Environment | The Guardian

Government pilot, due to launch this month, promises to protect and enhance biodiversity, but remains dogged by delays and uncertaintyIn a field in the South Downs national park, undulating green hills meet the sky. In the distance, villages built of flint sit in the valleys, and chalky white cliffs lie like giant beached whales above the Channel.For decades, the field where I'm standing has been in an arable cycle. It was last sown for wheat in 2022, and this year would have been planted with barley.Instead, it was sown with wildflowers: yarrow, vetches, clovers and oxeye daisies lie awaiting spring, when the monotonous green will break out into a sea of colour. Continue reading...

Environmentalists condemn news of higher forecast production which is also seen as a conservative forecastAzerbaijan, which is hosting this year's UN climate talks, plans to increase its fossil fuel production by a third over the next decade, according to an analysis shared exclusively with the Guardian.The forecast indicates the Cop29 host will grow its annual gas production by about 12bn cubic metres (bcm) over the next 10 years, which is considered a crucial period in which global leaders must cut fossil fuel production if they hope to limit global heating. Continue reading...

Environment minister says large areas of [wetland] will be destroyed or substantially modified' by the proposal for windfarm development

Rodney Holbrook, 75, a retired postman, captured footage of a mouse tidying up his workbench after dark. Over a couple of months, he noticed that the things he used during the day were being mysteriously put away at night, so he set up a night-vision camera in his shed in Builth Wells, Powys, Wales, to find out what was happening. He discovered that an industrious mouse was picking up items such as nuts and bolts, clothes pegs and cable ties and tidying them away into a box Continue reading...

Heavy flooding hit the village of Pulborough in southern England after the River Arun burst its banks. Cars were seen driving on a road amid flooded fields in the aftermath of Storm Henk. Major rivers across the UK were flooded as the government issued a further 300 flood warnings. A succession of storms in recent weeks meant prolonged rainfall fell on saturated ground, causing more extreme flooding

Voting bloc who supported Biden in 2020 over climate change see war in Gaza as environmental justice issueElise Joshi stumped for Joe Biden as a college freshman, motivated in no small part by her sense of urgency about climate change. The environmental policy student campaigned before the 2020 election as part of TikTok for Biden, in hopes of persuading other young people to show up to the polls.The work undertaken by Joshi and her peers paid off for Democrats - youth voter turnout surged in 2020, and has been widely credited as playing a key role in propelling Biden to victory. Continue reading...

Parliament returns for election year with a resignation over North Sea drilling and a fight over the Tories' Rwanda planRishi Sunak is facing a backlash in parliament this week over plans to allow more oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, as Tory troubles pile up on multiple fronts in the run-up to a general election expected this year.MPs return to Westminster on Monday after the Christmas break with all parties gearing up for what will inevitably be a bitter election battle that could end the Conservatives' 13 and a half years in power. Continue reading...

Angry protests by farmers, hauliers and railway workers risk being exploited by populists such as Alternative fur DeutschlandThe symbolism that German farmers chose to express their discontent with the government in the first days of the new year was as unambiguous as it was ominous: by the side of rural roads across the country, there were sightings of makeshift gallows dangling traffic-light signs, a reference to the colours of the three governing parties.The chilling sculptures are harbingers of unprecedented cross-sector protests and strikes hitting German roads and railways from Monday, and speak of a dramatic change of mood in a country long feted for its consensus-seeking approach to industrial relations, especially compared with its more traditionally strike-prone neighbour France. Continue reading...

The most dramatic photographs from the last two days, when almost every river in England reached an exceptionally high level and some reached record levels. The Environment Agency still has 244 flood warnings in place where flooding is expected Continue reading...

The country should be building resilience into the infrastructure to counter flooding like that brought by Storm Henk, experts sayHydrologist Hannah Cloke has a straightforward description of the inundation that has just struck Britain. Our decorations may have come down but the flood warning map is currently lit up like a Christmas tree."And the immediate cause of this mayhem is clear. A sequence of storms this autumn and winter - Babet, Ciaran, Debi, Elin, Fergus and Gerrit - have turned Britain into a sopping wet sponge", as the Reading University researcher put it. Continue reading...

Race organisers say former war crimes investigator suffered a heart attack while skippering a boat from the Canary Islands to AntiguaA former Australian spy and war crimes investigator has died skippering a rowing boat in a race across the Atlantic Ocean.Alisdair Putt, who had planned to spend his 62nd birthday on the boat, suffered a heart attack while competing in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic rowing race from the Canary Islands to Antigua. Continue reading...

Hot weather has proved deadlier in the Croatian city of Osijek than in any other European city but little is being done to work out whyThe green LEDs on the cross outside the pharmacy read 38C for the second day running, but the noontime crowds in the centre of Osijek seemed untroubled by the danger that signalled. We work in the sun but for us it's no problem," said Davor, 47, a bike courier with the food delivery service Wolt.Though many living there may be unaware, this small Croatian city is Europe's heat death hotspot. In the past two decades, hot weather has proved deadlier in Osijek than in any other city in Europe, a study in the Lancet medical journal found. The researchers modelled temperature and mortality data from the 854 biggest cities in Europe and found Croatians were most likely to died from the heat. Continue reading...

Former minister also resigns as an MP, which will trigger byelection in his Kingswood constituencyA former Conservative minister has announced he is resigning as an MP in protest at the party's dash for oil and gas, setting up an awkward vote for the prime minister on the issue on Monday and an even more difficult byelection within weeks.Chris Skidmore, a leading voice within the Tory party on green issues, said on Friday he would resign from parliament as soon as it returns next week over Rishi Sunak's bill to allow new oil and gas licences to be issued. Continue reading...

We need to move so much faster' to battle climate crisis, warns the Rev Canon Nick Davies, as locals assess damageStanding at the top of Tewkesbury Abbey tower, the Rev Canon Nick Davies is talking about the flood.But this is no sermon; the vicar is not reading from the Book of Genesis. He is discussing the flood waters before his very eyes, stretching far into the distance and besieging the medieval market town once again. Continue reading...

Mukhtar Babayev is named president-in-waiting of UN climate summit to be held in NovemberCop29, the next round of UN talks to tackle the climate crisis, will be led by another veteran of the oil and gas industry.Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan's ecology and natural resources minister, has been appointed the president-in-waiting for the Cop29 climate talks when they take place in the country in November. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereHave you been affected by flooding this winter?In Gloucestershire, police warned of road closures due to rising water levels around Tewkesbury.An evacuation centre was set up in the nearby village Walton Cardiff while people living on Alney Island, between two branches of the River Severn, in nearby Gloucester were urged to leave their homes overnight for a nearby leisure centre.Over November and December, following Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran, the ground was incredibly saturated right across the country, particularly in the east. But also that's just been topped up over the pre-Christmas period. That rainfall from this week has just added to that, so there's really nowhere for the water to go. The ground is completely saturated so in that situation we get more flooding and greater impacts than we've seen and probably in areas where people aren't used to." Continue reading...

Significant' impact of surface water and river flooding continues across England, as showers forecast for Friday

Invasive species are estimated to cost the US $120bn in damages annually - here are five that concern expertsGlobally, invasive species account for $423bn in losses each year, with a significant portion concentrated in the United States. They are estimated to cost US $120bn in damages annually, though the number has probably changed as the latest assessment dates back to 2005.Whether its travel or the transportation of goods, human activity has contributed to the introduction of over 37,000 species into new habitats. Animals, plants, algae and disease-causing insects are introduced to new places by land or by water, either intentionally or by accident. Once established, they can out-compete native species, damage existing ecosystems and transmit diseases. Continue reading...

Weather observatory records period of more than 300 hours in which temperatures remained below freezingThe Chinese capital, Beijing, experienced its coldest December since records began in 1951, after a cold wave hit much of the country. Temperatures fell below -10C, alongside heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions at times. Northern and north-eastern parts of China experienced the coldest temperatures, as cold air moved southwards from the Arctic, with some areas reaching lows of -40C.The Beijing weather observatory recorded a period of more than 300 hours in which temperatures remained below freezing, which is the longest for December since records began 72 years ago. The cold snap forced the closure of many schools and businesses in Beijing, owing to travel disruption and the stress from added heating demands. Temperatures have risen into the new year, but Beijing remains cold, with maximum temperatures reaching just above freezing so far this January. Continue reading...

Hundreds of flood warnings remain in place and commuters face travel disruption on Friday after heavy rain fell across parts of the UK.

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

Stalled growth in electric vehicles comes despite government goal to phase out petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles by 2035The number of new cars registered in the UK has jumped by nearly 18% but electric vehicle demand is flatlining, prompting the industry to call for a VAT cut to stimulate sales.Annual figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Friday show 1.9m new cars were registered last year, well up on the previous year's figure of 1.6m and the highest level since the 2.3m registrations of 2019. Continue reading...

Climate thinktank says Britain could be left trailing in global race to develop low-carbon energyLabour's independent energy advisers have warned the party against watering down its 28bn green spending plans in advance of its promise to create a zero carbon electricity system by 2030.Experts at the climate thinktank Ember, which provided the independent analysis underpinning Labour's green targets, said growing international competition for low-carbon investment from the US and EU could leave the UK lagging in the global race for low-carbon energy. Continue reading...

Cronulla residents believe speared fish may have been Gus', a 35- to 40-year-old blue groper known to swimmers and divers in the areaA man has been fined $800 for spearing a protected fish species in Sydney over the weekend.NSW police have confirmed officers spoke to a 26-year-old man on Saturday following reports a blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) was speared and killed at Oak Park in Cronulla. Continue reading...

Residents of Queens Avenue in Caulfield East are ramping up the fight against the 1km path and vow to fight until the bulldozers come'For 30 years, Tamara de Silva has woken up to the sound of birds chirping in the trees across the road from her home in Melbourne's south-east.Listening to the magpies and the lorikeets in the mornings, watching them playing around - it lifts your spirits," she said. Continue reading...

First survey of season shows snow at 25% of historical average, with brown patches of vegetation across Sierra NevadaIn the first snow survey of the season, California came up short - just 25% of the historical average - despite a spate of strong storms that caused flooding and landslides along the coast in late December.On Tuesday, officials measured a depth of just 7.5in at a monitoring station in the Sierra Nevada mountain range east of Sacramento, where brown patches of vegetation could be seen poking through the shallow snow. Statewide, the amount is the lowest logged for this time of year in the last decade. Continue reading...

Country emitted 73m fewer tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2023 than year before, study revealsGermany's emissions hit a 70-year low last year as Europe's largest economy reduced its reliance on coal.A study by the thinktank Agora Energiewende found that Germany emitted 673m tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2023, 73m tonnes fewer than in 2022. Continue reading...

A remarkable turnaround in sea cows' favorite food at Mosquito Lagoon means emergency feeding program can endA picturesque expanse of water along Florida's space coast is offering a modicum of hope for the state's embattled manatees as wildlife officials review whether to restore the beloved sea cows to the endangered species list.The recovery of seagrass, the manatees' favorite food, in Mosquito Lagoon means that an emergency hand-feeding program that has kept many of the starving aquatic animals alive over the last two winters can be discontinued, at least temporarily. Continue reading...

Every year, we dump 10m tons of plastic into the ocean, and solving the problem will require regulatory action. But there are ways consumers can helpCutting boards, non-stick pans, mixing bowls, even tea bags: in the kitchen, plastics can be hidden in plain sight.It's something that Jessica Brinkworth, an anthropology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, realized once she began looking for ways to cut down on plastic use in her own kitchen after her workplace started doing the same. Although much of her lab's waste was unavoidable - plastics are key for the sterile medical research they conduct - it still made her uncomfortable. That discomfort was only magnified in her own home, where she knew plastics were largely a matter of convenience". Continue reading...

Eco-friendly British produce could become unaffordable luxury if low quality imports still allowed, say farmersTightening environmental standards for British farmers while importing food produced to lower standards risks making eco-friendly food an unaffordable luxury item, farmers have said.At the Oxford Farming Conference on Thursday, the environment secretary, Steve Barclay, announced that the government would consult on a new labelling scheme that would single out food produced to UK standards, allowing consumers to choose more environmentally friendly food. Continue reading...

Statement is clearest sign yet party is willing to drop one of its flagship policies in face of Conservative attacks

Ministers have previously claimed oilfield development will improve domestic energy security and help consumersThe UK government has admitted that oil from the controversial Rosebank field will be sold on the international market rather than to UK consumers.Ministers have repeatedly claimed developing the huge oilfield off Shetland will improve UK energy security and help UK consumers, overriding concerns from climate experts and their own advisers. Continue reading...

Several species have vanished across swathes of the continent - and scientists say their disappearance holds unknown risks for humansAfrica's birds of prey have experienced a widespread population collapse that risks unforeseen consequences for humans, according to a new study.Tropical raptor species including the martial eagle, the bateleur and the dark chanting goshawk have vanished from swathes of the African continent over the past 40 years, new analysis shows, as many wild areas were converted to farmland. Several African birds of prey are on track to become locally extinct in many countries this century. Continue reading...

The first time I met a great ape in the wild I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to studying primates. Then I saw something that changed our understanding foreverI was born in Ngomboku village, surrounded by the lush, evergreen forests of what is now the Bakossi national park in Cameroon. My parents were primary school teachers and they moved between villages every few years, so I saw many different places. I got really interested in maps and ended up studying geography.In 2004 I went into the Ebo forest in west Cameroon for the first time. I remember that day clearly - listening to the dense canopy of trees vibrating in the wind, the sight and crowing of colourful birds and monkeys. I had never heard or seen anything like it before. Little did I know that a year later I would see something in that forest that would change our understanding of chimpanzee culture" for ever. Continue reading...

Expert says if you see a snake you should leave it alone and call for a professional catcherWhen Tennille Bankes walked into a toilet cubicle in Goondiwindi, Queensland, she was greeted by the scaly tail of a spotted black snake peaking out beneath a closed lid.The wildlife carer and snake catcher was called by police to the public bathroom after a local, surprised by the reptile, summoned them for help. Continue reading...

Police call wildlife carer and snake catcher Tennille Bankes to a public toilet cubicle in Goondiwindi, Queensland, after a local is surprised by a spotted black snake in the toilet bowl. As Bankes lures the serpent out, she explains that they have a 'natural instinct to go into holes' and that toilets offer a place to cool down and the chance of a snack, due to the frogs that also take refuge there to escape the heat Continue reading...

Exclusive: Badger Trust analysis comes 10 years after government started culls in England against scientific adviceImproved cattle testing, better financial and mental health support for farmers, and cattle and badger vaccination will more effectively tackle bovine TB in cattle than culling badgers, according to a report.The review of evidence by the Badger Trust comes after 10 years of culling in England killed 210,237 badgers, costing 58.8m, without a significant easing of cattle TB. Continue reading...

Data shows 2023 had second-highest record of rooftop solar installations as small-scale solar continues to growQuarterly installations of new solar panels reached a record at the end of 2023, with Australian households more than three times as likely to have a photovoltaic system as a back yard swimming pool.Households and businesses added 921 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity in the December quarter, according to SunWiz, an industry data group. Continue reading...

Committee finds British consumers contributing particularly highly to destruction of world's forestsUK consumption is having an unsustainable" impact on the world, and contributing particularly highly to deforestation, a report by MPs has found.Products such as soya, cocoa, palm oil, beef and leather may be products of deforestation, and the environmental audit committee has found that the UK's deforestation footprint per tonne of product consumed is higher than that of other countries including China, calling it unsustainable". A deforestation footprint is similar to a carbon footprint. It signifies how much deforestation occurs per tonne of product consumed. Scientists have worked out the deforestation footprints of various countries by analysing trade patterns for goods which are linked to high levels of forest destruction. Continue reading...

Heavy flooding plagued Loughborough in Leicestershire on Wednesday as hundreds of flood warnings were in place across the country. Dozens of homes were flooded when the Grand Union canal began overflowing. John Brailsford, 67, said: 'These are the worst floods I've seen in 38 years of living here. The river sometimes bursts its banks but that's further away and we were told the canal would never flood. It's very severe. I saw police, fire and ambulance crews all along the streets, some with dinghies which have been rescuing people'

Vineyard Wind development, off Massachusetts coast, starts to deliver power to New England grid in moment hailed as historic'The US's first large-scale offshore wind project, located off the coast of Massachusetts, has started producing power for the first time, delivering a boost to Joe Biden's ambitions of a proliferation of coastal wind turbines to help combat the climate crisis.The first wind turbine in the Vineyard Wind development started to whirr on Tuesday, delivering around 5MW of power to the New England grid. The operator of the project said it expects to have five turbines operational in the early part of this year, before eventually having 62 turbines as part of the project, which will produce enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel firms took the mask off' as they reneged on climate pledges and doubled down on expansion of planet-heating energyThroughout 2023, the hottest year in recorded history, fossil fuel giants doubled down on their planet-heating business models.The moves flew in the face of oil and gas companies' promises to tamp down

Researchers using AI and satellite imagery find 75% of industrial fishing is not being publicly tracked, while wind turbines now outnumber oil platformsResearchers have created the first global map of the industrial use of the ocean, using space technology and AI to reveal the emergence of a new industrial revolution".A study led by Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and published in Nature found that 75% of the world's industrial fishing vessels, mainly operating in Africa and south Asia, are dark" or not publicly tracked. More than a quarter of the activity of transport and energy vessels is also missing from public tracking systems, it found. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Submissions seen from companies on both sides of zero-emission vehicle mandateSeveral of the world's biggest carmakers lobbied the UK government to try to weaken or delay rules to accelerate electric car sales and cut Britain's carbon emissions.Toyota, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Nissan were among the companies to ask for delays in enforcement of the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate that obliges them to sell increasing proportions of electric cars or face heavy fines, according to documents seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

Photograph taken at wildlife reserve shows baby nestled with his mother after his returnA baby elephant who was separated from his mother and the rest of his herd in a wildlife park in Tamil Nadu, south India, has been reunited with them by park officials.An aerial photograph taken by officials shows the mother and calf, three days later, enjoying a nap on a slight incline with the baby nestled in the nook of his mother's chest. Continue reading...

UK's busiest private jet airfield announced plans to double weekend flights weeks after campaign group chair received injunctionFor four years, Colin Shearn, a 62-year-old retired corporate executive, led the Farnborough Noise Group, a watchdog for locals worried about the operations of Farnborough airport, the UK's busiest private jet airfield.Then, one day in August, police came knocking at his door. Continue reading...

Dozens rescued from flood waters and thousands remain without power as BoM warns of wild weather in Melbourne, south-east NSW and QueenslandThe first week of 2024 is off to a wild start, with storms continuing to lash Australia's east coast and a heatwave baking the north of the continent.Thunderstorms were headed for central Victoria on Wednesday and were forecast to become widespread over the eastern half of the state. Continue reading...

Fossil fuel plants contributed about a third of electricity supplies in 2023 and renewables a record 42%The amount of electricity generated by the UK's gas and coal power plants fell by 20% last year, with consumption of fossil fuels at its lowest level since 1957.Not since Harold Macmillan was the UK prime minister and the Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time has the UK used less coal and gas. Continue reading...

Current outbreak, which started in 2021, is estimated to have killed millions of wild birds and thousands of mammals globallyA polar bear has been killed by bird flu as the highly contagious H5N1 virus spreads into the most remote parts of the planet.The death was confirmed in December by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. This is the first polar bear case reported, for anywhere," Dr Bob Gerlach, Alaska's state veterinarian, told the Alaska Beacon. Continue reading...

Such a warm year would have occurred once in 500 years without global heating, Met Office scientists sayThe UK had its second-hottest year on record in 2023, according to provisional data from the Met Office, as the climate crisis continued to deliver elevated temperatures.Such a warm year would have occurred only once in 500 years without human-caused global heating, the scientists said. The heat peaked in June and September, both record hot months in a series dating back to 1884. The UK's 10 warmest years have all occurred since 2003. Continue reading...