Environment | The Guardian

Testing of 40 types of bandages found 65% had alarming levels of forever chemicals' in adhesive flaps and pads that touch woundsMany popular US bandage brands contain alarming levels of toxic PFAS forever chemicals", new research suggests, raising questions about the products' safety.Testing of 40 types of bandages made by companies such as Band-Aid, Curad, Walmart and CVS found 26 products, or 65%, contain alarming levels of a marker of PFAS. The chemicals were detected in the adhesive flaps and in absorbent pads that press against wounds. Continue reading...

A supermarket is using eye-tracking technology to find what messaging encourages take-up of unpackaged fruit and vegWith thick black frames and hidden cameras, the glasses look designed for espionage or the metaverse but instead the eye-tracking headgear is being deployed to get inside shoppers' heads as part of the drive to cut plastic packaging from the weekly food shop.It is an unlikely scene. Hooked up with the glasses a shopper is being tailed around a Waitrose produce department by a researcher carrying a large tablet that displays live footage of them picking up banal things such as potatoes, apples and bananas. Continue reading...

California, Vermont and Colorado push for ban after slow federal response to research finding forever chemicals in period productsState lawmakers in California, Vermont and Colorado are working to ban the sale of period products containing highly toxic forever chemicals", or PFAS, nearly a year after a report revealed the chemicals were found in everything from tampon applicators to period underwear.Despite a growing awareness of the dangers and ubiquity of PFAS, federal regulators have been slow to respond to the bombshell 2023 report from the University of Notre Dame, in which researchers found forever chemicals in various menstrual products including those mentioned above and more. Federal bills designed to address PFAS in everyday consumer items - including period products - stalled last year in large part due to chemical industry lobbyists. Continue reading...

Masses of ephemeral organisms known as by-the-wind sailors' wash up in a blue tide' on the west coast most years but warmer winter seas could be increasingly their numbersFrom Oregon to California, blankets of alien-like blue creatures are washing up on rocky beaches. They are Velella velella, tiny colonies of organisms with a sombrero-esque fin sticking out the top and tentacles dangling down.Millions have been spotted along the US west coast this spring, much to the surprise and delight of beachgoers who have gleefully posted footage on social media. Some call it a blue tide" and it happens most springs - but not always to the same degree of abundance. Continue reading...

Hobsons Bay city council, in the city's west, confirms late on Friday that three further sites have been identified

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Country needs to speed up environmental response to protect its ageing population, multinational study findsIn 2005 Beijing was crowned the smog capital of the world. Concerns about air pollution and athlete health overshadowed preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games and required industry and traffic shutdowns to clean the air during the event itself.Now, a team of researchers at Chinese, German and Canadian universities have tracked the impacts of deteriorating air at that time. They found that particle pollution deaths in China were increasing at about 213,000 a year and peaked at 2.6mn people in 2005. Continue reading...

In an ancient walled city in eastern Ethiopia, the animals are fed in return for cleaning up the streets and keeping spirits at bay

Saving their social time - and their emotional lives - is more important than achievement' activities

Marine biologist Helen Scales had seen octopuses before - but she had never had a meeting quite like this one

Governments across region grappling for response as temperatures soar to unseasonable highsThousands of schools in the Philippines have stopped in-person classes due to unbearable heat. In Indonesia, prolonged dry weather has caused rice prices to soar. In Thailand's waters, temperatures are so high that scientists fear coral could be destroyed.A historic heatwave" is being experienced across south-east Asia, according to Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian. In updates posted on X, he said heat that was unprecedented for early April had been recorded at monitoring stations across the region this week, including in Minbu, in central Myanmar, where 44C was recorded - the first time in south-east Asia's climatic history that such high temperatures had been reached so early in the month. In Hat Yai, in Thailand's far south, 40.2 C was reached, an all-time record, while Yen Chau in north-west Vietnam hit 40.6C, unprecedented for this time of year. Continue reading...

Lending to meat, dairy and feed corporations led to significant proportion' of banks' emissions, Friends of the Earth foundAmerican banks are sabotaging" their own climate commitments by financing meat, dairy and feed corporations, according to a report.The report analysed funding from 58 US banks to animal protein and feed companies in the form of loans and underwriting, such as share and bond issuance guarantees. Continue reading...

Mining company hit with accusation it contaminated waterways with harmful levels of uranium and leadRio Tinto is facing a likely lawsuit in an English court brought by the UK-based law firm Leigh Day on behalf of people living in villages near a mine in Madagascar.In a letter of claim, a document that is an early step in a lawsuit, the villagers accuse Rio Tinto of contaminating the waterways and lakes that they use for domestic purposes with elevated and harmful levels of uranium and lead, which pose a serious risk to human health.This story was published in partnership with The Intercept. The reporting for this investigation was supported by a grant from Journalists for Transparency, an initiative of Transparency International. Continue reading...

Despite major progress in Brazil and Colombia, deforestation led by farming still cleared an area nearly equal to SwitzerlandThe destruction of the world's most pristine rainforests continued at a relentless rate in 2023, despite dramatic falls in forest loss in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon, new figures show.An area nearly the size of Switzerland was cleared from previously undisturbed rainforests last year, totalling 37,000 sq km (14,200 sq miles), according to figures compiled by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the University of Maryland. This is a rate of 10 football pitches a minute, often driven by more land being brought under agricultural cultivation around the world. Continue reading...

Schemes to replace EU subsidies will not plug gap left by loss of EU subsidies for most farmersFarmers are calling for the government to grant them a universal basic income, saying the post-Brexit agriculture subsidy scheme has left many poorer.Delays to the sustainable farming schemes put in place after the UK left the European Union, to replace the common agricultural policy (CAP), have meant that in England many farmers have been left out of pocket. The new regime initially suffered from low subscription rates, and the government has underspent hundreds of millions from the 2.4bn farming budget each year due to lack of sign-up. Continue reading...

Local council confirms material was found at the Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood

Environment groups say increased pollution levels means it would be absurd and harmful' to extend life of Eraring, which is due to close in August 2025

Emmerson Mnangagwa says country needs $2bn of aid as severe dry spell caused by El Nino afflicts southern AfricaZimbabwe has declared a national disaster over a drought caused by the climate event known as El Nino and President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the country needs $2bn in aid to help millions of people who are going hungry.The severe dry spell is wreaking havoc across southern Africa. Continue reading...

Researchers applaud move away from fossil fuels but say more must be done to mitigate effects on endangered speciesUp to a third of Africa's great apes are threatened by a boom in mining projects for minerals required for the renewable energy transition, new research shows.An estimated 180,000 gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees are at risk due to an increase in demand for critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt, a study has found. Many of those minerals are required for clean energy technologies such as wind turbines and electric cars. Researchers say the boom in demand is driving destruction of tropical rainforests which are critical habitats for Africa's great apes. Continue reading...

German's appointment to head Convention on Biological Diversity follows global failure to meet any targets on protecting ecosystemsThe next UN biodiversity chief will be Astrid Schomaker, an EU civil servant who will be entrusted with helping the world confront the ongoing catastrophic loss of nature.Schomaker has been a career official with the EU commission for 30 years. A surprise appointment, she will be tasked with corralling governments to make good on their commitments to protect life on Earth - something they have not done in more than 30 years since the UN biodiversity convention was created.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features Continue reading...

While Toyota falls in line on vehicle emission standards, questions are raised about solar sunshot' and carbon offsets

Ninety wildlife and landscape photographers from around the world are marking the primatologist Jane Goodall turning 90 with a print sale of environmental pictures. The Jane Goodall Institute and the nonprofit Vital Impacts have collaborated on The Nature of Hope: 90 Years of Jane Goodall's Impact, a 90-day sale with 60% of the proceeds going to the institute Continue reading...

Exclusive: public anger over river pollution affecting employee safety, union survey suggestsWater industry workers say they have been physically assaulted and feel unsafe working alone for fear of attack amid a public backlash over sewage dumping.More than one in three UK water employees have been verbally abused at work, according to a survey of almost 1,300 staff conducted by the GMB union. Continue reading...

Rate of decline in 2023 thought to be linked to climate breakdown as UK-wide survey shows mixed picture across 58 speciesThe small tortoiseshell butterfly has suffered its worst year on record in England, and has declined by 82% across the UK since 1976, according to the annual scientific count of butterfly populations.The sharp decline in numbers of the once-common garden butterfly has puzzled scientists, but it is thought to be linked to climate breakdown. It had its worst year on record in England, its second worst in Wales and its joint-fifth worst in Scotland in 2023 but did well in Northern Ireland, logging its second-best year. Continue reading...

After years of swinging extremes, state snowpack is at rare average of 110%, setting up good water savings account for year aheadOn Tuesday morning California officials trekked into the mountains to share some exciting and unusual news: the state's snowpack measurement is just about average. Across the state, the snowpack came in at roughly 110% - a measurement that is exceedingly rare in a changing climate.The fourth survey of the year, conducted at the beginning of April, is considered one of the most crucial. It serves as an indicator for how the state's water supply will fare through the drier, warmer seasons ahead. The snowpack acts as a water savings account for the state, supplying roughly 30% of California's water and slowly refilling reservoirs, pumping rivers and streams and wetting soils during the dry, warm seasons as it melts. April typically marks the shift out of the precipitation season, which is why this snowpack measurement carries so much weight. Continue reading...

Meteorologist says bears were not aggressive but they fired signal gun to scare them awayKatarzyna Kudacz was preparing a breakfast of scrambled eggs at a research station on Svalbard when she looked up to see she had three unexpected guests.Shocked and in awe, the meteorologist immediately alerted her colleagues to the female polar bear and her two cubs peering into the Polish research station in Hornsund, in the south of the Norwegian archipelago, their noses pressed up against the window. Continue reading...

An old flooded slate mine used as a dumping ground for cars in north Wales is in danger of being destroyed by visitors trashing the site, it has been claimed. The eeriness of the flooded cave attracts Instagram photo seekers. The cave, part of the Gaewern slate mine, became a dumping ground for old cars, TVs, microwaves and other rubbish after its closure in the 1970s. It was rediscovered by urban explorers who posted stunning photographs of the scrap illuminated by shafts of sunlight, leading to others braving a perilous 20-metre (65ft) descent and using inflatable dinghies to cross the lake to reach the scrap. Volunteers are now working to remove trash and graffiti

Modelling points to huge' soil emissions in interior rangelands, which are more sensitive to a warming climate

Recent $74m investment made alongside assessment that 10% of electricity could be generated by geothermal by 2050A limitless supply of heat exists beneath our feet within the Earth's crust, but harnessing it at scale has proved challenging. Now, a combination of new techniques, government support and the pressing need to secure continuous clean power in an era of climate crisis means that geothermal energy is finally having its moment in the US.Until recently, geothermal has only been viable where the Earth's inner heat simmers near the surface, such as at hot springs or geysers where hot water or steam can be easily drawn to drive turbines and generate electricity. Continue reading...

Pipeline' of clean projects being assembled, according to head of agency charged with multibillion-dollar transformation

Letters revealed under FoI laws show council asked environment secretary to investigate planThe government has been accused of quietly shelving a delayed plan to restore the polluted River Wye after letters from the government show it is incomplete with no publication date in sight.Letters revealed to the Guardian under freedom of information (FoI) laws show the then environment secretary, Therese Coffey, told stakeholders in August that the government was close to finalising" the plan to save the Wye and measures would be published within three months. Continue reading...

Fall to 14.4p comes after shareholders said they were unwilling to inject further fundsA bond issued by Thames Water's parent company has fallen to record lows as the embattled company scrambles to secure its future, and the government signalled it is ready to step in if necessary".The 400m bond, issued by the water supplier's parent company, Kemble, has slumped to only 14.4p after shareholders indicated that they were unwilling to inject further funds into the heavily indebted utility company. Continue reading...

Reducing cattle populations and restoring native ecoystems is our best chance to tackle global heating. Here's one way to do itThere is a simple, cost-effective and scientifically sound way to turn back the clock on global warming and reverse the catastrophic collapse of biodiversity: pay ranchers to raise trees instead of cattle.By mass, the world's 1.7 billion cows are the dominant animal species on Earth, far outweighing the human population, and outweighing all the wild terrestrial mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians left on Earth by more than 15-fold. More than a third of Earth's land is used to feed livestock. Continue reading...

Rainfall expected to ease before surging back later this week after central Victoria and western Melbourne hit by flooding and building damage

Increase in Fairtrade income to 13m shows shoppers still prioritising environment and workers' wellbeingBritish consumers might have faced the sharpest increase in living costs for four decades, but despite the cost of living crisis, concerns over the environment and the treatment of farmers in poorer countries has fuelled a steady increase in ethical shopping.As households across the country rein in their spending to deal with rising bills, Michael Gidney, the chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation trade body, said consumers were still prioritising ethical products. Continue reading...

Labor describes claims as fear-mongering' and says government would not accept waste from other nations

Dutch court's ruling that KLM misled customers is a wakeup call' on decarbonisation plans, climate advocacy group says

Proposal would allow states and territories to make decisions about coal mining and unconventional gas where water resources are affected

Possible charity highlights financial savings and environmental benefits for low-paid staffMinisters should consider a social leasing scheme for care workers in rural areas across the UK to use electric cars, a climate charity has argued, saying this would save often low-paid staff large sums, while bringing a big environmental boost.A focus group of carers in rural and semi-rural parts of the UK, carried out as part of the study, found that one woman earning less than 20,000 a year as a mobile carer drove four hours a day on average, spending 100-150 a month on petrol. Continue reading...

Residents of Balikpapan Bay in eastern Borneo dismiss claims that Nusantara will be a sustainable city that coexists with natureIn eastern Borneo, beyond the thick jungle forests, an epic building project is under way. Giant trucks, cement mixers and diggers lumber along battered roads. Cranes tower overhead. Yellow dust clouds the air, caking everything in reach: the leaves of eucalyptus trees, the sides of passing vehicles and the homes of nearby residents.This site - a 2,560 sq km area encompassing industrial plantations, mines, Indigenous communities and agricultural land - is to form Nusantara, Indonesia's new administrative capital. Continue reading...

Charity publishes survey findings as it calls for youngsters to be no more than a 15-minute walk from green spacesMore than three-quarters of children want to spend more time in nature, the National Trust has found, as the conservation charity pushes ministers to ensure youngsters are no more than a 15-minute walk from green spaces.Nearly two-thirds - 63% - of parents are able to take their children to nature spaces only once a week or less, citing accessibility as the main barrier, the survey of 1,000 children aged seven to 14 and 1,000 parents by the trust and the children's newspaper First News found. Continue reading...

Pilot scheme supplies 1,000 folding boxes to farms and wholesalers to reduce single-use cardboard, paper and plastic

Other endangered animals rescued in 2023 included a burrowing parrot, an African spurred tortoise and a blood-eared parakeetSpecialist wildlife police in eastern Spain have rescued an exotic list of endangered animals over the past year, including a pair of Nile crocodiles, an African spurred tortoise weighing 25kg and a 2-metre Burmese python.The Seprona division of the Guardia Civil said in a statement on Sunday that its officers recovered numerous examples" of species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora during 2023. Continue reading...

Former UN climate chief warns of global impact of a possible regression in US green policiesVictory for Donald Trump in the US presidential election this year could put the world's climate goals at risk, a former UN climate chief has said.The chances of limiting global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels are already slim, and Trump's antipathy to climate action would have a major impact on the US, which is the world's second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and biggest oil and gas exporter, said Patricia Espinosa, who served as the UN's top official on the climate from 2016 to 2022. Continue reading...

Smalltooth sawfish are behaving oddly, eliciting a first-ever plan to rescue and rehabilitate the species from the wildThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is launching what the agency described as an emergency response effort in south Florida after emerging reports of smalltooth sawfish spinning, whirling and displaying other abnormal behaviors.In a statement released last Wednesday, NOAA said that in addition to the abnormal behaviors, there have been reports of fish deaths in the lower Florida Keys, including more than 28 smalltooth sawfish as of 24 March. Continue reading...

Investigation reveals project oil giant promoted may never leave drawing board and has received no licence or government supportMotorists concerned about the impact on the planet of petrol and diesel cars may be comforted by Esso's marketing campaign on thoughtful driving".One of its most eye-catching initiatives is a proposal to trap carbon dioxide at a vast oil refinery and petrochemical complex on the south coast and store it under the seabed of the English Channel. Continue reading...

Participants in Oxford v Cambridge competition were warned to cover wounds due to risks from E coli-polluted waterwayOn a bright, unexpectedly warm afternoon, it would have been easy to assume the crowds that gathered by the Thames yesterday for the 169th Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race were a signal that all remains rosy in the world of rowing and rivercraft.Couples of all ages stood in the sunshine sipping pints and proseccos, groups waved dark-blue Oxford and light-blue Cambridge flags, and families posed for selfies. All appeared content about the prospects of watching another engrossing competition between the two old rivals - a battle that was eventually won by Cambridge in both the men and women's races. Continue reading...

Responders have currently found no immediate threat', but 14 of at least 56 containers carrying contaminants were destroyedAs authorities clean up the wreckage left behind by Tuesday's deadly collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, they are also looking for signs of potential environmental contamination.Responders have currently found no immediate threat to the environment". But for environmental experts, concerns still loom. Continue reading...

Conservative fifth circuit overturns EPA's ban prohibiting Inhance from using manufacturing process creating toxic compoundA federal appeals court in the US has killed a ban on plastic containers contaminated with highly toxic PFAS forever chemicals" found to leach at alarming levels into food, cosmetics, household cleaners, pesticides and other products across the economy.Houston-based Inhance manufactures an estimated 200m containers annually with a process that creates, among other chemicals, PFOA, a toxic PFAS compound. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December prohibited Inhance from using the manufacturing process.This article was corrected on 1 April 2024 to correct the company name Inhance in relation to a quote and to clarify Inhance's relationships with regulators. Continue reading...