Environment | The Guardian

Creativity and agriculture merge with crop art, a craft that uses grains, seeds or leaves as its material - and Minnesota leads the wayWhen Laura Melnick arrived at a gathering hosted by her husband's colleague over 25 years ago, she quickly realized this was no ordinary house party. Containers of seeds, toothpicks and Elmer's glue topped the tables, and guests created pictures with dried seeds and beans that they stuck on to boards.This was Melnick's first introduction to crop art, a craft that uses seeds, grains, leaves or other botanical materials instead of paint or clay. She had fun with it, so after the party she and her family started making their own crop art. Then she saw artist Alan Carpenter's kitschy seed portraits at the Minnesota state fair; in his The Vices of First Ladies: Mrs John F. Kennedy Smoking, Jackie Kennedy holds a cigarette while she burns in flames. It used about a dozen kinds of seeds, including two colors of clover, multiple kinds of millet and the common poppy seed. Inspired by Carpenter's quirkiness, Melnick decided to take her seed art game to a new level. Continue reading...

Beef production is a huge climate crisis driver, and a new study says only a small percent in the country does most of the eatingOne of the biggest drivers of the climate crisis, accounting for a third of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions, is food production, with meat - particularly beef - at the top of the list.The US is the biggest consumer of beef in the world, but, according to new research, it's actually a small percentage of people who are doing most of the eating. A recent study shows that on any given day, just 12% of people in the US account for half of all beef consumed in the US. Continue reading...

Pressure from agriculture lobbies led to role of cattle in rising global temperatures being underplayed by FAO, claim sources

Health crisis has been neglected', particularly in low-income countries, and it's killing three times more people than lung cancerUrgent action is needed to address the staggering harm" caused by lead poisoning, mostly in low-income countries where more than half of children are exposed to dangerous levels of the pollutant.A year-long project, led by Washington-based thinktank the Center for Global Development (CGD), has concluded that lead poisoning constitutes a global health crisis that has been extraordinarily neglected" by donors and political leaders. Continue reading...

As front moves north to batter UK coasts, Storm Aline brings more heavy rain and strong winds to Iberian peninsulaAlthough Storm Babet has been battering the coasts of the UK during the second half of this week, it had already left behind a trail of destruction across Portugal as it developed out in the Atlantic. Strong winds and torrential rain on Monday night into Tuesday resulted in flooding, with streets swamped underwater and the drainage system at Faro airport in south Portugal unable to cope under the deluge.Holidaymakers and local people were left running for cover as ceilings in the airport terminal building collapsed when they could no longer hold back the rainfall. Continue reading...

Pioneering journalist will be remembered for passion for social justice and putting people at centre of storiesJohn Vidal, the Guardian's former environment editor, has died aged 74. He died peacefully on Thursday in hospital, where he was being treated for cancer.Vidal reported on the environment for the Guardian for almost three decades until retiring in 2017, calling it the greatest job on Earth". Afterwards, he continued to report from around the world with his trademark energy and enthusiasm and published a book, Fevered Planet: How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature, in June this year. Continue reading...

Scientists find antibodies in Scottish populations of northern gannets and shags as poultry infections in Britain fall dramaticallySome birds have developed immunity to avian flu, according to scientists who say there are encouraging signs" that the deadly virus could kill fewer birds this winter.The current H5N1 bird flu outbreak, which started in 2021, has been the worst recorded, and is thought to have killed millions of wild birds. Mortality rates appeared to be very high among wild birds, but it was not known how many survived and gained immunity. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including rescued baby squirrels, a capped langur and battling deer Continue reading...

Report highlights evidence of workers from Africa and Asia labouring in 42C heat in Dubai to build conference facilitiesMigrant workers in Dubai have been working in dangerously hot temperatures to get conference facilities ready for world leaders attending this year's international Cop28 climate talks, according to a new investigation.FairSquare, a human rights research and advocacy group, obtained evidence of more than a dozen migrant workers from Africa and Asia labouring outside at three Cop28 sites in early September as temperatures hit 42C (107F) in Dubai - the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Continue reading...

Absence of visitors during Covid inspired a plan to help local people protect its culture from tourismIn the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sandra Marinopoulou started thinking about how, as president of the Museum of Cycladic Art, she could start giving back" to the island chain after which the institution is named. She soon discovered she did not have to look far.As luck would have it I was stuck on an isle at the time," she recalled. Without the masses, with no tourism whatsoever, the landscape had returned to its natural state, both primitive and virgin." Continue reading...

People were throwing rocks at seal and getting dogs to attack it to get footage of it chasing them, says deputy mayorOfficials in Cape Town have urged beachgoers to leave seals alone after one of the animals bit a woman and later died of stress following days of repeated harassment".The woman was taken to a local hospital and treated for a bite wound after the attack late on Wednesday on the popular Strand Beach, southeast of the South African city. Continue reading...

We need ... to maintain our roads in a way that's fair, and aimed at helping, not hindering, electrification of transport', says Monique Ryan

Across America, temperatures are soaring - but industry groups are opposing potentially life-saving heat regulationsThis story is co-published with Grist and produced in partnership with the Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. It is part of Record High, a Grist series examining extreme heat and its impact on how - and where - we live.On a sweltering day in July 2015, Roendy Granillo was installing floors in Melissa, Texas. Temperatures had reached 97F when he began to feel sick. He asked for a break, but his employer told him to keep working. Shortly after, he collapsed. He died on the way to the hospital from heatstroke. He was 25. Continue reading...

Experts warn the NT government has significant and critical gaps in the knowledge base underpinning fracking approvals'

North Atlantic right whales are being killed in collisions with vessels that are flouting go-slow zones in US waters, report warnsThe lives of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are being put at risk by ships speeding in designated slow zones", according to a new report.Only about 340 of the species remain, and collisions with boats are a leading cause of injuries and fatalities as the whales often swim close to the surface, and their dark colour makes them difficult to spot. Continue reading...

Undeterred after being charged over separate demonstration, Thunberg joined fossil fuel activists outside JP Morgan in Canary Wharf

Buckeye, Arizona, is eyeing crazy' ideas to keep growing, including piping water hundreds of miles uphill from MexicoArizona, stressed by years of drought, has declared its housebuilding boom will have to be curbed due to a lack of water but one of its fastest-growing cities is refusing to give up its relentless march into the desert - even if it requires constructing a pipeline that would bring water across the border from Mexico.The population of Buckeye, located 35 miles west of Phoenix, has doubled over the past decade to just under 120,000 and it is now priming itself to eventually become one of the largest cities in the US west. The city's boundaries are vast - covering an area stretching out into the Sonoran Desert that would encompass two New York Cities - and so are its ambitions. Continue reading...

Increase of virus in wild birds is driving evolution and spread of new strains, researchers foundThe epicentre of deadly bird flu outbreaks has shifted from Asia to Europe and Africa, a new study has found.For 25 years, bird flu viruses typically emerged from Asia, but major changes in the virus and its spread among wild birds mean the outbreaks are shifting. Research shows that while outbreaks in 2016 and 2017 started in China, two new H5 viruses emerged in 2020 in African poultry and in 2022 in European wild birds. Continue reading...

As wolf numbers surge, herders in the north of the country are relearning old ways to keep the apex predators at bayIn the pre-dawn darkness of Sierra de la Culebra, Zamora, Spain, a sudden howl pierces the cold. More join in, until the baying chorus echoes all around. As the sky begins to lighten, their shapes emerge: first the alpha male, and then the rest of the wolf pack, appearing in the twilight where light and darkness merge.In Europe, this large carnivore was hunted for centuries and almost exterminated, surviving only in inaccessible or sparsely populated areas. Now, thanks to changing attitudes and increased protection, Europe's wolf population is slowly recovering, and the apex predators are gradually returning to their former territories.The Iberian wolf had practically disappeared by the 1970s, but numbers have been steadily growing Continue reading...

Author speaks candidly about a mirror world' that feeds our anxieties, distorts reality and fuels the polarisation of societyNaomi Klein is aware that her new book, Doppelganger, looks strange. A distorted picture of her face stares at you from the front cover. Everyone who holds it looks like they're holding my severed head, including me. It feels like Macbeth," she says. Her laugh punctures the quiet communal space we're sitting in on the first floor of a London hotel in late September.But the weirdness is intentional. It's supposed to capture what she's writing about - a mirror world where her sense of self becomes distorted. Her starting point is her very own doppelganger, the writer Naomi Wolf. For more than a decade Klein has repeatedly been confused with Wolf. What at first irked her became more frustrating - destabilising, even - as it moved to social media and Wolf dived full on into conspiracy culture, allying with the far right in the process. The two are so frequently mixed up that social media algorithms began to autocomplete Klein's name when people were writing about the latest thing Wolf had said or done. Continue reading...

When the godfather of climate science' says the extraordinary heat during the northern summer points to accelerated warming, governments should listen

More than 100 species, from frogs to killer whales, contaminated with long-lasting chemicals with serious health effectsMore than a hundred species of wildlife found across every continent are contaminated with highly toxic flame retardants, and the pollution is probably responsible for population declines in some species, a new analysis of published research shows.The dangerous chemicals have been detected in everything from sea urchins to bobcats to Arctic foxes, and at alarming levels in endangered species such as red pandas, chimpanzees and killer whales. Continue reading...

Forest fires leave Manaus with second worst air quality in the world, while low river levels cut off communitiesA withering drought has turned the Amazonian capital of Manaus into a climate dystopia with the second worst air quality in the world and rivers at the lowest levels in 121 years.The city of 1 million people, which is surrounded by a forest of trees, normally basks under blue skies. Tourists take pleasure boats to the nearby meeting of the Negro and Amazon (known locally as the Solimoes) rivers, where dolphins can often be seen enjoying what are usually the most abundant freshwater resources in the world. Continue reading...

An heirloom mixologist' says the focus on preserving seeds ignores the possibilities of more vigorous and healthy plantsI want to talk about the problematic concept of heirloom seeds. Now, this will probably will cause some trouble, as criticizing heirlooms is like picking a fight with everyone's favorite granny. Or - given that heirlooms are often seen as the only alternative to a seed industry dominated by patents and global profiteering - this could come across as kicking David in the balls as he stands before Goliath. But in our current times of climate chaos, seed and food systems need to be able to change and adapt. As a farmer who cares about sustainable agriculture, I know that growing food is getting more difficult and it is high time to embrace dynamic and regional seed diversity.Humans have been saving seeds since the dawn of agriculture. For the most part, people and seeds have long been in a dialogue of ever-changing genetics, environmental conditions, cuisines, cultures and curiosity. Seeds have changed us, and we have changed them, sometimes without even trying. Continue reading...

Colombia and Mali rank highest in study of plans for cleaner air, while UAE, host of Cop28, among rich nations scoring poorlyLow- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are leading global efforts to improve air quality as part of national climate plans, according to a ranking that scores Colombia and Mali highest and puts the United Arab Emirates, which will host the Cop28 climate conference next month, among the worst.Findings of a study by the Global Climate and Health Alliance published on Wednesday show that countries from the global south have the most ambitious strategies to address air pollution and its health impacts, while major polluters - such as the powerful G20 countries - are lacklustre in their commitments. Continue reading...

Experts agree it's time to change the Clean Air Act's exceptional events rule - but offer different solutions.

But environmental groups and scientists say alternative programs to save water have failed and buybacks must resume

National Infrastructure Commission says public transport, home heating and water networks all in need of renewal

Advisers say government should cover cost of replacing gas boilers with pumps in more than 2m homesMore than 2 million low-income households should be given a free electric heat pump to replace their gas boiler if the UK hopes to meet its legally binding climate targets, according to the government's advisers.Britain's official infrastructure tsars have called on the government to spend up to 4bn every year for the next 12 years to cover the full cost of heat pump installations, and support energy efficiency improvements, for 1.5 million households on lower incomes in England. Continue reading...

The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested in London after joining hundreds of protesters who gathered at a five-star hotel to denounce a meeting described as 'the Oscars of oil'. The demonstration, organised by Fossil Free London, blocked the entrance to the InterContinental Park Lane, the venue for the Energy Intelligence Forum, which brings together fossil fuel executives and government ministers. The Metropolitan police say five people were arrested

Climate activist taken away by Met police after protesters denounce meeting of fossil fuel executives and ministersGreta Thunberg was arrested after joining hundreds of protesters who gathered at a five-star hotel in London on Tuesday morning to denounce a meeting branded the Oscars of oil".Footage showed the Swedish climate activist being bundled into the back of a van by police after taking part in protests blocking the entrances of the InterContinental on Park Lane, the venue for the Energy Intelligence Forum (EIF), which brings together fossil fuel executives and government ministers. Continue reading...

Wildlife advocacy groups stress permanent' consequences of failing to address biodiversity and climateAbout 21 species have been removed from the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) after going extinct in a move conservationists are calling a wake-up call.The US Fish and Wildlife Service removed the species - a mix of animals and plants - after determining that they had gone extinct, according to a press release. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Assistant treasurer says insurers warned government you've got five years' to reduce vulnerability to climate crisis

Exclusive: Climate and transport groups argue electric vehicles plan has had little impact in the six months since its release

The messy intersection of botany and the law contributes to the murky legal status of seeds used to grow THC-rich cannabisOn 1 August, Minnesota became the latest state to legalize recreational cannabis use. That very same day, residents began to hit up Jim Cramond's store, Strains of the Earth, clamoring for weed. But not just any type of weed - they were specifically seeking seeds.People streamed into his Jordan, Minnesota, shop to buy them in person. They bombarded him on social media about availability. His phone rang off the hook with calls from customers curious about growing their own cannabis. Continue reading...

Across the US, local governments, lobbyists and industry have spent millions to get wildfire pollution excluded from the record. People like Robert Shobe pay the price

Exclusive: Plans to plant 202 new trees and create play village' for children in salvaged city centre schemeThe more than 100 trees in the centre of Plymouth, whose overnight felling helped bring down the Conservative council, are to be replaced with almost double the number.Council leaders are releasing plans to regenerate Armada Way in the city centre, planting 202 new trees and creating a large children's play area the size of five tennis courts. Continue reading...

Climate crisis blamed for extreme heat in African country, which has recorded temperatures of 43C - nearly double seasonal averageMalawians endured the country's hottest weekend on record, with temperatures reaching nearly double the seasonal average.The heatwave began last Thursday with the government warning people to stay out of the sun, to keep hydrated, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Some school buildings in the south of the country were evacuated, and children were taught in the shade of playground trees. Continue reading...

Investment needs to double to more than $600bn a year by 2030 after decade of stagnation', says agencyMinisters have been urged to open their eyes" to the need to build a vast network of new electricity grids to allow countries to hit climate goals, the chief of the world's energy watchdog has said.Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), has warned that the equivalent of the entire global electricity grid - 80m km of grid - needs to be added or refurbished by 2040 to hit climate targets and ensure reliable power supplies. Continue reading...

Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Barents Sea it maintains cordial relations with Nato neighbours over fishing rights - barelyFrom the village of Grense Jakobselv, where the Norwegian-Russian border meets the Arctic Ocean, you can see straight into Russia. And, across the river that marks the border line, the Russian soldiers can look right back.Despite water temperatures here rarely climbing above 10C (50F), in the summer months the Norwegian side is a popular destination for fishing, beluga whale spotting, basking in the midnight sun and, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, peering into Russia. Everyone wants to go to one of the most eastern military points of Norway and have a look into Russia. It's like being at Loch Ness," says Trygg Arne Larsen, a military adviser. Continue reading...

Fly season is here and there is buzzing in the air - and in our homes. So who are these curious insects and how should we feel about them?

Port in Manaus records lowest water level since 1902, leaving boats stranded and unable to deliver food and water to remote villagesThe water level at a major river port in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has hit its lowest point in at least 121 years, as a historic drought upends the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and damages the jungle ecosystem.Rapidly drying tributaries to the mighty Amazon river have left boats stranded, cutting off food and water supplies to remote jungle villages, while high water temperatures are suspected of killing more than 100 endangered river dolphins. Continue reading...

Exceptional events rule has become regulatory escape hatch' for states that want to meet federal air-quality standards

Minister Tanya Plibersek should strengthen trigger' protection to ensure projects are assessed for impact on water resources

2018 Australian of the year recognised for work on super-fast technology in field of atomic electronics

Floods, freezes and heatwaves threaten seed production as farmers scramble to produce strains that resist climate chaosOnce upon a not-so-distant time, the growing season for the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Green Things Farm Collective followed a steadfast trajectory.We reliably had rainy springs and early summers, then hot and dry in late July and August, with the rains picking up again in September," said Stacy Mates, Green Things' seed company manager. For a crop like lettuce seed, it was perfect." Continue reading...

Cowpats in a Cambridge meadow offer vital lessons in how a host of tiny creatures sustain our planetSummer is ending, and Coe Fen meadow in Cambridge is entering a period of slumber. The cows are sheltering under a tree, whisking away flies and defecating as they lie down. Spring's succulent grasses have been supplanted by scruffier dock leaves, thistles and nettles. Berries on the trees and the reddening of leaves show that autumn is waiting backstage.We are exploring the delights of faeces and the little ecosystems inside them. Cowpats are the obvious choice because of their abundance, and they are also the least offensive on offer. Continue reading...

Experts say decision not to make evidence available to family of Manuel Paez Teran or public sets frightening' precedentThe state of Georgia is refusing to release evidence tied to the police shooting and killing of an activist protesting a police and fire department training center known as Cop City", prompting concern from police accountability experts who say this sets a frightening" precedent .District attorney George Christian released a 31-page report earlier this month concluding that the 18 January shooting of Manuel Paez Teran, or Tortuguita", was objectively reasonable". Paez Teran was one of a small group of forest defenders" camping in a wooded public park to protest Cop City, planned for a separate part of the forest south-east of Atlanta, Georgia, less than a mile away. Dozens of officers from multiple agencies raided the park; the state claims Paez Teran fired a gun first, prompting six officers to shoot the activist. The activist sustained 57 gunshot wounds and died nearly instantly. Continue reading...

More deprived areas have fewer parks and public places protected by official local green space designationGreen spaces in poorer parts of England are less likely to be protected against being bulldozed and developed than those in more affluent areas, according to a new study.Overall the number of designated local green spaces has increased by more than 700 in the past 12 months. But today's report, by rural charity the CPRE, reveals that parks, public spaces and small areas of trees in more deprived areas are less likely to be officially protected. Continue reading...

The Icelandic singer discusses her collaboration with Rosalia and how artists pick up on the environmental emergency