Environment | The Guardian

Exclusive: former US vice-president and climate activist says phase-out can be only measure of success for Cop28An agreement by countries to phase out fossil fuels would be one of the most significant events in the history of humanity", according to Al Gore, amid wrangling by governments at Cop28.It would be a welcome surprise" if world leaders agreed at the climate talks to call for an end to fossil fuels, but such a declaration would have enormous impact" upon the world, Gore told the Guardian at the gathering in the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading...

In Brest, this protected species, found only in Brittany and the Basque Country, is being painstakingly moved to a new home before their habitat is destroyedOn a drizzly November evening, ecologists in Brest, Brittany, are rooting through the damp undergrowth flanking an unmarked and unlit track going nowhere. They are searching for Quimper snails. It's a slow and meticulous job: the snails are small, come out only at night and prefer the dank, dark cover of soggy leaves and twigs.Soon, their natural habitat here will be destroyed by a 200m (170m) public transport project, which includes a new tramway. Continue reading...

Toll expected to rise after heavy rains caused flooding in Katesh in country's northAt least 47 people have been killed and 85 others injured in landslides caused by flooding in northern Tanzania, a local official has said, with warnings the toll would rise.Heavy rain on Saturday hit the town of Katesh, 300km (186 miles) north of the capital, Dodoma, district commissioner Janeth Mayanja said on Sunday. Up to this evening, the death toll reached 47 and 85 injured," Queen Sendiga, regional commissioner in the Manyara area of northern Tanzania, told local media. Both warned that the death toll was likely to increase. Continue reading...

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Dave Lees, principal of the newly rebuilt Mullumbimby public school, vividly recalls the emotion of his first visit to assess the flood damage

Thousands of activists attending climate conference in UAE, which has a poor record for demonstrationsCop28 organisers and the UN body that oversees the annual climate conference have failed to clarify whether activists in Dubai are safe to demonstrate outside the conference area, putting civil society at risk in a country where protest is normally prohibited.At least 80,000 people are registered to attend the conference, including thousands of activists and members of civil society, who normally hold protests around the conference area. Continue reading...

Tolkien's hostility to rampant industrialisation should chime with nations represented in Dubai

UK prime minister attacked for inconsistency after allowing more gas and oil exploration in the North SeaRishi Sunak has been accused of hypocrisy on the international stage after pushing for a phase-out of fossil fuels at the UN Cop28 climate summit in Dubai - weeks after backing more oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.The prime minister's lack of consistency" over climate policy was ridiculed by several senior Conservatives, as well as the former US vice president Al Gore, while members of other international delegations said the UK's incoherent approach meant it was no longer a global leader on climate issues. Continue reading...

Total of 16,245 hospitals at high risk by end of century unless fossil fuels phased out, analysts sayOne in 12 hospitals worldwide are at risk of total or partial shutdown from extreme weather events without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, a new report warns.A total of 16,245 hospitals, twice as many as are currently at high risk, will be in this category by the end of the century without a change in pace, according to a report released on Saturday by Cross Dependency Initiative (XDI), a climate risk analyst. It adds that a residential or commercial building with this level of risk would be considered uninsurable. Continue reading...

US vice-president, deputising for Joe Biden, tells summit that world faces a pivotal moment' in the climate crisisThe world is facing a pivotal moment" in the climate crisis, Kamala Harris has told the Cop28 summit after the US vowed to phase out coal plants and slash methane emissions, but also came under attack for meagre assistance to developing countries and for its own booming oil and gas extraction industry.The US vice-president, deputising for Joe Biden - who skipped the UN climate talks - said Biden's administration had made the largest climate investment in the history of our country, and some have said the world" via the Inflation Reduction Act. Continue reading...

The mushroom moment of the past few years shows no sign of ending. What's feeding its enduring popularity?You can't walk more than a few aisles in the grocery store these days without running into some kind of new mushroom product. Fresh white button mushrooms are increasingly joined by specialty varieties like lion's mane, maitake or oyster mushrooms. There's sparkling cordyceps tea and chaga coffee boasting a range of health benefits, mushroom chips and even chocolate bars infused with reishi.Mushrooms have been steadily growing in popularity in the US over the last decade, said Eric Davis, a representative of the Mushroom Council. Mushrooms frequently top food trends lists and were even named ingredient of the year" in 2022 by the New York Times. According to the consumer consultancy Circana, grocery store sales of fresh mushrooms have increased by 20% over the past decade, while sales of specialty mushrooms have doubled in the same timeframe. Continue reading...

Protesters have been using canoes and dinghies to obstruct deep sea mining exploration vessel between Mexico and HawaiiDeep sea miners have turned water hoses on Greenpeace activists attempting to block their prospecting in the Pacific Ocean, according to footage released by the NGO.For the past week, an international team of Greenpeace activists have been using canoes and dinghies to obstruct the Coco, a deep sea mining exploration vessel, as it collects data to file for a mining permit for waters between Mexico and Hawaii. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Cop28 coverage hereFor the first time at a Cop the UNFCCC, which organises the summits, has published the full list of participants in spreadsheet format, making them far easier to analyse.Carbon Brief have looked at the provisional figures, and found that 84,101 people are registered to attend, 3,074 of whom are attending virtually. Continue reading...

Regulations would cut equivalent of 1.5bn metric tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2038, head of EPA says at Cop28

Brazilian president's plans to approve new fossil fuel projects sit awkwardly with pledge to meet 1.5C targetThe Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has roared into Cop28 with a mega-delegation of more than 2,000 people and grand ambitions to address inequality and protect the world's tropical forests.Lula, as he is known, said his country was leading by example: We have adjusted our climate goals, which are now more ambitious than those of many developed countries. We have drastically reduced deforestation in the Amazon and will bring it to zero by 2030," he said. Continue reading...

Colombian president Gustavo Petro wants treaty to lay out plan to end era of coal, oil and gas

World's militaries produce at least 5.5% of emissions, as evidence mounts that climate crisis puts regions at greater risk of warWealthy nations should divert 5% of their military budgets to climate finance, advocates argue.The call comes as global leaders at Cop28 in Dubai gather for a special-themed day on relief, recovery, and peace" on Sunday, marking the first time climate-fueled conflict has ever been on an international climate conference agenda. Continue reading...

Taronga Wildlife hospital tracked three turtles that had been rescued, with one swimming as far as Longueville

Ramblers criticise appointment of Robbie Douglas-Miller to Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsNo 10 has appointed a wealthy Scottish landowner accused by ramblers of restricting public access to his estate as a new environment minister by making him a peer.The government made the surprise announcement on Friday afternoon that the king was giving the title of baron to Robbie Douglas-Miller, allowing him to enter the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as a minister. Continue reading...

PM attracts cross-party criticism with claim that climate politics is at breaking point' during combative summit visitRishi Sunak has been accused of shrinking and retreating" from global leadership as he used the Cop28 summit to claim that climate politics is at breaking point" because of the costs of net zero.While many other world leaders, including King Charles, spoke of the urgency of action on the climate, the prime minister used his brief appearance at the summit in Dubai to promote his approach to slowing the pace of net zero policies and reducing pressures on family finances. Continue reading...

We put to the test the prime minister's claims in defence of his net zero rollbackRishi Sunak has made a series of claims about the UK's climate record in defence of his net zero rollback. Speaking at a press conference during a short visit to the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai, the prime minister insisted he had not faced any criticism from other world leaders for watering down his climate pledges. Continue reading...

Court of appeal ruling means government has only until 2030 to reach targetA Belgian court has declared the country's climate targets clearly insufficient" and ordered the government to cut emissions faster.In a powerful victory for climate campaigners, the Brussels court of appeal ordered Belgium to cut its planet-heating pollution by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. By 2021, Belgium had cut its emissions by just 24%. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more of our Cop28 coverage hereMy colleague Nina Lakhani has more on yesterday's loss and damage agreement.As the second day gets under way, the president of the G77 plus China group - the bloc of 135 developing countries which played a key role in yesterday's historic resolution on operationalising the loss and damage fund - said the decision sent a clear political message.It was a milestone in terms of creating a positive mood for the very, very complex process on the GST [global stock take] that we had ahead of us now. But the fund needs to be filled up. The pledges announced were a welcome sign, but they were just pledges and must materialise as soon as possible. And we expect much, much more because of the impact of loss and damage in developing countries," said ambassador Pedro Pedroso of Cuba. Continue reading...

The 67- and 61-year-old sea cows have been at the Miami Seaquarium since 1956 and will be moved to a sanctuaryThe decades-long captivity of two ageing manatees in ever deteriorating conditions" at a Florida theme park will soon be over after the intervention of federal wildlife authorities and a campaign by animal rights activists for the mammals to be freed.Romeo, a 67-year-old sea cow, and a female named Juliet, 61, have been at the Miami Seaquarium since being rescued" as calves in 1956, but will be moved to sanctuary elsewhere perhaps as early as next week, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Rishi Sunak's attendance comes after he scaled back pledges to help the UK reach net zero by 2050

As Cop28 gets under way, it is vital that corporations and richer nations invest in the global south

The whale breached for about 40 minutes, also performing several pectoral fin slaps and dives that delighted onlookersA humpback whale visiting the waters off Seattle dazzled onlookers on Thursday morning with several breaches in the bay just beyond the city's downtown area.The whale has been spotted for the last three days swimming around Elliott Bay. But on Thursday, the whale breached for about 40 minutes, also performing several pectoral fin slaps and dives.This article was amended on 1 December 2023 after an editing error misidentified the whale in the headline. Continue reading...

Climate-related disasters disproportionately affect women and girls as reproductive services crumble and gender-based violence risesThe climate crisis threatens the chances of gender equality being achieved in the countries most vulnerable to global heating, the UN has said.As Cop28 opens in Dubai, UNFPA, the UN's reproductive and maternal health agency, released data showing that the 14 countries most at risk from the effects of the climate crisis are also those where women and girls are more likely to die in childbirth, marry early, experience gender-based violence or be displaced by disaster. Continue reading...

Designation means the bathing waters carry risk of sickness, as government is accused of gross negligence'

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

The South African herd represents up to 15% of Africa's remaining population. Happily, the new owners are willing to spend huge sums for translocations across the continentEvery morning, South African conservationist Donovan Jooste looks out on to grasslands populated with some of the 2,000 southern white rhinos currently in his care. Representing 12-15% of Africa's remaining white rhino population, there are more of the animals on this farm in the North West province of South Africa than can be found in any single wild location across the continent.It's definitely a sight. It's a unique scenario to see so many in a single place," Jooste says. But the conservation opportunity is even more exciting. The question is: how do we get from where we are now to having them in open, well-protected areas?" Continue reading...

Eastern Victoria and southern NSW contend with more downpours as swollen rivers threaten communities

Strongest overhaul of rules in over three decades will cost billions as Biden administration moves to prevent public health crisesMost US cities would have to replace lead water pipes within 10 years under strict new rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency as the Biden administration moves to reduce lead in drinking water and prevent public health crises like the ones in Flint, Michigan, and, earlier, in Washington DC.Millions of people consume drinking water from lead pipes and the agency said tighter standards would improve IQ scores in children and reduce high blood pressure and heart disease in adults. It is the strongest overhaul of lead rules in more than three decades, and will cost billions of dollars. Pulling it off will require overcoming enormous practical and financial obstacles. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereAt the Guardian we've been working hard to get you up to speed with what to expect from Cop28. If you can't stop to read, you can listen.The Guardian's Science Weekly podcast this week focuses on everything you need to know about the climate talks, with host Ian Sample talking to Fiona Harvey, our environment editor and resident Cop expert.As Rishi Sunak lands in Dubai, we are deeply concerned by the message the UK government is sending to countries in the global south affected by its alarming inaction on climate change. Ahead of the Cop summit this week, the UK claims that it is more ambitious on climate than any other major economy, but this couldn't be further from the truth.As it issues licences for over 100 new oil and gas fields and fails to provide a proper roadmap on how it will deliver 11.6bn in loss and damage finance to climate-stricken countries, the UK's decisions today will continue to cause environmental catastrophe well into the future and cause immense harm to women and girls disproportionately affected by climate breakdown.The UK is also the heart of the global financial sector, which our recent research found has poured hundreds of billions of pounds into fossil fuels and agribusinesses since the Paris agreement. With UK banks like HSBC and Barclays among the largest funders of climate chaos, it also has a responsibility to regulate the sector, ensuring that money stops flowing towards climate-wrecking industries.Instead of accelerating investments into fossil fuels and continuing its harmful, polluting legacy, it should show strong leadership in Dubai and commit to phasing out fossil fuels entirely. Continue reading...

City council calls for an increase of the urban forest - currently comprising 5.2m trees - even as the mayor demands cuts in spendingNew York City is poised to get a lot more trees. Last month, the city council passed a measure calling for 30% canopy cover by 2035, up from its current cover of 22% - which could mean 250,000 new trees.More trees, with all their cooling benefits, is a clear win for the environmental justice movement, as cities around the world seek to adapt to hotter temperatures caused by the climate crisis. But where those trees should go - and which kind of trees to plant - is not so straightforward. Continue reading...

A new report argues that $12bn a year on average between now and 2050 will be required to transition to renewable energy

The government deserves credit for steps to drive down pollution from electricity but other parts of the economy are yet to be addressed

Fund to help world's poorest and most vulnerable countries hit by climate disaster is first decision agreed at conference

Before Cop28 summit, PM says of course' UK will get to net zero but it can be done in sensible' wayRishi Sunak has said he is not in hock to ideological zealots" pressing for more urgent action on the climate emergency, as he prepares to fly to the Cop28 summit.The prime minister said the UK was a world leader when it comes to climate", claiming the statistics proved it was ahead of other countries on meeting targets. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Airlines accused of making misleading claims in same week as first transatlantic commercial biofuel flightVirgin Atlantic and British Airways are facing formal complaints over their sustainable flight claims after being accused of misleading potential customers about the environmental credentials of aviation.This week, a Virgin Atlantic plane took off on the first transatlantic flight by a commercial airliner fully powered by sustainable" jet fuel, largely comprising cooking oil. The flight, partly funded by the UK government, flew to great fanfare from airlines and ministers as a potentially guilt-free way to fly. However, scientists and environmental groups are more sceptical. Continue reading...

Hunted almost to extinction for their pelts, the voracious mammals are being reintroduced to their traditional haunts in Haida Gwaii, to the consternation of some fishing communitiesThe group of otters floats between amber stalks of kelp, preening their coats and foraging for urchins. Sheltered in a natural bay off Haida Gwaii, one of the most unforgiving coastlines on the west coast of Canada, the skittish mammals are hidden - from the fast-moving currents, and from groups that have pledged to shoot them on sight.Generations ago, the global frenzy for pelts pushed northern sea otters to extinction in these islands. In recent years, however, a few dozen have returned, travelling up the Pacific coast in search of new food sources. Their location remains a secret amid fears that the fledgling population could be wiped out once more. Continue reading...

As Cop28 conference begins, letter to heads of state from mayors of 40 cities says fossil fuels era must end

World Meteorological Organization says 2023 will be hottest year on record, leaving trail of devastation and despair'

The challenges we face are enormous - economic, environmental, political. Our future is at stake, so let's come together and winWe are living in the most difficult moment in modern history. If you feel anxious and overwhelmed about what's going on, you're not alone. The extraordinarily challenges we face are very real, but we can never let them become excuses for checking out of the political struggles that address these crises and will define our future.Our nation and, indeed our planet, are at a critical juncture. It is imperative that we recognize what we are up against, and what we must do to move our politics toward justice and human decency. And we can start by acknowledging that the American people have been through a lot, and that their confidence in politics and in government has been shaken. Continue reading...

Agreements have been struck with African states home to crucial biodiversity hotspots, for land representing billions of dollars in potential carbon offsetting revenue Who is the UAE sheikh behind deals to manage vast areas of African forest?The rights over vast tracts of African forest are being sold off in a series of huge carbon offsetting deals that cover an area of land larger than the UK. The deals, made by a little-known member of Dubai's ruling royal family, encompass up to 20% of the countries concerned - and have raised concerns about a new scramble for Africa" and the continent's carbon resources.As chairman of the company Blue Carbon, which is barely a year old, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum has announced several exploratory deals with African states that are home to crucial wildlife havens and biodiversity hotspots, for land that represents billions of dollars in potential offsetting revenue. The sheikh has no previous experience in nature conservation projects. Continue reading...

Through the firm Blue Carbon, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum's carbon offsetting deals, which could one day be worth billions, have led to questions about previous business ventures The new scramble for Africa': how a UAE sheikh quietly made carbon deals for forests bigger than UKFew people have made as big an impact in the carbon markets this year as Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum. The young member of Dubai's ruling royal family is behind a series of carbon offsetting deals covering enormous areas of African forest, which could one day be worth billions.Through the United Arab Emirates-based company Blue Carbon, the sheikh's deals cover a fifth of Zimbabwe, 10% of Liberia, 10% of Zambia and 8% of Tanzania, collectively amounting to an area the size of the UK - and more are expected. Continue reading...

Cause of mass stranding of 34 pilot whales on Freycinet Peninsula unclear as authorities say they are unable to remove carcasses

Opposition vows to tackle rural connection delays to the grid while Conservatives call for offshore network to preserve landscapesLabour is promising to rewire Britain", making its case to the UK's rural communities that it will connect farmers and businesses to the National Grid at record-breaking speed.The pledge comes as Rishi Sunak faces a battle over electricity pylons with the trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, and former ministers urging him to pull the plug on crucial grid infrastructure. Continue reading...

Dozens of homes inundated and Riverina town of Deniliquin effectively cut off' as authorities warn of more wild weather

The report Our Land and Water looks at how waterways are polluted by four major contaminants in 650,000 river segments, 961 lakes and 419 estuariesA new study of New Zealand's freshwater quality has painted a sobering picture, showing that E coli is seeping through three-quarters of the land and into waterways at higher levels than national regulations allow.The report, funded by the government-backed organisation Our Land and Water, looked at how rivers, lakes, and estuaries are polluted by four major contaminants, including E coli, a bacteria found in the intestines of many animals and humans that can cause serious illness. Continue reading...