Environment | The Guardian

New US president may be forced to concede solar and wind’s huge potential for job creation and self sufficiencyWhat impact will the climate-sceptic, coal enthusiast President Trump have on the prospects for renewable energy? How will Brexit affect the UK’s renewable sector? And what’s driving the growth of clean energy in Asia? These were key questions for participants at a Guardian roundtable on the future of wind and solar power, supported by Julius Baer.And the answer to the Trump question? Precious little impact at all. The sheer strength of the renewables sector – driven by plummeting costs and a growing appetite among consumers and business alike – means it will continue to thrive despite the new administration’s doubts. That was the near-unanimous view of the participants. And it might even win over the president himself, as his business brain engages with the potential of clean energy on the one hand, and coal’s lack of it on the other. Continue reading...

Granddad, originally from Australia, was in his mid-90s when he began suffering from organ failureThe longest-living fish in a zoological setting, a lungfish known as Granddad acquired by the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago in 1933, has been euthanised after suffering failing health well in his mid-90s.Granddad, who came to Shedd from Australia in anticipation of the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair, was seen by more than 104 million people during his time in Chicago, aquarium president Bridget Coughlin said in a statement on Monday announcing his death. Continue reading...

The evidence suggests the push for government help is an attempt to squeeze money out of unwise investments made at the end of the mining boomThe recent coordinated push for new coal-powered electricity generators in Australia comes as the industry is on its last legs.The intensified push for government handouts can be seen as a last-ditch attempt for the coal industry to squeeze some money out of the unwise investments it made at the end of the mining boom.

We must shift away from a culture of politically motivated climate change denialism to an acceptance of the truly existential threat now facing humanityIt’s been a bad couple of weeks for the world’s climate and environment. The inauguration of billionaire property developer and reality TV star Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States has presaged a new Dark Age of climate politics.In an opening fortnight of controversial executive orders, President Trump has decreed the expansion of major fossil fuel developments including the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, and the neutering of long-standing environmental protections. In addition, he and his leadership team have made it plain they intend to dismantle many of the Obama administration’s climate initiatives and withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. All this runs in direct counterpoint to the rapid decarbonisation required to avoid dangerous climate change. Continue reading...

Their numbers vary enormously from year to year, but warmer weather will provide wasps with more favourable conditionsSeveral new species of wasp have arrived in Britain with our warming weather, and their larger relative the hornet, once confined to the extreme south, has spread across England.But how is our common wasp fairing? Most queen wasps still do not survive the winter. However, it is not cold that will have killed them, but spiders or other predators. Continue reading...

Return of ABC’s panel show is dominated by discussion of Australia’s resettlement deal with the US and Trump administration’s climate change policyThe politicking around refugees following Donald Trump’s travel ban was given a human face on ABC’s returning Q&A program on Monday with personal and probing questions from two Syrian refugees.After two panellists expressed support for Trump’s move to limit migration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, audience member Omar Al Kassab told his story and asked why the panellists would want to ban him from resettling in their country. Continue reading...

Last week a Scottish Power executive called for coal to be excluded from the UK’s capacity market scheme (Report, 31 January). Five days later UK coal plants were awarded taxpayer-funded subsidies worth up to £72.8m. With the government’s consultation on phasing out coal-fired power generation by 2025 closing on Wednesday, for coal plant operators it must be like being asked to leave the party while being bought a drink.Likewise, while CO emissions are subject to a carbon price floor, its current level is too low to be effective. Meanwhile, the so-called Transitional National Plan grants UK plants permission to pollute above EU limits. TNP’s “pollution bubbles” are filled with toxic fumes that cause 2,800 premature deaths in the UK every year. Continue reading...

UK fails to apply environmental law on air quality, water standards, and the conservation of several species, EU review revealsAn EU review has revealed multiple failings by the UK in applying environmental law, on the same day that the commission escalated its action against Britain for breaching air pollution limits.Britain has been in breach of EU nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limits since 2010, with London overshooting its annual air pollution limit for the whole of 2017 in just the first five days. Continue reading...

Volunteer? Raise money? Be a citizen scientist? Join us Monday 13 Feb at 1 - 2.30pm GMT to talk about what we can all do to help elephants.In the face of falling elephant populations around the world, it’s easy to feel a little hopeless. But in fact there are a number of things you can do to help - from volunteering to becoming a citizen scientist yourself, to supporting some of the extraordinary organisations out there.We’re putting together a database of actions to launch next Monday (Feb 13). To mark the launch, we’ll be hosting an online discussion with elephant experts, discussing what everyone can do, and assessing areas where genuine progress is being made.

A visit to the chief control centre in Berkshire reveals how solar and wind are keeping blackouts at bay … for nowDespite claims that Britain is on the brink of blackouts and amid forecasts of a looming cold snap, all is calm inside the room where a score of engineers and analysts work to ensure the lights stay on.Below a huge, illuminated map of the UK’s electricity network and myriad displays, a gentle hubbub of conversation washes over the desks of the control centre in Berkshire, the chief site of three run by National Grid. Continue reading...

House Republicans are explicitly saying that protecting public and environmental health isn’t worth a few jobs or a small cost.

Sales confound motor trade group predictions that surge in new car registrations would cool amid rise in import pricesThe number of new cars registered in the UK hit a 12-year high in January, with electric vehicles taking a record share of the market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).The industry body had warned of a slowdown in the motor trade in 2017 because of the impact of the weak pound, but there was no sign of deceleration in the first monthly numbers of the year. Continue reading...

After a decade of planning and consultation, removal of Brent field rigs built in 1970s could take up to 10 years to completeShell will this week unveil a plan to dismantle four enormous oil rigs in the North Sea, kicking off a vast and controversial decommissioning project.The Brent field rigs were built in the 1970s and produced around a tenth of the UK’s North Sea oil. But three of the four – Alpha, Bravo and Delta – have now shut down, and this summer the company will embark on a multibillion-pound eight- to 10-year project to remove the vast drilling and accommodation structures. Continue reading...

Sweltering weather drives demand for water to 2.215bn litres, or about 8.8bn glasses of waterSydney residents have soaked up more water in one day than they have on any other day in more than a decade after enduring sweltering conditions.With temperatures hovering around 35C in the city and 40C in the west, demand for water on Sunday topped the peak of the past 14 years at 2.215bn litres – about 8.8bn glasses of water. Continue reading...

More than half of people surveyed had never seen a hedgehog, once common in UK gardensThe plight of the hedgehog in Britain appears to be worsening, with a new survey revealing a further decline in garden sightings.The spiky creature was once a common sight, with the population estimated at 30 million in the 1950s. But that has plummeted to fewer than one million today, with a third of this loss thought to have taken place in the past decade. Continue reading...

Kinder Scout, Peak District Walking along the western escarpment, it feels like the land has been brushed by Arctic exoticismDriving out of Sheffield, I pass half a dozen men hurrying up and down Manchester Road, pointing long lenses into the glacier-blue sky, like paparazzi, and pull over to see what the fuss is about.

From helping farmers avoid roadblocks in Ghana to advertising discounted dinners in Singapore, these apps are doing their bit for the war on wasteSupermarket chain Asda has become the latest retailer to attempt to use technology to tackle food waste with the launch of an app that allows suppliers to buy and sell excess produce.Around the world, dozens of apps are diverting perfectly good food away from bins and into rumbling stomachs.

It seems Turnbull is basing his core political agenda for 2017 on a rare weather event. It’s a textbook definition of being buffeted by events rather than shaping themImagine a severe thunderstorm had not hit South Australia last September and caused a state-wide blackout. What on earth would the Turnbull government have to talk about?The day after the South Australian storm, the energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, nominated “energy security” as the government’s number one priority. Continue reading...

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 9 February 1917An alder, its roots undermined by the current just below a bend, fell some years ago and formed a dam across the stream; below the obstacle the silt collected until a long, narrow, sandy islet was formed. On this the snow now lies, a white patch in midstream, and across its narrowest neck is a line of footprints – the “seals” of an otter. I noticed them first last Sunday, immediately after the fall; the otter had been out hunting for its breakfast. These otter footmarks are peculiarly broad; they cannot be confused with the prints left by a dog; indeed, no rat-hunting dog had been there since the snow fell, for there were no marks on either bank. The otter had come down stream, landed and crossed the islet, and entered the water again. From the size of the prints it was only a small animal, but it was pleasing to find that there are some about; as I have no wish for otter hounds to come or for traps to be put down I do not mention the name of the stream, but it is not far from Manchester.

Team of researchers discover three of the frogs once listed as possibly extinct in first reported sighting since 1962A rare frog that had not been seen in decades has been found in Zimbabwe, researchers have said.The Arthroleptis troglodytes, also known as the “cave squeaker” because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962, but there were no reported sightings since then. An international red list of threatened species tagged the frog as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

David Rose penned an attack described by expert as “so wrong it’s hard to know where to start”In this new political era, climate scientists and their science are under attack. The attack is from multiple fronts, from threats to pull funding of the important instruments they use to measure climate change, to slashing their salaries and jobs. But there is a real fear of renewed personal attacks, and it appears those fears are now being realized. What the attackers do is identify and isolate scientists – a process termed the “Serengeti Strategy” by well-known and respected scientist Michael Mann who suffered these types of attacks for years. Continue reading...

Organizers across the US are riding the momentum of the post-inauguration march to mobilize in solidarity with scientists, immigrants, LGBT people and moreHope your feet aren’t sore yet, because come spring, thereare major nationwide marches planned for nearly every weekend.After the success of the Women’s March on Washington, activists are preparing for mass mobilizations throughout the year. Continue reading...

A growing body of studies shows that neonics threaten the health of honey bees, but some argue there’s not enough evidence to justify an outright banThe most widely used class of insecticides in the world is facing a slow death. Called neonicotinoids, or neonics, these bug killers have long been used to coat seeds or treat millions of acres of farmland in the US. Research showing that they sicken or kill bees and other pollinators has already prompted the European Union to temporary ban several varieties of the insecticides, and now neonics could lose their grip in North America, too.

Minister tries to allay fears within Tory party that May is to roll back on manifesto promise with housing crisis white paperTheresa May will this week reaffirm a Conservative commitment to protecting the green belt, despite unveiling a government strategy that aims to ramp up the pace of housebuilding to ensure 1m new homes are built by 2020.The prime minister will seek to reassure Tory MPs and grassroots activists who have expressed concerns about the plans that she will not be rolling back on a pledge made by her predecessor, David Cameron, during the last general election. Continue reading...

District Heating is heralded as the way to a greener future. But, Anna Tims reports, it’s been rolled out without any regulationEnergy customers who find themselves paying over the odds for their heating can simply switch to a cheaper deal. But there’s a hidden, but rapidly growing, number who estimate they’re paying up to three times more than the expected price… but don’t have the right to switch. In most cases, they are stuck with the same supplier for 25 years or more.They are among the 220,000 households signed up to District Heating networks which power entire estates by sending hot water and steam via insulated pipes from a central generator, instead of having a boiler in each home. Continue reading...

Ellen MacArthur and the New Plastic Economy initiative are determined to make a real difference in tackling the terrible problem of our plastic-polluted oceansLast summer Adidas released a good-looking trainer with uppers made using plastic recovered from the ocean. Everyone was very excited, but my response was: “That’s not the most efficient way of cleaning up the ocean.”Small bits of plastic packaging such as lids, sachets and films pose the biggest nightmare Continue reading...

Isabella Lovin signs bill surrounded by women colleagues, apparently a reference photos of Trump signing bills surrounded by menSweden’s deputy prime minister, Isabella Lövin, has published a photograph of herself signing a climate bill surrounded by her closest female colleagues, apparently mocking a photo of US president Donald Trump.Lövin, who also serves as environment and development aid minister, is seated in the photo at a desk as she signs the bill under the watchful eye of seven female colleagues, including one who is visibly pregnant. Continue reading...

Borth y Gest, Snowdonia I’ve seen glaucous gulls squabbling around rubbish-tips on Baffin Island, but never before in WalesRecent winter storm-surges from the cold north brought with them surprising visitors. Walking the coast path westwards I looked up and studied a clamorous swarm of gulls, vivid against a gunmetal sky. One, singled out in my glass, was bulkier than its companions, translucent somehow in the subdued light, its long wings white-fringed – a glaucous gull, Larus hyperboreus.

Northumberland nature reserve community at odds over application to import six of the mammals from SwedenIt is the idyllic nature reserve where walkers roam among roe deer and red squirrel while star-gazers enjoy the biggest expanse of dark sky in the whole of Europe.

Government urged to seek new investors to save Moorside project after concerns key partner will leave consortiumPlans for a new nuclear power station in Cumbria are likely to be scrapped after a key backer pulled out, creating a major hole in the government’s nuclear strategy.Two industry sources close to the process said Toshiba had privately decided to quit the consortium behind the planned Moorside plant, echoing sources who told Reuters and the Wall Street Journal that the Japanese company was withdrawing from new nuclear projects in the UK. 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...

Grade II-listed structure battered by 2015 Christmas floods restored in mulitmillion-pound reconstructionA bridge in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, has reopened more than a year after its partial collapse came to symbolise the destruction of the 2015 Christmas floods.

An otter family, a diving kingfisher and the Amazon coral reef are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

Charity calls for tougher legislation to prevent shooting, poisoning and trapping of birds such as peregrine falcons, red kites, buzzards and hen harriersAlmost 200 reports of shooting, trapping and destruction of birds of prey were received by the RSPB in 2015, the charity said.Some 64 out of the 196 reports were confirmed, including the shooting or attempted shooting of 46 birds of prey, including 16 buzzards, 11 peregrines, three red kites, one red-footed falcon and one hen harrier, a new report from the RSPB said. Continue reading...

Kjell Magne Bondevik describes shock after being held and questioned at Dulles hub under new US entry controlsA former prime minister of Norway has spoken of his shock after he was held and questioned at Washington Dulles airport because of a visit to Iran three years ago.Kjell Magne Bondevik, who served as prime minister of Norway from 1997-2000 and 2001-05, flew into the US from Europe on Tuesday afternoon to attend this week’s National Prayer Breakfast. Continue reading...

Extraordinary readings pile pressure on operator Tepco in its efforts to decommission nuclear power stationRadiation levels inside a damaged reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station are at their highest since the plant suffered a triple meltdown almost six years ago.

Destructive seaweeds found in reefs worldwide will grow more poisonous and eventually take over in the fight for spaceThe destruction of coral reefs worldwide could accelerate as rising carbon emissions help coral-killing seaweeds grow more poisonous and take over, according to researchers.A Griffith University study on the Great Barrier Reef has shown how rising CO emissions trigger more potency in chemicals from common “weed-like” algae that poison corals as they compete for space.

Crewe Green, Cheshire No wonder the spines of this tiny mammal keep most predators away; it’s like touching surgical needlesAlthough the air is mild for the time of year, the sky is iron-blue, threatening another downpour. It is wet and muddy under foot, slippery too. Charcoal and murky-brown, dead leaves clot the woodland path. There is the breath of tannin; I can almost taste it. Two grey squirrels chase each other over rotten logs, then dash up a tree strangled by ivy. A blackbird skitters into some bushes. I call my jack russell, Roob, who is loitering behind, sniffing new scents; this isn’t our usual walk. She doesn’t appear.I retrace my steps, calling again, scanning through perished bracken and withered nettles. I smell ghostly flowers and wizened rosehips. There are tangled brambles, bitter-black berries and bare trees. A gust of wind rattles their branches; they creak and moan in protest. Then I hear her, growling at something near a holly bush. Continue reading...

Retailers’ work with charities is barely denting the waste problem and leaves the biggest problems untouchedAs public outrage over food waste grows, almost every British supermarket has responded to consumer pressure and linked up with food redistribution organisations such as FareShare and Foodcycle.But while good practice is emerging, supermarkets’ work with charities is barely denting the waste problem. Fareshare, for example, estimates it accesses just 2% of supermarkets’ available food surplus. Continue reading...

Leaders of Vanuatu province want to turn local people and tourists away from unhealthy imports in favour of locally grown crops and seafoodA group of south Pacific islands are banning foreign junk food imports in favour of an all-local, organic diet as a way to combat future health problems.Torba province, part of Vanuatu, aims to impose restrictions on the import of western foodstuffs and instead take advantage of its productive agricultural land and rich natural resources. Continue reading...

Sid Marris leaves role as head of climate and environment at Minerals Council of Australia to take up job with PM’s officeMalcolm Turnbull’s next climate and energy adviser will be Sid Marris, who is leaving his role as head of climate and environment at the coal industry lobby group, the Minerals Council of Australia.The appointment comes amid a push from the Turnbull government for new coal-fired generators to be built, a suggestion enthusiastically welcomed by the Minerals Council. Continue reading...

Minister says he’s not surprised that generators don’t want another big baseload power station to enter the marketAustralia’s resources minister, Matt Canavan, has flagged subsidising a “clean” coal baseload power plant from the government’s $5bn northern Australia infrastructure fund, and says the government has already heard from an interested party.

Spill comes less than 18 months after a fire on the same oil rig and prompts warning from environmentalists over dangers of offshore drillingAn oil spill at an ExxonMobil platform in the Bass Strait is being investigated by the federal regulator, after the discovery of an oily sheen on waters around the rig.The spill comes less than 18 months after a fire raged on the same platform for nine hours before it could be controlled. And in 2013, Exxon was responsible for a spill from another rig in the Bass Strait. Continue reading...

As the ice melts, the race is on to exploit Arctic resources. And that means more claustrophobic submarine operationsDiminishing ice cover has increased political and economic competition for resources inside the Arctic Circle. This means more submarine operations, which are doubly claustrophobia-inducing, as a sub can only surface where the ice is comparatively thin. In an emergency, finding the nearest hole in the ice is essential, and this has spurred the development of a new type of forecast.There are two types of hole in the ice, known as leads and polynyas. Leads are long fractures, gigantic cracks caused by ice sheets moving apart. Ultimately, they are due to wind or ocean currents pushing areas of ice in different directions. Leads are generally transient, as the seawater freezes over quickly when exposed to the cold air. Continue reading...

Forecasters predict gales of up to 70mph and problems for coastal areas at high tideFlood warnings have been put in place in south-western and north-eastern England for Thursday evening, with problems expected around high tides.Communities across most of southern England and Wales were warned to expect gales on Friday and Saturday, with forecasters saying gusts of wind of up to 70mph could bring down trees and cause travel disruption. Continue reading...

Congressman Jason Chaffetz withdraws House bill 621 as conservationists and outdoorsmen vow to continue fight over similar legislationIn the small hours of Thursday morning, US congressman Jason Chaffetz announced that he would withdraw a bill he introduced last week that would have ordered the incoming secretary of the interior to immediately sell off 3.3m acres of national land.Chaffetz, a representative from Utah, wrote on Instagram that he had a change of heart in the face of strong opposition from “groups I support and care about” who, he said, “fear it sends the wrong message”. Continue reading...

The Woodland Trust is calling on tree lovers to vote for their favourite entry in this year’s European contest that includes four British trees. The competition highlights the cultural importance of old trees and the need to protect them Continue reading...

Transport secretary says airport expansion will bolster post-Brexit economy but critics warn over environmental obligationsProposals for a third runway at Heathrow have been published for public consultation by the government as it declared that expanding the airport would show the world Britain was open for business after Brexit.Related: Heathrow third runway plans published for public consultation Continue reading...

‘Twenty-eight Climate Change Elevator Pitches’ delivers basic, accurate climate information

Nomadic herders have killed wildlife and torched buildings but questions remain over the causes of the violenceThousands of heavily-armed herders are invading conservancies, private properties and smallholdings in Laikipia, one of Kenya’s most important wildlife areas, as they search for pasture for their cattle.