Environment | The Guardian

London mayor says releasing animals into wild is environmentally sound and a Labour vote-winner

Police say 55-year-old man is believed to be victim of fatal shark attack' although his body is yet to be found

Exclusive: Projects that risk 1.5C heating target operated by companies receiving financing from European, Chinese and US banksBanks pumped more than $150bn last year into companies whose giant carbon bomb" projects could destroy the last chance of stopping the planet heating to dangerous levels, the Guardian can reveal.The carbon bombs - 425 extraction projects that can each pump more than one gigaton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - cumulatively hold enough coal, oil and gas to burn through the rapidly dwindling carbon budget four times over. Between 2016 and 2022, banks mainly in the US, China and Europe gave $1.8tn in financing to the companies running them, new research shows. Continue reading...

Coast guard tackling very serious' incident as severe weather hampers efforts to empty oil from Marco Polo, which grounded near HorvikA ferry that ran aground off south-eastern Sweden had extensive damage" and was leaking oil into the Baltic Sea, a spokesman for the Swedish coast guard said.On 22 October the Marco Polo was running between two Swedish ports - Trelleborg and Karlshamn - when it ran aground near Horvik and started leaking. It continued under its own power before grounding a second time. Continue reading...

Sadiq Khan hails huge progress' as progress report finds more than 95% of vehicles are now compliant

Local residents discovered trapped whale trailing two buoys, making unusual sounds and having trouble moving freely'A young humpback whale was freed by rescuers in Alaska after it was discovered hog-tied to a 300lb crab pot.The rescue, which occurred on 11 October, came after two local residents discovered the trapped whale a day earlier in the coastal waters near Gustavus, a city close to Glacier Bay national park in the southernmost part of Alaska. Researchers estimate the whale to be about three to four years old. Continue reading...

Research highlights benefits forests bring surrounding regions in terms of cooler air and more rainfallDeforestation has a far greater impact on regional temperatures than previously believed, according to a new study of the Brazilian Amazon that shows agricultural businesses would be among the biggest beneficiaries of forest conservation.The research has important political implications because farmers in Amazonian states have, until now, led the way in forest destruction on the assumption that they will make money by clearing more land. Continue reading...

Students say that by investing in fossil fuels their schools are violating commitments to the public interestStudents at six universities filed legal complaints on Monday accusing their colleges of breaking a little-known law by investing in planet-heating fossil fuels, the Guardian has learned.Campus organizers from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago, Tufts University, Pomona College, Washington University in St Louis and Pennsylvania State University wrote to the attorneys general of their respective states to ask officials to scrutinize their universities' investments. Each filing elicited signatures of support from dozens of faculty and staff members, alumni and local, national and international climate-focused groups. Continue reading...

Having good chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C is gone, sending dire' message about the adequacy of climate actionThe carbon budget remaining to limit the climate crisis to 1.5C of global heating is now tiny", according to an analysis, sending a dire" message about the adequacy of climate action.The carbon budget is the maximum amount of carbon emissions that can be released while restricting global temperature rise to the limits of the Paris agreement. The new figure is half the size of the budget estimated in 2020 and would be exhausted in six years at current levels of emissions. Continue reading...

Almost three-quarters say development of renewables should not come at the expense of local communities' and half support nuclear energy

New report says buybacks by far' most cost-effective method to recover water while confirming plan won't be completed on budget'

Nobody experiences the purple light of the blossoms as totally as the bee inside her petal trumpetIt is what jacarandas do to blue sky that makes us so helpless to resist them. They emerge in early summer, when we hope the skies will be bluest, and make them bluer still. The jacaranda flames on the air like a ghost," the Australian poet Douglas Stewart wrote, Like a purer sky some door in the sky has revealed."Their blossoms fall, turning the ground to the sky, like still water reflecting clouds, and in the middle is us, bobbing happily up and down. Continue reading...

Pumpkin growers in west and south-west fail to achieve predicted yields as climate crisis worsens drought and heat extremesAlan Mazzotti can see the Rocky Mountains about 30 miles west of his pumpkin patch in north-east Colorado on a clear day. He could tell the snow was abundant last winter, and verified it up close when he floated through fresh powder alongside his wife and three sons at the popular Winter Park resort.But one season of above-average snowfall wasn't enough to refill the dwindling reservoir he relies on to irrigate his pumpkins. He received news this spring that his water delivery would be about half of what it was from the previous season, so he planted just half of his typical pumpkin crop. Then heavy rains in May and June brought plenty of water and turned fields into a muddy mess, preventing any additional planting many farmers might have wanted to do. Continue reading...

Therese Coffey says data will be gathered on impact of emerging industry and UK will not support licences in meantimeBritain is backing a moratorium on commercial deep-sea mining, after criticism from scientists, MPs and environmentalists of its previous stance in support of the emerging industry.On Monday, the UK government announced it would back a temporary suspension on supporting or sponsoring any exploitation licences to mine metals from the sea floor until enough scientific evidence was available to understand the impact on ecosystems. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Hundreds of poor' or very poor' defences are in areas battered by Storm Babet, according to analysis by UnearthedMore than 4,000 of England's vital flood defences are so damaged they are almost useless, including hundreds in areas battered by Storm Babet.Nearly 800 critical assets - defined as those where there is a high risk to life and property - were in a poor" or very poor" condition in the 10 English counties worst affected by last week's historic downpours. Continue reading...

Block Cop City' plans non-violent march onto site of police center and a week of panels and screenings aimed at Black audiencesThe movement against the police and fire department training center known as Cop City" is planning two events for the coming weeks in and near Atlanta, Georgia - including a first-ever, non-violent protest march on to the project's construction site.The action, planned for 13 November and aimed at occupying the Cop City site for a day, could draw a thousand or more people from across the county. This would make it the largest protest to date at the location. The other event is a Black-led week of action" the week before, aimed at Black audiences. Continue reading...

Environmentalists want Tasmanian government to follow Victoria and WA and end native forest logging

Conservation charity will roll out two-year pilot scheme across UK as it seeks to increase young people's engagement with natureEurope's largest wildlife conservation charity is giving free access to all of its reserves for those aged 16-24 years old as it attempts a youth revolution" to better engage young people with nature.The two-year pilot programme will be rolled out across the UK from 6 November, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said in a document sent out to volunteers.This article has been updated to clarify that entry will not be free to all under-24s: families with children between six and 15 years old will receive free entry for one child, then have to pay half price at some reserves for additional children. Continue reading...

Storm named after a civil servant as Met Office warns of severe weather later this weekStorm Ciaran is likely to bring strong winds, heavy rain and the risk of flooding across southern England and Wales later in the week, the Met Office has said.Forecasters announced the new storm name on Sunday morningfollowing the havoc wreaked in recent weeks by Storm Agnes and Storm Babet. Continue reading...

Experts fear half of the 290m wetland acres have lost federal protection and could be at risk from developersOften dismissed as dismal wet bogs and rampantly cleared since European arrival in the US, the underappreciated importance of wetlands has been placed into sharp relief by a supreme court ruling that has plunged many of these ecosystems into new peril.The extent of wetlands, areas covered or saturated by water that encompass marshes, swamps and carbon-rich peatlands, has shrunk by 40% over the past 300 years as the US drained and filled them in for housing, highways, parking lots, golf courses and other uses. Globally, wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests are. Continue reading...

Amid lack of acorns and beechnuts in natural habitats, bears have injured 158 people and killed two since AprilExperts in Japan have warned that bear attacks are rising at an unprecedented rate, as the animals struggle to find food in their natural habitat.Bears have caused at least 158 injuries and two deaths since April, equalling the record set in 2020, according to media reports. Most of the attacks occurred in the northern part of Honshu, Japan's biggest island, the environment ministry said. Continue reading...

Increasing infestation in the Italian capital blamed on city's refuse problem and high temperaturesAndrea Velardi had just settled down to dine on the terrace of his friend's apartment near Campi de' Fiori in central Rome when he felt an excruciating pain in his foot.It was nearing sunset on a sweltering day in mid-August, and his friend had valiantly tried to kill off the unusually large wasps that had been swarming around the terrace before the guests arrived. He wanted to protect us," said Velardi. But one on the ground beneath the table was still alive ... the pain was tremendous, and my foot swelled up so much I couldn't walk. I knew straight away that this wasn't a normal wasp sting." Continue reading...

Sean Hanley says hybrid vehicles are better fit' in Australia but Electric Vehicle Council says brand's comments could undermine lithium industry

Efforts at major conference in Tasmania stall despite evidence that such areas would save crucial foraging and breeding grounds for Antarctic wildlife

Environmental and health experts say UK grows or imports two and a half times the population's recommended intakeMinisters should cap domestic sugar production to tackle Britain's obesity crisis, according to a new report backed by health experts and environmental campaigners.The UK grows and imports more than two and a half times the population's maximum recommended intake of sugar, according to Sugar Pollution, a report by environmental campaigners Feedback Global and Action on Sugar, a group of specialists in medicine, nutrition and public health. Continue reading...

PM will announce a new system for awarding oil and gas exploration licences, and new pro-car legislation, sources sayRishi Sunak's government will use next week's king's speech to advance expansion of North Sea oil and gas exploration, as well as pro-car policies, in the hope of opening up a clear divide over the green agenda with Labour, the Observer understands.Energy industry sources and senior figures in Whitehall say they expect ministers to announce legislation to usher in a new annual system for awarding oil and gas licences, despite the UK's commitments to move away from fossil fuels and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Continue reading...

Campaigners call for Sir Robert Goodwill to resign as Guardian reveals he is also head of destructive' rural pressure group that backs trophy huntingThe Conservative chair of the environment select committee has been urged to resign as the Guardian revealed he is also chair of a group endorsing nature policies described by critics as destructive and dangerous".Sir Robert Goodwill, who chairs the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee (Efra), is tasked with holding the environment secretary to account on nature and environmental targets. He became chair of the committee after his predecessor, Neil Parish, resigned after a pornography scandal. Continue reading...

Trees once described as about as much use to our wildlife as concrete posts' to gradually be phased out in favour of more drought-tolerant plants

Derbyshire and South Yorkshire MPs say agency not up to the task' after people received warnings too late

From product placement for unnecessary gadgets to meat-centred cooking, TV can make us think unsustainable is normalWhen you log in to your favorite streaming service and pull up a cooking show, chances are you're just looking for a bit of entertainment - maybe even to shut your brain off for a while. But if what you're watching is constantly exposing you to images of sizzling steaks, roaring gas flames and all the fanciest new appliances, it might be reinforcing habits or norms that aren't exactly climate friendly.While there's not enough data to pinpoint precisely what effect TV and film has on our behavior, experts say that what we see on screen can help shape our sense of what's normal - and therefore acceptable. Unfortunately, what we're shown on TV is rarely a great guide for how we might begin reducing the climate impacts of food, which accounts for somewhere between 25% and 33% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...

Encroaching water from the Mississippi River has necessitated more thorough disinfecting, which leaves behind dangerous chemicalsThe water for a community along Louisiana's Gulf coast has seen a significant increase in the levels of contaminants known as disinfection byproducts, according to recent state water tests reviewed by the Guardian. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), long-term exposure to such substances poses an increased risk of cancer.The findings have emerged as many residents along Louisiana's southern coast have faced saltwater intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico. Continue reading...

Researchers say discovery of at least 11 new kinds of PFAS in water near Chemours plant indicates more contamination than thoughtAt least 11 new kinds of PFAS forever chemicals" are polluting the water around a North Carolina Chemours plant that manufactures the toxic substances, new research finds.The discovery, made by researchers using a novel testing method, is evidence that the environment around the plant is more contaminated with PFAS than regulators have found, the researchers said. Continue reading...

Met Office issues yellow weather alert for Highlands and north-east Scotland days after Storm Babet disruptionSome rail services have been suspended after a yellow weather warning was issued for heavy rain in the Highlands and north-east of Scotland.ScotRail halted direct services between the central belt and Aberdeen and Inverness until Sunday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: campaigners fear less rigorous methods could lead to more pollution in rivers and waterwaysThe UK government is to diverge from the EU's standards for monitoring water quality in England, it can be revealed.Campaigners fear the change of approach could lead to more pollution in England's rivers and waterways if the new measuring methods are less rigorous. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including a sandwich-eating bear, an unexpected aerial invasion of the pitch at the cricket World Cup, and the rarest ape in the world Continue reading...

The operator Tepco says the workers came in contact with the wastewater when a hose came off accidentally and have been taken to hospital as a precautionFour workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant were splashed with water containing radioactive materials, with two of them taken to hospital as a precaution, according to the plant operator.The incident, which took place on Wednesday, highlights the dangers Japan still faces in decommissioning the plant. The reactor was knocked out by an immense tsunami in 2011 in the world's worst atomic disaster since Chornobyl in 1986. Continue reading...

Snake expert says the survival of Bagel and Mango in the wild is a greater concern than any threat to people in Coogee

Kristjan Loftsson has stubbornly refused to bow to public opinion or an overwhelming international consensus against whaling. But with a full ban coming in Iceland, has he killed his last whale?In the face of protests from environmentalists, political pressure and a near universal global consensus, whale hunting is still legal in Iceland, where it is carried out by a single company. Hvalur was inherited by a man named Kristjan Loftsson, 80, who rarely speaks to the international media, but this month he invited the Guardian's chief reporter, Daniel Boffey, to visit.As Boffey tells Nosheen Iqbal, Loftsson is in effect Iceland's last whaler, and with his five-year permit expiring in the coming weeks, he could have killed his last whale. A new bill is being debated in the Icelandic parliament that would ban the practice. Continue reading...

NSW environment minister Penny Sharpe says threatened native species are in danger of extinction' after authorising aerial cull

Secrecy and lax oversight mean illegal loggers and miners in Amazon can park billions in real estate and other assetsSecrecy and lax oversight have made the US a hiding place for dirty money accrued by environmental criminals in the Amazon rainforest, a report says.Illegal loggers and miners are parking sums ranging from millions to billions of dollars in US real estate and other assets, says the report, which calls on Congress and the White House to close loopholes in financial regulations that it says are contributing to the destruction of the world's biggest tropical forest. Continue reading...

Shows like Chopped seem like career-making opportunities, but when entertainment comes first, even winners can struggleWhen the pastry chef turned educator Derek Corsino walked on to the set of the Food Network's hit series Spring Baking Championship, he didn't expect much. I knew from all my previous work [on TV] that my life was not going to change at all," said Corsino, who currently teaches culinary arts at Healdsburg high school in California. I'm just some guy at the end of the day. I went on that show for my students. It was peak Covid and was a great morale boost when it aired in the spring."Corsino, who was a finalist in 2021, said some of his fellow contestants believed they were going to get a lot of business from appearing on the baking competition show, but soon received a reality check. You're not going to get business from this because your business name is going to flash really fast on screen," he said, noting that one competition series he previously filmed was canceled halfway through the season, so no one ever saw his episode. You're here because of your own ego." Continue reading...

Children are particularly vulnerable to climate crisis yet have little say politically or legally in most of worldYoung climate activists should be able to fully take part in legal cases that affect them, say campaigners.As governments and organisations around the world submit formal comments on climate breakdown to the world's top courts, experts have condemned children's inability to fully participate in the legal process in almost all jurisdictions. Continue reading...

Newspaper endorses CEO Meg O'Neill's position the company's gas is needed but doesn't mention global heating

Beloved tree in Cubbington, thought over 250 years old, regrowing from transplanted stump and its cutting offspring are also thrivingA former tree of the year that was chopped down to make way for HS2 is alive and well, regrowing from its transplanted stump.The pear tree in Cubbington, Warwickshire, thought to be more than 250 years old, became a cause celebre when it was first threatened with destruction. Despite having won the tree of the year award in 2015 and thousands having signed a petition to save it, the tree was felled in 2020 by HS2 contractors. Continue reading...

Thames Water and Southern Water among firms urged to take action to secure long-term finances

Exclusive: North Sea Transition Authority under fire for using lawyers to argue against publication of environmental impactThe UK's oil and gas regulator is coming under fire from environmental groups for using lawyers to try to prevent the publication of five key documents relating to the environmental impact of Shell's activities in the North Sea.At a hearing in December, a legal representative for the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) is expected to argue against the publication of documents that contain details about the risk of pollution as a result of decommissioning the Brent oilfield, which was operated by Shell for more than 40 years. It says it opposes publication on a matter of process basis". Continue reading...

Billionaire's web of rightwing groups works to bring cases to court that could undermine core functionings of the US governmentThe Koch network, a web of rightwing groups cultivated by billionaire businessman Charles Koch and his late brother David Koch, is spearheading the attack on federal agencies and government regulations that dominates the US supreme court agenda this term.The network has been working behind the scenes to bring cases before the court that, if successful, could undermine many of the core functionings of the US government. At least two of the biggest cases to be considered by the justices this term have been spurred by groups bankrolled and coordinated within the Koch universe. Continue reading...

Phones often get the blame for distracting users, but technology can also be a powerful way to connect with the natural worldWith a phone at your fingertips, the world is your oyster, or hoopoe, or oak tree. It's now possible to identify everything from mystery animal tracks to elusive birdsong via an app. Beyond that, your sightings could contribute valuable information to scientific studies and conservation efforts around the globe. While phones often get the blame for distracting users from their physical environment, technology can also be a way to connect with the natural world. Here's how. Continue reading...

The winning images of the British Ecological Society's annual photography competition, taken by international ecologists and students, feature a lone tree dominating an empty landscape and a giant squirrel devouring a jackfruit Continue reading...

Anglers in Venezuela have been raking up oil spills and collecting plastic waste from Lake Maracaibo to try to save the lake that sustains their livelihoods.President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the implementation of a "rescue, attention and decontamination" plan for the 13,000 sq km lake, one of South America's largest and one of the oldest in the world. Years of inadequate waste management and neglect of oil industrial infrastructure have polluted the lake, which harbours two-thirds of the country's oil reserves - and production is expected to increase. Continue reading...