Pinyon Plain's start comes amid US's push to boost production, but tribes fear contamination of water and cultural sitesA uranium mine in Arizona located just 7 miles south of the Grand Canyon national park has begun operations, one of the first in the US to open in eight years.The opening of the Pinyon Plain mine comes as the US seeks to boost domestic production of the mineral needed for nuclear energy and accelerate divesting from fossil fuels. Continue reading...
Cookstove projects are one of the fastest-growing carbon offset schemes but research finds carbon benefits are vastly overstatedClean cookstove projects, one of the most popular types of carbon-offset schemes, are probably overstating their beneficial impact on the climate by an average of 1,000%, according to a new study.Every year, an estimated 3.2 million people die prematurely from household air pollution caused by cooking with smoky fuels such as wood, paraffin or kerosene, which produce about 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features Continue reading...
It's easy to forget about single-use cups the moment they leave our hands, but their slow decomposition can release microplastics and pollutantsNo matter how good your office's coffee is, if you're like millions of others, you're probably popping out to a cafe at least once a week to treat yourself to a cup brewed by somebody else. Whether that's a latte from Starbucks, a cold brew from Dunkin' or a chai from the mom-and-pop shop around the corner, it's probably coming served in a disposable cup - made out of paper, plastic or polystyrene foam (which many people refer to by the brand name Styrofoam), that you can toss in the sidewalk trash on your walk back to the office. It's easy to forget about those single-use cups as soon as they leave our hands, but that's not to say their environmental impacts stop there too.Fortunately, more and more people are starting to pack a reusable insulated cup or mug alongside their water bottle - and more coffee shops are offering to pour beverages into the cups customers bring from home. This month, Starbucks announced that it was going full BYOC: bring your own cup. Although the company has allowed customers to bring their own cup for in-person orders since the 1980s, its move expanding BYOC to drive-through and app orders signaled companies' and customers' growing wariness of single-use, disposable coffee cups. Continue reading...
Florida officials hail rare native wildlife success story and people have more chance of being killed by a golf ball than a coyoteFrom dwindling numbers of manatees, to Everglades critters decimated by invasive Burmese pythons, Florida has become more familiar in recent years with losing its native wildlife than gaining it.But a surge in the number of coyote sightings around the state is raising eyebrows, and in some places concern, as the species known as barking dogs spreads further into the state. Continue reading...
They don't chew: they bite, the meat goes straight into their stomach, and they bite againImagine a bulldog flattened with a meat tenderiser, shaved and sprinkled with glitter. Imagine more, and everywhere, or else: when I was a child, as sure as all cartoon sand would turn into quicksand, in every fictional body of fresh water swam very real fish with very real, sharp, tiny little teeth.In The Simpsons, Millhouse is more worried about piranhas than that his mother will stop loving him. Bart is reduced to a skeleton by piranhas from a hosepipe. Continue reading...
Advocates predict activists and local governments will look to the courts to bring about accountability for climate damageAmid record domestic oil and gas production in the US and broken promises from fossil fuel companies, climate champions are increasingly looking to the courts to bring about accountability for climate damage.More than two dozen local and state governments are challenging oil companies on these grounds, while youth plaintiffs have seven pending lawsuits targeting state and federal lawmakers. Continue reading...
Motion by Follow This called on energy firm to accelerate attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissionsThe US oil company ExxonMobil has filed a lawsuit to block a vote on a climate resolution brought by a green activist, in move that will be watched closely by fossil fuel companies worldwide.The company hopes to stop investors voting on a motion put forward by Follow This, a Dutch green activist investor group, which called for Exxon to accelerate its attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Enviroment editor on (#6J1E1)
Wild freshwater eels are at risk of extinction due to overfishing but their meat can now be cultivated from cellsThe first lab-grown freshwater eel meat has been produced, potentially solving a diner's dilemma. Rampant overfishing has caused eel populations to plummet and prices to soar, but the cultivated eel could provide the delicacy guilt-free.The eel meat was produced by Forsea Foods in Israel from embryonic cells of a freshwater eel. The company collaborated with a Japanese chef to create unagi kabayaki, marinated grilled eel over rice, and unagi nigiri, a type of sushi.This article was corrected on 22 January 2024. A previous version said the eel meat was produced from embryonic cells of the Japanese unagi eel: in fact they were from a freshwater eel. Continue reading...
Anna McMorrin says Labour absolutely determined' on net zero after visiting Antarctica and finding report by her father, a polar researcherWhen Anna McMorrin MP visited the Antarctic as part of a government inquiry, she stumbled upon a report in the Rothera Research Station library that her father, a polar researcher, had written in 1962.It described the Larsen ice shelf, a beautiful stretch of thousands of miles of thick, white, crystalline snow - which has now almost completely melted away. Continue reading...
Events in more than 30 cities mark Day of the Forest Defender', recognizing enduring impact of Manuel Paez TeranAt a gathering Thursday, the mother of an activist killed by police had a clear message on the first anniversary of their death: I have news for you. Manuel is alive. Tortuguita vive!"It was a message of celebration for the life of Manuel Paez Teran, also known as Tortuguita", that was being made in Atlanta and more than 30 cities across the US, a sign of the slain activist's enduring impact on several movements, observers said. Continue reading...
Reef, which extends for 310 miles from Florida to South Carolina and at some points is 68 miles wide, called breathtaking in scale'Scientists have mapped the largest known deep-sea coral reef, stretching hundreds of miles off the US Atlantic coast.While researchers have known since the 1960s that coral is present off the Atlantic, the reef's size remained a mystery until new underwater mapping technology made it possible to construct 3D images of the ocean floor. Continue reading...
by Kiran Stacey Political correspondent on (#6HZXZ)
Sources say no decisions taken but Keir Starmer could abandon plan if it is deemed damaging to election chancesSenior Labour officials are to hold crunch meetings on the future of the party's pledge to spend 28bn a year on green investment, amid reports Keir Starmer is preparing to ditch the entire plan.Party sources said on Friday that officials would meet in the coming days to discuss the green prosperity plan, which would see a Labour government spend 28bn on environmental schemes each year by the second half of the next parliament. Continue reading...
Shoes are notoriously hard to recycle and the vast majority are sent to landfill. Can a new design help reduce the environmental impact of our footwear?The shoes may not immediately strike you as the future of mainstream fashion. Pale and porous, they resemble a cross between a beige Croc and the long-net stinkhorn fungus found on forest floors. Their creators, however, hope this will be the next huge breakthrough in sustainable footwear: the world's first 3D printed, made-to-measure, compostable shoe, which can be broken down at the end of its life, in an attempt to stem the flow of millions of shoes into landfill each year.Fashion is among the world's top polluting industries. It is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions and consumes huge amounts of water and land for production. Modern shoes are among the hardest items to produce sustainably because of their complexity, say industry experts, and there are few reliable statistics about the number manufactured every year for the world's 8 billion humans. There is an almost total dearth of statistics about their environmental impact. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6HZMF)
Panel was originally composed of 28 men, a move condemned as regressive' and shocking'The president of Azerbaijan has added 12 women to the previously all-male organising committee for the Cop29 global climate summit, which the country will host in December.The move follows a backlash after the Guardian reported the initial 28-man composition of the committee, which was called regressive" by the She Changes Climate campaign group. Climate change affects the whole world, not half of it," the group said. Continue reading...
by Stephen Burgen in Morillo de Sampietro on (#6HZEV)
The four inhabitants of Morillo de Sampietro, an abandoned village in the Pyrenees, live a simple lifeThe tiny hamlet of Morillo de Sampietro stands high above a steep, wooded valley in the Spanish Pyrenees. Below is the glint of the Rio Yesa, beyond are the snow-capped peaks of Monte Perdido.In 1860 Morillo had 76 inhabitants; by 1995 only two remained. Now there are four. Continue reading...
G77 president Pedro Pedroso warns deal risks failing if polluters like UK, US and Canada don't rethink plans to expand oil and gasThe credibility of the Cop28 agreement to transition away" from fossil fuels rides on the world's biggest historical polluters like the US, UK and Canada rethinking current plans to expand oil and gas production, according to the climate negotiator representing 135 developing countries.In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Pedro Pedroso, the outgoing president of the G77 plus China bloc of developing countries, warned that the landmark deal made at last year's climate talks in Dubai risked failing. Continue reading...
Sea Ranger Service will offer the chance to carry out maintenance work and climate research on sailing vesselsA social enterprise has launched offering people between the ages of 18 and 29 the chance to protect the seas around the UK while getting paid.The Sea Ranger Service (SRS) will offer young people the chance to sail out to sea and undertake vital work to conserve Britain's oceans. Continue reading...
Scientists call for urgent intervention, as bearded pig populations are devastated by the deadly virus on islands such as BorneoPopulations of wild pigs are crashing due to the spread of African swine fever (ASF), threatening the livelihoods of millions who depend on them for food, researchers warn.With a fatality rate of almost 100%, ASF has swept across Asia, Europe and Africa, devastating domestic and wild pig populations over the past 10 to 20 years. The impacts are especially significant in Borneo, in south-east Asia, where bearded pig numbers have declined by between 90% and 100% since it arrived on the island in 2021, researchers said. Continue reading...
Climate groups and MPs criticise proposals for consumers to foot bill to support biomass plant after existing scheme ends in 2027The government has proposed plans to offer the Drax power plant extra subsidies to burn trees for electricity, provoking a backlash from climate groups and green Tory MPs.Ministers have begun consulting on plans for bill payers to foot the cost of supporting Drax until the end of the decade once its existing subsidy scheme, which pays on average more than 500m a year, ends in 2027. Continue reading...
Regulator accused of massaging figures' by telling staff to pause inspections at poorly performing waste sites until JanuaryThe Environment Agency told staff in September to stop inspecting the most poorly performing waste sites until January in order to meet corporate compliance targets, it can be revealed.The regulator has been accused of massaging the figures", with an insider telling the Ends Report and the Guardian that a lack of resources means the body is failing to do its statutory duty in a timely manner". Continue reading...
Fishing nets churn up carbon from the sea floor, more than half of which will eventually be released into the atmosphereScientists have long known that bottom trawling - the practice of dragging massive nets along the seabed to catch fish - churns up carbon from the sea floor. Now, for the first time, researchers have calculated just how much trawling releases into the atmosphere: 370m tonnes of planet-heating carbon dioxide a year - an amount, they say, that is too big to ignore".Over the study period, 1996-2020, they estimated the total carbon dioxide released from trawling to the atmosphere to be 8.5 to 9.2bn tonnes. The scientists described trawling as marine deforestation" that causes irreparable harm" to the climate, society and wildlife. Continue reading...
Study finds female chrysalises that develop at higher temperatures have fewer eyespots, making them harder to see in dry grassFemale meadow brown butterflies who develop in warmer weather sport fewer spots on their wings, in an unexpected adaptation to global heating.The discovery was made by University of Exeter scientists who found that females whose chrysalises developed at 11C had six spots on average, while those developing at 15C had just three. Continue reading...
Office for Environmental Protection report shows only four of 40 targets for England likely to be achievedThe government is failing on almost all of its environmental targets, risking an irreversible spiral of decline" in nature, a damning report by the environment watchdog has found.Dame Glenys Stacey, chair of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), has said in the report, published today, that if action is not taken England will fail to meet its goal of halting nature's decline by 2030, as well as a host of other vital nature targets. Continue reading...
Michael Mann alleges, in lawsuit first brought in 2012, that attacks on his work by climate denialists amount to defamationA lawsuit first instituted over 10 years ago, brought by an esteemed climate scientist over alleged defamation by a rightwing blogger and an analyst, goes to trial this week.The 2012 court case was brought by the University of Pennsylvania earth and environmental scientist Michael Mann, who is alleging that online attacks on his work amount to defamation. Continue reading...
California Forever, which bought 60,000 acres, has received fierce opposition from local officials and environmental groupsThe controversial plan backed by Silicon Valley billionaires to build a new city in northern California farmland could come before voters later this year.California Forever, the company that quietly acquired 60,000 acres of land in Solano county and recently revealed it planned to build a city there, announced on Wednesday it would submit a ballot initiative asking voters to clear the way for the project. Continue reading...
Scientists say sea level rises, flooding and extreme weather will accelerate release of arsenic into water supplyClimate breakdown will put tens of millions of people in Bangladesh at heightened risk of cancer from contaminated well water, according to research.Sea level rises, unpredictable flooding and extreme weather caused by the climate heating up will accelerate the release of dangerous levels of arsenic into the country's drinking water, say scientists. Continue reading...
Products and services billed as climate neutral, biodegradable or eco must provide proof, with carbon schemes banned as evidenceTerms such as climate neutral" or climate positive" that rely on offsetting will be banned from the EU by 2026 as part of a crackdown on misleading environmental claims.On Wednesday, members of the European parliament [MEPs] voted to outlaw the use of terms such as environmentally friendly", natural", biodegradable", climate neutral" or eco" without evidence, while introducing a total ban on using carbon offsetting schemes to substantiate the claims.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6HXV3)
Total is 20% higher than thought and may have implications for collapse of globally important north Atlantic ocean currentsThe Greenland ice cap is losing an average of 30m tonnes of ice an hour due to the climate crisis, a study has revealed, which is 20% more than was previously thought.Some scientists are concerned that this additional source of freshwater pouring into the north Atlantic might mean a collapse of the ocean currents called the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is closer to being triggered, with severe consequences for humanity. Continue reading...
TV presenter says he reported most recent threats to harm you and your family' to policeChris Packham has been given a bodyguard while filming the latest series of BBC's Winterwatch after specific threats" were made against him.The presenter has faced persistent abuse in recent years, including in 2011 an arson attack on his home. Continue reading...
A Derbyshire man who was caught on camera stealing peregrine falcon eggs has been jailed for 18 weeks. The footage was taken in April 2023 from a hidden camera put in place at a quarry near Bolsover by an investigations team at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Eggs from wild peregrine falcons can sell for tens of thousands of pounds overseas. Christopher Wheeldon, from Darley Dale, was seen abseiling down a cliff and stealing three eggs. He admitted to disturbing the nest and was sentenced in January Continue reading...
A Floodlight investigation found Alabama Power runs a news service and its foundation bought a Black newspaper. Neither reports on high electric bills or utility-related pollutionIn the more than a decade since Alabama regulators allowed a landfill to take in tons of waste from coal-burning power plants around the US, neighbors in the majority-Black community of Uniontown frequently complain of thick air so pungent it makes their eyes burn.On some days, it can look like an eerily white Christmas in a place that rarely sees snow. Continue reading...
Drought in Hwange national park was the cause of most of the deaths, and wildlife experts fear the climate crisis could make such events look normalAt least 160 elephants have died as drought conditions hit Zimbabwe, and with hot, dry weather likely to continue, conservationists fear there could be more deaths to come.The elephants died between August and December last year in the 14,651 sq km Hwange national park, which is home to endangered elephants, buffalo, lions, cheetahs, giraffes and other species. At least six other elephants have recently been discovered dead outside the park in suspected poaching incidents. Continue reading...
New system should help preserve art collection at Dorset country mansion by providing a steady, gentle heatOver the years Kingston Lacy, which was built to resemble a Venetian palace that has materialised in the English countryside, has been kept warm and dry with open fires and coal and oil boilers.Now a pioneering" ground source heat pump has been installed to protect the spectacular Dorset country mansion and its collection of paintings by masters such as Velazquez, Titian and Rubens. Continue reading...
by Melissa Hobson in Camber Sands, East Sussex on (#6HXF1)
More than 170tn plastic particles are floating in the world's oceans - and millions of them wash up on our shoresSquatting in the strandline as a storm brewed on the horizon, I combed through the debris with tweezers. I spotted my first nurdle almost immediately. Covered in sand, the pale plastic pellet blended almost perfectly into the background. Next to me, a woman scraped the top layer of sand away and plopped it in a bucket of seawater. As she stirred, several nurdles drifted to the surface.It's impossible to make a dent," I thought. Despite removing more than 3,000 pieces of microplastic during our cleanup, thousands more winked at us from the sand as we left Camber Sands beach. These tiny pre-production plastic pellets, called nurdles, are littering UK beaches in such numbers that beach cleanups can't keep up. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Documents released after Freedom of Information Act requests show repeated requests for plansPlans from the UK water industry to urgently" tackle the sewage pollution crisis have been delayed by four months, with no publication date in sight, the Guardian can reveal.Government ministers last year demanded water executives send them a plan for urgent change" to tackle outflows which spill untreated human waste into rivers and seas. Continue reading...
University of Sassari research suggests change in habits might expose animals to more predatorsGlobal heating is pushing mountain goats into a more nocturnal lifestyle that could expose them to more predators, scientists have found.A team of researchers at the University of Sassari, in Sardinia, used GPS collars equipped with motion sensors to track the activity of the Alpine ibex, a species of mountain goat, between the months of May and October from 2006 to 2019. Continue reading...
MPs find agency has reduced number of properties it aims to protect in England despite more new homes being built on floodplainsDeteriorating flood defences mean more than 200,000 homes in England are at risk of flooding, with MPs blaming Environment Agency budget shortfalls.A report by MPs on the public accounts committee said the EA had failed to meet a target of maintaining 98% of high consequence" flood defences. The agency has had to downgrade the number of properties it aims to protect by 2027 from 336,000 to 200,000. Continue reading...
Scheme to convert biomass units could become one of world's most expensive energy projects, experts sayDrax has received permission from the government to fit carbon capture technology to its wood-burning power plant, in a project that could cost bill-payers more than 40bn.The energy secretary, Claire Coutinho, on Tuesday approved the project to convert two of its biomass units to use the technology. Continue reading...
In one of the world's oldest lakes, Hovsgol grayling, a species found only in these azure waters in Mongolia, are struggling to surviveWords and photos by Anne ReadelPine-studded mountains and snow-capped hills fringe Mongolia's ancient Lake Hovsgol. Wild flowers cascade down its steep banks, and its forests harbour wolves, moose and elk. Despite its remoteness, small towns, tourist lodges and pastoralists' gers - the traditional Mongolian circular felt tents - are sprinkled along the shore, along with herds of sheep, goats and yaks.Located in north Mongolia, a few miles from Russia, Lake Hovsgol is the country's deepest and largest lake by volume. It is known locally as the Blue Pearl for its translucent azure water, and is considered one of the most pristine lakes in the world. It is also one of the oldest, formed more than 2m years ago.Goats, horses, and yaks graze along the shore of Lake Hovsgol. Overgrazing and more frequent storms are degrading pastures used by herders, meaning many are turning to fishing to supplement their income Continue reading...
YouTube criticised for amplifying lies about the climate with disinformation videos watched by young peopleA third of UK teenagers believe climate change is exaggerated", a report has found, as YouTube videos promoting a new kind of climate denial aimed at young people proliferate on the platform.Previously, most climate deniers pushed the belief that climate breakdown was not happening or, if it was, that humans were not causing it. Now, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has found that most climate denial videos on YouTube push the idea that climate solutions do not work, climate science and the climate movement are unreliable, or that the effects of global heating are beneficial or harmless. Continue reading...
by Damien Gayle, Bruno Rinvolucri and Temujin Doran on (#6HWNV)
The UK's deer population is at its highest level for 1,000 years, and is growing exponentially. Now at roughly 2 million animals, the UK's deer stalkers need to cull at least 750,000 animals a year just for the population to stand still. There are also more food banks in the UK than ever. As the need for food grows, donations, especially those containing protein, become harder to find.