Addiction, anxiety and sex reversal have been reported in species by researchers as a range of substances contaminates ecosystemsFrom brown trout becoming addicted" to methamphetamine to European perch losing their fear of predators due to depression medication, scientists warn that modern pharmaceutical and illegal drug pollution is becoming a growing threat to wildlife.Drug exposure is causing significant, unexpected changes to some animals' behaviour and anatomy. Female starlings dosed with antidepressants such as Prozac at concentrations found in sewage waterways become less attractive to potential mates, with male birds behaving more aggressively and singing less to entice them than undosed counterparts. Continue reading...
Low-carbon electricity investment driven by solar projects but oil and gas spending still too high to meet climate goalsGlobal investment in low-carbon electricity will rise to 10 times as much as fossil fuel power this year due to an increase in spending on solar projects, according to the International Energy Agency.The global energy watchdog has predicted that investment in clean energy including renewables and nuclear power as well as electric vehicles, power grids, energy storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency improvements and heat pumps will reach $2tn this year. Continue reading...
Equipment being trialled in Scotland extracts warmth from nearby water sources to provide homes with heatingScientists in Edinburgh have developed a home heating system that draws its energy from the world's most abundant resource: water.The equipment can use sea water, rivers, ponds and even mine water to heat radiators and water for baths and showers, using the same technology as in air source heat pumps. Continue reading...
Fossil fuel firms are biggest beneficiaries of investor-state dispute settlement courts which have awarded $114bn of public moneyMore than $100bn of public money has been awarded to private investors in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) courts, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet.The controversial arbitration system which allows corporations to sue governments for compensation over decisions they argue affect their profits is largely carried out behind closed doors, with some judgments kept secret. But, according to a global ISDS tracker which launches today, $114bn has so far been paid out of the public purse to investors - about as much as rich nations provided in climate aid in 2022.A $15bn compensation suit by TC Energy against the US government for cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline which would have carried 830,000 barrels of highly polluting tar sands oil to the US coast every day. The permit was withdrawn by Joe Biden on his first day in office after a long campaign by Indigenous Americans, farmers and climate activists. The pipeline had been championed by ex-president Donald Trump and became a touchstone culture war issue.Ruby River Capital's claim for no less than $20bn" after the Quebec government cancelled a natural gas liquefaction plant on the St Lawrence River. An environmental impact assessment had found that the plant would increase greenhouse gas emissions, hurt Indigenous Canadian communities and destroy biodiversity. RRC's claim was the largest ever under the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).The most lucrative ISDS claim currently being heard is Zeph Investment's $200bn case against Australia over a huge planned mine in Western Australia which, Zeph Investment claims, the Australian government had effectively destroyed", in breach of the Asean free trade agreement.Avima Iron Ore is seeking $27bn from the Republic of the Congo, after it revoked iron ore mining licenses for three Australian-owned firms, handing them instead to a small Chinese investment group. The sum is almost twice as much as the country's GDP last year. Continue reading...
In the West Bank and Gaza, a growing number of birdwatchers are pursuing their hobby despite the violence surrounding themSitting in the shade of an olive tree in the valley of Ein Qiniya, north-west of Ramallah, the wildlife photographer and birdwatcher Mohamad Shuaibi starts to enumerate the birds he can spot. Swifts and swallows flit and swoop, a short-toed eagle hovers in the distance, a jay perches on an olive branch and a kestrel returns to its nest in the limestone cliffs.He also starts counting the times he has been stopped by Israeli soldiers or police out in the field with his camera. I was detained four times already since October, and each time was worse," he says. He now avoids going out at certain times: To watch birds we need to go out very early in the morning. But most of the military operations are in the early hours, so you can be shot if you're out around this time." Continue reading...
Technique known as cold-water immersion adopted by Phoenix hospitals after county saw 645 heat-related deaths last yearThe season's first heatwave is already baking the south-west with triple-digit temperatures as firefighters in Phoenix - America's hottest big city - employ new tactics in hopes of saving more lives in a county that saw 645 heat-related deaths last year.Starting this season, the Phoenix fire department is immersing heatstroke victims in ice on the way to area hospitals. The medical technique, known as cold-water immersion, is familiar to marathon runners and military service members and has also recently been adopted by Phoenix hospitals as a go-to protocol, according to fire captain John Prato. Continue reading...
Kathy Hochul pushes back plan that was due to start this month and would charge tolls for cars and trucks to enter Manhattan below 60th StKathy Hochul, the governor of New York, abruptly postponed indefinitely" New York City's controversial, first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan on Wednesday, with sources citing concerns about the cost of living and economic recovery as well as implications for vulnerable Democrats in competitive US House races later this year.Under the politically unpopular plan, which would have come in to effect later this month, passenger cars would have have been charged $15, small trucks $24, and large trucks $36 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, and would have contributed as much as $15bn for New York's public transport system and infrastructure improvements. Continue reading...
Antonio Guterres says world faces climate crunch time' and announces dire new scientific warnings of global heatingFossil-fuel companies are the godfathers of climate chaos" and should be banned in every country from advertising akin to restrictions on big tobacco, the secretary general of the United Nations has said while delivering dire new scientific warnings of global heating.In a major speech in New York on Wednesday, Antonio Guterres called on news and tech media to stop enabling planetary destruction" by taking fossil-fuel advertising money while warning the world faces climate crunch time" in its faltering attempts to stem the crisis. Continue reading...
The venomous spiders native to east Asia look frightening, but are reportedly shy creaturesThe US north-east is bracing for yet another pest invasion - this time, giant venomous spiders - as scientists warn that the gag-inducing arachnids are set to advance this summer.The joro spider, an invasive species from east Asia, will be making a larger appearance in New York, New Jersey and other eastern US states as the summer season heats up. Continue reading...
by Nina Lakhani climate justice reporter on (#6NA73)
Groundbreaking new research also reports that 11% of surveyed have faced physical violence in their reportingAlmost four out of every 10 journalists covering the climate crisis and environment issues have been threatened as a result of their work, with 11% subjected to physical violence, according to groundbreaking new research.A global survey of more than 740 reporters and editors from 102 countries found that 39% of those threatened sometimes" or frequently" were targeted by people engaged in illegal activities such as logging and mining. Some 30%, meanwhile, were threatened with legal action - reflecting a growing trend towards corporations and governments deploying the judicial system to muzzle free speech.This article was amended on 5 June 2024 to clarify that 39% of those threatened sometimes" or frequently" were targeted by people engaged in illegal activities. A previous version incorrectly said 49%. Continue reading...
Investment management firm's links to Israel and fossil fuel sector put sponsorship deals under pressureCheltenham literature festival and the Borders book festival have become the latest to announce that they will no longer be working with the investment management firm Baillie Gifford.The company had previously sponsored eight literary festivals and the UK's most prestigious nonfiction prize. However, after boycotts of the Hay festival because of Baillie Gifford's links to Israel and fossil fuel companies, the Powys-based event pulled out of the sponsorship deal. Continue reading...
Forests across Europe, the US and Canada have been hard hit by drought, fires and bark beetles. Now scientists fear the northern hemisphere's greatest carbon sink is nearing a tipping pointThe giant sequoia is so enormous that it was once believed to be indestructible. High in California's southern Sierra Nevada mountains, the oldest trees - known as monarchs - have stood for more than 2,000 years.Today, however, in Sequoia national park, huge trunks lie sprawled on the forest floor, like blue whale carcasses stranded on a beach. Many of these trees were felled by a combination of drought and fire. But among the factors responsible for the rising toll is a tiny new suspect: the bark beetle. Continue reading...
Named due to its resemblance to JRR Tolkien's sentient tree-like Ents, the 32m tall rt was the clear winner in the annual pollA lone rt that appears to be striding across the landscape has taken gold in New Zealand's tree of the year competition.The New Zealand Arboricultural Association - which runs the competition to celebrate New Zealand's trees - said the extraordinary" northern rt had earned the name The Walking Tree" because of its resemblance to one of JRR Tolkien's sentient tree-like Ents. Continue reading...
Los Angeles has long owned large swaths of the Owens valley. Officials in the region say the city has been stonewalling' their attempts to make critical infrastructure repairsThis article is reported by AfroLA and co-published by AfroLA, Guardian US and Inyo county's the Sheet. It's the second of several stories examining the impact of Los Angeles's extensive landownership in the Owens valley. You can read the first one here.Two rural California airports that are crucial to local air ambulance services, firefighting efforts and search and rescue operations are unable to perform critical repairs, blocked by an agency 300 miles away: the city of Los Angeles. Continue reading...
Third of world's ocean surface particularly vulnerable to threats driven by burning fossil fuel and deforestation, new research findsThe world's oceans are facing a triple threat" of extreme heating, a loss of oxygen and acidification, with extreme conditions becoming far more intense in recent decades and placing enormous stress upon the planet's panoply of marine life, new research has found.About a fifth of the world's ocean surface is particularly vulnerable to the three threats hitting at once, spurred by human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, the study found. In the top 300 meters of affected ocean, these compound events now last three times longer and are six times more intense than they were in the early 1960s, the research states. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Defra issues new cull licences despite government adviser saying there is no justification'Badger cull licences have been issued by the government despite its own scientific adviser saying there is no justification" for doing so.Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs this month issued 17 new licences to continue culling badgers, overruling Dr Peter Brotherton, the director of science at Natural England, the government's adviser for the natural environment in England. Continue reading...
One way to reduce the cost of your next grocery store or restaurant visit is to consider making some foods from scratch at home - here are five recipesIf you have felt startled by your total at the grocery store checkout line, you're not alone. Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, US grocery prices have risen faster than the rate of inflation. People are now paying 25% more for their groceries than they were pre-pandemic, and for the past three years, grocery prices have increased more and grown faster than other prices, according to a recent report.And since almost every household regardless of income buys groceries on a regular basis, it's no surprise that higher prices are a top concern for American families. Restaurants have also gotten more expensive due to higher food and labor costs. Continue reading...
by Karen McVeigh in Galápagos Islands, Ecuador on (#6N910)
Scientists are tagging sharks to map Pacific migration routes in a bid to expand marine reserves before more of these endangered species fall prey to illegal industrial fishingIt's a three-person job to land a 2-metre shark: two to wrap ropes around its thrashing tail and midriff, a third to clamp shut its powerful jaws. Hanging over the side of the Sea Quest fishing skiff, the crew work quickly to minimise any distress to the animal, a female silky shark. Once onboard, a hose attached to a saltwater pump is placed in her mouth, to irrigate her gills.Catching and tagging sharks is contentious among some researchers, who say it is harmful. But for Alex Hearn, a professor of biology at Quito's Universidad de San Francisco in Ecuador, who has studied sharks for two decades, it is critical to understanding behaviour that could better protect one of the most endangered group of vertebrates on the planet. Continue reading...
Analysis of policies of nearly 150 countries shows shortfall to hit target viewed as vital for transition from fossil fuelsThe world is off track to meet the goal of tripling renewable electricity generation by 2030, a target viewed as vital to enable a swift global transition away from fossil fuels, but there are promising signs that the pace of progress may be picking up.Countries agreed last December on a tripling of renewable power by the end of this decade. But few have yet taken concrete steps to meet this requirement and on current policies and trends global renewable generation capacity would only roughly double in developed countries, and slightly more than double globally by 2030, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency. Continue reading...
Figures show breaches have rarely led to prosecution by Drinking Water Inspectorate since 2021The drinking water regulator for England and Wales has brought only three prosecutions against water companies for providing poor quality water since 2021, despite 362 instances in which water was flagged as being unfit for human consumption.Periodically, members of the public or companies have informed the Drinking Water Inspectorate about water that has not been not safe for human consumption. In those instances, the DWI can issue legal instruments that require companies to put in place a package of measures. Continue reading...
Band announces their carbon footprint after two years of touring is 59% lower than what was generated on their previous tour, thanks to some creative solutionsColdplay has announced that they have reduced their touring carbon footprint by 59% compared with their previous world tour - via some creative methods that include kinetic dancefloors that allow dancing fans to generate electricity, recyclable LED wristbands and the band travelling by train.On Monday the British band announced that they were happy to report that direct CO2e emissions from the first two years of this tour are 59% less than our previous stadium tour (2016-17), on a show-by-show comparison". Continue reading...
Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, has begun erupting in a remote area that last saw an eruption half-century ago, the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. The eruption is about 1.6 km (1 mile) south of the Kilauea caldera, in an area within Hawaii Volcanoes national park that last erupted in December 1974. The area surrounding the caldera has been closed to the public since 2008 because of other hazards, including ground cracking, instability in the crater wall and rockfalls.
Governors say president has done nothing but attack American energy' and urge end to US fossil-fuel rules and regulationsRepublican governors gathered in the fossil-fuel rich state of Louisiana on Monday to rail against the Biden administration's climate agenda and lay out plans to unleash American energy", alarming community advocates and climate experts.President Biden has done nothing but attack American energy," said the Louisiana governor Jeff Landry, who led the Wednesday press conference. Continue reading...
by Jonathan Watts Global environment editor on (#6N8PH)
Scientists say calamities on same scale as disaster that has killed 169 will become more common if emissions not cutThe unusually intense, prolonged and extensive flooding that has devastated southern Brazil was made at least twice as likely by human burning of fossil fuels and trees, a study has shown.The record disaster has led to 169 deaths, ruined homes and wrecked harvests, and was worsened by deforestation, investment cuts and human incompetence. Continue reading...
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tells Guardian quid pro quo is very evident' amid investigation into Mar-a-Lago meeting in AprilDonald Trump's brazen pitch to 20 fossil-fuel heads for $1bn to aid his presidential campaign in return for promises of lucrative tax and regulatory favors is the definition of corruption", a top Democrat investigating the issue has said.It certainly meets the definition of corruption as the founding fathers would have used the term," Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in an interview about Trump's audacious $1bn request for big checks to top fossil-fuel executives that took place in April at his Mar-a-Lago club. Continue reading...
US families could be having to sacrifice other aspects of their lives in order to just maintain power', researcher saysMany people in the US can expect to see an 8% rise in their utility costs this summer, according to a new report. Soaring electricity bills put low-income households at risk from extreme heat, the report noted.Last year was the Earth's hottest one on record. In the US alone, about 11,000 people are estimated to have died of heat exposure. Continue reading...
by Aliya Uteuova with illustrations by Keith Negley on (#6DXQM)
Heat is the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the US. What happens to our bodies when we overheat?The US Southwest is bracing for a dangerous heat wave, with millions of people under a heat advisory. Triple-digit temperatures are expected across Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and California starting Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The heatwave has already shattered records in Mexico, where government officials have recorded 48 deaths.Heat is the main cause of weather-related death in the US. How does it affect the body?FatigueHeadacheLightheadednessNauseaDry mouthVomiting Continue reading...
The Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh), the proud custodian of more than 3,860 photographs, is holding a fundraising auction in Melbourne, with the proceeds of the sales shared equally with the contributing artists Continue reading...
Discovery of three queen hornets in East Sussex means it is likely the bee-killing insect will be here for goodDNA testing has confirmed that Asian hornets overwintered in the UK for the first time this year, meaning it is very likely the bee-killing insect will be here for good.Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) dismember and eat bees, and have thrived in France, where they have caused concern because of the number of insects killed. They sit outside honeybee hives and capture bees as they enter and exit, and chop up the smaller insects and feed their thoraxes to their young. Continue reading...
Willie Walsh, now boss of Iata, also calls for more investment in sustainable aviation fuelsGreen aviation policies should be abandoned if the costs outweigh the benefits, the head of the world's most influential airlines body has said.Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association (Iata) and a former British Airways boss, said achieving net zero by 2050 was existential, not optional". Continue reading...
Opponents of bills argue offramp' to keep gas or coal plants running will be triggered if energy-heavy centers are builtMichigan Democrats are poised to pass legislation aimed at attracting big-tech data centers, but opponents say the bills would destroy nation-leading climate laws the same legislators approved in November because the centers consume massive amounts of electricity.The November climate bills included an offramp" that would keep gas or coal plants running if renewable sources could not handle the energy grid's load, and the stipulation would almost certainly be triggered, opponents say. Continue reading...
Campaigners have written to broadcasters expressing concern that climate is not a more prominent discussion topicThe climate crisis must be discussed as a key priority in the TV debates between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, say green groups.A number of NGOs have written to the TV networks expected to host the live debates, the first of which is on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV. Continue reading...
Claude the koala was caught eating 4,050 food tree seedlings at Eastern Forest Nursery near Lismore in 2023. The bandit has been captured returning for a meal at the nursery, as workers look on. Conservationists say Claude's behaviour is part of a bigger problem as heavy land clearing has meant that there isn't enough food in the local area for koalas to eat
Writer tells Hay festival about his new book, Blossomise, and his hopes to inspire people to preserve the natural worldPoets can help fight climate breakdown by making us spellbound, full of wonder and beguiled" by nature, the poet laureate has said.Simon Armitage, who pledged to dedicate his writing and thinking to environmental issues when he was appointed poet laureate in 2019, has written a new book of poems called Blossomise, which he hopes will remind readers of the beauty of nature. Continue reading...
Heavy rain that trapped people in their homes and reportedly caused a train derailment is forecast to continueA volunteer firefighter died during a rescue operation during heavy rain and flooding in the south of Germany, local police said on Sunday.Four emergency workers were attempting to reach people trapped by the flood waters near Pfaffenhofen in the region of Bavaria when their boat capsized. Continue reading...
In a new Quarterly Essay, Joelle Gergis says that while Rome wasn't built in a day, the Albanese government's lack of action on climate change does not reflect the urgency of the crisis
For decades, the Chevron deference doctrine has given broad powers to federal agencies. Now it could be overturned - with major consequencesThe US supreme court is poised to decide the fate of a decades-old legal framework that has helped determine how the federal government regulates everything from pollution to financial markets.With cases on abortion, homelessness and Donald Trump grabbing the spotlight, the so-called Chevron deference doctrine has flown somewhat under the radar. But it could be among the court's most influential decisions this year, upending the way Congress legislates, how bureaucrats carry out presidential directives and how courts rule when conflicts arise over the regulatory process.Is a statute ambiguous?Is the agency's interpretation reasonable? Continue reading...
For decades, the Chevron deference doctrine has given broad powers to federal agencies. Now it could be overturned - with major consequencesThe US supreme court is poised to decide the fate of a decades-old legal framework that has helped determine how the federal government regulates everything from pollution to financial markets.With cases on abortion, homelessness and Donald Trump grabbing the spotlight, the so-called Chevron deference doctrine has flown somewhat under the radar. But it could be among the court's most influential decisions this year, upending the way Congress legislates, how bureaucrats carry out presidential directives and how courts rule when conflicts arise over the regulatory process. Continue reading...
With elections affecting half the world's population this year, campaigners offer their views on the chances of real changeThis year elections are taking place across the globe, covering almost half of the world's population. It is also likely to be, yet again, the hottest year recorded as the climate crisis intensifies. The Guardian asked young climate activists around the world what they want from the elections and whether politics is working in the fight to halt global heating. Continue reading...
A decision from Unesco on giving the peat-rich Flow Country the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef is just weeks awayIt is a land of mire, mist and midges that could soon be awarded a special status among the planet's wild habitats. In a few weeks, Unesco is set to announce its decision on an application to allow the Flow Country in north Scotland to become a world heritage site.Such a designation is only given to places of special cultural, historical or scientific significance and would put this remote region of perpetual dampness on the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon and the Pyramids. Continue reading...
Woman from Riposte Alimentaire arrested after sticking poster on impressionist painter's CoquelicotsA climate activist has been arrested for sticking an adhesive poster on a Monet painting at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris to draw attention to global heating, a police source said.The action by the woman, a member of Riposte Alimentaire (Food Response) - a group of environmental activists and defenders of sustainable food production - was seen in a video posted on X, placing a blood-red poster over Coquelicots (Poppies) by the French impressionist painter Claude Monet. Continue reading...
On first day of predicted intense Atlantic hurricane season, Nature Conservancy urges action and warns against misinformationMisinformation spread by climate deniers such as Florida's extremist Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, increases the vulnerability" of communities in the path of severe weather events, scientists are warning.The message comes on Saturday, the first day of what experts fear could be one of the most intense and dangerous Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, threatening a summer of natural disasters across the US. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian