Environment | The Guardian

Group which owns Kmart and Target has not signed up to initiative that would impose 4 cent levy on garments to fund research

State wants to encourage more homeowners to have insurance amid fires and floods with emergency services to instead be funded by new contribution'The New South Wales emergency services levy will be cut from home insurance premiums as part of a reform plan announced by the premier, Chris Minns, to fix the unsustainable" scheme.The change would lower the cost of insurance premiums which the government hopes would encourage more people to insure their homes in the face of greater fire and flood threats.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Utility company to increase spending by 14% because of sharp rise in costs of building windfarms and electricity gridsThe boss of SSE has called on the government to take bold action to support the renewable energy industry as rising inflation across the global supply chains threaten to slow the rollout of new clean energy projects.The SSE chief executive, Alistair Phillips-Davies, told investors that the FTSE 100 utility would increase its spending by 14% to 20.5bn for its current budget in part because of a sharp rise in the costs of building windfarms and electricity grids. Continue reading...

The breakthrough has been welcomed by experts - but it lacks specific emissions cuts or a commitment to phase out fossil fuelsThe US and China's decision to rekindle a joint effort to tackle the climate crisis has provided sorely needed momentum ahead of crucial UN climate talks later this month, while still leaving some key questions unresolved around calling an end to the fossil fuel era.The difficult relationship between the world's two largest carbon emitters has somewhat thawed over the issue of global heating, with both sides indicating they see it as a shared menace set aside from other tensions around trade or the status of Taiwan. The US and China are alarmed" by the state of one of the greatest challenges of our time" and will work to resolve it despite other differences, as the countries' joint statement on Tuesday put it. Continue reading...

Analysis deems technology promoted by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber dangerous red herring'Climate-wrecking emissions produced by the oil company of the Cop28 president, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, would take hundreds of years to remove using the carbon capture technology he has been promoting.With just weeks to go until the crucial Cop28 climate summit, Al Jaber, who is the boss of United Arab Emirate oil company Adnoc, has been backing carbon capture as one solution to the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Exclusive: at least 228 water conflicts were recorded in 2022 - an 87% rise on the year before, Pacific Institute database shows

record increase in water-related violence shows how urgently we need to reduce these tensions between countriesIn recent months, the world has been bombarded with reports of attacks on major dams and civilian water systems in Ukraine, water being used as a weapon during the violence in Gaza and the West Bank, unrest and riots in India and Iran over water scarcity and drought, and conflicts between farmers and herders in Africa over land and water sources. Our limited and precious freshwater resources have become triggers, weapons and casualties of war and conflict.Water is vital for everything we want to do: it allows us to grow food, run industries and businesses, cook and clean our homes, and manage our wastes. Although there is plenty of water on Earth, it is unevenly distributed in space and time, with humid and arid regions as well as wet and dry seasons. These disparities lead to competition and disputes over water access and control. As populations and economies grow, the pressure on limited water supplies and the delicate ecosystems that depend on them is intensifying. And now, human-caused climate disruptions are affecting the planet's hydrologic cycle, worsening extreme weather events such as floods and droughts, altering rainfall patterns, melting glaciers and snowpacks, and leading to higher temperatures and increased water demands.Peter Gleick is co-founder and Senior Fellow of the Pacific Institute, Oakland, California, and author of the new book, The Three Ages of Water (PublicAffairs/Hachette 2023) Continue reading...

Announcement fuels hope rivals can use Apec summit as a chance to reduce tensionsChina and the US have pledged to work together more closely to fight global heating, declaring the climate crisis one of the greatest challenges of our time", hours before a key meeting in San Francisco between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.The announcement further fuels hopes that the two nations can mend relations after years of turmoil over issues including trade, human rights and the future of Taiwan. Continue reading...

Floods force evacuation of homes, schools and town halls in Calais region and in the AlpsWidespread flooding in northern and eastern France has led to thousands of people having to evacuate their waterlogged homes, the collapse of roads and the closure of schools and public buildings.Record rainfall has caused rivers to break their banks, forcing the government to declare an official state of emergency in hundreds of towns and villages. Continue reading...

Recharge Industries served with statutory demand from former employee that could lead to bankruptcy proceedings, FT reportsThe Australian owner of the failed car battery firm Britishvolt is reportedly facing legal action from a former employee over unpaid wages, in a move that could result in the company being wound up.Recharge Industries, which bought the business and assets of Britishvolt after it collapsed into administration this year, has been served with a statutory demand to pay the outstanding wages, according to the Financial Times. Continue reading...

State-owned Forestry Corporation must halt operations in parts of Flat Rock state forest, months after similar issues raised in Tallaganda

State oil company's huge expansion plans make its CEO's role as president of UN climate summit ridiculous', say researchersThe state oil company of the United Arab Emirates, whose CEO will preside over imminent UN climate negotiations, has the largest net-zero-busting expansion plans of any company in the world, according to new data.Sultan Al Jaber is the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and president of the Cop28 summit, which begins on 30 November. The researchers behind the new data said Adnoc's huge planned expansion of oil and gas production was a clear conflict of interest and they said his position was ridiculous".$170bn has been spent by the industry on exploration for new oil and gas reserves since 2021.96% of the 700 companies that explore or develop new oil and gas fields are continuing to do so.More than 1,000 companies are planning new gas pipelines, gas-fired power plants or liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals. Continue reading...

Scientists sign note citing elevated stress' and feelings of despair' over climate crisis as thousands of students expected to strike

Former NSW cabinet minister Andrew Constance says he will back members of the Coalition Against Offshore Wind if elected

Quarter of new flood defence projects will also not go ahead, NAO finds, as Environment Agency blames cuts on inflationThe number of properties that will be better protected from flooding by 2027 has been cut by 40%, and 500 of 2,000 new flood defence projects have been abandoned, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).The number of homes forecast to be under enhanced flood protection by 2027 has been slashed from 336,000 to 200,000. This means 136,000 more homes will be at risk of flooding since plans were drawn up in 2020, figures from an NAO report show. Continue reading...

Annual competition inundated with a record number of votes after comedian took the Australasian crested grebe under his wingNew Zealand has crowned a bird that grunts, pukes and has a highly unusual repertoire of mating rituals as its bird of the century.The threatened Australasian crested grebe, or pteketeke, was thrown into the global spotlight by a powerful backer, British-American comedian and talkshow host John Oliver. Continue reading...

Inaction on the climate crisis is costing lives and livelihoods' due to extreme heat, food insecurity and infectious diseases, say scientists

Steve Barclay married to executive at Anglian Water, which is under investigation for potential illegal dumping of raw sewage

Here are some of the standout images from the 2023 Nature Conservancy photography contest. Entries from more than 80,000 photographers in 191 countries and territories were judged across 12 categories Continue reading...

Experts warn Melbourne and Sydney gardeners to look out for cute little butterfly' lookalikes, which have flourished this year due to the climate

It has a complicated face, like an intricate chest of drawers, or a jewellery box: press on this part and it opens to reveal a mouth, on that, and an eye pops outThis is a recipe for moeche, the green, soft-shelled crabs that live in Venetian lagoons: mix a batter of flour, eggs, salt and parmesan cheese in a bucket. Drop live crabs into the batter, which must be cold so that the crabs will feel at home. For 30 minutes, the last of their lives, let the moeche scuttle around in the batter, eating it. Then drop them into a pot of boiling hot oil: self-stuffing crabs.The moeche are crabs - true crabs" - that have moulted: they have soft shells for just a few hours, before their exoskeletons turn hard. To climb out of their too-small skins, they fill themselves up with water, so that the carapace splits. Then, they pull every part of themselves from their own skins - from the tips of their legs to their eyeballs.The first thing the intellect does with an object is to class it with something else. But any object that is infinitely important to us and awakens our devotion feels to us as if it must have been sui generis and unique. Probably a crab would be filled with a sense of personal outrage if it could hear us class it without ado or apology as a crustacean, and thus dispose of it. I am no such thing,' it would say, I am MYSELF, MYSELF alone.' Continue reading...

Virgin Australia says buying sustainable aviation fuel to reduce foreign airlines' carbon emissions more effective than being forced to import SAF

Killing critically endangered sturgeon to extract their eggs is not only unethical but unnecessary, say advocates of a more sustainable methodThe turning point for polar and marine scientist Angela Kohler came in 2005, when she attended a demonstration on caviar production in the Caspian Sea. Bringing out a two-metre female sturgeon in front of 150 conference guests, the caviar master beat the fish on the head to death before cutting its belly open. The masters suddenly became extremely nervous," she recalls. They went on to say that the eggs were too close to spawning and so they couldn't use them as caviar. They discarded the entire fish and began the process again with a new one."The brutality of the moment is something Kohler still remembers. As an expert in environmental toxicology, she was at the conference to study the damage to sturgeon populations and the Caspian Sea caused by chemical pollution. But the experience set her on a new mission: to find a way to produce no-kill" caviar. Continue reading...

New wind and solar farms will provide about 2000MW more electricity than was available last summer

World's biggest wind power firm reported heavy losses after cancelling two US projectsThe world's biggest offshore wind developer, Denmark's Orsted, has lost two of its most senior executives after it abandoned a pair of windfarm projects off the US coast at a cost of more than 3bn.Orsted told investors that its chief financial officer, Daniel Lerup, and chief operating officer, Richard Hunter, had agreed to step down from their roles with immediate effect because the company needed new and different capabilities". Continue reading...

Government assessment says extreme weather events mean country suffers a disaster every three weeks, costing at least $1bnThe US is warming faster than the global average and its people are suffering far-reaching and worsening" consequences from the climate crisis, with worse to come, according to an authoritative report issued by the US government.An array of increasingly harmful impacts" is hitting every corner of the vast country, from extreme heat and sea level rise in Florida to depleted fish stocks and increased food insecurity in Alaska, the new National Climate Assessment has found. Continue reading...

Amber Harris woke to the sound of what she thought was somebody breaking into her car but found a tired southern elephant seal

Research shows global heating creates whiplash effect' of erratic extremes - often in poorest countriesExtreme drought in northern Italy has doubled over the past two decades, creating a climate that increasingly mirrors that of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, research shows.Analysis of satellite imagery and data by scientists reveals how global heating is creating a whiplash effect", creating erratic extremes. The analysis of climate data released by WaterAid and Cardiff and Bristol universities finds that under extreme climate pressures, areas that used to experience frequent droughts are now more prone to frequent flooding, while other regions historically prone to flooding now endure more frequent droughts. Continue reading...

Experts warn UK's regulations now lag behind those of the EU and that Britons will be exposed to more toxic chemicals as a resultThe government is to loosen EU-derived laws on chemicals in a move experts say will increase the likelihood of toxic substances entering the environment.Under new plans the government will reduce the hazard" information that chemical companies must provide to register substances in the UK. The safety information provided about chemicals will be reduced to an irreducible minimum", which campaigners say will leave the UK lagging far behind the EU". Continue reading...

Coal must be phased out seven times faster and deforestation reduced four times faster to avoid worst impacts of climate breakdown, says reportCoal must be phased out seven times faster than is now happening, deforestation must be reduced four times faster, and public transport around the world built out six times faster than at present, if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown, new research has found.Countries are falling behind on almost every policy required to cut greenhouse gas emissions, despite progress on renewable energy and the uptake of electric vehicles.Retire about 240 average-sized coal-fired power plants a year, every year between now and 2030.Construct the equivalent of three New Yorks' worth of public transport systems in cities around the world each year this decade.Halt deforestation, which is happening to an area the size of 15 football pitches every minute, this decade.Increase the rate of growth of solar and wind power from its current high of 14% a year to 24% a year.Cut meat consumption from ruminants such as cows and sheep to about two servings a week in the US, Europe and other high-consuming countries by 2030. Continue reading...

Onlookers in Bingil Bay were stunned when an adolescent cassowary emerged from the ocean and shook itself off late last month. Mandubarra traditional owner and Bingil Bay Campground host Nikita McDowell sent video of the unexpected arrival to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service after a guest told her it was swimming about 200 metres offshore. The endangered bird 'will take to the water to cross from one side of a river to the other, or if they feel threatened by domestic dogs or another cassowary through a territorial dispute', QPWS officer Stephen Clough says. McDowell was advised that it would move on when it was ready. 'I went to make a coffee and when I returned, it was gone,' she says

Former PM takes seat in Lords after return as foreign secretary; James Cleverly replaces Suella Braverman; Esther McVey to reportedly tackle wokery'ITV's Paul Brand says he has had a text with the word Rejoice" from a Tory MP celebrating the sacking of Suella Braverman.James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has been seen going into No 10, PA Media reports. Continue reading...

New portrait prize sponsor, the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, has represented the oil companyClimate campaigners have accused the National Portrait Gallery of jumping out of the reputational frying pan straight into the reputational fire" after it announced its replacement sponsor for BP is a law firm that has represented the fossil fuel company.The gallery said last year it was ending its 30-year partnership with BP after a lengthy campaign against its relationship with the oil and gas company. On Monday, it announced that the new sponsor for its portrait prize, one of the UK's most prestigious art prizes, formerly known as the BP portrait award, would be Herbert Smith Freehills. Continue reading...

Nearly 300 sq miles of water on west of Caribbean island to be designated as a reserve for endangered animalsThe tiny Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the world's first marine protected area for one of Earth's largest animals: the endangered sperm whale.Nearly 300 sq miles (800 sq km) of royal blue waters on the western side of the island nation that serve as key nursing and feeding grounds will be designated as a reserve, the government announced on Monday. Continue reading...

Report says cutting emissions should still be key priority as it cautions against mass monoculture tree-plantingForest conservation and restoration could make a major contribution to tackling the climate crisis as long as greenhouse gas emissions are slashed, according to a study.By allowing existing trees to grow old in healthy ecosystems and restoring degraded areas, scientists say 226 gigatonnes of carbon could be sequestered, equivalent to nearly 50 years of US emissions for 2022. But they caution that mass monoculture tree-planting and offsetting will not help forests realise their potential.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X, formerly known as Twitter, for all the latest news and features Continue reading...

Scheme would involve abstracting water from the River Thames at Teddington and replacing it with treated sewageThames Water is facing a public backlash over a multimillion-pound water recycling" scheme promoted as a solution to tackling climate crisis-induced droughts.The technology involves using effluent from sewage treatment works, putting it through a further layer of treatment and releasing the treated water into a river, in order to replace the same amount of water that is abstracted off for drinking water. Continue reading...

Credits sourced from carbon project that was centred on biomass power plant in Xinjiang, investigation finds

A 2021 wildfire supercharged grass growth providing food for cattle, but the return of the predator has ranchers worriedA sinewy skull, two hooves and a shriveled hide are all that's left of the 650-pound cow.Wolf kill," said William McDarment, a rancher on the Tule River Reservation in Tulare county, California. Picked clean in less than a week ... See those tracks." Continue reading...

Delegates in Nairobi for talks in what experts say could be most important multilateral treaty since Paris accord The godfather of microplastics on how to stop themGovernment delegations will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, to hammer out details of what could be the first global treaty to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.A key focus for the discussions on Monday will be whether targets to restrict plastic production should be decided unilaterally or whether states should choose their own targets; this is, say environmentalists, the centre of gravity" for the treaty's ambition. Continue reading...

Sunshine Coast locals have spent days on their hands and knees picking polystyrene balls off the beach. More than a week has passed since the balls were discovered, yet it is still unclear which government agency is responsible for leading the cleanup and investigating the cause.Reports from volunteers indicate the balls spread over at least 5km of coastline and riverbankSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Exclusive: Volunteers express frustration at lack of beach cleanup support after significant pollution event' on Sunshine Coast

Emissions by world's most polluting country could peak this year after surge in clean energy investmentsChina's carbon emissions could peak this year before falling into a structural decline for the first time from next year after a record surge in clean energy investments, according to research.Emissions from the world's most polluting country have rebounded this year after the Chinese government dropped its Covid restrictions in January, according to analysis undertaken for Carbon Brief. Continue reading...

Government says legislation designed to strengthen state's response to animal security, while critics describe move as ag-gag by stealth'

Robert Hill, Peter Garrett and former state ministers back teal MP Sophie Scamps' call on all governments to work together on transition

The French president has called for action at a climate summit in Paris attended by heads of state and scientists before Cop28France will spend 1bn (880m) on polar research between now and 2030, amid rapidly rising scientific concern over the world's melting ice caps and glaciers.A new polar science vessel will spearhead the effort, and France is calling for a moratorium on the exploitation of the seabed in polar regions, to which the UK, Canada, Brazil and 19 other countries have so far signed up. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Australian scientific agency rejects ghostwriting' claims made by US law firm representing victims of Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Mark Barrow returned to the site of an earlier shoot five years later and found aquatic life devastated by sewageFive years ago, when Mark Barrow started his project to film along the 65-mile River Wharfe in Yorkshire, he captured footage of majestic shoals of grayling, the fish known as the Lady of the Stream", some 200 or 300 strong.Recently, Barrow returned to the same spot, near the historic Harewood House on the outskirts of Leeds, to reshoot some video because he wasn't happy with the quality of his earlier attempt. Continue reading...

Animal welfare groups urge retailers to switch to slow-growing birds in face of record deaths last yearMore than 80 million chickens died before reaching slaughter weight in the UK last year, with mortality rates the highest for at least a decade, reveal official figures.Animal welfare organisations say the fast-growing chicken breeds that dominate production have higher mortality rates, lameness and muscle disease than slower-growing breeds. They are calling on retailers to switch to slower-growing breeds and provide more space for the birds. Continue reading...

Fears grow that Rishi Sunak's anti-green policy shift is driving investment in renewable energy abroadThe government has received no new applications for onshore wind farms in England since cabinet ministers eased planning rules earlier this year - in a further sign that Rishi Sunak's anti-green policy shift is driving investment abroad.So far this year, only one new project, with a single turbine, has become fully operational in England, with many more being built in the EU - and in Scotland and Wales, where planning rules are less burdensome. This is despite renewables being seen as the cleanest and safest form of power, and having wide public support. Continue reading...

Move is bad news for local environmental groups, whose motion to halt construction will be heard on 15 NovemberA federal agency that monitors water quality says it stopped measuring sediment pollution levels in a creek that runs alongside the controversial police and fire department training center known as Cop City" months ago due to safety concerns.The issue is particularly important as a local environmental group's motion to stop construction of the project will get its day in federal court on 15 November. Continue reading...