Environment | The Guardian

Exclusive: With Brazil's politicians, agribusiness organisations and global traders piling on the pressure, the highly successful 2006 Soy Moratorium is under threatOne of the cornerstones of Amazon rainforest protection - the Soy Moratorium - is under unprecedented pressure from Brazilian agribusiness organisations, politicians, and global trading companies, the Guardian has learned.Soy is one of the most widely grown crops in Brazil, and posed a huge deforestation threat to the Amazon rainforest until stakeholders voluntarily agreed to impose a moratorium and no longer source it from the region in 2006. Continue reading...

The sprawling Florida mansion sits in one of the most vulnerable places in the US to climate-driven disastersA sprawling Florida mansion set beside a powdery white sand beach overlooking the azure Gulf of Mexico is currently the most expensive property listed for sale in the United States, yours for a mere $295m.It is also in one of the most vulnerable places in the country to climate-driven disasters, and faces an almost inevitable flooding event in the coming years. Continue reading...

The Baku Cop29 talks were marked by division and self-interest, with rancorous meddling right until the end

Survey finds 25 percentage point gender gap across all age brackets on whether nuclear power would be positive for the country, with majority of men saying it would

As ICJ hears landmark climate case, Grenada's PM says vulnerable nations expect a long, hard fight for aidIt's a macabre picture: tombs, headstones and wreaths, lovingly selected by family members, floating into the oblivion of the ocean, and with them the remains of loved ones uprooted from their final resting place. Some are dragged back to land, washed up on beaches on the Grenadian island of Carriacou, transforming the beautiful Caribbean shoreline into a chaotic graveyard.This disturbing reality, says Grenada's prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, is a poignant example of the gravity of the climate crisis and its impact on his country. Continue reading...

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Recordings by biologist Heike Vester reveal how oil and gas exploration as well as cruises, fishing boats and even whale-watchers are adding to the din underwaterFrom the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play, the sound of the static of the fjord fills the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes the explosion of seismic airguns - extremely loud blasts used in oil and gas exploration that can travel vast distances underwater.And finally, dancing above it all - and at times drowned out by it - are the soaring vocalisations of whales.Heike Vester at home in Bodo, Norway. Her love of whales comes partly from her interest in matrilineal societies. Photograph: Marthe Molstre/The Guardian Continue reading...

Fossil fuel giant's lawyer says the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility is ignoring years of work by Santos

Vanuatu leads the charge of several nations arguing developed nations have a legal responsibility beyond UN commitments

At least one of the marine mammals was recently spotted in Washington wearing the multipurpose fishy accessoryResearchers suspect that orcas may be reviving a peculiar fashion statement of sorts not seen since the 1980s.Scientists in Washington state have observed at least one orca balancing salmon on its head, a trend known as the dead salmon hat". They spotted the stylish killer whale this autumn in Puget Sound. Continue reading...

New GCSE was announced under previous government in 2022 but now sitting in limbo', says Mary Colwell, one of its architectsThe natural history GCSE has been shelved because it is seen as a Conservative party initiative", one of the architects of the proposed new qualification has said.The conservationist and campaigner Mary Colwell told the Guardian she was hugely frustrated" with the halt to the proposed new GCSE, which had been announced in 2022 and was supposed to be taught in schools by 2025. Continue reading...

Paul Watson, an early Greenpeace member, says his imprisonment in Greenland is a political case'The anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will learn within 14 days whether he will be extradited to Japan, a court has been told, as his four-month imprisonment in Greenland was extended.At a hearing in Nuuk, the capital of the autonomous territory of Denmark, the judge Lars-Christian Sinkbaek said that Watson, who turned 74 on Monday, would continue to be detained in a high security prison pending a decision from the Danish government. Watson's legal team immediately submitted an appeal to Greenland's high court. Continue reading...

Readers led to believe a short-on-facts advertorial exhorting government to let companies extract more gas is straight news coverage

Organisation asked supporters if they want to feel different on our election night' in an ad with half of Trump's face and half of Dutton's

The word probably' will haunt this fish for the rest of its days - a deflating description for a cute, toxic creaturePufferfish are cute, and most pufferfish are toxic. Like people, they spend their weeks moving between states of puffed up and deflated. Or, really, three states: normal, puffed up and then the hangover after the puffing up. Ironically, the pufferfish toxin, called tetrodotoxin, is deadly because it stops a person's diaphragm from moving - in other words, it stops you from being able to puff yourself up. And you could see that as a lesson for wanting to eat them in the first place.You're wondering what is inside a blown-up pufferfish, how they inflate. Firstly: it is not air, or else they would pop up and out of the water like a balloon in a swimming pool. Also, air is hard to come by down there. They turn themselves into absurd-looking spherical objects by sucking water - something called, grossly, buccal pumping" - into their extremely elastic stomachs. They don't have ribs, which helps. This gives predators a fright - but perhaps more to the point, large spheres are hard to swallow. Continue reading...

Researchers at ANU found no real difference between the climate opinions of regional and urban Australians. Remember that as we head into the next federal election, with renewable energy on the frontline

Small Socialist Left party threatens to block budget if government becomes first to issue licences for deep-sea explorationThe Norwegian government has paused its plans to mine the deep sea in the Arctic, after pressure from a small leftwing party.The agreement was reached after the Socialist Left (SV) party said it would not support the government's budget unless it halted the first round of licences for deep-sea mining exploration, planned for the first half of 2025. Continue reading...

With Biden soon to leave the White House, Republicans start an assault on the Environmental Protection AgencyDonald Trump's allies have fired the opening salvoes of his coming administration's attack on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the federal agency that enforces and regulates laws on air, soil, and water quality among other crucial environmental and health issues.In a letter from Republican House leadership to the EPA administrator Michael Regan, Republicans trained their sites on the agency's scientific integrity policies that are designed to insulate scientists and research from political interference. Continue reading...

Vanuatu envoy makes claim as landmark hearing gets under way at international court of justice in The HagueA handful of countries should be held legally responsible for the ongoing impacts of climate change, representatives of vulnerable nations have told judges at the international court of justice (ICJ).During a landmark hearing at the Peace Palace in The Hague, which began on Monday, Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu's special envoy for climate change and environment, said responsibility for the climate crisis lay squarely with a handful of readily identifiable states" that had produced the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions but stood to lose the least from the impacts. Continue reading...

Group of 85 countries and blocs press for ambition in plastic waste treaty after no agreement was reached in BusanBinding global targets to cut plastic production must be at the centre of any continuing negotiations to secure the world's first treaty to tackle plastic waste, a group of 85 countries has said.Talks in Busan, South Korea, attempting to secure agreement between more than 200 countries on the details of a plastic pollution treaty ended in failure over the weekend. Continue reading...

Move to exclude fossil fuel firms from investment portfolios follows years of campaigning by staff and studentsMore than three-quarters of UK universities have pledged to exclude fossil fuel companies from their investment portfolios, according to campaigners.The move, which is part of a wider drive to limit investment in fossil fuels, follows years of campaigning by staff and students across the higher education sector. Continue reading...

Bringing back the long-vanished bird to the UK was hailed as a conservation triumph. Then farmers started finding the corpses of their prized livestock

Direct flights from the US to Nuuk expected to double next year but there are concerns about the expected influxThe capital's new airport has been opened, two more are in the making, and expectations are high: the Americans are coming to Greenland.On Thursday, the first ever international flight into Nuuk, the most populous settlement on the autonomous Danish territory, landed to cheers on the ground and in the cabin of Air Greenland flight GL781 where passengers were served miniature bottles of Nicolas Feuillatte champagne. Continue reading...

Leading the charge towards clean energy would bring some much-needed positive momentum to international climate policyWhen Australia announces its 2035 emissions target to the world, there will be a unique opportunity to promote Australia's ambition to help other countries decarbonise through exports of renewable energy-based commodities, while coal and gas exports will fall.Coal and gas exports from Australia are equivalent to well over a billion tonnes of CO2 when burned in other countries. That is around 3% of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions - far more than Australia's greenhouse gas emissions at home that the national emissions target applies to. Continue reading...

Dave Lewis says the near-constant stream of clean electricity could supply the grid as early as 2030In the south-west of Morocco, a sprawl of wind and solar farms stretching across an area the size of Greater London could soon generate the green electricity powering more than 9m British homes.This is the unflinching vision of Sir Dave Lewis, the former Tesco boss who is hoping to build the world's longest subsea power cable in order to harness north Africa's renewable energy sources and power Britain's clean energy agenda. Continue reading...

As neighbors face an uncertain political future, the city's only Afghan restaurant provides a sense of community - and a bit of happiness'An aromatic blend of spices and bolani, stuffed pan-fried bread, and the voice of Asad Badie, an Afghan pop singer who rose to stardom in the 1980s, foreshadowed a meal experience that one could easily believe was taking place thousands of miles away.In reality, it was almost 1pm in Tucson, Arizona, when Ritiek Rafi and Ahmad Bahaduri started to greet and take orders from customers in Dari and English inside the only Afghan restaurant in the city. Continue reading...

Worcestershire town has been flooded seven times in past four years and shop owners can no longer afford insuranceIn the aftermath of its latest flood, the town centre of Tenbury Wells was a scene of chaos. The main street was caked with a layer of mud, shop windows were smashed and piles of sodden furniture and wares, all ruined, were heaped in the street.On Monday when we came in we wanted to leave, lock the doors and just disappear," said Richard Sharman, the owner of Garlands Flowers. We've lost about 6,000 and we won't get a penny back. Six weeks ago we lost about 4,000 in a flood." Continue reading...

Chair of talks in Busan says progress has been made but a few critical issues' are unresolvedNegotiators have failed to reach agreement on a landmark treaty to curb plastic pollution, the diplomat chairing the talks has said.Nearly 200 nations are taking part in a meeting in Busan, South Korea, which is intended to result in a landmark agreement after two years of discussions. A week of talks has failed to resolve deep divisions between high-ambition" countries seeking a globally binding agreement to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals, and like-minded" nations who want to focus on waste. Continue reading...

Environmentalists say marine park waste regulations need updating to limit grey water and exhaust chemicals as passenger cruise numbers rise

Table to seat 60 being built by local artists and craftspeople in woodland on edge of DartmoorA community in Devon has raised 22,555 to turn a 500-year-old oak tree into what they believe will be the longest table ever crafted from a single English oak tree.The 18 metre-long (59ft) Great Oak Table, capable of seating 60 people, was being built in a small patch of private woodland near Chagford, on the edge of Dartmoor. Continue reading...

Legal petition filed by 170 groups pushes environmental agency to tackle pressing health threat of pollutionA new legal petition filed by more than 170 top environmental groups demands that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begin monitoring for microplastics in drinking water, an essential first step to reining in pollution viewed as one of the nation's most pressing public health threats.The scale of microplastic water pollution, the extent to which the substance is lodged throughout human bodies, and the many health implications have come into sharp focus in recent years, but the EPA still has not taken meaningful action, public health advocates say. Continue reading...

Policymakers must act as extreme weather events put more pressure on food inflation and production worldwideYour morning - and afternoon - coffee is the latest staple threatened by climate chaos: the price of quality arabica beans shot to its highest level in almost 50 years last week amid fears of a poor harvest in Brazil.It follows warnings that orange crops have been wiped out by the catastrophic floods in Valencia, Spain; and the soaring cost of olive oil in recent years, as the southern Mediterranean has sweltered. Continue reading...

Entire slate of councilors in Milton defeated after grassroots revolt to proposal for facility close to treasured riverA citizens' revolt in a small Florida city ousted an entire slate of councilors who were pushing for a new sewage plant to be built close to one of the state's most pristine and treasured rivers.The Save Blackwater River campaign, in partnership with a citizen action group, toppled all four Milton politicians running for re-election last month in a remarkable victory for grassroots activism. Continue reading...

Report calls for course correction to avoid land abuse compromising Earth's capacity to support human and environmental wellbeing'Land degradation is expanding worldwide at the rate of 1m sq km every year, undermining efforts to stabilise the climate, protect nature and ensure sustainable food supplies, a study has highlighted.The degraded area is already 15m sq km, an area greater than Antarctica, the scientific report says, and it calls for an urgent course correction to avoid land abuse irretrievably compromising Earth's capacity to support human and environmental wellbeing". Continue reading...

Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson talks about his arrest on behalf of the Japanese government, his interesting' Greenland prison, and separation from his childrenThe humpback whales watched by Paul Watson from his prison cell this summer have long since migrated from the iceberg-flecked Nuup Kangerlua fjord to warmer seas. It is over four months since Watson - an eco-terrorist to some and a brave environmentalist to others - was brought here to Anstalten, a high-security jail perched on the frozen coast of south-east Greenland after being arrested while refuelling his ship, MV John Paul DeJoria, in nearby Nuuk, the capital of the autonomous Danish territory.He had been on his way with a 32-strong crew to practise his decades-long policy of non-violent aggression" by intercepting a new Japanese whaling mothership", the 7.5bn ($47.4m) Kangei Maru. But shortly after tying up his vessel in the harbour a nice police car turned up" and 12 armed officers boarded. Continue reading...

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds says there is no route to net zero' that ignores concerns of businesses after wave of closures Jonathan Reynolds: If we delay the UK's drive for electric vehicles, our rivals will overtake usThere is no route to net zero" that ignores the real concerns of businesses, a cabinet minister has warned, as the government prepares to reduce financial penalties handed to carmakers not selling enough electric cars.Ministers are also looking at how cheaper loans could be introduced to help people buy an electric vehicle (EV), after a wave of job losses and closures in which carmakers blamed the onerous fines they were facing. Continue reading...

Nature is going to solve the problem by eliminating the modern humanIn response to Ashish Ghadiali's story last week (Yes, there is a lot of greenwashing, but Cop summits are our best chance of averting climate breakdown", Comment, last week), nearly 70 years ago Gilbert Plass coined the term climate change" in a paper in the journal Tellus.Most of that 70 years has been spent arguing over the reality of climate change, an argument by vested interests that continues to this day. Meanwhile, global warming has continued to rise due to the burning of fossil fuels. Now, polar ice caps and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, causing sea level rises and threatening the survival of over half the world's population living on islands and in coastal zones near sea level. Continue reading...

PM overruled negotiations between environment minister and the Greens after speaking with WA premier last week

Woman weaves through traffic at 80km/h before fleeing from snake in car barefoot and attempting to flag down passing motorists

Findings highlight how built environment in low-income neighborhoods presents multiple PFAS exposure routesNew research aimed at identifying which US neighborhoods face increased exposure to toxic PFAS forever chemicals" found those living near superfund" sites and other major industrial polluters, or in areas with limited access to fresh food, generally have higher levels of the dangerous compounds in their blood.The study looked at hundreds of people living in southern California and found those who do not live within a half mile of a grocery store have 14% higher levels of PFOA and PFOS - two common PFAS compounds - in their blood than those who do. Continue reading...

Items such as coffee cups and bin liners are wrongly labelled compostable', leading to calls for governments to impose standards

Some in the US are reconsidering children, with fears over reproductive healthcare and the climate crisis front of mindChris Peterson wasn't surprised that Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. But he was surprised by how quickly he and his wife started asking one another: should we try to have another baby before a possible nationwide abortion ban takes effect? Or should we give up on having a second child?Peterson and his wife, who live in North Carolina, are thousands of dollars in debt because their first child needed to spend weeks in the hospital after being born prematurely. They had wanted to pay off that debt and wait a few years before having a second baby. But now, reproductive rights are again in the balance - Trump has said he would veto a nationwide abortion ban, but his allies are emboldened to push through more restrictions. Continue reading...

Government puts forward 1.98bn in funding over three years, an increase of about 40% on last pledgeThe UK has increased its contribution to the World Bank, in a move that will boost prospects for climate finance.Next week, at a meeting in Seoul of the International Development Association (IDA) - the body that funds the World Bank's support for low-income countries - the UK will put forward 1.98bn in funding over three years, an increase of about 40% on the previous pledge. Continue reading...

Campaigners say news that Walleys Quarry in Silverdale has been told to close has given them huge relief, just elation'A landfill site in Staffordshire which has plagued residents with noxious fumes for years has been told to permanently shut down, with local campaigners hailing the news as absolutely amazing".The Environment Agency said it had brought the closure of Walleys Quarry forward after exhausting other enforcement options", and said it had to stop accepting new waste from Friday. Continue reading...

Important shift' made in global attempts to address plastic pollution though final treaty text yet to be agreedPressure from an increasingly large bloc of countries has offered hope that a breakthrough at critical international plastic treaty talks could be in sight at last, after two years of deadlock. But some warned that fragile progress could disappear again in the last stages of negotiations over the weekend.For some time, the talks have been split over demands for the treaty to include plans to reduce the amount of plastic that is being produced - a production cap. A draft text for a final deal published on Friday included language for a global target to reduce the amount of plastic made. But it also included another option for no text - meaning no action would be taken to reduce plastic production worldwide. The final text, which may use either of those options, will hopefully be decided this weekend. Continue reading...

Juneau's residents are divided over whether to embrace the economic benefits of millions of visitors, or reclaim their town from an industry that has reshaped it

Ban on new petrol and diesel cars starts in 2030 but government may change rules for some modelsCar manufacturers may be allowed to sell Toyota Prius-style hybrid models in the UK until 2035, as the government looks at ways to loosen electric vehicle sales rules.Earlier this week the government launched a fast-track consultation to determine what types of electric vehicles carmakers can sell after a ban on new petrol and diesel cars, which is due to come into force from 2030. Continue reading...

The Tories' targets glossed over the impact on carmakers and cash-strapped drivers - but the move to net zero won't be cheap or simpleHave cake, will eat. For years it has been the default political response to awkward questions about the climate crisis, with successive governments insisting that going green would create jobs, not destroy them, and that the planet could be saved without stifling growth or demanding uncomfortable sacrifices. Keir Starmer promised only this month not to tell people how to live their lives", suggesting the road to net zero would not be quite as painful as some think. And then, this week, he hit a pothole.The carmaker Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, announced it was closing its van factory in Luton, putting 1,100 jobs at risk; its rival Ford is axing 800 jobs. In Sunderland, Nissan has warned of an industry at crisis point".Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

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

It is one of the world's most dangerous materials, and global leaders are meeting in South Korea to thrash out a treaty to curb its effectsThis week, world leaders are gathering in Busan, South Korea, to hammer out a global plastics treaty to try to curb pollution from one of the most dangerous materials on the planet. While such a high-level event might seem far removed from our everyday lives, it is the products we use every day that are at the heart of the negotiations. Some plastics are worse than others and have a unique impact in various parts of the world. Here, we look at five of the worst offenders. Continue reading...