Environment | The Guardian

Christchurch locals say 12 new huts will ruin unspoilt and fragile cliffs and accuse local council of being starstruckThey are a traditional emblem of the British seaside but plans to build innovative beach huts designed by viewers of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces on an unspoilt stretch of Dorset coastline have infuriated local people.Twelve winners of a competition run by the Channel 4 programme will be given £8,000 each by the local council to build their huts at Highcliffe, despite the fragile cliffs being designated a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). Continue reading...

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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...

Ex-Alaska governor promotes Climate Hustle film and calls for intervention to stop the ‘peer pressure’ as world leaders agree global warming is a serious threatOf all the causes Sarah Palin has embraced in her varied career as hockey mom, Alaska governor, Republican vice-presidential nominee, Fox television commentator and Donald Trump supporter, none perhaps may be as bold or – as she still likes to say, “rogue” – as trying to take down a much-beloved children’s television personality: Bill Nye the Science Guy.

I ran to him and held his hand; it was tense but there was no pulse. Then I felt it relax. There were no signs of lifeI grew up on a working farm in Shropshire and often helped my dad. On a summer’s day three years ago, I helped him cut up a large oak. A dealer had taken the trunk away, leaving the limbs. That morning we set off to chop up the remnants. Wood gets heavier the longer it sits on the ground and this had been there for a couple of months, in sections weighing around two tonnes each. They were stacked on top of each other with a big 70ft limb, known as a lodger, sticking up in the air.I was standing about 10 metres away from the tree with my back to my dad, making a bonfire with the branches, when I heard a faint gasp. I turned around to see that the lodger had fallen on to my dad’s back, crushing him against a branch below. I ran to him and held his hand; it was tense but there was no pulse. Then I felt it relax. There were no signs of life. Continue reading...

A Russian lizard, a rescued seal, royal elephants, and spring blossom are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

New Delhi on Friday imposed driving restrictions that will take around a million cars off its roads for the second time this year, to cut pollutionNew Delhi on Friday imposed driving restrictions that will take around a million cars off its roads for the second time this year, seeking to improve air quality in the world’s most polluted capital.The Delhi government first introduced the experiment for two weeks in January as dangerous levels of haze choked the city and authorities said they were bringing it back for another 15 days by popular demand. Continue reading...

El Niño has a major impact on energy within Earth’s climateThe recent El Niño has been in the news of late because the warm waters in the Pacific have helped lift Earth’s temperatures to new records. Recent research is helping to track energy flows between the ocean waters and the atmosphere as the El Niño builds, then slowly decays and even changes to a La Niña. This new information is an important advancement of our understanding of the Earth’s climate.As a background, a part of the Pacific Ocean flips between cold (La Niña) and warm (El Niño) phases over a few-year-long period. Sometimes the oceans are in neither a cold or warm phase, and we call that neutral. Continue reading...

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund divests from energy companies that derive more than 30% of revenues from coal, on ethical groundsNorway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s biggest, has excluded 52 coal-related companies in line with new ethical guidelines barring it from investing in such groups, Norway’s central bank said on Thursday.The move was seen as a sign of the growing influence investors wield in the fight against climate change. Continue reading...

Tory mayoral candidate asked questions in parliament about cuts that affected brother Ben’s investments in solar energy firmThe Conservative mayoral candidate asked questions in parliament about cuts in green grants that affected solar energy companies owned by his younger brother, but did not declare an indirect interest.Zac Goldsmith put down six questions between November 2011 and February 2012 after the government announced it would slash subsidies to the solar industry. Goldsmith warned MPs that there was panic in the industry over ministers’ plans. Continue reading...

Some people think that deaf people cycling is dangerous, but what I lack in hearing, I more than make up for in other ways on the roadI was about 12 years old when I was told I had a significant hearing loss. I have worn hearing aids since I was a teenager, and was profoundly deaf by 21.Around the time of my diagnosis, I watched my dad, who is hearing, take on incredible charity cycling challenges – cycling across America, Australia and Canada. I didn’t really understand the magnitude of his achievements back then but as I’ve matured, it makes me immensely proud and I feel cycling is something which is in my blood. Continue reading...

As agriculture invests more in big data, tech veteran Andrew Holland is getting ready to test his small sensor device in grain silosWhen it comes to the internet of things (IoT), the fanfare is often around items like fridges, cars, and entire skyscrapers. But one entrepreneur is thinking small, producing highly-connected devices the size of a bean.BeanIoT is the brainchild of tech veteran Andrew Holland, who says that the size and shape of a bean (roughly 45mm by 18mm) makes it ideal as a versatile, low-profile monitoring device. Picture a bean in your pocket while you work out, assessing your progress and vital signs without a clunky wrist device. In an assisted living facility, beans could monitor whether residents had fallen or were in medical distress. Or in a grain silo, strategically scattered beans could assess temperature, moisture and CO, to gauge potential problem areas before they develop. Continue reading...

South Uist Loud as a flock of chattering starlings but more mellow, the constant chirruping can be heard from well down the trackIn the walled garden by the track to the beach is a stand of venerable old sycamores. They are among the taller trees to be found on South Uist, but nowhere near the height one might expect of them, considering their age. Faced with constant winter gales, they have seemingly expended as much energy reaching outwards as upwards, resulting in a complex tangle of branches and twigs. The lowest parts of many trunks are completely covered in velvety green moss, while higher, as this begins to break up, several species of lichens encrust the branches.As the trees come into leaf, less and less light finds its way through to the ground beneath, but today, though the daffodils are yet to open, yellow celandine petals gleam in patches of sunshine between a complex tracery of shadows cast by the sycamores. And, within this pattern of light and shade, several birds are feeding nonstop, probing the turf and extracting any edible morsel before dashing forward a few steps to repeat the process. Continue reading...

The state’s premier says owners of Latrobe valley mines are profitable enough to absorb tens of millions of dollars in extra costs without cutting jobsVictoria’s coalmines are being ordered to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars more for the rehabilitation of their sites when mining ceases.Related: Latrobe coalmines not paying enough for cleanup: Hazelwood fire inquiry Continue reading...

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is trying to collect and inventory all of the region’s urban wildlife, some of which hitched a ride to the metropolisLos Angeles – synonymous with cars, concrete and urban sprawl – turns out to possess a secret, thriving underworld: nature.

Six years after the worst environmental catastrophe in US history, Department of the Interior has proposed mandatory standards for oil well infrastructureThe Obama administration has outlined new drilling regulations aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But the White House is set for a brawl with the oil industry, which claims the rules will cost billions of dollars and imperil thousands of jobs.

Rooftop panels could supply 40% of country’s power with open spaces such as parking lots offering further potential, study shows. Conservation magazine reportsTo take advantage of the sun’s energy to satisfy our ever-increasing need for electricity, Americans will have to take a fresh look at their roofs. A report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows that if all suitable roof areas in the United States were plastered with solar panels, they would generate about 1,118 gigawatts of solar power. That is 40% of the power that Americans consume every year.And that isn’t the half of it. The study only estimates the solar power potential of existing, suitable rooftops, and does not look at the immense potential of ground-mounted photovoltaics (PV), said NREL senior energy analyst Robert Margolis in a press release. “Actual generation from PV in urban areas could exceed these estimates by installing systems on less suitable roof space, by mounting PV on canopies over open spaces such as parking lots, or by integrating PV into building facades. Further, the results are sensitive to assumptions about module performance, which are expected to continue improving over time.” Continue reading...

Wildlife experts say the bird likely died of natural causes after they fail to spot him at his usual haunts in the Lake DistrictEngland’s only resident golden eagle is likely to have died after failing to appear this spring, wildlife experts fear.The bird, which has been a resident at Riggindale near Haweswater, Cumbria, since 2001, has not seen by RSPB staff since last November, and would normally be seen at this time of year building a nest and displaying to attract a mate. Continue reading...

Animal is killed and its horn removed after Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s safari at Kaziranga national parkPoachers shot dead and de-horned a male rhino in India’s Kaziranga national park less than 10 hours after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a jeep safari there during a visit to highlight conservation, Indian media has reported.

Special UN report will offer comprehensive assessment of impacts of a 1.5C rise in global warming on sea level, coral bleaching and biodiversityScientists from around the world will contribute to a major UN report on how global temperatures can be held to a rise of 1.5C and what the impact might be on sea level rises, the bleaching of corals and biodiversity.The special report, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), will assess all the available peer-reviewed science along with other special reports on how land and oceans are being affected by climate change. These will look at the melting of ice in polar and mountain regions, as well as the impact of climate change on cities and food supplies. Continue reading...

Research indicates up to half of all EU countries could fall short of this year’s target to recycle 45% of waste batteries Continue reading...

No replacement seems planned for service that helped UK councils and businesses adapt to effects of climate change, such as flooding, reports the ENDS ReportThe Environment Agency’s (EA) advice service, which helped councils and businesses prepare for flooding and other climate change impacts, has closed.Climate Ready shut in March, just before the Easter break, and no replacement service appears to be planned. Continue reading...

Almost total decimation of Betpak-Dala’s population of 200,000 saiga antelopes in 2015 caused by pathogen that led to hemorrhagic septicemia, say scientists

Figures show average carbon dioxide levels from new vehicles sold in 2015 met EU targets but data is based on outdated official testsAverage carbon dioxide emissions from new cars sold in the European Union fell 3% last year, meeting EU targets for 2015 as part of efforts to slow climate change, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Thursday.The agency’s research guides EU policymakers, who are reviewing proposals by the European commission to tighten laws on air quality, emission limits and new vehicle authorisations following the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Continue reading...

Authorities hope the country’s first ivory destruction will help deter smugglers who use the country as a key transit pointMalaysia has destroyed 9.5 tonnes of elephant ivory that it had seized over the years, in a move authorities hope will help deter smugglers who have long used the country as a trans-shipment point.

The Victorian government’s failure to raise the three mines’ rehabilitation bonds would expose taxpayers to a ‘significant proportion of the cost’ in case of defaultThe fourth and final report into Victoria’s Hazelwood coalmine fire in 2014 has highlighted a looming national problem: the huge cost of rehabilitating mines when they close.

Clophill, Bedfordshire Nature has attacked the motte and the ditches that surrounded the baileys of a knight’s castleThere are no signs in the village, no arrows pointing the way. A footpath off the high street squeezes between two houses, crosses a stream, runs into open fields and there, in the green hillocks far away, we see the earthwork remains of Cainhoe Castle.A knight of William the Conqueror’s victorious army was given a third of the county, and chose to throw up a motte and three baileys here on the crest of a low ridge some time in the late 11th century. In the grassy, undulating foothills, anyone can play archaeologist among the inexplicable banks, troughs and wannabe ditches. The hollow stump of an ancient tree, looking like an extinct volcano, sits in a depressed bowl, surrounded by a garden of nettles. Continue reading...

Only 1% of households took out loans under now abandoned scheme, which auditors say failed to deliver ‘meaningful benefit’An abandoned government programme to insulate UK homes cost taxpayers nearly £400m and did not deliver energy or carbon savings, a report by official auditors has found.The green deal scheme was launched in January 2013 with the intention of handing out loans to improve domestic energy efficiency. It folded in July 2015 despite claims by David Cameron that his would be “the greenest government ever”. Continue reading...

Artificially-created scent sexually confuses female moths, subsequently stopping them breeding and laying fabric damaging eggs in clothesScientists have found a way to force moths out of the wardrobe: by making them sexually confused.The trick is to lure male moths and cover them in a pheromone “perfume”. The scent delivers a message that says: “I am female”. When female moths get a whiff of the pheromone they lose interest in breeding. Continue reading...

Team including Tim Flannery dub previously unknown species, which weighs nearly half a kilogram, Rattus detentus – Latin for ‘detained’Manus Island’s newest “detainee” may have been on the island hundreds of thousands of years.Rattus detentus, an ancient, isolated and previously unknown species of the genus Rattus – a rat – has been so named for the Latin “detained”, “in reference to the isolation of ... Manus Island and to the recent use of the island to detain people seeking political and/or economic asylum in Australia”. Continue reading...

Most single-serving coffee pods are not completely recyclable, but a growing number of coffee sellers are rolling out pods that can be tossed into the compostMillions of Americans get their morning cup of joe by dropping a small capsule, or pod, of ground coffee into a machine. It’s a fairly popular ritual – nearly 30% of US households own a coffee pod machine, according to a recent report from the National Coffee Association.But the convenience of these pods comes with an environmental cost: they are typically made from partly- or un-recyclable plastic, which ends up in landfills. It’s something that is starting to weigh on consumers’ conscience, according to Tensie Whelan, director of New York University’s Center for Sustainable Business, and former president of the Rainforest Alliance. Continue reading...

Peabody Energy’s decision seen as sign that fossil fuel is threatened by tightening environmental regulationPeabody Energy, the world’s largest privately owned coal producer, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US following a collapse in commodity prices.The move was blamed by financial analysts partly on a mistimed and debt-fuelled expansion into Australia, but others saw it as a sign that the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel was threatened by tightening environmental regulation. Continue reading...

Researchers warned American Petroleum Institute in 1968 that the release of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels could lead to ‘worldwide environmental changes’The oil industry’s knowledge of dangerous climate change stretches back to the 1960s, with unearthed documents showing that it was warned of “serious worldwide environmental changes” more than 45 years ago.

Applying the mathematical principle of studying models of conflict and cooperation between groups could help us rein in global warmingCan’t we all just get along. Play nicely? Share? Such laments could be applied to many economic, political and social problems today. Perhaps the thorniest of them all is, climate change. Despite the relative success of the Paris COP21 in November, we are still far from effectively controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Could game theory help us rein in our impacts on the climate?Game theory is the mathematical study of conflict and cooperation between actors or groups: animals, people, businesses, countries or even computer algorithms. It became a formal topic of study in the 1950s and has since made significant impact on economics, political science and evolutionary biology and ecology. Continue reading...

Coal’s decline continues as figures show homes and businesses got more power from the sun for an entire 24 hours last weekendThe sun provided British homes and businesses with more power than coal-fired power stations for 24 hours last weekend.While solar power has previously beaten coal for electricity generation over a few hours in the UK, Saturday was the first time this happened for a full day. Continue reading...

The spoon tastes like a cracker and its manufacturer hopes to expand into forks and chopsticks

Sale of 1.57kg lump of ambergris they found while walking along beach near Morecambe Bay could earn pair £50,000A couple in Lancashire are in negotiations with potential buyers after stumbling across a valuable piece of ambergris during a stroll on the beach.Ambergris, sometimes known as whale vomit, is used by perfumers to make scent last longer and can fetch very high prices because of its rarity. The 1.57kg lump of the substance found by the couple could be worth around £50,000. Continue reading...

Japan has called for hundreds of thousands tonnes of irradiated water from the nuclear plant to be released into the Pacific Ocean. Karl Mathiesen looks at the potential impactsMore than 1,000 tanks brimming with irradiated water stand inland from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Each day 300 tonnes of water are pumped through Fukushima’s ruined reactors to keep them cool. As the water washes through the plant it collects a slew of radioactive particles.The company that owns the plant – The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) - has deployed filtration devices that have stripped very dangerous isotopes of strontium and caesium from the flow. Continue reading...

Trip by Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge to Kaziranga national park reopens debate over shoot-to-kill policy enforced against rhino poachersThe royal visit by Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge to an Indian wildlife reserve on Wednesday has divided conservationists and human rights groups because of the park’s controversial policy of shooting suspected poachers on sight.

An octopus escaped from a New Zealand aquarium this week. Inky the octopus made a dash for freedom by apparently breaking out of his tank and slithering down a 50-metre drainpipe. But we should not be surprised – octopuses can squeeze through tiny spaces

Latin America only uses 5% of its natural heat resources, but it is still a small industry and lacks incentivesTapping into the energy that comes from the natural heat of Earth’s crust could be an efficient and affordable power source for Latin America, say experts. Technology is developing for exploring this source, which comes from the shallow ground, to hot water and hot rock found a few kilometres beneath the surface.Geothermal power involves drilling wells to extract natural heat often associated with volcanoes or fault lines. In most cases it is drawn using water and steam – as it is in Costa Rica and in Mexico. The geothermal fluids are pumped up from the deep wells to generate electricity. Continue reading...

Who wants a selfie with a giant python? People’s eagerness to snap themselves with wild creatures is thoughtless, and often proves deadly for the animalI knew what to expect before I even clicked on it. I knew that “Python caught in Malaysia could be the longest ever recorded” would take me to a picture of a snake being held by a long queue of men, each straining to bear its weight. I knew to expect that photo because we love measuring animals in this way (see: snakes, oarfish, sturgeon); as if straining men is an international unit of measurement for long creatures. And so it was with the snake. In old money, the record-breaking serpent made famous this week was 15 men long. (That’s 8m long, and 250kg for the purists.)It was a reticulated python – a beautiful charismatic snake that was apparently making its way over a flyover being built on the tourist haven of Penang. It was immediately caught and brought down to the ground by emergency services who then posed for some photos and TV cameras. The most predictable bit, of course, is what happened next. It died. Something went wrong with its ability to be alive, somehow, and … the snake died mysteriously. There is a report that it was kicked and quite brutally handled, but that wasn’t what killed it. I believe that the endless posing for photos will have contributed to its death. What killed it was us. Welcome to a new age of animal cruelty: an age of death by camera phone. Continue reading...

Scientists ‘incredulous’ at abnormally high numbers for April, with melting across nearly 12% of ice sheet, reports Climate HomePolar researchers thought their models were broken when they first saw the results.

Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, M&S, Morrisons and Co-op join major seafood brands and WWF in campaign to stop Indian Ocean fish stocks collapsingMajor European seafood brands and the UK’s largest supermarkets – including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons and the Co-op – are backing a call to cut yellowfin tuna catches in the Indian Ocean to stop stocks collapsing.The companies, along with WWF, are urging the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to reduce catches by 20% and introduce harvest control rules to ensure the sustainability of all Indian Ocean tuna stocks, including skipjack. Continue reading...