by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6GCKS)
Announcement fuels hope rivals can use Apec summit as a chance to reduce tensionsChina and the US have pledged to work together more closely to fight global heating, declaring the climate crisis one of the greatest challenges of our time", hours before a key meeting in San Francisco between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.The announcement further fuels hopes that the two nations can mend relations after years of turmoil over issues including trade, human rights and the future of Taiwan. Continue reading...
Floods force evacuation of homes, schools and town halls in Calais region and in the AlpsWidespread flooding in northern and eastern France has led to thousands of people having to evacuate their waterlogged homes, the collapse of roads and the closure of schools and public buildings.Record rainfall has caused rivers to break their banks, forcing the government to declare an official state of emergency in hundreds of towns and villages. Continue reading...
Recharge Industries served with statutory demand from former employee that could lead to bankruptcy proceedings, FT reportsThe Australian owner of the failed car battery firm Britishvolt is reportedly facing legal action from a former employee over unpaid wages, in a move that could result in the company being wound up.Recharge Industries, which bought the business and assets of Britishvolt after it collapsed into administration this year, has been served with a statutory demand to pay the outstanding wages, according to the Financial Times. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6GCPE)
State oil company's huge expansion plans make its CEO's role as president of UN climate summit ridiculous', say researchersThe state oil company of the United Arab Emirates, whose CEO will preside over imminent UN climate negotiations, has the largest net-zero-busting expansion plans of any company in the world, according to new data.Sultan Al Jaber is the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and president of the Cop28 summit, which begins on 30 November. The researchers behind the new data said Adnoc's huge planned expansion of oil and gas production was a clear conflict of interest and they said his position was ridiculous".$170bn has been spent by the industry on exploration for new oil and gas reserves since 2021.96% of the 700 companies that explore or develop new oil and gas fields are continuing to do so.More than 1,000 companies are planning new gas pipelines, gas-fired power plants or liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminals. Continue reading...
Quarter of new flood defence projects will also not go ahead, NAO finds, as Environment Agency blames cuts on inflationThe number of properties that will be better protected from flooding by 2027 has been cut by 40%, and 500 of 2,000 new flood defence projects have been abandoned, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).The number of homes forecast to be under enhanced flood protection by 2027 has been slashed from 336,000 to 200,000. This means 136,000 more homes will be at risk of flooding since plans were drawn up in 2020, figures from an NAO report show. Continue reading...
Annual competition inundated with a record number of votes after comedian took the Australasian crested grebe under his wingNew Zealand has crowned a bird that grunts, pukes and has a highly unusual repertoire of mating rituals as its bird of the century.The threatened Australasian crested grebe, or pteketeke, was thrown into the global spotlight by a powerful backer, British-American comedian and talkshow host John Oliver. Continue reading...
Here are some of the standout images from the 2023 Nature Conservancy photography contest. Entries from more than 80,000 photographers in 191 countries and territories were judged across 12 categories Continue reading...
It has a complicated face, like an intricate chest of drawers, or a jewellery box: press on this part and it opens to reveal a mouth, on that, and an eye pops outThis is a recipe for moeche, the green, soft-shelled crabs that live in Venetian lagoons: mix a batter of flour, eggs, salt and parmesan cheese in a bucket. Drop live crabs into the batter, which must be cold so that the crabs will feel at home. For 30 minutes, the last of their lives, let the moeche scuttle around in the batter, eating it. Then drop them into a pot of boiling hot oil: self-stuffing crabs.The moeche are crabs - true crabs" - that have moulted: they have soft shells for just a few hours, before their exoskeletons turn hard. To climb out of their too-small skins, they fill themselves up with water, so that the carapace splits. Then, they pull every part of themselves from their own skins - from the tips of their legs to their eyeballs.The first thing the intellect does with an object is to class it with something else. But any object that is infinitely important to us and awakens our devotion feels to us as if it must have been sui generis and unique. Probably a crab would be filled with a sense of personal outrage if it could hear us class it without ado or apology as a crustacean, and thus dispose of it. I am no such thing,' it would say, I am MYSELF, MYSELF alone.' Continue reading...
Killing critically endangered sturgeon to extract their eggs is not only unethical but unnecessary, say advocates of a more sustainable methodThe turning point for polar and marine scientist Angela Kohler came in 2005, when she attended a demonstration on caviar production in the Caspian Sea. Bringing out a two-metre female sturgeon in front of 150 conference guests, the caviar master beat the fish on the head to death before cutting its belly open. The masters suddenly became extremely nervous," she recalls. They went on to say that the eggs were too close to spawning and so they couldn't use them as caviar. They discarded the entire fish and began the process again with a new one."The brutality of the moment is something Kohler still remembers. As an expert in environmental toxicology, she was at the conference to study the damage to sturgeon populations and the Caspian Sea caused by chemical pollution. But the experience set her on a new mission: to find a way to produce no-kill" caviar. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6GC0V)
World's biggest wind power firm reported heavy losses after cancelling two US projectsThe world's biggest offshore wind developer, Denmark's Orsted, has lost two of its most senior executives after it abandoned a pair of windfarm projects off the US coast at a cost of more than 3bn.Orsted told investors that its chief financial officer, Daniel Lerup, and chief operating officer, Richard Hunter, had agreed to step down from their roles with immediate effect because the company needed new and different capabilities". Continue reading...
Government assessment says extreme weather events mean country suffers a disaster every three weeks, costing at least $1bnThe US is warming faster than the global average and its people are suffering far-reaching and worsening" consequences from the climate crisis, with worse to come, according to an authoritative report issued by the US government.An array of increasingly harmful impacts" is hitting every corner of the vast country, from extreme heat and sea level rise in Florida to depleted fish stocks and increased food insecurity in Alaska, the new National Climate Assessment has found. Continue reading...
Research shows global heating creates whiplash effect' of erratic extremes - often in poorest countriesExtreme drought in northern Italy has doubled over the past two decades, creating a climate that increasingly mirrors that of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, research shows.Analysis of satellite imagery and data by scientists reveals how global heating is creating a whiplash effect", creating erratic extremes. The analysis of climate data released by WaterAid and Cardiff and Bristol universities finds that under extreme climate pressures, areas that used to experience frequent droughts are now more prone to frequent flooding, while other regions historically prone to flooding now endure more frequent droughts. Continue reading...
Experts warn UK's regulations now lag behind those of the EU and that Britons will be exposed to more toxic chemicals as a resultThe government is to loosen EU-derived laws on chemicals in a move experts say will increase the likelihood of toxic substances entering the environment.Under new plans the government will reduce the hazard" information that chemical companies must provide to register substances in the UK. The safety information provided about chemicals will be reduced to an irreducible minimum", which campaigners say will leave the UK lagging far behind the EU". Continue reading...
Coal must be phased out seven times faster and deforestation reduced four times faster to avoid worst impacts of climate breakdown, says reportCoal must be phased out seven times faster than is now happening, deforestation must be reduced four times faster, and public transport around the world built out six times faster than at present, if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown, new research has found.Countries are falling behind on almost every policy required to cut greenhouse gas emissions, despite progress on renewable energy and the uptake of electric vehicles.Retire about 240 average-sized coal-fired power plants a year, every year between now and 2030.Construct the equivalent of three New Yorks' worth of public transport systems in cities around the world each year this decade.Halt deforestation, which is happening to an area the size of 15 football pitches every minute, this decade.Increase the rate of growth of solar and wind power from its current high of 14% a year to 24% a year.Cut meat consumption from ruminants such as cows and sheep to about two servings a week in the US, Europe and other high-consuming countries by 2030. Continue reading...
Onlookers in Bingil Bay were stunned when an adolescent cassowary emerged from the ocean and shook itself off late last month. Mandubarra traditional owner and Bingil Bay Campground host Nikita McDowell sent video of the unexpected arrival to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service after a guest told her it was swimming about 200 metres offshore. The endangered bird 'will take to the water to cross from one side of a river to the other, or if they feel threatened by domestic dogs or another cassowary through a territorial dispute', QPWS officer Stephen Clough says. McDowell was advised that it would move on when it was ready. 'I went to make a coffee and when I returned, it was gone,' she says
Former PM takes seat in Lords after return as foreign secretary; James Cleverly replaces Suella Braverman; Esther McVey to reportedly tackle wokery'ITV's Paul Brand says he has had a text with the word Rejoice" from a Tory MP celebrating the sacking of Suella Braverman.James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has been seen going into No 10, PA Media reports. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondent on (#6GB89)
New portrait prize sponsor, the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, has represented the oil companyClimate campaigners have accused the National Portrait Gallery of jumping out of the reputational frying pan straight into the reputational fire" after it announced its replacement sponsor for BP is a law firm that has represented the fossil fuel company.The gallery said last year it was ending its 30-year partnership with BP after a lengthy campaign against its relationship with the oil and gas company. On Monday, it announced that the new sponsor for its portrait prize, one of the UK's most prestigious art prizes, formerly known as the BP portrait award, would be Herbert Smith Freehills. Continue reading...
Nearly 300 sq miles of water on west of Caribbean island to be designated as a reserve for endangered animalsThe tiny Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the world's first marine protected area for one of Earth's largest animals: the endangered sperm whale.Nearly 300 sq miles (800 sq km) of royal blue waters on the western side of the island nation that serve as key nursing and feeding grounds will be designated as a reserve, the government announced on Monday. Continue reading...
Report says cutting emissions should still be key priority as it cautions against mass monoculture tree-plantingForest conservation and restoration could make a major contribution to tackling the climate crisis as long as greenhouse gas emissions are slashed, according to a study.By allowing existing trees to grow old in healthy ecosystems and restoring degraded areas, scientists say 226 gigatonnes of carbon could be sequestered, equivalent to nearly 50 years of US emissions for 2022. But they caution that mass monoculture tree-planting and offsetting will not help forests realise their potential.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X, formerly known as Twitter, for all the latest news and features Continue reading...
Scheme would involve abstracting water from the River Thames at Teddington and replacing it with treated sewageThames Water is facing a public backlash over a multimillion-pound water recycling" scheme promoted as a solution to tackling climate crisis-induced droughts.The technology involves using effluent from sewage treatment works, putting it through a further layer of treatment and releasing the treated water into a river, in order to replace the same amount of water that is abstracted off for drinking water. Continue reading...
by Adam Popescu in Tule River Reservation, California on (#6GB0E)
A 2021 wildfire supercharged grass growth providing food for cattle, but the return of the predator has ranchers worriedA sinewy skull, two hooves and a shriveled hide are all that's left of the 650-pound cow.Wolf kill," said William McDarment, a rancher on the Tule River Reservation in Tulare county, California. Picked clean in less than a week ... See those tracks." Continue reading...
Delegates in Nairobi for talks in what experts say could be most important multilateral treaty since Paris accord The godfather of microplastics on how to stop themGovernment delegations will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, to hammer out details of what could be the first global treaty to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.A key focus for the discussions on Monday will be whether targets to restrict plastic production should be decided unilaterally or whether states should choose their own targets; this is, say environmentalists, the centre of gravity" for the treaty's ambition. Continue reading...
Sunshine Coast locals have spent days on their hands and knees picking polystyrene balls off the beach. More than a week has passed since the balls were discovered, yet it is still unclear which government agency is responsible for leading the cleanup and investigating the cause.Reports from volunteers indicate the balls spread over at least 5km of coastline and riverbankSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6GAR9)
Emissions by world's most polluting country could peak this year after surge in clean energy investmentsChina's carbon emissions could peak this year before falling into a structural decline for the first time from next year after a record surge in clean energy investments, according to research.Emissions from the world's most polluting country have rebounded this year after the Chinese government dropped its Covid restrictions in January, according to analysis undertaken for Carbon Brief. Continue reading...
The French president has called for action at a climate summit in Paris attended by heads of state and scientists before Cop28France will spend 1bn (880m) on polar research between now and 2030, amid rapidly rising scientific concern over the world's melting ice caps and glaciers.A new polar science vessel will spearhead the effort, and France is calling for a moratorium on the exploitation of the seabed in polar regions, to which the UK, Canada, Brazil and 19 other countries have so far signed up. Continue reading...
Mark Barrow returned to the site of an earlier shoot five years later and found aquatic life devastated by sewageFive years ago, when Mark Barrow started his project to film along the 65-mile River Wharfe in Yorkshire, he captured footage of majestic shoals of grayling, the fish known as the Lady of the Stream", some 200 or 300 strong.Recently, Barrow returned to the same spot, near the historic Harewood House on the outskirts of Leeds, to reshoot some video because he wasn't happy with the quality of his earlier attempt. Continue reading...
Animal welfare groups urge retailers to switch to slow-growing birds in face of record deaths last yearMore than 80 million chickens died before reaching slaughter weight in the UK last year, with mortality rates the highest for at least a decade, reveal official figures.Animal welfare organisations say the fast-growing chicken breeds that dominate production have higher mortality rates, lameness and muscle disease than slower-growing breeds. They are calling on retailers to switch to slower-growing breeds and provide more space for the birds. Continue reading...
Fears grow that Rishi Sunak's anti-green policy shift is driving investment in renewable energy abroadThe government has received no new applications for onshore wind farms in England since cabinet ministers eased planning rules earlier this year - in a further sign that Rishi Sunak's anti-green policy shift is driving investment abroad.So far this year, only one new project, with a single turbine, has become fully operational in England, with many more being built in the EU - and in Scotland and Wales, where planning rules are less burdensome. This is despite renewables being seen as the cleanest and safest form of power, and having wide public support. Continue reading...
Move is bad news for local environmental groups, whose motion to halt construction will be heard on 15 NovemberA federal agency that monitors water quality says it stopped measuring sediment pollution levels in a creek that runs alongside the controversial police and fire department training center known as Cop City" months ago due to safety concerns.The issue is particularly important as a local environmental group's motion to stop construction of the project will get its day in federal court on 15 November. Continue reading...
by Gabrielle Canon in Ojai, California on (#6G9XF)
A rancher in California is training a new generation to fight fires - and foster deeper connections to the land - with farm animalsDust swirls around Brittany Cole" Bush as she coaxes dozens of stubborn sheep and goats toward a small enclosure. They aren't going willingly, but she can't help but smile.Bush is the founder of Shepherdess Land & Livestock, a ranch in the Ojai Valley that uses grazing animals to reduce the risk of wildfires in southern California. Continue reading...
by Nina Lakhani, climate justice reporter on (#6G9X9)
Hottest US city, buffeted by extreme temperatures, sees 579 heat-related in 2023, with large proportion among unhoused peopleHeat deaths surged by 50% in Phoenix in 2023 - the deadliest year on record after extreme temperatures pummeled America's hottest city, official figures show.At least 579 people lost their lives to heat this year, with senior citizens accounting for one in three deaths, according to the year's final heat surveillance report by the medical examiner's office in Maricopa county, where Phoenix is located. Another 56 suspected heat deaths are still under investigation. Continue reading...
Charity says research dispels myth that wood burning, which has health risks, is a cheaper energy optionWood burners are a more expensive way to heat homes than gas boilers or heat pumps, research shows.A study found that as well as causing significant health and environmental dangers for the home's occupants and their neighbours, it is at least 15% more costly to heat a home using a wood burner rather than a gas boiler. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6G99E)
Developers say higher prices across their supply chains mean costs have climbed by about 40%The government is poised to offer higher subsidies for new offshore windfarms to avoid missing its green energy targets as developers grapple with a rise in supply chain costs.Ministers are expected to set out within the next week a new starting price for the next subsidy auction, which is likely to offer higher levels of support to offshore wind developers. Continue reading...
by Helena Horton, Environment reporter on (#6G930)
Chris Skidmore says use of negative political tactics by fellow Tory MPs is putting climate and people at riskThe Conservative party is going in a very dark direction", a Tory former minister has said, as misinformation around climate continues.Chris Skidmore, the MP for Kingswood in Gloucestershire, served as energy minister under Theresa May when she signed the target of net zero emissions by 2050 into law. He was appointed last year as Liz Truss's net zero tsar, and asked to review the UK's net zero plan, which is now being published in paperback.Mission Zero is published on 28 November by Biteback Publishing Continue reading...
A new study doubles the number of species at risk of extinction to 2m, driven by the latest data on insects. Losing these tiny creatures would have huge implications for life on EarthRead more: Number of species at risk of extinction doubles to 2 million, says studyCut an apple in half, and the white flesh reveals a cluster of black pips arranged in the shape of a star. It is a tiny constellation of seeds hidden in the fruit bowl. But it reveals an interlinked universe of pollination and nature's abundance - a delicate system, and one that can easily be thrown off course.When the apple blossoms are pollinated, seeds pump out hormones telling the plant to produce the right vitamins, minerals and rate of growth. They help formulate crunchiness, size and shape. Lose those pollinators, however, and this fragile system becomes unbalanced. If only three or four of the seeds get pollinated, our apple may grow lopsided. The nutritional value might decrease, as could the shelf-life of the fruit, turning it brown and wrinkled before its time. Continue reading...
Species now extinct in 20 counties in England due to loss of woodland scrub and milder wintersPopulations of the hazel dormouse, perhaps the most elusive native British mammal, have plummeted by 70% this century.The nocturnal, tree-dwelling animals are now extinct in 20 counties in England and the species must be reclassified as endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list, according to a study by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). Continue reading...