Environment | The Guardian

Germany and Spain among those accused of failing to set up penalty systems to deter violations of emissions lawThe European commission has started legal action against the UK and six other EU states for failing to act against car emissions cheating in the wake of the “dieselgate” scandal.VW was forced to recall nearly half a million cars from the US market last year after it was revealed that the company had used sophisticated “defeat devices” to game emissions tests. Other manufacturers have also used techniques to give lower emissions readings in lab tests than in real world driving. Continue reading...

Experts argue whether electric cars are worse for the environment than gas guzzlers once the manufacturing process and batteries are taken into accountJorge Cruz has just finished his overnight shift stacking shelves at Whole Foods in Los Altos, California, and is waiting at the bus stop outside. Like much of Silicon Valley, there’s a regular flow of Tesla, BMW, Nissan and Google electric cars that cruise past from their nearby headquarters, and Cruz rather likes them.

Meeting at New York Trump Tower comes as US president-elect picks climate science sceptic to head Environmental Protection AgencyLeonardo DiCaprio and the head of his foundation met on Wednesday with US president-elect Donald Trump to discuss how jobs centring on preserving the environment can boost the economy, hours after Trump announced a climate science sceptic to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).Related: Climate change sceptic Scott Pruitt to lead Environmental Protection Agency Continue reading...

President-elect’s latest cabinet pick is a clear signal of Republicans’ desire to dismantle Obama’s climate legacy

Exclusive: Report warns investment in electricity has stalled, and existing policies won’t allow Australia to meet its Paris targetAustralia’s chief scientist, Alan Finkel, has said investment in the electricity sector has stalled because of “policy instability and uncertainty” – and he’s warned that current federal climate policy settings will not allow Australia to meet its emissions reduction targets under the Paris agreement.In a 58-page report that has been circulated before Friday’s Council of Australian Governments meeting between the prime minister and the premiers, Finkel has also given implicit endorsement to an emissions intensity trading scheme for the electricity industry to help manage the transition to lower-emissions energy sources. Continue reading...

Congress declines to revive agency’s authority to pursue $20bn in delayed deals, putting fate of several ecosystems around the world in the hands of TrumpCongress quashed the hopes late Tuesday of reviving the United States’ export credit agency, which had been aiming for a stopgap lifeline allowing them to approve more than $20bn in new deals, many of which pose imminent harms to the environment.Now, the fate of a pristine coral reef, an east African mangrove forest, and the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen in a south-east Asian river delta lie in the hands of a new Congress and president. Continue reading...

Supermarkets say they are pulling out all the stops to ensure there are no empty shelves in the run-up to ChristmasLove them or loathe them, they are a staple part of the Christmas dinner. However, consumers shopping for sprouts this year could have less choice than usual after some British-grown crops were ravaged by “super-pest” moths during the summer.Supermarkets said they were pulling out all the stops to ensure there were no empty shelves in the run-up to the crucial festive season, although some may be unable to supply some lines such as popular “sprout stalks” or loose sprouts and may relax their usual specifications to allow smaller or imperfect items. Continue reading...

Furniture retailer nets €5.2bn from the sale of its product development and supply chain business to group set up by founderIkea has pledged to invest €1bn (£850m) in recycling companies and forests after netting €5.2bn from the sale of its product development and supply chain business.The deal between the retailer and Inter Ikea, a group set up by Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Ikea, which controls the brand and design trademarks behind his empire, was revealed as the furniture retailer reported a 7.4% rise in annual global sales to €35.1bn, boosted by 29% growth online to €1.4bn. Continue reading...

Campaigners hail announcement that funding for air quality measures will rise to £875m over the next five yearsCampaigners, health charities and neighbourhood groups have welcomed plans by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, to more than double funding to clean up the capital’s dirty air.London is one of the most polluted of dozens of cities in the UK that breach EU standards on nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxic gas caused by diesel vehicles. Air pollution has been linked to nearly 9,500 premature deaths in the city each year. Continue reading...

Government chief vet declares ‘prevention zone’ for England as highly infectious strain of avian flu hits EuropeAll bird keepers, from poultry farmers to families with a few chickens, have been ordered to house their animals for a month to protect the UK from a virulent outbreak of avian flu on mainland Europe.The government’s chief vet, Nigel Gibbens, has declared a “prevention zone” for England that requires commercial and individual bird keepers to keep their birds inside for 30 days or take steps to separate them from wild birds. Continue reading...

Extreme weather is driving up uninsured losses and insurers must use investments to fund global warming resilience, says studyThe ability of the global insurance industry to manage society’s risks is being threatened by climate change, according to a new report.The report finds that more frequent extreme weather events are driving up uninsured losses and making some assets uninsurable. Continue reading...

Corporation’s successful bid at Emissions Reduction Fund auction expected to create less greenhouse gasesAn Aboriginal corporation in the Northern Territory has been awarded a carbon credit contract with the federal government for its fire management program.Karlantijpa North Kurrawarra Nyura Mala Aboriginal Corporation successfully bid at the Emissions Reduction Fund auction last month. Continue reading...

‘Almost unprecedented’ event attributed to warm temperatures and winds, with some areas more than 20C (36F) warmer than usualBoth the Arctic and Antarctic experienced record lows in sea ice extent in November, with scientists astonished to see Arctic ice actually retreating at a time when the region enters the cold darkness of winter.

Producer shifts focus to supplying end consumers and providing backup power to complement growing renewable outputBritain’s largest coal power producer, Drax, is bidding to buy Opus Energy and four gas stations in a move away from its coal legacy that has been welcomed by investors.

Alice Bell is right that we need to talk about climate change (Opinion, 6 December). However, when we do, people often say there is no point in cutting one’s own emissions (by not flying, for example) because hardly anyone else is; and they say there is no point in the UK doing anything, because other countries aren’t. Sadly, people in other countries are probably using the same arguments and so, in a self-fulfilling way, it could be argued that they are all correct. Certainly there is no evidence that nations or individuals are actually going to make the changes needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions adequately, whatever pledges may have been made at international conferences.Clearly, we need a new approach: to invest in a combination of carbon scrubbing, geoengineering, third-way solutions, forest protection and reforestation. These can be funded by an international financial transactions tax, and they don’t involve lifestyle changes people won’t accept. We need to start now.

A global campaign to promote 100% renewable energy use in the business world means more Silicon Valley giants are now investing in solar and wind electricityTech giants are jockeying to be the first to hit a 100% renewable energy goal. Google, which has invested in solar and wind energy for a decade, intends to get there by 2017.

Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast to block imports from oil companies and traders of diesel with sulphur levels many times European limitFive west African countries have announced measures to end the practice of European oil companies and traders exporting “African quality” diesel – highly polluting fuels that could never be sold in Europe.Swiss commodity traders were accused in a report published in September by Swiss NGO Public Eye of exporting fuels to west Africa with sulphur levels that are sometimes hundreds of times higher than European levels. Continue reading...

Polluting generators could win multimillion-pound contracts, with some also eligible for generous tax breaksThe owner of Britain’s energy network is gearing up to buy more power from suppliers to ensure the country’s lights stay on, with polluting diesel generators among the providers vying for contracts.The National Grid needs back-up electricity sources that kick in when, for instance, demand is high but the weather is not breezy enough to power wind farms. It secures this back-up power through the annual capacity market auction that begins on Tuesday and will see controversial “diesel farms” taking part. Continue reading...

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank releases draft energy strategy prioritising renewable projectsThe Australian government is lobbying for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to put more emphasis on coal and nuclear after concerns renewable energy projects were being prioritised.Draft guidelines were circulated by the bank that suggest it should prioritise investments in renewable energy projects across Asia while the Turnbull government has argued fossil fuels will play a significant role in energy generation in the region for decades to come.. Continue reading...

England fells more trees than it plants and government must keep to its targets to evade deforestation, say forestry groupsEvery year Brazil, Congo and other developing countries are lambasted by environmentalists and western politicians for deforestation at a time when trees are needed to counter climate change and prevent flooding.

Analysts says $1bn loan proposal shows lack of financier interest and Adani may not meet investment criteria due to position that public funding ‘not critical’Doubts have emerged over the eligibility of Adani’s rail link for public funding as the company pushes ahead with plans for the controversial Carmichael coal project with a promise of 600 jobs at a new operational headquarters in Townsville.The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said “you can’t get the smile off my face” when commenting on the news of the potential jobs boost in a television interview. Continue reading...

Prime minister calls climate policy reassessment ‘business as usual’ as infighting breaks out in Coalition ranksMalcolm Turnbull says Tony Abbott is responsible for the review of the Coalition’s Direct Action policy because it was built into the work program when he was prime minister.

If the proposed Adani mine is not viable without public subsidies then the government are backing the wrong horse

Vikings who settled in the north of England have handed down more than their names for landscape featuresThirty years ago farmers in the Yorkshire Dales never wore gloves even when the temperature was well below zero and there was snow on the ground. Asked if their hands felt cold one replied: “Aye a little, but only twice a day.“I feel it first thing in the morning when I first go out, but after a few minutes my fingers go numb, like, and then I don’t feel them again until I finish my evening work and go inside the house. Then they sting a bit as they warm up again.” Continue reading...