Environment | The Guardian

Report by EV Council expects popularity to double by 2026 due to influx of cheaper electric vehicle models and increased number of charging stations

After 22 failed energy policies, the Coalition is being guided by a roadmap to higher bills and higher emissions

Ministers should be bold and radical in taking measures to boost demand in a key sector of the green transitionThe resignation of the high-profile CEO of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, was the latest sign of the ongoing crisis afflicting some of the world's most famous carmakers, as they negotiate the historic transition to electric vehicles. Last month, Stellantis - the maker of Fiat, Vauxhall, Jeep and Peugeot cars -announced the closure of its Vauxhall van factory in Luton, in part blaming the impact of electric vehicles sales targets mandated by Westminster. Ford has announced it intends to cut 4,000 jobs across Europe, including 800 in Britain, citing sluggish growth in EV sales as a contributory factor.For Labour, and for a sector crucial to the green transition, this is a crucial moment. The government has restored a 2030 cutoff point - kicked back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak - after which the sale of pure internal combustion engines will be banned. But car manufacturers are lobbying for a watering down of the terms of the zeroemissions vehicles mandate (ZEV), which requires manufacturers to sell a rising proportion of EVs between now and then. Meanwhile, on the right, Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives and Nigel Farage's Reform UK seek to caricature the country's net zero obligations as a virtue-signalling threat to prosperity and growth. Continue reading...

Stephanie Carrie gives tours and educates Angelenos on the importance of the urban forest - and how to improve itOn a recent Sunday morning, 25 Angelenos gathered under a large rusty leaf fig tree for a walking tree tour in a local Culver City park that was also playing host to an outdoor tai chi class as well as a group of yogis.As we walked past Chinese elm trees, coast live oaks and Brazilian pepper trees, Stephanie Carrie shared the history of the city's celebrated palm trees with a rapt audience. Many of today's trees, planted in the 1930s, are approaching the end of their lives - and while they have become symbols of the city, they also guzzle water, fueling calls to replace them with drought-resistant trees. Continue reading...

Complete reset' of water industry needed in face of poor service, pollution and leaks, says Steve ReedPublic anger over a significant increase in water bills to be unveiled this week will be justified, the environment secretary has warned, as households across England and Wales are forced to pay for a catastrophic failure" of underinvestment and toothless regulation.With the government braced for a backlash over the increases, Steve Reed told the Observer that a widespread failure of regulation and governance" was to blame for bill rises expected to average at least 21% over the next five years. He said a complete reset" of the water industry was needed in the face of poor service, polluted waterways and persistent leaks. Continue reading...

Despite a clever comms strategy, there are significant credibility issues around the assumptions on which the cost estimates are based

I've seen full bags tied to low-hanging branches and kids' play equipment. It's all deeply weirdThis is about dog shit.Dog shit and antisocial behaviour. Continue reading...

Unpasteurised milk, seen as both anti-government and anti-corporate, soars in popularity among conspiracy theorists and new agersIt's 8am, and Redmond, an 11-year-old Brown Swiss dairy cow and designated matriarch of the Churchtown Dairy herd, has been milked in her designated stall. She is concentrating on munching hay; her seventh calf is hovering nearby.The herd's production of milk, sold unpasteurised in half-gallon and quart glass bottles in an adjacent farm store, sells out each week. It has become so popular that the store has had to limit sales. Continue reading...

Disproportionate placement of devices leaves communities of color less protected from dangerous pollutantsThe Environmental Protection Agency's air quality monitors are disproportionately positioned in whiter neighborhoods in the US, leaving communities of color less protected from dangerous pollutants like particulate matter, ozone, nitrous dioxide and lead, among others, new research finds.Policy and actions the EPA takes to reduce pollution are developed from the monitors' readings, and communities of color are broadly more likely to be near major polluters. The findings raise questions about whether the agency has enough monitors installed, is properly placing them, and whether conclusions about the safety of the air in some areas are sound. Continue reading...

US industry ready to drop demand to export chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef in move set to anger British farmersThe United States is expected to push Britain to allow tariff-free access to high-quality American meat as part of any trade deal signed under the incoming Trump administration, amid interest from the president-elect's trade chief.Previous attempts to forge an agreement with the US have failed. Demands to allow the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef - produced in the US but illegal in the UK - have proved too unpalatable for British ministers. Continue reading...

From a futuristic home in London to a barn conversion in the heart of the country Continue reading...

No one really has the foggiest idea of what it will cost to develop nuclear in Australia,' one expert says

State has exemptions under Clean Air Act to set vehicle emissions standards higher than federal limitsThe US supreme court agreed on Friday to hear a bid by fuel producers to challenge California's standards for vehicle emissions and electric cars under a federal air-pollution law in a major case testing the Democrat-governed state's power to fight greenhouse gases.The justices took up an appeal by a Valero Energy subsidiary and fuel industry groups over a lower court's rejection of their challenge to a decision by Joe Biden's administration to allow California to set its own regulations. Continue reading...

Experts and agencies have overwhelmingly deemed the plan not to be credible. And burning more coal and gas in the medium term only leads one way

Chevron spent billions trying to destroy him after he won the largest pollution case in history. It's time for Biden to end this nightmareIt's a tale as old as time: an underdog fighting for what's right, and a powerful giant doing everything it can to stop him. Yet in today's America, the giants don't lose - they rig the system to crush anyone who dares to challenge them.That's exactly what happened to Steven Donziger, a well-known human rights lawyer who stood up to oil giant Chevron. After helping Indigenous and farming communities in Ecuador secure a historic $9.5bn judgment against the company for decades of environmental destruction, Chevron retaliated with a vicious legal campaign designed not just to discredit him, but to ruin his life.Jim McGovern is a congressman from Massachusetts Continue reading...

Clean power 2030' plan will speed up planning and give energy secretary final say on major infrastructure projectsThe UK will not face blackouts under Labour's proposed shake-up of energy supply, Ed Miliband has said, as he unveiled plans to boost clean power by the end of the decade.The energy secretary insisted the transition away from fossil fuels was unstoppable." Continue reading...

Find is hopeful sign' the species, one of world's largest and rarest freshwater fish, is not at imminent risk of extinctionSix critically endangered Mekong giant catfish - one of the largest and rarest freshwater fish in the world - have been caught and released in Cambodia, reviving hopes for the survival of the species.The underwater giants can grow up to 3 metres long and weigh up to 300kg. They are found only in south-east Asia's Mekong River but in the past inhabited the entire 3,044-mile (4,900km)-long river all the way from its outlet in Vietnam to its northern reaches in China's Yunnan province. Continue reading...

Action helps thwart advance of invasive yellow-legged hornet that can kill 50 bees a day and has devastated honeybee colonies in France and ItalyRapid action against an invasive bee-killing hornet has stopped its spread in the UK despite suitable climate and habitat for the insect, a study has found.Research led by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) looked at how suitable European countries were for the yellow-legged or Asian hornet to become established, and how they might have spread without action. Continue reading...

Changing state guidelines to lift the wind speed at which turbines start spinning won't notably affect energy generated, government consultants say

Contamination thought to stem from the heavy application of pesticides containing TFA, a type of PFASMineral water from several European nations has been found for the first time to be contaminated with TFA, a type of PFAS forever chemical" that is a reproductive toxicant accumulating at alarming levels across the globe.The finding is startling because mineral water should be pristine and insulated from manmade chemicals. The contamination is thought to stem from the heavy application of pesticides containing TFA, or compounds that turn into it in the environment, which are used throughout the world. Continue reading...

Climate researchers share theories behind apparent surge, though none have a full understanding yet of what has happenedScientists are still puzzling over the reasons behind a streak of unexpected, record heat that scorched 2023 and into this year, sparking fears that the climate crisis could be moving faster than previously thought.Is it the clouds? Or shipping? Or maybe a huge volcanic eruption? Continue reading...

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Our natural soundscapes are falling silent as bird populations decline. To improve our lives, we must invest in conservationImagine you're walking across rolling hills that stretch for miles, with warm sunshine and the chirping of birds all around.This peaceful and serene scene is an increasingly rare one in the modern world.It goes to show how important nature is for humanity on so many levels and hopefully a study like this supports more investment and help in retaining as well as improving our natural soundscapes. Continue reading...

UK Energy Research Centre says there is very little room for error' to avoid delays and protect vulnerable peopleLabour's plan to switch to a clean power system by 2030 faces significant challenges" to avoid delays and prevent vulnerable households paying higher bills, experts have warned.The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) has said there is very little room for error" in meeting the government's plan to create a 95% low-carbon electricity grid by the end of the decade. Continue reading...

Developers in England deliver 53% of features such as trees and bird boxes demanded in planning permissions, study saysNearly half of the nature-friendly enhancements promised by developers building new homes have failed to materialise, according to a study of almost 6,000 new houses.Developers are failing to keep legally binding pledges to boost wildlife when building new homes, according to the survey by University of Sheffield academics for Wild Justice. Continue reading...

A dozen marine scientists, film-makers, musicians and conservationists, including Tim Winton, John Butler and Dr Ben Fitzpatrick, have made an epic voyage to Scott Reef, one of Australia's wildest and most remote coral reefs, to document the threats posed by Woodside's Browse gas proposal. Woodside's Burrup Hub is the biggest new fossil fuel project in the southern hemisphere and, if approved, would emit more than 6bn tonnes of CO2 by 2070

From farm workers in Brazil to India and the US midwest, shifting to a schedule where it's dark out could mean dangerous conditions and less foodThis story was produced by Grist and co-published with the Guardian.For years, Josana Pinto da Costa ventured out every morning on to the waterways lining Obidos, Brazil, in a small fishing boat. Gliding over the murky, churning currents of the Amazon River basin, her flat nets brought in writhing hauls. Continue reading...

Marginalised communities have been elevated during hearings in The Hague on impact of climate crisisThe village of Veraibari in Papua New Guinea sits at the mouth of the Kikori River, just before it opens into the Pacific. Veraibari was so beautiful when I was a child," remembers Ara Kouwo, 52. I used to walk down to the beach passing under mango trees."Kouwo's testimony was one of many included in written submissions to the international court of justice (ICJ) before hearings that began last week and continue until Friday in a landmark case in which the court has been asked to give an advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change". Continue reading...

Residents accuse the oil firm of overstating the benefits of its ethane cracker plant - and playing down the harmsNadine Luci lives on a breezy hill south-western Pennsylvania, but hardly ever opens her windows for fear the air outside is harming her.I have to live in a cocoon year-round," she said. Continue reading...

Palau plans to allow more fishing in its marine sanctuary, as countries across the region seek to balance conservation with economic needsDotted across the north-west of the Pacific Ocean, the limestone islands of Palau rise like forested domes. Beneath the waves, reefs pulse with activity - fish dart through coral gardens, turtles drift nearby, while sharks with black-tipped fins shadow a passing tourist boat.Nearly a decade ago, the country took a bold step to safeguard this vibrant seascape, declaring 80% of its waters a no-fishing sanctuary.Ngerukewid, also known as the Seventy Islands', is a group of dozens of small, raised coral islands nestled within Palau's lagoon. Continue reading...

Move to ban TCE and perc, commonly used in everyday products, will make it hard for Trump to undo rulesThe US Environmental Protection Agency has banned perc and TCE, toxic chemicals that are widely used in everyday products but strongly linked to cancer and other serious health problems.The move comes after the first Donald Trump administration killed the process to limit the chemicals' uses, but the bans make it difficult for the second Trump administration to undo the rules. Continue reading...

Harnessing wind, hydro and maybe geothermal power, the tiny Canary Island of El Hierro is blazing a trail for sustainable energy - and the secret is all in the mix

Research done with the help of citizen science shows male humpback completed almost twice the typical migration distance

From rural buses to solar panels, our Green agenda has been transformative. Yet, vested interests and big polluters helped to poison the well of public thinking

Thinktank founder says recent attempts to build new towns are depressing, unsustainable and stupid'Labour should build 12 new towns in England that are not car-dependent or built on flood plains, a former government adviser has said in a report.A detailed plan for a dozen new towns, proposed by thinktanks Britain Remade and Create Streets, would mean 550,000 well-designed and appropriately located homes. The new homes would boost the economy by 13-28bn annually by improving access to high-paying jobs in well-connected cities, according to the report. Continue reading...

US Fish and Wildlife Service extends protections to iconic' insects, who experts say may not survive climate crisisThe US Fish and Wildlife Service announced a decision on Tuesday to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies after years of warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive the climate crisis.Officials plans to add the butterfly to the threatened species list by the end of next year following an extensive public comment period. Continue reading...

Drastic shift driven by frequent wildfires, pushing surface air temperatures to second-warmest on record since 1900The Arctic tundra is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by frequent wildfires that are turning it into a net source of carbon dioxide emissions after millennia of acting as a carbon sink, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Tuesday.This drastic shift is detailed in Noaa's 2024 Arctic Report Card, which revealed that annual surface air temperatures in the Arctic this year were the second-warmest on record since 1900. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Glenn Platt says opposition leader's lazy' response to report undermines science

Friends of the Earth calls on government to rein in growth of datacentres for fear they could increase fossil fuel useIreland has allowed itself to become a data dumping ground" for big technology companies such as Amazon and Meta which are monopolising clean energy generation for their datacentres, campaigners claim.They say the growth of the cloud storage sector in Ireland is so rapid it is threatening the country's legally binding decarbonisation commitments. Continue reading...

Backers of blocked Utah railway proposal want justices to narrow scope of 50-year-old environmental legislationThe future of environmental safeguards protecting communities, wildlife and waterways from harm will be considered by the US supreme court on Tuesday, in a case about a proposed oil train that threatens to upend five decades of legal precedent.The case brought by Utah's Seven County Infrastructure Coalition and Uinta Basin Railway LLC is asking the supreme court to overturn a federal appeals court decision blocking the approval of an 88-mile railway through the Uinta Basin in north-eastern Utah. The railway's backers want the court to narrow the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa) - the country's landmark environmental legislation passed by Congress and signed by Richard Nixon in 1970. Continue reading...

Government should point to evidence of FSA licensing of additive, says chair of environment and climate change committeeThe government must urgently reassure consumers that feed additives given to cattle to reduce methane emissions are harmless, and a vital tool in tackling the climate crisis, the chair of an influential parliamentary committee has warned.Lady Sheehan, chair of the environment and climate change committee of the House of Lords, called on ministers to step up as a row has blown up over the prospective use of the additive Bovaer in British dairy herds supplying Arla, the dairy company. Continue reading...

European Commission scientific advisers say technology to offset global heating could wreak havoc on weatherEurope should ban space mirrors, cloud whitening and other untested tools being touted to reflect the sun's rays, the European Commission's scientific advisers have warned, but said the door should be left open for research into their development.The scientists said the risks and benefits of solar radiation modification (SRM) - also known as solar geoengineering - were highly uncertain". They called for an EU-wide moratorium on using it as a way to offset global heating. Continue reading...

Energy company's deal with Japan's Jera will allow it to focus on exploiting oil and gas assets

Conservation groups join those who helped plant woodland in opposing expansion of bottling plantHarrogate Spring Water, which is owned by the multinational Danone, is planning to cut down a wood planted by schoolchildren in order to expand its bottling factory in the North Yorkshire town.Two primary schools, along with other local volunteers, helped to plant 450 trees in a project aimed at fighting climate breakdown organised by the Rotary Club of Harrogate almost 20 years ago. Continue reading...

An area nearly a third larger than India turned permanently arid in past three decades, research showsAn area of land nearly a third larger than India has turned from humid conditions to dryland - arid areas where agriculture is difficult - in the past three decades, research has found.Drylands now make up 40% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica. Three-quarters of the world's land suffered drier conditions in the past 30 years, which is likely to be permanent, according to the study by the UN Science Policy Interface, a body of scientists convened by the United Nations. Continue reading...

For every 1 spent on renewable energy projects, only 25p was invested in connecting them to grid, report findsThe UK is lagging behind in the race to rewire the world's power grids by investing four times more on renewable energy projects than on the electricity cables needed to connect them to the grid and consumers, according to a new report.For every pound the UK has spent on renewables it has spent only 25p on the cables and power lines, claims the report by Bloomberg NEF, which placed the UK eighth in an index of the world's 10 biggest energy markets. Continue reading...

Social media sites have become crucial tools for the sale of endangered species and platforms should do more to combat it, say expertsWhen the baby parrots were delivered to Alice Soares de Oliveira's desk they had no feathers and could barely open their eyes. Housed in a dirty cardboard box, the pair were barely a month old, and showed signs of underfeeding.The parrots - along with a pair of young toucans that arrived just under a month later - were victims of wildlife traffickers. Snatched by poachers, perhaps from their mother's nest, they were all advertised for sale on social media. Continue reading...

Average global temperature in November was 1.62C above preindustrial levels, bringing average for the year to 1.60CThis year is now almost certain to be the hottest year on record, data shows. It will also be the first to have an average temperature of more than 1.5C above preindustrial levels, marking a further escalation of the climate crisis.Data for November from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) found the average global surface temperature for the month was 1.62C above the level before the mass burning of fossil fuels drove up global heating. With data for 11 months of 2024 now available, scientists said the average for the year is expected to be 1.60C, exceeding the record set in 2023 of 1.48C. Continue reading...

Drivers killed when vehicles were hit by falling trees, while quarter of a million people had power cut

National science agency dismisses argument nuclear's economics have not been adequately considered in new draft report