving vehicles in Europe in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Continue reading...

Under ‘rigs to reefs’ idea, oil firms asked to consider turning decommissioned platforms into artificial reefs for marine lifeConservationists want oil companies and regulators to consider leaving more old rigs in the North Sea rather than removing them, with the savings paid into a fund to protect sealife.

Kabwe in Zambia has been left with extreme levels of lead pollution after almost a century of metal mining and smelting, harming generations of children

Energy minister says Turnbull government will not support emissions intensity scheme regardless of Finkel reviewThe energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, says the Turnbull government will not allow carbon trading in the electricity sector despite the high likelihood that the looming Finkel review will endorse an emissions intensity scheme as one of the better policy options that could be adopted.

The Meadows, Chester The brightest colours drew my novice eyes: a vivid yellow ladybird, a tiny blue weevil and the polished emerald of a dock beetleA gentle breeze shimmers through the grass and the babble of the breeding season surrounds me. This patch of water meadows, just across the river Dee from the city centre, invites us to take things easy. But last time I visited I was carrying a petrol-powered leaf blower, helping Julie Rose of the Friends of the Meadows users group and entomologist Clive Washington with their beetle biodiversity survey.

Terry Selwood was hurt when 2.7-metre shark, which weighed 200kg, leapt into his boat near Evans HeadA fisherman who watched a 2.7-metre great white shark land in his boat has downplayed the experience, calling it “just a mundane thing”.Terry Selwood, 73, was caught by surprise while fishing off Evans Head, on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday afternoon when the shark launched itself into his 4.5-metre boat. Continue reading...

Surveys taken throughout 2016 show escalating impact from north to south, with 70% of shallow water corals dead north of Port DouglasCoral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef last year was even worse than expected, while the full impact of the most recent event is yet to be determined.Queensland government officials say aerial and in-water surveys taken throughout 2016 had confirmed an escalating impact from north to south. Continue reading...

Originally published on 29 May 1967KESWICK: There is quite a lot of hardwood tree felling going on round here at present, not in State-owned woods but on private land. There are few sights more distressing to the senses (and sometimes the common sense) than a felled woodland, especially when most of the replanting (if any is done at all) will probably be of coniferous trees to replace these lovely oaks, beeches, and sycamores. I visited one such ravaged wood last night towards dusk in ignorance of its fate and found trees down, small fires burning, and a great quiet.Related: Rebirth of a native woodland Continue reading...

Thailand experiences the heaviest rainfall in a decade while in Russia, a prolonged dry spell results in devastating wildfiresThe city of Bangkok has been inundated after a massive low pressure system encompassing North, Central and East Thailand produced heavy rainfall and widespread flooding last Thursday morning.The district of Wang Thong Lang was hit the hardest with 169mm of rain, making it the heaviest rainfall event in the province over the last decade, while 90-130mm of rain fell across the city on average. Twenty three major roads, including Lat Phrao and Ratchada, were under more than 20cm of water, causing rush hour chaos. Continue reading...

Almost a century of lead mining and smelting has poisoned generations of children in the Copperbelt town of Kabwe in Zambia

Solarcentury turns to Europe and Latin America as it transforms into an international firm to maintain growth hit by green cuts in home marketBritain’s biggest solar power company has shrugged off the cloud of drastic UK subsidy cuts by reinventing itself as an international firm with more than £3bn of projects planned.More than 12,000 solar jobs were lost in the industry after the government slashed support in 2015, but Solarcentury has survived by turning outward to target markets in Latin America and Europe. Continue reading...

Report says Trump has told confidants he will pull US out of agreement but defense secretary Mattis says ‘president is wide open on this issue’Donald Trump’s intentions regarding US participation in the Paris climate deal remained unknown on Sunday, as one report cited “confidants” saying the president had made up his mind to pull out while a senior cabinet figure said he was “quite certain the president is wide open on this issue”.Related: Donald Trump will make 'final decision' on Paris climate deal next week Continue reading...

Green campaigners warn Conservative efforts to undermine energy targets will lead to weaker climate policies after BrexitThe UK is lobbying Europe to water down a key energy-saving target despite the fact it will not take effect until after Brexit, according to leaked documents that sparked warnings that energy bills could rise and jobs put at risk.On the day Theresa May triggered article 50, government officials asked the European commission to weaken or drop elements of its flagship energy efficiency law. Continue reading...

Solar power is soaring, wind goes from strength to strength. Look for a mighty surge in renewables over the next few yearsOne day in late March, during a sunny weekend, something spectacular happened. Solar power broke a new record. The demand for daytime electricity in UK homes fell to night times levels – thanks to solar panels in roofs and fields. Thanks to the sunshine, solar power created six times more electricity than coal-fired power stations that day.One day in late March, solar power created six times more electricity than coal-fired power stations Continue reading...

Environment minister says Coalition takes emissions targets seriously and US climate change policy was ‘a matter for the Trump administration’The Turnbull government will support the Paris agreement on climate change regardless of whether or not the US president, Donald Trump, pulls out, the environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, has signalled. Trump upset world leaders on the weekend by refusing, at the conclusion of the G7 summit in Italy, to declare his support for the UN’s landmark treaty signed in Paris in 2015. Continue reading...

Our throwaway habits are wreaking havoc on the planet. Here are six ideas from designers working to reduce waste in our everyday livesModern life is wasteful. From the plastic packaging that fills our kitchens – and ends up in our oceans – to the 40m tons of e-waste we generate per year, our throwaway culture is alive and kicking. And it’s wreaking havoc on the planet.But a host of designers, researchers and startups are on the case, coming up with new ideas to cut waste and make life more efficient. Here are six of our favourites.

Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Indian mining group will have to pay ‘every dollar’ of state royalties for the proposed mineThe Queensland government has announced it will not act as a “middle man” to funnel federal infrastructure funding to support the Adani Group’s proposed coalmine.The premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has also confirmed the Indian mining group would have to pay “every dollar” of state royalties for the proposed mine, a significant departure from a previous deal to give the company a “royalties holiday”. Continue reading...

The biggest environmental campaign seen in Australia since the 80s is causing bumps in the road for both sides of politicsWhen it comes to the Adani Carmichael coalmine, the spotlight this week has been trained on Queensland as the state government battled an internal split on whether to give the project a royalties holiday. There have also been murmurings in Canberra, where Labor MPs are starting to express public opposition to a project many have been privately wringing their hands about.But to fathom the next phase in the political battle against the project, we need to train our eyes a bit further south. Continue reading...

RMIT hydrologist Matthew Currell says environmental impact statement for Narrabri gas project is missing analysis and contains conflicting informationUp to 130 spills of toxic waste could occur if the Santos Narrabri coal seam gas project goes ahead, potentially endangering high-quality drinking and irrigation water, according to a leading academic.

Kierra Box, Maureen Wood and Margaret Cliff on protecting a precious resourceThis weekend Brits will flock to our beaches. Thanks to EU pressure, visitors to more than 95% of our bathing beaches can paddle safe in the knowledge that nothing nasty lurks beneath the waves – a massive improvement since 1987, when it was judged safe to enter the water at just 55% of our favourite swimming spots. However, the European Environment Agency is right to raise a red flag (UK bathing water ranks next from last in EU beach table, 23 May). The UK continued to pump gallons of untreated effluent into some of our most beautiful seaside areas every year right up until 1998. Even today, only 65% of our beaches are rated as excellent by the Environment Agency, compared with 91% in Italy and 89% in Spain. And these are at risk if EU standards which guarantee clean bathing water are weakened or abandoned after Brexit.No one wants to see Britain return to being seen as the dirty man of Europe. Let’s ensure this election doesn’t mark the end of our summer holidays by the sea and ask that all political parties commit to retaining EU bathing standards and ensure our future is safe from sewage.

Thousands of photovoltaic panels across the UK generate 8.7GW, smashing previous high of 8.48GW earlier this monthSolar power has broken new records in the UK by providing nearly a quarter of the country’s electricity needs, thanks to sunny skies and relatively low summer demand.National Grid said the thousands of photovoltaic panels on rooftops and in fields across the UK were generating 8.7GW, or 24.3% of demand at 1pm on Friday, smashing the previous high of 8.48GW earlier this month. 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...