by Karl Mathiesen and Suzanne Goldenberg on (#ZVM4)
The preliminary assessment will help form the scientific basis for US government policy as it considers whether to control the use of the pesticidesThe US government has acknowledged for the first time that one of the world’s most widely used pesticides can be harmful to honeybees.The results of field trials, released Wednesday by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), show imidacloprid, a common neonicotinoid, can cause hive populations to fall among the world’s most important pollinators. Continue reading...
Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee and Perthshire residents advised to get ready for further flood disruption as Met Office upgrades weather warningsFlood-weary communities across central and north-east Scotland have been told to expect further heavy and prolonged rain as the Met Office upgraded its weather warning for Thursday to amber, meaning residents should “be preparedâ€.With 25 flood warnings still in place from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) on Wednesday night, residents of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee and Perthshire were advised to get ready for further disruption as water fell on already saturated ground and river levels rose. Continue reading...
Corbyn wanted answers over the deluge up north, but the PM had only feeble barbs to offer. Somehow they hit homeDavid Cameron buttoned up his mac and clumped his way into the chamber. Striding authoritatively is always tricky when you’re wearing wellies. Even when they are green Hunters. He had promised to learn whatever lessons needed to be learned from the floods and was determined to show that he had taken every precaution possible. “It’s been very, very wet,†he observed shrewdly at prime minister’s questions. Nothing gets past Dave. “Much wetter than normal. Now can we talk about something else?â€Floods are so last week for the prime minister, but not for Jeremy Corbyn, who quite reasonably wanted to know why so many flood defence schemes had been cut when the government had promised that money would be no object. “That’s just not true,†Dave said. “We’ve spent lots and lots of money. Why is the leader of the opposition being so negative? Rather than focusing on all the people who had their homes flooded, why couldn’t he talk about the success story of all those who might have been flooded but weren’t?†Continue reading...
The French capital’s Canal Saint-Martin is being dredged for the first time in 15 years – and the mysterious objects emerging from the sludge unmask the area’s secret lifeCurious crowds had gathered on the arched footbridges that criss-cross Paris’s favourite hipster hang-out, the Canal Saint-Martin, craning to get a look at the oddities poking out of the mysterious brown sludge below.“Bloody hell, it’s a giant dustbin,†said Marie, a local office-worker, taking photos of the mountains of old wine-bottles, scores of office chairs, bikes, rolled-up carpets, wheelie suitcases and street signs stranded in the muddy pit. Continue reading...
by Nicholas Watt Chief political correspondent on (#ZTEZ)
PM offers support to former shadow Europe minister after he was demoted in Labour reshuffle, saying MP was right to condemn terrorism after Paris attacksDavid Cameron has offered strong support for Pat McFadden, who was sacked from the shadow cabinet after he was accused of disloyalty for asking pointed questions about terrorism in the House of Commons.The prime minister told MPs that condemning terrorist attacks should be “an essential component†of aspiring to high office, as he said that McFadden had been “absolutely rightâ€. Continue reading...
Southern England faces ‘tension’ over water supplies if the next few months are dry, leading hydrologists say, as not enough rain has fallen to recharge underground reservesDespite December’s record rainfall, which led to thousands of people being flooded and the highest river levels ever seen in England, water restrictions due to drought could still be imposed in some parts of the country by the summer, say Britain’s leading hydrologists.
Conservationists say 100 elephants sold in July were sentenced to life of inhumane treatment and criticise plans to sell more wildlifeZimbabwe plans to sell more elephants and lions to China as part of a scheme to raise funds for conservation, its environment minister has said.
by Helen Pidd,Libby Brooks and agencies on (#ZSX8)
Police divers search for camper missing in Aberdeenshire and Newcastle estate residents flooded out for sixth timeFlood warnings remained in place across almost all parts of Britain on Wednesday, with the north-east of England worst hit overnight.Torrential rain flooded out residents on one Newcastle estate for the sixth time in less than a decade, while police divers in Aberdeen joined the search for a missing camper thought to have been caught up in the floods that swept Aberdeenshire. Continue reading...
Andy Johnson rides a jetski under a railway bridge and past a flooded bus stop on Euxton Lane near Chorley, Lancashire, while locals watch. Kieron McLaughlin filmed the moment on New Year’s Eve after canoeing down the waters. The clip has since picked up more than 100,000 views on Facebook Continue reading...
The party needs to put internal politics aside and focus on the vital issues affecting the country, from housing to floods to the NHSJeremy Corbyn, the Arsène Wenger of politics (copyright J McDonnell), completed his shadow cabinet reshuffle in the early hours with the appointment of his north London neighbour Emily Thornberry, a sceptic about Trident, to shadow defence secretary. Maria Eagle, not a sceptic about Trident, is moved to culture. She replaces Michael Dugher, the sacking of whom had happened more than 12 hours earlier. Pat McFadden’s removal as shadow Europe minister, was the only other significant change in a reshuffle more remarkable for what didn’t happen – Hilary Benn is still shadow foreign secretary this morning – than what did. It will go down in history more for the time it took than the impact it had. It’s over now – or at least it is for the moment (Twitter is already awash with rumours of resignations from the defence team).Corbyn grew up while Harold Wilson was Labour leader. It was probably one of the defining experiences of his politics, for within a couple of years of Labour’s famous victory in the mid-60s, its leader was vilified by the left as a miserable example of failure and betrayal. Continue reading...
In December, the world’s nations agreed on an aggressive plan to combat climate change. But what, if anything, will the landmark Paris agreement do for thousands of species already under threat from global warming?
Torrential rainfall and widespread flooding hit the eastern coast of New South Wales, where a severe weather warning was issued. By the morning of 6 January, more than 200mm of rain had fallen in less than 24 hours, and further falls throughout the day left the region swamped Continue reading...
Severe weather warnings remain in place as emergency services respond to thousands of calls, with rain expected to abate on ThursdayA man is missing after being thrown off a yacht in rough seas as wild weather and unrelenting rain cause havoc across the east coast of NSW.The yachtsman, in his 60s, was wiped off the vessel after being struck by a huge wave near Broughton Island on the NSW mid-north coast on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...
Prof Philip Jennings, a renewable energy expert, says investors would be unlikely to be interested in unprofitable power networksWestern Australia would not be able to privatise its electricity assets “even if they gave it to them for nothing†because the popularity of rooftop solar panels has made state-owned power stations unprofitable, a renewable energy expert has said.Prof Philip Jennings, a lecturer in energy and physics at Curtin University, said the uptake of solar was a looming problem for the Barnett government, which has indicated it may consider privatising some or all of its energy assets after the 2017 state election. Continue reading...
Groundbreaking plan to turn London’s rubbish into green jet fuel has been abandoned due to a lack of UK government support, airline saysBritish Airways says that it has been forced to shelve a groundbreaking £340m scheme to create 16m gallons of jet fuel from London’s rubbish every year, partly due to a lack of government support.The Green Sky project was due to open in 2017 at an ex-oil refinery in Thurrock, Essex, where it would have turned into gas 575,000 tonnes of household waste that would otherwise have been landfilled or incinerated. Continue reading...
Here is how the torrential rain in NSW compares with other weather events, from a light Melbourne drizzle to the downpours caused by a tropical cyclone. These visualisations map total rainfall over 24 hours to the frequency and size of raindrops, with the maximum wind speed in the same 24-hour period scaling the speed and angle of the raindrops, as well as the gust frequency
State officials tell residents not to revert back to pre-drought habits even after parade of storms from strong El Niño weather systemForced by drought to conserve water, Californians were warned against reverting to old habits on Tuesday as the first of several storms spawned by a record-tying El Niño began drenching the state.Related: How one man plans to make billions selling Mojave desert water Continue reading...
Businesses around the world are investing in low carbon technology. Political leaders can either seize the opportunity or get left behind2016 is promising to be a happy new year. The remarkable achievement of 196 nations signing up to the successor of the Kyoto protocol means the first ever year with a global agreement to end the old ways of pumping heat-trapping carbon pollution into our atmosphere and oceans.Now the hard and exciting work begins. Continue reading...
Researchers warn that the damage done by the amount of food and feed coming from abroad has an environmental impact on poorer countriesMore than half of the UK’s food and feed now comes from overseas, which is burdening poorer countries with the related environmental impact, a new study says.More than two-thirds of the land needed to produce the UK’s food and feed is based abroad, researchers said, meaning 64% of the related greenhouse gases are emitted on foreign soil. Continue reading...
Federal officials investigating lead pollution in Flint’s drinking water as Governor Rick Snyder makes state resources available to help recoveryMichigan governor Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency in Flint over problems with lead in the city’s drinking water as federal officials confirm they are investigating the matter.
Ten days on, businesses are reopening and residents are finally returning to their stinking, sodden homes. But in Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire, the impact of the disaster still runs deep• Read how the floods have united people who wouldn’t normally mix
The impact of the floods in the north of England and Scotland has been enormous. Yet the disaster has brought together people who might never normally mix – from the armies of Sikh and Muslim volunteers to the individuals sending care parcels• Life is slowly returning to my village – a resident reports
The risible inadequacy of the government’s £40m “extra†spending on flood defences (Cameron’s £40m flood money criticised as ‘sticking plaster’, 4 January) means that it’s time to seriously address how to find the countless billions needed to effectively mitigate this inevitable consequence of climate change. One answer is to be found in the recent extension of the European Central Bank’s €60bn-a-month quantitative easing programme, which included the crucial innovation that this money could be used to buy local government bonds.The Bank of England’s governor, Mark Carney, is on record as saying that if the government requested it then future QE in the UK could buy assets other than government gilts. In that case it is entirely possible for George Osborne to ask Mark Carney to buy local-authority-issued “climate bondsâ€. Local authorities have the power to issue such bonds, and with increased devolution they should be encouraged to do so to fund flood defences and to reduce carbon emissions by improving energy efficiency in all the nation’s 30 million buildings. Continue reading...
This weekend, hundreds of pink plastic bottles landed on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. What else has made the south-west the undisputed capital of washed-up treasures?We’ve seen Blackpool swamped with chocolate biscuits and Worthing almost buried under mounds of wood, but the the undisputed capital of British beachcombing is the south-west. The Channel is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the weather down there can get extremely wild and, of course, this is often the first bit of Britain to be reached by the Atlantic current, which then drops much of what it is carrying on the Isles of Scilly, Devon and Cornwall – where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pink plastic bottles washed up at the weekend.Sadly, and contrary to popular belief, there is no loophole that makes you the legal owner of anything you find washed up on a beach. You may get a reward if you correctly report your finding to Alison Kentuck, the receiver of wreck. If the owner does not claim it within 12 months, you may even get to keep it. Otherwise, in the eyes of the law, taking wreckage is simply stealing. Even so, the thrill of finding some things should be enough to encourage a lot more walks by the seaside. Continue reading...
A school bus is recovered after becoming stuck in several feet of floodwater in Newton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire. The bus appears to have been swept off the road by the overflowing river and rested at an angle against a hedge. Firefighters rescued around 26 pupils from the bus Continue reading...
by Suzanne Goldenberg US environment correspondent on (#ZPA7)
Rupture of Aliso Canyon well has released more than 77,000 metric tons of methane and refocused attention on America’s accident-prone infrastructureThe single biggest contributor to climate change in California is a blown-out natural gas well more than 8,700ft underground, state authorities and campaign groups said Monday.
Wine could be the ultimately safe subject to communicate climate change where even great deluges of rain failProtesters standing in floodwaters hold a sign that reads: “Can we talk about climate change now?†Scant media coverage of the link between increasing weather extremes and a warming world suggests it’s a conversation still seriously waiting to begin.
Power plant conversion project in North Yorkshire is one of several state-backed renewable energy projects in the UKThe European commission has launched an investigation into the UK’s plans to support the conversion of part of its Drax coal power plant to biomass.The commission, which late last year gave approval for the German energy group RWE to undertake a similar conversion at its Lynemouth plant, wants to ensure the Drax plans are in line with EU state aid rules. Continue reading...
Latest figures from the Met Office show double the average amount of rain fell last month, with temperatures 4.1C higher than averageDecember was the wettest month ever recorded in the UK, with almost double the rain falling than average, according to data released by the Met Office on Tuesday.Last month saw widespread flooding which continued into the new year, with 21 flood alerts in England and Wales and four in Scotland in force on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...
by Josh Halliday North of England correspondent on (#ZP51)
Flood rescue officers in North Yorkshire smash back window to rescue 26 children in Newton-on-Ouse on Tuesday morningMore than 20 children have been rescued from a school bus that became trapped in several feet of flood water after the driver ignored a road closure sign.Firefighters were called by some of the 26 pupils on the bus when it tilted into a verge and began to fill with water in Newton-on-Ouse on Tuesday morning. Flood rescue officers smashed a back window to rescue the children.
by Claire Provost and Ryskeldi Satke in Bishkek on (#ZNX4)
In the Tian Shan mountains, an ambitious ‘ice mining’ project has led to protests among local communities, with claims from activists of threats and violenceThe remote Issyk Kul province in eastern Kyrgyzstan, on the border with China, is home to some of the most stunning vistas of the rugged Tian Shan mountain range that cuts through much of Central Asia. Mountain goats and endangered snow leopards roam the rocky slopes, while rare species of dandelion and wild tulip bloom in alpine meadows.
John Swinney says flood forecasting services are ‘absolutely protected’ amid concerns over plans to reduce funds to environment protection agencyFlood-stricken communities across Scotland remained on alert as Scotland’s finance minister rebutted claims that cuts were threatening the efficiency of the country’s flood forecasting agency.With persistent heavy rain on saturated ground causing river levels to remain unusually high and over-top in some areas overnight, John Swinney insisted that forecasting service resources would be “absolutely and totally protectedâ€. Continue reading...
Video from Ross Hocking, the manager of the Pohldu cafe in Cornwall, shows a clear-up operation near the cafe on Tuesday after thousand of pink plastic bottles began washing up on Pohldu beach. Kat, a National Trust ranger, says the bottles arrived in small numbers but this soon escalated across the county’s coastline Continue reading...
Environmental authorities say the Chinese capital’s air quality in 2015 was better than the year before despite the city’s first two red alerts for pollution late in the yearEnvironmental authorities in Beijing say the Chinese capital’s air quality in 2015 was better than the year before despite the city’s first two red alerts for pollution late in the year.China has been setting national and local targets to reduce its notorious air pollution as citizens have become increasingly aware of the health dangers. Beijing’s municipal government has been replacing coal-fired boilers with natural gas-powered facilities, forcing older, more polluting vehicles off the road, and closing or moving factories that are heavy polluters. Continue reading...
by Alex Pashley for ClimateHome, part of the Guardian on (#ZNQ0)
ClimateHome: Heatwaves and droughts in a hotter planet to cripple power stations within decades without adaptation measures, researchers warnThousands of power plants around the world may face severe reductions in their ability to generate electricity by mid-century due to water shortages, according to new research.Hydro- and thermo-electric (nuclear, fossil-fuelled, biomass-fuelled) power plants are vulnerable to dwindling rivers and reservoirs as the planet warms, a study published in Nature on Monday said. Continue reading...
A threatened bluefin tuna has sold for US$118,000 (£80,000/AU$164,000) at the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market on Tuesday. It was bought by sushi restaurant chain boss Kiyoshi Kimura who took the fish back to one of his restaurants and posed with it for the cameras. Photograph: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Continue reading...
The Dutch and Danish cycling utopias of Amsterdam, Groningen, Utrecht and Copenhagen are high up the list – but what about the rest of the world?The future of cycling in the UK was dealt a bad hand when George Osborne’s Spending Review revealed a new commitment of £300m to cycling investment to 2020/21. While that might sound like a lot, it equates to around £1.40 per person per year in England (outside of London), and a significant step backwards from previous commitments to minimum funding of £10 per person per year. To put this in perspective, the average investment in the Netherlands is around €30 (£22) per person per year.But while the UK government may be limiting the chances for British cities to become the most cycle-friendly in the world, across the globe many metropolises are taking huge steps to improve conditions for people on bikes. One Danish study reveals that for every kilometre cycled, society enjoys a 23 cent (16p) profit, while driving the same distance produces a net loss of 16 cents (10p). Of course, cycling also increases fitness, tackles stress levels and one less car on the road will help to lower pollution levels. Continue reading...
Sale of 200kg fish to restaurant in Japan comes despite campaigners’ warnings that species is heading for extinctionA sushi restaurant in Japan has paid US$118,000 (£80,000/AU$164,000) for a bluefin tuna at the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market, despite repeated warnings that the prized fish is heading towards extinction.
Wybunbury Moss I squelch among bushes and clawing briars, stopping to admire the chocolate-brown bulrushesOn this raw winter’s day a scalpel-sharp wind slices across my face as I head down the ancient steps in St Chad’s churchyard, each one created from gravestones, all slippery with leaves. And there it is in the distance, a bowl-like depression, wreathed in mist: Wybunbury Moss, a national nature reserve famed for its floating peat bog carpeted in sphagnum moss and its invertebrate populations.I open a wooden gate and walk into a marshy field. The wind snatches at my woollen hat and bullies me down the hill. I pass a huddle of sheep, bleating pitifully, drizzle now pearling their grubby fleeces. A heron takes off on silent, silvery wings. A fetid stink hangs in the air. I squelch among bushes and clawing briars, between reeds, stopping to admire the tall, velvety, chocolate-brown bulrushes, standing stalk-stiff. In spring, when their heads split open, the air is filled with seeds; and in early summer, its flower looks like a cat’s tail, hence its American name, cattail. Today, they remind me of hot dogs on sticks. Continue reading...
A motorist in Perth says she ‘had to look twice’ when she noticed a 2m-long dead shark strapped to the front of a white four-wheel-drive vehicle in Safety Bay. Julie Wright shared video footage of the car on the Perth & WA Fishing Reports Facebook page on Monday afternoon, where it has been viewed more than 200,000 times. It is unclear what species the shark was, and whether it was a legal size, although some have suggested it was a tiger shark Continue reading...
The Justice Department alleges that international scandal in which car manufacturer put illegal emissions devices in vehicles defied Clean Air ActThe US government has sued Volkswagen over allegations that the German company illegally installed special software to cheat emission tests.
Warnings issued in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana after flooding from heavy December rainfall caused death and destruction in Missouri and IllinoisSouthern US states are bracing themselves for major flooding as surging waters that have inundated parts of Missouri and Illinois head south down the Mississippi river.
It may seem sensible for Brighton and Hove city council to save £175,000 a year by sacking its rangers, but the hidden costs are greatShortly before Christmas, the nine rangers who look after the parks and green spaces of Brighton and Hove were sent a text message from their bosses: six will lose their jobs under the Labour council’s austerity budget, a bonfire not of bureaucrats but of guardians of our green spaces.Most of us imagine a squadron of Percy the Park Keepers if invited to consider “countryside managersâ€. In fact, this was a burgeoning profession. But conservation, keeping urban greenery safe and accessible, maintaining rights of way and promoting the outdoors are now considered inessential next to other duties of local government. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks, Adam Vaughan and agency on (#ZJPA)
Bad weather cuts off some villages, while train service between Carlisle and Glasgow will be closed for at least a monthHeavy rain and high winds have battered central and north-east Scotland with homes again threatened by flood waters and some villages in Aberdeenshire remaining cut off after Storm Frank caused damage to transport routes last week.Local MSPs praised the “huge community spirit†as residents of a sheltered housing complex in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, were evacuated to the village scout hut on Monday afternoon, while the local Asda supermarket supplied food to the makeshift emergency centre. Continue reading...
