by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6PZS2)
District councils in low-lying areas say they have cut day-to-day services such as bin collections to fund pumping stationsThe costs of preventing major floods caused by extreme weather and excessive rainfall have fuelled a growing financial crisis among district councils in low-lying areas of England, ministers have been warned.Districts in the east of the country say they are having to cut day-to-day services such as bin collections to meet dramatic and unsustainable rises in payments levied to fund pumping stations used to protect communities from flooding. Continue reading...
LNG exports responsible for $957m in total annual US health costs, says new Greenpeace and Sierra Club reportThe expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports is responsible for scores of premature deaths and nearly $1bn in annual health costs, according to a new report from the green groups Greenpeace and Sierra Club.The report links air pollution from LNG export terminals to an estimated 60 premature deaths and $957m in total health costs each year, and found that if all planned and proposed terminals come online, those numbers would shoot up to 149 premature deaths and $2.33bn. Continue reading...
Experts say climate policies contained within rightwing manifesto would wreck US climate targets and cost jobsThe impact of Donald Trump enacting the climate policies of the rightwing Project 2025 would result in billions of tonnes of extra carbon pollution, wrecking the US's climate targets, as well as wiping out clean energy investments and more than a million jobs, a new analysis finds.Should Trump retake the White House and pass the energy and environmental policies in the controversial Project 2025 document, the US's planet-heating emissions will significantly increase" by 2.7bn tonnes above the current trajectory by 2030, an amount comparable to the entire annual emissions of India, according to the report. Continue reading...
As the climate crisis causes the Pacific to rise, the archipelago's water is increasingly unsafe to drinkChurch pastor Damien Hophand, who lives on the island of Malekula in Vanuatu with his wife and two children, has seen a change to the community's water supply recently - and it's not a welcome one. The wells are salty," says Hophand. It's not suitable for drinking."While many on the archipelago of 83 islands of Vanuatu get all their water from pipes, some, such as Hophand, have to supplement this with water from a well or pump. As the climate crisis forces sea levels to rise and cyclone winds thrash along the bays, seawater is seeping into the groundwater sources of low-lying islands, contaminating the supply and threatening the health of communities. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#6PZ08)
Public told to stay away from 12-mile stretch of canals and towpaths after spillage of toxic chemicalA major incident was in place on Wednesday after authorities said a spill of sodium cyanide into a West Midlands canal posed a serious health risk to the public.Members of the public are being advised to avoid a 12-mile stretch of canals and towpaths centred in Walsall after the toxic spillage, understood to have happened on Monday. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6PZ2G)
Kits emerge for after-dark dips in Northumberland, London, Kent and the Cairngorms after reintroduction driveA beaver baby boom is under way across Britain this summer in places where the species had been extinct for centuries.From Ealing in London to the Cairngorms in Scotland, and from Canterbury in Kent to the Wallington Estate in Northumberland, new kits have emerged from their lodges for an after-dark dip in the water. Continue reading...
Sources say government has dismissed some of the more ambitious ideas for fixing sewage crisisAnti-sewage campaigners have warned of extreme anger" if the Labour government does not radically reform the water regulator.Sources at the Environment Agency (EA) and in the Labour party have told the Guardian that while Labour had spent time considering reforms of the EA and Ofwat in order to fix the sewage crisis, some stricter options that had been proposed were now off the table. Continue reading...
Unicef analysis also finds children in eight countries spend more than half the year in temperatures above 35CAlmost half a billion children are growing up in parts of the world where there are at least twice the number of extremely hot days every year compared with six decades ago, analysis by Unicef has found.The analysis by the UN's children's agency examined for the first time data on changes in children's exposure to extreme heat over the past 60 years. Continue reading...
by Patrick Butler Social policy editor on (#6PYVW)
Charity Commission says tweets about environmental protections were inappropriate in tone and nature'The RSPB has been criticised by the English charities watchdog over social media posts in which it accused named government ministers of being liars" for watering down environmental protections.The Charity Commission said the tweets a year ago were inappropriate" in tone and nature", they had not been signed off at the correct level and the RSPB could have done more to prevent them going out. Continue reading...
Fires made at least three times more likely by climate crisis and emitted about 2bn tonnes of CO2, data revealsCanada's record-shattering" wildfires last year produced nearly as much greenhouse gas emissions in one season as would be expected over a decade of fires in normal circumstances, data has shown.The fires, in Canada's wildest season ever", were made at least three times more likely by the climate crisis, and produced about 2bn tonnes of CO, about a quarter of the total global emissions from wildfires last year, according to data in the State of Wildfires report, published on Wednesday. Continue reading...
Trump talked about nuclear warming' while Musk said the only reason to quit fossil fuels is that their supply is finiteDonald Trump and Elon Musk both made discursive, often fact-free assertions about global heating, including that rising sea levels would create more oceanfront property" and that there was no urgent need to cut carbon emissions, during an event labeled the dumbest climate conversation of all time" by one prominent activist.Trump, the Republican US presidential nominee, and Musk, the world's richest person, dwelled on the problem of the climate crisis during their much-hyped conversation on X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Musk, on Monday, agreeing that the world has plenty of time to move away from fossil fuels, if at all. Continue reading...
In probably the hottest summer ever, workers are organizing in 13 cities to raise alarm about workplace heat exposureAs temperatures in Baltimore neared 100F earlier this month, 36-year-old sanitation worker Ronald Silver II died after he was found lying on the hood of a car and asking for water.It's the kind of tragic workplace heat-related death that advocates say could have been avoided with the right labor protections. So this week, during what will probably be the US's hottest summer on record, frontline workers are organizing actions in 13 cities across the country, raising the alarm about workplace heat exposure. Continue reading...
Regulations ignored credible research and didn't fully protect human health, independent scientists sayThe World Health Organization (WHO) is poised to scrap controversial drinking water guidelines proposed for two toxic PFAS forever chemicals".The move follows allegations that the process of developing the figures was corrupted by industry-linked researchers aiming to undercut strict new US PFAS limits and weaken standards in the developing world. Continue reading...
Tim Walz made school meals free for all children in his state, while Project 2025 is gunning for programs that feed students in high-poverty schoolsThe humble school meal is having a moment. With the nomination of Minnesota's governor, Tim Walz, as Kamala Harris's running mate, many voters and pundits are suddenly talking about school meals. And that's good, because the stakes are high for the national school lunch and school breakfast programs since the campaigns and their parties have very different records and plans.Since Walz became the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, an image of him has frequently circulated. In the photograph, he's surrounded by smiling children hugging him after he signed a 2023 bill making school meals universally free for all Minnesota children. His was the fourth state to commit to feeding all children at school; now nine states have done so, and more are considering similar measures. No more forms to fill out to prove your income, which busy parents can forget or that get crumpled in a backpack. No more penalizing children when their parents fall behind on lunch accounts. Every kid gets fed, powering them up for their day's work learning and growing. Continue reading...
An electric-powered complex debuts with hundreds of passive' homesIt was the midst of a July heatwave, with humidity sticky in the air. Phoebe Saldana sat in the colorful plaza of her East Harlem housing complex, watching her two young daughters ride scooters and climb on workout equipment.They were getting some playtime outside before returning to the cool respite of their two-bedroom apartment. To Saldana, 37, the air conditioning was a godsend. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: As visitors overwhelm Venice, Barcelona and other famous cities, a model rewarding travellers for being more responsible could inspire other municipalities Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Today we're taking a little trip to Copenhagen to explore a new pilot initiative designed to reward tourists for climate-friendly actions". The CopenPay scheme has been designed to encourage visitors to act a bit more responsibly and think about their impact on the environment during trips to the Danish capital.In return for small environmental actions - like cycling to attractions or fishing litter out of the canals - visitors have been rewarded with small gifts such as free ice-cream and museum tours.Climate crisis | Hot weather inflamed by carbon pollution killed nearly 50,000 people in Europe last year, with the continent warming at a much faster rate than other parts of the world, research has found. Heat-related mortality was highest in Greece, with 393 deaths per million people.Ukraine | Ukrainian forces have captured 1,000 sq km (386 square miles) of Russia's bordering Kursk region, Kyiv's top commander has claimed, as Vladimir Putin vowed a worthy response" to the attack. 121,000 people have fled the region since the incursion began.UK news | A shop security guard has described how he overpowered a knifeman as he stabbed an 11-year-old girl and her mother, 34, in a horrific" and apparently random attack in London's busy Leicester Square in front of shocked workers and tourists.UK news | A series of errors and misjudgments" in Valdo Calocane's mental health care led to him being discharged, despite repeatedly not taking medication and showing signs of aggression, months before he killed three people in Nottingham, a report says. The Care Quality Commission warned of systemic issues with community mental health care".Technology | Labour MPs have begun quitting X in alarm over the platform's direction, with one saying Elon Musk had turned it into a megaphone for foreign adversaries and far-right fringe groups". Meanwhile, Donald Trump gave a rambling interview to Musk on the platform that was marred with technical issues initially preventing many users from watching the conversation. Continue reading...
If elected, the Democrat is likely to face a trade-off over manufacturing jobs and economic independence from ChinaEvery US presidential election is consequential but American voters face an unusually weighty decision in 2024. The outcome will have implications for foreign policy, social policy, and the integrity of the political system. But none of its consequences will be more profound or far-reaching than on global efforts to combat the climate crisis.As president, Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris climate agreement, while the US under Joe Biden rejoined it. Trump has promised to expand oil and gas production, and his campaign has said he will again withdraw the US from the Paris accord if he wins a second term. Continue reading...
Integrated' work to help biodiversity and tackle climate crisis can also benefit humanity, says Dr Trisha GopalakrishnaRestoring and protecting the world's forests is crucial if humanity is to stop the worst effects of climate breakdown and halt the extinction of rare species.Researchers have been concerned, however, that actions to capture carbon, restore biodiversity and find ways to support the livelihoods of the people who live near and in the forests might be at odds. Continue reading...
Yellow heat health alert in place for much of England as temperatures soarTemperatures in the UK have surged to their highest point of the year so far with 34.8C recorded in Cambridge on Monday, the Met Office said.The previous highest UK temperature in 2024 was 32C, recorded at Heathrow and Kew Gardens, south-west London, on 29 July. Continue reading...
Thirty mothers take turns with their babies in front of Mujur, 19, to try to encourage her to bond with newbornWhen staff at Dublin zoo discovered an orangutan named Mujur was pregnant they decided to stage maternal workshops.The 19-year-old female had not sufficiently bonded with either of her previous infants, who died in 2019 and 2022, so when she became pregnant earlier this year the zoo enlisted breastfeeding human mothers to try to show her how it was done. Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent on (#6PXPW)
Continent is warming at much faster rate than other parts of world, leading to fires, drought and health problemsHot weather inflamed by carbon pollution killed nearly 50,000 people in Europe last year, with the continent warming at a much faster rate than other parts of the world, research has found.The findings come as wildfires tore through forests outside Athens, as France issued excessive heat warnings for large swathes of the country, and the UK baked through what the Met Office expects will be its hottest day of the year. Continue reading...
EPA says Tucson's drinking water is contaminated but air force claims agency lacks authority to order cleanupThe US air force is refusing to comply with an order to clean drinking water it polluted in Tucson, Arizona, claiming federal regulators lack authority after the conservative-dominated US supreme court overturned the Chevron doctrine". Air force bases contaminated the water with toxic PFAS forever chemicals" and other dangerous compounds.Though former US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and legal experts who reviewed the air force's claim say the Chevron doctrine ruling probably would not apply to the order, the military's claim that it would represents an early indication of how polluters will wield the controversial court decision to evade responsibility. Continue reading...
Hidrovia project to dredge Paraguay River and build ports may destroy vast biodiversity and refuge of jaguars, giant otters and armadillos - and an age-old riverine way of life
A Thousand Thorns is a project by photographer Deepti Asthana documenting women's changing aspirations in rural India through the story of two young female forest guards in Rajasthan's Thar desert. Theirs is a scenario playing out in millions of homes - of the fight for equality and independence in a deeply patriarchal society Continue reading...
Weather-related claims hit 144m in second quarter of 2024 and total payouts rose by 5% to 1.4bnBritain's largest insurance firms have warned that the climate crisis has contributed to driving up insurance payouts to the highest level in seven years, after a sharp rise in damage to households and businesses from weather events.Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show that the amount paid out in the three months to the end of June hit 1.4bn, a 5% increase on the first quarter of the year and the highest figure of any quarter since it started collecting the data in 2017. Continue reading...
Project to study all 11,000 species of butterflies and moths finds two species in the act of being created from one'The chalkhill blue has some surprising claims to fame. For a start, it is one of the UK's most beautiful butterflies, as can be seen as they flutter above the grasslands of southern England in summer.Then there is their close and unusual relationship with ants. Caterpillars of Lysandra coridon - found across Europe - exude a type of honeydew that is milked by ants and provides them with energy. In return, they are given protection in cells below ground especially created for them by the ants. Chalkhill blues thrive as a result, though their numbers are now coming under threat. Continue reading...
Controversial mining project is a political fault line in Balkan country over fears about environmental impactsThousands hit the streets in Serbia's capital Belgrade Saturday to protest against the rebooting of a controversial lithium mine set to serve as a vital source to power Europe's green energy transition.Before the rally, two leading protest figures said they were briefly detained by security officials who warned that any moves to block roads during the protest would be viewed as illegal. Continue reading...
Two-tier policing' claims are nonsense, but government is guilty of two-tier sentencing', says green energy boss Dale VinceA Labour donor has called on the government to review a sentencing regime that led to a climate protester being given a longer prison sentence than a Southport rioter who punched a police officer in the face, as he derided what he called two-tier sentencing".Dale Vince, the green energy entrepreneur who has given millions of pounds to Labour, said it was absurd" that a Just Stop Oil protester received a five-year prison sentence for their role in conspiring to cause gridlock on the M25 while a man pleading guilty to violent disorder received a significantly shorter sentence. Continue reading...
Some areas see days of temperatures over 100F, drying plants and fueling wildfires as extreme heat creates deadly conditionsCalifornia experienced its hottest month on record in July as grueling heat baked the American west for weeks on end.The state's average temperature for the month was 81.7F (27.6C), according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, but some areas endured days of temperatures greater than 100F (about 38C). Several cities broke temperature records during a heatwave in early July - Palm Springs hit 124F on 5 July, while Redding in the state's far north saw a high of 119F on 6 July. Continue reading...
As California sees increasingly devastating fires, Butte county residents lose their insurance - and homesKristy and Michael Daneau breathed a deep sigh of relief when they found the home for sale on a heavily wooded lane in northern California's Butte county five years ago. Everything lined up.The owner was looking to sell only to survivors of the Camp fire. A few months earlier, the couple and their four daughters had lost everything in the blaze, save for their four dogs. Kristy barely escaped the fast-moving flames. Continue reading...
The group says the logging in a state-owned forest in Queensland is taking place less than 3km from a high-density population group of endangered greater gliders. Conservation groups want swathes of St Mary state forest near Maryborough to be included in the Queensland government's proposed Greater Glider Forest park After 25 years, logging and bushfires, a greater glider has been spotted in Deongwar state forest Continue reading...
For first time, moors must hold licence under regime aiming to reduce unlawful killing of birds of prey by gamekeepersWildlife campaigners are calling for even tougher policing of Scottish grouse moors on the eve of this year's Glorious Twelfth", which marks the legal start of the grouse shooting season.On Monday 12 August moors across the British uplands will echo to the sound of shotguns and estate vehicles. Continue reading...
For a writer and runner in Denver, Colorado, the city's severe air pollution creates a daily dilemma: do something you love, or risk your health?Outdoor runners have always had a lot of data to juggle: their pace, heart-rate, mileage, route, calories, weather and much more. Though in recent years there's been a new, considerably more ominous data point for alfresco athletes to monitor: the Air Quality Index (AQI).The index, which measures the level of air pollution at any given time and location, is an increasingly necessary tool for outdoor enthusiasts in the age of climate change. Continue reading...
New research shows toxic forever chemicals' gas may escape landfills and threaten the environmentToxic PFAS forever chemicals" that leach from landfills into groundwater are among the major pollution sources in the US, and remain a problem for which officials have yet to find an effective solution.Now new research has identified another route in which PFAS may escape landfills and threaten the environment at even higher levels: the air. Continue reading...
Flea treatments for dogs, ant killer, washing-up liquid and herbicides may be partly to blame for decline in UKInsect numbers are in freefall and most people know that pesticide use in agriculture is partly to blame.But many domestic products including topical flea treatments for dogs, ant killer applications, washing-up liquid and herbicides can also contribute to the problem. Continue reading...
Most data stored on power-hungry servers is used once then never looked at againWhen I can has cheezburger?" became one of the first internet memes to blow our minds, it's unlikely that anyone worried about how much energy it would use up.But research has now found that the vast majority of data stored in the cloud is dark data", meaning it is used once then never visited again. That means that all the memes and jokes and films that we love to share with friends and family - from All your base are belong to us", through Ryan Gosling saying Hey Girl", to Tim Walz with a piglet - are out there somewhere, sitting in a datacentre, using up energy. By 2030, the National Grid anticipates that datacentres will account for just under 6% of the UK's total electricity consumption, so tackling junk data is an important part of tackling the climate crisis. Continue reading...
Legal action aims to force criminal justice department to air condition prisons, where 85,000 are at risk of heat illnessesWhen Jason Wilson was transferred in June to the Coffield Unit, a men's prison in Texas, to serve his sentence for unlawful possession of a firearm, he was initially pleased by the change of scenery. He was aware that the lock-up could be challenging in summer, given its lack of air conditioning and the intense heat in the cells, but his previous institution had been depressing.It's better here for sure," he wrote in an email to an outside advocate. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6PVDB)
Drax received 22bn in subsidies despite being UK's largest emitter in 2023, though company rejects flawed' researchThe Drax power station was responsible for four times more carbon emissions than the UK's last remaining coal-fired plant last year, despite taking more than 0.5bn in clean-energy subsidies in 2023, according to a report.The North Yorkshire power plant, which burns wood pellets imported from North America to generate electricity, was revealed as Britain's single largest carbon emitter in 2023 by a report from the climate thinktank Ember. Continue reading...
Last month large parts of Tonga were left without internet when an undersea cable was broken. It's a scenario that is far more common than is understoodIt was the opening days of 2022, in the aftermath of a huge volcanic eruption, when Tonga went dark. The underwater eruption - 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima - sent tsunami waves across Tonga's nearby archipelago and blanketed the island's white coral sands in ash.The strength of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai eruption severed internet connectivity with Tonga, causing a communication blackout at just the moment that a crisis was unfolding. Continue reading...
Another report found pesticide levels posing significant risks' in 20% of tested fruits and vegetablesA new scientific report lends weight to consumer concerns about pesticide residues on food, presenting fresh evidence that washing fruit before eating does not remove various toxic chemicals commonly used in agriculture.The paper, published on Wednesday in the American Chemical Society's journal Nano Letters, comes amid ongoing debate over the extent of pesticide contamination of food, and the potential health risks associated with a steady diet that includes pesticide residues. Continue reading...