Three specimens discovered in what was previously one of the few places in the world without the insectsMosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the first time as global heating makes the country more hospitable for insects.The country was until this month one of the few places in the world that did not have a mosquito population. The other is Antarctica. Continue reading...
Air breathed by people in the city categorised as severe' in quality after fireworks contribute to thick smogDelhi awoke to a thick haze on Tuesday, a day after millions of people celebrated the Hindu festival of Diwali with fireworks, marking the beginning of the pollution season that has become an annual blight on India's capital.Those in the most polluted city in the world once again found themselves breathing dangerously toxic air that fell into the severe" category on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...
Guano, a fertiliser derived from seabird excrement, enriched Peru in the 19th century and was shipped around the world in huge quantities. On Santa Island, north of Lima, workers still mine it in the toughest of conditionsPhotographs by Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images Continue reading...
While Nigel Farage promotes retro plans to reopen coalmines, will he really tell thousands of clean energy workers to leave their well-paid, local jobs?This government is bad at proclaiming what it's for. But to find out, follow the money. Its boldest investment is in green energy, designed to create prodigious returns in economic growth, employment, training, climate action and more. So far it has been hard to sell. Wafty talk of greenness passes most people by, and whose growth is it, anyway?" is a realistic question in a country of stagnant pay and public decay. But, this week, Ed Miliband put flesh on the green words, making jobs and projects concrete. A very big number of green jobs - 400,000 by 2030 - are set to be created in 31 priority occupations", from welders to production managers, plumbers and joiners, everywhere from Centrica's 35m state-of-the-art training academy in Lutterworth to Teesside's net-zero decarbonisation cluster.This is what a Labour industrial strategy should look like. Nigel Farage's retro campaign for this week's Caerphilly byelection promises to reopen Welsh coalmines. But well-paid, clean, green-energy jobs within their home districts are what Miliband's Doncaster North constituents want, the minister tells me, not sending young people down reopened mines. Government figures show wind, nuclear and electricity jobs pay more than most - the average advertised salary in the wind sector is 51,000 a year, against an average 37,000. Unions, once sceptical and fearful of losing jobs in unionised industries, now sign up with guarantees that any new plant getting grants must support greater trade union recognition" and a fair work charter.Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Homeowners urged to use more robust planting and permeable materials to help mitigate flood riskNearly half of the UK's garden space is paved over, a new study has found.The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has conducted the largest ever audit of the UK's gardens, and found that they are an untapped - and until now, mostly unmeasured - potential resource for nature. Continue reading...
by Agence France-Press in Rio de Janeiro on (#70WMC)
Conservationists argue president's oil expansion plans clash with his image as a global leader on climate changeBrazil's Petrobras has been given permission to drill for oil near the mouth of the Amazon River, casting a shadow over the country's green ambitions as it prepares to host UN climate talks.Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president, has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with his image as a global leader on climate change. Continue reading...
After speculation and conflicting pressures, prime minister will attend climate summit next monthKeir Starmer will travel to the Amazon rainforest for the UN climate summit next month, Downing Street has confirmed, after weeks of speculation that he would not.No 10 said on Monday the prime minister would fly to Belem, in Brazil, for what experts say will be the most significant Cop meeting since Paris in 2015. Continue reading...
A legal saga stemming from a water quality project saw Tom Van Lent briefly jailed in a case brought by allies of DeSantisAn environmental scientist briefly jailed in what he called a political prosecution" brought by allies of Florida's rightwing Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, now alleges new evidence shows his jail sentence stemmed from fraudulent allegations.Tom Van Lent's claim represents the latest twist in a three-year legal saga ignited by a disagreement over a proposed restoration project that aimed to address Florida's recurrent red tides and toxic algal blooms by helping restore the environment of the vast Everglades wetlands. Continue reading...
A burst of recent climate-themed cultural output suggests views of the topic as too depressing or dull may be changingDespite (or perhaps because of) its overwhelming awfulness, the climate crisis has been oddly underrepresented on stage and screen. Humanity's greatest challenge has often been deemed too much of a downer, too complex or too dull a topic to spawn shows and movies.A burst of recent climate-themed cultural output, however, suggests this may be changing. Weather Girl, a one-woman play about the unraveling of a TV meteorologist who can no longer bear to gloss over climate breakdown in California, has just closed in New York City to upbeat reviews. Continue reading...
Set up by three eco-anxious' farmers, WildEast has created UK-wide version of pledge to encourage people to restore natureA grassroots movement to wild a fifth of East Anglia is going national with the launch of Wild Kingdom's map of dreams" to collect pledges and connect communities, businesses and ordinary people seeking to revive nature.WildEast was formed five years ago when three eco-anxious" farmers decided to commit at least a fifth of their land to nature. Since then, thousands of people have pledged to rewild gardens, school grounds, communities and businesses. Continue reading...
Environment Agency says pollutant in Norfolk river is an unknown substance' and is investigatingDead fish have been found on a river in Norfolk where a large stretch of white foam appeared, the Environment Agency has confirmed.Images shared by the agency on Saturday showed the foam covering an area of the River Thet. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Documents reveal state environment department had reckless indifference' to fate of individual koalas, Greens spokesperson Sue Higginson says
Jury says documentary about killing of Argentinian campaigner Javier Chocobar brings a measure of the justice' denied by the courtsA documentary about the murder of the Indigenous activist Javier Chocobar has taken the top prize at the London film festival, with the jury calling it a measure of the justice" that has long been denied by the courts.The Argentine film-maker Lucrecia Martel's first documentary, Landmarks, won the best film award in the festival's official competition, it was announced on Sunday. Continue reading...
Labour would do well to remember its manifesto promise to revive Britain's global leadership on developmentWith borrowing costs rising and western governments including the UK cutting their aid budgets, unsustainable debts are driving a development crisis across the global south.In the latest evidence, Ethiopia last week faced the threat of being sued by its creditors in the English courts, after long-running negotiations about restructuring $1bn (740m) of its debt collapsed. Continue reading...
by Guillaume Jan. Photos by Gwenn Dubourthoumieu on (#70VSV)
They are peaceful, female-led and use sex in everyday interactions. Now a new conservation scheme could offer a lifeline to our critically endangered close relatives living on the Congo riverA few dozen large nests appear in the mist of equatorial dawn, half-hidden behind a tangle of vines and leaves. That is where the bonobos sleep, 12 metres above the ground. But it has rained all night, and the primates are in no hurry to get up. It is 6.30am when the first head emerges. It gives a cry, a sharp bark, and another silhouette unfolds from its cocoon of branches. And then another. Within five minutes, the whole group is awake - yawning, stretching, straightening. Their features are fine, their limbs long and delicate, their build less stocky than that of chimpanzees, their closest cousins.Bonobos live on the left bank of the Congo River Continue reading...
According to planning conditions, Wolborough Fen in Newton Abbot must be protected as groundworks are prepared for 1,200 homesA 2,000-year-old wetland which is one of England's most protected habitats has bulldozers at its gates" after developers said conditions to protect it were blocking the growth the government is demanding.Wolborough Fen in Newton Abbot, Devon, a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), must be protected from any damage by developers Vistry Group as they flatten hills and prepare the groundworks for 1,200 houses, according to planning conditions. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Environment Agency not testing for forever chemical' made by factory despite evidence of emissionsRegulators measuring forever chemicals" near a Lancashire chemicals plant are not testing for a substance made by the company itself, despite evidence it could be reprotoxic and is being emitted in large volumes.Reprotoxic means a substance can be damaging to a person's sexual function, fertility, or their child's development and, now, Continue reading...
Scheme will offer training for plumbers, welders and carpenters as well as promoting trade union recognitionPlumbers, electricians and welders will be in huge demand as part of a national plan to train people for an extra 400,000 green jobs in the next five years, Ed Miliband has said.The energy secretary unveiled a scheme to double the number of people working in green industries by 2030, with a particular focus on training those coming from fossil fuel jobs, school leavers, the unemployed, veterans and ex-offenders. Continue reading...
Dr Tom May, a mycologist at the Royal Botanic Gardens and an expert witness at the Erin Patterson trial, has collaborated with renowned fungi photographer Stephen Axford for Planet Fungi, a new book from CSIRO Publishing full of incredible macro-photography Continue reading...
If Douglas Troutman is confirmed, the top four toxics office at the environmental agency will be held by ex-lobbyistsThe US Senate is poised to approve Donald Trump's nomination of an industry lobbyist to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency's chemical safety office.If the nominee, Douglas Troutman, is confirmed, the top four toxics office positions at the EPA will be held by former chemical industry lobbyists, raising new fears about the health and safety of the American public, consumers and workers, campaigners say. Continue reading...
Stoats have been an existential threat to Orkney's rare birds but technology is helping to eradicate themAt first, the stoat looks like a faint smudge in the distance. But, as it jumps closer, its sleek body is identified by a heat-detecting camera and, with it, an alert goes out to Orkney's stoat hunters.Aided by an artificial intelligence programme trained to detect a stoat's sinuous shape and movement, trapping teams are dispatched with the explicit aim of finding and killing it. It is the most sophisticated technology deployed in one of the world's largest mammal eradication projects, which has the aim of detecting the few stoats left on Orkney. Continue reading...
Margot Raggett, whose latest compilation shows animals scrubbed from natural habitats, calls for rethink on UK accelerated housebuildingMargot Raggett has spent the past decade raising money for conservation efforts around the world but now she feels nervous about the future. It does feel like we've taken a backward step," she said.The wildlife photographer has raised 1.2m for the cause in the past 10 years through her Remembering Wildlife series, an annual, not-for-profit picture book featuring images of animals from the world's top nature photographers. The first edition was published in 2015, when the Paris climate agreement was being drafted but, in the years since, efforts to tackle the climate crisis have been rolled back. Continue reading...
by Jonathan Watts Global environment writer on (#70V1B)
Researchers say decline in phytoplankton suggests weakened planetary capacity to absorb carbon dioxideThe world's oceans are losing their greenness owing to global heating, according to a study that suggests our planet's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide could be weakening.The change in the palette of the seas is caused by a decline of phytoplankton, the tiny marine creatures that are responsible for nearly half of the biosphere's productivity. Continue reading...
Long-planned charge on greenhouse gas emissions postponed as Trump officials accused of intimidation tacticsUnder intense pressure from Donald Trump's government, countries have postponed plans to force shipowners to start paying for the damage they do to the climate.US officials were accused of bullying" and intimidation", as nations met in London for what should have been the rubber-stamping of a decision made months ago to place a small levy on the greenhouse gases from global shipping. Continue reading...
by Alexandra Villarreal and Jillian Ambrose on (#70TVV)
Nearby residents say they have had health concerns due to air pollution from Drax Biomass facilityResidents of a small Mississippi town are suing Drax Biomass after the company won a permit to become a major source" of hazardous air pollution at a local wood pellet production plant.The subsidiary of the FTSE 250 energy company was previously denied permission to increase emissions in the 900-person town of Gloster, Mississippi, after local residents warned that they had already suffered serious adverse health consequences because of the operation. Continue reading...
With AI datacenters soaring power bills for households, a policy called demand flexibility' could help ease grid strainA cheap, bipartisan tool could help the US meet increasing energy demand from AI datacenters while also easing soaring power bills for households, preventing deadly blackouts and helping the climate.The policy solution, called demand flexibility", can be quickly deployed across the US. Demand flexibility essentially means rewarding customers for using less power during times of high demand, reducing strain on the grid or in some cases, selling energy they have captured by solar panels on their homes. Continue reading...
Housing minister Steve Reed refuses to back mandating measure, despite giving support while in environment jobThe government is refusing to support a new amendment to install a swift brick in every new home - a U-turn by Steve Reed since he became housing secretary.When he was environment secretary, Reed told a campaigner, Hannah Bourne-Taylor, she was pushing at an open door" and he and others wanted to add to the party's manifesto her proposal that developers must include a 35 hollow brick in every new home. Continue reading...
Experts suggest replacing gas hobs with electric ones, saying it is a win-win for health and the climateAir pollution from wood burning and gas cooking is massively costly to our healthcare systems and the economy. These are the conclusions of a peer-reviewed study from New Zealand that calculated the cost of hospital treatment, days off ill and early deaths from the air pollution produced by fireplaces, stoves, gas cooking and un-flued room heaters.Indoor air pollution from New Zealand's 523,000 wood burners was estimated to account for 446 hospital admissions for heart and lung problems, and 101 early deaths annually, in a country with a population of just over 5 million people. Breathing fumes from gas cooking indoors created more than 1,000 hospital admissions, 208 early deaths and more than 3,000 new cases of childhood asthma each year. Continue reading...
States who received funding under an EPA project aimed to expand solar energy for low-income communitiesNearly two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over its cancellation of a $7bn grant program aimed at expanding solar energy in low-income communities, according to court papers.In a statement on Thursday, California's attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced two lawsuits by a group of states that received grants under the Environmental Protection Agency's Solar for All program. The EPA's administrator, Lee Zeldin, announced the termination of the program in August. The agency said in an email that it would not comment on pending litigation. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Document sets draft pledge for leaders gathering at climate summit to increase use of controversial fuelsBrazil will ask countries to quadruple the global use of sustainable fuels", including controversial biofuels, despite concerns from environmental experts, the Guardian has learned.A leaked document seen by the Guardian sets out a draft pledge for world leaders gathering for the Cop30 climate conference next month in Brazil to increase the use of sustainable fuels" - chiefly biofuels and biogas, but also hydrogen - in the next decade by four times compared with 2024 levels.By 2030, biofuel crops would require land the size of France, which would make it equivalent to the sixth-largest country in terms of arable land use globallyA fifth of vegetable oil is used for cars rather than food.That 3,000 litres of water are needed to drive 100km on biofuels.That solar panels could create as much energy as biofuels while using just 3% as much land. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#70T5E)
Premium charge aims to combat steep rise in SUVs and other larger vehicles which are a danger to other road users'Cardiff council will force drivers with larger vehicles to pay more for parking, becoming the first local authority in the UK to impose a parking premium to combat the dangers of larger vehicles.Councillors voted on Thursday to approve a new parking plan for the city whereby owners of larger vehicles will be charged more for parking permits because their cars take up more parking space and are a danger to other road users". Continue reading...
Critics say referendum on rewriting country's eco-friendly constitution is president's latest pro-extractivist moveIndigenous and environmental leaders in Ecuador say they are facing a wave of state intimidation ahead of a national referendum next month on whether to rewrite the world's only constitution that recognises the rights of nature.The pressure is being applied by the rightwing president, Daniel Noboa, who has begun his second term with a Trumpian agenda of consolidating power and sweeping away legal and social barriers to extractivist businesses, such as mining. Continue reading...
Weekend storm devastated two villages and displaced more than 1,500 people in the south-western part of the stateAuthorities in Alaska are staging a major evacuation operation, relocating hundreds of people in one of the most significant" airlifts in the state's history, after a storm decimated two villages along the south-west coast over the weekend.More than 1,500 people were displaced after the remnants of Typhoon Halong hit remote communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, battering the area with fierce winds, rain and record-breaking storm surge that caused some homes to float off their foundations. Continue reading...
by Gabrielle Canon in Yosemite national park on (#70SWE)
As the US government shutdown enters its third week, concerns mount over how the nation's public lands will fareCars and RVs surged into Yosemite national park throughout the weekend, as visitors from around the world came to enjoy the crisp autumn weather, undeterred by a lack of park services and the absence of rangers.National parks have largely been kept open through the lapse in US federal funding that has left workers furloughed and resources for the parks system more scarce than usual. But as the US government shutdown enters its third week and legislators warn that their impasse could linger even longer than the one in Donald Trump's first term - which currently holds the record at 35 days - concerns are mounting over how the nation's treasured public lands will fare. Continue reading...
by Phoebe Weston, Ana Lucía González Paz, Prina Sha on (#70SS1)
Bird migrations rank as one of nature's greatest spectacles. Thanks to GPS tracking, scientists are uncovering extraordinary insights into ancient and mysterious journeys - and new threats that are reshaping them.Bird migrations rank as one of nature's greatest spectacles. Thanks to GPS tracking, scientists are uncovering extraordinary insights into ancient and mysterious journeys - and new threats that are reshaping them.As storm-chasing seabirds, Desertas petrels seek out hurricanes that draw deep-sea creatures to the surface. Only about 200 pairs remain, although the population is stable. Continue reading...
The government's new planning bill is tearing down environmental protections to benefit developers. This nation of nature lovers won't stand for itCrucial to the government's war on nature is the cauldron principle". If a species is to be blamed for holding up development", it must be one you might find in a witch's cauldron. The culprits are never dormice, otters, water voles, nightingales, turtle doves or orchids, widely considered cute or beautiful. They are bats, newts, snails and spiders.Bats and newts have been blamed by successive governments for nastily standing in the way" of growth. In March, Keir Starmer claimed that jumping spiders" had stopped an entire new town". He added: I've not made that example up." I think you can guess what comes next. Continue reading...
Determined to find a solution to the discarded plastic nets, Ian Falconer found a way to convert them into filament for 3D printing, for use in products from motorbikes to sunglassesIan Falconer kept thinking about the heaps of discarded plastic fishing nets he saw at Newlyn harbour near his home in Cornwall. I thought it's such a waste'," he says. There has to be a better solution than it all going into landfill."Falconer, 52, who studied environmental and mining geology at university, came up with a plan: shredding and cleaning the worn out nets, melting the plastic down and converting it into filament to be used in 3D printing. He then built a micro-factory" so that the filament could be made into useful stuff. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#70SHC)
Greenhouse gases from wildfires at sixth highest level on record after blazes in large areas of the Americas and AfricaCarbon emissions from extreme wildfires increased by 9% last year to reach the sixth highest level on record.Intense fast-spreading fires devastated huge swathes of South America's rainforests, dry forests and wetlands and decimated Canada's northern forests, pushing up the levels of damaging greenhouse gases. Continue reading...
Plaintiffs had overwhelming evidence' of climate crisis but a court injunction would be unworkable', ruling saysA federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by young climate activists that aimed to halt Donald Trump's pro-fossil fuel executive orders.The dismissal by US district judge Dana Christensen on Wednesday came after 22 plaintiffs, ages seven to 25 and from five states, sought to block three of the president's executive orders, including those declaring a national energy emergency" and seeking to unleash American energy" - as well as one aimed at reinvigorating" the US's production of coal. Continue reading...
Will the tawny frogmouth finally take the top perch? Could conservationist backing propel Baudin's black cockatoo to the skies? Or will the gang-gang gang prove triumphant when the winner is unveiled on Thursday afternoon?
Environment | The Guardian