Starting with 50 birds and ending 11 days later, with only 10 left in the running, Lenore Taylor announces the winner of the 2023 Guardian/BirdLife Australia bird of the year. The swift parrot soared to first place in the final round of voting, followed closely by the tawny frogmouth in second place (for the third poll in a row), and the gang-gang cockatoo placed third
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by Nina Lakhani climate justice reporter on (#6FBDM)
Toll likely to worsen as floods, storms, droughts and wildfires intensify due to climate crisis, according to Unicef and IDMC studyAt least 43 million child displacements were linked to extreme weather events over the past six years, the equivalent of 20,000 children being forced to abandon their homes and school every single day, new research has found.Floods and storms accounted for 95% of recorded child displacement between 2016 and 2021, according to the first-of-its-kind analysis by Unicef and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). The rest - more than 2 million children - were displaced by wildfires and drought. Continue reading...
Denser neighborhoods with more amenities associated with lower rates of obesity-related cancers in womenLiving in more walkable neighborhoods can lower the rate of obesity-related cancers in women, a new study has found.Living in a densely populated neighborhood with accessible amenities such as grocery stores and small businesses promotes walking, and women living in more walkable neighborhoods had a lower risk of at least five types of cancer, including postmenopausal breast, ovarian, pancreatic and colorectal cancers, as well as multiple myeloma. Continue reading...
The Icelandic and Spanish singers create their first collaboration together as Bjork alleges large-scale farming has had a devastating effect on wildlife' in her countryTwo of Europe's most innovative pop singers, Bjork and Rosalia, have collaborated on a new song to benefit activists fighting against industrial salmon farming in Bjork's native Iceland.The song's title has not been announced, but it will be released later this month; a 75-second preview has been published online. Continue reading...
Which animal is the scariest? According to a recent study, humans have ousted lions at the top of the predator pecking order. The experiment on a group of wild animals showed that they were twice as likely to run away when they heard a human voice compared with the sound of a lion snarling or roaring, with 95% of species in the study fleeing upon hearing a human speak.Prof Liana Zanette, lead researcher from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, said she was surprised by the response from wildlife, as well as the number of species who reacted with terror and fled after hearing human sounds. 'Lions should be the scariest thing out there - but humans were much scarier ... it shows we really are terrifying to animals,' Zanette said.
Government's findings were due in spring, but delays mean housebuilders avoid green costsDelays to the government's planned consultation on net zero regulations for housebuilding will mean more households being hit with hefty bills for energy, housing experts have said.The future homes standard (FHS), which will stipulate that housebuilders construct new homes to be low carbon, was supposed to be opened for consultation in March, but that slipped to a promise of publication in the summer. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6FB1S)
North Sea regulator's warning casts further doubt on Britain meeting its legally binding climate targetsUK oil and gas companies need to do more if they are to meet an official target of halving their emissions from fossil fuel extraction by the end of the decade, the North Sea regulator has warned.The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said it would set out proposals to help give fossil fuel companies a greater focus on their climate pledges amid concerns the targets would be missed without further action. Continue reading...
The sound of super predator' human voices instils more terror around the waterhole than the big cats' roar, researchers discoverThe lion has long been regarded as the world's most fearsome terrestrial carnivore, but the king of beasts" has been toppled by humans, new research shows.Elephants, rhinos and giraffes are all now more afraid of people than other apex predators, according to a scientific paper that supports the idea that humans are the world's super predator". Continue reading...
Mountain's peak has been measured every two years since 2001 and height has varied by almost 5 metresMont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps, has shrunk by 2.2 metres since 2021 to its lowest height in recent memory.The mountain, which is capped by a ridge of ice covering the rock, was measured by a team of surveyors from the Haute-Savoie regional administration, aided by a drone. Continue reading...
Exclusive: No regulator is monitoring scale of impact of dangerous chemicals on wildlife or public healthA toxic cocktail of damaging chemicals created by road pollution is flowing into England's rivers and no regulator is monitoring the scale of its impact on wildlife or public health.More than 18,000 outfalls, such as pipes, and about 7,700 soakaways managed by National Highways discharge rainwater potentially contaminated with heavy metals, hydrocarbons, microplastics and other chemicals from the main road network into rivers and on to land. Continue reading...
Climate crisis funding for poor nations should reach $200bn to $400bn a year by same date, says pre-Cop28 reportFossil fuel exploration should cease globally by 2030 and funding to rescue poor countries from the impacts of the climate crisis should reach $200bn (165bn) to $400bn a year by the same date, according to proposals in a UN report before the next climate summit.Countries were still way off track" to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the report found, and much more action would be needed to make it possible to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels. Continue reading...
Bee and hornet hit ground with such force the attacker is sent scarpering, University of Exeter scientists findBumblebees are not fast or agile enough flyers to evade an attack from an Asian hornet and an airborne scrap would almost certainly result in victory for the latter.But University of Exeter scientists have found that when attacked, buff-tailed bumblebees have a dramatic but effective response: simply dropping out of the air like a brick", taking the hornet with them. Continue reading...
The tragic felling of the tree is making land managers reflect on how this barren landscape should look in futureLast Wednesday night, Britain was robbed of one of its best-loved trees. Mike Pratt, the CEO of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, describes the venerable, now-recumbent sycamore at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall as a totem tree; a touch point in the landscape".But the tree, standing alone in a national park, also reminded some of how nature-depleted England is. As environmentalist Ben Goldsmith said at the time: That someone would have destroyed this iconic tree is beyond comprehension; but what's even more shocking is that this was pretty much the only tree in that entire landscape. Our national parks can and should be so much better." Continue reading...
Five people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted a performance of Les Miserables at the Sondheim theatre in London's West End.During a performance of the song Do You Hear the People Sing? members of the Just Stop Oil group stormed the stage with banners to boos from the audience.In a post on X, the group wrote: '4 people are locked to the stage of the French-revolution-themed show. Valjean steals bread to feed a starving child. How long before we are all forced to steal?'
Two utilities deemed standout poor performers' with so many complaints it skews industry's overall performanceUnder-fire Southern Water and Thames Water have been named the standout poor performers" in handling complaints from customers over the past year by a water watchdog.The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) found that customers of the two water companies, which together supply water and provide wastewater services to more than 20 million people in England, are being let down by a failure to understand and deal with the causes of high levels of complaints from their customers". Continue reading...
Luca Locatelli, an Italian photographer, has been researching the circular economy: an economic model geared to the elimination of waste, involving the circulation of products and materials and the regeneration of nature. His photographs document stories, practices and initiatives in Europe inspired by the movement, and nature-based production solutions and processes which tackle socio-environmental issuesLuca Locatelli's The Circle is on display at Gallerie d'Italia, Turin until 18 February 2024 Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6FAGD)
The carbon emissions driving the climate crisis and rapid arrival of an El Nino event are to blame, researchers sayGlobal temperatures soared to a new record in September by a huge margin, stunning scientists and leading one to describe it as absolutely gobsmackingly bananas".The hottest September on record follows the hottest August and hottest July, with the latter being the hottest month ever recorded. The high temperatures have driven heatwaves and wildfires across the world. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6FACT)
Thinktank says rapid growth of wind and solar is near rate required if world is to hit 2030 target as part of 1.5C pathwayCarbon emissions from the global electricity sector may peak this year, after plateauing in the first half of 2023, because of a surge in wind and solar power, according to a climate thinktank.A new report on global electricity generation found that the growth of renewables was so rapid that it was close to the incredibly fast rate required if the world is to hit the tripling of capacity by the end of the decade that experts believe is necessary to stay on the 1.5C pathway. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Governments must protect people for weeks after event, researchers say, citing reduced access to health services and increased exposure to pathogens
It's hard to overstate just how exceptionally high global temperatures are now, but we have the technology to avert disasterAbsolutely gobsmackingly bananas" is not standard scientific language, but these are not standard times, scientifically.New data shows average global temperatures in September were not just the hottest ever recorded, but 0.5C above the previous record for the month. They were about 1.8C above temperatures in pre-industrial times, before humans started pumping vast amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
Study estimates cats and dogs consume about 9% of all land animals killed for foodIf all the world's dogs went vegan it would save more greenhouse gas emissions than those produced by the UK, according to research advocating the environmental benefits of plant-based pets.The study estimated cats and dogs consume about 9% of all land animals killed for food - about 7 billion animals annually - as well as billions of fish and aquatic animals. Plant-based diets lower greenhouse gas emissions and require less land and water. Continue reading...
Statement at UN human rights council voices disappointment' after host country refuses to change restrictive lawsThe UK has asked the United Arab Emirates, one of its closest Gulf allies, to explain how it will guarantee free speech around the UN Cop28 climate summit in Dubai after the country refused to change its restrictive laws.The refusal came after a four-yearly UN review of the UAE's human rights record. Continue reading...
Starbucks-developed seeds of arabica, which accounts for 70% of global coffee production, are cultivated to resist diseasesStarbucks recently announced that it has developed six new varieties of coffee seeds that can withstand the effects of climate change, which some experts say is critical" for the future of coffee.People in the US drink about 517m cups of coffee a day collectively, with the average American consuming three cups on a daily basis. But coffee, like many other crops, is under threat due to the climate crisis - subject to diseases, droughts and extreme weather conditions.This article was amended on 4 October 2023 to correct the number of Starbucks locations worldwide and the number of seeds given away each year. Continue reading...
Universities may have divested from fossil fuels - but board members still have industry ties, new analysis findsAt least 20 board members at California public universities have direct ties to the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, sparking criticism from climate advocates on and off campus.Of the state's 32 public universities, board members at one-third of them either work or have worked for oil and gas companies, as do two board members at the California State University's foundation.John S Watson, former Chevron CEO, sits on the University of California, Davis chancellor's board of advisers.Stephen Strachan, who until this past December headed the oil and gas production firm Strachan Exploration Corporation, is a member of the UC San Diego Foundation's board of trustees.Henry Perea, a government affairs manager for oil and gas giant Chevron, sits on the board of governors at the California State University foundation, as does Gillian A Wright, senior vice-president at gas distribution utility SoCalGas.Megan Lopez, who is Chevron's policy, government and public affairs representative, sits on the board of California State University, Bakersfield, as do higher-ups at oil company Kern Oil and Refining, fossil fuel exploration company California Resources Corporation, and oil and gas exploration company Aera Energy. Continue reading...
Francis also defends climate protesters and calls on governments to make Cop28 in Dubai a turning pointPope Francis has said the rich world must make profound changes to tackle the climate crisis, while defending climate protesters and urging governments to make the forthcoming Cop28 climate summit a turning point.He called for a decisive acceleration of energy transition" from fossil fuels to renewables, but cautioned against relying on new technology such as carbon capture and storage, which he said was like pushing a snowball down a hill". Continue reading...
Protection plan for Donana national park hailed by environmentalists as step in the right direction'A controversial plan that would have placed one of Europe's most important and threatened wetlands in even greater jeopardy has been paused after an unexpected agreement was reached between Spain's caretaker government and the regional authorities in Andalucia.Water supplies to the Donana national park in western Andalucia - whose marshes, forests and dunes extend across almost 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres) and include a Unesco-listed national park - have declined drastically over the past 30 years because of climate breakdown, farming, mining pollution and marsh drainage. Continue reading...
Dutch territory in Caribbean says plan to cull entire population of vervet monkeys painful and controversial' but necessarySeventy-five animal welfare organisations and experts have called on the government of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean to immediately stop its attempt to cull the territory's entire population of vervet monkeys.The international protest comes after the Guardian revealed in January that the Dutch territory is funding a non-profit organisation to eradicate the nuisance" species over the next three years. Continue reading...
As noise detectors are installed in a rich neighborhood of Manhattan, experts worry they will punish people of colorHonking cars, blasting stereos, babbling neighbors: consider it all part of the symphony that plays daily on New York City streets. Everyone knows the city is loud, and politicians have waged a long, losing war against noise. Now they have a new weapon: noise cameras.The cameras, which are paired with a sound meter to detect noise of at least 85 decibels from a source 50ft or more away, have recently been installed on certain streets in Manhattan's wealthy Upper West Side. Continue reading...
FoI requests show Shell and BP among firms giving funds to institutions which have pledged to divestMajor fossil fuel companies have committed tens of millions of pounds in funding to UK universities since 2022, it can be revealed, despite many of these institutions having actively pledged to divest from oil and gas.According to freedom of information requests submitted by the climate journalism site DeSmog, more than 40.9m in research agreements, tuition fees, scholarships, grants and consultancy fees have been pledged to 44 UK universities by 32 oil, coal and gas companies since 2022. Continue reading...
Pollack from the Channel and dover sole from the Irish Sea among those to avoid, Good Fish Guide saysOnly about one in eight UK fisheries have been awarded green" status for sustainability in the latest edition of the Good Fish Guide.Of the 337 wild fisheries around the British Isles included on the list, which is compiled by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and updated twice a year, only 13% were regarded as good sustainable choices. The MCS categorises a fishery as a species of fish or shellfish from a specific area caught in a specific way. Continue reading...
Dr Gianluca Grimalda told by Kiel Institute for World Economy he must be at his desk on Monday after finishing fieldworkA climate researcher has been threatened with the sack by his employer after refusing to fly back to Germany at short notice after finishing fieldwork on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands archipelago.On Friday, Dr Gianluca Grimalda, an environmental campaigner who refuses to fly on principle, was told by his employer, Germany's Kiel Institute for World Economy, that if he was not at his desk on Monday he would no longer have a job to return to. Continue reading...
Some parts of the country exceeded normal daily maximum temperatures for the peak of summerAfter the northern hemisphere sweltered through the hottest summer in human history, New Zealand's usually cool start to spring has also hit record high temperatures that are usually reserved for its summer months.The country recorded its hottest September on record, with every region in the country experiencing above-average temperatures, with one area hitting 29.6 C. Continue reading...
Independent senator David Pocock has a simple message for everyone voting in the Guardian/BirdLife Australia bird of the year poll - get on board and vote for the endangered gang-gang cockatoo. 'These charcoal-coloured cockatoos are incredible,' he says
We swift parrots are asking for your vote to be the 2023 bird of the year. We're one of the few migratory parrot species and can be found throughout Australia's south-east states, but we breed only in Tasmania. We're also critically endangered, with just 300 to 750 of us left in the wild. Experts warn we may become extinct in the next 10 yearsSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube
Paper reveals scientists' concerns that single-species carbon plantations threaten native flora and fauna, while delivering negligible benefitsMonoculture tree-planting schemes are threatening tropical biodiversity while only offering modest climate benefit, ecologists have said, warning that ecosystems like the Amazon and Congo basin are being reduced to their carbon value.Amid a boom in the planting of single-species plantations to capture carbon, scientists have urged governments to prioritise the conservation and restoration of native forests over commercial monocultures, and cautioned that planting swathes of non-native trees in tropical regions threatens important flora and fauna for a negligible climate impact. Continue reading...
by Adam Morton Climate and environment editor on (#6F8X4)
Exclusive: Analysis says under Labor's revamped safeguard mechanism some coalmines could more than double their emissions and still benefit financially
by Michael Kalenderian Jerome Des Preaux on (#6F8GK)
Probably the best-known Australian sound, one that even made it onto the soundtrack of old Tarzan movies, the laughing kookaburra assumes it's a shoe in for this year's bird of the year competition. And who can blame it? It's an Australian icon. Much loved in eastern Australia but considered a pest where it has been introduced into WA and Tasmania. An iconic sound for an iconic bird
Rapid attribution study finds storm 10-20% wetter after city experienced a month's worth of rain in just a few hours on FridayThe unmistakable influence of the climate crisis helped cause New York City to be inundated by a month's worth of rain within just a few hours on Friday, scientists have warned, amid concerns over how well the city is prepared for severe climate shocks.A new rapid attribution study, released by scientists in Europe, has found that the type of storm seen on Friday is now 10-20% wetter than it would have been in the previous century, because of climate change. Continue reading...
Ideas include making a memorial bench using the timber, seeing what the stump does and planting a forestThere is a big hole at Sycamore Gap on the route of Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland after a 300-year-old tree was chopped down. Many are mourning the loss of the world-famous tree but amid the gloom, ideas are flooding in about what to do next. A stone circle, a sculpture of the tree, or a metal replica where it fell have all been floated, and one man even went to a local garden centre and planted a young sapling himself, although this was removed by the National Trust. Here are some of the options. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6F825)
Rightwing thinktank Civitas mistakenly cost onshore wind power 10,000 times higher than reality and claimed bill would be 4.5tnA report that hugely overestimated the cost to the UK of reaching net zero emissions has been retracted by the rightwing thinktank that published it.The Civitas pamphlet published on Thursday claimed to offer a realistic" estimate of the cost - 4.5tn - and said the government needs to be honest with the British people". However, factual errors were quickly pointed out after publication. Continue reading...
by Ben Quinn, Political correspondent and Helena Hort on (#6F835)
Restore Trust wants its members elected to the charity's governing council to rid it of its woke agenda'The National Trust has raised concerns about political pressure" and defended its right to lobby on nature amid a renewed campaign by a self-styled anti-woke" group seeking to recruit Conservative MPs to its cause.The leadership of the UK's largest charity is facing a fresh challenge at its annual meeting next month from the right-leaning Restore Trust group, whose candidates tried but failed to win seats on the National Trust's 36-strong governing council last year. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian