High winds, rains, winter storms and tropical cyclones accounted for 80% of power interruptions over the last 20 yearsPower outages in the US are rising, as climate-related extreme weather strain an already burdened energy grid.Over the last decade, severe storm outages increased by 74% compared with the previous 10 years. Continue reading...
2.2bn-worth of oil processed in China, India and Turkey - to whom Russia supplies crude - was imported in 2023, data showsThe UK has been accused of helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine" by continuing to import record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels.Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey amounted to 2.2bn in 2023, the same record value as the previous year, up from 434.2m in 2021. Continue reading...
A dawn chorus of flutes, whistles and chirps once flowed through my Cambridge window, but there has been a shocking collapse in birdlife. What can be done?Every year from February through to June, the early morning chorus of birdsong is one of the most evocative manifestations of spring. During late winter I open the bedroom window before going to sleep, to hear that incredible mix of flutes, whistles and chirps that begin before first light, when I wake. I listen for the layers of song that simultaneously come from close by and far away.This year though, the dawn chorus that once was the soundtrack for spring in central Cambridge has collapsed. It was noticeably quieter in 2023, and this year strikingly so. Blackbirds are depleted and song thrushes no longer heard at all. The dunnocks - once one of the most common garden songsters - have disappeared, as have the chaffinches, whose early February song was among the first audible confirmations of lengthening days. The cheery chatter of house sparrows is absent and the once familiar sound of coal tits has fallen silent. Long-tailed tits are now rare, and so far this year I've heard no blackcaps. Great and blue tits, robins and goldfinches, are still present, but down in number. Continue reading...
We don't have to reflexively use refined sugar to sweeten. Dates often do the trick - in a way that's healthier for us and the planetWhen I attended pastry school in Paris a couple of years ago, granulated sugar appeared in nearly every tart, cookie or mousse recipe we learned. Only a few desserts used honey or maple syrup in its place.That's no surprise. Granulated sugar is dessert's chief sweetener and also its secret pinch-hitter. It's worth being specific: granulated sugar is nearly pure sucrose, and its unique powers have made it the standard for sweetening. It makes baked goods moist. It makes cakes and cookies tender. It combines with butter to make frostings fluffy and whips up with egg whites like nobody's business (hence the cloud-like loft of meringue). Continue reading...
American Lung Association's State of the Air report states nearly 131 million people are exposed to ozone and particle pollutionNearly four in 10 people in the US are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution, a new report has found. Four of the five most polluted cities are in California, where wildfires, drought and extreme heat are driving the rise in hazardous air quality.More than 131 million people are exposed to harmful ozone and particle (PM 2.5) pollution, according to the American Lung Association's annual State of the Air report. That figure, which incorporates new, more stringent federal standards for particle pollution, represents an 11.7 million increase from the previous year. Continue reading...
by Agostino Petroni and Regin Winther Poulsen in Pugl on (#6MA12)
From ancient olive groves to root vegetables, foreign pests introduced via the bloc's open import system are causing damage worth billions - and outbreaks are on the riseThe plants slowly choke to death, wither and dry out. They die en masse, leaves dropping and bark turning grey, creating a sea of monochrome. Since scientists first discovered Xylella fastidiosa in 2013 in Puglia, Italy, it has killed a third of the region's 60 million olive trees - which once produced almost half of Italy's olive oil - many of which were centuries old. Farms stopped producing, olive mills went bankrupt and tourists avoided the area. With no known cure, the bacterium has already caused damage costing about 1bn.The greatest part of the territory was completely destroyed," says Donato Boscia, a plant virologist and head researcher on Xylella at the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection in Bari. Continue reading...
The biggest cities in the US are mourning animals who fostered a rare sense of connection. Art is preserving their legaciesWorking near Central Park, one New Yorker regularly witnessed one of its most beloved residents: Flaco the owl, who became a celebrity after escaping the nearby zoo. The woman took the bird's message to heart, re-evaluated her life and decided to quit her job. Now, she's one of dozens with a Flaco tattoo.They'll be walking around the rest of their lives, that name and owl on their arm," says Duke Riley, an environmental artist who spearheaded a special sale at his tattoo parlor this month. Customers flocked to East River Tattoo in Brooklyn, where, for $150, they could walk away with ink memorializing Flaco. The line stretched around the block, Riley says. Continue reading...
Sarah Benn is first of three GPs facing disciplinary tribunals this year over climate activismA doctor who went to jail after a series of climate protests has been taken off the medical register for five months - and still faces being permanently struck off.The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) - the disciplinary arm of the General Medical Council (GMC) - suspended Dr Sarah Benn on Tuesday, having found last week that her fitness to practise as a doctor had been impaired by reason of misconduct. Continue reading...
Trudi Warner on a year being pursued by government lawyers determined to prosecute her over a jurors' rights protestTwo days before Trudi Warner faced court under threat of a contempt of court prosecution, she fell off her bike and ruptured the tendons in her hand.Now the hand is black and blue, tightly bandaged, and requires surgery. It is an indication that 69-year-old Warner, who spent her working life as a child social worker and has committed her retirement to climate action, is not as tough and unflappable as her demeanour suggests. Continue reading...
by Karen McVeigh in the Galápagos Islands on (#6M9A3)
As diplomats search for a deal to curb the world's growing problem of plastic, piles of bottles, buoys, nets and packaging keep building up in what should be a pristine environmentAs our small fishing boat slows to a halt in a shallow bay south-east of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, in the Galapagos Islands, a green turtle surfaces next to us, followed by a second, then a third a few metres away. A spotted eagle ray glides underneath the vessel.The skipper, Don Nelson, steps on to the black volcanic reef, slippery with algae. We follow, past exposed mangrove roots and up on to higher ground. Pelicans swooping into the trees and small birds, perching on branches, ignore our approach. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville, Environment correspondent on (#6M97Y)
Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK is hopeful impasse can be overcome at treaty negotiations in OttawaAs UN talks begin to agree the first global treaty to reduce soaring plastic waste, the chair of the meetings has said he is confident countries will come together to secure an agreement.Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK, admitted it would be a challenge to overcome an impasse that has emerged between countries which produce plastic and others that have ambitions to tackle plastic pollution over its whole life. But Valdivieso, who will chair the UN intergovernmental negotiations on a future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution in Ottawa, Canada, this week, said: We have to face those challenges and work with them. Compromise is an important word that we need to take into account. Continue reading...
Claire O'Neill, a former climate minister, says PM's move was to try and create political division and dividing lines'The UK government's decision to weaken some of its climate commitments was a retrograde step" that would set back vital cross-party action to cut carbon emissions, Claire O'Neill, a former Conservative climate minister, has said.O'Neill, who was known as Claire Perry when she served as a minister under David Cameron and Theresa May, said the rolling back of emission reduction efforts by Rishi Sunak appeared to be a ploy for political advantage. Continue reading...
Funds will be targeted at disadvantaged areas to create 200,000 jobs, after last week's oil and gas lease restrictions in AlaskaJoe Biden marked Monday's Earth Day by announcing a $7bn investment in solar energy projects nationwide, focusing on disadvantaged communities, and unveiling a week-long series of what the White House say will be historic climate actions".The president was speaking at Prince William Forest Park, in Triangle, Virginia, touting his environmental record and unveiling measures to tackle the climate crisis and increase access to, and lower costs of, clean energy. Continue reading...
Chris Stark says populist response and culture war around the term is inhibiting environmental progressThe concept of net zero" has become a political slogan used to start a dangerous" culture war over the climate, and may be better dropped, the outgoing head of the UK's climate watchdog has warned.Chris Stark, the chief executive of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said sensible improvements to the economy and people's lives were being blocked by a populist response to the net zero label, and he would be intensely relaxed" about losing the term. Continue reading...
Organizers at Columbia, Tulane and the University of Virginia write to attorneys general arguing schools' investments are illegalCampus organizers at three universities filed legal complaints on Monday arguing that their schools' investments in planet-heating fossil fuels are illegal, the Guardian has learned.The students from Columbia University, Tulane University and the University of Virginia each wrote to the attorneys general of their respective states calling on them to scrutinize their universities' investments. They accuse their universities of breaching the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, a law adopted by 49 states that requires non-profit institutions to consider their charitable purposes" when investing, and exercise prudence" and loyalty". Continue reading...
Historic hearing will receive submissions from people whose human rights have been affected by climate changeJulian Medina comes from a long line of fishers in the north of Colombia's Gulf of Morrosquillo who use small-scale and often traditional methods to catch species such as mackerel, tuna and cojinua.Medina went into business as a young man but was drawn back to his roots, and ended up leading a fishing organisation. For years he has campaigned against the encroachment of fossil fuel companies, pollution and overfishing, which are destroying the gulf's delicate ecosystem and people's livelihoods. Continue reading...
Trudi Warner was accused of contempt for holding placard reminding jurors of right to acquit based on conscienceA high court judge has thrown out an attempt by the government's most senior law officer to prosecute a woman for holding a placard on jury rights outside a climate trial.Mr Justice Saini said there was no basis for a prosecution of Trudi Warner, 69, for criminal contempt for holding a placard outside the trial of climate activists that informed jurors of their right to acquit a defendant based on their conscience. Continue reading...
Swallows, cuckoos, curlews - so many species have dwindled or disappeared completely, and people are mourning their lossRead more: World faces deathly silence' of nature as wildlife disappears, warn expertsThe sounds of our natural world are changing dramatically. Earth's wildlife populations have plunged by 69% in fewer than 50 years. Fading along with them are many of the distinctive soundscapes of nature: the night-time calls of mammals, morning chorus of birds and buzz of insects.This global story is stitched together by many local stories of loss. We spoke to readers about how natural sounds are changing where they live. Continue reading...
Scheme is part of effort to reduce staggering' quantities of textiles going to landfill or incineratorInstead of throwing stained, ripped and misshapen clothing in the bin, Britons are being asked to stick the dregs of their wardrobe in the post in a trial aimed at tackling the staggering" quantity of textiles sent to landfill or are incinerated each year.A third of consumers do not know what to do with tops, dresses and trousers that can no longer be worn, figures show, with a similar number admitting to putting such items in their household waste bin. Continue reading...
Europeans are dying from hot weather 30% more than they did two decades ago, report findsScorching weather has baked Europe in more days of extreme heat stress" than its scientists have ever seen.Heat-trapping pollutants that clog the atmosphere helped push temperatures in Europe last year to the highest or second-highest levels ever recorded, according to the EU's Earth-watching service Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6M84E)
Resolution Foundation calls for fourfold increase in renewable power investment to reduce pressure on household billsA permanent shift to higher interest rates could add billions of pounds to the UK's renewable energy transition, a leading thinktank has warned.Borrowing costs have soared since the easing of pandemic lockdowns and Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the world's leading central banks raised interest rates to tackle inflation - pushing up the costs of investment in infrastructure across advanced economies including for green power generation schemes. Continue reading...
Officials urge municipalities to begin emergency planning after major rivers and reservoirs threaten to overflowMajor rivers, waterways and reservoirs in China's Guangdong province are threatening to unleash dangerous floods, forcing the government to enact emergency response plans to protect more than 127 million people.Calling the situation grim", local weather officials said sections of rivers and tributaries at the Xijiang and Beijiang river basins are hitting water levels in a rare spike that only has a one-in-50 chance of happening in any given year, the state broadcaster CCTV news said on Sunday. Continue reading...
Restaurants are serving more unusual cuts of meat, with animal heads staring up at diners to teach them about their foodOffal has become a staple on restaurant menus across the UK, with cheaper cuts attracting chefs with sustainability goals and tight budgets, boosted by the influence of nose-to-tail pioneers such as Fergus Henderson at StJohn in London. Now many are going further, creating dishes with animal heads staring at diners from their plates.At Fowl in central London, which describes itself as a beak-to-feet chicken restaurant", the Sunday roast comes complete with chicken claws. At Manteca in Shoreditch, east London, you might find half a pig's head, clearly identifiable, on your table. Newly opened Camille in Borough Market, south London serves a chicken-neck sausage, including the bird's head. Continue reading...
Campaigners call for the whole regulatory system to be replaced after Observer analysis finds watchdog spent more than 25m with consultanciesThe water industry regulator has spent 26.7m on business consultants in the past five years, including several companies that have simultaneously worked for private water firms, the Observer can reveal.The findings prompted environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey to call for Ofwat to be abolished as fellow campaigners said there appeared to be no dividing line between those who are meant to enforce the law and those who routinely break it". Continue reading...
Chris Stark, head of the Climate Change Committee, says Tories' decision to dilute key green policies has had huge diplomatic impactRishi Sunak has given up Britain's reputation as a world leader in the fight against the climate crisis and has set us back" by failing to prioritise the issue in the way his predecessors in No 10 did, the government's green adviser has warned.Chris Stark, the outgoing head of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said that the prime minister had clearly not" championed the issue following a high-profile speech last year in which he made a significant U-turn on the government's climate commitments. The criticism comes after Sunak was accused of trying to avoid scrutiny of Britain's climate policies by failing to appoint a new chair of the CCC. Continue reading...
Organisers say 50,000 turn out to call for limit on tourist numbers, saying model makes life unaffordable and puts strain on resourcesTens of thousands of people are protesting across the Canary Islands to call for an urgent rethink of the Spanish archipelago's tourism strategy and a freeze on visitor numbers, arguing that the decades-old model has made life unaffordable and environmentally unsustainable for residents.The protests, which are taking place under the banner Canarias tiene un limite" - The Canaries have a limit - are backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace, WWF, Ecologists in Action, Friends of the Earth and SEO/Birdlife. Continue reading...
Recordings of healthy fish are being transmitted to attract heat-tolerant larvae back to degraded reefs in the MaldivesAn underwater experiment to restore coral reefs using a combination of coral IVF" and recordings of fish noises could offer a beacon of hope" to scientists who fear the fragile ecosystem is on the brink of collapse.The experiment - a global collaboration between two teams of scientists who developed their innovative coral-saving techniques independently - has the potential to significantly increase the likelihood that coral will repopulate degraded reefs, they claim. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Whistleblowers point to broader sewage scandal, with wastewater systems manipulated to divert sewageWhistleblowers say UK water companies are knowingly failing to treat legally required amounts of sewage, and that some treatment works are manipulating wastewater systems to divert raw sewage away from the works and into rivers and seas.It is well known that water companies are dumping large volumes of raw sewage into rivers and seas from storm overflows but an investigation by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations reveals that the industry's dirty secret" is bigger, broader and deeply systemic. Continue reading...
Video shows trees and shrubs along Western Australia's south-west coastline turning brown after Perth recorded it hottest and driest six months since records began. There were similar scenes in the state's south-west eucalypt forests in 2010 and 2011 - a major die-back event that prompted more than a dozen studies. Drought-hit forests were hit by fire years later Continue reading...
Environmental groups say bosses should hang their heads in shame' as firm bows to pressure from shareholders to cut costsUnilever is to scale back its environmental and social aims, provoking critics to say its board should hang their heads in shame".The consumer goods company behind brands ranging from Dove beauty products to Ben & Jerry's ice-cream was seen as perhaps the foremost proponent of corporate ethics - particularly under the tenure of its Dutch former boss Paul Polman. Continue reading...
Environmentalists celebrate new rules but Alaska politicians call it an illegal' attack on state's livelihood and predict lawsuitsThe Biden administration said on Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13m acres (5.3m hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm.The decision - part of an ongoing, years-long fight over whether and how to develop the vast oil resources in the state - finalizes protections first proposed last year as the Biden administration prepared to approve the controversial Willow oil project. Continue reading...
Superfund law requires industries responsible for PFOA and PFOS contamination in water or soil to pay for cleanupThe Environmental Protection Agency on Friday designated two forever chemicals that have been used in cookware, carpets and firefighting foams as hazardous substances, an action intended to ensure quicker cleanup of the toxic compounds and require industries and others responsible for contamination to pay for their removal.Designation as a hazardous substance under the Superfund law does not ban the chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS. But it requires that release of the chemicals into soil or water be reported to federal, state or tribal officials if it meets or exceeds certain levels. The EPA then may require cleanups to protect public health and recover costs that can reach tens of millions of dollars. Continue reading...
Research into release of forever chemicals' raises concerns about contamination and human exposure along world's coastlinesOcean waves crashing on the world's shores emit more PFAS into the air than the world's industrial polluters, new research has found, raising concerns about environmental contamination and human exposure along coastlines.The study measured levels of PFAS released from the bubbles that burst when waves crash, spraying aerosols into the air. It found sea spray levels were hundreds of thousands times higher than levels in the water. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Study released at Cop28 misused research to underestimate impact of cutting meat eating, say academicsA flagship UN report on livestock emissions is facing calls for retraction from two key experts it cited who say that the paper seriously distorted" their work.The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) misused their research to underestimate the potential of reduced meat intake to cut agricultural emissions, according to a letter sent to the FAO by the two academics, which the Guardian has seen. Continue reading...
Estimated 2,548 barrels of carbon dioxide leaked from Exxon pipeline in Louisiana on 3 April, triggering alarm among residentsA major leak of CO from an ExxonMobil pipeline in Louisiana exposes dangerous safety gaps that should halt the planned multibillion-dollar carbon capture industry, environmental advocates say.An estimated 2,548 barrels of carbon dioxide (CO) leaked from the Exxon pipeline in Sulphur in Calcasieu parish on 3 April, triggering an emergency response and alarm among residents who live in close proximity to scores of polluting pipelines, petrochemical and fossil fuel facilities. Continue reading...
State revealed as America's overwhelming emitter of sulfuryl fluoride, used by $4.2bn pest-control industry to kill termitesLevels of a potent greenhouse gas are quietly spiking in the atmosphere and increasingly worrying environmental groups that say its use needs to be reined in if the US is to avoid climate catastrophe.Furthermore, recent research has found the vast majority of the little-known gas, known as sulfuryl fluoride, is attributable to a state typically known for its climate-forward policies: California. Continue reading...
by Eleni Courea Political correspondent on (#6M6HW)
Exclusive: India seeking to use approach of UK election as bargaining chip and any exemption would be controversialIndia is demanding an exemption from the UK's planned carbon tax as part of negotiations aiming to finalise a free trade deal before the UK election.India's negotiating team have spent this week in London in a surprise set of talks to try to overcome the remaining hurdles to an agreement. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian