Countries must curb production now and tackle plastic's full life cycle, says Norwegian minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim ahead of key UN talks this weekThe world will be unable to cope" with the sheer volume of plastic waste a decade from now unless countries agree to curbs on production, the co-chair of a coalition of key countries has warned ahead of crunch talks on curbing global plastic pollution.Speaking before the final, critical round of UN talks on the first global treaty to end plastic waste, in Busan, South Korea, this week, Norway's minister for international development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, acknowledged the split that had developed between plastic-producing countries and others. She represents more than 60 high ambition" nations, led by Rwanda and Norway, who want plastic pollution tackled over its full life cycle. Crucially, this means clamping down heavily on production. Continue reading...

Despite its imperfections the process of tackling the climate crisis will not be derailed, even in the face of US backtrackingIt was never an indication of great things to come when the chief executive of Cop29, Elnur Soltanov, was filmed attempting to broker gas and oil deals for Azerbaijan in the slipstream of the past fortnight's UN climate summit in Baku.More than 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists have been operating in and around Cop29, outnumbering delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable countries combined. Many, including Greta Thunberg, now argue that the UN climate process has been entirely hijacked by corporate interests, reduced to a global stage for greenwash.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

The deal was met with long applause, cheering, whistling and embraces but few are happy with itMarching in silence with their arms crossed high, activists from around the world protested the draft deal at the Cop29 venue last night.Pay up or shut up!" the campaign group Demand Climate Justice said in a post on social media. Continue reading...

Deep divisions remain after high-stakes talks end with agreement to help developing world shift to low-carbon economyRich and poor countries concluded a trillion-dollar deal on the climate crisis in the early hours of Sunday morning, after marathon talks and days of bitter recriminations ended in what campaigners said was a betrayal".The developing world will receive at least $1.3tn (1tn) a year in funds to help them shift to a low-carbon economy and cope with the impacts of extreme weather, by 2035. Continue reading...

Rich countries resist increasing their contributions to poor countries that are bearing the brunt of global heatingTalks on a new trillion-dollar global deal to tackle the climate crisis dragged on late into Saturday night, as rich and poor countries fought over how much cash was needed, and who should pay.Rich countries want to offer only about $300bn out of the $1.3tn a year needed from their own coffers, with the rest to come from other sources including potential new taxes and private investors. Continue reading...

Forever chemicals' pose health threat to developing children and linked with preterm birth, shorter lactationHigher usage of personal care products among pregnant or nursing women leads to higher levels of toxic PFAS forever chemicals" in their blood and breast milk, new research shows, presenting a serious health threat to developing children.The new study helps connect the dots among previous papers that have found concerning levels of PFAS in personal care products, umbilical cord blood, breast milk and shown health risks for developing children. Continue reading...

Exclusive: News of changes to usually non-editable document risks placing climate summit in jeopardy'A Saudi Arabian delegate has been accused of directly making changes to an official Cop29 negotiating text, it can be revealed.Cop presidencies usually circulate negotiating texts as non-editable PDF documents to all countries simultaneously, and they are then discussed. Giving one party editing access risks placing this entire Cop in jeopardy", one expert said. Continue reading...

Targeted research must be launched urgently to save sea creatures and plant life, oceanography centre warnsBritain is facing a future of increasingly catastrophic marine heatwaves that could destroy shellfish colonies and fisheries and have devastating impacts on communities around the coast of the UK.That is the stark conclusion of a new report by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), based in Southampton, which is pressing for the launch of a targeted research programme as a matter of urgency to investigate how sudden temperature rises in coastal seawater could affect marine habitats and seafood production in the UK. Continue reading...

Among sweeping rightwing electoral victories across the globe, the big loser of the elections has been climate'An unprecedented year of elections around the world has underscored a sobering trend - in many countries the commitment to act on the climate crisis has either stalled or is eroding, even as disasters and record temperatures continue to mount.So far 2024, called the biggest election year in human history" by the United Nations with around half the world's population heading to the polls, there have been major wins for Donald Trump, the US president-elect who calls the climate crisis a big hoax"; the climate-skeptic right in European Union elections; and Vladimir Putin, who won another term and has endured sanctions to maintain Russia's robust oil and gas exports. Continue reading...

Fourth consecutive year that seals have bred at Orford Ness, where more than 130 pups were born last seasonThe first grey seal pup of the season has been born at a remote shingle spit that was once a cold war weapons-testing site.The birth at Orford Ness on the Suffolk coast marks the fourth consecutive year of seals breeding there, which began in 2021 after a reduction in visitor access because of the Covid pandemic. Continue reading...

EU and nations including the UK, US and Australia indicate they will make the increase in exchange for changes to a draft text, sources sayMajor rich countries at UN climate talks in Azerbaijan have agreed to lift a global financial offer to help developing nations tackle the climate crisis to $300bn a year, as ministers met through the night in a bid to salvage a deal.The Guardian understands the Azeri hosts brokered a lengthy closed-door meeting with a small group of ministers and delegation heads, including China, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the UK, US and Australia, on key areas of dispute on climate finance and the transition away from fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Conservationists failed to capture elusive insects this summer, so Kristina Kenda offered to step inWhen British conservationists flew to Slovenia this summer hoping to catch enough singing cicadas to reintroduce the species to the New Forest, the grasshopper-sized insects proved impossible to locate, flying elusively at great height between trees.Now a 12-year-old girl has offered to save the Species Recovery Trust's reintroduction project. Kristina Kenda, the daughter of the Airbnb hosts who accommodated the trust's director, Dom Price, and conservation officer Holly Stanworth in the summer summer, will put out special nets to hopefully catch enough cicadas to re-establish a British population. Continue reading...

Talk grows of a walkout from poor countries in response to unacceptable' and insulting' finance proposalDeveloping countries were being urged by civil society groups to reject a bad deal" at the UN climate talks on Friday night, after rich nations refused to increase an insulting" offer of finance to help them tackle the climate crisis.The stage is set for a bitter row on Saturday over how much money poor countries should receive from the governments of the rich world, which have offered $250bn a year by 2035 to help the poor shift to a low-carbon economy and adapt to the impacts of extreme weather. Continue reading...

Residents concerned as North Carolina city lifts boil advisory and scientists detect lead in water at area schoolsWhen the western North Carolina town Swannanoa was battered by Hurricane Helene in September, two large trees crushed Stephen Knight's home. His family of six was launched into a complicated web of survival: finding a temporary home, applying for disaster relief, filing insurance claims.The new logistics of living included the daily search for food and water. Until earlier this week, most residents of this town east of Asheville had no drinkable tap water for 52 days. After the storm damaged infrastructure around the region, water had been partly restored in mid-October. It was good for flushing toilets but not safe for consumption. In some places, sediment left the water inky like black tea. Continue reading...

Chancellor understood to be determined to keep policy despite Treasury analysing ways to soften impactRachel Reeves is holding firm against a U-turn on inheritance tax for farmers, despite the Treasury analysing ways of softening the impact.The chancellor is understood to be determined not to drop the policy even though some Labour MPs - and even ministers - are worrying about the political fallout that has led to farmers protesting in Westminster this week. Continue reading...

Text decides' on $250bn for developing countries by 2035 - but faces criticism from African Group of NegotiatorsA new text of the Cop29 deal has yet to emerge, but civil society activists have not given up hope, reports Damian Carrington, Guardian environment editor.Hilda Nakabuye, 27, from Fridays for Future campaign group in Uganda, said:We are holding on to hope. As a mother I am here to represent my people, my community, but also future generations that we hold close and dear to our hearts and why we are all in this fight. The ones least responsible for climate change undergo its worst effects.We know what power we hold: the power to act. We are in an emergency. This COP is all about the money, but communities on the ground are not seeing the money. When the climate hits we need to respond like any other emergency, because it is an emergency. We all know deep down there is more than enough money to fill the loss and damage fund with trillions, so why are we still pleading for the bare minimum? Continue reading...

Cop29 is taking place in a country whose economy has long been dependent on its oil reservesOil runs deep in Azerbaijan, the host country of this year's UN climate summit. Just 30 minutes south-west of the Cop29 conference centre lies the site of the world's first industrially drilled oil well, opened in 1846.Just metres away sit a handful of operating oil wells, nodding away. The Guardian spoke to an employee of Azerbaijan's state-owned oil and gas company, Socar, who was working on one of the wells. Asked what oil meant for Azerbaijan, the 47-year-old worker said: Too much!" Continue reading...

Levels in people's blood for 37 chemicals linked to health issues declined after they were designated under Prop 65California's nation-leading restrictions on toxic chemicals in consumer products reduced the population's body levels for many dangerous compounds linked to cancer, birth defects, reproductive harm and other serious health issues.New peer-reviewed research showed levels in residents' blood for 37 chemicals the authors analyzed had declined after the substances were designated under Proposition 65, which regulates toxic chemicals in consumer goods. Continue reading...

Labour inherited a dire situation that needed desperate change - but powerful lobbies make any tax reform near-impossibleThat was a state-of-the-nation image, those thousands of farmers in Whitehall protesting about inheritance tax (IHT). Their little inheritors on toy tractors could hardly have offered a better portrait of a Britain where even modest reforms of wildly irrational tax reliefs are near-impossible. The country loves Old MacDonald and detests IHT.This is a symbol of the great malaise those same contrary voters feel about the profound unfairness in this most unequal of countries. Few think it's OK for the top 1% to own almost a quarter of all wealth, or the top 0.1% to take about 60 times more income than their population share, while we are living through the greatest decline in living standards since records began.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

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

Petrostate's rebuke comes as Saudi Arabia and allies try to derail transition promise made at climate talks last year

This blog is now closedHeatwave conditions are building over parts of Victoria and New South Wales today.According to the Bureau of Meteorology, much of Victoria will experience heatwave conditions, with maximum temperatures in the mid to high 30s. Continue reading...

Who better to ask than corvids

The return of Trump demands extreme watchfulness. But effective vigilance also requires energy and strength, mental and emotional recharge and balanceA long walk in the mountains last weekend brought sudden perspective to just how heavily the shoutiness and anger was weighing.Suddenly there was only birdsong, the rustling tree canopies, the gentle burbling of the Snowy River and the wind whispering through the trunks of ancient ghost gums. This was anything but a quiet quietness. But it was the sound of a serenity that only nature can gift - a noise of extreme unplugged-ness if you like. Continue reading...

Rich country budgets are stretched amid inflation, Covid and Ukraine war, Mary Robinson tells Cop29Poor countries may have to compromise on demands for cash to tackle global heating, a former UN climate envoy has said, as UN talks entered their final hours in deadlock.In comments that are likely to disappoint poorer countries at the Cop29 summit, Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and twice a UN climate envoy, said rich country budgets were stretched amid inflation, Covid and conflicts including Russia's war in Ukraine. Continue reading...

Climate crisis, habitat loss and poaching have reduced its numbers - but will Trump put the kibosh on protections?They are the tallest animal to roam the Earth and have become an icon of children's books, toys and awed wildlife documentaries. But giraffes are in decline, which has prompted the US government to list them as endangered for the first time.Giraffes will be listed under the US Endangered Species Act, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed in a move that will cover five subspecies of the animal. The agency hopes the listing will crack down on the poaching of giraffes, as the US is a leading destination of rugs, pillowcases, boots, furniture and even Bible covers made from giraffe body parts. Continue reading...

This live blog is closedBritish prime minister Keir Starmer says he is deeply saddened" to hear that Prescott has died, and called him a true giant of Labour".In a statement on X, he said, I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of John Prescott. John was a true giant of the Labour movement. On behalf of the Labour Party, I send my condolences to Pauline and his family, to the city of Hull, and to all those who knew and loved him. May he rest in peace."He possessed an inherent ability to connect with people about the issues that mattered to them - a talent that others spend years studying and cultivating, but that was second nature to him.He fought like hell to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol and was an unwavering champion of climate action for decades to come. I'm forever grateful to John for that commitment to solving the climate crisis and will miss him as a dear friend." Continue reading...

Former climate minister for Canada reacts after Saudi delegation said it will not accept any text that targets any specific sectors, including fossil fuels'My colleague Patrick Greenfield is following the plenary where countries give their formal response to the draft text.Cop29 president Mukhtar Babayev gets the plenary started. He asks countries to give their thoughts on the latest iterations of text to inform future versions. He says that with collective effort, he believes that the summit can be finished by 6pm tomorrow. Continue reading...

Adani rejects allegations that press releases and social media posts implied members of the group were not legitimate' Aboriginal people with a connection to sacred site

Consulting giant had said it engages with clients to help them transition to cleaner energy even as it knew they were in line to exceed climate targets

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, has hit out at the lack of Conservative support for climate targets and said it shows 'just how far the party has fallen'. 'It's a shame,' he said. 'When Cop was in Scotland, there was a real unity across the house about the importance of tackling one of the most central issues of our time,' Starmer said in Commons after returning from the G20 and Cop29

Local and state initiatives can act as proof of concept' for transformative climate and jobs legislationAs Trump and Trumpism devastate the American political landscape, how can people counter this destructive juggernaut? For the past five years, I have been studying how people are actually implementing the elements of the Green New Deal through what has become a Green New Deal from Below. This framework, which ordinary people are already putting into practice, is an approach to organizing that can form a significant means for resisting and even overcoming the Trump agenda.The Green New Deal is a visionary program designed to protect the Earth's climate while creating good jobs, reducing injustice and eliminating poverty. The Green New Deal erupted into public attention as a proposal for national legislation, and the struggle to embody it in national legislation is ongoing.Jeremy Brecher is the author of the new book The Green New Deal from Below: How Ordinary People Are Building a Just and Climate-Safe Economy. He is the author of more than a dozen books on labor and social movements and the co-founder and senior advisor of the Labor Network for Sustainability Continue reading...

Four-day exclusion zone an improper use of Marine Safety Act, judge rules, despite skilful' submission from transport minister Jo Haylen

Exclusive: Trail would help region with few areas where people can walk in countryside, report saysA new trail along the east coast of England should be created, a Tory thinktank has said, because farmland is preventing those who live there from having access to nature.A report from Onward has found that in most rural areas, people enjoy extensive rights-of-way networks. But across the east of England, there are many areas where people have barely anywhere they are allowed to walk in the countryside. This, the report says, is because of large areas of high-grade farmland in that area, but also because Lincolnshire has the largest backlog for recognition of historical but unrecorded rights of way, with more than 450 outstanding applications. Continue reading...

Powerful storm is predicted to be strongest region has seen this season, causing life-threatening' conditionsA set of powerful storms that could rank among the strongest in decades will slam British Columbia, the pacific north-west, and northern California this week, with torrents of rain, inches of snow in high altitudes and damaging winds. The region is bracing for widespread power outages and flash flooding, with extreme rainfall that could linger until the weekend.After a relatively mild autumn, these rains are part of a familiar pattern caused by atmospheric rivers - strong storm systems that can bring both relief and ruin. Continue reading...

Powerful storm is predicted to be strongest region has seen this season, causing life-threatening' conditionsA set of powerful storms that could rank among the strongest in decades will slam British Columbia, thepacific north-west, and northern California this week, with torrents of rain, inches of snow in high altitudes and damaging winds. The region is bracing for widespread power outages and flash flooding, with extreme rainfall that could linger until the weekend.After a relatively mild autumn, these rains are part of a familiar pattern caused by atmospheric rivers - strong storm systems that can bring both relief and ruin. Continue reading...

As Cop29 in Azerbaijan reaches final stages, countries try to shore up support for conference where question of limiting global heating will be keyAustralia is locked in a standoff with Turkey over which will host vital UN climate talks in 2026, where the question of whether the world can limit global heating in line with scientific advice is likely to be decided.Australia's government wants to host the summit in partnership with Pacific nations, which are among the countries most threatened by climate breakdown. Continue reading...

Ukraine's environmental protection minister, Svitlana Grynchuk, and the Palestinian chair for the environmental quality authority, Nisreen Tamimi, raised the alarm on the ecological impact of war in their countries and beyond. Grynchuk said Russia's 'unlawful reporting' of its carbon emissions on Ukrainian territory was undermining the integrity of the Paris agreement. Tamimi said the rebuilding effort in Gaza would release an estimated 30m tonnes of carbon dioxide

Communities on Parana River fear privatisation of waterway operations will destroy way of lifeRiver communities in Argentina fear that Javier Milei's plans to privatise operations on a key shipping route could lead to environmental damage and destroy their way of life.Since taking office almost a year ago, the self-styled anarcho-capitalist" president has pledged to privatise a number of the state's assets. The latest is the Paraguay-Parana waterway - a shipping route of strategic importance for Argentina and its neighbours. Continue reading...

Talks aren't just about figures on paper, they're about people's lives', says Climate Action International as talks reach critical final daysEarlier today I posted about an excellent piece colleagues at the Guardian have published tracking how Earth's heating has led to rising sea levels and extreme weather - and yet there is no sign of emissions slowing.Unfortunately I did not include a link to the piece [it was early UK time!] so here it is [and as I said original if negotiators at Cop need any motivation to reach a deal they could do worse than read this] Continue reading...

OECD complaint alleges top firm has increased investments in companies implicated in environmental devastationBlackRock, the world's biggest asset management company, faces a complaint at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for allegedly contributing to environmental and human rights abuses around the world through its investments in agribusiness.Friends of the Earth US and the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil accuse BlackRock of increasing investments in companies that have been implicated in the devastation of the Amazon and other major forests despite warnings that this is destabilising the global climate, damaging ecosystems and violating the rights of traditional communities. Continue reading...

Chris Uhlmann says power costs are soaring while renewables are falling short, but do the pair have anything in common?

Interviews and analysis of court documents show how the world's most prestigious consulting firm quietly helps fuel the climate crisisTwo giant, mirrored walls are set to rise out of the sands of the Arabian desert. They will run parallel for more than 100 miles from the coast of the Red Sea through arid valleys and craggy mountains. Between them, a futuristic city which has no need for cars or roads will be powered completely by renewable energy.This engineering marvel, its creators say, will usher in a revolution in civilization". It's the jewel in the crown of a $500bn Saudi government project known as Neom, turning a vast scrubland into a techno-utopia and world-class tourist and sporting destination. Perhaps a harbinger for the end of oil, it will supposedly put the powerful petrostate at the forefront of the energy transition. For American consulting giant McKinsey & Company, its advising on this project appears to be making good on the firm's green promises. Continue reading...

Save Our Safer Streets crowdfunds to challenge Lutfur Rahman over scrapping three LTNs in London boroughThe mayor of Tower Hamlets is facing a judicial review this week over his decision to remove three low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the east London area of Bethnal Green.The campaign group Save Our Safer Streets (SOSS) says the LTNs are vital to protect children in deprived areas from pollution and the risks of heavy traffic. Continue reading...

Researchers found no difference in the diversity of species in urban meadows compared with those in rural settingsSmall patches of wildflowers sown in cities can be a good substitute for a natural meadow, according to a study which showed butterflies, bees and hoverflies like them just as much.Councils are increasingly making space for wildflower meadows in cities in a bid to tackle insect decline, but their role in helping pollinating insects was unclear. Researchers working in the Polish city of Warsaw wanted to find out if these efforts were producing good results. Continue reading...

Jacinta Allan says project will be able to power more than 51,000 homes and include 119MW solar facility and 100MW two-hour battery

Targeting of substations connected to three working nuclear plants risks nuclear catastrophe in Europe, says Greenpeace

Strongest atmospheric river seen by California, Washington and Oregon this season knocks out power and downs trees

From my perspective as a 12-year-old, it's devastating that the protest is getting such a negative reaction from the NSW government

Australia and Turkey are both lobbying to host Cop31, the world's annual United Nations climate change negotiations planned for 2026. The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, said Australia wants to co-host Cop31 'in partnership with our Pacific family'. Bowen also announced a $50m contribution to loss and damage caused by the climate crisis.