Environment | The Guardian

Decision by European court of human rights around vulnerability of older women to heatwaves marks significant shiftA landmark legal ruling at the European court of human rights could open the floodgates for a slew of new court cases around the world, experts have said.The Strasbourg-based court said earlier this week that Switzerland's failure to do enough to cut its national greenhouse gas emissions was a clear violation of the human rights of a group of more than 2,000 older Swiss women. The women argued successfully that their rights to privacy and family life were being breached because they were particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of heatwaves. Continue reading...

Alliance says there's not enough ambition in proposed laws to prevent extinctions, as promised by the environment minister

Company is fighting Dutch court ruling that says it must emit 45% less CO2 by 2030 than in 2019Shell has argued that it lobbies for, not against, the energy transition" on the final day of its appeal against an important climate ruling.The fossil fuel company is fighting the decision of a Dutch court in 2021 that forces it to pump 45% less planet-heating CO into the atmosphere by 2030 than it did in 2019. In court on Friday, Shell argued the ruling is ineffective, onerous and does not fit into the existing legal system. Continue reading...

Chamonixia caespitosa found during rewilding project in west Highlands while removing non-native Sitka spruceNaturalists have found a very rare type of truffle living in a Scottish forestry plantation which is being cut down so a natural Atlantic rainforest can grow in its place.The discovery of the globally rare fungus near Creagan in the west Highlands has thrown up a paradox: the work to remove the non-native Sitka spruce, to allow rewilding by native trees, means the truffle will be lost. Continue reading...

El Nino weather phenomenon has contributed to warm, dry conditions in US, leading to more fires much earlier in the yearThe US midwest typically spends the start of spring emerging from snow. But this year, after a warm winter left landscapes parched, the region instead was primed to burn. Hundreds of blazes ignited in recent months in states more accustomed to dealing with just dozens for this time of year, as extreme fire behavior defied seasonal norms.Experts say the unusually early and active fire season was a symptom of El Nino, a climate pattern characterized by warmer surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that was predicted to supercharge global heating and extreme weather. But the climate crisis turned up the dial, and helped create conditions in the midwest where winter temperature records were not only broken - they were smashed. Continue reading...

Bogota brings in water rationing with El Nino weather phenomenon meaning city could run out in under two monthsCouples in Bogota are being asked to shower together as water supplies are rationed in the Colombian capital.Major neighbourhoods were cut off from the water grid on Thursday to preserve dangerously low water levels at reservoirs that have been starved of rain by the weather phenomenon known as El Nino. Continue reading...

My first rideout back in 2011 was liberating - and this Sunday, the monthly demonstration celebrates a big milestoneThirteen years ago, riding through central London on my way to meet a friend one evening, I found myself surrounded by hundreds of cyclists, some blaring horns, one popping wheelies, and even someone covered in lights, thundering out drum'n'bass from a mobile sound system.In spite of being overdressed in a shirt and my best trousers, I was taken by the spontaneous solidarity of this diverse group, who I later found was mostly made up of strangers. Continue reading...

Millions of years ago, animals adapted to become warm-blooded amid huge climactic changes. Now scientists hope these clues from the past could help us understand what lies aheadIn Chicago's Field Museum, behind a series of access-controlled doors, are about 1,500 dinosaur fossil specimens. The palaeobiologist Jasmina Wiemann walks straight past the bleached leg bones - some as big as her - neither does she glance at the fully intact spinal cord, stained red by iron oxides filling the spaces where there was once organic material. She only has eyes for the deep chocolate-brown fossils: these are the ones containing preserved organic matter - bones that offer unprecedented insights into creatures that went extinct millions of years ago.Wiemann is part of the burgeoning field of conservation palaeobiology, where researchers are looking to the deep past to predict future extinction vulnerability. At a time when humans could be about to witness a sixth mass extinction, studying fossil records is particularly useful for understanding how the natural world responded to problems before we arrived: how life on Earth reacted to environmental change over time, how species adapted to planet-scale temperature changes, or what to expect when ocean geochemical cycles change. Continue reading...

Blue tits, starlings, wood pigeons and blackbirds next most sighted in RSPB survey involving 600,000 participantsA friendly if slightly tuneless chirp is the most ubiquitous birdsong in British gardens with the house sparrow topping the Big Garden Birdwatch charts for the 21st consecutive year, according to the annual RSPB survey.Blue tits, starlings, wood pigeons and blackbirds were the next most-sighted birds by more than 600,000 participants in the world's largest wildlife garden survey. Continue reading...

London mayor expected to criticise Susan Hall in speech launching solar panels on school roofsSadiq Khan will accuse his Conservative rival in the race to be London's next mayor of being Trumpian" over the climate crisis, as he announces plans for solar panels on schools.Khan is expected to acknowledge resistance to his expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) in a speech on Friday but insist that he still intends to go further". Continue reading...

Climate Change Authority says goal could be achievable if more action is taken by governments, business, investors and households

New organisation behind protest outside Keir Starmer's home has big plans for future political changeA new organisation calling itself Youth Demand has hit the headlines in recent weeks after spray painting the Labour party headquarters and the Ministry of Defence, as well as staging a protest outside Keir Starmer's home.Rows of children's shoes were laid at the Labour leader's front door in Kentish Town, north London, at the beginning of the week. A banner surrounded by red handprints was hung outside the house he shares with his wife and children, with the words: Starmer stop the killing." Continue reading...

Employees at SBTi have called for their CEO to resign over controversial plans which they fear will enable greenwashingStaff at one of the world's leading climate-certification organisations have called for the CEO and board members to resign after they announced plans to allow companies to meet their climate targets with carbon offsets.They fear that companies will use the offsets for greenwashing, while avoiding making the necessary cuts in greenhouse gas emissions - without which the world faces climate catastrophe. Continue reading...

Country had previously turned the tide on deforestation but armed rebels have revoked banDeforestation in the Colombian Amazon is surging and could be at a historic peak as armed groups use the rainforest as a bargaining chip in peace negotiations with the government.Preliminary data shows that deforestation in the region was 40% higher in the first three months of this year than in 2023 as armed groups tightened their control over the rainforest, said Susana Muhamad, the country's environment minister. Continue reading...

Government recovery fund stipulates affected areas must be less than 150 metres from a main' riverFarmers who have their entire cropping land submerged underwater have found they are ineligible for a government flooding hardship fund - because their farms are too far from a major river.According to the Met Office, 1,695.9mm of rain fell from October 2022 to March 2024, the highest amount for any 18-month period in England since the organisation started collecting comparable data in 1836. Scientists have said climate breakdown is likely to cause more intense periods of rain in the UK. Continue reading...

Rules celebrated for reducing exposures, but experts say it's not enough and will lead to an endless game of Whac-A-Mole'Strong new limits for some PFAS compounds in drinking water set by the US Environmental Protection Agency this week are being celebrated for how far they go in reducing exposures to the dangerous chemicals.But public health advocates say the rules merely represent a first step that is limited in its impact on the broader PFAS crisis because they do not directly prevent more pollution or force the chemical industry to pay for cleanup. Continue reading...

Leaders have failed to tackle invasion of sargassum, which may have a bumper year in 2024Schools evacuated due to toxic gas. Smelly tap water at home. Tourist operators and fishers struggling to stay in business. Job losses. Power outages affecting tens of thousands of people at a time. Dangerous health problems. Even lives lost.Such crises were some of the consequences of sargassum seaweed in the islands of the Caribbean in 2023, which have become common in the region since 2011, when massive blooms began inundating the shorelines in the spring and summer months. Continue reading...

Biden administration hopes funding will spur enduring cuts to planet-heating emissions no matter who is in White HouseAmid rising global temperatures and a looming election against an opponent who has indicated he will gut his climate policies, Joe Biden's administration is shoveling billions of dollars into efforts it hopes will spur enduring cuts to planet-heating emissions, no matter the occupant of the White House.In recent weeks, large tracts of funding has been announced by the administration to help overcome some of the thorniest and esoteric challenges the world faces in driving down carbon pollution, seeding the promise of everything from the advent of zero-emissions concrete to low-pollution food production, including mac and cheese and ice-cream, to driving the uptake of solar panels and electric stoves in low-income households. Continue reading...

Marine researcher devastated' by widespread event that is affecting coral species usually resistant to bleachingConcern that the Great Barrier Reef may be suffering the most severe mass coral bleaching event on record has escalated after a conservation group released footage showing damage up to 18 metres below the surface.Dr Selina Ward, a marine biologist and former academic director of the University of Queensland's Heron Island Research Station, said it was the worst bleaching she had seen in 30 years working on the reef, and that some coral was starting to die. Continue reading...

Increase of 2% last year driven by plant expansion in China and slowdown in US and Europe closuresThe world's coal power capacity grew for the first time since 2019 last year, despite warnings that coal plants need to close at a rate of at least 6% each year to avoid a climate emergency.A report by Global Energy Monitor found that coal power capacity grew by 2% last year, driven by an increase in new coal plants across China and a slowdown of plant closures in Europe and the US. Continue reading...

VisitAHeatPump service allows householders to look and ask questions about low-carbon systemUK householders considering swapping their gas boiler for an electric heat pump could see how they work by visiting an early adopter in their area.A new service aims to help would-be heat pump owners to book a visit with households that already have one installed, through a website launched by the innovation charity Nesta. Continue reading...

Prime minister says government needs to be more strategic and more sophisticated' to compete globally

Worst-ever fire season in 2023 saw 15m hectare burned, eight firefighters killed and 230,000 people evacuatedCanada risks another catastrophic" wildfire season, the federal government has warned, forecasting higher-than-normal spring and summer temperatures across much of the country, boosted by El Nino weather conditions.Last year, Canada endured its worst-ever fire season, with more than 6,600 blazes burning 15m hectares (37m acres), an area roughly seven times the annual average. Eight firefighters died and 230,000 people were evacuated from their homes. Continue reading...

The state's uniquely lax regulation permits chicken waste to collect outdoors - but there's no easy way to complain about itJefferson Currie II is at war with flies.Spotted flypaper dangles from the ceiling of his home in North Carolina's Scotland county. He shows off a two-quart jar trap, marketed as an outdoor pest control solution for farms, full of flies he's caught indoors. On Zoom meetings for his job as the Lumber Riverkeeper with the non-profit Winyah Rivers Alliance, he mutes himself and goes offscreen to avoid distracting others with the heavy thunk of his pump-action, salt-shooting plastic fly gun. Continue reading...

In letter vice-chancellor requested committee not publish joint submission by two academics and redact parts of second submission unfairly' critical of CDU

Gas Leaks Project launches campaign targeting the American Gas Association, which claims nearly all utilities in the US as membersA group of advocates and Democratic senators gathered in Washington DC on Tuesday to decry utilities' practice of spending customers' money to advance a pro-fossil fuel agenda.Americans are already paying the price of climate change," said Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts at a gathering at the US Capitol. They shouldn't have to pay the salaries of those who are fueling it." Continue reading...

EPA takes action for first time in 27 years against forever chemicals' feared to be contaminating water for over 200 millionThe US Environmental Protection Agency has set legally enforceable drinking water limits for a group of the most dangerous PFAS compounds, marking what public health advocates hailed as historic" rules that will dramatically improve the safety of the nation's water.PFAS, known as forever chemicals", are ubiquitous in the environment and thought to be contaminating drinking water for more than 200 million people across the US. Any exposure to some highly toxic varieties of the compounds is considered a health and cancer risk. Continue reading...

Reduction in yields means UK will be dependent on imports for wheat in coming year and possibly beyondRecord-breaking rain in recent months has drastically reduced the amount of food produced in the UK, farming groups have said.Livestock and crops have been affected as fields have been submerged since last autumn. Continue reading...

Heat stress from global heating could lead to impaired vision and increased deaths of pregnant mothers and their unborn young, Australian researchers say

Steven Miles says good news' as government finds way for seized bird to be returned to couple and Peggy, their Staffordshire bull terrier

PA Burns Reserve and the Altona Coastal Park the latest sites to have small amounts of asbestos' discovered

Switch could also cut prevalence of disability linked to diet-related disease and help tackle the climate crisis, researchers foundSwapping red meat for forage fish such as herring, sardines and anchovies could save 750,000 lives a year and help tackle the climate crisis, a study suggests.Mounting evidence links red meat consumption with a higher risk of disease in humans as well as significant harm to the environment. In contrast, forage fish are highly nutritious, environmentally friendly and the most abundant fish species in the world's oceans. Continue reading...

Paper dates 82 pottery pieces found in single dig site at between 3,000 and 2,000 years old

Environmental Protection Agency finalizes rule to strengthen protections for communities living near industrial sitesMore than 200 of the US's chemical plants will be mandated to reduce toxic emissions linked to cancer to and better protect communities from hazardous pollution, the Biden administration announced on Tuesday.The long-awaited rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will strengthen protections for communities living near industrial sites, especially along the Gulf coast. Continue reading...

Retailer works on changing diet with aim of cutting 11,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a yearMarks & Spencer is investing 1m in tackling cows' carbon footprint by changing the diet of the herds that provide its milk.The retailer is working with all 40 of the pasture-grazed dairy farmers in its supply base with the aim of cutting 11,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually produced by cattle burps and manure. Continue reading...

From decomposing waste to building coral reefs, invertebrates provide structure to ecosystems

The city's pioneering step fell flat after a long fight in court, but campaigners - and leading chefs - say they're still going electricFour years ago, Berkeley made history when it became the first city in the US to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings.It was a natural step for the famously progressive California community, which was an early adopter of curbside recycling in the 1970s, banned styrofoam in 1988, and more recently led the charge to outlaw single-use packaging and plastics. Continue reading...

Kremlin official warns of more difficult days ahead after towns and cities overwhelmed by major rivers swollen by snowmeltRussia and Kazakhstan have ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years.The deluge of meltwater overwhelmed many settlements in the Ural mountains, Siberia and areas of Kazakhstan close to rivers such as the Ural and Tobol, which local officials said had risen by metres in a matter of hours to the highest levels ever recorded. Continue reading...

Ben van Beurden says company is undervalued in UK and US investors are more positive' about fossil fuels

Court finds in favour of group of older Swiss women who claimed weak policies put them at greater risk of death from heatwavesWeak government climate policies violate fundamental human rights, the European court of human rights has ruled.In a landmark decision on one of three major climate cases, the first such rulings by an international court, the ECHR raised judicial pressure on governments to stop filling the atmosphere with gases that make extreme weather more violent. Continue reading...

Weak government climate policies violate fundamental human rights, the European court of human rights has ruled.In a landmark decision on one of three major climate cases, the first such ruling by an international court, the ECHR raised judicial pressure on governments to stop filling the atmosphere with gases that make extreme weather more violent.The court's top bench ruled that Switzerland had violated the rights of a group of older Swiss women to family life

While the ecosystem is thriving off the coast of Argentina, the proliferation of salmon farms in Chile's waters is threatening marine life, say criticsA rocky path, strewn with thick tree roots, leads from a dirt road down to a small green hut overlooking the choppy waters of the Beagle Channel, a strait between Chile and Argentina. The shack is home to Diane Mendez and her family but doubles as Alama Yagan, one of nine restaurants in the fishing village of Puerto Almanza.The village, in Argentinian Tierra del Fuego, has become a foodie haven, and the final stop on the king crab route, a trail that starts in the provincial capital Ushuaia, 45 miles to the east. But things could have been different. Continue reading...

Florida is on track to ban cell-cultivated meat while three others float it - but experts say the reasoning has little to do with safety, ethical or environmental questionsAt a press conference in February, the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, told a room full of reporters: We're not going to do that fake meat. That doesn't work." He'd been discussing legislation under debate in the statehouse that would ban cell-cultivated meat - an emerging technique that, instead of slaughtering animals for consumption, grows meat in a lab using a small sample of animal cells.A few weeks later, a Republican member of the Florida legislature - and cattle rancher - Dean Black took to the House floor, saying, Cultured meat is not meat ... it is made by man, real meat is made by God Himself ... If you really want to try the nitrogen-based protein paste, go to California." Continue reading...

Law says people who decide to live next to an existing farm, shop, bar or restaurant cannot complain about noiseAnyone thinking of moving to the French countryside who objects to being woken by crowing cockerels, mooing cows, the sound of tractors or the smell of manure will be sent packing from the courts from now on.The French parliament has adopted a law in an effort to put an end to hundreds of noise complaint cases brought by disgruntled neighbours every year, mostly new arrivals from towns seeking rural peace and quiet. Continue reading...

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Walker Corporation had proposed 3,000 apartments, marina and shops for the site, which is a critical habitat for the endangered eastern curlew Toondah Harbour: should a wetland home to endangered birds become $1.3bn worth of shops, high-rises and a marina?

Onshore wind and solar could provide 226GWh of electricity without impairing food production, says Friends of the EarthEngland could produce 13 times more renewable energy than it does now, while using less than 3% of its land, analysis has found.Onshore wind and solar projects could provide enough electricity to power all the households in England two and a half times over, the research by Exeter University, commissioned by Friends of the Earth (FoE), suggested. Continue reading...

G20 countries spent $142bn in three years to expand operations despite a G7 pledge to stop doing so, study findsThe world's biggest economies have continued to finance the expansion of fossil fuels in poor countries to the tune of billions of dollars, despite their commitments on the climate.The G20 group of developed and developing economies, and the multilateral development banks they fund, put $142bn (112bn) into fossil fuel developments overseas from 2020 to 2022, according to estimates compiled by the campaigning groups Oil Change International (OCI) and Friends of the Earth US. Continue reading...

If the anomaly does not stabilise by August, the world will be in uncharted territory', says climate expertAnother month, another global heat record that has left climate scientists scratching their heads and hoping this is an El Nino-related hangover rather than a symptom of worse-than-expected planetary health.Global surface temperatures in March were 0.1C higher than the previous record for the month, set in 2016, and 1.68C higher than the pre-industrial average, according to data released on Tuesday by the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Continue reading...

Australian limits on acceptable levels of these toxic chemicals in drinking water orders of magnitude' higher than in US