Environment | The Guardian

Campaigners say next government must reduce use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too lateThe UK's insect populations are declining at alarming rates and the next government must put in place plans to monitor and reduce the use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too late, wildlife experts say.In recent years, concerns have been raised over earthworm populations, which have fallen by a third in the past 25 years. A citizen science project that monitors flying insects in the UK, meanwhile, found a 60% decline between 2004 and 2021. The overall trajectory, as government monitoring figures show, has been downwards since the 1970s. Continue reading...

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

Results show increase in symptoms such as wheeziness in presence of high aviation-related ultrafine particlesAs the public hearings for London Gatwick airport's northern runway resume, researchers from the Netherlands have found greater inhaler use in children living near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.Stand close to a large airport and, if the wind is in the wrong direction, each cubic centimetre of air that you breathe will contain tens of thousands of ultrafine particles (UFP). Continue reading...

Makah people, whose right to hunt whales is noted in treaty, granted waiver by US government to kill two or three a yearAfter facing decades of legal and bureaucratic hurdles, the Makah Tribe in Washington has won approval from the US to resume whale hunting for the first time in 25 years.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) Fisheries announced on Wednesday that it would grant the tribe a waiver, allowing the Makah a limited subsistence and ceremonial hunt" under an 1855 treaty. The Makah will be permitted to hunt up to 25 eastern North Pacific gray whales over 10 years. Continue reading...

Fear of being seen as unclean drives overwashing of clothes at expense of environment, Swedish scientists sayHow often should you wash your clothes? Doctors don't really know, but the decision is more cultural than medical, anyway. Worried about leaving the house in sweaty shirts or stained shorts, people often chuck clean clothes in the laundry basket after wearing them just once.But the urge to avoid whiffy garments carries a climate cost that has largely been ignored. New research shows that feelings of disgust and shame encourage excessive clothes washing even among those who care about their carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Researchers made 161 sightings of whales - some of them endangered - south of Martha's Vineyard and NantucketAn unexpected number of whales is visiting the waters off New England, including an unusually high number of an endangered species, said scientists who study the animals.A research flight made 161 sightings of seven different species of whale on 25 May south of Martha's Vineyard and south-east of Nantucket, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Thursday. The sightings included 93 of sei whales, one of the highest concentrations of the rare whale during a single flight, the agency said. Continue reading...

Minister should have assessed climate damage that would be caused by two large developments, advocates say

Conservationists urge Tanya Plibersek to call in Daly River pastoral clearing application for assessment under commonwealth nature laws

Farmed kelp could produce plastic substitutes, beauty products and food supplements. Just steer clear of seaweed chocolate

Porto Alegre's poorest neighborhoods, often closest to rivers and with the worst infrastructure, bore brunt of crisisIt had been raining for nearly a week when the floodwaters first reached Marcelo Moreira Ferreira's home in Porto Alegre, the capital of Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul.His wife and their four children left to seek shelter with relatives, but Ferreira, 51, wanted to stay: his father had built the modest one-story structure and he had lived there his entire life. Continue reading...

Pennsylvania families worry about rising cases of rare cancer with well pads near homes and stalled House billsOne evening in 2019, Janice Blanock was scrolling through Facebook when she heard a stranger mention her son in a video on her feed. Luke, an outgoing high school athlete, had died three years earlier at age 19 from Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer.Blanock had come across a live stream of a community meeting to discuss rare cancers that were occurring with alarming frequency in south-western Pennsylvania, where she lives. Continue reading...

Diving with marine life such as blue sharks is growing in popularity in the UK, spurred by footage of encounters on social mediaWe have only been waiting in the grey Atlantic swell a few moments when the first flash of metallic blue appears in the water. A blue shark, a few miles from the coast of Penzance in Cornwall, emerges from the depths. It is time to get in the water - but part of my brain rebels.It's not what you think it will be like ... not that ingrained fear that everyone has about sharks. But until you get in the water with them, that fear will remain," the guide says to the group. Continue reading...

Members of the public and wildlife organisations spot a whale entangled in two buoys and a rope off the coast of NSW. A rescue team locates the humpback in the water off Fingal Heads with help from a helicopter, before successfully removing the rope that is lodged in its fin Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube Continue reading...

Most comprehensive analysis ever of conflict-driven climate impacts shows emissions greater than those generated by 175 countries in a yearThe climate cost of the first two years of Russia's war on Ukraine was greater than the annual greenhouse gas emissions generated individually by 175 countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency in addition to the mounting death toll and widespread destruction, research reveals.Russia's invasion has generated at least 175m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), amid a surge in emissions from direct warfare, landscape fires, rerouted flights, forced migration and leaks caused by military attacks on fossil fuel infrastructure - as well as the future carbon cost of reconstruction, according to the most comprehensive analysis ever of conflict-driven climate impacts. Continue reading...

Captive breeding in Norway has built up numbers endangered by the climate crisis and golden eagles but only a more diverse population will survive in the long termDeep in the Norwegian mountains, amid a vast expanse of bright snow and howling winds, Toralf Mjoen throws a piece of meat into a fenced enclosure and waits for a pair of dark eyes to appear from the snowy den.These curious and playful arctic foxes know Mjoen well. He has been the caretaker at this breeding facility for 17 years, going up the mountain daily to feed them at their enclosures near the small village of Oppdal, about 250 miles north of Oslo. Continue reading...

As the temperatures keep rising, how would the environment be affected by a second term under Biden or Trump? Plus: sharks, primaries and Jesus

Co-president of the KlimaSeniorinnen says declaration is betrayal of older womenSwiss politicians have rejected a landmark climate ruling from the European court of human rights, raising fears that other polluting countries may follow suit.A panel of Strasbourg judges ruled in April that Switzerland had violated the human rights of older women through weak climate policies that leave them more vulnerable to heatwaves. Activists hailed the judgment as a breakthrough because it leaves all members of the Council of Europe exposed to legal challenges for sluggish efforts to clean up carbon-intensive economies. Continue reading...

PM says opposition leader's refusal to name a short-term emissions reduction target in line with Paris agreement is calculated to reignite climate wars

Stephen Kwikiriza is one of 11 campaigners against EACOP targeted by authorities in past two weeks, rights group saysA man campaigning against the controversial $5bn (4bn) east African crude oil pipeline (EACOP) is recovering in hospital after an alleged beating by the Ugandan armed forces in the latest incident in what has been called an alarming crackdown" on the country's environmentalists.Stephen Kwikiriza, who works for Uganda's Environment Governance Institute (EGI), a non-profit organisation, was abducted in Kampala on 4 June, according to his employer. He was beaten, questioned and then abandoned hundreds of miles from the capital on Sunday evening. Continue reading...

Some studies link the popular soda sweetener to higher cancer risk, but the links are weak and questions remainOn 29 June 2023, the soda industry was bracing for a fresh wave of controversy. A media leak had suggested that a research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), which had been reviewing the artificial sweetener aspartame, was planning to classify the additive as possibly cancer-causing.The sweetener - included in candy, soft drinks such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, and common items such as toothpaste - has long been dogged by questions about potential health risks. And such a determination could disrupt consumers' spending and billions in annual sales. Continue reading...

The vessel, which sank off the coast of Canada in 1962, was used by the explorer on his final voyage to the continentThe wreck of the ship on which renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton died has been found off the coast of Labrador, Canada, searchers have announced.Locating the Quest - a schooner-rigged steamship which sank on a 1962 seal hunting voyage - represents a last link to the heroic age of Antarctic exploration", said search leader John Geiger. Continue reading...

Cocaine traffickers have put two-thirds of Central America's key habitats for threatened birds under threat, study findsCocaine consumption is threatening rare tropical birds as narco-traffickers move into some of the planet's most remote forests to evade drug crackdowns, a study has warned.Two-thirds of key forest habitats for birds in Central America are at risk of being destroyed by narco-driven" deforestation, according to the paper, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Sustainability. Continue reading...

Pennon Group annual report lists dangers to water quality posed by higher temperaturesThe owner of South West Water has warned that global heating will increase the risk of outbreaks of the parasite that caused diarrhoea and vomiting in south Devon.Pennon Group said that gradual and significant increasing average and high temperatures" could pose risks to water quality and water treatment" - including the cryptosporidium parasite - in its annual report, published this week. Continue reading...

State reportedly arrested at least 25 journalists and activists in last year as it prepares for September climate summitAzerbaijan's government has been accused of cracking down on media and civil society activism before the country's hosting of crucial UN climate talks later this year.Human Rights Watch has found at least 25 instances of the arrest or sentencing of journalists and activists in the past year, almost all of whom remain in custody. Continue reading...

Exeter University study has origins in 1950 discovery by ornithologists who chanced upon a spectacle'It is a weird and wonderful sight: millions of migratory insects funnelling through a single narrow pass high in the Pyrenees, looking like a dark flying carpet and emitting a low, deep hum.A team of scientists from a British university that has been studying the phenomenon for the last four years has now concluded that more than 17 million insects fly each year through the 30 metre-wide Puerto de Bujaruelo on the border of France and Spain. Continue reading...

Liv Garfield's pay included a 584,000 bonus despite firm's 2m fine for spilling 260m litres of sewage into River TrentThe boss of Severn Trent Water has been awarded a 3.2m pay deal, including a 584,000 bonus, despite the company being fined 2m for spilling 260m litres of sewage into the River Trent.Liv Garfield, who has been the head of the utility firm for a decade, saw her pay increase by 2.1%, bringing her total take-home pay during her time as Severn boss to more than 28m. Continue reading...

Conservationists criticise disappointing' and dangerous' move to allow harpooning of fin whales after curbs last yearIceland has granted a licence to Europe's last whaling company to kill more than 100 animals this year, despite hopes the practice might have been halted after concerns about cruelty led to a temporary suspension last year.Animal rights groups described the news as deeply disappointing" and dangerous". Continue reading...

Record-breaking temperatures in the last few years shatter the myth that air conditioning alone will keep people safeGloria Gellot, 79, takes a careful seat in a kitchen chair in front of her only air-conditioning unit, massaging her knees. She's hung a sheet in the doorway to keep the cool air in the kitchen, and drawn shades to keep the sun - already blazing in May - out of her second-floor New Orleans apartment. Her home was badly damaged by Hurricane Ida in 2021, and heat radiates from the gutted walls.All the heat's up here," she says. I don't have to go out in the sun. I get a suntan inside." Continue reading...

In the run-up to July's general election, the Guardian video team is touring the UK looking at the issues that matter to voters. After swimmers and rowers fell sick from sewage discharges into the River Thames we went to the seat of Henley and Thame to see how environmental concerns rank for voters in a seat that has been Conservative for more than 100 years Continue reading...

New research reveals levels of ethylene oxide more than 1,000 times above previous measurementsThe air throughout south-east Louisiana's Cancer Alley" is probably being poisoned with a highly carcinogenic gas at levels much higher than previously thought, new research reveals.Using cutting-edge equipment that more accurately checks for the gas, ethylene oxide, which is primarily used in plastic production, researchers found levels more than 1,000 times above previous measurements, and about 10 times higher on average than regulators' modeling. Continue reading...

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Prime minister says there will be regrettable' consequences for global relationships after Liberal leader won't commit to 2030 target

Institutions alleged to have given billions of dollars to oil and gas companies involved in projects that are harming the rainforestsFive of the world's biggest banks are greenwashing" their role in the destruction of the Amazon, according to a report that indicates that their environmental and social guidelines fail to cover more than 70% of the rainforest.The institutions are alleged to have provided billions of dollars of finance to oil and gas companies involved in projects that are impacting the Amazon, destabilising the climate or impinging on the land and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples. Continue reading...

Families in Taranto, Italy, watch their kids play in polluted soil in the shadow of a steelworks, knowing that many people there have lost their lives to cancer. Lisa Sorgini captures their struggle Continue reading...

Open letter signed by naturalist Chris Packham and comedian Paul Whitehouse says pollution from United Utilities treatment plants is degrading lakeThe next government must give Windermere greater protection from sewage pollution, campaigners including the naturalist Chris Packham and the comedian Paul Whitehouse have urged in an open letter to all party leaders.The campaign group Save Windermere, which organised the letter, says the lake has huge ecological significance, is home to rare and protected species and brings in about 750m to the economy. But the signatories, who include the Wildlife Trust, the countryside charity the CPRE and WildFish, say it is being degraded by sewage pollution from United Utilities treatment plants. Continue reading...

Court seeks Biden administration's view as fossil fuel industry fights to avoid trial in lawsuitsThe supreme court on Monday asked the Biden administration to weigh in on big oil's request to thwart litigation that could put them on the hook for billions of dollars.The one-line order will delay the litigation from advancing to trial. It follows an unprecedented pressure campaign from far-right fossil fuel allies on the court. Continue reading...

North Warwickshire council seeks to extend controversial order against persons unknown' for Kingsbury terminalA council is trying to extend a controversial injunction against persons unknown" to stop any future protests outside an oil terminal operated by Shell UK.Lawyers for North Warwickshire borough council will argue in the high court on Tuesday that an interim injunction granted in 2022 should be made permanent to stop protests outside Kingsbury oil terminal in Tamworth. Continue reading...

Supporters hospitalized following rallies in Las Vegas and Phoenix, where temperatures have broken recordsDozens of Donald Trump's supporters have been requiring medical help at his rallies in the scorching US south-west but it seems lost on him that his plans to reverse climate policies and drill, baby, drill" for fossil fuels will only worsen extreme weather, campaigners say.A total of 24 people at a Trump rally in Las Vegas on Sunday required medical attention due to the heat, according to the Clark county fire department, with six taken to hospital for treatment. The hospitalizations come after a further 11 people needed to be admitted to hospital for heat exhaustion as they waited for Trump to speak at a rally in Phoenix on Thursday. Continue reading...

In high-density places such as Sydney many drones may hover over an animal at once, amplifying disturbance pressure

The Coalition's rejection of a 43% cut in emissions by 2030 will have major ramifications for us and the world

Blue crabs with no natural predators have been disrupting prized shellfish populations on Italy's coast. So revenge is on the menuIn a down-to-earth suburb of Catania on Sicily's east coast, smoke billows from street stands selling traditional grilled horse meat, and local youngsters gather around kiosks selling the region's unique handmade drink, seltz limone e sale (seltzer with lemon and sea salt). It is here that a family of charismatic ex-fishers have opened a seafood restaurant that bravely challenges long-held regional conventions.The Salamone family sell all the usual local specialities in their slick new business La Fish", such as Sicily's famous swordfish, sardines and tuna. However, the feature of tonight's tasting menu - attracting customers who range from local families to food connoisseurs - is a relative newcomer to these shores and to Sicilian tables: the Atlantic blue crab. Continue reading...

Former Nationals leader says aspirations have to take a secondary position to the economic reality' after Peter Dutton said he would oppose government's targets

The White House has a goal to conserve 30% of US land and water by 2030 - Trump has different plansA week after his presidential inauguration, Joe Biden cited the climate and biodiversity crises as reasons to set a sweeping new goal - to conserve at least 30% of America's vast lands and waters by the end of the decade.Three years on, new protections have spurred meaningful progress towards meeting the target by 2030. Continue reading...

Pay rise for Pennon Group CEO Susan Davy comes despite outrage over Devon diarrhoea outbreak caused by polluted water

More than 400 scientists write to political parties urging ambitious action or risk making Britain and the world more dangerous and insecure'After five years of record heat and record floods, one might assume British politicians would also pay record attention to the climate issue in the current election campaign.But with the manifestos due this week, concerns are growing that the response of the two main parties will range from tepid progress to a great leap backwards, despite the certainty of further climate chaos during the next parliament. Continue reading...

Reports and emails show a landfill at the top of a hill is leaching dangerous toxins into the Napa RiverFamous for its lush vineyards and cherished local wineries, Napa valley is where people go to escape their problems.When you first get there, it's really pretty," said Geoff Ellsworth, former mayor of St Helena, a small Napa community nestled 50 miles north-east of San Francisco. It mesmerizes people." Continue reading...

Groups linked to billionaire Leonard Leo, who seems to have ties to Chevron, are pressing the court to intervene in lawsuits that could cost billionsFar-right fossil fuel allies have launched a stunning and unprecedented campaign pressuring the supreme court to shield fossil fuel companies from litigation that could cost them billions of dollars.Some of the groups behind the campaign have ties to Leonard Leo, the architect of the rightwing takeover of the supreme court who helped select Trump's supreme court nominees. Leo also appears to have ties to Chevron, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Continue reading...

Federal government says opposition is saying white is black' following Peter Dutton's comments to News Corp on Paris climate agreement

Scheme would collect funds from power companies to pay communities affected by new transmission lines