Environment | The Guardian

It could eventually cut down on the production of traditional chocolate, which degrades soil and requires much fertilizer and pesticides

Trio argued orange powder protest day before 2024 solstice was justified because of focus on climate emergencyThree Just Stop Oil protesters have been cleared over a protest at Stonehenge during which orange powder was sprayed on to the prehistoric circle.Rajan Naidu, 74, Niamh Lynch, 23, and Luke Watson, 36, targeted Stonehenge the day before last year's summer solstice. Continue reading...

At least two people died on Thursday in flooded basements after record rainfall in parts of New York City that also deluged some streets and subway stations. Preliminary reports showed 45.7mm (1.8in) of rain fell in Central Park, which exceeded its record of 41.7mm set in 1917, the National Weather Service said. LaGuardia airport recorded 50mm of rain, which broke the hub's 1955 record of 30mm

Indiana Jones star calls US president one of history's greatest criminals for attacks on science and boosting of fossil fuelsHarrison Ford has said that Donald Trump's assault upon measures to address the climate crisis scares the shit out of me" and makes the US president among the worst criminals in history.In a blistering attack upon the president, Ford told the Guardian that Trump doesn't have any policies, he has whims. It scares the shit out of me. The ignorance, the hubris, the lies, the perfidy. [Trump] knows better, but he's an instrument of the status quo and he's making money, hand over fist, while the world goes to hell in a handbasket." Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Category 5 storm is most powerful to strike Jamaica and has caused death and destruction in Cuba and HaitiHurricane Melissa has wreaked havoc across parts of the Caribbean in recent days, after first making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday night as a category 5 storm - the highest strength. This was the most powerful storm to strike the island nation, packing winds of up to 185mph at its peak.Western parts of Jamaica were worst hit, with 90% of homes in the town of Black River losing their roof or being destroyed entirely. Roughly three-quarters of the country lost electricity, with at least 19 people known to have lost their lives at the time of publication. The cleanup operation was hampered by thunderstorms even after Melissa cleared to the north. The hurricane continued northwards, but was a slightly weakened category 3 storm by the time it made landfall in Cuba. Nonetheless, the storm continued to bring winds of up to 120mph and torrential rains. Continue reading...

Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin are predicted to hit hottest October in terms of maximum temperatures, the Bureau of Meteorology says

Separate incidents see bodies pulled from basements in Brooklyn and Manhattan as heavy rain closes roads and causes delaysTwo people died in flooded New York City basements Thursday during a rainstorm that shut down roadways and caused airport delays, authorities said.A scuba team recovered the body of a 39-year-old man after firefighters received a call of a person trapped in the flooded basement of a townhouse in Brooklyn at about 4.30pm, police said. A video posted online showed firefighters carrying the victim away through calf-deep water on the street. Continue reading...

Flooding that killed 10 people in central Vietnam this week turned streets in the historic town of Hoi An into canals on Thursday after a major river reached a 60-year high, authorities say. The Unesco heritage-listed town is among the country's most popular tourist destinations Continue reading...

Sydney researchers commercialising a product they say can cool indoor spaces and will cost little more than standard premium paints

It's hard to fathom how a peaceful protester can receive more prison time than many of the insurrectionists,' said one researcher, of Timothy Martin's sentenceClimate activists have condemned an 18-month jail term for a nonviolent protester who vandalized a display case at the National Gallery of Art as grossly disproportionate" and a violation of the constitutional protected rights to free speech and peaceful protest.Timothy Martin, along with fellow activist Joanna Smith, staged the climate protest at the Washington DC gallery in April 2023, smearing washable red and black paint on the protective glass covering Edgar Degas's Little Dancer Aged Fourteen Years sculpture. Continue reading...

Expanded climate action from cities and states could slash planet-heating pollution despite Trump working against itAhead of next month's major United Nations climate talks in Brazil, Gina McCarthy, the former Environmental Protection Agency head, said US cities and states were keeping the climate fight alive despite an all-out assault from the Trump administration.We will not allow our country to become numb or debilitated by those who are standing in the way of progress," she said on a press call early on Thursday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Every project developer is absolutely convinced that their project is in the national interest,' Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation boss says

Centre for Independent Studies points to climate risk report to back up its dismissal of heat-related deaths, but neglects to use the part that actually concerns the future

The discovery that affluent neighbourhoods have more diversity of nature has implications for human wellbeing - and sheds light on the structural injustices in citiesFor a long time, ecology tended to ignore people. It mostly focused on beautiful places far from large-scale human development: deep rainforest or pristine grassland. Then, in the late 1990s, in the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona, scientists shifted their gaze closer to home.A team of ecologists went out into their own neighbourhood to map the distribution of urban plants in one of the first studies of its kind. Equipped with tape measures and clipboards, they documented trees and shrubs, sometimes getting on all fours to crawl through bushes under the curious watch of local people. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 98% of fish and mussels tested in English waters contain mercury above EU safety limitsBritain is facing mounting pressure to ban mercury dental fillings, one of the few countries yet to prevent the practice, as new data reveals alarming contamination levels in the nation's fish and shellfish.Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can harm the nervous, digestive and immune systems, as well as the lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes, even at low levels of exposure. Its organic form, methylmercury, is particularly dangerous to unborn babies and can move through the food chain building up in insects, fish and birds. Continue reading...

October rains have been light across Somalia, a country which in recent years has found itself on the frontline of the climate crisis. The latest estimate is that 3.4 million people don't have enough food. One of the worst affected areas is Puntland, where disappearing water sources, pasture and food supplies have forced many to abandon their way of life Continue reading...

Campaigners say problem so common that some of the UK's most irreplaceable ancient trees in danger of being lostWhen Linda Taylor Cantrill finally found her dream family home in Exmouth, Devon, it wasn't the location, the square footage or the local amenities that finally made up her mind - it was the 200-year-old oak tree in the garden.The way we felt about just standing in the shade of the tree was: We need this house, because look how beautiful it is,'" she told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Oil company plans to buy back shares for 16th consecutive quarter as protesters say its earnings are horror show'Profits at Shell have climbed to more than $43bn for the year so far after fossil fuel production in the Gulf of Mexico reached a 20-year high and production in Brazil set a new record.The oil company reported better than expected earnings of $5.4bn for the third quarter, a 27% increase on the $4.3bn in the previous three-month period - but lower than the $6bn recorded over the same period a year earlier. Continue reading...

Conservationists hail remarkable' rediscovery after 40 years, at nature reserve only accessible by boatA tiny spider thought to have vanished for ever from the UK has been rediscovered on a remote area of a nature reserve accessible only by boat.The Aulonia albimana, a member of the wolf spider family with orange legs, was found on the Isle of Wight in a spot grazed by a flock of Hebridean sheep. Continue reading...

Most intense tropical cyclone to hit Jamaica in nearly two centuries leaves trail of devastation in its wake

Former PM says he has not seen party soaring in the polls as a result of saying what rubbish net zero is'Boris Johnson has warned the Conservatives they will not win the next election by bashing the green agenda".The former prime minister said he had not seen the Conservatives soaring in the polls as a result of saying what rubbish net zero is". Continue reading...

Suzanne Rees, 80, was found dead on Lizard Island a day after her cruise ship the Coral Adventurer left without her

Ed Miliband says pushing for renewable energy and lower emissions will reduce household bills and boost economyThe UK government will go all in" on clean energy and climate policy, the energy secretary has said, as he unveiled plans to put the UK back on track to reach its net zero commitments.In the face of intensifying attacks on climate policy from the poll-leading Reform UK party and the Conservatives, the government insists that pushing for renewable energy and lower carbon emissions will reduce household bills and boost the economy. Continue reading...

Environment minister Murray Watt's Thursday speech warns parties it's now or never' for overhaul to EPBC Act

Analysis of public records comes as Trump administration aims to fast-track approval of new LNG export terminalsEvery fully operational liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the US has violated federal pollution limits in recent years, a new report has found.The analysis of public records comes as the Trump administration is aiming to fast-track the approval of new export terminals in an attempt to sell more domestic LNG to Europe and Asia. Joe Biden had previously placed a pause on LNG exports, which Donald Trump lifted on the first day of his return to office. Continue reading...

Researchers previously took first confirmed footage of a juvenile colossal squid in scarcely explored habitatA carnivorous death ball" sponge is among 30 previously unknown deep-sea species found by scientists in one of the most remote parts of the planet.Researchers sampled the depths of the Southern Ocean, including volcanic calderas, the South Sandwich trench and seafloor habitats around Montagu and Saunders islands. Continue reading...

Wonderful' for people to see the predators so close and feasting on bait fish at the Gold Coast's Rainbow Bay, near Snapper Rocks, expert says

Minister says parish of St Elizabeth is under water' and that families are trapped in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica

In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss - and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeingAurora Nikula, 5, is having a normal day at her nursery. She is making a cake out of sand and mud, adding in make-believe carrots, potatoes and meat. It's overcooked," she says as she splashes water in, then adds another dollop of sand. More sugar, it tastes better," she says. A handful of mud goes in, and the dish evolves into a chocolate cake.Aki Sinkkonen, a principal scientist with the Natural Resources Institute Finland, is watching. He's also very interested in Aurora's cake, but for different reasons. Perfect," he says, admiring the way she is mixing soil, sand and leaves and then putting it on her face. She's really getting her hands in it."Aki Sinkkonen (left) and Marja Roslund from the Natural Resources Institute Finland in the Humpula garden Continue reading...

It is the first whale to have died out of 15 entangled in shark nets on Australia's east coast so far this year

Biggest analysis of its kind finds millions are dying each year because of failure to tackle climate crisisRising global heat is now killing one person a minute around the world, a major report on the health impact of the climate crisis has revealed.It says the world's addiction to fossil fuels also causes toxic air pollution, wildfires and the spread of diseases such as dengue fever, and millions each year are dying owing to the failure to tackle global heating. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data shows wealthiest 0.1% of the US burn carbon at 4,000 times the rate of the world's poorest 10%The US's super-rich are burning through carbon emissions at 4,000 times the speed of the world's poorest 10%, according to an analysis provided to the Guardian.These billionaires and multimillionaires, who comprise the wealthiest 0.1% of the US population, are also running down our planet's safe climate space at 183 times the rate of the global average. Continue reading...

Billionaire's statement comes a day after UN said humanity missed 1.5C climate target and warned of devastationBill Gates has called for a strategic pivot" in the effort against the climate crisis, writing that the world should shift away from trying to limit rising temperatures to instead focusing on efforts to prevent disease and poverty.Writing on his Gates Notes website, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder criticized what he described as a doomsday view of climate change" which is focusing too much on near-term emissions goals". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Firms say added costs would mean they are unable to install enough turbines to meet green energy goalsOffshore windfarm companies may be exempted from new UK nature rules in an attempt to keep down the cost of renewable energy, the Guardian has learned.The energy firms have said they would be unable to build the vast number of turbines required to meet the government's green electricity goals if they have to meet new rules for nationally significant infrastructure projects (Nsips). Continue reading...

Exclusive: Briefing by conservative think-tank Centre for Independent Studies was arranged by a Coalition backbench committee

As rising tides eat away at the Saint-Pierre and Miquelon archipelago off Canada, plans to move the historic village to higher ground have divided residentsFranck Detcheverry, Miquelon's 41-year-old mayor, trudges up a grassy hill. The view isn't too bad, huh?" he jokes. The ocean sparkles 40 metres below the empty mound. The sound of a man playing the bagpipes, as if serenading the sea, floats up from the shoreline. This hill will be the location of his new home and those of all his fellow villagers.In the distance, about half a mile away, you can see the outline of the 400 or so buildings in the village of Miquelon. It sits only 2 metres above sea level on the archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Situated off the Canadian coast to the south of Newfoundland, it is an overseas collectivity" of France, and the country's last foothold in North America. Continue reading...

Claimants seek compensation from RWE and Heidelberg Materials after extreme flooding destroyed harvestsA group of Pakistani farmers whose livelihoods were devastated by floods three years ago has fired the starting shot in legal action against two of Germany's most polluting companies.Lawyers acting for 43 men and women from the Sindh region sent the energy firm RWE and the cement producer Heidelberg formal letters before action on Tuesday warning of their intention to sue later this year. Continue reading...

US groups aim to represent country at UN climate summit even as Trump administration declines to send a delegationDespite historic environmental rollbacks under a president who pulled the US from a key international climate treaty - and recently called global warming the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" - US civil society groups say they are gearing up to push for bold international climate action at a major UN conference next month.This is a really important moment to illustrate that Trump does not represent the entirety, or even anywhere near a majority, of us," said Collin Rees, US program manager at the environmental non-profit Oil Change International, who will attend the annual UN climate conference, known as Cop30. Continue reading...

Murray Watt seems to think so

The highest priority must be to ensure land-clearing is properly regulated to save our native forests

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres speaks to the Guardian and Sumauma about the 'failure' of the Cop process to limit global heating to 1.5C, that overshooting is now 'inevitable', and why defending the rights of indigenous communities should be a top priority for global leaders Continue reading...

Exclusive: Devastating consequences' now inevitable but emissions cuts still vital, says Antonio Guterres in sole interview before Cop30

One energy industry source says they expected an annual budget as high as 2bn to meet UK's green energy targetsThe energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has set aside 1.1bn a year for offshore wind power developers investing in new projects in a funding round seen by some in the industry as too small to meet the UK's green electricity targets.The government's energy department said today it had budgeted 900m to pay developers of fixed wind turbines at sea and 180m for floating platforms. Continue reading...

Climate crisis drives near-total collapse of staghorn and elkhorn corals that formed backbone to state's reefsTwo of the most important coral species that made up Florida's reef are now functionally extinct after a withering ocean heatwave caused catastrophic losses, scientists have found.The near-total collapse of the corals that once formed the backbone of reefs in Florida and the Caribbean means they can no longer play their previously crucial role in building and sustaining reef ecosystems that host a variety of marine life. Continue reading...

Do I really need to replace my telephone every two years? Could my next laptop be recycled rather than brand new?I have an urgent desire to shed myself of goods and chattels.The acquisitions of a fortunate life have accumulated like an overflowing email inbox and simply must be dealt with while I am alive, and not left to my children to wrangle when they'll (hopefully, long down the track) be grieving. Continue reading...

Study of Met Office data one of first to show how nocturnal insects affected by factors such as light pollutionScientists have used Met Office radar data to track the trillions of insects flying above the UK for the first time, revealing a concerning decline in nocturnal species.The team repurposed data from the UK's network of 15 weather surveillance radars, which scan the sky hundreds of times a day. Continue reading...

New national interest' provision revealed as extracts of legislation circulated to stakeholders before bill introduced to parliament later this week

Incident follows several crocodile sightings around Cape Tribulation as breeding season begins and risks of aggression increase

Governor of one prefecture says he is considering asking the military for help to tackle increasing attacks amid thousands-strong bear populationKnowing what to do in the event of a close encounter with a bear was once a concern only for hikers and foragers in Japan. Now, however, people in populated areas are being urged to learn how to protect themselves following a spate of attacks, as the animals leave their natural habitats in search of food.Bear encounters are generating almost daily headlines. In the past week in Akita prefecture, the animals attacked a jogger and a walker in built-up areas, while another terrorised four people before holing up inside a nearby house. None of the victims was seriously injured. Continue reading...