 |
by Gisela Kaplan on (#244JE)
An expert on Australian native species says birds can have empathy, grieve after the death of a partner and form long-term friendshipsIt is generally quite well-known that kookaburras live in family groups: a bonded male and female, plus a retainer of their offspring. Numbers matter in kookaburra society because a neighbouring tribe may have its eye firmly on the expansion of territory – and may invade a smaller group.This means the injury and eventual death of one bird – most crucially of one of the parent birds – can have disastrous effects for the remaining group. They could be evicted from their home, which is likely to lead to their death. Continue reading...
|
| Link | http://feeds.theguardian.com/ |
| Feed | http://feeds.theguardian.com/theguardian/environment/rss |
| Updated | 2025-11-12 02:45 |
 |
by Paul Karp on (#244GC)
Poll commissioned by the Australia Institute finds 41% oppose funding the link between the coalmine and port in north Queensland while 26% support itMore Australians oppose the idea of funding infrastructure for the Carmichael coalmine than support it, although Queenslanders are more evenly split, a new poll has found.The Research Now poll commissioned by the Australia Institute, released on Tuesday, found that 41% opposed funding construction of infrastructure to help the Adani coalmine, compared with 26% who supported it and 33% who were undecided. Continue reading...
|
by Katharine Murphy Political editor on (#244E9)
Emissions intensity scheme is the least costly way of reducing greenhouse gases, Energy Networks Australia and Csiro sayAustralia’s electricity and gas transmission industry is calling on the Turnbull government to implement a form of carbon trading in the national electricity market by 2022 and review the scope for economy-wide carbon pricing by 2027.Energy Networks Australia warns in a new report examining how to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050 that policy stability and regulatory certainty are the key to delivering lower power prices and reliable electricity supply. Continue reading...
by Calla Wahlquist on (#244E8)
Academic decries what he describes as yet another bait-and-switch to reduce overall spending on conservation in AustraliaScrapping Australia’s “green army†without restoring Landcare funding to pre-2014 levels would further weaken community conservation efforts, experts have said.The Turnbull government is reportedly set to abolish the derided environmental program – to the dismay of its creator and greatest champion, the former prime minister Tony Abbott. Continue reading...
 |
by Julia Carrie Wong in Cannon Ball, North Dakota on (#244CA)
Though the US denied a permit for the Dakota Access pipeline, many worry that the Trump administration and the pipeline company could reverse the decisionNative American activists at the Standing Rock “water protector†camps vowed to remain in place the morning after the US Army Corps of Engineers denied a key permit for the Dakota Access pipeline, with many expressing concerns that the incoming Trump administration and potential legal action from the pipeline company could reverse their victory.Related: Dakota Access pipeline: US denies key permit, a win for Standing Rock protesters Continue reading...
|
 |
by Guardian Staff on (#243KF)
Sacha Dench, known as the ‘human swan’ completes her three-month-long paramotor journey from Russia to the UK on Monday. Dench made the record breaking 4,500 mile trip to raise awareness for the dwindling Bewick swan population. The journey followed the migratory path the swans undertake each year. The final leg of the trip involved crossing the Channel
|
 |
by Peter Beaumont in Jerusalem on (#243GA)
Red-mouthed rock shell was one of main sources of Tyrian purple and study blames its collapse on rising sea temperaturesThe shellfish that was one of the main sources of Tyrian purple – one of the most storied and valuable trading products in the ancient world – has disappeared from the eastern Mediterranean coast, amid warnings of an ongoing multi-species collapse blamed on global rises in sea temperatures.Described by Aristotle and Pliny among other ancient writers, Tyrian purple or imperial purple was a dye extracted from shellfish along the Levant coast and favoured by emperors and kings in a trade of huge value. Associated with royalty, clothes with purple in them were believed to convey high status. Continue reading...
|
|
by Martin Lukacs on (#2439P)
A historic growing movement for Indigenous rights is a key to protecting land and water and preventing climate chaosAs Indigenous peoples faced off against armed police and tanks near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in Dakota, theirs wasn’t just a battle over a pipeline. It was a battle over a story that could define the future of America.
|
 |
by Damian Carrington on (#242YK)
Oxford University professor who studied Cecil says strictly regulated hunting could help stop destruction of lion habitatsTrophy hunting could help conserve lions, according to the Oxford University scientist who had studied Cecil the lion for years before the animal was killed by an American dentist.
|
by Guardian Staff on (#242VM)
Google Earth timelapse show how the earth has changed over 32 years. A series of videos highlight the changing faces of urban and natural environments across the globe. Google combined over 5 million satellite images acquired over the past three decades by five different satellites to create the timelapses
by Patrick Barkham on (#242KS)
Sacha Dench is first woman to cross the Channel in a motorised paraglider, as part of her journey following migrating birds from Russia to BritainThe conservationist and “human swan†Sacha Dench has become the first woman to cross the English Channel in a motorised paraglider during her epic 4,500-mile journey following migrating birds from the Russian tundra to Britain.
 |
by Agence France-Presse on (#242PC)
Fast new patrol vessel built with Dutch, British and Swedish lottery funds aims to challenge Japan’s defiance of international court ruling on whalingTwo ships have left Australia bound for the freezing Southern Ocean to confront the Japanese whaling fleet in an annual high-seas battle, the environmental activist group Sea Shepherd has said.The organisation’s flagship, Steve Irwin, departed for Antarctic waters on Monday along with a fast new patrol vessel, Ocean Warrior, built with financial support from the Dutch, British and Swedish lotteries. Continue reading...
|
by Dana Nuccitelli on (#242JH)
Climate scientists and real science journalists pushed back, holding the post-truth crowd accountable
 |
by Oliver Milman on (#242J7)
Former vice-president expects backlash from environmentalists against Trump and hopes Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will join fightThe urgent threat of climate change means there is “no time to despair†over the election of Donald Trump, according to former vice-president Al Gore, who hopes that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will join an escalated climate campaign against the president-elect.
|
by Press Association on (#242CZ)
Highest ever rainfall recorded in UK was in December 2015 at Honister Pass in Lake District with 341.4mm falling in 24 hoursAn appraisal of the winter floods of 2015-2016, published on the first anniversary of Storm Desmond, reveals it ranks alongside the devastating flooding of March 1947 as the largest event of at least the last century.
by Press Association on (#242BG)
About 100 people forced out of their homes and Upper Street area of north London borough closedDozens of people have been evacuated from their homes in north London after a water main burst, causing severe flooding.The water was at a depth of two metres in the basements of properties on Charlton Place in Angel, Islington, and about 100 people were evacuated, London fire brigade said. Continue reading...
 |
by Katharine Murphy Political editor on (#241RN)
‘It’s a bad principle to axe your own policy for the Greens policy,’ former prime minister complainsTony Abbott has lashed out after reports that the green army will be scrapped in the looming midyear budget update, declaring that he is “dismayed†by the development and accusing Malcolm Turnbull of dancing to the tune of the Greens.
|
by Peter Walker Political correspondent on (#24294)
Mayor’s proposed investment gets near levels seen in cycle-friendly nations such as Netherlands and DenmarkLondon’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has promised to spend £770m on cycling initiatives over the course of his term, saying he wants to make riding a bike the “safe and obvious†transport choice for all Londoners.Following criticism that Khan has not been as bold as his predecessor, Boris Johnson, in committing to new bike routes, and amid increasing worries about air quality in London, Khan’s office has set out what is described as a hugely ambitious programme to boost cyclist numbers. Continue reading...
by Gareth Hutchens on (#2426Y)
But an analyst warns that it is not clear which part of the sprawling Indian conglomerate would receive the moneyThe conservative backbencher George Christensen has backed the idea of the controversial mining company Adani getting a $1bn loan from the Turnbull government for a rail line in his Queensland electorate.But an analyst has warned the government would have to conduct strict due diligence to ensure the loan was not funnelled through the Cayman Islands tax haven. Continue reading...
by Pat Conroy on (#241V3)
Not only is the government taking short cuts on climate change, it is setting future generations up for a massive cleanup bill
by Carey Davies on (#241V4)
Llanberis, Snowdonia In a clearing, a black-headed beast with horns as magnificent as any fairytale faun, is munching grass next to an old red-painted winding houseThe glug-glug of bubbles on the surface is a sign of divers in the depths. I watch their dark shapes rippling slowly in the emerald water for a while, before taking a slippery slate staircase winding up through the still autumnal oak woodland surrounding the flooded Vivian quarry.In a clearing lit briefly by November sun, a brown-coated, blacked-headed beast with horns as magnificent as any fairytale faun, is munching grass next to an old red-painted winding house. It is a scene of storybook strangeness. The horned head turns slowly, fixing me briefly with a pair of yellow eyes, then returns indifferently to its business. Continue reading...
 |
by Christopher Knaus on (#241SR)
Environmentalists say mandatory labelling on food would limit demand for palm oil products and reduce destructive impact of plantationsEnvironmentalists have warned that Australia’s repeated delays on mandatory palm oil labelling are allowing deforestation and the destruction of orangutan habitats to continue unabated.A proposal requiring palm oils to be specifically listed on food labels has now been under consideration by Australian and New Zealand ministers for more than five years. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Guardian Staff on (#2419J)
As prime minister Malcolm Turnbull plans to meet the boss of Indian company Adani in Melbourne, anti-fossil fuel campaigners rally against the federal government proposal to lend $1bn to the company to build a rail line from the planned Carmichael coalmine to the sea Continue reading...
|
 |
by RC Spencer on (#240WP)
Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 9 December 1916Surrey, December 7
|
 |
by Bill McKibben on (#240T5)
The defeat of an energy company by indigenous activists shows what nonviolent unity can accomplish. There are lessons here as we enter a challenging new ageThe news that the US federal government has refused to issue the permit needed to run a pipeline under the Missouri river means many things – including that indigenous activists have won a smashing victory, one that shows what nonviolent unity can accomplish.From the start, this has been an against-the-odds battle. Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the pipeline, is as wired as they come: its line of credit links it to virtually every bank you’ve ever heard of. And operating under a “fast-track†permit process, it had managed to win most of its approvals and lay most of its pipe before opponents managed to mount an effective resistance. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Gareth Hutchens on (#240SP)
Former prime minister’s policy reportedly to be dumped to increase Landcare funding as part of backpacker tax deal with GreensTony Abbott’s signature “green army†has been earmarked for the axe in the upcoming midyear budget review, according to reports.The move would save $350m, with $100m used to increase funding to Landcare as part of the government’s backpacker tax deal with the Greens. Continue reading...
|
by Letters on (#240BG)
In response to Dr Robin Shipp’s letter about the unfair requirements for charging electric cars (3 December), I’d like to point out one more: that you can’t pay cash for a charge. Whether you pay with a smartphone (that tracks you whenever it is operating), or with a proposed swipecard (that would track you whenever you use it), it does you wrong by tracking your movements. You can fill your car with gasoline anonymously, paying cash; electric cars should offer the same.Related: Business secretary says electric vehicles at heart of industrial strategy Continue reading...
by Michael Slezak and Nick Evershed on (#240BJ)
Exclusive: In less than four years the country has ‘spent’ almost 20% of its greenhouse gas allowance to 2050, analysis shows
by Nick Evershed and Michael Slezak on (#240BH)
Guardian Australia has partnered with NDEVR Environmental to produce a quarterly report calculating progress towards keeping global warming below 2C
by Katharine Murphy Political editor on (#2402X)
Climate policy review will look at possible changes to safeguard mechanism, which could convert to baseline and credit schemeThe Turnbull government has left open the option of reinstating a form of carbon trading in the electricity sector, allowing its looming review of the Direct Action climate policy to consider policy mechanisms to reduce emissions on a “sector-by-sector basisâ€.
 |
by Carol J Clouse on (#2401D)
A technology to capture carbon dioxide from fossil fuel power plants has struggled to become affordableDonald Trump has tossed around the term “clean coal†in his murky plan to boost jobs in the fossil fuel industry for months now. Most recently in a video in which the president-elect vowed to “cancel job killing restrictions on the production of shale energy and clean coal, creating many millions of high-paying jobs†during his first 100 days in the office.What Trump meant by “clean coal†is unclear. Coal is a dirty fuel with a declining fortune. With production falling, at least half a dozen coal mining companies have filed for bankruptcy within the past two years. Technical advances in fracking have increased the production of natural gas and driven down prices, making it cheaper than coal and a more attractive source of energy for power generation. How Trump plans to beat that economic reality to promote the production of both coal and natural gas is puzzling. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Associated Press in Mandan, North Dakota on (#23ZVS)
Officials say they will move from north of Backwater Bridge if Dakota Access pipeline protesters stay south and go there only if meeting is plannedNorth Dakota authorities have said they will move away from a key bridge near the main Dakota Access pipeline protest camp by Sunday afternoon if demonstrators agree to certain conditions.Related: Justice department to deploy mediators to Standing Rock to 'maintain the peace' Continue reading...
|
by Killian Fox on (#23YJ2)
The distribution of surplus food in Ireland is being transformed by FoodCloud. Killian Fox meets the duo behind the venture
by Clive Aslet on (#23XW7)
The official start of winter was heralded by days of sharp sunshine. Country Life’s editor at large celebrates the season’s natural beautyWindscreens frozen, ground like iron, a vichyssoise of fog in the valleys – we’ve had the first intimations of a proper winter, and my friend’s blood is coursing. “Isn’t it the most exciting time of year?†he mumbled, from the depths of many layers of warm clothing. “I love the sharpness of the air, the crunch of frost underfoot.â€I’m with him. A lucky chum who has a house in the Caribbean told me about the temperature variance on Nevis; it will be 30C at Christmas, just as it was 30C in July. A superficially seductive prospect, I admit, but who wouldn’t rather have the drama of the changing year? Icicles hanging from the eaves, mulled wine simmering on the stove. As the 18th-century nature poet James Thomson put it, “Welcome kindred glooms!†Continue reading...
 |
by John Vidal on (#23XA2)
King Emere was in a London court last week for the case that he hopes will allow him to sue Shell in the UK for polluting his tribal landHis Royal Highness Emere Godwin Bebe Okpabi, the paramount ruler and hereditary king of the Ogale community in the oil-rich Niger delta, is ready to explode.Related: Shell and Nigeria have failed on oil pollution clean-up, Amnesty says Continue reading...
|
 |
by Ashifa Kassam in Toronto on (#23VZ5)
Trudeau’s approval of project some find analogous to Standing Rock incited thousands of activists, politicians and First Nations members to increase actionOpponents of a contentious Canadian pipeline project are preparing for a lengthy, multifaceted battle that will see thousands take to the country’s streets, courts and legislatures to contest the government’s recent approval of the project.Prime minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that the Liberal government had cleared the way for Kinder Morgan’s C$6.8bn Trans Mountain Expansion project. Designed to transport Alberta’s landlocked bitumen to international markets via Vancouver’s harbour, the project will expand an existing pipeline to nearly triple capacity on the artery to 890,000 barrels a day. Continue reading...
|
by Fatih Birol on (#23VQH)
The world’s leaders have promised to take urgent action on climate change. But that was the easy part. Here’s what they need to do next
 |
by Joshua Robertson on (#23V4N)
A $2.2b rail link to the huge Carmichael project has gained conditional approval for commonwealth fundingThe environmental movement is up in arms over a move towards federal funding of up to $1b for a railway that will serve Adani’s proposed Queensland coal mine.A $2.2b rail link to Adani’s huge Carmichael mine in the untapped Galilee basin has gained conditional approval for a commonwealth loan, days before its billionaire promoter, Gautam Adani, is due to meet state and federal political leaders. Continue reading...
|
by Adam Vaughan and Kim Willsher on (#23SX6)
Safety issues force many reactors offline with warnings of power cuts across France, higher energy prices and a rise in emissionsThe company building the UK’s first new nuclear power station for decades is facing questions over the health of its fleet of French nuclear plants after an investigation which has left the country with the lowest level of nuclear power for 10 years and the prospect of power cuts during a cold snap.Thirteen of Électricité de France’s (EDF) 58 atomic plants are offline, some due to planned maintenance, but most for safety checks ordered by the regulator over anomalies discovered in reactor parts. Continue reading...
by Letters on (#23SNR)
As a relatively new owner of a Nissan Leaf, I support entirely the need for adequate provision of charge points (Letters, 29 November). The ecotricity charging points at motorway services are great, even if they are now not free. But you can now only pay using a mobile phone app – not much use for my wife whose phone is too old to run the app, and not much use for anyone if their phone is lost or broken. What is wrong with a swipe card, as offered by Charge your Car at other charging points? But the biggest absurdity, as employed by all charging points, is that you pay by charging session, not by the amount of electricity you use. In a petrol or diesel car in an area with few fuel stations, you will top up whenever you have the opportunity even if it means putting in only, say, a quarter of a tank. Electric car users may need to follow that routine, but will have to pay the same however much electricity they need.
by Oliver Milman in New York on (#23SC5)
Transition team says that the president-elect’s endorsement of the controversial Dakota Access pipeline ‘has nothing to do with his personal investments’Donald Trump has said he supports a controversial oil pipeline that runs next to a Native American reservation in North Dakota – a project that the president-elect is personally invested in.Related: Dakota Access pipeline company and Donald Trump have close financial ties Continue reading...
 |
by Environment editor on (#23S1F)
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...
|
by Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor on (#23RN5)
Foreign secretary, who backs ban on ivory trade, breaks off London speech to make plea for ‘magnificent’ vulnerable animalBoris Johnson has interrupted a sweeping speech on the UK’s geopolitical future to make a passionate plea to save the African elephant, saying they are on the brink of extinction as they “get turned into umbrella stands and billiard ballsâ€.
by Eric Hilaire on (#23RHH)
A baby slow loris, a ‘walking shark’ and caribou in Alaska are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...
by Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent on (#23RBM)
Paris, Madrid, Athens and Mexico City will ban the most polluting cars and vans by 2025 to tackle air pollutionFour of the world’s biggest cities are to ban diesel vehicles from their centres within the next decade, as a means of tackling air pollution, with campaigners urging other city leaders to follow suit.The mayors of Paris, Madrid, Athens and Mexico City announced plans on Friday to take diesel cars and vans off their roads by 2025. Continue reading...
by John Abraham on (#23R2D)
Climate change intensified the extreme weather in Tennessee, but its legislators deny the science
by Tom Phillips in Beijing on (#23QR0)
Environmentalists celebrate as Beijing appears to abandon plans to build giant hydroelectric dams on 1,750-mile NujiangEnvironmentalists in China are celebrating after controversial plans to build a series of giant hydroelectric dams on the country’s last free-flowing river were shelved.
by Oliver Milman on (#23QNC)
Lawyer on president-elect’s transition team says leaving UNFCCC is ‘most practical way’ way to quit agreement, a process that normally takes four yearsThe US should completely quit the United Nations forum to tackle climate change in order to quickly exit the Paris climate agreement, according to a conservative lawyer who is part of Donald Trump’s transition team.
by Oliver Balch on (#23QCW)
In a country where only 16% of rural homes have power a government-led scheme is bringing electricity to thousands of villagesFour feet in length, of aggressive disposition, and deadly poisonous: you don’t want to stand on a Russell’s viper in the dark. Especially if there’s no antivenom for miles around. Yet that’s the daily predicament facing millions of villagers in Myanmar, where snakebites cause about 500 deaths every year.In Yin Ma Chaung, a rural settlement about nine hours by car from Yangon, villagers can rest easier knowing there are doses of antivenom chilling securely in a new refrigerator in the village’s community centre, powered by solar. Continue reading...
by Paul Evans on (#23QBX)
Wenlock Edge, Shropshire Defying the season, the flowering hedge-bank plant has an irrepressible urge to burst forthA hogweed blooms in the violet breath of shadows on the lane. Where garden roses are bred to keep flowering compulsively in a desperate denial of the season, the hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) opens in defiance. In a frosty corner of the hedge bank cut down at the end of summer, one flower makes a reappearance.Related: Late bloomers in the lee Continue reading...