Environment | The Guardian

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...

Graeme Samuel says he is puzzled' by the opposition's desire to split the EPBC Act into two parts given his previous interactions with Sussan Ley

As Cop30 approaches, a new report makes it clear the survival of isolated tribes is under threat as protections are eroded. It's time our countries fulfilled their obligations to defend Indigenous peopleA new report published on Monday by the NGO Survival International reveals 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups across 10 countries in South America, Asia and the Pacific, according to a five-year study titled Uncontacted peoples: At the edge of survival. Half of these groups - tens of thousands of people - face extinction within a decade due to industrial activity, criminal gangs and missionary incursions, with logging, mining and agribusiness cited as the primary threats.The report also warns that even indirect contact, such as disease spread by outsiders, could devastate populations, while the climate crisis and illegal activities further endanger their survival. Continue reading...

Sussan Ley wants to prioritise practical' measures for fast-track projects but delay protections for nature

Fish named after Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was most recently tracked at a section of the mid-Murray, near Belsar Island

Russia's arrest of a Ukrainian scientist this week over his support for curbs on krill fishing have thrown the vital role of the tiny marine species into the spotlightAntarctic krill are small, shrimp-like marine crustaceans (Euphausia superba). They feed on plankton and are the main food source for larger marine animals. The word krill" comes from the Norwegian word kril" meaning the small fry of fish. Continue reading...

Trumped-up' charges spark diplomatic row as scientists express fears for health of 70-year-old Leonid Pshenichnov

With tourists outnumbering locals by 20:1, islanders say levy is needed to help protect neolithic sites and maintain public servicesArtisan jewellery, gift and whisky shops crowd the main street of Kirkwall on Orkney. The town even has a new sushi shop, offering bento boxes and matcha cheesecake.Once home to the Viking earls who ruled the islands, Kirkwall has hit it rich: it tops the UK's charts for cruise ship visits, as American, German and Italian tourists descend on remarkable neolithic sites such as Skara Brae and its medieval cathedral. Continue reading...

Exclusive: High cost of homes near green spaces may be deepening health inequalities, says wildlife coalitionYoung first-time buyers in the UK are being forced into areas that are starved of nature, research has found.Experts say young people are moving into nature deserts" because government policy has failed to create greener and healthier new-build properties. Continue reading...

Retention of ministerial powers satisfies key demand of Coalition and industry but disappoints groups who wanted arms-length' review

The Klamath River began rebounding almost immediately. Now, Indigenous youth are leading the next chapter of the recovery, inspiring tribes from Brazil to ChinaRuby Williams's pink kayak pierced the fog shrouding the mouth of the Klamath River, and she paddled harder. She was flanked on both sides by fellow Indigenous youth from across the basin, and their line of brightly colored boats would make history when they reached the Pacific Ocean on the other side of the sandy dunes - they were going to do it together.The final of four hydroelectric dams were removed last year from the Klamath River, in the largest project of its kind in US history. The following July, 28 teenage tribal representatives completed a 30-day journey that spanned roughly 310 miles (500km) from the headwaters in the Cascades to the Pacific. They were the very first to kayak the entirety of the mighty river in more than a century. Continue reading...

Officials say move essential to protect wetlands and native waterfowl but some groups call decision inhumane'A new law in California will allow year-round killing of non-native swans starting next year - a move that some officials have said is essential to protect the state's already diminished wetlands and native waterfowl, but which others have labeled as inhumane".Mute swans, which have been valued as ornamental birds, have rapidly expanded across California, where wildlife officials say they degrade habitats and aggressively displace native species. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Regulator has received 1,221 complaints about UK broadcasters since 2020 but found no breaches of its codeThe UK's TV and radio regulator is allowing GB News and others to flout" accuracy rules and broadcast climate change denial, say campaigners. Instances cited include describing global heating as the climate scam" and suggesting the government was going to introduce enforced veganism".Ofcom has received 1,221 complaints related to the climate crisis since January 2020, when its searchable database began. None resulted in a ruling that the broadcasting code had been breached. In fact, only two such breaches have been found since 2007. Continue reading...

There are some decent elements in what Labor is proposing, but the overhaul could end up as tinkering rather than transformation

Zoe Rosenberg, a California student, is on trial over a tactic that animal rights activists consider a moral imperative. Critics say it's a threat to the food supplyOn a Monday afternoon in late September, Zoe Rosenberg, a 23-year-old University of California, Berkeley, student, emerged from a courtroom in Santa Rosa, California. Flanked by her lawyers, she moved briskly through the courthouse corridors, past more than 100 prospective jurors.Pinned to her black blazer was a tiny metallic chicken, glinting on the lapel. Continue reading...

Former Paralympics champion says inaccessible charging points show government has forgotten about us'Campaigners including Tanni Grey-Thompson have warned that disabled drivers are at risk of being locked out of the electric car transition because of inaccessible chargers.The former Paralympics champion and the Electric Vehicle Association England are pushing for the government to introduce standards to ensure chargers are easy to reach. Continue reading...

Current and former employees say they were not adequately protected despite knowledge of health risksTen lawsuits have been filed against Drax after diagnoses of asthma allegedly linked to its wood pellet fuel, it has been revealed.Current and former workers at the UK's largest power station claim they have not been adequately protected against sustained exposure to wood dust, which can cause serious health problems including asthma, dermatitis and nasal cancer. Continue reading...

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

Exclusive: Fat, oil and grease built up in sewerage pipes before being dislodged by heavy rain and ejected from Malabar outfall

Committee urges ministers to set out measures to reduce carbon emissions before work starts on new runwaysAirport expansion plans backed by the government are putting the UK's net zero target in serious jeopardy", MPs have warned.Without new safeguards, proposals to enlarge airports including Heathrow and Gatwick could push the UK over its carbon budgets, according to a report from the cross-party Commons environmental audit committee. Continue reading...

National Petroleum Reserve lease sales and permitting for road through Izembek wildlife refuge were also approvedThe Trump administration has approved more oil and gas drilling across Alaska's Arctic national wildlife refuge (ANWR), prompting widespread criticism from environmental conservation organizations.On Thursday, the interior secretary announced the opening of 1.56m acres across ANWR's coastal plains, which is home to various wildlife including polar bears, caribou and moose, as well as whales and seals. Continue reading...

Local non-profits and schools are helping students explore traditional practices paired with modern science to make food sovereignty a realityThe Blackfeet Nation is a remote and rugged landscape on the windswept plains of northern Montana. While rich in resources, the remote location and management by the federal government have made food access a challenge here.Only four grocery stores serve the entire reservation. Fresh, healthy produce and meat options are often limited at these stores, and prices are higher than in neighboring communities, making access difficult for low-income families. Instead, highly processed foods, rich in sugars, carbohydrates and fat make up the bulk of the food choices. Continue reading...

Severe blob' or marine heatwave can lead to increased inundation and wintery weather in eastern North AmericaA marine heatwave known as a blob was especially severe this year in the north-western and central Pacific Ocean, which could lead in the coming months to increased flooding in the US Pacific north-west and especially wintery weather in eastern North America, according to climate scientists.The temperature in August in the northern Pacific was 2.5C above preindustrial levels, according to Berkeley Earth, a non-profit that studies global warming. Continue reading...

French multinational is ordered to remove its website messages about aiming for carbon neutrality

Albanese government will need to make major concessions to pass promised federal nature laws as Liberals attack nature positive 2.0'

Former European officers say spending on low-carbon power would make nations more resilient to threats from potential aggressorsInvestment in renewable energy should be counted under defence expenditure, says a group of retired senior military personnel, because the climate crisis represents a threat to national security.They have called for increased spending on low-carbon power as a way of making the UK and other European countries more resilient to threats from Russia and other potential aggressors. Continue reading...

Environment Agency rates eight of nine companies as poor and needing improvement

The migration of Christmas Island's red crabs is in full swing, with roads closed in some places to protect millions of the crustaceans. Every year, the crabs emerge from the forest to travel to the ocean to breed, creating a red tide across the island. The Christmas Island national park said a massive spawning event will take place around 15 and 16 November, with a second spawning in mid-December Continue reading...

From a red-throated loon landing on water, to good and bad hair days and an airborne squirrel, here is a selection of the finalists in this year's Nikon Comedy Wildlife awards. A winner will be announced on 9 December Continue reading...

In 2024, nearly a million hectares of Ukraine's land burned. Heat, mines and shelling contributed, but footage of drones targeting firefighters has raised the question of war crimesNatalia Pryprosta was tending to her pigs when fire swept into the village of Studenok, near the city of Izium in eastern Ukraine. There was no time. She grabbed her papers, pulled her elderly mother into a friend's car, and tried to get the animals out of the shed. Smoke and the speed of the blaze made it impossible. She didn't see the animals burning, but learned of their fate later.Smoke smothered Studenok, turning the village as dark as night. Pryprosta's neighbours fought the flames with shovels, digging in scorched earth to stop the crown fire's advance. Firefighters arrived, but the blaze was relentless. At one point, it surged around a fire truck, trapping the crew. Continue reading...

Sussan Ley's sharp criticism marks a shift for the opposition, which had appeared open to a deal on the bill

Use of wood-burning stoves and fires in homes is mostly unnecessary and their toxic pollution costs the NHS millionsThe burning of wood and coal in homes contributes to almost 2,500 deaths a year in the UK, analysis has found. Stopping unnecessary burning would save the NHS more than 54m a year, the experts concluded.Wood-burning stoves and open fires are one the biggest sources of small pollution particles, which cause heart and lung disease, and their use has risen in recent years. The report also links this toxic air pollution to 3,700 cases of diabetes and 1,500 cases of asthma a year, although the health impacts are likely to be underestimated. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Promise to remove almost all fossil fuels from UK's electricity supply by 2030 may be quietly abandoned over costMinisters are considering dropping one of their central green pledges in an effort to keep energy bills down, sources have told the Guardian.Government insiders say Keir Starmer is prepared to miss his own target of removing almost all fossil fuels from the UK's electricity supply by 2030 if doing so proves much more expensive than building gas power instead. Continue reading...

US and Qatar say new rules will hinder imports of LNG, posing existential threat' to European economiesThe US has demanded that the European Union roll back its climate and human rights rules in order to allow greater imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as the Trump administration approved a controversial gas export hub along the Gulf of Mexico coast.A letter jointly sent by the US and Qatar, two of the three largest LNG exporters in the world, warned the EU that its new rules pose an existential threat" to European economies as they would hinder imports of gas from countries such as theirs. Continue reading...