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news/2014/jun/01/weatherwatch-insects-light-colour | Weatherwatch: Pale but not pallid | Insects are particularly sensitive to warmth and sunlight. As the climate changes many are moving northwards and increasing their range while others retreat. Scientists have been trying to work out exactly what helps individual species to be successful in new places. A study of 366 types of European butterflies and 107 dragonflies over 18 years discovered that it is the lighter-coloured species that are doing better in a warmer world. They are out-competing darker-coloured insects, which are retreating northwards to cooler climes. The coasts of Kent and Norfolk are now home to light-coloured damselflies that have crossed the Channel and previously only occurred further south on the continent. The crucial issue seems to be the colour of the insect's body and its ability to absorb heat from the sun. This warmth helps to fuel their flight and regulate body temperature. Dark insects are therefore able to survive in cooler climes by absorbing warmth more easily but in a warmer world can suffer from overheating. A lighter insect will absorb less heat and be active for longer in the sunshine so gaining competitive advantage. Scientists are confident that for these two major insect groups they have established a direct link between climate and colour. Previously they knew that insects of all sorts in Europe were moving to new habitats at a remarkable speed in response to higher temperatures but did not know what was driving the changes. Now they should be able to predict where species will go by checking their ability to absorb or reflect sunlight. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/insects', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/paulbrown', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-06-01T20:30:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2009/jun/03/renewables-energy | Green energy overtakes fossil fuel investment, UN figures reveal | Green energy overtook fossil fuels in attracting investment for power generation for the first time last year, according to figures released today by the United Nations. Wind, solar and other clean technologies attracted $140bn (£85bn) compared with $110bn for gas and coal for electrical power generation, with more than a third of the green cash destined for Britain and the rest of Europe. The biggest growth for renewable investment came from China, India and other developing countries, which are fast catching up on the West in switching out of fossil fuels to improve energy security and tackle climate change. "There have been many milestones reached in recent years, but this report suggests renewable energy has now reached a tipping point where it is as important – if not more important – in the global energy mix than fossil fuels," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN's Environment Programme. It was very encouraging that a variety of new renewable sectors were attracting capital, while different geographical areas such as Kenya and Angola were entering the field, he added. The UN still believes $750bn needs to be spent worldwide between 2009 and 2011 and the current year has started ominously with a 53% slump in first quarter renewables investment to $13.3bn. Counting energy efficiency and other measures, more than $155bn of new money was invested in clean energy companies and projects, even though capital raised on public stock markets fell 51% to $11.4bn and green firms saw share prices slump more than 60% over 2008, according to the report, Global Trends in Sustainable Energy, drawn up for the UN by the New Energy Finance (NEF) consultancy in London. Wind, where the US is now global leader, attracted the highest new worldwide investment, $51.8bn, followed by solar at $33.5bn. The former represented annual growth of only 1%, while the latter was up by nearly 50% year-on-year. Biofuels were the next most popular investment, winning $16.9bn, but down 9% on 2007, as the sector was hit by overcapacity issues in the US and political opposition, with ethanol being blamed for rising food prices. Europe is still the main centre for investment in green power with $50bn being pumped into projects across the continent, an increase of 2% on last year, while the figure for America was $30bn, down 8%. But while overall spending in the West dipped nearly 2%, there was a 27% rise to $36.6bn in developing countries led by China, which pumped in $15.6bn, mostly in wind and biomass plants. China more than doubled its installed wind turbine capacity to 11GW of capacity, while Indian wind investment was up 17% to $2.6bn, as its overall clean tech spending rose to $4.1bn in 2008, 12% up on 2007 levels. A number of Green New Deals – government reflationary packages designed to kickstart economies and boost action to counter climate change – have been laid out by ministers around the world. The slump in global renewable investment during the first quarter of 2009 has alarmed the UN and New Energy Finance, the London-based consultancy that compiled the figures for the UN. Michael Liebreich, chief executive of NEF, said the second quarter had revealed "green shoots" of recovery, which indicated this year could end up with investment at the upper end of a $95bn to $115bn range, but still a quarter down on 2008 at the least. About $3bn of new money had been raised via initial public offerings or secondary issues on the stock markets in the second quarter, compared with none in the first three months of this year. The New Energy Index of clean tech stocks, which had slumped from a 450 high to 134 by March, had since bounced back to 230, while more project financing had been raised in the last six weeks than in the 13 before that, he said. But Steiner and Liebreich are still anxious that politicians do more to stimulate growth. "There is a strong case for further measures, such as requiring state-supported banks to raise lending to the sector, providing capital gains tax exemptions on investments in clean technology, creating a framework for Green Bonds and so on, all targeted at getting investment flowing," said Liebreich. It is important stimulus funds start flowing immediately, not in a year or so, he added: "Many of the policies to achieve growth over the medium-term are already in place, including feed-in tariff regimes, mandatory renewable energy targets and tax incentives. There is too much emphasis amongst some policy-makers on support mechanisms, and not enough on the urgent needs of investors right now." | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'business/business', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'world/unitednations', 'tone/news', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'business/energy-industry', 'type/article', 'profile/terrymacalister'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2009-06-03T16:18:57Z | true | ENERGY |
news/2023/sep/29/weatherwatch-uk-needs-fludders-drookit-describe-changing-climate | Weatherwatch: UK needs fludders and drookit to describe changing climate | The British are renowned for starting every polite conversation with a commentary on the weather, a way of breaking the ice in any social situation. With the climate changing to more extreme events it is perhaps time to widen the weather vocabulary to become more descriptive of what is happening. As autumn has begun the UK has been lashed by the tail end of a couple of Atlantic hurricanes that had weakened to become mere low pressures, but still potent enough to cause power cuts and some flooding. What seems to have changed most about the British weather, apart from the general warmer temperatures, is how the rain comes down. Long gone are the drizzly days and gentle rain that lasted most of the day. It used to be sometimes said that the wind was too strong for much rain – not any more. Now the rain comes in sharp showers or pours for hours, often accompanied by strong winds. The Scots, who know more about rain than most, have some useful, descriptive words. Fludders is a massive downpour, sump a sudden deluge, and a baffin is the beating force of wind and rain. The result is to be drookit – drenched through to your skin. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'uk/uk', 'uk/scotland', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/paulbrown', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2023-09-29T05:00:35Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
fashion/2018/jun/03/industry-looks-to-graduate-fashion-week-for-sustainable-heroes | Industry looks to graduate fashion week for sustainable heroes | The future of fashion is sustainable if graduate fashion week is anything to go by. The annual four-day event event at London’s Old Truman Brewery comprises installations, catwalk shows and two prize-giving ceremonies and promises to uncover the torchbearers of “considered design”, according to the event’s creative and managing director, Martyn Roberts. Roberts believes that graduates can help existing fashion houses and retailers tap into “what a new generation of consumers want”. As brands from every echelon seek to improve their social, economic and environmental impact, graduate fashion week, says Roberts, is where many companies are looking for creatives for whom sustainability is intrinsic, as opposed to an afterthought, to show them how it’s done. “We are talking to a lot of brands who know that [sustainability] is important to their consumers – particularly the young ones – but they don’t know how to incorporate it into their offerings in a credible and desirable way.” Roberts has been careful to use the term “considered” rather than “sustainable” design to encourage a mindful approach to every element of the graduates’ work rather than focus on 100% sustainability, which remains challenging. Participating students this year include Rose Connor from the University of Central Lancashire, who has based her graduate collection on upcycled plastics, developing new fabrics through heat-pressing discarded household items such as shower curtains and mesh sponges; and Sarah Seb from the University of East London, who addresses the issue of waste by reconstructing secondhand clothes to avoid the creation of new materials. Roberts believes current fashion graduates can be the voice of change that the fast-fashion industry needs, which is often regarded as the facilitator of exploitation. “We need to have conversations with all brands, we can’t just say ignore one because it’s bad... you need to open up conversations with all levels of the industry. The only way forward is by having new talent coming in and showing them the way that brands become leaders that people follow. The reality of any company is that it needs to be a commercial business and if the consumers are wanting something different, they need to adjust to that.” Over the last three decades, graduate fashion week has helped kickstart the careers of many household fashion names, including the former Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey, Julien MacDonald and Stella McCartney. The main aim of the event is to provide a platform for fashion graduates (this year 36 UK and 51 international universities will take part) to exhibit their collections, share their ideas, as well as meet mentors and recruiters. Its end goal is to bridge the gap between education and employment, with disciplines ranging from fashion design and photography to illustration and marketing. Graduate fashion week 2018 which begins on Sunday will select three graduates for their sustainable ideas. The Considered Design award, the Vivienne Westwood sustainable and ethical award, and the Swarovski sustainable accessories competition are three of more than 30 prizes to be handed out over the four-day event with offers of mentorship and financial grants as rewards. This year also sees Nadja Swarovski and Diane von Furstenberg join Victoria Beckham, Christopher Bailey and Vivienne Westwood as lifetime patrons of GFW. Creating and nurturing leaders of the future also means equipping them with the skills to enter an intensely competitive industry, says Prof Caryn Franklin MBE. The former Clothes Show presenter, who has been involved with GFW since its inception in 1991, works closely with the event to help manage graduates’ mental health as they enter a global industry. This year she will moderate two talks on emotional intelligence. “I’m dealing with graduates who can see a dysfunctional fashion system that is exploitative. Their heroes, people like Alexander McQueen, have created the dream pathway and got to a place that many young creatives are encouraged to aim for – and for what?” says Franklin, who insists that stress tolerance tools are key to preventing graduates from becoming overwhelmed. “I want them to be equipped with the ability to overcome adversity; to manage their emotions and the emotions of others in order to protect themselves; to recognise opportunities for stealth disruption to unhealthy situations; and to empower others through kindness. Leadership has become tyrannical, across the board everywhere, and we’re all looking at how to challenge it.” The role of GFW, says Roberts, is to be a leader for positive, supportive and realistic change, laying the groundwork on all levels to ensure longevity for graduates and the fashion industry – a “win win situation”, as he puts it, which involves constant communication and education. “When students come out in three or four years time, what roles will be ready for them in the industry? And will the industry be ready for what they have to offer? It’s a two-way conversation. The more we talk with brands at all levels, the more our graduates will be prepared for them and they will be prepared for the graduates.” | ['fashion/fashion', 'fashion/fashion-industry', 'money/graduates', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'money/work-and-careers', 'environment/environment', 'education/higher-education', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/scarlett-conlon', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-fashion'] | environment/sustainable-development | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2018-06-03T12:03:18Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2018/sep/10/plastic-waste-set-to-beat-price-as-uk-shoppers-top-concern-study | Plastic waste set to beat price as UK shoppers' top concern – study | The number one issue for British shoppers in the next decade will be to reduce packaging and use more recyclable materials, according to new research. For perhaps the first time, the public puts environmental considerations around plastic waste above the price of goods when shopping. The research, carried out by ThoughtWorks, found that 62% of the 2,000 people surveyed were concerned with the need to reduce plastic packaging and use materials which were recyclable, while 57% said price would be a main driver for their purchases in the next 10 years. Food waste and where food comes from were also strong reasons to drive purchases; with 48% and 36% of those surveyed saying these issues affected their decision-making on what to buy and where to buy it from, according to the research. Kevin Flynn, director of retail strategy at ThoughtWorks, said the research showed the seeds of a consumer change which retailers and supermarkets would have to adapt to. He said if retailers did not listen to their consumers on issues such as reducing plastic packaging waste, the shoppers would simply go elsewhere. “What is emphatic, and a little surprising, from our research is how well people can see what’s coming next,” he said. “The days of pushing a trolley around a big warehouse, buying over-packaged goods and chasing value offers are numbered. “Consumers have more and more choice about how to shop and there will be new entrants coming into the market in the next 10 years. The whole retail industry is acutely aware that it needs to be nimble and move quickly to respond to this changing environment.” Price has traditionally been the most important factor for shoppers. But the new research comes after growing public consciousness about the scale of plastic pollution in the oceans. If nothing is done to reduce the use of plastic, the amount of waste in the oceans will triple in the next decade. According to the research, consumers are on the verge of asking more questions on where their food comes from and how it is produced: 36% of survey respondents said they will place much more importance on where the food they buy is grown, fished or reared. An additional 32% said they would seek assurance that food has been ethically sourced from a sustainable supply chain, while 18% of 18-24 year olds said people will not be eating meat in the future. | ['environment/plastic', 'environment/waste', 'environment/ethical-living', 'money/consumer-affairs', 'environment/environment', 'money/money', 'uk/uk', 'environment/recycling', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/sandralaville', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-09-10T05:00:15Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2022/mar/02/wild-fish-stocks-squandered-to-feed-farmed-salmon-study-finds | Wild fish stocks squandered to feed farmed salmon, study finds | Shoppers’ appetite for salmon is causing millions of tonnes of nutritious mackerel, sardines and anchovies to be wasted as fish feed, according to new research. Its authors say farming salmon is an inefficient way to produce nutritious seafood, calculating that half to 99% of minerals, vitamins and fatty acids in the wild-caught fish are not retained when fed to farmed Atlantic salmon. They say removing wild-caught fish from aquaculture feed production and diverting them to human consumption, and farming more carp and fewer salmon, could increase global seafood production by 6.1m tonnes, while leaving 3.7m tonnes of fish in the sea. Lia ní Aodha, of Feedback Global, which worked on the report said: “Salmon farming is a good example of how deeply inefficient and inequitable the global food system is. Much of the nutrient-rich fish used to feed farmed salmon is sourced from regions in the global south, where food insecurity is endemic, while the salmon is mainly sold to consumers in high-income markets in Europe, North America and parts of Asia.” Feedback, which campaigns for sustainable food supplies, worked with researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Lancaster and Liverpool to investigate feed sources – and the nutrients transferred from them – in the Scottish salmon industry, Britain’s largest food export. They calculated that in a single year, 179,000 tonnes of salmon produced in Scottish aquaculture farms consumed fish meal and fish oil produced from 460,000 tonnes of wild-caught fish, 76% of which was edible. In their paper, published on the research forum Plos Sustainability and Transformation, they said: “Most edible wild-caught fish species in [fish meal and fish oil] have higher concentrations of key micronutrients than farmed salmon, and for some of these micronutrients, as little as 1% is retained in farmed salmon. “For calcium, iron, selenium and zinc, 1-28% is retained in farmed salmon. Scottish salmon is often marketed as high in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), yet omega-3 concentrations are similar in anchovy, herring, sardine and sprat, and only 49% and 39% of DHA available from wild fish are retained in farmed salmon.” In 2016, 15m tonnes of wild-caught fish were ground down into fish meal and fish oil, which was directed towards agriculture and aquaculture. According to figures cited in the paper, salmon fishing accounted for 60% of fish oil and 23% of fish meal directed to aquaculture, while producing only 4.5% of the sector’s global output. Authors still saw a role for aquaculture, but favoured carp and mussel farming over salmon. Dr James Robinson, of Lancaster university, who was involved in the study, said: “Aquaculture, including salmon farming, has an important role in meeting global food demand, but nutritious wild fish should be prioritised for local consumption rather than salmon feed, particularly if they are caught in food-insecure places. “Support for alternative feeds can help this transition, but we still need more data on the volumes and species used for fishmeal and fish oil, as this can show where salmon farming places additional pressure on fish stocks.” Hamish Macdonell, director of strategic engagement with Salmon Scotland, which represents salmon farmers, said: “Of the 5.5m tonnes of fish meal and fish oil produced annually, Scottish salmon farmers use less than 1%. The vast majority goes to other uses, including pet food. “So it is fundamentally wrong to pretend that the fishmeal industry would cease if not included in aquaculture feeds. The supply would simply shift to another, less sustainable use. If campaigners like the ones behind this report really want to do something to save forage fish, they should take a look at what we all feed our pets.” | ['environment/food', 'environment/environment', 'environment/fish', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/fishing', 'education/research', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damien-gayle', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-03-02T17:21:03Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2021/sep/21/earth-is-fragile-from-space-jeff-bezos-pledges-1bn-to-conservation-age-of-extinction | ‘Earth looks fragile from space’: Jeff Bezos pledges $1bn to conservation | Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has said he realised just how fragile the Earth was when he looked back down at it from space, while committing $1bn to conservation projects around the world. The money , made through the $10bn Bezos Earth Fund that he formed last year, will go towards the conservation of nature in biodiversity hotspots such as the Congo Basin, the tropical Andes and the Pacific Ocean. It will help finance a goal to protect 30% of the world’s oceans and land by the end of the decade, a draft target in Paris-style UN agreement on nature being negotiated. “Nature is our life support system and it’s fragile. I was reminded of this just this July when I went into space with Blue Origin. I’d heard that seeing the Earth from space changes one’s point of view of the world. But I was not prepared for just how much that would be true,” the Washington Post owner said at the launch event on Monday. “Living down here, the world and the atmosphere seem vast and they seem stable. But looking back at Earth from there, the atmosphere seems thin and the world finite. Both beautiful, both fragile.” Bezos, one of the world’s richest men, said the money would help expand, manage and monitor protected areas while also putting indigenous and local communities at the heart of efforts to protect biodiversity. Critics of the 30% target have warned it could legitimise land-grabs of indigenous lands and it has faced opposition from some countries during UN talks. Grants from the $1bn pledge, which were announced during New York Climate Week, will start to be distributed this year and will prioritise regions and countries with a standing commitment to protecting nature. Bezos said the announcement was the first of a three-part nature strategy for his environmental fund that will also cover ecosystem restoration and food system transformation. In an Instagram post in February 2020, Bezos said he was donating $10bn of his $200bn fortune to save the Earth’s environment by 2030. Boris Johnson and the Colombian president, Iván Duque, welcomed Bezos’s latest donation to conservation. Both the UK and Colombia are among dozens of countries that have made the 30% commitment to protect land and sea for nature, part of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People led by Costa Rica, France and the UK. “Last year, global loss of primary forest equaled twice the emissions of all cars on the road in the US. To turn the tide on the climate crisis, we must stop destroying forests and other fragile ecosystems, and conserve and restore the world’s carbon sinks,” said John Kerry, the US special presidential envoy for climate. “The Bezos Earth Fund’s commitment of $1bn to conserve and expand critical high carbon stocks comes at a pivotal moment as we seek to avoid the loss of irreplaceable biodiversity and further destabilisation of the climate.” | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/environment', 'technology/jeff-bezos', 'world/world', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/patrick-greenfield', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/series/the-age-of-extinction | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-09-21T13:26:46Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
uk-news/2018/oct/07/caledonias-lost-forest-restored-to-glory-in-rewilding-cairngorms | Caledonia’s lost forest to be restored to glory in £23m rewilding | Only a few tattered scraps of woodland in the Cairngorms provide evidence that a vast forest once covered the Scottish Highlands and much of the rest of the nation. This vast arboreal canopy provided homes for wolves, lynx, elks and many other species. Land clearances for farming, and felling trees for timber, destroyed most of that habitat hundreds of years ago, leaving only a few disconnected fragments of land to provide shelter for dwindling numbers of animals. But conservationists believe they may soon be able to restore a substantial chunk of this lost landscape and bring Caledonia’s beleaguered forest back to some of its ancient glory. A £23m Endangered Landscapes Programme (ELP) has selected the remains of the Caledonian Forest to be the focus of a key restoration project – along with seven other major regeneration schemes – to restore Europe’s most threatened environments. “The aim of the Scottish project is to connect up the fragments of Caledonian Forest with land that is no longer degraded – as it is at present – so that threatened species can communicate and move around,” said Jeremy Roberts, of the RSPB, one of the major groups involved in the Cairngorms Connect project. “We are also going to provide restored habitats for threatened species that include rare sphagnum mosses, sundews, dragonflies and damson flies. It is going to be the biggest habitat restoration project in Britain. We will be working on more than 600 square kilometres of land.” Apart from the money donated by the ELP, which is backed by Arcadia, a charitable organisation established by billionaire philanthropists Peter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing, other backers of Cairngorms Connect will provide further inputs of cash. “About £9m will be provided for this renovation work in total,” said Roberts. The other backers include the RSPB, Forestry Enterprise Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Wildland Limited, a private conservation organisation set up by the Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen. The Caledonian Forest was given its name by Pliny the Elder, who noted that Roman armies found it difficult to travel beyond the “silva caledonia” that then covered much of the north of Britain. Over the centuries, it was eroded by farming as well as by sheep and deer that ate young shoots and stopped native trees – mainly the Scots pine – from re-growing. Then in the 20th century, dense plantations of non-native trees such as cypress, Norway and spruce pines were planted in vast, uniform blocks, creating inaccessible barriers for wildlife. In the end, only a few scraps of the old Caledonian Forest were able to hang on in the most rocky and inaccessible of places. It will be the task of Cairngorms Connect to find ways to open up the landscape to allow its native plants and trees to return in sufficient numbers. One priority will be to cull numbers of red deer to stop them eating shoots of Scots pine and other important native plants. “We will also block the ditches in the drained peatlands so that their water levels are restored and they return to bogland,” said Chris Donald, operations manager for Scottish Natural Heritage. “Non-native plants will be removed. We will be creating space for native animals and plants to move back into their former territory.” For example, the Cairngorms Connect area has half of all the nation’s population of lekking capercaillie. These distinctive large birds are now at real risk of extinction. One of the aims of the scheme will be to provide safer habitats for them. Other bird species targeted as potential beneficiaries include white-tailed eagles, crossbills, dotterel, and ptarmigan. Similarly, rare insects that might find sanctuary include pine hoverflies, aspen hoverflies, narrow-headed ants and shining guest ants, while mammals could include pine martens. “The crucial point about all these projects is that they are big. They aim at making major changes to landscapes, not little patches of habitat,” said John Lawton, who chaired the ELP programme. “The Cairngorms Connect project covers 600 sq km of land, for example, and is one of the largest, in area, in our programme.” Other schemes backed by the ELP – which is managed by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative – include a Summit to Sea project to re-establish a stretch of wildland from the top of Wales’s Pumlumon massif, down through wooded valleys to the Dyfi Estuary and out into Cardigan Bay. Another will target Polesia, a vast region in the heart of Europe straddling the borders of Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia that is home to bison, bears, wolves and lynx, but is now the centre of unsustainable hunting, mining and logging. “We are going to restore major areas of degraded land across Europe and connect places where habitats have been fragmented to recreate some of Europe’s most important natural landscapes,” said Lawton. “The crucial point is that these are intended to be long-term, long-lasting projects.” | ['uk/scotland', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/wildlife', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'environment/rewilding', 'profile/robinmckie', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/observer-main'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-10-07T06:00:02Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
news/2020/may/04/uk-meteorologists-confirm-april-as-sunniest-on-record | UK meteorologists confirm April as sunniest on record | Meteorologists have confirmed a new UK record was set for the sunniest April, with an average 224.5 hours of sunshine, beating the previous record of 211.9 hours in April 2015. Along with all the sunshine, April was unusually dry as gardeners discovered when their lawns grew increasingly parched. Perhaps the big downpours in the last week of the month, especially in the southern half of England, came in the nick of time. Despite the rains, April was still dry overall. It was 40% below the norm across the UK, with many northern parts abnormally dry. Morpeth in Northumberland had its driest April in records going back 126 years. Those dry and sunny conditions were due to persistent high pressure over the UK, keeping rainclouds at bay. The month was also remarkably warm for the UK, with temperatures 1.7C above the norm, despite the chilly end to the month. This fits a striking warming trend in the UK’s climate, with six Aprils since 2003 all in the top 10 warmest Aprils in temperature records that date back to 1884. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'uk/uk', 'uk/weather', 'science/meteorology', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tone/features', 'profile/jeremy-plester', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2020-05-04T20:30:17Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sustainable-business/2014/dec/03/business-leaders-prioritise-sustainability-society-trust | Business leaders must prioritise sustainability to gain society's trust | It’s disturbing how little trust society has in business leaders. According to the 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer, just one in five of us trust business leaders to solve social or societal issues, tell us the truth, or make ethical and moral decisions. We have even less trust in our elected political leaders. There is no shortage of rhetoric about companies going green. Company websites are littered with “core values” that relate to environment and society, such as “contributing positively to our communities and our environment”, or “helping make the world a better place”. Most of them agree on the general principle, that it is about doing the right thing. The test, however, is not what companies or their leaders say, but what they actually do; not what it says in the company’s vision statement or in its policies, but what lies at the heart of the business plan and strategy that is recognised and rewarded in practice. Faced with climate change – and hence the need for sustainability – as the defining issues of our time, it is no longer a question of companies doing the right thing by doing no harm, or simply focusing on compliance and reputation management. It’s whether, as major engines of our economies, they can be relied upon to respond proportionately to the challenges we face. Commenting on the latest Synthesis Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said, “Science has spoken. There is no ambiguity in the message. Leaders must act; time is not on our side.” This is the wider context for transformational business leadership. Whether it’s morally the right thing to do, or simply good for business, the fact is that global business has a crucial role to play in driving change for sustainability. The leadership burden must fall on those companies who have the greatest power and influence, mainly those at the top of the value chain. At a time when global political leadership appears to be at an all-time low, it is the private sector that will innovate and invest most effectively in the new technologies and systems needed for a low-carbon economy. It is the private sector that is uniquely placed to foster positive change, not only through its products and services but also via its capital, talent, international perspective, and influence on policy and civil society. Companies like DSM, Kingfisher, Unilever and Nedbank have made a name for themselves in their attempts to achieve alignment between profitability and sustainability and, imperfect as these efforts may be, it is heartening to see genuine leadership emerging. However it is clear that the scale of the task facing companies requires not only building internal capacity to drive change, but also working in new, collaborative ways that can unlock broader systemic change. At the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) we have seen first-hand the importance of top-level leadership and the power of collaboration in our Banking Environment Initiative, where some of the world’s largest banks – including Barclays, BNY Mellon, China Construction Bank, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Standard Chartered – have joined forces in directing capital towards environmentally and socially-sustainable economic development, developing trade finance products and services that help their clients to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. The power of chief executives to promote change has been demonstrated through the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, where CISL has worked with a group of businesses to support and influence the design of the policy responses and institutional architecture which will make a low-carbon transition possible. The leaders in this group have publicly set out business arguments for robust national and international policies on climate change. In a series of communiqués they have called for ambitious, science-based targets and international agreements, securing support from chief executives and senior business leaders of over 1,200 companies in 61 countries, including many of the world’s biggest brands, to alert the international community to the need for urgent action on climate change. 2015 will be a critical year. The decisions made at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris next December will have immense power, either to set the world on the path to a low-carbon economy or send us far off track. Now, and over the long term, business leaders must work with policy-makers and civil society to transform the global economy. Failure to do so risks seriously undermining future global prosperity and inflicting unnecessary social, economic and environmental costs on the world. Only by making this challenge a priority can business leaders build society’s confidence in them. Polly Courtice, director of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Read more like this: Our obsession with heroic sustainability leaders will leave us all disappointed 6 reasons CEOs feel powerless to drive sustainability into their companies Brought to you by Xyntéo: Paul Polman: ‘We need to leverage the young to drive change’ The leadership hub is funded by Xyntéo. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled ‘brought to you by’. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/series/leadership', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'business/business', 'business/corporate-governance', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'world/ethics', 'type/article'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-12-03T11:48:11Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2023/may/28/ukraine-built-more-onshore-wind-turbines-last-year-than-england | Ukraine built more onshore wind turbines in past year than England | Ukraine has completed more onshore wind turbines than England since it was occupied by Russian soldiers – despite the UK government’s promise to relax restrictions on onshore windfarms. Only two onshore wind turbines have been installed in England since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, generating 1 megawatt (MW) of electricity in the Staffordshire village of Keele. Ukraine’s Tyligulska wind power plant, meanwhile, the first to be built in a conflict zone, has begun generating enough clean electricity to power about 200,000 homes just 60 miles from the frontline in the southern region of Mykolaiv, with 19 turbines providing an installed capacity of 114MW. Ed Miliband, the shadow climate change secretary, said: “This extraordinary revelation is a terrible indictment of Rishi Sunak and his staggering failure to end the onshore wind ban. “Even governments fighting for their very survival can get on and build the clean energy infrastructure needed to tackle the cost of living crisis, the energy security crisis, and the climate crisis with more urgency than the Tories can muster.” No 10 promised last year to dismantle an effective ban on onshore windfarms in England, which was put in place in 2015 by tightening planning restrictions in the national planning policy framework. However, the government is yet to make any changes and campaigners believe a rebellion of backbench Tory MPs threatens to pile pressure on ministers to make only modest tweaks to the framework, which would continue to hold back the rollout of English windfarms. The ban on onshore wind, which is one of the cheapest sources of electricity, is estimated to have cost UK billpayers £800m over the past winter when millions were plunged into fuel poverty for the first time due to rising global energy market prices, according to analysts at the Energy and Climate Change Intelligence Unit (ECIU). British households face energy bills that are expected to remain above pre-pandemic levels until the end of the decade after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a surge in global energy markets last year. Although global prices have retreated from record highs they are likely to remain far higher than usual while European countries seek alternative energy sources to help replace Russia’s gas exports. Miliband said the Conservatives’ “absurd ban on onshore wind” had cost every family in Britain £180 and left the energy system “dependent on fossil fuel dictators like Putin”. Sam Richards, the founder and campaign director of Britain Remade, which campaigns for green economic growth, said: “It’s simply mind-boggling that Ukraine, while it fights for its survival, has built more onshore wind capacity than England. “The government should start by dropping its ban on new onshore windfarms in England – at the stroke of a pen unlocking the cheapest source of energy available.” A government spokesperson said: “Since 2010, we’ve increased the amount of renewable energy capacity connected to the grid by 500% – the second highest amount in Europe – installing 3,790MW of additional capacity across all renewables in 2022 alone.” “We continue to support more renewable projects to come online, including onshore wind if there is local community backing, as clean, more affordable energy brings down costs for consumers and boosts our long-term energy security.” The Labour party has put forward plans to end the onshore wind ban and make Britain “a clean energy superpower” by 2030. Part of its plan includes setting up publicly owned energy company, GB Energy, to produce “cheap, clean power in Britain, for Britain”. Ukraine’s largest private energy investor, DTEK, said its Tyligulska windfarm was on track to become the largest onshore windfarm in eastern Europe once complete. Maxim Timchenko, DTEK’s chief executive, said the farm was “a symbol of Ukraine’s resistance to Russian attempts to freeze Ukraine into submission”, which would help to “build Ukraine back greener and cleaner and become a key partner in Europe’s energy future”. In January, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, told the World Economic Forum in Davos that there would be no investment in new oil and gas fields in Britain under a Labour government. Starmer is expected to set out his energy plans next month, including a pledge to ban all new North Sea oil and gas licences, the Sunday Times reported. • This article was amended on 31 May 2023. An earlier version described onshore wind power as the cheapest source of electricity, which is no longer the case in the UK. | ['environment/windpower', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'business/oil', 'world/ukraine', 'business/gas', 'politics/edmiliband', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'uk-news/england', 'society/fuel-poverty', 'business/business', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2023-05-28T10:19:57Z | true | ENERGY |
business/2021/apr/25/uk-replaces-france-as-europe-second-largest-electric-car-market | UK replaces France as Europe’s second largest electric car market | The UK overtook France to become Europe’s second largest electric car market in the first quarter of the year, amid rising demand for cars with zero exhaust emissions. About 31,800 battery electric cars were sold in the UK in the first three months of the year, compared with 30,500 in France, according to analysis by Matthias Schmidt, an independent automotive analyst. Electric car sales have risen rapidly since the start of 2020, in part because of new emissions rules that mean manufacturers face steep fines if their products’ average carbon dioxide output does not fall. Battery electrics accounted for 7.5% of UK sales in the first three months of the year, according to industry data, almost doubling the market share compared with the same period in 2020. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 was the first year in which European consumers bought more than half a million electric cars. That is expected to double to 1m sales in 2021, although pure electrics will still be only a tenth of the total European car market by 2024, according to Schmidt’s forecasts. Germany is by far the biggest single market for battery electric cars in Europe, with 64,700 sold in the first quarter. That performance was helped in part by generous subsidies, doubled by the German government in June, to help its auto industry, which is key to Europe’s largest economy. Other markets are proportionately more advanced than the UK in moving to electric cars. Norway in 2020 was the first country in the world where more electric cars were sold than fossil fuel cars, thanks to generous subsidies. Schmidt said: “The UK is likely to remain the number two European BEV (battery electric vehicle) market this year, albeit a long way behind market leader Germany, which manufacturers are relying on to meet European-wide targets thanks to the generous incentives on offer there.” Schmidt added that manufacturers will have to increase their sales of plug-in cars in the UK further in a “make-or-break year” to comply with new, post-Brexit, emissions limits. The rules mirror the EU’s but going it alone means carmakers will not be able to balance the UK’s SUV buyers with less-polluting models sold in other countries. There has already been evidence of manufacturers trying to push lower-emitting models in the UK, Schmidt said. At the end of March, the German premium carmaker BMW lowered the price of its electric i3 to meet a lower bar for government subsidies. While sales to British consumers are expected to rise steadily, drivers are concerned that the UK’s charging network is not up to the task. Polling of British drivers by YouGov commissioned by CTEK, an electric car charger company, found that 78% think charging infrastructure is not yet adequate, compared with 65% in the other European countries surveyed. The survey also found, in line with other reports, that the relatively higher sticker price of electric cars was the main reason preventing more people from buying. However, prices are expected to drop to rival fossil fuel cars as higher demand creates a virtuous circle. | ['business/automotive-industry', 'business/business', 'environment/electric-cars', 'environment/environment', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/travel-and-transport', 'uk/uk', 'world/europe-news', 'world/france', 'technology/motoring', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/germany', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jasper-jolly', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2021-04-25T13:32:46Z | true | EMISSIONS |
global-development/2015/mar/25/heat-resistant-bean-climate-change-cgiar | Bean breakthrough bodes well for climate change challenge | Scientists are hailing a new breed of bean seed as a breakthrough, thanks to its ability to grow amid rising temperatures and yield more nutritional value, qualities they believe can thwart the anticipated destruction of nearly half of all bean production. The new seed was launched on Wednesday by scientists from the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. As well as being more resilient to heat, the bean has a higher iron content. About 400 million people rely on beans for subsistence, according to CGIAR. But by 2050 nearly half of the world’s bean production could be wiped out by rising temperatures if new seed varieties are not rolled out immediately. “Beans are not very well adapted to high temperatures because they originated in the cool hills and mountains of central America, Mexico and South America. So pushing them down into the warmer areas has always been a challenge,” said Steve Beebe, a researcher at CGIAR, based at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia. In 2012, CGIAR researchers began to test more than 1,000 types of beans in a bid to find “heat beater” beans able to grow amid high temperatures and drought. Scientists cultivated test plots on Colombia’s Caribbean coast and in greenhouses, before eventually discovering 30 heat-tolerant bean types that can withstand a 4C increase in temperature. CGIAR said it used natural breeding to discover the seed. “In the short run, [bean production in] central America is going to be up against the wall, in terms of high temperatures, droughts and hurricanes. In east Africa currently, the bean production is at mid to higher altitudes, so – in the short-term – Africa won’t be under quite as much threat. But by the end of the century, east Africa will be under serious, serious threat from climate change,” said Beebe. Beebe believes seeds should be distributed in small, affordable packages that farmers can test before committing to more. “When you sell seeds in very small packets it gives the farmer the option to invest in a very small amount – it’s the cost of a cup of tea – and then test it in their back yard. If they like it, they can buy more,” he said. “Otherwise you might have NGOs giving seeds away, which is not sustainable, or you have private sector firms selling 50kg bags, which farmers can’t afford.” Rising temperatures and ambitious food security targets have created an urgent need for better seeds that can grow in warmer climates and yield more nutritional value to farms in the world’s poorest countries. But how this is done, and how farmers access the seeds, is hotly debated. Earlier in the week, protestors gathered outside the London office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to demonstrate against a meeting they said would promote corporate interests in Africa’s seed sector. Dangling a cage full of seeds in front of passersby, they yelled, “Come and free the seeds!” before smashing open the cage, which they said symbolised the corporate takeover of Africa’s seed markets. As seeds spilled on to the pavement, the meeting, hosted by the Gates Foundation and the US Agency for International Development (USAid), promoted production and distribution in Africa’s seed sector. The attendees were listed as key donor organisations, private seed companies and agricultural research centres, but did not include any groups representing farmers, according to a leaked document seen by the Guardian. The Gates Foundation and USAid have said they are working to improve food security in the world’s poorest countries. USAid’s flagship programme, the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, has been criticised for requiring African governments to change laws and policies in favour of businesses. The Gates Foundation said the meeting would focus on “[encouraging] the development and promotion of appropriate models for the production and delivery of early generation seeds of improved varieties for a diversity of food crops in sub-Saharan Africa”. Attendees are understood to have discussed seed markets for maize, rice, sorghum, cowpea, cassava and sweet potato in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. African agricultural groups said the conversation around improving Africa’s seed sector needs to involve groups that represent small-scale farmers. The Gates Foundation was not immediately available for comment. Mariam Mariet, director of the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), said: “Public-farmer partnerships that integrate farmer and scientific knowledge will generate a more accountable process, and produce longer-lasting and more meaningful solutions for African agricultural production, than these profit-driven, exclusive and narrow processes,” she said. Ali-Masmadi Jehu-Appiah, chairman of Food Sovereignty Ghana, added: “This meeting will push this corporate agenda to hand more control away from our small farmers and into the hands of big seed companies.” • This article was amended on 26 March to clarify that Ali-Masmadi Jehu-Appiah is the chairman of Food Sovereignty Ghana and not chairwoman as previously reported | ['global-development/food-security', 'global-development/nutrition-and-development', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'science/agriculture', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/mark-anderson'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-03-25T17:03:52Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2021/nov/30/douglas-boyes-obituary | Douglas Boyes obituary | My son, Douglas Boyes, who has died suddenly aged 25, was a well-respected entomologist whose groundbreaking research led to new insights into the impact of light pollution on insects. Born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to me, an NHS manager, and my husband, Simon, an ornithologist, Douglas grew up in mid-Wales, becoming fascinated by moths at the age of 12 on a Field Studies Council (FSC) course. At 16, he became the youngest county butterfly recorder, a voluntary position with Butterfly Conservation. After Welshpool high school, he studied at Brasenose College, Oxford, graduating with a first-class degree in biological sciences. His undergraduate project on moths in bird nests resulted in Douglas becoming a nationally recognised expert in the tineid moth group, which includes clothes moths, and he recently pioneered the recording of the ultrasounds of these tiny insects. Continuing at Oxford, he earned a distinction for his MSc in biodiversity, conservation and management, and won the Wallace prize for his dissertation on several trend-bucking moth species whose numbers are actually increasing. At the time of his death, Douglas was a PhD student at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, researching the impact of light pollution on moths. This work gave him the opportunity to combine his exceptional field skills with scientific investigation. His recent paper in Science Advances, outlining the detrimental impacts of LED streetlights on caterpillars, was reported on by media around the world, including in the Guardian. Devon and Norfolk councils have already changed their streetlight policies because of his work. Life for Douglas was never quiet. Besides his PhD research, he was undertaking a comprehensive survey of the moths of Oxford University’s Wytham Woods, and collaborating with the Darwin Tree of Life project to sequence the genomes of UK moth species. He was reviewing the impacts of invasive non-native moths for a global assessment for an intergovernmental policy platform. He was also involved with the long-running Rothamsted Insect Survey, responsible for identifying the moth catches from one of their traps. This summer he had taught butterfly and moth identification for the FSC, coming full circle, and had been asked by a UK tour company to lead butterfly study tours in Europe. Douglas had an outstanding talent for communicating science and natural history, engaging countless people through his Twitter account, talks, interviews and blogs. He was particularly proud of his blog criticising “Obsessive Tidiness Disorder”, which urged the public to leave messy areas for wildlife. Determined and fearless, he was generous with his expertise, and popular with colleagues. One called him “an amazing friend, brilliant scientist and extremely fun man”. Douglas took his own life after suffering from depression. He is survived by Simon and me, and his husband, Jacob, whom he met in the Oxford Botanical Gardens in 2015 and married the following year. | ['environment/insects', 'theguardian/series/otherlives', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/obituaries', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/obituaries', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-obituaries'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-11-30T17:19:30Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2022/oct/23/confusing-messaging-hampers-our-ability-to-prepare-for-rising-floodwaters | Confusing messaging hampers our ability to prepare for rising flood waters | Kate Burke | Echuca is on edge. Our near neighbours, at Rochester, are bracing for a second peak. We were awake as the rain pelted our roof at 4am on Saturday morning. We are tired, emotional and fragile. Processing information and making decisions is getting harder as the anticipation and preparation takes a mental and physical toll. The authorities urge us to be proactive. Now, more than ever, their information needs to be clear, concise and consistent. The more tired and anxious we become, the more critical accessible, accurate information becomes. Despite the best intentions of Emergency Victoria, the flood information flow is confusing and inconsistent. Government agencies and apps must be on message – the same bloody message. The problem is conflicting information. The messaging at the live updates and community meetings does not always equal that of the Victorian Emergency App or the Bureau of Meteorology. We are unsure and frustrated. Which number is the peak? Which agency knows best? Why does the Vic emergency app – the supposed sacred source of truth – not reflect the information provided by local authorities? This week, thousands have helped prepare for the onslaught of more flood water along the Campaspe-Goulburn and Murray systems and, at the same time, are cleaning up from the first Campaspe flood. The decision to sandbag a property, shift animals or ultimately leave their residence hinges on the expected peak and the lie of the land. Hearing different levels of expected river peaks has hindered good decision-making, created confusion and added to anxiety. We have also had to make these decisions while helping the wider community. With public resources stretched, people have contributed their own expertise and common sense, as well as learned new skills to fill the void. I found myself directing traffic last Sunday as we fought to contain the Campaspe River. On Sunday I’ll be directing information traffic, specifically river heights and expected timing of those peak heights. I’ve had a bit of practice at directing information traffic. That’s my day job. I make a living by helping people gain insight and apply foresight in complex situations. I even wrote a book about it. I help people recognise and manage the nuance of complexity so they make good choices under pressure. Whether drought or flood, the process is the same: gather credible data, observe what’s happening on the ground, derive the best and worst case scenario, and formulate Plan A and Plan B. Finding the most credible data is proving difficult. But I know that behind the scenes, the hydrologists and river keepers are doing their best. They have to manage a complex natural system combined with human factors. It’s got the highest degree of difficulty you can imagine. It’s not easy to predict the movement of a slow moving riverine flood where three rivers collide, all within an unstable and unpredictable weather system. Add to that numerous irrigation drain delivery channels, all contributing to the direction and velocity of a large volume of water travelling hundreds of kilometres. Then there’s the different real-time management of the river system upstream from us. The authorities need to communicate their interpretation of what may happen and what is happening to thousands of landholders and residents in the Echuca-Moama region. Yet every household and property is different. This sort of nuance limits the power of the hydrology supermodels (of the digital kind, not the fashion kind). But there is no room for nuance in the emergency messaging. And it’s hard to hear nuance when emotions and adrenaline are as high as the water level. This is the complexity conundrum. Emergency management fundamentals require one message delivered from one source, but that is not happening when it comes to expected river peaks and the timing of those peaks, thanks to complexity and nuance. Technology has hijacked the need for one message from one source in good time. For example, we have access to apps and different social media platforms, so the assumption is the messaging is right. But the imperative of updating all these different platforms means the best practice of one clear message is not happening. Each household needs to prepare for their own circumstances, but for starters they need the authorities to be on the same page and delivering the same message. It’s reasonable for the community to expect that authorities deliver the same message, particularly given all the reviews of emergency management after bushfires, floods and the pandemic in the past two years alone. I have utmost faith in the catchment management authorities’ models and local knowledge of the systems. I have less faith in the practical reality of delivering a consistent message. And that scares me, as confused messaging could cost lives. Kate Burke is an agricultural strategist who lives on the river at Echuca | ['australia-news/series/the-rural-network-victoria', 'australia-news/rural-australia', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'society/emergency-services', 'society/emergencyplanning', 'environment/flooding', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'campaign/email/the-rural-network', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/the-rural-network'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-10-23T01:00:23Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2005/apr/08/tsunami2004.johnaglionby | Tsunami missing list reduced | Indonesia has slashed the number of people missing after the Boxing Day tsunami from 93,458 to 37,063 without significantly raising the number of dead. No explanation for the adjustment was given. But an official involved in the tabulation told the Guardian many of those first thought to be missing had run away and had only just returned to their home villages. "Perhaps by the end of March they had got over their trauma and not only wanted to return to their original homes but felt comfortable to do so," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A second factor, he said, was that the number of dead had been recalculated, to 126,915. This is only 174 more than the previous figure, released on Tuesday, although he doubted this would be the final toll. Most of the missing are feared dead but cannot be categorised as such until 12 months after their disappearance. Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra, bore the brunt of the disaster, with all but a few thousand of the fatalities hailing from there. | ['world/world', 'world/tsunami2004', 'type/article', 'profile/johnaglionby'] | world/tsunami2004 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2005-04-07T23:20:27Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2019/sep/19/reef-protection-laws-pass-despite-industry-attacks-on-their-scientific-basis | Reef protection laws pass despite industry attacks on their scientific basis | The Queensland government has passed new regulations to limit agricultural pollution damaging the Great Barrier Reef in the face of a hostile campaign that has sought to discredit consensus science. On Tuesday the state made relatively minor commitments to agricultural groups, including an undertaking not to vary new limits for farm sediment and chemical runoff into reef catchments for at least five years. The laws were passed without amendment on Thursday afternoon after a debate that oscillated between authentic concern about the impact of regulation on primary producers and hysterical attempts to discredit robust science that warns agricultural pollution is a significant threat to the health of the reef. One Liberal National party MP, Colin Boyce, said the reef protection bill was “socialist, fake, Green-Labor climate dogma”. The state’s environment minister, Leeanne Enoch, said some of the attacks on consensus science during the debate had been “outrageous”. “You need to work from evidence and scientific fact,” she said. Enoch told the ABC on Wednesday the reef was at risk of an endangered listing by the Unesco world heritage committee, and that the state needed to accelerate measures to improve water quality. “Two recent scientific reports released last month – the federal government’s outlook report and the water quality report card that was a joint initiative between the federal and Queensland governments – showed urgent action was needed to ensure the survival of Australia’s most treasured natural wonder,” Enoch said. “We know the two biggest threats to the reef are climate change and water quality, and the laws passed today will help improve water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef.” The regulations were recommended by a 2016 water quality taskforce, and introduced by the Labor state government after progress to improve water quality stagnated. Voluntary and industry-led “best management practice” programs have been run for more than a decade. The most recent water quality report detailed a lack of progress and the relatively low takeup of those programs. The new regulations empower government officers to access relevant farm data, such as purchase records for agricultural chemicals, to ensure farm practices are environmentally sound. Some of the state’s largest agricultural lobby groups – including AgForce, which represents grain producers and graziers, and various cane growers’ bodies – have campaigned against the regulations and at the same time actively promoted the work of the controversial academic, Peter Ridd, who has called for reef science to be reviewed. On Tuesday the Senate backed a motion for a federal inquiry along those lines. But while the agricultural industry broadly opposed the regulations, some parts of the sector did so while backing the science. On Wednesday, as debate in parliament continued, the peak body for the Queensland horticulture industry, Growcom, issued a pointed statement that backed the science and the need for industry to play a role. “Some are simultaneously standing behind the science supporting the use of [the herbicide] glyphosate while also questioning the science on climate change and impacts on the Great Barrier Reef,” Growcom chief executive David Thomson said. “So to be clear, Growcom agrees with the scientific community and state and federal governments that water quality and the health of the reef is impacted in part by runoff from farms. “Where Growcom does depart from the Queensland government is how to best address it. We do not believe regulation is an effective and cost-efficient mechanism of improving runoff water quality in the horticulture industry.” Some farmers with genuine concerns about the impact of the regulations have told Guardian Australia they became increasingly frustrated with the direction of the major lobby groups questioning the science. One cane industry employee said: “We lined up against the government. That cost us our credibility, and that cost us a better deal that worked for us, and worked for the reef.” WWF Australia chief executive officer Dermot O’Gorman said the reforms would maximise the ability of the reef to recover from coral bleaching events and cyclone damage. O’Gorman said there were already “fantastic examples” of farm programs where government and private investment had helped to improve practices, but that “this approach on its own simply hasn’t delivered on the scale that the reef needs. “These regulations are necessary to ensure that all farmers and many industrial land users take the next step towards making sure their practices are safe for the reef.” Shani Tager from the Australian Marine Conservation Society said clear water was essential for the reef “to give it as much resilience as possible in the face of climate change”. “Overwhelmingly we’re really happy these new laws have gone through and we can start to see some progress on cleaning up the water quality on the reef,” Tager said. “It’s been quite unfortunate that farming lobby groups have taken the approach they have to slow it down. “There’s a small number of farmers who are doing the right thing and they won’t have to change their practices at all. But this is getting everyone else up to speed, because we’ve had 10 years of voluntary programs that haven’t worked.” | ['environment/great-barrier-reef', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/queensland', 'australia-news/queensland-politics', 'science/agriculture', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/ben-smee', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/great-barrier-reef | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-09-19T07:02:36Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2022/mar/11/weve-run-out-of-options-here-nsw-flood-disaster-worsens-housing-crisis-in-northern-rivers | ‘We’ve run out of options here’: NSW flood disaster worsens housing crisis in northern rivers | Lucy Andrews is sitting on the couch of her Mullumbimby home, scrolling through rows and rows of names on her computer. “Everything that’s not highlighted are cases that haven’t been housed yet,” she tells Guardian Australia. “Or who are only in temporary housing and require permanent housing solutions.” For the past week, Andrews and two other women – volunteers with social work experience – have been doing all they can to ease the vast crisis in emergency accommodation in their corner of the flood-ravaged northern rivers region of New South Wales. Their work began last Tuesday, when one of the women sat down on the steps of Mullumbimby’s civic hall with a notepad and phone, and began offering assistance to anyone who needed emergency housing. She was soon joined by another former social worker and Andrews, who sat at a trestle table from 8am to 8pm each day, creating spreadsheets of the displaced and homeless, triaging them and trying to link them up with safe, appropriate accommodation. They’ve helped between 200 and 300 people find emergency housing. “That’s the elderly, the young, parents, pregnant women,” she says. “Given it’s Mullum, a lot of people who are not registered anywhere, they haven’t been paying rent anywhere.” The early work was done without funding, resources, or organisational structure. Now, they’re working out of an office of the Mullumbimby neighbourhood centre on donated laptops. A piece of A4 paper has been Blu-Tacked to the door to a small room, housing a single volunteer. It reads “accommodation hub”. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning The volunteers, burnt out, are hoping someone can take over their work. But, until then, the scale of the problem remains immense. “The situation is ongoing and there’s no end in sight, right now, because there’s no one for us to hand over to, apart from other volunteers,” Andrews says. The problem in Mullumbimby is replicated all over the northern rivers. Hundreds are still stuck in evacuation centres. Others are sleeping on couches, in garages or at homeless shelters in places like Byron Bay. On Andrews’ street alone, four of the houses have taken in displaced people. Government data suggests that, of the 9,200 homes assessed in the northern rivers, 5,500 are damaged and 2,834 are not habitable. There are an estimated 1,234 people in temporary and emergency accommodation. On Thursday the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, announced a $551m package, funded jointly by the state and federal governments, to attempt to address the crisis. It included $248m for 16 weeks of rental support, including $6,000 payments for single-person households and $18,000 for larger families. The government will spend $20m to give affected residents “pods” to live in on their land while rebuilding, and is providing $10m to supply temporary accommodation through mobile motorhomes. The government has also hired temporary housing at camping sites in the northern rivers, giving capacity for 270 people. “We believe this is the support that will help people get through,” Perrottet said. “We want people out of evacuation centres. We want people who have gone through the trauma and are unable to return home to get into accommodation.” The region had been gripped by a housing crisis even before the floods. Private rentals were hard to find, and those that were available were exorbitant. Social housing was even more limited. There’s been significant pressure on Airbnb to do more to offer up its properties – it is linked to 6,260 homes in the region, most of which are available to tourists for most of the year – and the company announced unspecified plans to provide free short-term accommodation for flood-affected residents on Thursday. It’s an understatement to say the floods have compounded the problem, even in ways not immediately apparent. Andrews, for example, has been served an eviction notice telling her she must leave her Mullumbimby rental. The landlord lost his property in the floods and needs the house back. That throws Andrews and her housemates into a search for housing along with those whose homes have been deemed unliveable. Rebecca Whan, an architect and the Murwillumbah District Chamber of Commerce president, says the state government’s response will not solve the more fundamental problem with housing in the region. She described the situation as “a catastrophe on top of an emergency”. “The main thing that needs to be considered in a humanitarian crisis such as what we are experiencing now, is providing a level of dignity to people who have lost everything, in order to heal,” she said. “A family of five living in a caravan on their property is not good enough and the mental health toll as a result will be huge.” Whan asks why the government cannot adopt a similar approach to that taken during the pandemic. Put people up in hotels in the short term, while they try to work out how to get back on their feet. “I don’t really see another option, because we’ve run out of options here, in the short term.” Even in Byron Bay, homelessness charities are feeling the impact. The Uniting Byron Bay minister, the Rev Phil Dokmanovic, runs a service for those sleeping rough, opening up the church building during wet and extreme weather. Stretchers are set up in the church. In the past week, they’ve been taking in people displaced by the floods. “On Sunday, we had our worship gathering and we sort of set up chairs among the stretchers, and had our normal gathering, then packed things up and it resumed being a shelter,” he says. Dokmanovic has been working in places like Mullumbimby. He says it is clear that the floods will exacerbate the existing problems. “I would say without a doubt there is a huge shortage of accommodation as it is, and then you take out all these homes that are now unavailable for people to live in, and it’s only going to be worse.” | ['australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/housing', 'australia-news/dominic-perrottet', 'technology/airbnb', 'australia-news/byron-bay', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/christopher-knaus', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-03-10T16:30:09Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2015/mar/19/amazon-rainforest-and-great-barrier-reef-need-better-care-say-scientists | Amazon rainforest and Great Barrier Reef need better care, say scientists | The world’s most prized ecosystems, such as the Amazon rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, require stronger local management to reduce the enormous global threat posed by climate change, according to an international team of scientists. In a paper published in the journal Science, the researchers warned that localised pressures such as deforestation, nutrient pollution and poor water quality could exacerbate climate-driven challenges such as heatwaves and ocean acidification. A study of three Unesco world heritage sites – the Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef and the Doñana wetlands in Spain – found that “stewardship is at risk of failing”, putting the ecosystems at greater risk of collapse due to climate change impacts. “Despite the solid scientific basis for managing climate resilience in such ecosystems, failure to do so is putting globally important ecosystems at risk,” the paper warned. While Brazil has slowed the deforestation of the Amazon by 70% over the past decade, the Science paper said: “These successes are now being partially undermined by major infrastructure and natural resource extraction projects and by shifts in legislation.” These added pressures were likely to mount as the Amazon dealt with rising temperatures and dry spells driven by climate change, which could turn it into a drier, more fire-prone place that lost much of its biodiversity. Climate change is the leading threat to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, although there are significant local issues such as overfishing, chemical pollution from agriculture and the dredging of the seabed to facilitate the expansion of ports. Spain’s Doñana wetlands are threatened by pollution and groundwater extraction for fruit growing and the tourism industry. The wetlands are considered one of the most important sites for waterfowl in Europe, as well as hosting a range of amphibians. Researchers said local management at each of the world heritage sites was “worrisome” and risked compounding the effects of climate change. “Poor local management makes an ecosystem less tolerant to climate change and erodes its capacity to keep functioning effectively,” said the study’s lead author, Marten Scheffer, an ecologist at Wageningen university in the Netherlands. “Local management options are well understood and not too expensive. So there is really no excuse for countries to let this slip away, especially when it comes to ecosystems that are of vital importance for maintaining global biodiversity,” he said. Terry Hughes, another co-author of the paper, said the Great Barrier Reef was facing an “unfolding disaster” due to climate change and local pressures. The reef has lost half of its coral cover in the past 30 years, is considered in “poor” and worsening condition by the Australian government and may be listed as “in danger” by Unesco’s world heritage committee later this year. “It’s an easy exercise to document how pressures have increased over time – they look like the famous hockey stick,” said Hughes, who is the director of the centre of excellence for coral reef studies at James Cook university in Queensland. “Fishing pressure has gone up, the number of recreational boats in Queensland has just passed 250,000 and the population in the reef’s catchment will double in the next 25 years, meaning more coastal development and more dredging. “It’s hard to reconcile the aspirations of coalmining in Australia to action on climate change. Australia has got itself a well-deserved reputation for dragging its feet on climate change and there’s no greater indication of that than the handing out of 60-year coal licences. The stressors on the reef are intimately tied to the fossil fuel industry, given that the dredging is for coal ports. “The northern and offshore reefs are still very pretty and help out the tourism industry but you need to go further to find a reef in decent condition than you did 30 years ago.” His co-author Scott Barrett, of Columbia university, said improved local management needed to be driven by the international community, as well as individual countries. “These ecosystems are of value to the whole world, not only to the countries that have jurisdiction over them,” he said. “It may be necessary for other countries to bring pressure to bear on these ‘host’ countries or to offer them assistance, to ensure that these iconic ecosystems are protected for the benefit of all of humanity.” | ['environment/environment', 'environment/great-barrier-reef', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'world/spain', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/forests', 'world/world', 'environment/conservation', 'world/brazil', 'world/peru', 'world/colombia', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman'] | environment/amazon-rainforest | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-03-19T18:00:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
us-news/2016/mar/10/republican-debate-miami-climate-change-question | Republican candidates skirt surprise climate change question at debate | The subject of climate change was raised on Thursday at the Republican debate in Miami – a city with pressing concerns about its effects. Marco Rubio, the Florida senator fighting strongly on home ground as he sought to revive his presidential campaign, was asked: “Will you acknowledge the reality of the scientific consensus of climate change?” Rubio said: “Sure, the climate is changing … There was never a time when the climate was not changing.” But Rubio then said flooding in south Florida was caused by the fact that it was built on a swamp. He favored mitigation measures, he said. “As far as a law that we can pass in Washington that can change the weather?” he asked. “There’s no such thing.” Rubio then moved on to a familiar theme, decrying the Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency, emissions regulations and “the war on coal”. “These laws that people are asking us to pass will do nothing for the environment and hurt the economy,” Rubio said. The debate continued, Ohio governor John Kasich saying that “I do believe we contribute to climate change” but adding: “You can have strong environmental policy at the same time as you have strong economic growth.” The question and the candidates’ responses may not have much impact on the race going forward, including the Florida primary on Tuesday. A poll from Quinnipiac University last month found that 7% of Democrats rate climate change as the most important issue in determining which candidate they support for the party’s presidential nominee. But when Republicans were asked the same question, the results were so low (less than 1%) that Quinnipiac simply reported climate change issues with “–” in the results summary. In response to the exchanges on the Republican stage, the leader in the Democratic nomination race, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, tweeted a reference to a familiar GOP campaign line: “Republican candidates deny climate change because they’re ‘not scientists’.” The line was not actually used in the debate. | ['us-news/us-elections-2016', 'environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'us-news/us-politics', 'us-news/republicans', 'us-news/us-news', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/tommccarthy', 'profile/mona-chalabi'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2016-03-11T04:49:15Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
business/2017/sep/10/uk-windfarms-become-cheaper-than-hinkley-point-c | UK windfarms cheaper than Hinkley Point, experts claim | Windfarms around Britain’s coast will beat the planned nuclear power station Hinkley Point on price when the winning bidders for a £290m-a-year pot of government subsidies are announced on Monday, experts predict. Such a milestone would mark a dramatic cost reduction for a technology that was once far more expensive than atomic power, and could fuel calls for a rethink over the UK’s future energy mix. Industry watchers said successful offshore windfarm developers may secure guaranteed payments for power as low as £70-80 per megawatt hour in the government’s auction, known as the second Contracts for Difference Allocation Round. In comparison, France’s EDF has been promised £92.50 per MW hour for power from the two reactors it is building in Somerset, around twice the wholesale price. The subsidies are paid by consumers via levies on energy bills. “I think [windfarm developers] will bid very aggressively and below the headline strike price of Hinkley Point,” said Richard Howard, head of research at the energy analysts Aurora Research, adding that the anticipated lower price was a result of dramatic cost reductions by the industry, brought about by the technology maturing. For example, developers are using much bigger turbines than half a decade ago, and less steel in the foundations that attach them to the seabed. The sector is also now perceived to be a much lower risk, bringing down the cost of capital. If the guaranteed price of power is as low as £70 per MW hour – a level at the extreme end of what industry figures think is credible – that would mark a 42% reduction on the £119.89 price awarded for offshore windfarms in the last auction, held two years ago. Contracts awarded in 2014 were £155. Emma Pinchbeck, executive director at the industry group RenewableUK, said: “I think it’s a watershed moment for renewables. If the price comes in as low as people are suggesting, it means large-scale renewable generation will be cheaper than incumbent technologies. The idea that renewables are expensive is going to be undermined.” Howard said one reason developers might bid very low was because there was uncertainty over when or whether future auctions would be held for offshore windfarms in the UK. Pinchbeck urged ministers to commit to a timetable for further auctions. “The idea that there will be more auctions, that’s really important, for developing and keeping a supply chain in the UK,” she said. The government has allocated another £440m a year for further auctions held before 2020, but since the general election it has not made clear whether they will still go ahead. The developers expected to share in this week’s £290m pot are Germany’s Innogy, Spain’s EDP and Denmark’s Dong Energy. The lower the companies bid in the competition, the more generating capacity will be built. Together, the successful windfarms are expected to supply around 2.5-3.5% of the UK’s electricity demand when operational in the early 2020s. The results of Monday’s auction could ignite a debate over UK energy policy, and whether the Conservatives should rethink their long-standing plan for a new fleet of nuclear power stations to replace ageing reactors and coal plants, which are being phased out. Greenpeace said the low prices would mark “a huge moment for the UK energy sector”. Keith Anderson, chief corporate officer at one of the UK’s biggest energy companies, ScottishPower, said: “My challenge to the nuclear sector would be: look, here’s the cost reduction offshore wind has demonstrated. “The challenge to nuclear industry is if you don’t want people to criticise the £92.50 per MW hour [subsidy that nuclear is receiving], show us how you are bringing the cost down. That is a colossal challenge.” He said that with the UK committed to a low carbon economy regardless of Brexit, and with gas replacing coal on the power system, now would be a good time to ask where the country would go next on energy. The nuclear industry argues that no single low carbon source could meet the UK’s power needs alone. “With two-thirds of the UK’s currently dispatchable generation capacity due to retire by 2030, including all but one of the current nuclear fleet, the UK will need the full range of low carbon technologies to provide the reliable, secure and readily available power for homes, businesses and public services,” said Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association. EDF said future new nuclear projects such as Sizewell C in Suffolk would be at a lower cost than Hinkley. The auction results, due at 7am on Monday, are also likely to inform a major government review of the costs of energy set to be published in October. | ['business/energy-industry', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'uk-news/hinkley-point-c', 'uk/uk', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-vaughan', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2017-09-10T11:16:29Z | true | ENERGY |
sustainable-business/blog/carbon-management-sustainability-strategy-financial-saving | Why carbon management makes business sense | Balfour Beatty has been reporting its environmental impacts for 10 years. But we've only recently really got to grips with understanding our wider carbon impacts. As we all know, what gets measured gets managed. But measurement alone will not drive improvement. Up until 2008, Balfour Beatty was doing just that, reporting its UK carbon emissions but lacking a group-wide strategy and targets. Thinking about carbon was difficult for people. On joining the company that year, one of the questions I was asked was: "what does a tonne of carbon look like?" As the new head of sustainability, I felt we needed to encourage greater ambition in carbon management as part of a wider sustainability strategy. However, Balfour Beatty is a complex business, employing 50,000 people in over 30 highly autonomous operating companies around the world, each at different starting points on the sustainability journey. The solution was to create an overarching framework for sustainability comprising an ambitious 2020 vision and a roadmap to deliver it. I was fortunate enough to have top management support. Ian Tyler (Group CEO) appointed Mike Peasland, CEO Construction Services UK to lead the development of this strategy. His support in establishing a sustainability working group, widespread consultation and personally launching the roadmap in each operating company were important to success. Launched in 2009, the roadmap contains a comprehensive set of expectations and targets across the group worldwide for the first time. To cater for different starting points across the group, minimum expectations were mandated for 2012, together with 2012 excellence for those opting for best in class. We set a minimum target of a 10% reduction in operating company carbon emissions by 2012, increasing to 50% by 2020 against a 2010 baseline. 2012 excellence requires a much wider understanding of carbon impacts down our supply chain. It was by challenging our businesses to adopt a more holistic approach to measuring carbon in the supply chain that we found the really big numbers. Our project engineers on the Highways Agency A421 scheme near Bedford were surprised with the results. When calculating the project's carbon footprint (excluding the impact of vehicles using the road over its operational lifetime) they found that only 6% was attributed to our energy use to construct the road. The supply chain was responsible for the other 94%. The project team soon made the link between carbon and cost. As up to 80% of the footprint is embodied in the materials used to build the road (concrete, asphalt and steel), changes in the design and materials specifications delivered substantial reductions in carbon and lower costs. The project team pioneered the first major application of old car tyres for lightweight structural fill on a road scheme. The 400,000 recycled tyres used on the scheme plus 375,000 tonnes of power station ash and 60% recycled aggregates saved 50,000 tonnes of embodied carbon. That's the equivalent of 19,000 return flights from London to New York! Carbon thinking needs to embedded at all levels in the organisation. Where better to start than engaging our business development teams? We had little evidence to draw on so we held two work winning workshops towards the end of 2010 and challenged each business to share three case studies on how they had used sustainability thinking to win work. We use these case studies in our training programmes to encourage our people to think about carbon in their work. It's 2011. We have a global baseline for our carbon emissions for the first time, a commitment to reduce our own carbon impacts and a much better understanding of where we can make carbon savings for our customers. This is why we support the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment's (IEMA's) call for mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reporting by companies. I never did satisfactorily answer the question on what a tonne of carbon looks like! Jonathan Garrett is Group Head of Sustainability at Balfour Beatty, an infrastructure group operating in professional services, construction services, support services and infrastructure investments This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/low-carbon', 'sustainable-business/blog', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'tone/blog', 'sustainable-business/strategy', 'type/article', 'sustainable-business/series/supply-chain'] | sustainable-business/low-carbon | EMISSIONS | 2011-02-22T16:17:25Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2020/feb/29/new-york-plastic-bag-ban-sunday | New York plastic bag ban comes into force but opponents tote exceptions | A plastic bag ban will come into force in New York on Sunday, a moment hailed by environmentalists but marred by last-minute bickering. California and Hawaii have implemented bans on plastic bags but New York, another bastion of progressive policymaking, has been stymied amid fierce lobbying by the plastics industry and concerns over the impact on low-income residents. A breakthrough came in March last year, when state lawmakers agreed to prevent stores selling single-use plastic bags, which are widely blamed for clogging streams and rivers, causing gruesome wildlife deaths and blighting streets with litter. Climate campaigners have also pointed to the sizeable planet-warming emissions which come from churning out billions of plastic bags for short-term use. New Yorkers get through an estimated 23bn single-use plastic bags each year. Around 85% end up in streets, landfills, waterways and recycling machines. The new law is aimed at swiftly transitioning to alternatives: stores will be required to sell paper bags at five cents each or offer sturdier reusable bags that can be used at least 125 times. “I’m excited, it’s going to be great,” said Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York, who has already seen his local supermarket in Albany clear out its plastic bags. “It’s taken New York longer than you would expect, but it’s better late than never. There is broad public support for plastic bag bans and so people will shame those who flout it.” Some store owners have said they are not ready for the ban, claiming it will hurt their businesses and place an unfair cost burden on low-income people. “You hurt the small bodegas that are the heartbeat of New York,” said Frank Garcia of the National Association of the Latino State Chambers at a recent protest at City Hall. “They’re not gonna survive.” There are around 13,000 bodegas in New York City and many are scrambling to find alternatives ahead of the plastic bag ban. A rush on paper bag supplies has led to shortages, raising the prospect of no bags at all in some stores. New York will require around 4bn paper bags, more than half of all production capacity in North America, according to Novolex, a major bag manufacturer. “I think it’s going to be a bumpy rollout,” said Jim Calvin, president of the New York Association of Convenience Stores. “The supply of paper bags is limited and stores are having difficulty getting them. I just hope everyone remains patient.” Pro-ban campaigners argue that New Yorkers should fare no worse than people elsewhere in the US and overseas. Bans have been rolled out in England and Italy, with China set to phase out non-degradable bags, as well as plastic straws, in major cities by the end of the year. A series of exemptions have been made to the New York ban. Disposable plastic bags will be allowed for wrapping uncooked fish or poultry, for loose vegetables or grains, for newspaper deliveries, for dry-cleaning services and for food takeaways and deliveries. New Yorkers will still be able to buy plastic bin bags – potentially leading to an increase in sales, as has reportedly happened in California. State authorities have also said there will be an indeterminate grace period. Once enforcement starts in earnest, stores still giving out single-use plastic bags will be warned, then hit with a $250 fine. Many stores in New York City have put up signs explaining the ban, with some larger outlets removing plastic bags early. In one Key Food store in Brooklyn this week, a dearth of plastic bags left some shoppers stuffing purchases into their pockets or handbags. “I don’t know if I’m happy about it,” said one customer who gave her name as Rachel. “I suppose it will be good for the amount of trash. You see these bags flying around in the street, they get into the trees, everywhere.” | ['environment/plastic-bags', 'us-news/new-york', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'environment/plastic', 'environment/environment', 'business/small-business', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-02-29T08:00:40Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
business/2008/may/19/microsoft.yahoo | Microsoft in talks with Yahoo over scaled-down takeover | Microsoft has returned to the negotiating table with the embattled internet company Yahoo to discuss a scaled-down deal tipped to be a combination of the two firms' online advertising businesses. Just two weeks after insisting that it had "moved on" after the collapse of talks to acquire the Silicon Valley firm in a $47.5bn takeover, Microsoft announced this evening that it had raised the idea of a tie-up with Yahoo that would be short of a complete buyout. "Microsoft is considering and has raised with Yahoo an alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo," said a statement from the Seattle-based software giant. Neither firm would comment on the details of the mooted transaction. But the New York Times reported that it was a partnership or joint venture in search-related advertising intended to create a viable rival to the runaway industry leader, Google. Yahoo's chairman, Roy Bostock, and chief executive, Jerry Yang, are under intense pressure from shareholders unconvinced by the firm's go-it-alone strategy and despondent at Yahoo's weak stock price. Last week, the billionaire corporate raider Carl Icahn put forward 10 dissident nominees to unseat Yahoo's board. Icahn, whose fund has spent more than $1bn on a 4% stake in Yahoo, is pressing for a complete sale to Microsoft – a possibility that Bill Gates' software empire did not rule out. In its statement, Microsoft said it was "not proposing to make a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo at this time, but reserves the right to reconsider that alternative depending on future developments". Yahoo's online advertising business is powered by an expensive new technology platform called Panama, introduced last year. One possibility would be for Microsoft to acquire Yahoo's advertising arm, or another option could be the formation of a new entity combining both Microsoft and Yahoo's advertising assets. Yahoo is among the most popular entry points for people browsing the web – and its mass following is potentially valuable. Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, told Bloomberg News that Microsoft had probably realised that there are potential challenges in integrating the whole of Yahoo: "What Microsoft is most interested in is getting that Yahoo subscriber base." Online advertising sales amounted to $41bn worldwide last year and there are concerns both among technology firms and among advertisers about Google's overwhelming leadership. Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of the advertising group WPP, last week said it was "a shame" that Microsoft had failed to buy Yahoo, suggesting a powerful competitor to Google would create a more "balanced market" in online search. If Yahoo does not come up with a deal of some sort, it risks facing a potentially brutal and damaging showdown with its own investors at its annual meeting in California in early July. · To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 7239 9857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 7278 2332. · If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". | ['business/business', 'technology/yahoo-takeover', 'technology/microsoft', 'business/useconomy', 'media/digital-media', 'media/mediabusiness', 'media/advertising', 'media/media', 'technology/yahoo', 'technology/technology', 'type/article', 'profile/andrewclark', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | technology/yahoo-takeover | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2008-05-19T11:12:45Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
us-news/2023/sep/15/hawaii-fires-death-toll-update-dna-testing-missing | Hawaii fires: number of fatalities drops to 97 as DNA tests help identify victims | The number of confirmed fatalities from the Maui wildfires is at least 97 people, a lower death toll than what officials had previously announced, the Hawaii governor, Josh Green, said in an interview on CNN on Friday. State leaders said last month that at least 115 people had died in the 8 August blaze but on Friday said new testing showed they were counting multiple DNA samples from some of the victims. John Pelltier, the Maui police chief, said in a press conference that the number of missing people had also dropped from 41 to 31. And so far, 74 of the deceased have been positively identified. John Byrd, laboratory director with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, said the 97 confirmed deaths should still be considered a minimum and that it was possible the figure could rise again. Determining the death toll from the wildfires in Lahaina has been especially complicated because of the damage caused by the fire and the chaos as people tried to escape, officials said. In some cases, animal remains were inadvertently collected along with human remains. The Lahaina fire is the deadliest in the US in more than a century. Caught in a hellscape, some residents died in their cars, while others jumped into the ocean or tried to run for safety. The blaze reduced much of the historic town to ash. Byrd said the initial death tally was too high for several reasons, adding that the lower tally now was the “normal and natural” progression of the long-term forensics investigation. “We look at body bags that come in and we do an initial inventory and we assess how many people are represented there,” he said. “When you do the first tally of all those that have come in, the number tends to be too high because as you begin to do more analysis and examination you realize that actually you’ve got two bags that were the same person or you have two bags that were the same two people but you didn’t realize that.” “The numbers start a little too high on the morgue side and eventually settles until at some point it’s going to be a final accurate number. I would say we’re not quite there yet,” Byrd said. Only people who have had a missing person report filed for them with the Maui police department are on the verified missing list, Pelletier said. If a missing person report hasn’t been filed for someone more than five weeks after the fire, then that person probably isn’t actually missing, the chief said. Dr Jeremy Stuelpnagel, Maui county physician’s coroner, wasn’t supposed to start the job until October. But he sped up his start date and arrived on Maui from New York City soon after the fire. Until he arrived, Maui’s medical examiner duties were shared with other counties. “When this happened it was time to drop everything and come here,” he said. He described how some remains arrived commingled. “When the fire broke out, people ran together, they huddled together,” Stuelpnagel said. “They’re holding each other in those moments. Some of them were even holding pets.” Stuelpnagel said people working on the identification process are trying to “reunify people to have them as whole as they’re able to be”, before the remains are returned to their loved ones. The work to reunite fire victims with families involves more than just DNA tests, officials said. Anthropologists are assisting, and officials are gathering clues from dental work and medical devices like pacemakers when possible. Authorities expressed relief at having a better grasp on the number of dead and those still unaccounted for in the blaze. “For the very first time … we legitimately have a chance to identify every single person we lost and to reunite them with their family,” Pelletier said. “And so in the midst of all this tragedy, there’s a little ray of hope right there and so that really is incredible.” The region faces a long recovery ahead, including an arduous process of hazardous waste removal by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Residents struggling to find longterm housing have called on the federal government to provide aid more quickly. | ['us-news/hawaii-fires', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/wildfires', 'campaign/email/us-morning-newsletter', 'us-news/hawaii', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2023-09-16T01:16:20Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
stage/2021/oct/18/yellowfin-review-southwark-playhouse | Yellowfin review – shocking testimony from a world with empty oceans | Tuna has never had so much stage time. Marek Horn’s new play Yellowfin takes us into a world close to ours, a couple of decades after all the fish have disappeared and everyone is obsessed with finding out why. But it isn’t really about the fish. With the same whip-smart dialogue as Horn’s brilliant debut, Wild Swimming, Yellowfin is about false truths, desperate hopes and the myths we build around them. At one end of a pristine US courtroom, sit three senators (Nancy Crane, Nicholas Day, Beruce Khan), smartly dressed, their papers stacked neatly in front of them. On the other side of the space, lower down and slightly ragged, sits Calantini (Joshua James), a former dodgy fish dealer reluctantly being questioned about his slippery past. Order quickly dissipates, revealing the governmental structure as a desperate farce. Even as the food chain comes apart, the senators are stuck in their formal processes and procedures, the language curling back in on itself in a way that is pointedly, deliberately frustrating. Directed by Ed Madden, the characters’ unravelling feels completely natural. With our understanding of the world reduced to this space – all the action takes place in this one setting – the global disaster is fed to us on a minute level. A single can of unbranded tuna becomes the most important thing in the room, holding the colossal weight of hope in a world of chaos. It’s a smart team that have been able to make such an absurd situation feel so plausible. Every so often there is a line that electrifies the room, letting slip something shocking. Each time, it is said in a manner so offhand that it makes you wonder how much else in this world has crumbled. But that’s where the action being confined to a single space feels limiting. Though we learn about outside events as the play progresses, the action is largely retrospective; the piece draws the outline of a fascinating history but doesn’t let us experience it for ourselves. Yellowfin has a smart set-up but the impact of the action always feels one-step removed. • At Southwark Playhouse, London, until 6 November | ['stage/theatre', 'stage/stage', 'culture/culture', 'stage/southwark-playhouse', 'environment/fishing', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/environment', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/reviews', 'profile/kate-wyver', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-culture'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-10-18T06:18:09Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2012/nov/05/new-yorkers-storm-wait-shelter | New Yorkers told to stock up ahead of nor'easter as thousands wait for shelter | New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg promised Monday that all New Yorkers still without power following superstorm Sandy would be found warm shelters ahead of a new storm hitting the city later this week. Overnight temperatures are set to drop to near freezing levels on Monday night, putting in focus the plight of up to 40,000 people in New York who need refuge from the cold amid ongoing power outages. Bloomberg said the city had adequate shelters to accommodate all those in need, and that every effort was being made to ensure that elderly and vulnerable citizens were able to find shelter in advance of Wednesday's nor'easter – which could dump up to four inches of rain on the region. The evacuation comes as much of Manhattan began to get back to business as usual on Monday. With power restored to lower Manhattan and 94% of schools open, the city's network of subway lines were full with commuters and students as it operated a revised timetable. But further afield concerns were more grim. In the Rockaways – a coastal region in the borough of Queens – thousands of residents were without power for the seventh straight day. With temperatures dropping and a powerful new storm due to hit mid-week, city officials are facing an uphill battle to find alternative accommodation in a city where spare housing is scarce. On Sunday, Bloomberg said between 30,000 to 40,000 New Yorkers may need to be relocated as they could be without power for some days to come. "We're not going to let anybody go sleeping in the streets … but it's a challenge, and we're working on it," he said. Governor Andrew Cuomo was likewise frank with his assessment. "People are in homes that are uninhabitable," he told reporters at a press briefing. "It's going to become increasingly clear that they're uninhabitable when the temperature drops and the heat doesn't come on." One option could be setting up mass trailer camps, similar to those that existed in New Orleans in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in 2005. Of those that need temporary resettlement, it is thought that 20,000 currently reside in public housing. In an update Monday, Bloomberg said there were adequate numbers of shelters to accommodate those in need. "Every New Yorker who needs a warm place to live and a roof over his or her head is going to have one," he pledged. "We have to go down to an even more micro level and make sure each individual gets the services they need," Bloomberg added. The incoming storm made the work of emergency teams "more difficult and more urgent" the mayor said, adding that housing everyone would pose a "big challenge". The nor'easter could bring gusts of up to 55mph and further flooding. "Prepare for more outages," was the advice of National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pollina. "Stay indoors. Stock up again," he added. The immediate concern facing those in cut-off areas is how to keep warm. "Nights are the worst because you feel like you're outside when you're inside," said Genice Josey, a Far Rockaway resident who has slept under three blankets and wears long johns under her pyjamas in an effort to keep warm. "You shiver yourself to sleep," she added. In parts of the badly hit borough of Staten Island, it was a similar story. "When I woke up, I was like: 'It's freezing.' And I thought: 'This can't go on too much longer,'" Sara Zavala said. Sandy has already been blamed for the deaths of some 113 people in the US, adding to the 69 killed as the hurricane made its way through the Caribbean. The fear now is that more people may die as a result of hypothermia. The elderly are particularly at risk. Adding to people's woes is the ongoing scarcity of gas. Long lines at the pumps has becoming a common scene across parts of New York and New Jersey. Part of the problem has been panic buying by motorists, who have been filling the tank in anticipation of gas running out. New Jersey governor Chris Christie tried to allay the fears of drivers on Sunday, stating that the state did not have "a fuel shortage". He had earlier ordered a rationing of supply to customers in a bid to head off dwindling supplies. To help ease the flow, President Barack Obama ordered his administration to release an additional 12m gallons of unleaded fuel and 10m gallons of diesel. Much of that gas was trucked to New Jersey and New York over the weekend and should be delivered by the time the new storm arrives. Meanwhile, politicians have begun turning up the heat on utility companies over their response to the crisis. A week after the storm struck hundreds of thousands of homes remained subjected to power outages. On Sunday, Cuomo warned power suppliers that they would be held accountable for any delays that could have been prevented. "I want them to provide the service that they get paid to perform," he said, adding: "We will be reasonable, but we will hold them accountable." | ['us-news/hurricane-sandy', 'us-news/new-york', 'us-news/michaelbloomberg', 'us-news/us-news', 'tone/news', 'world/world', 'world/natural-disasters', 'us-news/us-weather', 'type/article', 'profile/matt-williams'] | us-news/hurricane-sandy | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2012-11-05T20:45:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
news/2011/jan/24/weatherwatch-sunspots-solar-flares | Sunspots and solar flares: the heat is on | There is still much to discover about sunspots, solar flares and their effect on our weather. With the peak of an 11-year solar cycle predicted for May 2013, a strong upward trend in activity on the Sun's surface has begun. Researchers are hoping to learn a lot over the next two years. While some scientists are interested in the climatic effects, what concerns governments most is the electronic interference caused by the solar wind, which can knock out electricity grids. Solar flares on the Sun's surface release massive quantities of electrically charged particles that astonishingly take only two to three days to travel the 93m miles to Earth. These particles are the cause of the magnificent colour displays known as the aurora borealis or northern lights. Usually these solar shows only appear in the far north, but occasionally magnetic storms of enormous proportions light up the sky as far south as Spain. The largest known was on 25 January, 1938 when the sky glowed red and green over the whole of Europe. The show lasted over London from 6.15pm until 1am. Many people called the fire brigade believing the glow was the reflection of some giant blaze. Although there are records of such electronic displays setting fire to telegraph wires as early as 1857, there has not been a storm of such magnitude in recent times. A repeat of the 1938 event is what governments fear. It could wipe out many modern radio and electronic communications. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'science/sun', 'uk/weather', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/science', 'travel/northernlights', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/paulbrown', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2011-01-24T00:05:13Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2019/jul/18/ofwat-has-a-duty-to-protect-our-rivers | Ofwat has a duty to protect our rivers | Letters | As river, fishery and wildlife organisations, we are concerned by Ofwat’s proposal to levy a reduced penalty on Southern Water for “improper practices … including at senior management levels, to present a false picture of compliance”, by the “deliberate misreporting of data” on significant pollution incidents, and the failure to have “adequate systems of planning, governance and internal controls in place to be able to manage its wastewater treatment works; to accurately report information about the performance of these works; and to properly carry out its general statutory duties as a sewerage undertaker”. We are particularly disappointed that the rivers and environments that have been affected will not receive any compensation for the damage to the habitat of fish and other wildlife caused by the company. Reducing the fine from £37.7m to £3m in return for allowing Southern Water an opportunity to give customers a rebate is in our opinion the wrong option. It is the environment and the aquatic life in the watercourses that were deliberately polluted by Southern Water in an attempt to remain within the terms of their permitted consents and to avoid incurring penalties. Ofwat should not seek to subcontract its environmental responsibilities to the Environment Agency. There is a very real possibility that many of these pollution incidents will never be brought to court due to the obvious lack of data caused by this wilful misreporting. Ofwat has a duty to protect the environment too. Furthermore, we believe the whole system of operator self-monitoring that allows companies to report on their own performance has been called into question by the actions of Southern Water. Reform of this “light-touch” regulatory approach is urgently needed. Stuart Singleton-White Head of campaigns, Angling Trust, Penny Gane Fish Legal, Arlin Rickard The Rivers Trust, William Hicks Salmon & Trout Conservation UK, Shaun Leonard Wild Trout Trust, Bella Davies South East Rivers Trust, Martijn Antheunisse Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust, Charlotte Hitchmough Action for the River Kennet, Gillian Branson Arun & Rother Rivers Trust, Peter King Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition | ['environment/rivers', 'environment/environment', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment-agency', 'environment/water', 'environment/fish', 'sport/fishing', 'business/fishing-industry', 'sport/sport', 'tone/letters', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2019-07-18T15:17:19Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
sport/2021/mar/23/football-doesnt-want-to-think-its-a-killer-dawn-astle-mps-dementia | Football 'doesn’t want to think it can be a killer', Dawn Astle tells MPs | Campaigners for action against neuro-degenerative disease in football have delivered excoriating testimony against the game’s authorities, with one telling a parliamentary committee: “Football doesn’t want to think it can be a killer, but I know it can because it’s on my dad’s death certificate.” Dawn Astle, whose father, Jeff, died from dementia which coroners declared an “industrial disease” because of his years as a professional footballer, was one of several witnesses to appear at adigital, culture, media and sport select committee hearing into concussion in sport. She called current funding for research into the effects of heading the ball “a drop in the ocean” and demanded faster action in response to studies that already exist. “For almost 20 years now football has failed to act and failed to protect its players; men, women children, all at risk potentially,” Astle told MPs. “[They are] unprotected, uninformed. I think if the sport is left to its own devices as it is, then it will just do what it wants to do.” Asked whether £250,000 given to support the Field study, funded by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association, into the effects of heading on former players was enough, Astle said: “It’s a drop in the ocean for the sport, it’s nowhere near adequate. I think football doesn’t want to think it can be a killer. I know it can be because it’s on the bottom of my dad’s death certificate. They should be putting so much more money into it. “It’s two years in October since the Field study was published where we now know that footballers are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia. Why are there no restrictions in heading [in the professional game]? Why have they only just put out a call for further research? Where’s the brain injury fund to help past players, present players, with rehabilitation and full-time care costs?” Jeff Astle, who died in 2002 aged 59, made more than 400 professional appearances, for Notts County and West Brom, between 1959 and 1974. He won five England caps. His daughter was joined in her criticism by the former Premier League player Chris Sutton, whose father also died from dementia that could have been the result of his years as a professional player. Sutton estimated he himself had headed the ball 72,000 times in his career and demanded immediate action; calling for the introduction of temporary concussion substitutes rather than the permanent replacements currently being trialled and a cap of 20 headers per training session in the professional game. “We don’t need to keep having meetings about meetings, this needs to happen immediately,” he told MPs. “Hundreds if not thousands of players have died from dementia. If we don’t get on top of this now hundreds and thousands more will die. It will affect my generation. “It’s really important the government take ownership of this because the FA and the PFA haven’t done anywhere near enough. They haven’t been interested in it because it doesn’t benefit them in any way shape or form. Gordon Taylor, who’s stepping down [as PFA chief executive], has blood on his hands. There are things we can do, preventative measures, and we need to do it now.” Later the chief medical officer of the Football Association, Dr Charlotte Cowie, was pressed repeatedly about the amount of money made available for research by the game. Cowie said the FA “didn’t put any limit on our resource” and granted funding that matched requests from those commissioned for research, including the Field study. Asked what the FA’s annual budget was for research Cowie did not answer, leading the chair of the DCMS committee, Julian Knight MP, to say he was “staggered” she had not come with the figure and that he found her action “unacceptable”. Cowie would also not say that heading was a safe activity, insisting only that the FA were “lowering” the risk with new guidelines that would limit the amount of heading in a professional training session to 10 occasions. Asked why not cut out heading in training altogether, Cowie said: “It is important if you are going to head the ball in a match, that you prepare for that.” Cowie said the FA was continuing to commission more research as it sought to “delineate” the results of the Field study and ascertain greater detail about the effects of heading on the brain. She said that required more former footballers to come forward for research. “[The study’s] biggest struggle at the moment is to get sufficient numbers of players because it’s important that all these studies are statistically significant,” she said. “That was the real value and the real power of the Field study.” | ['sport/concussion-in-sport', 'sport/sport', 'football/football', 'society/dementia', 'society/mental-health', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/paulmacinnes', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/concussion-in-sport | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2021-03-23T15:20:12Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
business/2023/feb/23/uk--fresh-food-shortages-rationing-spanish-farmers-blame-brexit-import-rules | Spanish growers say weather, rising costs and Brexit caused UK salad shortages | Fluctuating temperatures, increased production costs and the knock-on effects of Brexit are all contributing to the vegetable shortages that have led some UK supermarkets to introduce rationing, according to Spanish growers. While some large producer and export associations have put the shortages down to the cold weather in southern Spain, others have pointed the finger at the post-Brexit red tape and logistics problems that have helped to make the UK a less desirable market. Coexphal, an association of more than 101 fruit and vegetable companies in Spain’s vast and productive Almería province, said the shortages had been caused by mild autumn and winter temperatures giving way to a cold snap over recent weeks. In a statement, the association – whose members account for 70% of Almería’s fruit and vegetable exports – said tomato production was down 22% on the same period last year, cucumber production had fallen by 21%, pepper and aubergine production by 25% and courgette production by 15%. It also said the “worrying” situation meant that its members were starting to have problems fulfilling client orders. “We weren’t expecting this because the high temperatures lasted pretty much until December, which meant production picked up speed during the first part of the season,” said Coexphal’s manager, Luis Miguel Fernández. He said the problems of falling yields were being compounded by higher production costs as well as blights and viruses. “Our businesses are doing everything they can to deliver on their commitments, but it’s practically impossible under the circumstances.” Although Coexphal said a rise in temperatures over the coming weeks could improve the situation, it added that it was unclear how the plants would respond to the stresses of “such a changeable climatology”. A Coexphal spokesperson declined to comment on the role that the UK’s post-Brexit import protocols could be playing in the shortages. But Alfonso Gálvez, who serves as general secretary of the Murcia branch of Asaja, Spain’s biggest farming association, said he was puzzled by the media talk of weather-induced shortages. “I’ve seen these articles but I don’t understand why they’re talking about shortages here,” he said. “Things are normal so far this season so I don’t know if it’s more a problem of UK logistics since the Brexit regulations came into effect. There’s enough produce to supply the market and the vegetable season is happening pretty normally.” While he acknowledged that rising costs had seen a drop in production for some growers, and that frosts had affected some artichoke and lettuce crops, Gálvez said those issues were not serious or widespread enough to have significantly reduced market supplies. The current UK shortages, he suggested, may have more to do with bureaucracy and logistics than the weather. “The sector adapted to the new [post-Brexit] export protocols set by the UK in coordination with the different ministries that are responsible,” he said. “But there have been logistics and transport problems when it comes to export, such as a shortage of lorry drivers to service the UK market, and the problems we’ve seen with the queues to get into the country through Eurotunnel.” That, Gálvez added, may have led some export companies or co-operatives to focus more on the continental market than the UK market. “On top of that, you’ve got the costs of all this bureaucracy and all these waits, which mean that perhaps the UK market isn’t so attractive,” he said. “But in any case, there are enough raw materials and produce to keep supplying the market.” A spokesperson for the Spanish Federation of Exporting Fruit, Vegetable and Live Plant Producers (Fepex), said that while production had dropped over recent weeks because of the weather, the situation had improved in recent days and vegetable production was “back to its normal rhythm”. She added: “The effect of that supply normalisation will be seen over the coming weeks.” The latest fruit and veg shortages come six years after crops in southern Spain were hit by flooding, frosts and snow, leading to a prolonged scarcity of courgettes, aubergines, lettuce and celery. | ['business/supply-chain-crisis', 'business/fooddrinks', 'politics/eu-referendum', 'business/business', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'world/eu', 'world/europe-news', 'politics/foreignpolicy', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'world/spain', 'world/world', 'environment/farming', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/samjones', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-02-23T13:30:12Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2021/mar/25/uk-flying-blind-on-levels-of-toxic-chemicals-in-tap-water | UK ‘flying blind’ on levels of toxic chemicals in tap water | The UK government is not testing drinking water for a group of toxic manmade chemicals linked to a range of diseases including cancers, while across the world people are falling sick and suing for hundreds of millions of dollars at a time after finding the substances in their tap water. Known collectively as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), or “forever chemicals” because they are designed never to break down in the environment, the substances are used for their water- and grease-repellent properties in everything from cookware and clothing to furniture, carpets, packaging, coatings and firefighting foams. When PFAS, of which there are thousands, enter the environment, they accumulate in soil, water, animals and human blood. Following a landmark legal case in the US made famous by the Mark Ruffalo film Dark Waters, a huge epidemiological study was carried out that linked PFAS to high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Separate studies have made connections between PFAS and miscarriage, reduced birth weight, endocrine disruption, reduced sperm quality, delayed puberty, early menopause and reduced immune response to tetanus vaccination. Scientists have also found that the substances can be passed from mother to baby via the placenta and breast milk. On top of multiple class actions in the US, cases are being brought around the world. In Australia, two towns adjacent to airbases using PFAS in firefighting foam have been warned not to drink their tap water, and in Italy industry is thought to have exposed 350,000 people to the toxic contaminant. It is estimated that almost everyone in the world now has PFAS in their blood. In England, the Environment Agency says PFAS is “ubiquitous in the environment”, particularly in its waters, making it unlikely that drinking water sources have escaped contamination. But unlike countries such as the US, where a nationwide testing scheme is under way, the UK government has so far only made plans to make plans to understand the levels of drinking water pollution. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) says it takes “the risks posed by PFAS chemicals very seriously, which is why we’re working at pace with regulators to better assess their presence in our natural environment and their sources.” It says it is “developing its approach to managing risk from PFAS” but it is not testing drinking water. Water companies do not routinely test for PFAS either. Instead, they are expected to “consider” just two restricted PFAS – PFOS and PFOA – in their risk assessments. According to Defra, there “have been no notifications of an event associated with elevated levels of PFOS or PFOA since 2005”. In Scotland, only PFOA is risk-assessed. Dr Ian Ross, the global PFAS practice lead at the consultancy Tetra Tech, says the huge number of potential PFAS sources – from airfields and industry to landfills and car washes – make risk assessment very difficult. “Water companies may need to perform a detailed assessment of many catchments considering a multitude of PFAS sources before determining that water from each catchment is unlikely to supply PFAS-impacted water,” Ross said. “This is more concerning now a new, lower, 10 nanogram/litre limit from the drinking water inspectorate has been introduced, which triggers consultation with health professionals.” The industry group WaterUK said: “Companies in risk areas have monitoring in place to support the removal of PFAS, and other potentially harmful substances, to ensure drinking water is clean and safe.” Even so, the drinking water inspectorate has only set the 10ng/l limit for PFOS and PFOA, and there are no limits on the wider group of chemicals. In contrast, Denmark has a limit of 100ng/l for the total of 12 PFAS, with lower levels proposed for PFOS of 3ng/l; Sweden has set a 90ng/l for the sum of 11 PFAS; and Bavaria has regulated 13 individual PFAS to a range of limits between 0.1 micrograms (µg)/l and 10µg/l. The EU recently revised its drinking water directive, reducing the acceptable level to 100ng/l for 20 types of PFAS and 500 ng/l for all PFAS substances. The directive entered into force in January and member states have two years to adopt it. It is not clear whether the UK will follow suit. Defra has said it will “consider the effect of the changes made to the directive” but made no commitment to adopt it. Dr Paul Johnston, from Greenpeace’s research laboratory at the University of Exeter, said: “We’re literally flying blind on this as a nation,” adding that the government had “had plenty of heads up on this from what has been going on in the US”. He said: “It’s quite baffling why it hasn’t actually been done in a systematic way, if only to validate the risk assessments … you need to be able to back it up with real-world analysis.” Dr Julie Schneider, of the chemicals charity Chem Trust, said: “People have the right to know if the water from their tap is contaminated with these harmful chemicals. We urgently need a full assessment of PFAS contamination in drinking water in the UK. Continuous exposure to PFAS may lead to long-term adverse health effects, and drinking water is recognised as one of the main sources of our exposure to PFAS.” An outright ban on all non-essential uses of PFAS is under discussion among EU countries, but there are no signs that the UK intends to take the same tack. “Every year of delay in regulating these chemicals means an increasing level of exposure due to their extreme persistence and capacity to accumulate in the water and the wider environment,” said Schneider. Responding to the use restrictions put in place on PFOS and PFOA, the industry has created replacement chemicals known as GenX, but researchers suggest these could be just as harmful to humans and the environment, and could be even harder to detect. | ['environment/water', 'environment/pollution', 'society/health', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'environment/pfas', 'profile/rachel-salvidge', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2021-03-25T12:58:51Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2010/apr/30/connie-hedegaard-global-climate-talks | World must move on from Copenhagen summit, says EU's climate chief | The world must move on from the blame game following the Copenhagen summit and work towards progress at climate meetings in Mexico and South Africa, said the European commissioner for climate action, Connie Hedegaard. In an interview with The Guardian, the chair at the opening of December's tumultuous talks defended Denmark's handling of the event, saying its achievements at a time of economic crisis would not have been dreamed of even three years earlier. "It's always easy to say after that we shouldn't have done a lot of things," she said during a visit to China. "But if we had not done so, we would not have had this whole debate and this whole mobilisation we have today." Governments are trying to re-tie negotiating strands that frayed closed to the point of breaking at Copenhagen. Hedegaard accepted that a global deal was unlikely at the climate conference in Cancun at the end of this year, but she said there should be a focus on substance and action rather than legal form. "It would be fine if we can have everything done at Cancun, but it is not likely to happen so then we must include as a next step South Africa." This is thought to be the approach favoured by China, which is a partner of South Africa in the so-called Basic group of developing nations. Though Europe and China exchanged angry barbs in the aftermath of the summit, they overcame their differences this week to issue a joint statement on climate cooperation. The two sides established a "climate change hotline" and promised to work together to achieve "meaningful progress" at the next climate conference in Cancun at the end of this year. Though largely symbolic, the document - which was signed by Hedegaard and her Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua, the vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, signalled an attempt to rebuild trust. The hosts of the Copenhagen conference were accused of heightening suspicion by trying to draw up a version of a Copenhagen deal - the "Danish text" - in a small group without the knowledge of other parties. Hedegaard denied this was the case. "Mistrust is a very political thing," she observed. As in the run-up to Copenhagen and at the upcoming ministerial meeting in Bonn this weekend, she said, it was not always possible to have 194 countries taking part. "Sometimes when you really want to have in-depth discussions, you cannot do it in a plenary with hundreds, or even thousands [of delegates] there. You need other forums. But it is crucial that it is transparent, known and representative." Earlier this month, Indian environment minister Jairam Ramesh said Hedegaard had told him the leak of the Danish draft to The Guardian had killed the conference. The European commissioner declined to comment on their conversation, but she said although the leak "didn't help", it was too simplistic to suggest it alone was the problem. "I know journalists are not to blame. It is those who leak things who are to blame," she said. "The reason why Copenhagen didn't achieve everything some of us wanted is that the leaders could not agree on that. If the political will was there we could have done a deal - Guardian article or not." Noting the growing importance of China to the world economy, the European commissioner urged the country's leaders to join efforts aimed at setting a global price for carbon. "Our experience is that this rewards those who are energy efficient and makes it expensive for those who are inefficient. It creates the right incentives." The Chinese government is considering a carbon tax, in addition to several small-scale and voluntary cap and trade schemes. Hedegaard urged China to accelerate a joint research project aimed at developing near-zero emission coal power and visited a new renewable energy research institute funded with EU money. The former Danish environment minister said her country had pushed the climate debate forward despite the risks of failure at Copenhagen. "Who would three or four years back would have believed me if I said we had most severe economic crisis in a generation or more, yet at the same time we managed to get climate change on top of leaders' agendas? And not only that but for the first time in international negotiations, to have the United States and four emerging economies accepting a 2C target and sharing responsibility for achieving it." | ['environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/copenhagen', 'environment/environment', 'world/eu', 'world/world', 'environment/cancun-climate-change-conference-2010', 'type/article', 'profile/jonathanwatts'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2010-04-30T13:54:51Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2014/oct/31/amazon-rainforest-deforestation-weather-droughts-report | Amazon rainforest losing ability to regulate climate, scientist warns | The Amazon rainforest has degraded to the point where it is losing its ability to benignly regulate weather systems, according to a stark new warning from one of Brazil’s leading scientists. In a new report, Antonio Nobre, researcher in the government’s space institute, Earth System Science Centre, says the logging and burning of the world’s greatest forest might be connected to worsening droughts – such as the one currently plaguing São Paulo – and is likely to lead eventually to more extreme weather events. The study, which is a summary drawing from more than 200 existing papers on Amazonian climate and forest science, is intended as a wake-up call. “I realised the problem is much more serious than we realised, even in academia and the reason is that science has become so fragmented. Atmospheric scientists don’t look at forests as much as they should and vice versa,” said Nobre, who wrote the report for a lay audience. “It’s not written in academic language. I don’t need to preach to the converted. Our community is already very alarmed at what is going on.” A draft seen by the Guardian warns that the “vegetation-climate equilibrium is teetering on the brink of the abyss.” If it tips, the Amazon will start to become a much drier savanna, which calamitous consequences. The Amazon works as a giant pump, channeling moisture inland via aerial rivers and rainclouds that form over the forest more dramatically than over the sea, the author says. It also provides a buffer against extreme weather events, such as tornados and hurricanes. In the past 20 years, the author notes that the Amazon has lost 763,000 sq km, an area the size of two Germanys. In addition another 1.2m sq km has been estimated as degraded by cutting below the canopy and fire. As a result, the report notes, the deterioration of the rainforest – through logging, fires and land clearance – has resulted in a decrease in forest transpiration and a lengthening of dry seasons. This might be one of the factors of the severe drought affecting south-east Brazil. São Paulo – the biggest city in South America – is facing its worst water shortages in almost a century. October, which is usually the start of the rainy season, was drier than at any time since 1930, leaving the volume of the Cantareira reservoir system down to 5% of capacity. “Studies more than 20 years ago predicted what is happening with lowering rainfall. Amazon deforestation is altering climate. It is no longer about models. It is about observation,” said Nobre. “The connection with the event in São Paulo is important because finally people are paying attention.” Nobre calls for a “war effort” to reverse the damage and secure the global climate and security of future generations. This would involve a ramped-up effort to immediately halt existing deforestation and a major new project to replant trees. Whether the government listens, however, is another matter. Forest clearance has accelerated under Brazil’s president, Dilma Rousseff, after efforts to protect the Amazon were weakened. Last month, satellite data indicated a 190% surge in deforestation in August and September. The influence of the “ruralista” agribusiness lobby in Congress has also grown in recent years, making it harder for the authorities to push through new legislation to demarcate reserves. “They have taken good action in the past,” says Nobre. ““I hope they will listen now”. | ['environment/deforestation', 'environment/environment', 'world/brazil', 'world/americas', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/world', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/forests', 'tone/news', 'world/dilma-rousseff', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'profile/jonathanwatts', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2014-10-31T20:47:33Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
us-news/article/2024/jun/25/california-apache-wildfire | Wildfire breaks out in California near Paradise, site of state’s deadliest blaze | A wildfire is threatening a community in rural northern California near Paradise, where the state’s deadliest wildfire struck six years ago. The blaze, dubbed the Apache fire, broke out on Monday and had grown to more than 600 acres (243 hectares), prompting evacuation orders. Firefighters battled the blaze on Tuesday with the aid of improved weather conditions, with containment levels reaching 15%, according to the fire captain Dan Collins. Winds subsided and marine air brought some cooling, which made “the conditions are favorable for us this morning”, he said. The cause of the wildfire was under investigation. Evacuation orders were in effect for several local areas but Collins did not know how many people were affected. Two unidentified structures had been destroyed and one firefighter had a minor injury. Palermo, with a population of 9,400 people, is located about 65 miles (105km) north of the state’s capital in Sacramento. It is part of Butte county, which has seen numerous catastrophic fires in recent years that have permanently altered the region. The 2018 Camp fire leveled the town of Paradise, about 30 miles from Palermo. The fast-moving blaze, California’s deadliest, killed 85 people, destroyed 14,000 buildings and displaced the vast majority of the town’s 26,000 residents for years. In 2020, the massive North Complex fire destroyed the mountain hamlet of Berry Creek – about 25 miles from Palermo – and left 16 people dead. Elsewhere in California, lightning strikes sparked several new fires in the Fresno area on Monday, while in Oregon, a wildfire that grew to more than 1,000 acres over the weekend prompted evacuation orders for nearby homes and campsites. In New Mexico, residents of a village that was destroyed by fast-moving wildfires last week returned to survey the damage, searching for the remains of people who are still missing. Village officials estimate that several hundred homes were among the structures destroyed or damaged there. Images shared on social media showed charred vehicles and homes reduced to ash, only their foundations or fireplaces left standing. While the area is no stranger to wildfires, Kerry Gladden, a spokesperson for the village of Ruidoso, described the scene as “a whole other level of devastation”. “It kind of takes your breath away when you see it,” she told the Associated Press. “And you know, we are resilient and we will rebuild and we will absolutely come back from this. But, boy, it’s hard to see it at this point.” In all, more than 100 new fires – most of them small – were reported in New Mexico and Arizona over the last seven days, according to the multi-agency Southwest Coordination Center based in Albuquerque. Nationwide, more than a dozen large fires that have not been contained are currently burning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Aside from the South Fork and Salt fires in Ruidoso, complex incident management teams are assigned to blazes in Washington and Colorado. Experts have predicted this summer could be an especially active wildfire season in the US due to a convergence of forces, including a wet winter that fueled the growth of grasses that are now drying out, as well as challenging weather conditions such as extreme heat and wind. | ['us-news/california', 'world/wildfires', 'us-news/west-coast', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/extreme-heat', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/dani-anguiano', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | environment/extreme-heat | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-06-25T23:16:39Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
us-news/2024/dec/06/a-pardon-that-proves-power-trumps-all | A pardon that proves power trumps all | Brief letters | There are plenty of people in the US justice system who suffer miscarriages of justice, who cannot afford good lawyers and who receive unnecessarily harsh sentences. By pardoning his son (Report, 2 December), Joe Biden has sent a message to the American people – and the world – that people close to those in power can get a better deal. This undermines the entire justice system and is an utter disgrace. Angela Wright London • In your article (Four of UK’s oldest nuclear plants to run for even longer as Hinkley Point delayed, 4 December), we are told by Ed Miliband that these extensions are “a major win for our energy independence”. No, Ed – they are a major win for EDF, a French company on whom, this article asserts, we are 100% dependent for our nuclear energy. Rosemary Middleton Middle Taphouse, Cornwall • There is an internet meme that sums up Mary Ann Sieghart’s article (Why do some men behave badly? I think I have the answer, 6 December) in 10 words, advising women and girls to: “Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.” One of my younger feminist colleagues has even cross-stitched this great advice. Prof Rachel Fyson University of Nottingham • You report (3 December) that the leader of Merthyr Tydfil county borough council says his team, officers at the council and external agencies will “move heaven and earth to ensure everything is put back into place” following the emergence of a sinkhole. Earth, yes, but is it really necessary to move heaven? Richard Foster Thatcham, Berkshire • If the government is allowing the British Museum freedom to decide on the fate of the Parthenon marbles (Report, 2 December) then the Greek authorities had better keep an eye on eBay. John Rushton Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire • The third letter above was amended on 8 December 2024. An earlier version misspelled “cross-stitched” as “cross-stiched”. | ['us-news/joebiden', 'us-news/hunter-biden', 'us-news/donaldtrump', 'us-news/us-politics', 'us-news/us-news', 'business/edf', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'politics/edmiliband', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'uk/wales', 'world/sinkholes', 'culture/british-museum', 'artanddesign/parthenon-marbles', 'technology/ebay', 'uk/uk', 'commentisfree/series/brief-letters', 'type/article', 'tone/letters', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2024-12-06T18:19:47Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2017/mar/03/epa-environment-budget-cuts-pollution-justice-office | 'Just racist': EPA cuts will hit black and Hispanic communities the hardest | Planned cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency are set to fall heaviest upon communities of color across the US that already suffer disproportionately from toxic pollution, green groups have warned. Donald Trump’s administration is proposing a 25% reduction in the EPA’s $8.1bn budget, eliminating nearly 3,000 jobs and several programs including the agency’s environmental justice office. Funding for the cleanup of lead, marine pollution, tribal lands and the Great Lakes region faces severe cuts, while climate initiatives are earmarked for a 70% budget reduction. The environmental justice office is tasked with bridging the yawning disparity in pollution experienced by black, Hispanic and low-income communities and wealthier white neighborhoods. It provides grants to communities to mop up toxins and rehabilitate abandoned industrial facilities that are invariably found in poorer areas. In the final months of Barack Obama’s administration, the EPA unveiled a new effort to tackle lead poisoning, air pollution and other problems suffered by communities of color situated next to waste treatment plants, smelters and other sources of toxins. But this plan will be cut down in its infancy should the environmental justice office be dismantled. “The Trump administration has decided fence-line communities across the country, whose residents already bear an outsized burden from pollution, are on their own to take on big polluters,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. “Most pollution-spewing operations are within eyeshot of the backyards and kitchen windows of African American and Hispanic families, as well as those of many largely white lower-income communities. “Through this decision to zero out funding for the EPA’s environmental justice programs, the president and the administrator have sent a shameful message: the health of poor Americans is less important than that of the wealthy.” Trump has targeted the EPA, which he has called a “disgrace”, in order to fund an increase to the military’s $600bn budget. Scott Pruitt, the controversial new EPA administrator, has stressed that grants handed to the states – which account for around 40% of the EPA’s budget – should be protected, meaning the axe would fall on enforcement action, climate change initiatives and other programs. Pruitt is also set to review the Clean Water Act, which protects Americans’ drinking water, as part of an effort to roll back environmental regulations that the Trump administration believes are stymieing economic activity. In response to written questions from senators during his confirmation hearing, Pruitt said he was “familiar with the concept of environmental justice and believe the administrator plays an important role in this regard. I agree that it is important that all Americans be treated equally under the law, including the environmental laws.” John Coequyt, campaign director of the Sierra Club, said: “To cut the environmental justice program at EPA is just racist. I can’t describe it in any other terms than a move to leave those communities behind. I can’t imagine what the justification would be, other than racism.” Environmental justice, or environmental racism, has been acknowledged by the federal government since Bill Clinton signed an executive order in 1994 instructing agencies to address the “disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs ... on minority populations and low-income populations”. Years of urban planning decisions and sporadic regulation has led to a situation in which black children are twice as likely to have asthma as their white counterparts. Meanwhile, nearly half of America’s Latino population lives in counties that do not meet EPA air quality standards. This burden was starkly demonstrated last year in Flint, Michigan, where a toxic water crisis has ravaged a largely black city. A recent report by the Michigan state government found that the lead poisoning was caused, in part, by “systemic racism”. Amid a lengthy history of such problems, community campaigners have accused the EPA of failing to respond forcefully enough. Over the past 20 years, the agency has rejected nine out of 10 complaints from communities plagued by pollution. The EPA has yet to find a business in breach of the Civil Rights Act’s Title VI provisions against discrimination on environmental grounds. In September, the US Commission on Civil Rights released a scathing report that found the EPA “has a history of being unable to meet its regulatory deadlines and experiences extreme delays in responding to Title VI complaints in the area of environmental justice”. The report highlighted the plight of Uniontown, a predominately black community in Alabama. The EPA allowed coal ash to be dumped in a landfill in the town in order to appease economic interests and failed to deal with years of complaints from residents who said they suffered from ailments and the odor of the waste dump, the report stated. On Thursday, the EPA also made initial steps in winding back methane emissions standards imposed by Barack Obama’s administration. The agency withdrew its request that oil and gas operators provide information on equipment and levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, emitted during drilling operations. The move follows complaints from nine states that the request was too onerous on businesses. “By taking this step, EPA is signaling that we take these concerns seriously and are committed to strengthening our partnership with the states,” said Pruitt. “Today’s action will reduce burdens on businesses while we take a closer look at the need for additional information from this industry.” | ['environment/epa', 'us-news/us-news', 'us-news/trump-administration', 'us-news/donaldtrump', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-03-03T16:00:08Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2014/sep/02/halliburton-11bn-settlement-deepwater-horizon-spill | Halliburton reaches $1.1bn settlement over Deepwater Horizon oil spill | Halliburton Co, North America’s top oilfield services provider, said it reached a $1.1bn settlement for a majority of claims related to its role in BP’s fatal oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The settlement, which includes legal fees, is subject to approval by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Halliburton said. The amount, to be paid in three installments over the next two years, will be put into a trust until all appeals are resolved, the company said. “We think this is a smart move by Halliburton,” Stewart Glickman, an equity analyst at S&P Capital IQ told Reuters. “While state claims by Louisiana and Alabama remain, we think this trims legal overhang.” Halliburton provided the cement intended to seal the well in the event of a disaster. The company has since been embroiled in an ongoing series of legal actions related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which resulted in 11 deaths and discharged an estimated 4.9m barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. In a statement Stephen Herman and James Roy, the co-chairmen of the steering committee of plaintiffs’ lawyers, said: “Halliburton stepped up to the plate and agreed to provide a fair measure of compensation to people and businesses harmed in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy.” The news came on the same day that BP filed a motion calling for the dismissal of Patrick Juneau, the court appointed administrator handling claims from the spill. BP has clashed repeatedly with Juneau and accused him earlier this year of paying out “absurd” amounts based on inflated or fictitious claims. In its latest attack the company claims it has new evidence that Juneau had a disqualifying conflict of interest when he was appointed as claims administrator. BP said Juneau had advocated for claimants as a lawyer before his appointment and had failed to get a written waiver for this conflict. In a filing made with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, BP claimed Juneau had “adopted positions on issues as critical as compensation protocols, documentation requirements, and release language that deviated from the settlement agreement and mirrored positions he took on behalf of his prior clients.” The oil firm attacked his $3.4m salary and said he had “presided over a shockingly inefficient process. Over the past two years, operational costs have totaled $1bn – that’s $10,000 in costs for each claim that has received an eligibility notice, while hundreds of thousands more claims still remain to be examined.” Juneau was not immediately available for comment. Last month BP filed a petition to the supreme court seeking to undo parts of the massive settlement agreement agreed in the New Orleans court related to the fatal spill. The Macondo well blowout and rig explosion in April 2010 killed 11 people and spilled millions of barrels of oil for 87 days after the blast. The settlement protects Halliburton from certain punitive damages if the court were to rule later that the company had been negligent or ‘grossly negligent’ for its role in the blowout, Chief Financial Officer Mark McCollum said. Halliburton provided cementing services for BP at the well, including the placement of “centralizers” that help stabilize the well bore during cementing. The company had earlier blamed BP’s decision to use only six centralizers – to save “time and money” – for the blowout. Reuters contributed to this report | ['environment/bp-oil-spill', 'environment/oil-spills', 'business/halliburton', 'business/bp', 'environment/oil', 'business/energy-industry', 'world/world', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/dominic-rushe'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2014-09-02T22:16:39Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2012/jun/28/wales-recycling-rates | Welsh recycling rates hit 48% | Wales is surging ahead of the rest of the UK on recycling rates as it bids to become a "zero-waste" society, according to government figures published on Thursday. The average household in Wales recycled 48% of their waste during the financial year 2011-12, representing a 4% increase on the previous year. The announcement puts the country firmly on track to reach its 2012-13 statutory target of 52%. England currently recycles on average around 40% of its household waste but the year-on-year increases have been getting smaller and it still faces an uphill struggle to reach EU targets. Welsh environment minister, John Griffiths, said: "I am delighted that the people of Wales are managing their waste in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. I congratulate local authorities across Wales for their important role in achieving this impressive result." Conwy and the Vale of Glamorgan have seen the biggest improvements over the 12 months, with both authorities increasing their recycling by 10%. Elsewhere, Brigend has gone from recycling just 31% of municipal waste to 54% in the last two years. Wales has implemented an ambitious Towards Zero Waste strategy that aims to recycle or re-use all waste by 2050. "The key thing now is that we continue to build on our recycling success so that we can meet our challenging targets of 70% recycling by 2025 and zero waste by 2050," said Griffiths. "I am very hopeful that this summer will see us breaking the 50% barrier." The EU waste framework directive requires the United Kingdom to recycle, compost or reuse 50% of household waste by 2020. However, Wales is currently the only country in the UK to have introduced statutory recycling targets for municipal waste, as well as operating separate food and green waste collections in all local authorities. It has also been ahead of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in being first to introduce the landfill allowances scheme, which limits the amount of biodegradable waste that can be sent to landfill sites. "One reason for our good progress is that every local authority in Wales offers weekly food collection services," explains Griffiths. "Separating out food waste not only diverts significant waste away from landfill, it also makes us far more aware of the food we are wasting, which can often result in reduced waste and lower food bills." | ['environment/recycling', 'environment/waste', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/environment', 'environment/landfill', 'uk/wales', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'type/article'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2012-06-28T15:57:20Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2024/apr/26/country-diary-finally-my-search-for-a-starfish-is-over | Country diary: Finally, my search for a starfish is over | Claire Stares | Though common starfish (Asterias rubens) are easy to find in rockpools, they’re an unfamiliar sight on the pebbly shores of Hayling Island. So my curiosity was piqued last May when swimmers started mentioning that they’d spotted them clinging to the chains that anchor the swim zone marker buoys. Of course, when I swam out and gazed into the depths, there was no sign of the promised galaxy of echinoderms. I put it down to an unfavourable tide state, but the starfish remained elusive throughout the summer and autumn. Even when conditions were seemingly perfect, the chains and seabed were always bare. They soon became the equivalent of a “bogey bird” – a particular species that eludes the seeker time after time. To gain true bogey status, the evasive creature must have been seen by practically everyone in your social circle. Sure enough, even friends with little interest in marine invertebrates nonchalantly recounted their sightings when they heard about my futile attempts. Throughout winter and into spring, the water clarity has been poor and sea temperatures too cold to safely swim to the buoys, putting my quest on hold. But gale-force winds and powerful waves have battered the coast overnight, and when we gather for an early morning swim, we find the strandline strewn with mounds of seaweed, branches as thick as my arms, chalky cuttlebones, ray egg cases, spongy balls of empty whelk egg capsules and, atop a pile of slipper limpet and whelk shells, a starfish. Its spiny skin is pale orange, suggesting it has come from deeper waters, as specimens found in the shallows tend to be more vibrant. Starfish can be found at depths of up to 600 metres, but are often swept on to beaches during stormy weather. This is believed to be caused by a behaviour known as “starballing”, which is triggered by environmental change. The starfish bloat their bodies, curl their five arms into a ball and tumble along the seabed, carried by the currents. Once beached, they tend to perish quickly. But, to our surprise, this individual’s hundreds of hollow tube feet are still rippling, so we scoop it up and return it to the sea. • Country diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/coastlines', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'environment/marine-life', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/claire-stares', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-04-26T04:30:29Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2019/may/24/weatherwatch-more-el-nino-events-expected-in-future | Weatherwatch: more El Niño events expected in future | New research in Nature Geoscience looks at coral records to show how the pattern of El Niño events has altered over the last four centuries. El Niño, considered one of the most important climatic phenomena globally, involves a warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface. The Spanish term for “The Boy”, referring to the infant Jesus, as El Niño’s effect may be most evident around Christmas. There are two types of El Niño, those in the eastern Pacific, close to South America, and those further out in the central Pacific. As expected, the report found El Niño events have become more frequent. It also showed a change in the type. “We used to have roughly the same number of central and eastern Pacific events,” says the lead researcher, Mandy Freund, of the University of Melbourne. “Most recently, we only have one eastern Pacific event and nine central Pacific events.” Both types of events mean reduced rainfall in Asia and Australia, but the eastern Pacific version brings heavy rainfall and flooding in the Americas, while central Pacific events produce dry conditions. El Niño events also affect other weather phenomena around the globe, including cyclones and colder British winters. The research will enable scientists to create better models to predict the effects of future El Niño events. | ['environment/elnino', 'news/series/weatherwatch', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/davidhambling', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2019-05-24T20:30:23Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2008/nov/03/donaldtrump-scotland | Trump triumphs in battle for Scottish golf resort | Donald Trump's controversial plans for a £1bn golf resort in Aberdeenshire today won approval from the Scottish government. The American billionaire has been fighting opposition by environmentalists to his plans to build what he claims will be the finest course in the world, complete with a five-star hotel, exclusive chalets, a golf academy, 950 timeshare flats, and a "Trump Boulevard". Part of it will encroach on protected sand dunes near Balmedie, north of Aberdeen. The RSPB and the Scottish Wildlife Trust were among those who opposed the project, which was rejected by a local council committee last November. But the decision to reject the application was viewed by business leaders as a lost opportunity for huge investment in the area, and a public inquiry was launched in June after the plans were called in by the Scottish government. The finance secretary, John Swinney, said today there was "a significant economic and social benefit" in granting the application. The First Minister, Alex Salmond, who is also the local MSP for Gordon, where the resort will be built, said he had previously been "cup-tied" from commenting on the issue. But he said today that "the economic and social benefits for the north-east of Scotland substantially outweigh any environmental impact, and that this is demonstrated in the evaluation of the three reporters to the public local inquiry". Trump said today he was "greatly honoured" by the decision and pledged that the course would be "a tremendous asset and source of pride for both Aberdeenshire and Scotland for many generations". Trump still faces obstacles to making the project a reality, including raising the capital for the project. And a fisherman, Michael Forbes, whose farm lies in the middle of the site initially approved, has insisted he will never sell his land to Trump. The plans were first approved in principle by the local Formartine area committee of Aberdeenshire council last year. But the council's infrastructure committee, led by the Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Ford, then sparked uproar among supporters by voting to turn down the resort application. Ford said today he was "extremely disappointed" by the decision. "This is a very, very bad precedent indeed and sends out a bad message about the protection in Scotland of our natural heritage sites. It appears to me to be a vanity project," he said. | ['us-news/donaldtrump', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/wildlife', 'uk/scotland', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/haroonsiddique'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2008-11-03T13:53:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
politics/2014/jan/27/david-cameron-green-regulations | David Cameron to rip up green regulations | David Cameron will on Monday boast of tearing up 80,000 pages of environmental protections and building guidelines as part of a new push to build more houses and cut costs for businesses. In a speech to small firms, the prime minister will claim that he is leading the first government in decades to have slashed more needless regulation than it introduced. Among the regulations to be watered down will be protections for hedgerows and rules about how businesses dispose of waste, despite Cameron's claims to lead the greenest government ever. Addressing the Federation of Small Businesses conference, Cameron will argue that the new rules will make it "vastly cheaper" for businesses to comply with their environmental obligations. The government also plans to scrap many building standards relating to things such as the size of windows and demands for renewable energy sources, saving builders about £500 for each new home. "We have trawled through thousands of pieces of regulation, from the serious to the ridiculous, and we will be scrapping or amending over 3,000 regulations – saving business well over £850m every single year. That's half a million pounds which will be saved for businesses every single day of the year," Cameron will claim. [see footnote] No 10 sources insisted that the new rules would not necessarily mean the environment suffers, as they claim many of the regulations are obsolete. However, the move comes after the coalition was criticised for overhauling planning guidance to make way for new homes, relaxing restrictions on how developers can build on green spaces. Amid a severe housing shortage, particularly in the south-east, the coalition is desperate for builders to start work on new homes. Cameron's pitch to small businesses appears to be the first stage of a fightback against Labour's attempts to depict itself as the champion of small businesses. Last month, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, pledged to give small firms more help with escalating business rates and soaring energy costs. Speaking at the same conference as Cameron, Chuka Umunna, the shadow business secretary, will promise to create a new small business agency – modelled on the small business administration under US president Barack Obama – if Labour wins the next election. This body would "remove blockages to business growth, ensuring the voices of small businesses and entrepreneurs are better heard in policymaking". Umunna will say: "So Britain can grow its way out of the cost of living crisis and build a balanced recovery built to last, we need to do all we can to help our small businesses grow, create new jobs and meet their aspirations. "We need government to be a better servant – and customer – of our small businesses and to make sure that entrepreneurs' voices are heard at the top table. A UK Small Business Administration is necessary to realising this ambition." Karen Mills, former head of the US small business administration and a former member of Obama's cabinet, will also address the conference and urge politicians to give small businesses "a seat at the table". • The following footnote was adedd on 31 January 2014: Some readers, calculating that £850m a year is equivalent to more than £2.3m a day, not half a million pounds, thought we might have misquoted the prime minister here, but in fact we had faithfully reproduced the words from the advance copy of his speech. Downing Street says the £850m refers to the annual savings figure that will apply when all of the 3,000 regulations referred to have been amended or scrapped, and that so far 800 of them have been, giving a daily saving for businesses of £800,000. The lower figure of half a million pounds a day was arrived at by dividing the £850m by the number of days in the five years of this parliament. | ['politics/davidcameron', 'politics/politics', 'environment/green-politics', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'politics/planning', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'profile/rowena-mason', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-01-27T10:00:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
news/2023/jan/12/why-everything-goes-silent-after-it-snows | Why everything goes silent after it snows | Going outside after a snowfall can be magical, with the spectacle of a winter wonderland underlined by the change in the soundscape. Suddenly, all is quiet. The peculiar hush is partly due to the reduction in human activity. There are fewer people and less traffic about, often fewer planes and trains. Building sites, road mending and other sources of noise fall silent. Birdsong is equally subdued. But it is also due to the fact that snow has an acoustic damping effect, muffling the echoes that resound from the ground and other surfaces. Snow is formed of ice crystals, which would not normally be good soundproofing, but in this case they are packed together loosely with a lot of air. The resulting porous material is a good sound insulator. A 2008 study in Alaska found that a blank pistol shot was dampened by 30 decibels across a snow-covered surface, the difference between talking and whispering. Sound refraction also plays a part. During snowfall there tends to be warmer air near the ground with colder air above. This combination causes sound to refract, curving it upwards, further reducing the volume that is transmitted at ground level However, if snow partially melts and freezes, sounds may be reflected better than in normal conditions. The eerie hush after snowfall is often a brief quiet interlude before service is noisily resumed. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/snow', 'science/science', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/davidhambling', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2023-01-12T06:00:05Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
commentisfree/2014/apr/01/at-92-i-was-arrested-for-protesting-against-mining-im-glad-i-took-a-stand | At 92, I was arrested for protesting against mining. I'm glad I took a stand | Bill Ryan | Yesterday, I joined about 150 others in a demonstration to occupy parts of the area being developed by Whitehaven Coal, who have set up amazing machinery to destroy the Leard State Forest. We left early in the morning in a convoy with the intention of getting into the site so we could stop work for the day. It was a rough ride to the worksite, but we survived it, and eventually were able to get in. They had a very strong contingent of security people, but we managed to occupy the site for hours. Eventually the police arrived, and starting arresting people, including me. I was taken into police custody and charged with trespassing. I was treated fairly well by the police, no doubt in consideration of my age and health. But the others didn’t have the same experience. They were put in the back of the paddy wagon, and if the car isn’t driven gently, you get knocked about in the back. It’s like a washing machine. I expected to be arrested. That’s what is happening out here these days. But people have a right to protest injustice, and in this particular case, we were trying to save the Box Gum forest, and the large number of endangered flora and fauna in it. Out here, the farmers have been protesting for years about the threat of the destruction of the Leard Forest to give way to a mega-mine, which will produce about 13.5m tonnes of coal each year. What concerns me is that this coal will eventually be burnt and produce carbon dioxide, and add to the global warming we’re experiencing, which scientists say will only get worse. They also say we need to keep 80% of the coal in the ground, otherwise it will be a catastrophe for global warming. The use of fossil fuels must give way to renewable energy. I’m now 92 years of age and I was a veteran of the second world war. I served in the Kokoda campaign in New Britain. I thought what we were fighting for there was proper democracy. But I’ve learned that was not the situation. The government doesn’t listen to the people, and this mine is a good example. There were over 300 submissions against the mine, and one submission for it. But it was approved. This is the first time in the last few years that I’ve been involved in any direct action. I’ve been reading the international scientific reports on the climate, which say there is no future for my grandchildren and great grandchild unless there is a reversal in our use of fossil fuels, and a replacement by renewables. The coal industry gets enormous subsidies from the government. We need to take them away from the mining industry, with their lobbyists galore in Canberra, and use that money to assist in the development of our renewable energies. We’re in a unique position in this country to use wind power, solar power, and other renewables. Otherwise, what is the future for my children? I’ve only got a few years left, but I feel in my conscience that I have to take this stand. I’m happy to say that I’ve been here on four occasions, and each time, the numbers are increasing. This sort of direct action is the way of the future. The people have got to take action because the governments have been completely ignoring them and listening only to the big end of town. So I’ll continue to protest. The next oldest person in this camp is 84 years old. And when I talk to him, he too says he’s concerned about the future for his children. Something is wrong. We’re faced with a catastrophe. I owe it to my grandchildren, and I owe it to all children. I was willing to put my life on the line in the second world war, so putting my body on the line here is a small inconvenience. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/mining', 'business/mining', 'politics/politics', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'environment/environment', 'environment/coal', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/bill-ryan'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2014-04-01T02:48:23Z | true | ENERGY |
media/2008/apr/21/bbc | Steve Hewlett on the launch of Kangaroo | Last week's news that Ashley Highfield, the BBC's director of future media and technology, is to join Kangaroo as chief executive was the latest in a series of upbeat announcements about the project. A joint venture between the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, Kangaroo is designed to be a sort of commercial iPlayer, establishing a presence in the fast-developing internet video-download market and thereby raising revenues by selling programmes to stream or download direct to consumers. Press releases talk of the service launching as early as June with 10,000 hours of content - including the very best of the broadcasters' archives. But look a little closer and this kangaroo still has some pretty formidable fences to jump. For a start the BBC Trust has yet to give its approval to it being launched. It will have to assess Kangaroo against the four criteria that BBC commercial services need to meet, and it is the last of these - the need to "avoid distorting the market" - that raises some fairly serious questions about how it might operate. Take the issues for the holders of the rights to the content that Kangaroo will distribute. If it was all owned by the joint venture partners it would be relatively straightforward, but a significant amount of content is owned by the independent producers who created it. They will need to be reassured that Kangaroo's deals are fully competitive with whatever anyone else might pay. And as the contracted sales agent for many of them, BBC Worldwide will be obliged to strike the best deal possible on their behalf. But Worldwide is a one-third owner of the venture and so measures will need to be put in place to ensure proper arm's-length trading. Already producers are discovering that some of their digital rights being managed by Worldwide are being held back or at least not being pushed as hard as they could be. And the view that this is to help Kangaroo establish as much exclusivity over key content as possible - by restricting how much of it is licensed elsewhere - is definitely gaining ground. Then there are questions about what happens to other players whose businesses are based on having access to BBC, ITV and Channel 4 programming. From where they sit Kangaroo looks for all the world like a cartel, controlling access to some 90% of UK-originated programming and with a direct interest - because it is a competing platform - in putting them out of business. Ensuring that this doesn't happen will require the Trust to do quite a lot more than seek reassurances from Kangaroo bosses. Another potential issue is whether Kangaroo could drastically reduce BBC revenues from DVD sales and cause havoc with other players who currently pay lots of money to license BBC content. And just to add a little spice to the mix Kangaroo is being referred to the Office of Fair Trading. Meanwhile, negotiating an agreement between the shareholders is proving time-consuming. One insider says: "Imagine the most difficult joint venture deal you've ever been involved with, and multiply by three!" And you can see why. As ownership is split three ways but the parties bring different amounts of content (hardly any, in Channel 4's case), arrangements for revenue-sharing are complicated to say the least. Finally, there are branding issues as each partner seeks to maintain its own position in the traditional world of broadcast TV. And here, perhaps, lies the biggest question of all about Kangaroo. Are these players, necessarily so concerned about defending what's left of their "old media" legacy, really capable of leading the way in the new media marketplace? | ['media/media', 'media/digital-media', 'media/bbc', 'media/ashleyhighfield', 'media/kangaroo', 'media/television', 'technology/digitalvideo', 'technology/technology', 'media/online-tv', 'type/article', 'profile/stevehewlett', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mediaguardian', 'theguardian/mediaguardian/mediaguardian1'] | technology/digitalvideo | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2008-04-21T07:15:18Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2015/dec/10/people-told-to-stay-indoors-as-cumbrian-village-floods-for-second-time | People told to stay indoors as Cumbrian village floods for second time | Police have urged people to stay indoors after a Cumbrian village was flooded for the second time within a few days. The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, a local MP, said the government must learn that flooding is likely to become more frequent. Fast-flowing water ran through the village of Glenridding on Wednesday night after yet more heavy rainfall. Rescue services, volunteers and the army rushed to the village to to rescue guests from the historic Glenridding hotel. Evacuees and rescuers had to dodge fridges and other household goods that had been left out after the first flood and were floating away. The village has lost access to the north as Pooley bridge has been destroyed, and Glenridding bridge to the south of the village has been closed for safety checks. It is believed that mudslides up the mountains that make Glenridding a tourist attraction have blocked normal water channels into Ullswater. Andrew Laverick, a shopkeeper, said residents had pulled together to clear the mud, silt and rubble left after the weekend and now faced having to start again. “It’s all back with a vengeance, and it’s time to get the shovels out again,” he said. A spokesperson for Cumbria county council said: “To have two such significant floods one after the other is a real blow. Emergency services did a fantastic job overnight to support the local community. With the bridge having suffered flooding impact twice, it is essential that a full structural [survey] is carried out before a decision can be made whether to reopen.” The Met Office said 47mm of rain had fallen in a 12-hour period in Shap, around 22 miles from Glenridding. Cumbria police said the situation after Storm Desmond was “extremely dangerous”, though they said the water was now starting to recede. “Cumbria police would like to urge the people of Glenridding to stay inside their properties to keep themselves and their families safe,” the force said. Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, described the situation as “absolutely horrendous” and said more must be spent on flood defences. He told Good Morning Britain: “I think the lesson we learn is that this is going to happen more often, and there are things you can do to mitigate, so around our county there were quite a few flood defence schemes that worked very well.” He added: “It does cost more money to build flood defence schemes, they are big-ticket items, but what they save in terms of the financial devastation that we’ll see as a consequence, more importantly the human devastation, it’s worth the investment and that’s what we need to do.” Greg Clark, the secretary of state for communities, said the government’s pledge of £51m for homes and businesses affected by floods showed its commitment to supporting local communities. Families will be able to claim up to £5,000 each, distributed by local councils. “As communities survey the damage caused by these floods and begin the difficult process of recovering, we’re determined to stand squarely behind them and ensure the support needed is available,” he said. Clark said the funding package “ensures help is available to residents and businesses to get families back into their homes and businesses back trading again as quickly as possible”. On Thursday there were large areas of surface water on the road network around Cumbria. Main roads including the A66 close to Greta bridge at Keswick were was covered by water and drivers were warned to take extreme caution. Carlisle will in effect be split in two at least until the weekend. Cumbria county council said the city’s Eden bridge would remain closed pending the outcome of a full structural safety survey. It was the river Eden that brought the flood water down from the Fells during the record rainfall during Storm Desmond. As communities picked up the pieces, Greenpeace claimed that thousands of homes could be built in areas at risk of flooding in a government drive for more housing. Almost half of 20 brownfield sites earmarked for new homes under a flagship “housing zones” scheme announced by the chancellor, George Osborne, are at risk of flooding, according to a Greenpeace investigation. The environmental campaign group used data from freedom of information requests to plot the location of the housing zones and cross-referenced it with flood risk maps from the Environment Agency. It found that nine out of the 20 zones, where 9,000 new homes are planned, are partially or fully exposed to a medium or high probability of flooding from rivers or the sea. According to the investigation, the zones include Hinkley in Bridgwater, Somerset, where 1,000 properties could be constructed in an area inundated by floods last year. In West Yorkshire, 1,200 new homes could be built on the banks of the river Aire near Castleford, which flooded last year. • This article was amended on 11 May 1016. An earlier version said guests were rescued from Glenridding House hotel. That should have said Glenridding hotel was flooded, not Glenridding House. | ['environment/flooding', 'uk/lake-district', 'uk-news/storm-desmond', 'politics/tim-farron', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/environment', 'politics/politics', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'profile/marktran', 'profile/jessica-elgot'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2015-12-10T12:32:16Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2015/jul/27/climate-change-triple-threat-flooding-new-york-los-angeles-boston | Climate change 'triple threat' increases severe flooding risk in biggest US cities | America’s biggest cities are at far greater risk of serious flooding in the coming decades than was previously thought, because of a “triple threat” produced under climate change, researchers said on Monday. A combination of sea-level rise, storm surge and heavy rainfall – all functions of climate change – exposes New York, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, San Diego and Boston to a much greater degree, research published on Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change found. “Call it a triple threat,” said Steven Meyers, a scientist at the University of South Florida and one of the authors. “What this shows is that there is an increasing risk of compound flooding, from storm surge and rainfall at the same time.” About 40% of the US population lives in coastal cities – where flooding in the wake of storms is already proving increasingly costly in built-up areas, swamping subway lines and electricity stations. But the Nature study was among the first to explore the combined risks under climate change of sea-level rise, heavy rainfall and storm surges over broad stretches of the US coast. In the case of New York City, the risks of flooding – because of that combination of factors – has doubled over the past 60 years, the researchers found. A 4ft storm surge, combined with 5in of rainfall, could be heading New York City’s way once every 42 years, compared to about once in a century in the 1940s. The increased risk was due to the combination of storm surge, rainfall and flooding. “They are all somehow interconnected,” said Thomas Wahl, the University of South Florida researcher who led the study. “If sea levels continued to rise, this would certainly have an effect on storm surges, and storm surges have an effect on compound flooding.” What that means is that it would not necessarily take a huge amount of rainfall to put New York or other cities underwater – a storm surge could do that on its own, Wahl said. However, the exact nature of the connections between sea-level rise, storm surge and heavy rainfall were still not fully understood, he said. It was too early to say whether the heightened risks were due entirely to climate change. The researchers drew on weather records and tide gauges to estimate the risks of future flooding. Many of the cities along the east coast were also at high risk of storm surges and heavy rain, while the west coast cities were expected to get off relatively lightly. But the researchers said they were in the early days of establishing which cities were most at risk from the combination of sea-level rise and extreme weather. The United Nations science panel has projected a global sea-level rise of about 4ft – but many scientists believe that is an underestimate because it does not take into account the melting of ice sheets in western Antarctica. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/flooding', 'us-news/us-news', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/environment', 'world/natural-disasters', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/suzannegoldenberg'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2015-07-27T17:22:25Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
technology/2014/jul/09/lg-kizon-wristband-wearable-technology-gps | Honey, I tracked the kids (and grandpa) using LG's KizON wristband | LG has unveiled a new tracking device for children that allows parents to locate them in real time using a smartphone or tablet app. The KizON wristband uses GPS and Wi-Fi to pinpoint the child’s location, continually reporting back to the parent over a 2G or 3G mobile internet connection and allowing parents to call the wristband, which will automatically answer. “Children as well as the elderly are ideal customers for wearable technologies,” said Dr Jong-seok Park, chief executive of LG Electronics mobile. “Wearables allow us to stay connected without the worry of losing a device or the inconvenience of having to carry a large item in a pocket.” The band straps to the the child’s wrist like a large, bulky watch and has one button on the top that instantly calls a pre-set number allowing the child to contact its parents in an emergency. A day's battery life, so yet another thing to charge The KizON has a rated 36 hours battery life, requiring a charge each night, but will automatically alert a parent or guardian when the battery falls below 25%. The locator is made of blue, pink or green plastic, is water and stain resistant and has a range of accessories including animated characters to personalise the band and keep the children interested, despite its large size. LG is not the first company to create this kind of kid-tracking band. British company KMS developed a very similar device for tracking children and the infirm last year, which was on show at the CES electronics trade show in Las Vegas in January. Tracking devices for children have split opinion. Some parents seeing it as a great way of keeping tabs on their kids while giving them more freedom to roam, knowing they will be able to pinpoint their location at any time. Others have seen it as part of a dystopian future, where a child's every move is tracked, judged and tagged like a convicted criminal released back into society. LG’s KizON will be available in South Korea in July with the US and Europe, including the UK, seeing a later third-quarter release for a to-be-announced cost. • LG gets back into the smartwatch game with the Android Wear-packing LG G Watch | ['technology/wearable-technology', 'technology/lg', 'technology/technology', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/smartwatches', 'technology/mobilephones', 'technology/apps', 'technology/software', 'technology/android', 'technology/smartphones', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/samuel-gibbs'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2014-07-09T12:24:20Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2020/feb/11/pacific-lamprey-project-restore-floods | Pacific lamprey project in peril after floods wash away hundreds of fish | A pioneering tribal biodiversity project to restore the sacred Pacific lamprey population has been dealt a major blow after huge floods washed away hundreds of fish before they could be released into the wild. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) have spent two decades reintroducing the lamprey into tributaries of the Columbia River after US government dams and industrial fishing wiped out the endemic species. The Pacific lamprey – a jawless fish that looks like an eel – is considered a “first food” by the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes, which make up the confederation, as it was a key element of their ancestors’ diet. The seven gill ports on each side of the lamprey are tied to the seven drums and seven generations considered sacred to the tribes. Last week, high temperatures and heavy rainfall caused havoc and evacuations across the Pacific north-west as levees burst and rivers flooded. The 500,000-acre Umatilla reservation, located about 220 miles east of Portland, Oregon, was inundated last Thursday after sudden unseasonably hot weather caused large quantities of snow on the Blue Mountains to rapidly melt. The climate crisis is causing increased flooding in many areas as the planet warms and disrupts weather patterns. The water gained force as it ran into the Umatilla River, where about a thousand adult lamprey were enclosed in tanks within a caged acclimatization facility, waiting to be released into the nearby Grande Ronde River. The force of the river overwhelmed the cage, and the tanks were sent floating downstream, according to Aaron Jackson, director of the lamprey project for the Umatilla tribes fisheries’ programme. Several tanks were found with their doors open, which means the fish escaped. The fish were yet to be genetically marked, so the tribe has no way of tracking them. Two other tanks have since been located several miles downstream; 20 stressed but living fish were found in one, 34 in another. The rest were dead. At least 250 fish and two tanks are still unaccounted for. “We’ve lost the entire 2020 allocation for the Grande Ronde River, as even those we found alive were so stressed, we put them into the Umatilla straight away,” said Jackson. “But the fact that any survived … its times like these that the lamprey shows us how strong they are.” The Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes have lived in the area now known as northeastern Oregon and south-eastern Washington for more than 10,000 years, moving around to fish, hunt and gather food from the Columbia River basin and the Blue Mountains. The tribes were forced onto the Umatilla reservation upon signing the 1855 treaty, after which the federal government appropriated increasing swathes of land and waterways for industry and settlers. In the late 1960s and early 70s, a state industrial fishing programme poisoned the Umatilla River and wiped out endemic species including the lamprey, which washed up dead along the bank. In 2000, the restoration project began relocating adult fish from another area to the Umatilla River. By 2005, there were 10 or 15 spawning fish, increasing to 4,800 by 2018. The successful project recently expanded to the Grande Ronde River, but was still in the early stages when the floods struck. Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the loss of the lamprey was a tragic consequence of global heating. “The climate crisis is already leading to dangerous extreme events which are overwhelming infrastructure and impacting on people’s way of life.” Last week’s floods forcibly displaced at least 20 Native American families after water and mud engulfed their homes. Numerous roads and bridges on the reservation are badly damaged and impassable even though the flood waters have begun to subside, Kathryn Brigham, chairwoman of the CTUIR trust board, said. Every single state in the continental US experienced higher than average temperatures in December and January. In the Pacific north-west, Oregon had above average rainfall, while in Washington it was “much above average”. The CTUIR and the state of Oregon have both declared a state of emergency. | ['environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/environment', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'environment/series/our-unequal-earth', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/nina-lakhani', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2020-02-11T15:27:32Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
technology/2014/sep/03/samsung-galaxy-note-edges-screen-is-genuine-innovation | Samsung Galaxy Note Edge's screen is genuine innovation | Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 4 phablet aims to continue its battle with Apple – and smaller smartphones – by adding fingerprint scanning and handwriting recognition. Alongside the Note 4, the company also revealed the Note Edge phablet, a spin-off from the main line with a curved display that goes right up to – and even around – the right-hand edge of the device. The Note 4 is the follow up to the popular Galaxy Note 3 and the latest in the Note series, which Samsung used to pioneer the “phablet” category, expanding the size of the smartphone to a halfway house between a tablet and a phone. “We started the large screen smartphone movement, and we will continue to lead in this area,” said Samsung’s director of marketing, Rory O’Neill. Dell Computer was the first company to offer a 5in Android smartphone with its Streak in 2010, but the category did not see commercial takeoff until Samsung’s first Galaxy Note in September 2011. The Note 4 has a 5.7in quad HD Super AMOLED display, following the LG G3’s lead. The large screen will be optimised for stylus use with Samsung’s latest iteration of its S Pen, focused on improved handwriting recognition for taking notes and entering text without a keyboard. It has similar specifications to the Korean firm’s leading smartphone, the Galaxy S5 with a 16-megapixel camera, but the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor, which is expected to prolong battery life through improved efficiency. Internally, the Note Edge is identical to the Note 4, but the new screen, an evolution of 2012’s prototype Youm phone, is unlike anything else on the market. The screen is 160 pixels wider, extending to the edge of the screen and beyond, with the curved display visible even when the phone is held on its side. “After a couple of years of uninspiring flagship phone launches, Samsung today introduced a product that looks to be a genuine innovation,” said Jason Jenkins, director of content at technology site CNET. “The Galaxy Note Edge’s curvy second screen looks really cool, and could be genuinely useful for people [who] treat their phone more like a serious computer than something for the occasional calls, tweets and emails. It’s a crazy idea but it might just be crazy enough to work.” Phablets made up a third of the 279.4m smartphones that shipped in the first quarter of 2014, according to data from research firm Canalys. Smartphones with screens larger than 5in have historically been popular in Asia, but 30% of US smartphones had screens over 5in, Canalys said, while in Europe they comprised 27% of all smartphones shipped in the first quarter. • LG G3 review: the best phablet to date | ['technology/samsung', 'technology/technology', 'technology/phablets', 'technology/smartphones', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/android', 'technology/mobilephones', 'technology/tablet-computer', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-hern', 'profile/samuel-gibbs'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2014-09-03T15:09:02Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
sport/2023/sep/15/portugal-wales-preview-rugby-world-cup | All change: Portugal await but new-look Wales have fresh expectations | Michael Aylwin | What a difference a win makes. Wales spent last week under siege conditions, fending off questions about their year so far, about their lowly ranking relative to their first opponents Fiji, even about the pre-match nerves of Warren Gatland, in Welsh rugby the most successful maestro of all. One bonus-point win later, they roll out an exciting young team and start talking about World Cup finals. There is no doubting their World Cup pedigree of late: a semi-final, quarter-final and semi-final in the past three editions under Gatland, lost by margins of one, four and three points respectively. “I stated beforehand, don’t write us off,” said Gatland. “This team is capable of doing something special and I still believe that. For us it’s about one game at a time. We have done well in previous World Cups and would like to get to a final of a World Cup.” After the controversial epic against Fiji on Sunday night in Bordeaux, Wales sit alongside Australia on maximum points at the top of Pool C. Fiji must now beat Australia in what will be another intense encounter this Sunday, but Wales can afford to turn over most of the team for their no-doubt-gentler assignment with Portugal in Nice. That said, Portugal are the highest-ranked “fifth” team in any of the pools, 16th in the world, one place above Uruguay. After Thursday night’s match in Lille, mighty France can tell you how good Uruguay are. Gatland has made 13 changes, bringing in the other of his co-captains, Dewi Lake, for only his third start for Wales, his 10th cap overall. Lake, the 24-year-old hooker, was named as co-captain with Jac Morgan, who captained the side against Fiji. Lake was rested as a precaution for that game but now leads a team that look young and exciting. Dan Lydiate, Taulupe Faletau and Leigh Halfpenny might be considered stalwarts of Wales’s outgoing generation, but the rest of the side bristles with young talent, guided by a half-back pairing of Goldilocks-zone experience – Tomos Williams, who wins his 50th cap, and Gareth Anscombe. A couple of pairings will be of particular interest. In the centre, Johnny Williams and Mason Grady pose a physical challenge for the Portuguese, each man a punchy 17 stone or so, but perhaps the future for Wales will be best served by the partnership in the engine room. Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza are barely out of their teens, but Jenkins has already been touted as the next Alun Wyn Jones, while Tshiunza defies comparisons: a galloping, leaping athlete who could probably play a number of other positions – and not just in the back row, where he has also turned out for Wales. This will be his first start as a lock. Both young men play their rugby at Exeter, both attend the local university. “It is still a bit weird,” said Tshiunza. “We are roommates as well, and sometimes we just lie in bed and look over at each other and say: ‘What are we doing here? To be 20-years-old, what have we done to deserve this?’” Portugal roll out most of the side that earned qualification for this tournament with a 16-16 draw against USA in November last year. As if to prove that was no fluke, they beat them again 46-20 in the Algarve in August. This is their first match of this World Cup, having appeared at only one other, in 2007. They are coached by Patrice Lagisquet, the imperious France winger of yore, once known as the Bayonne Express. Eleven of the starting team play their rugby professionally in France, although only one in the Top 14 – the hooker Mike Tadjer of Perpignan. The right-wing Vincent Pinto is one of four players to have played for France Under-20s. He won the world championship with them in 2019. “Portugal are kind of a similar version of Fiji,” said Gatland. “They like to move the ball around.” If nothing else, Wales’s encounter with them should be easy on the eye. | ['sport/wales-rugby-union-team', 'sport/rugby-world-cup-2023', 'sport/portugal-rugby-union-team', 'sport/rugby-world-cup', 'sport/rugby-union', 'sport/sport', 'campaign/email/the-breakdown', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/michaelaylwin', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/wales-rugby-union-team | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2023-09-15T11:14:09Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
music/2014/apr/30/bez-launches-parliament-bid-eccles-happy-mondays | Step one: Bez promises 'true revolution' as he launches bid for parliament | Granita in Islington, the Gay Hussar in Soho: to the list of venues indelibly linked to the mucky business of politics we can now add Wangies of Eccles – the pub in Salford where former Happy Mondays dancer Bez chose to officially launch his political career on Tuesday night. The stage was set with a banner proclaiming Bez's campaign slogan: "Shake your maracas if you're against the frackers". There was also a picture of the 50-year-old wearing a beekeeping suit; one of him in an anorak nestled among some foliage; and another of him at an anti-fracking protest. Ready to welcome him were a rum crowd, including Karl Power, a Mancunian prankster most famous for muscling his way into a Man Utd team photo. It soon emerged that Bez, who has spent the past few years living a near subsistence existence in a commune in Herefordshire, is not standing as an independent in the Martin Bell tradition – he never did have the makings of a solo artist. Instead he is part of a brand new political grouping, the Reality party, formed a few weeks ago by a disaffected Liberal Democrat from Blackpool. Until very recently, Jon Bamborough was data officer for the Blackpool and Cleveley Lib Dems, and served both as a councillor and an election agent. The end of his love affair with the party coincided with him talking to an old friend, Happy Mondays backing singer Rowetta, who told him that Bez had been threatening to run for office. Apparently he'd made an off-the-cuff remark in the Manchester Evening News about wanting to replace Hazel Blears as the MP for Salford and Eccles – she's standing down in 2015 – and the idea received such approval that he decided to actually run. Within days Bamborough had registered the party name with the Electoral Commission and rallied others to stand on the ticket. He claims 130 people had come forward as "serious" parliamentary candidates for next year's general election. But the first Reality party politician to face the ballot will be Jackie Anderson, who is standing in next month's local elections in the Salford ward of Irlam on an anti-fracking ticket. For months this winter, Irlam was home to the Barton Moss protection camp, which was making life difficult for energy firm iGas as it carried out exploratory drilling in a field by the M62. But just as Ukip would be nothing without Nigel Farage, the Reality party is really all about Bez – real name Mark Berry – who on Tuesday was looking healthier than he ever did in the 1990s in a salmon coloured woolly jumper, hippy pendant and jeans. He took to the stage brandishing a pair of maracas and bellowed his new catchphrase to cheers from the well-lubricated crowd before heralding "a true revolution". He then gave what was billed as a speech, a freewheeling rant in which he advocated free energy, water and public transport for all, promised to look after the nation's grandparents, pledged to outlaw GM crops, punish the bankers and floated various other idealistic policies that a lone MP in Westminster would have precisely no chance of implementing. It was dark in the pub, but he didn't appear to blink once: his clear blue eyes bulging like a deranged Fraggle and his absence of bottom teeth causing an unfortunate spray of saliva to project into the audience when he got particularly excited. Asked afterwards for his opinion on HS2, the high-speed rail link between north and south, he admitted he didn't have one. As for his views on UK immigration – should the door remain open? – he denounced any objectors to immigration as being part of a shadowy plot run by "the capitalist corporations" and "the bankers". And what of his recent conviction for domestic violence? In 2010, he was found guilty of throttling his then girlfriend and the mother of his young son and served a brief spell in prison. Another "conspiracy", apparently. Few potential voters in Wangies seemed bothered. "Everyone's had a life," said Steve Rice, an engineer from Birkenhead, referring to the widely published photograph of George Osborne in his 20s with a prostitute and white powder, which he has always denied was cocaine. "Should we suffer the rest of our lives because of something we've done? People should forgive." | ['music/bez', 'music/music', 'uk/salford', 'uk/greater-manchester', 'uk/uk', 'politics/houseofcommons', 'politics/politics', 'politics/hazelblears', 'music/happy-mondays', 'tone/news', 'environment/fracking', 'type/article', 'profile/helenpidd'] | environment/fracking | ENERGY | 2014-04-30T16:17:48Z | true | ENERGY |
us-news/2024/jan/25/louisiana-cancer-alley-low-birth-weight | Babies born in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ weigh less at birth, more likely to be preterm – report | Newborns living in the worst-polluted areas of Louisiana, including an 85-mile industrial corridor known as “Cancer Alley”, experience low birth weights at more than three times the national average, according to data cited in a report released Thursday. The rate of preterm births there is also twice the national average, researchers found. In parts of Louisiana near fossil fuel and petrochemical plants, low birth weight rates reached 27% and preterm birth rates 25%, according to research from Tulane University that was published in a Human Rights Watch report on Thursday. The full paper linking pollution and reproductive health is currently under peer review for publication in the journal Environmental Research: Health. “The level of human health crisis is identifiable and preventable,” said Antonia Juhasz, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch and the report’s lead author. Juhasz interviewed dozens of residents of Louisiana’s petrochemical region known as Cancer Alley, a string of predominantly Black communities between Baton Rouge and New Orleans that is home to more than 200 petrochemical plants. The region has one of the highest pollution-related cancer rates in the country. Residents interviewed for the report described a host of ailments, including breast, prostate and liver cancers, in addition to several accounts of reproductive problems including preterm births, miscarriage and stillbirths. The region’s high cancer rates are well-documented, but experts said the new information on birth outcomes was alarming. “When you cluster all the pollution together, you can see the most extreme [health] consequences,” said Kimberly Terrell, the director of community engagement at Tulane’s environmental law clinic and one of the forthcoming report’s authors. “Cancer Alley is a place where those consequences can’t be ignored.” Low birth weight and preterm birth can carry several long-term health problems, including respiratory illnesses like asthma, as well as behavioral and cognitive issues. Shamell Lavigne was born and raised in St James parish, midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. She struggled with infertility, and after she did finally get pregnant in 2014, she had a miscarriage. “When I found out that there was a connection between reproductive health and pollution throughout Cancer Alley, I knew it was important to share what happened to me and [talk about] the impact the industry is having on Black women,” Lavigne said. Nationally, Black Americans are more likely to live in areas with high levels of air pollution and, overall, experience worse pregnancy and birth outcomes, including miscarriage, preterm birth and low birthweights. Lavigne now has a nine-year-old daughter, who passes by an ExxonMobil plant every day on the drive to school. “In St James she’s surrounded by chemical plants, and even at school she’s in proximity to them,” Lavigne said. “It’s almost like you can’t escape it.” The neighboring St John the Baptist parish has a cancer risk nearly seven times the national average. The report comes as local and federal officials weigh the future of fossil fuel and petrochemical industries in the region. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the Biden administration was pausing approval of Calcasieu Pass 2, a proposed massive gas terminal that residents and experts said would contribute to the region’s public health issues. The news comes days after a Louisiana court upheld an approval for air permits for Formosa Plastics, which would bring forth the largest petrochemical complexes of its kind in the US. That decision was a major blow for environmentalists and rights groups, who advocate for the removal of existing fossil fuel plants and a moratorium on new ones. Such moves could bring quick relief to local residents, experts say. In the Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, California, researchers found that the rate of preterm births fell by as much as 25% in the year following the 2006 closure of a coal plant. “That is a really strong argument for removing coal power plants from close proximity to residents,” said Nathaniel DeNicola, an OB-GYN specialist who co-authored a 2020 report linking exposure to air pollution and preterm births. “This suggests that you can, to some degree, protect communities by being far away from the concentrated toxic source.” • This article was amended on 25 and 27 January 2024. It was Antonia Juhasz, and not her colleagues, who conducted interviews with Cancer Alley residents. And the headline was amended because an earlier version implied that preterm births in Cancer Alley were lower than normal, not higher. | ['us-news/series/americas-dirty-divide', 'us-news/louisiana', 'society/childrens-health', 'environment/pollution', 'society/health', 'us-news/us-news', 'campaign/email/us-morning-newsletter', 'environment/environment', 'lifeandstyle/pregnancy', 'world/race', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/aliya-uteuova', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-01-25T18:18:10Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/green-living-blog/2010/jul/02/glastonbury-litter-reusable-cups-recycled-tents | Is the litter-free music festival just around the corner? | One of the wonders of Glastonbury is that 175,000 people can live sardined together in a Somerset field and still get along. But the large concentration of people means large amounts of rubbish left around the site, making 2010 festival-goers' detritus the obvious downside to what some called the best ever Glastonbury. This week, 900 litter-pickers embarked on a two-week clean up exercise. The festival's organisers, who have been encouraging Glastonbury-goers for years to take care of their rubbish with their "love the farm, leave no trace" campaign, say punters have been a bit tidier this year. "We don't feel like we've been dumped on by the public," said a tired Glastonbury spokesperson. But litter is still a problem at the site. Last year, reports from Worthy Farm estimated 54 tonnes of cans and plastic bottles, 9.12 tonnes of glass and 11.2 tonnes of discarded tents were left behind in addition to 193 tonnes of "compostable material", including food and paper cups and plates. The increase in public awareness in the past few years has made controlling waste a selling point – for some festivals at least. Encouraging market research shows that half of festival-goers would pay more for greener events, while the vast majority say noise, waste and traffic have a negative impact on the festival experience. There may even be hope around the corner for a litter-free Glastonbury as a number of festivals in the UK are starting to prove the merits of the cup deposit concept, which is already commonplace in bars and events in Germany. Latitude festival switched in 2007 to reusable plastic cups, with a £2 deposit refundable on return. This year the cup deposit system is being trialled at Reading and Leeds festival. The cup's distributor, the Incredible cup company, says it charges nothing to the festival organiser as it makes its money from people taking cups home as souvenirs. The cups can be reused up to 100 times and at the end of their lives the company recycles them into household piping. A deposit system for cutlery and plates is also in the pipeline. The next big challenge is banning bottled water and selling reusable water bottles on site, says Claire O'Neill, co-founder of A Greener Festival: "It's tricky because water can be a good income stream." But one festival, Bonnaroo in Texas, has looked past the profits by selling reusable bottles and making it compulsory for bars at the festival to refill the water bottles for free. Dealing with discarded tents is more of a headache. Glastonbury bins the tents that are left on site, claiming that the uses for £10 Millets tents are limited and that it would be "a joke" to give poor-quality tents to refugee charities. Other festivals, like Bestival, collect tents at the end of the festival to give to charities and departing festival-goers. One potential solution comes from The Green Tent Company who claims to make recyclable tents that can be pre-ordered and collected at the festival. But the tents, which start at around £12, received some negative feedback from Download festival-goers earlier in June, who complained of leaking roofs and snapping poles. Helen Heathfield from green entertainment experts Julie's Bicycle says that people leaving their tents behind is a recent phenomenon that arrived when cheap tents started to cost as little as £10: "Our throwaway culture needs to be challenged." | ['environment/green-living-blog', 'environment/environment', 'environment/recycling', 'tone/news', 'music/glastonbury', 'culture/festivals', 'culture/culture', 'music/music', 'type/article', 'profile/zara-maung'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2010-07-02T15:52:44Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
uk/2010/mar/17/gyrocopter-hunt-death-manslaughter-cleared | Gyrocopter pilot cleared of manslaughter over hunt member's death | The animal rights activist Bryan Griffiths was today cleared of the manslaughter of Warwickshire hunt member Trevor Morse, who was killed when he was struck by the blade of a gyrocopter. The two-week trial at Birmingham crown court heard Morse's head was cleaved "from top to bottom" by the blade of Griffiths's gyrocopter as he tried to stop it from taking off at Long Marston airfield on 9 March last year. Griffiths, of Bedworth, north Warwickshire, had been monitoring the hunt from the air and had stopped at the airfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon, to refuel. The 55-year-old had denied Morse's manslaughter by gross negligence and was found not guilty today by jurors after deliberations of seven and a half hours. Morse, 48, had refused to move out of the way as Griffiths went towards him, and the rear propeller of the aircraft, moving at a speed approaching 200mph, struck him, killing him instantly, the court heard. The incident was caught on camera by the man who had brought fuel to the airfield, Peter Bunce, and jurors have watched the footage a number of times during the trial. Griffiths showed no reaction as the verdict was delivered today but there were gasps and some applause from supporters in the public gallery. | ['uk/hunting', 'world/animal-welfare', 'environment/activism', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'type/article'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2010-03-17T16:30:31Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
sport/2023/sep/23/fired-up-wales-aim-to-heap-more-humiliation-on-wounded-wallabies | Fired-up Wales aim to heap more humiliation on wounded Australia | If you want to get a handle on how important Sunday’s clash between Wales and Australia in Lyon actually is, then the view of double World Cup winner Tim Horan puts it in clear perspective. While Eddie Jones will be hoping his Wallabies team can summon the “Digger Spirit” to save their campaign, Horan believes it is “the biggest match for Australia since the game went pro”. That’s quite some statement given the game first went “open” in 1995 and Horan won his second World Cup title in Cardiff in 1999. The Wallabies were in the 2003 final on home soil in Sydney. But while those two matches were bids for the ultimate prize, the 80 minutes in Lyon will be all about saving face. Australia will host the next World Cup in 2027 and the thought of limping into that tournament after failing to reach the knockout stage for the first time in France is haunting many Wallabies fans. The reality is that if Jones’s side falls for the second weekend in a row in Pool C, they will be more or less out of the running for a top-two finish. If the 22-15 loss to Fiji, their first to them in 69 years, put them on the ropes, then a Wales victory could be a knockout blow for both the team and their coach. Jones signed a five-year deal worth an estimated A$4.5m (£2.4m) in January but admits he could be out of a job if the Wallabies do not make it to the quarter-final stage. Two sackings in the space of 10 months after his England departure in December would be a chastening experience even for someone with an ego of Jones’s size. When he took over from Dave Rennie at the start of the year, he was supposed to guide the Wallabies through this tournament, on to the British & Irish Lions tour in 2025 and then into a shot at winning the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil in 2027. Fat chance if his side become the first Australian team to lose two pool matches at a World Cup and they fail to make the last eight. For Warren Gatland and Wales, there is a chance to hammer a further nail or two into the Australian coffin by repeating their heroics of four years ago in Japan when they won 29-25 to top their pool with a 100% record. One of the heroes of that day in Tokyo was the backrower Aaron Wainwright. “I’m very excited to be playing the Wallabies again. To get the win against them at the last World Cup was a massive boost for us and helped us to progress in the competition,” says Wainwright, who will form an important back row with skipper Jac Morgan and Taulupe Faletau. “We want to do the same again in Lyon. We know they are going to be hurting after the defeat to Fiji, but we want to go at them at the set piece because we feel we can get some gains there.” With their opponents being without the gigantic presence of skipper Will Skelton and tighthead prop Taniela Tupou, Wales feel they can do well at scrum time. Gatland has even brought in the former England tighthead Henry Thomas on to the replacements bench to add more scrummaging power for later in the game. Taine Basham has taken over from the injured Tommy Reffell among the replacements and Gareth Anscombe’s experience has won him a place ahead of Sam Costelow. Otherwise, the team is the same as the one that withstood the Fijian onslaught. “We felt the team against Fiji did exactly what we had prepared them to do for the first 65 minutes. I don’t think we got the credit we deserved from that win,” says Gatland. “That game had the highest ball-in-play time of the tournament, and we controlled the game for long periods. We’ve got to build on that. Our accuracy was good against Fiji, but it wasn’t where we wanted it against Portugal. We know we are a hard team to beat, and we need to take our chances against Australia and put them under as much pressure as possible.” The other factor that will be key is discipline. Wales conceded 17 penalties, picked up a yellow card and had to make a tournament record 253 tackles to get home 32-26 against Fiji. Significantly, they picked up 11 turnovers to Fiji’s four. Australia gave away 18 penalties and suffered 11 turnovers by the Fijians to a mere four of their own when they met last weekend. Both teams will need to change some bad habits to succeed. | ['sport/rugby-world-cup-2023', 'sport/wales-rugby-union-team', 'sport/australia-rugby-union-team', 'sport/rugby-world-cup', 'sport/rugby-union', 'sport/sport', 'sport/australia-sport', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/sport', 'theobserver/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/wales-rugby-union-team | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2023-09-23T12:05:14Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
technology/2016/jan/05/fitbit-blaze-fitness-tracker-apple-watch-ces | Fitbit Blaze: the fitness tracker with some of Apple Watch's perks | Still trying to decide if you want a smartwatch or a Fitbit? Now you might not have to make the distinction. Fitbit announced the Fitbit Blaze at CES, a smartwatch that builds on the capabilities traditionally found in your average Fitbit, while adding a color display, customizable watch faces and even a handful of different bands to choose from – the device slots into a range of straps. At first glance, the Blaze looks a bit like an Apple Watch. The device has a hexagonal face and an LCD touchscreen that displays the time and other details about your movement for the day. Where the device stands out, however, is in how it plans to help you workout. New with Blaze is its integration with FitStar, a company Fitbit acquired last year. With the integration, the smartwatch is capable of offering guided workouts. It also offers traditional smartwatch features such as notifications for calls, texts and calendar items, although you won’t be able to run other apps. As you might expect, Blaze also tracks some of the same things previous Fitbit devices were capable of: steps, sleep and calories burned. On the tracking side of the things, the smartwatch is capable of monitoring exercises like elliptical workouts, running and tennis. Unlike some other smartwatches that do the same, the Blaze will track those activities, and your heart rate, automatically, with no need to start or stop a workout in order to get credit for completing it. Your heart rate is tracked every five seconds throughout your day, and then every second while you’re working out, a combination that should yield accurate results without draining the battery. Speaking of the battery, Fitbit promises five days of battery life on a single change. If it delivers, that will put it ahead of the competition when it comes to smartwatches; however, it is on par with some of the other activity trackers out there. The Blaze starts at $199.95, and is available for pre-order today from Fitbit’s online store with the first devices set to ship in March. Additional watch bands will be sold separately, and will be priced between $30 for an elastic band and $130 for one made of stainless steel. Unlike other smartwatches out there, when you want to change watch bands you’ll actually pop that face out of the current one rather than remove the bands. Taking a page from Apple, with its “try-on appointments” for the Apple Watch, Best Buy locations will have the Blaze available to try out starting 20 February . The device will ultimately be available there as well as other retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Brookstone. Markets were less impressed with Fitbit’s offering. Shares fell 11.7% on the announcement, to under $27. The response indicates concern that the device is underpriced; it costs $150 less than the cheapest Apple Watch, but has a similar feature set to the Fitbit Surge, which costs $50 more. | ['technology/wearable-technology', 'lifeandstyle/fitness', 'technology/ces', 'technology/ces-2016', 'technology/technology', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/apple-watch', 'technology/apple', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/emily-price'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2016-01-05T17:09:12Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
culture/2017/jul/05/bone-vounteers-invited-rebuild-whale-skeleton-london-museum | Bone to pick: volunteers invited to rebuild 157-year-old whale skeleton | The public is invited to help reassemble a giant jigsaw in a London museum, 157 years after two Somerset fishermen went out to catch a “great fish” and brought back a northern bottlenosed whale more than eight metres (26ft) long. Their catch was a local sensation: the carcass went on a west country tour then the skeleton was displayed for years hanging from the ceiling of the museum in Weston-super-Mare. It was dismantled in 1948 and transferred to the Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in London. As there has never been space to reassemble it, the bones have been scattered across cupboards, drawers and racks in several storerooms at two sites, with only the skull on display. The museum manager, Jack Ashby, said though the whale was the largest specimen in its collection, because all the bones have never been laid out, the weekend will be the first chance to check if it is the complete skeleton. Any gaps would not be surprising in a collection that includes a rare but unfortunately three-legged quagga – now restored and standing on a 3D-printed replica fourth leg – and half a dodo rediscovered in a drawer labelled as a crocodile. All the whale bones will be brought together for cleaning this weekend and the public is invited to drop in to help: there is 157 years of grime to remove as well as the bones to sort and lay out. “The vast majority of most museums’ specimens are not on public display,” Ashby said. “The Whale Weekender will allow people to get very hands-on with one of those specimens – and we are really excited about it.” The whale, whose scientific name is Hyperoodon ampullatus, is rarely spotted as it dives for fish and squid in the deepest seas. However, one made headlines in 2006 when it swam up the river Thames into the heart of London. Despite attempts to get it safely back out to sea, the animal died. It is now in the Natural History Museum’s collection. The Grant’s whale will probably have to go back into the storeroom – but this time cleaned, checked and safe for another century. In a museum packed with specimens from floor to ceiling, there was still no room to display the animal’s full splendour, Ashby said. The Whale Weekender, free at the Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy in London, takes place from 12-4pm on 8 and 9 July | ['culture/museums', 'environment/whales', 'science/archaeology', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/environment', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'culture/culture', 'education/museums', 'education/education', 'science/science', 'uk/london', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/maevkennedy', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/cetaceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-07-05T06:00:06Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2022/mar/09/country-diary-the-wild-sounds-of-a-storm-among-the-trees | Country diary: The wild sounds of a storm among the trees | In the quiet of a wooded gully, I imagine I can hear the sounds of loud yesterdays. Two trees, not felled but fallen, must have created a steeplechase barrier across the track here, for their upper trunks have been cut into three-metre lengths. In the scatter of sawdust, I imagine the roar and the whine of a chainsaw – the ecstasy in the change of pitch as its blade cut through still-living tissue and through the heart of each trunk. It was the sound that I heard all around in those days after the big blow. Here too was the thump of long logs, and the “shush” of a needle-bearing crown, as the warden dragged branches to the right of the path and cast pieces of timber away to the left. The debris lies none too tidily on either side now, for he had already many emergencies behind him and three downed sycamores waiting round the bend. On the afternoon of Storm Eunice itself, the spruce tree which was only metres from our bedroom window thrashed, hissed, flexed, but still held firm. In this gully, just a mile up the road, dozens of spruces must have been whipped up to make a far greater racket, battered this way and that, clashing branches like antlers. Above and below the cacophony came the crack of a conifer shearing off at chest height. The split tree toppled over the heaved-up root plate of a companion conifer of similar age that had dropped hours or minutes earlier. The growth rings from the shattered tree’s trunk tell me that it was just 27 years old. The pale-yellow split weeps the scent of sweet resin. That tree was far enough down the slope of a north-facing rise to be sheltered from the brunt of the gale, with only the crown of its crown shaken by the wind. What weakness caused it to break at the knees? The day before Eunice, we all knew that it was coming. I walked here in a place where nothing moved. It was a soundless prelude, the unreality of utter calm before the storm. • Country Diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary | ['environment/forests', 'environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'uk/weather', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/derek-niemann', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-03-09T05:30:24Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2016/aug/16/greener-alternatives-to-hinkley-point-c | Greener alternatives to Hinkley Point C | Letters | Simon Jenkins writes that “To question China’s good intentions in financing the power station [at Hinkley Point] is silly. It is a French-built plant, and the idea that Beijing might contrive to embed and then activate some doomsday bug is absurd” (Trade with China is a good thing. But Hinkley Point is a dud, 11 August). Not that absurd. The China General Nuclear Group (CGN), which is involved in financing Hinkley Point, expects to build a new nuclear station with its own reactor at Bradwell in return for its involvement at Hinkley. This was agreed by David Cameron and Xi Jinping last October. The reactor it hopes to build is its small modular reactor Hualong One. CGN has just been indicted by the US authorities for exporting nuclear technology to China without authorisation (Nuclear espionage charge for China firm with one-third stake in UK’s Hinkley Point, theguardian.com, 11 August). The indictment specifically relates to Hualong One and the “verification and validation of nuclear reactor codes”. Computer bugs in nuclear power stations are not science fiction. Israel and the US planted the Stuxnet bug in the nuclear reactor at Bushehr in Iran in 2010. Hualong One would not be allowed in the US. Neither France nor Germany would allow China to build it in their countries. Is the UK really so desperate for Chinese funds to build Hinkley Point that it will allow China a major stake in the provision of electricity in the UK in return? Norman Dombey Professor emeritus of theoretical physics, University of Sussex, and former specialist advisor to the Commons select committee on energy • Simon Jenkins decries the potential deal with China over the Hinkley Point proposed nuclear power station. He argues that project is “reckless and absurdly expensive”, and so it is. But there are other reasons for stopping this project, which many in China will appreciate. China is arguably the world leader in renewable energy, both in manufacturing for the world and in using itself. The intrinsic variability of most renewables (especially wind and solar) is no longer a misfit with the variability of human demand. Ever advancing telecommunications and electronic control systems allow the demand to be adjusted to fit the supply on a scale from household to national. Witness the sophisticated systems widely available for matching electrical loads and energy stores to solar power. Householders already use these; electrical grid operators are trialling methods for widespread integration of solar and wind power with load demand control, energy storage and price adjustment. The last thing such advances need is an untried gigawatt source of constant electricity generation that cannot be matched to demand, that is expensive, and whose waste is harmful and untreatable. There are many in China and France who share these views; ceasing Hinkley will be welcomed by them too. Dr John Twidell Horninghold, Leicestershire • I agree with Simon Jenkins that Hinkley is a dud, for many reasons that have been discussed in his article and elsewhere. However, I am saddened that he appears to dismiss wind, and implicitly all renewable energy sources, as not providing baseload electricity. At the same time that Hinkley has been generally given the red carpet, the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon and further similar projects have potential to produce 8% of our baseload electricity. The tidal lagoon project would last about three times as long as any nuclear power station – about 90 years. The cost of the Swansea lagoon is estimated to be £1bn. So to achieve the full 8% of baseload electricity (more than Hinkley), perhaps about £5bn would be needed to complete four or five similar projects in the UK – less than a third of the Hinkley costs. There is also no nuclear waste to manage for thousands of years. Tidal power flows into the lagoon for six hours, out for six hours and does this twice a day, giving reliable electricity for 24 hours a day. Swansea Bay tidal lagoon is the best alternative to Hinkley, so why is it not getting immediate government support and approval? Why is it not even being discussed? Steve Emsley Newcastle upon Tyne • To make a sound judgment on energy sources British citizens should be given the relevant facts. One such fact is the disaster of Fukushima which has been ongoing for more than five years. Still out of control, the multiple meltdowns are pouring radioactive particles into the atmosphere and radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. The crown estate is right (Crown estate says future is in wind not Hinkley, 15 August). No lethal pollution emanates from windfarms. Jim McCluskey London • Perhaps Foreign Secretary Johnson might have a word with the Chinese authorities and explain, with his inimitable gift for communication, that the UK has now taken back its sovereignty and can no longer be pushed around (Theresa May seeks close ties with China despite Hinkley Point delay, 10 August). David Walker Sheffield • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'uk-news/hinkley-point-c', 'environment/wave-tidal-hydropower', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/energy', 'uk/uk', 'uk/wales', 'world/china', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/world', 'uk/swansea', 'environment/environment', 'tone/letters', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2016-08-16T17:45:20Z | true | ENERGY |
lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2012/aug/31/sea-holly-sand-dunes | Sea holly: king of the dunes | What has happened to Britain's sand dunes? My childhood recollections are of wild and windy places; of a fine spindrift of sandy particles streaming from the dune ridges; of marram grass etching precise circles in dry sand with the tips of their leaves; of wavering films of sand flowing across rippled sands. Fast forward 50 years, and today's sand dunes look more like the Teletubbies' set once the cameras have stopped rolling. The golden sand has been replaced by a thick thatch of matted grass, burgeoning stands of bracken and scrub, and increasing groves of willow and birch. And as bare sand has become something of a rarity, so many beautiful sand dune species have declined to near-oblivion today. Many of our rarer plants and animals have spent millennia evolving to cope with shifting sands. Like carrot seedlings in an allotment, they need bare ground into which to seed, and simply can't compete with choking blankets of coarse vegetation. Just such a plant is the sea holly (Eryngium maritimum), an architectural beauty of the sandy beaches and sand dunes around our shores. The plant's central cone of flowers is reminiscent of members of the daisy family, such as echinacea or rudbeckia, but sea holly is a relative of the carrot. The ruff of petals is actually a ring of spiny bracts that encircle and protect the flowers like the plates of a Stegosaurus or the frills of a Triceratops. The whole plant is a metallic blue-green, seemingly verdigrised like a bronze garden statue in miniature. Sea holly is supremely adapted to growing in mobile sand. Its deep-seated rootstock penetrates the substrate to a depth of 1m or more, and the plant takes a masochistic delight in being buried by an avalanche of sand. It positively thrives under such treatment, making it a somewhat difficult plant to please in gardens: if you want to recreate the seaside look in your flowerbeds, stick to easier relatives, such as Eryngium bourgatii, E. giganteum, E. x oliverianum and E. x zabelii. These plants are perfectly happy under normal garden conditions - although they perhaps thrive and look at their best in poorer soils - so you don't have to buy a bit of the beach at Dungeness (like the late Derek Jarman), or indeed need to live near the coast, to create the look. And there are plenty of easy-to-find and easy-to-grow alternatives for sea holly's supporting cast of duneland associates. To create the wispy look of marram grass, you might try the intensely blue-leaved Magellan wheatgrass (Elymus magellanicus) from the mountains of South America. Instead of our rare and beautiful native stock, the great sea stock (Matthiola sinuata), plump for the perennial white variety, Matthiola incana, with glistening white flowers over cabbage rosettes of grey-green leaves, and boasting one of the most intoxicating scents of any plant I know. Add in any of the horned poppies (Glaucium species), plus the handsome (and edible) sea kale (Crambe maritima) and you will be well on the way to recreating a small corner of Bognor or Braunton in your home patch. So what has gone wrong with our sand dunes? Nobody really knows the full story, but a number of factors are thought to be to blame. For starters, we don't use our sand dunes as heavily as we did in the past: today, dunes are rarely grazed, and we don't tend to "borrow" sand from small pits, nor use their humps and hollows as military bombing ranges. Additionally, the climate might have changed: summers may be getting wetter (particularly if this year is anything to go by), which encourages vigorous growth of coarser plants; and there is increasing evidence that 21st-century rainfall fertilises the ground by bringing airborne industrial and agricultural pollutants back down to earth. Fortunately, as a species of the exposed foredunes (those next to the beach), sea holly is not faring as badly as some: indeed many other dune plants are faring badly. Take the fen orchid, an elusive green orchid of the South Welsh dunes: known to be locally abundant just a few decades ago, the species has declined from hundreds of thousands of plants at 10 sites to just a few hundred plants at one location today. But an exciting and innovative new conservation project may just reverse the fortunes of the fen orchid and other rare and beautiful duneland plants such as marsh helleborine, round-leaved wintergreen, and the elegant sea holly. Down on the dunes at Kenfig Burrows, near Port Talbot, a consortium of Bridgend Borough County Council, Countryside Council for Wales, and Plantlife, have brought the diggers in, with the aim of turning the clock back and exposing bare sand. Earlier this year, 78 tonnes of machinery trundled over the site, removing every scrap of vegetation from 10 acres of the sand dunes – with the aim of gently restarting the processes of natural erosion – as well as carefully baring smaller patches close to surviving fen orchid plants. The sea holly is back with a vengeance across the ten acre patch, whilst the first tiny seedlings of fen orchid have appeared in shallow scrapes prepared a few years earlier. Yet elsewhere in Britain, site managers and locals seem unwilling to experiment in a similar manner. In our risk-averse culture, we seem unwilling to allow a little wilderness into our lowland lives: we have looked on as our dunes have been tamed, and our duneland wildlife has disappeared before our eyes, yet we have done little or nothing about it. If we want more than just holiday memories of rare plants and golden sand, we need to act now. Andy Byfield is one of the founders of the wild plant charity Plantlife. Forest pergola competition Congratulations to Gillian Massey of Warrington who was the winner in our competition for a pergola arch from Forest. | ['lifeandstyle/gardening-blog', 'lifeandstyle/gardens', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'tone/blog', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/plants', 'environment/coastlines', 'lifeandstyle/series/wildflowers-in-the-garden', 'type/article', 'profile/andy-byfield'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2012-08-31T08:21:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2010/may/23/endangeredspecies-conservation | Meerkats, chimps and pandas: the cute and the furry attract scientists' attention and conservation funding | When it comes to a beauty contest, the African manatee, a bloated sea cow that grazes the coastal waters off west Africa, will never win any prizes. But should an unprepossessing mugshot condemn a species to extinction? According to a new study, rampant bias exists among researchers towards "cuter and more interesting" animals. The meerkat has clocked up more than 100 published studies since 1994. The manatee has been the subject of just 14, and academic neglect may be a vital factor in its currently parlous position. "Scientists are people too," says Morgan Trimble, a conservation scientist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, who carried out the study. "And many of them want to work with the big and furry stuff." For years, conservationists have wrestled with the problem that high-profile species draw the most attention, and therefore the most money. It is no accident that conservation group WWF is known by its distinctive panda logo. Supporters of this approach argue that "charismatic mega-fauna" attract much-needed funds for other species too. Sally Wren of the Zoological Society of London argues: "Charismatic species can be used as flagships to help protect areas and reduce threats, the effect of which often also benefits the less compelling species in the same region." Critics, including the founders of a website called Endangered Ugly Things, point out that some less glamorous creatures fall through the conservation net as a result. "There has been a long-standing debate about the conservation of charismatic species such as gorillas and elephants over others. We wanted to see if this was a deeper problem and if it applied to scientific research and funding," says Trimble. "The bottom line is that there is not enough money to go around and what we choose to learn about could influence what we conserve." With her University of Pretoria colleague Rudi van Aarde, Trimble surveyed scientific papers published from 1994 to 2008, looking for mentions of almost 2,000 species found across southern Africa. They combined this information with a global list produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which classifies each animal according to its endangered status. Writing in the latest issue of the journal Conservation Biology, the scientists say their study shows that: "In the eyes of science, all species are not created equal." They add: "A few species commanded a great proportion of scientific attention, whereas for many species, information that might inform conservation is virtually non-existent." Threatened large mammals dominated the studies, appearing in 500 times as many published papers as threatened amphibians. Threatened reptiles, birds and small mammals also received much less attention. The most studied animals were chimpanzees, with 1,855 mentions, and leopards, with 1,241 mentions. Even within the relatively well-studied group of threatened large animals, more than two-thirds of scientific effort went on less than a third of species. For threatened reptiles, some 98% of research studied less than a quarter of species. The scientists, who call such disparities "disconcerting", say: "It is unlikely that these figures represent the relative importance of these animal groups from the perspective of ecosystem conservation... it is time for a proper evaluation of scientific investments." Trimble said research on animals was skewed for more reasons than the appeal of charismatic species. Meerkats live in complex social groups and chimps are our closest relative. Commercial factors can also play a role. Some of the most studied small mammals draw attention because they are pets, while the three most studied amphibians are also kept as pets. Scientists may also be interested in animals that occur near to them, which may explain why the new study showed that lower-risk species of amphibians and small mammals received more attention than threatened species. The study suggests skewed research has led conservationists to overlook the extinction of ignored species. Wren says this may be exaggerated. "But it has had a large impact on our response to diversity loss. The less well-known species, which might have been easy conservation wins, have often been neglected as efforts are directed elsewhere." Colin Butfield, head of campaigns at WWF-UK, said: "There is no point in saving one species when we are losing whole habitats. We would like to see more research looking at the health of entire ecosystems to determine the underlying cause of species' extinction." | ['environment/endangeredspecies', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/wildlife', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'environment/environment', 'environment/biodiversity', 'world/giant-pandas', 'type/article', 'profile/davidadam', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/uknews'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2010-05-22T23:04:12Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
politics/2023/sep/21/rishi-sunak-seven-bins-green-pledge-social-media | ‘Seven bins? Not on my watch mate’: Sunak’s green pledges spark ridicule on social media | Rishi Sunak’s pledge to scrap a series of green measures has prompted ridicule from critics who say they were never a reality – and on social media have taken on a life of their own. “You boy, which of the seven bins is it this week?” read the caption above an image of Scrooge – from the 1951 adaptation of A Christmas Carol – in a tweet lampooning the prime minister’s claim he had spared people from being forced to recycle in as many different bins. The pledge inspired the lion’s share of mickey-taking, including a mocked-up picture featuring a scene from a fictitious film, “Snow White and the Seven Bins (1937)”, with its eponymous heroine flying over a snowy, bin-strewn hillside. Another post used an image from an encounter Sunak had with a homeless person while briefing manning a soup kitchen. “Yes I scrapped the meat tax. Seven bins? Not on my watch mate. Compulsory Badger racing also cancelled,” read the caption. The broadcaster and author James O’Brien, meanwhile, shared his relief on Thursday, telling followers: “Thank goodness I don’t have to put all seven of them out any more.” Wednesday’s announcement at Downing Street was likened to Soviet-era rewriting of history, such as when secret police official Nikolai Yezhov was airbrushed out of a photo showing Stalin at the Moscow canal. Standing in front of Stalin in a new imaging of the photo were … those seven bins; it was followed by another version of this image in which the bins had been made to conveniently disappear. Elsewhere, the thought of what the Conservative leader may promise next occupied users’ imaginations. “Next up on @RishiSunak’s list: – Santa made to have a pilots licence – Monsters under your bed deported to Rwanda – Unicorns limited in horn length – Tooth fairy income will be taxed – Number limits on invisible friends kids can have,” suggested a user of X, formerly known as Twitter. The @Parody_PM account, which boasts more followers than many MPs, promised to unveil further moves on Thursday to scrap imaginary proposals, pledging: “Today I will be announcing the cancellation of the requirement for people to work in a chain gang for five years.” | ['politics/rishi-sunak', 'media/social-media', 'technology/internet', 'politics/politics', 'environment/environment', 'environment/green-politics', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/benquinn', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2023-09-21T16:36:28Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
uk-news/2018/jun/28/saddleworth-moor-fire-could-take-weeks-to-put-out | Second moorland fire breaks out near Manchester | Another wildfire broke out in the hills above Greater Manchester on Thursday as 100 soldiers were drafted in to fight the flames that have been raging on land near Saddleworth moor since Sunday. Greater Manchester fire and rescue (GMFRS) said it was under “a great deal of pressure” as a second moorland fire took hold in Rivington, in the west Pennines north of Bolton. Sixty fire fighters and 12 fire engines from Greater Manchester and neighbouring Lancashire have been tackling the blaze on Winter Hill since 4pm on Thursday. It began just as fire chiefs said the “apocalyptic” fire in the Saddleworth area was contained and under control but could take weeks to put out – particularly if the wind changes direction. A further eight fire engines spent much of the day trying to put out a fire involving wooden pallets at a commercial premises in Rochdale. Another five were called to a balcony blaze in a block in Manchester’s rapidly developing Green Quarter, north of Victoria station. The new fires, combined with the continuing effort to stamp out the Saddleworth fire, prompted a warning from fire bosses. Paul Etches, head of prevention for GMFRS, urged people to be careful with barbecues and to only call 999 in a true emergency. “The moorland incidents in Tameside are unprecedented and they have required a significant amount of our resources over the past few days,” he said. “We hugely appreciate the support from other services and agencies but this incident has put us under a great deal of pressure.” At the blaze near Saddleworth, Scottish soldiers from the 100-strong A Company of the 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, known as the Highlanders, deployed from their base in North Yorkshire to help fire crews who have been working rolling 12-hour shifts to try to extinguish the fire. The fire has reached seven square miles across (18km sq), with the active “fire front” stretching up to 2.5 miles (4km), according to Tony Hunter, the assistant chief fire officer. Helicopters have been dropping water while firefighters and soldiers used paddles to beat out the flames in 27C (80F) heat. Hunter said he was cautiously optimistic. “We have made significant improvements, but I would put an air of caution there though; we had a similar occasion yesterday where we thought we were on top of it and it flared up,” he told reporters at the operating base at Swineshaw reservoir. Maj Phil Morgan, commanding the army detachment, said: “Currently we have broken our boys down into various locations, and we are beating the fire with paddles and we are supporting them by moving equipment. We are putting water on the fires and we are doing everything we can to stop this fire.” An RAF Chinook helicopter has been made available to help move a heavy water pump, which is capable of spraying 7,000 litres of water a minute over the moors. The 34 households evacuated on Tuesday night in Carrbrook, Stalybridge, have returned home, but they and everyone else in Greater Manchester have been advised to keep windows and doors closed as the smoke has spread. That advice is likely to continue well into next week, with Hunter warning that the weather forecast did not bode well. “We have not seen any indication of any rain coming in the next couple of days/weeks, so we can see this being prolonged for days if not weeks. It is dependent on a downpour of rain – and it would have to be a significant downpour of rain because it is so dry it would be absorbed very, very quickly,” he said. There could be a dramatic change should the wind switch direction and push the fire back towards the arid, peat bogs, which provide perfect fuel for a long-burning fire. “If there is a change in wind to the opposite direction, it is a completely different picture then in terms of the fuel available to this fire,” he said. Dave Saxon, the director of operations at Tameside council, said it was monitoring air quality, which had improved on Thursday. Fire chiefs said they were not confident of finding out how the fire began, given the size of the blaze, but there was no evidence it had been started by barbecues or off-road bikers. Hunter asked members of the public to keep country lanes free from cars so the emergency services could access them easily. He said the fire service had considered trying to close the moors but had decided against it. “We believe we have the fire contained and we have the resources to deal with an increase in fire, so at this stage that’s not a requirement,” he said. A GP from the area said residents living near Saddleworth Moor have reported problems including nosebleeds, eye irritation and chest problems. Dr Richard Bircher, of Lockside Medical Centre in Stalybridge, said about half the emergency appointments booked on Thursday were from patients reporting problems as a result of the smoke. | ['uk/greater-manchester', 'uk/uk', 'world/wildfires', 'uk-news/north-of-england', 'uk/weather', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/helenpidd', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2018-06-28T15:52:39Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
money/2008/apr/19/householdbills.consumeraffairs1 | Join the pioneering poundsavers | Over the past year, fewer than 300 houses in Britain have installed solar power cells, against 130,000 in Germany. And you can't blame our weather - Finland and Denmark generate far more electricity from the sun than the UK. Critics blame a lack of government support and low start-up grants. But, with electricity prices soaring, the maths are moving in favour of solar daily. Here's a step-by-step guide to becoming a solar pioneer. 1 Save energy Before spending thousands installing solar panels, cut electricity usage. The Energy Saving Trust recommends turning thermostats down - each 1C less cuts heating bills up to 10%, or £40 a year. Water cylinder thermostats should be no higher than 60C (140F). Close curtains at night. Leave nothing on "standby". Use the washing machine's "economy" programme. Boil only the water you need. Fix leaking taps. Install energy-saving lightbulbs. Only buy A++ rated electrical appliances and do a free home energy check at energysavingtrust.org.uk, which can save you up to £250. 2 A suitable roof You can use photovoltaic (PV) systems for a roof that faces within 90 degrees of south. So as long as it's facing south-east or south-west you're OK. The system's output obviously decreases if the roof is in shadow part of the day. 3 Find a grant The government website lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk details grants worth up to £2,500 per property towards installing a certified product. Strict terms and conditions have put off many householders and little of the money allocated has been spent. The government is promising to remove red tape and has upped the budget, but critics say that's because the pot wasn't spent in the first place and argue grants should cover 50% of the cost. There's a postcode search facility to locate grants and offers at energysavingtrust.org.uk. 4 Planning permission Homeowners can install microgeneration equipment without planning permission, if there is no impact on others. If you live in a listed building or conservation area, you must tell your local authority first. 5 Choose the panels Higher-efficiency panels cost more, tiles cost more than conventional panels. Search the web for suppliers and installers and get several quotes. According to Energy Saving Trust, the average solar panel system costs about £5,000 per kilowatt-peak (kWp), with most systems between 1.5 and 3 kWp. 6 Appoint an installer You must use a certified installer and products to get a grant. Certification is provided by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme run by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. There is a search facility with extensive contact lists for certified products and installers at energysavingtrust.org.uk. 7 Fix a date PV panels should take a day or two to install, but factor in delays such as waiting on approval for your government grant. 8 Choose a utility provider Finding the supplier with the best deal for microelectricity producers is laborious. Every big utility has a microgeneration department but, as Patricia Carswell found, not all are up to speed. There's no comparison website. 9 Turn the system on Solar power from PV panels will come in DC form so an inverter, supplied by your installer, will convert it to AC. Inside your home, transformers convert it back to DC for electrical appliances, such as laptops. 10 Maintenance Annual work is not required. PV systems carry long-term guarantees and should last 30 years. | ['money/household-bills', 'money/consumer-affairs', 'money/homeimprovements', 'money/money', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energyefficiency', 'environment/greenbuilding', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'profile/patrickcollinson', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/money', 'theguardian/money/money'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2008-04-18T23:08:37Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2008/jun/19/climatechange.biofuels | New study to force ministers to review climate change plan | Britain and Europe will be forced to fundamentally rethink a central part of their environment strategy after a government report found that the rush to develop biofuels has played a "significant" role in the dramatic rise in global food prices, which has left 100 million more people without enough to eat. The Gallagher report, due to be published next week, will trigger a review of British and EU targets for the use of plant-derived fuels in place of petrol and diesel, the Guardian has learned. The study marks a dramatic reversal in the role of biofuels in the fight against global warming. As recently as last year, corn ethanol and biodiesel derived from vegetable oil were widely seen as important weapons in that fight - and a central plank of Gordon Brown's green strategy. Now even their environmental benefits are in question. A panel of government experts, chaired by Professor Ed Gallagher, head of the Renewable Fuels Agency, has said that far more research is needed into the indirect impact of biofuels on land use and food production before the government sets targets for their use in transport. The first such target is already in place. Since April, all petrol and diesel in Britain has had to contain 2.5% of biofuels, a stepping stone towards a 2010 target of 5%. The EU is contemplating a 10% target by 2020. The new report means all those goals will have to be reconsidered. A government official familiar with the Gallagher review said: "Simply setting a target without stipulating what kind of biofuel is to be used in what circumstances can have all sorts of unintended consequences." Another official said: "The review has thrown up the likelihood of significant impacts. UK and EU targets will have to be addressed." The report says there is a place for biofuels, both as an alternative to fossil fuels and as a source of income for poor farmers with marginal lands. But it says a distinction must be drawn between "first-generation" biofuels, which use food crops such as corn, rapeseed, palm and soya, and experimental "second-generation" fuels based on fibrous non-food plants which could theoretically be grown without displacing other crops and raising food prices. Criteria to guide fuel policy would consequently have to be drawn up. It was unclear yesterday whether Britain had left it too late to influence EU biofuel targets, after the government failed to raise objections in a succession of votes in European environment and industry committees. British officials believe the issue can still be revisited in Brussels. The transport secretary, Ruth Kelly, ordered the review in February, at the height of the food price crisis, but the panel only began work in March and was asked to deliver its conclusions three months later. "There was so little time, I expected it would just be a review of the literature, but it has gone much further than I expected. It has substantive things to say," said a government official involved in drafting the report. The role of biofuels, which pits concerns over climate change against the need for food security for vulnerable populations, was the most controversial issue at a summit on the food crisis earlier this month in Rome. The US and Brazil, both large-scale biofuel producers, argued fiercely against any hint of criticism of their cultivation in the conference's final statement, which called only for "in-depth studies". An American claim that biofuels contributed less than 3% to food price rises was widely derided. The IMF estimates their impact as 20-30%, and other estimates are even higher. Over a third of US corn is used to produce ethanol, while about half of EU vegetable oils go towards the production of biodiesel. After the Rome summit, a British government team involved in the Gallagher review visited the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to consult specialists who had drawn up UN recommendations on biofuel use. They emerged saying their views were "identical". The FAO recommendations advised against a moratorium on biofuel use or the continuation of "business as usual" under existing policies, calling instead for a set of international standards to ensure plant-derived ethanol and biodiesel did not harm the food supply. Keith Wiebe, a senior agricultural economist at the FAO, said: "There is a push towards the development of these liquid biofuels that is in advance of our understanding of their impact. We need to know more about those impacts, before pushing too hard." The UN's World Food Programme has called the food crisis a "silent tsunami" which is pushing more than 100 million people worldwide into hunger. · This article was amended on Monday June 23 2008. We should have said that the EU is contemplating a target of 10% for the proportion of biofuels to be contained in diesel and petrol by 2020, rather than 2010. This has been corrected. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/biofuels', 'environment/food', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'environment/green-politics', 'environment/environment', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'profile/julianborger', 'profile/johnvidal', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2008-06-18T23:01:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
uk-news/2013/sep/08/teesside-flood-defences-overwhelmed-in-downpours | £2.5m Teesside flood defences 'overwhelmed' during downpours | Multimillion-pound flood protection schemes on Teesside were "overwhelmed" during torrential downpours on Friday evening, leaving 60 homes inundated. Cleveland fire brigade received nearly 240 calls for help during the flooding, which washed away two cars. Their drivers escaped. Cathy Kelly, owner of the Spa hotel in Saltburn, said she had never known weather like it. "A couple of cars look like they have come off the road and were completely covered by the water," she said. "There were lots of ambulances and helicopters going over. It was awful. I have never seen anything like it at all." Dave Cox, of Redcar RNLI, cited reports that two vehicles had been swept into floodwater after a bridge had collapsed or been swamped: "There was no sign of the occupants of the vehicles at that time and there was concern that they may have been swept out to sea," he said. "Our crew assembled, but as they were preparing to launch the lifeboat, police and fire brigade officers at the scene were able to confirm that everyone was accounted for. "It would have been a very different rescue operation, so we are very pleased that everyone has been found safe and well." Hartlepool, Billingham and the A19 were also badly affected by flooding. Alistair Baker, a spokesman for Northumbrian Water, said the ferocity of some storms was "well in excess of the design capabilities" of their defence schemes, completed last year at a cost of about £2.5m. The water company began work on the scheme, which was meant to deal with extremely heavy rainfall, in May 2011. The project involved building two underground storage tanks with capacities of 3m and 750,000 litres which could store overflow rainwater. These appeared to have failed. Baker denied that the company had been complacent: "I can say that in that area, had it not been for work that was completed, even more homes would have been flooded. "We are not complacent – we are doing all we can – but there is only so much you can do, and that work has to be prioritised so that money is spent appropriately and invested in the best way to benefit the most people in as many areas as possible." | ['uk/weather', 'uk/uk', 'environment/flooding', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/shiv-malik', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2013-09-08T17:47:03Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
business/2008/oct/08/ftse.carbonfootprints | Nearly half of FTSE-250 companies keep their carbon footprints hidden | The number of leading British companies willing to disclose their carbon footprint to City investors has fallen this year, research reveals today. Only 58% of companies in the FTSE-250 index responded to the latest survey by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Those who refused to take part include Thomas Cook and the InterContinental Hotels Group. The figures have angered environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth, which said they undermined efforts to make reporting mandatory. Those firms that did reveal their numbers to the CDP include Shell, which admitted that the total amount of carbon produced by extracting and then burning its oil and gas reached 743m tonnes last year - considerably higher than the total for the whole of the UK. Drax, the coal-fired power station company, was among those that did give details to the project but only on condition they were not publicly revealed. Some of those that refused to cooperate claimed that global warming was not "relevant" to their operations or said they did not have the resources to provide information, said Paul Simpson, chief operating officer of the CDP, which acts on behalf of 385 institutional investors with $57tn (£33tn) of funds under management. "It is very concerning but it's a matter of whether you look at the glass half empty or the glass half full," he said. "There is enormous progress from where we were five years ago." The well-to-wheels figures released by Shell, BP and others were worrying, he admitted. "The emissions from product use given by companies such as Shell, BP and Rio Tinto are high but we should really be applauding these companies for leading the way by providing full Scope 3 disclosures [including product use and disposal as well as production]. This is not a company problem; it is a society problem because we use these products and we can only deal with it if we have some true figures to deal with." Shell's 743m tonnes compares with 587m for Britain as a whole and is likely to grow as the company develops its tar sand schemes in Canada. Rio Tinto reported 660m and BP 521m tonnes. Tim Jenkins, chief economist at Friends of the Earth, said the poor level of response to the CDP survey showed that companies could not be relied on to give vital information voluntarily. "This undermines the government's strategy of weakening the Lords amendment and its efforts to introduce carbon budgeting." Kevin Smith, climate and finance campaigner at the environmental group Platform, said firms such as Shell were also undermining the efforts of thousands of people in Britain who were doing all they could to avert a climate crisis. He believed the government should intervene. "We should be looking to regulate those institutions whose profitability is tied to increasing the amount of fossil fuels they extract," he said. "This structure of shareholder return makes them unable to make meaningful emissions cuts." Neither Thomas Cook nor InterContinental Hotels were available for comment. | ['business/ftse', 'environment/carbonfootprints', 'business/royaldutchshell', 'business/thomascookgroup', 'business/intercontinentalhotelsgroup', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'business/business', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/terrymacalister', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/carbonfootprints | EMISSIONS | 2008-10-07T23:01:00Z | true | EMISSIONS |
world/2023/oct/04/javari-valley-amazon-murders-dom-phillips-bruno-pereira-fishermen-trial | Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira’s alleged murderers to face jury trial | A federal judge in Brazil has ruled that the alleged murderers of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira will face trial by jury. Three fishermen stand accused of murdering the British journalist and the Brazilian Indigenous expert, who were ambushed near the entrance of the Javari valley in the western Amazon in June 2022. Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, nicknamed Pelado; his brother Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, or Dos Santos; and Jefferson da Silva Lima, known as Pelado da Dinha, will face a murder trial by jury, the judge, Wendelson Pereira Pessoa, has ruled. A date has not yet been set for the trial. The three men were charged in July 2022. Prosecutors argue that Pereira was targeted for helping Indigenous activists defend their lands from illegal fishing and mining gangs. The prosecutors have said that Phillips, a longtime foreign correspondent and Guardian contributor, was killed “only because of being with Bruno, in order to ensure impunity for the prior crime”. Pessoa cited this as an aggravating factor in his ruling on Monday, according to the newspaper Folha de S Paulo. He determined that the suspects – who are being held in high-security prisons – should remain behind bars until the trial, deeming that they represented a flight risk and a threat to public safety. “The crime had international repercussions. To release the accused when the proceedings have proven indications that two homicides were committed, followed by the concealment of the bodies, would cause a popular uproar,” the judge reportedly said. The defendants’ lawyers said on Tuesday they would appeal against the decision, local media reported. Several other suspects are under investigation for their alleged involvement. In June, federal police charged Ruben Dario da Silva Villar with being the mastermind behind the murders. Silva Villar is accused of leading a transnational illegal fishing network operating on the tri-border region between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. | ['world/dom-phillips-and-bruno-pereira', 'world/world', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'world/brazil', 'environment/deforestation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/constance-malleret', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-foreign'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-10-04T01:34:47Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2014/feb/04/prince-charles-flooded-somerset-levels | Prince Charles shocked by 'tragedy' of flood failures on Somerset visit | The Prince of Wales has been drawn into the deepening controversy over the response of the government and the Environment Agency to the ongoing flooding crisis when he said it was a "tragedy" that "nothing happened for so long". Prince Charles was caught making the remarks during a tour of the flood-stricken Somerset Levels, where many people are angry at what they see as a slow reaction to their problems and remain frustrated that the prime minister and the chairman of the Environment Agency, Lord Smith, have yet to visit. Those who spoke to him said he had not been expressing opinions about what many say needs to be done – such as dredging the rivers – but rather listening to what people wanted to tell him. During the visit, it was announced that the Prince's Countryside Fund, which Charles founded, would donate £50,000 from its emergency fund to help farmers and rural communities in Somerset. The Duke of Westminster is also donating £50,000. But during a reception at a village hall an ITV television camera crew picked him up saying: "There's nothing like a jolly good disaster to get people to start doing something". The tragedy is that nothing happened for so long." Asked about the Prince's remarks, David Cameron's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has repeatedly said that the situation that a number of communities in the Somerset area find themselves in is unacceptable. "That's why the government is working so closely with the Environment Agency, the local authority and other agencies to do as much as we can to help those communities. I think the local communities will very much have welcomed the Prince of Wales's visit to their area." Among those there to see the prince arrive at the village hall of Stoke St Gregory was Alfred Van Pelt, who lives in the village and is a member of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group (Flag). "I'm pleased that he's here but I do think David Cameron and Lord Smith ought to have come to see for themselves what is going on here," said Pelt. Pelt said Flag supported dredging the rivers on the levels to help get floodwater clear of the moors more quickly. However, it is promoting a range of other measures including giving more control to local people, who know the area best. Pelt also said that Flag supported local people paying a local tax or levy for improvements. Originally from the Netherlands, Pelt said: "What I have learnt from Holland is that you shouldn't have to worry about water. Tim Slattery, from the hamlet of Curlode, shook hands with the prince and told him he ought to update his book A Vision of Britain to take into account the impact of global warming. Slattery said the prince had taken the comment in the constructive spirit in which it was meant. Slattery said the Environment Agency had built defences that had protected his home from flooding recently. "But that means the water that would have come our way has gone somewhere else," he said. Maureen Pittard, landlady of the Rose and Crown Inn (known locally as Eli's, after her grandfather), said that while she had not been flooded, her business had been affected. "My pub is close to Muchelney and so we haven't had much passing trade from there," she said. "Some have made it to the pub in boats but it has been quiet." Her friend Val Parry was glowing after the prince praised her hat. "I've always liked him," she said. "He's my favourite royal. I think he's compassionate: he takes an interest in people, the environment and the countryside." Ironically, the visit had been arranged before the wettest January on record took its toll. The prince had been booked in to find out how the area had recovered since the floods of 2012, which were hailed at the time as a "once-in-100-years" event. More than 128,000 acres have been flooded and approximately 200 houses cut off. Around 20 homes remain under water. In total, around 350 people are affected. | ['environment/flooding', 'environment/environment-agency', 'uk/prince-charles', 'politics/davidcameron', 'world/world', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/environment', 'uk/monarchy', 'uk/uk', 'politics/politics', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/stevenmorris', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-02-04T19:12:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2014/nov/05/time-for-nuclear-deal-with-iran-now | The time for a nuclear deal with Iran is now | @ guardianletters | We urge the the EU3+3 countries (the UK, Germany and France and the US, China and Russia) and Iran to reach agreement on a comprehensive nuclear deal by the 24 November deadline. Postponing the final tough decisions ahead is likely to provide more opportunities for those opposing the diplomatic track to spoil this process. This is especially so when creative technical solutions have been formulated and a deal is within reach – a deal that will peacefully and effectively address proliferation concerns of the EU3+3 over Iran’s nuclear programme, while respecting Iranian legitimate aspirations and sovereignty. The interim nuclear deal signed in November 2013 provided the most robust assurances for the EU3+3 to date by placing rigorous monitoring over Iran’s nuclear programme while capping and rolling back its enriched uranium output. To reach this stage of negotiations, Europeans have invested extensive resources by carrying the economic costs of an unprecedented sanctions regime against Iran as well as the regional consequences of pursuing isolation of Tehran. Europe must seize this moment to encourage the negotiating parties to address the outstanding areas through reasonable compromises while steering clear of issues that are not essential to a good deal. Europeans should also work with the US administration in reassuring sceptical regional allies of the long-term strategic benefits entailed in a final nuclear deal. The cost of failed negotiations should also be borne in mind. For the EU3+3, failure would likely result in an unrestrained and weakly monitored Iranian nuclear programme that is off-limits to surveillance. A failure to reach a final deal followed by escalated sanctions, tensions and Iranian isolation could result in greater incentives for Iran to seek nuclear weapons, more active undermining of western interests and an increasingly hair-trigger military standoff. On the Iranian side, the costs of failure, both in economic and security terms, are incalculable. For some opponents of a deal on both sides such an outcome may be desirable, for responsible leaderships it should not. By reaching a final agreement, the EU3+3 can set a truly historic precedent that safeguards global security by containing Iran’s ability to actively pursue a weaponised nuclear programme. A final nuclear deal will also enhance confidence and create the political space needed for Europeans to re-engage Iran on the type of meaningful – and currently much-needed – human rights dialogue that existed in the past. Crucially a deal should also reshape the west’s engagement with Iran by opening new options for pursuing overlapping regional interests – at a time when Europeans are again militarily engaged on Iran’s doorstep and when at least partial interests-based cooperation appears possible and necessary without ignoring the many instances in which Iranian and western positions continue to diverge. Iran and the EU3+3 are closer than ever before to settling the nuclear file. The goals of non-proliferation, global and regional security, de-escalation of burning conflicts in the Middle East and the demonstrative effect of successful multilateral diplomacy in these troubled times will all significantly benefit if a good deal is achieved. All sides have the option to walk away from a nuclear deal but they will do so knowing that the alternatives are far worse when it comes to advancing their respective strategic interests and that there may never again be an opportunity as good as this one to seal a final nuclear deal. Javier Solana Former EU high representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and secretary-general of the Council of the EU; former secretary general of Nato, Ana Palacio Former foreign minister, Spain and former vice-president and general counsel of the World Bank Group, Carl Bildt Former foreign minister, Sweden, Emma Bonino Former foreign minister, Italy, Jean-Marie Guéhenno President and CEO of International Crisis Group, former deputy joint special envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States on Syria, Norbert Röttgen Chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Bundestag and former federal minister for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, Robert Cooper Former UK diplomat and former counsellor of the European External Action Service | ['world/iran', 'world/middleeast', 'world/world', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'world/nuclear-weapons', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'world/europe-news', 'world/china', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/russia', 'us-news/us-news', 'us-news/us-foreign-policy', 'us-news/us-national-security', 'uk/uk', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'tone/letters', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2014-11-05T18:41:20Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2024/dec/31/country-diary-a-hogmanay-fire-to-see-in-the-new-year | Country diary: A Hogmanay fire to see in the new year | Tom Allan | It’s a few hundred metres from where the crab apple tree fell to where we’ll burn it. Not a great distance, but the branches are heavy and awkward. I drag them behind me, head down like a shire horse, and the sharp twigs leave little furrows in the muddy grass behind me. For more than two decades, it has been an annual ritual to have a Hogmanay fire on my parents’ smallholding in the Borders. First as students, then dependant-free 20-year-olds, and now parents entering middle age, my brother and I have stood in the same squashy field beneath the same silhouetted stand of alder trees. We take stock of the year with cold backs and flame-seared faces, as our wellies sink into the ooze, and our conversation is interrupted by interjections from the local tawny owl population. What we burn is different each year. The branches, brash and assorted hedge clippings are their own record of the year, an off-fall that we purge to make way for the following season. (Most of the garden waste is either composted, shredded into mulch, or used to build dead hedges.) We often cook on the fire. One year we attempted to pit-roast two haunches of venison for a party of 18 people. As we laid the meat on a bed of coals entombed in cold mud, it seemed impossible – ludicrous – that it would cook. So we added some extra time. But cook it did, all too well – when we peeled back the tinfoil 20 hours later, we revealed several kilos of ash. This year we’re cooking lamb on the coals above ground, where we can keep an eye on it, and we’re mostly burning crab apple (Malus sylvestris). The biggest storm of January 2024 brought down half a tree that had grown in a lopsided fashion, and became snared by a heavy tangle of clematis. Chain-sawing up the fallen limb was my second encounter with the spiky, jagging properties of crab apple. As a nine-year-old I crashed into a nearby tree on a sledge, an accident that left a pale, sickle-shaped scar beneath my left nostril. Now it’s almost time to burn it. I run my finger along the old wound, an action that is both automatic and reassuring, before hauling the last limb to where the bonfire will be. • Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at guardianbookshop.com and get a 15% discount | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/allan-tom', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-12-31T05:30:01Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
society/2021/dec/10/help-us-support-those-on-the-frontline-of-the-climate-emergency | Help us support those on the frontline of the climate emergency | “I remember thinking: if we make it out alive, how and where are we going to start all over again?” said Vanessa Nieuwenhuizen, who dragged her children to safety through rapidly rising flood waters in Samoa. Others in the Guardian’s interviews with people with personal experience of the climate emergency also talked vividly of the bewilderment and grief caused by wildfires, flooding and drought, of livelihoods lost and lives turned upside down. “Every tree, every bush, every flower was burned and the whole ecosystem was wiped out,” recalled Antonis Vakos, a beekeeper from the island of Evia in Greece. For some the impact of extreme weather was sudden and catastrophic. For others it meant slow environmental degradation: entire ways of life gradually disappearing amid climate volatility, rising seas, and melting snow and ice. As Daharu Isah, a Nigerian farmer, expressed it: “The weather keeps playing tricks on me.” In a year in which the real, human and ecological impact of global heating has been brought home to ever more of us – and when the choices facing a world teetering on the edge of irreparable climate disaster were starkly framed at the Cop26 conference in Glasgow – it seemed timely and right that we put the environment at the heart of the 2021 Guardian and Observer charity appeal. The thread running through our appeal is climate injustice. The stark truth is that the world’s developing countries have seen the vast majority of the death and destruction caused by climate-induced disasters, and yet they are responsible for a tiny fraction of global emissions. The richest countries pollute most but it is in the poorest where climate change is most harshly felt, through extreme poverty, food and water insecurity and the displacement of millions of people from their homes. Tackling such monumental injustice is an existential issue for the entire world, and a pressing moral obligation for the wealthiest countries. Set beside the vast and bold systemic and behavioural changes we urgently require, a charity appeal might seem relatively insignificant. As ever, however, we see the appeal as a statement of intent, a sign of our commitment to a fairer society; a show of solidarity with the victims of climate injustice; and an ovation for those who fight that injustice. This year we are supporting four fantastic charities, which in their different ways show how we can start to make a difference: Practical Action delivers locally run and sustainable plans to help communities adapt to climate change, from flood early warning systems to the introduction of climate-smart regenerative agricultural practices. The Environmental Justice Foundation puts human rights at the centre of its work securing protection for climate refugees – people displaced from their homes by extreme weather – and highlighting injustices such as illegal fishing and deforestation. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is best known for its gardens in west London. Your donations will help fund its work protecting biodiversity and restoring denuded land on the island of Madagascar, which the World Food Programme reported is suffering from a famine linked to climate change. Global Greengrants Fund UK will work with international partners such as CLIMA Fund to regrant its share of your donations to grassroots projects at the sharp end of climate change in the global south. Since 2015, Guardian and Observer readers have raised just under £10m through our annual appeals. We’ve supported refugees, funded youth homelessness projects, and helped charities fighting Windrush immigration injustices. Last year we raised an incredible £1.4m for charities working with disadvantaged young people in the UK. In the coming weeks our journalism will highlight the inspiring work of our 2021 charity partners. We hope we can in turn inspire you to give generously. Donations can be made online by credit card, debit card or PayPal, or by phone on 0151 284 1126. We are unable to accept cheques. | ['society/series/guardian-and-observer-charity-appeal-2021', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/extreme-weather', 'environment/environment', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/drought', 'world/refugees', 'environment/water', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/katharineviner', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/special-supplement', 'theguardian/special-supplement/special-supplement', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-12-10T12:31:37Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2024/nov/14/trump-clean-energy-climate-policies | Trump promise to repeal Biden climate policies could cost US billions, report finds | The United States’s blossoming emergence as a clean energy superpower could be stopped in its tracks by Donald Trump, further empowering Chinese leadership and forfeiting tens of billions of dollars of investment to other countries, according to a new report. Trump’s promise to repeal major climate policies passed during Joe Biden’s presidency threatens to push $80bn of investment to other countries and cost the US up to $50bn in lost exports, the analysis found, surrendering ground to China and other emerging powers in the race to build electric cars, batteries, solar and wind energy for the world. “The US will still install a bunch of solar panels and wind turbines, but getting rid of those policies would harm the US’s bid for leadership in this new world,” said Bentley Allan, an environmental and political policy expert at Johns Hopkins University, who co-authored the new study. “The energy transition is inevitable and the future prosperity of countries hinges on being part of the clean energy supply chain,” he said. “If we exit the competition, it will be very difficult to re-enter. “This was our chance to enter the race for clean technologies while everyone else, not just China but South Korea and Nigeria and countries in Europe, do the same.” Under Biden, the US legislated the Chips Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, all aimed in varying degrees to deal with the climate crisis while also bolstering American manufacturing. The IRA alone, with its major incentives for clean energy, is credited with helping create around 300,000 new jobs, with the vast majority of $150bn in new manufacturing investment flowing to Republican-held districts. Trump, however, has called this spending wasteful and vowed to erase it. “I will immediately terminate the green new scam,” the president-elect said shortly before his election win. “That will be such an honor. The greatest scam in the history of any country.” Doing this may be politically fraught, even with Republican control of Congress, due to the glut of new jobs and factories in conservative-leaning areas. But should Trump’s plan prevail then planned US manufacturing projects would be canceled, according to the new report, leaving American firms reliant upon overseas suppliers for components. “Without these investments and tax credits, US industry will be hobbled just as it is getting going, ceding the ground to others,” the report states. Exports would also be hit, the analysis predicts, allowing US competitors to seize market share. “These plans suggest a complete misunderstanding of how the global economy works,” said Allan. “If we don’t have a manufacturing base, we aren’t going to get ahead.” Trump has talked of forging “American energy dominance” that is based entirely upon fossil fuels, with more oil and gas drilling coupled with a pledge to scrap offshore wind projects and an end to the “lunacy” of electric cars subsidies. The president-elect is expected to lead a wide-ranging dismantling of environmental and climate rules once he returns to the White House. These priorities, coming as peak global oil production is forecast and pressure mounts to avert climate breakdown, could further cement China’s leadership in clean energy production. “China already feels puzzled and skeptical of the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Li Shuo, a climate specialist at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “Throw in Trump and you deepen Chinese skepticism. This is political boom and bust. When it comes to selling clean energy to third country markets, China isn’t sweating at all.” But even Trump’s agenda is not expected to completely stall clean energy’s momentum. Renewables are now economically attractive and are set to still grow, albeit more bumpily. Solar, which has plummeted by 90% in cost over the past decade, was added to the American grid at three times the rate of gas capacity last year, for example. “We will see a big effort to boost the supply of fossil fuels from the US but most drilling is at full blast anyway,” said Ely Sandler, a climate finance expert at Harvard University’s Belfer Center. “That’s quite different from demand, which is how power is generated and usually comes down to the cheapest source of energy which is increasingly renewables. If Donald Trump eases permitting regulations, it could even lead to more clean energy coming online.” At the UN Cop29 talks in Azerbaijan, which started on Monday, countries are again having to grapple with a bewildering swing in the US’s commitment to confront the climate crisis. The outgoing Biden administration, which is trying to talk up ongoing American action at the talks, hopes its climate policies have enough juice to outlast a Trumpian assault. “What we will see is whether we’ve achieved escape velocity or not and how quickly the booster packs are about to fall off,” said Ali Zaidi, Biden’s top climate adviser, at the Cop summit. | ['environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'us-news/donaldtrump', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2024-11-14T11:00:15Z | true | ENERGY |
australia-news/2022/mar/01/brisbane-flood-residents-assess-damage-to-homes-as-clean-up-efforts-begin | Brisbane flood: residents assess damage to homes as clean-up efforts begin | About the same time the Brisbane River peaked, Jenni Metcalfe came back to Grey Street at West End to check on her home. “We came back on Monday morning and the water was right up,” she said, pointing at the tide mark about 1 metre up the back wall. “So I sat in the gutter and watched it and cried.” Some of the lower-lying parts of West End – Brisbane’s eclectic inner-city suburb on the south bank of the flooded “brown snake” river – went underwater on Sunday and Monday as downpours began to ease but tides reached their peak. Queensland authorities estimate 15,000 properties sustained damage in the flooding, caused by a “rain bomb” weather system that dumped more than 1 metre of water on most of the city. The volume was roughly equal to 80% of Brisbane’s annual average rainfall. Data from the Bureau of Meteorology revealed a string of broken records from the flooding rain in Queensland. In the six days from 23 to 28 February, at least 33 places recorded more than one metre of rain, including 1.77 metres falling at Mount Glorious, just east of Wivenhoe Dam that helps reduce flooding in the city. Parts of south-east Queensland had at least 2.5 times their average rainfall for the month, with some areas getting five times the average, the bureau said. In Brisbane, 792.8mm fell into the city rain gauge over the six days to 9am on 28 February, which is above the previous six-day record of 655.8mm set in January 1974. For the first time ever, the city had three consecutive days when more than 200mm fell. Before last month, there had only been eight previous days when the city had seen more than 200mm in one day. The rain fell fiercely without respite for more than three days. Brisbane’s rivers and creeks filled, then spilled into the suburbs, in some cases inundating homes that did not flood in 2011, when 33 people were killed in Queensland and much of the capital was underwater. On Saturday and early on Sunday, those at risk frantically moved their most valuable belongings to high ground. Metcalfe said she was walking along the river on Saturday and noticed the tide rising. “But I had no idea that my place would be affected. “I bought it five years ago, I thought it was only going to be [potentially affected by] stormwater. I didn’t get flood insurance, because it was going to cost $10,000 a year to get flood insurance. “On Sunday morning I woke up to [housemate] Michelle banging on my door, saying we have to get stuff up. I came downstairs and before I could even think about how to get stuff up, the previous owners of this place with their two little girls came down, Rog from up the road came down, and they all helped to move stuff upstairs.” Metcalfe said her neighbour’s yard went under on Saturday night. “We were watching the Hills Hoist in the neighbour’s yard, which still had clothes on it. We watched it go lower and lower as the water came up.” After evacuating on Sunday afternoon, Metcalfe stayed with her housemates, who were in the process of moving into a nearby unit they had recently bought. They and other friends and neighbours came back on Tuesday morning to broom out the remaining water and clean down the walls. “I didn’t sleep much Sunday night or Monday,” she said. A few blocks away in West End, several large apartment buildings were flooded in, water blocking entry and exit. Michael Raj watched on Tuesday as workers pumped water from the basement floors of his building. He said he had likely lost some items that were stored there. “We live just up on the third floor and we were able to stay there as it came in. We didn’t try to come down or anything, figured it was safe to be up there. But absolutely, we didn’t expect it.” In other parts of the city, as the clean-up continues, masses of hard rubbish are accumulating on footpaths. Almost 40,000 properties were without power on Tuesday morning. Most schools in southeast Queensland will reopen on Wednesday. Hundreds of roads remain cut by flood waters. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning “This event, in most instances, is bigger than ex-tropical cyclone Oswald and ex-tropical cyclone Debbie, it’s bigger than 1974 [floods] in terms of the rain event,” the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said on Tuesday. “And honestly, I don’t think anyone was ever expecting that we get this on the top of a two-year pandemic.” Palaszczuk said the Brisbane River would remain at an elevated level for the next three to four days as water was released from Wivenhoe Dam to ensure flood mitigation capacity remained in place. The Bureau of Meteorology says a possible severe thunderstorm could hit Brisbane on Thursday afternoon, bringing damaging winds and localised heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding. | ['australia-news/queensland', 'australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022', 'environment/flooding', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-weather', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/ben-smee', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-03-01T04:43:35Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
commentisfree/2010/jul/25/afghanistan-war-logs-guardian-editorial | Afghanistan war logs: the unvarnished picture | Editorial | The fog of war is unusually dense in Afghanistan. When it lifts, as it does today with the Guardian's publication of selections from a leaked trove of secret US military logs, a very different landscape is revealed from the one with which we have become familiar. These war logs – written in the heat of engagement – show a conflict that is brutally messy, confused and immediate. It is in some contrast with the tidied-up and sanitised "public" war, as glimpsed through official communiques as well as the necessarily limited snapshots of embedded reporting. The war logs consist of more than 92,000 records of actions of the US military in Afghanistan between January 2004 and December 2009. The logs were sent to Wikileaks, the website which publishes untraceable material from whistleblowers. In a collaboration with the New York Times and Der Spiegel, the Guardian has spent weeks sifting through this ocean of data, which has gradually yielded the hidden texture and human horror stories inflicted day to day during an often clumsily prosecuted war. It is important to treat the material for what it is: a contemporaneous catalogue of conflict. Some of the more lurid intelligence reports are of doubtful provenance: some aspects of the coalition's recording of civilian deaths appear unreliable. The war logs – classified as secret – are encyclopedic but incomplete. We have removed any material which threatens the safety of troops, local informants and collaborators. With these caveats, the collective picture that emerges is a very disturbing one. We today learn of nearly 150 incidents in which coalition forces, including British troops, have killed or injured civilians, most of which have never been reported; of hundreds of border clashes between Afghan and Pakistani troops, two armies which are supposed to be allies; of the existence of a special forces unit whose tasks include killing Taliban and al-Qaida leaders; of the slaughter of civilians caught by the Taliban's improvised explosive devices; and of a catalogue of incidents where coalition troops have fired on and killed each other or fellow Afghans under arms. Reading these logs, many may suspect there is sometimes a casual disregard for the lives of innocents. A bus that fails to slow for a foot patrol is raked with gunfire, killing four passengers and wounding 11 others. The documents tell how, in going after a foreign fighter, a special forces unit ended up with seven dead children. The infants were not their immediate priority. A report marked "Noforn" (not for foreign elements of the coalition) suggests their main concern was to conceal the mobile rocket system that had just been used. In these documents, Iran's and Pakistan's intelligence agencies run riot. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is linked to some of the war's most notorious commanders. The ISI is alleged to have sent 1,000 motorbikes to the warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani for suicide attacks in Khost and Logar provinces, and to have been implicated in a sensational range of plots, from attempting to assassinate President Hamid Karzai to poisoning the beer supply of western troops. These reports are unverifiable and could be part of a barrage of false information provided by Afghan intelligence. But yesterday's White House response to the claims that elements of the Pakistan army had been so specifically linked to the militants made it plain that the status quo is unacceptable. It said that safe havens for militants within Pakistan continued to pose "an intolerable threat" to US forces. However you cut it, this is not an Afghanistan that either the US or Britain is about to hand over gift-wrapped with pink ribbons to a sovereign national government in Kabul. Quite the contrary. After nine years of warfare, the chaos threatens to overwhelm. A war fought ostensibly for the hearts and minds of Afghans cannot be won like this. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'world/afghanistan', 'us-news/us-news', 'uk/military', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'tone/editorials', 'world/the-war-logs', 'world/war-logs', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply'] | world/the-war-logs | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2010-07-25T21:04:08Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2020/sep/24/they-were-having-a-real-go-scottish-man-recounts-orca-attack | 'They were having a real go': man tells of orca encounter off Spain | A little after dawn on Tuesday morning, Graeme Walker felt a shudder move through his 15-metre (48ft) yacht as it passed off Cape Finisterre. Then the wheel locked. His first thought was that something had gone wrong with the autohelm. But when the wheel started shifting hard to left and right, the retired chief financial officer remembered an article he had read recently and quickly realised his boat, the Promise 3, was not to blame. The culprits were overzealous orcas, also known as killer whales, whose rough encounters with boats off the north-west coast of Spain have prompted the maritime authorities to order smaller vessels to give the area a wide berth. But the instruction came a little late for Walker, his wife, Moira, and their friend Stephen Robinson. “While the wheel was being ripped out of my hands, one of the orcas broke surface to get air,” he told the Guardian. “We were conscious of the fact that there were two whales and then a third one joined, and it was huge. The head of the third one was massive. They were having a real go at the rudder. You couldn’t hold the wheel; you’d have broken your arm because the wheel was spinning from one lock to the other.” While the whales passed underneath the yacht, which was spinning to port and then to starboard, Walker called the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Finisterre. They told him to stop the boat and sit tight, adding that the orcas would probably lose interest after 10 minutes or so. The estimate proved optimistic and the trio, who were sailing home to the Clyde in Scotland from Almería in south-east Spain, ended up sitting tight for 45 minutes, their lifejackets on and their grab-bags at the ready. “The MRCC called us back after 15 minutes and said, ‘Are things OK?’. We said, ‘It’s still going on’, which they said was really unusual.” Eventually, the orcas swam off, but those aboard the Promise 3 decided to give it half an hour before getting on their way again. Despite the encounter, the yacht’s steering was still working and Walker set sail “gingerly, in light winds”. They sailed at between one and three knots for an hour before turning on the engine and heading for the port of La Coruña, which they eventually reached 10 hours later. The incident was one of a series of encounters between orcas and boats that has baffled marine biologists and led Spain’s transport ministry to order some vessels out of the area over the next week. On the same day in late August, a Spanish naval yacht lost part of its rudder to a pair of orcas, while a French boat was left with marks on its hull. Two weeks later, an 11-metre yacht on its way to the UK lost steering and had to be towed into port after another orca-related incident. “The interactions with the orcas have, for the most part, affected medium-sized boats of 15 metres or less,” the transport ministry said on Tuesday, as it banned boats of that size from sailing close to the coast between Cape Prioriño Grande and Estaca de Bares point in Galicia. “All the encounters have taken place between two and eight nautical miles from the coast and while the boats were travelling at between five and nine knots.” The statement said boats affected by the order could sail perpendicular to the no-go area to reach port or head out into open water. The decision, it added, had been taken “to guarantee the safety of people and the orcas themselves”. Orcas are usually spotted off Galicia each September as they make their way up from the Gulf of Cádiz and follow tuna into the Bay of Biscay, but experts say the incidents seen over the past few weeks are very rare. Bruno Díaz, a biologist at the local Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute, said orcas were attracted to small yachts because of their size, and that the animals in question – probably “immature teenage” orcas – had probably just got a bit carried away. “We’re not their natural prey,” he told Associated Press. “They’re having fun – and maybe these orcas have fun causing damage.” Walker is waiting for the Promise 3 to be lifted out of the water so he can get a proper idea of the damage done by the fun-loving orcas. But he can already see that there’s “a big chunk missing out of the bottom of the rudder”. Meanwhile, the Walkers and Robinson are getting over the shock of the encounter – “we had a few drinks” – and are keen to get home. “The boat weighs about 12 tonnes but these animals were chucking the thing around like it was just something else,” said Graeme Walker. “It wasn’t pleasant.” | ['world/spain', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/world', 'uk/scotland', 'uk/uk', 'sport/sailing', 'type/article', 'profile/samjones', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2020-09-24T08:49:49Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
news/2021/dec/28/weatherwatch-zimbabwes-warm-and-equable-climate | Weatherwatch: Zimbabwe’s warm and equable climate | Just north of the tropic of capricorn, Zimbabwe lies mostly at an altitude of between 1,000 and 2,500 metres (3,270 to 4,920ft) above sea level, which, like its northern neighbour Zambia, gives most of the country a warm and equable climate. Being farther south than Zambia, and well away from the influence of the equatorial regions, Zimbabwe has not two, but three, distinct seasons: one wet and two mostly dry. For three months from the middle of August temperatures rise as the land becomes arid and parched. The rains come in the middle of November, causing temperatures to fall, though the increased humidity makes it feel less comfortable than before. The rains last through the summer months, but become more sporadic from mid-March onwards, through to May, when the cool season begins, bringing much-needed relief until the temperature starts to rise again in August. As in most tropical countries, the rain usually falls as thunderstorms or heavy showers in the afternoon, at the time the heat reaches its peak. The driest areas are in the south, around Kipling’s “great grey-green greasy” Limpopo River along the border with South Africa, with just 400mm (below 16in) annual rainfall. At Zimbabwe’s greatest tourist attraction, the mighty Victoria Falls, daytime temperatures remain comfortably warm all year round, though it can get surprisingly cool at night. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/zimbabwe', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/stephenmoss1', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-12-28T06:00:12Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2022/feb/17/harmful-subsidies-why-is-the-world-still-funding-the-destruction-of-nature-aoe | Harmful subsidies: why is the world still funding the destruction of nature? | By the middle of the century, our planet will need to feed almost 10 billion people, according to the UN. To do this sustainably and limit global heating to 1.5C, the world must also reforest on a huge scale, say scientists, while increasing food production without converting more rainforest and wetland into farmland. It is an intractable challenge. With vast areas of forest, grasslands and savannah already lost to expanding agricultural frontiers and resource extraction in the last century, the competition for space, dubbed “the land squeeze” by the World Resources Institute (WRI), will put unprecedented pressure on Earth’s planetary boundaries. Government incentives will play an important role in reconciling the competing demands on our planet’s resources. But new research reveals at least $1.8tn (£1.3tn) of environmentally harmful subsidies is heading in the wrong direction every year, financing the annihilation of wildlife and global heating through support for cattle ranching, pesticide use, the overproduction of crops and fossil fuel extraction. “In a situation where, as a civilisation, we are dying from climate change and biodiversity loss, we should not be spending money on making the situation worse,” says Ariel Brunner, head of policy for BirdLife Europe and Central Asia. “The biggest threats to our ability to feed ourselves are climate change and environmental collapse. We have enough food. The only scenarios in which we wouldn’t have enough are linked to running out of water, soil erosion and the collapse of ecosystems.” The report, produced by leading subsidy experts for the B Team and Business for Nature, estimated that, each year, there is at least $640bn of environmentally damaging financial support for the fossil fuel industry, $520bn for agriculture and $350bn for the unsustainable use of freshwater. Examples range from subsidies for soy production in the Amazon and palm oil plantations in south-east Asia to artificially low energy prices for groundwater pumping in Iran and poor water management in California. Despite a target on redirecting subsidies in the draft UN biodiversity agreement, repurposing them will not be easy. The B Team argues that the UN target should be strengthened to eradicate all environmentally harmful subsidies – not just the $500bn drafted at the moment – and businesses must reveal the support and subsidies they receive through environmental disclosures. But there is also political jeopardy. Governments have never met a UN target on halting the destruction of nature, with failure to act on subsidies highlighted as a key failure of last decade’s targets. Recent protests in France, Kazakhstan and Nigeria over the threatened loss of subsidies are warnings to leaders on how subsidy reform can go wrong. Costa Rica is a high-profile example of how government support can strike the balance between nature and agriculture. The country’s payments for ecosystem services programme, which won the inaugural Earthshot prize last year, helped halt and reverse what had been one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world in the 1970s and 1980s, while maintaining the production of bananas, pineapple, coffee and other crops. Chile, Ghana, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru have similar schemes where landowners are paid for environmental services, albeit on a smaller scale, helping to combat rural poverty and the climate crisis. “We have to restore ecosystems to be able to feed more people, not just for biodiversity,” says Helen Ding, an environmental economist with the WRI, who led research on repurposing farm subsidies in August last year. The research argued that redirecting subsidies to support agroforestry and low-carbon agriculture, especially among small farmers, who produce a large proportion of the world’s food supply, could improve soil quality and the ecological health of land without affecting bottom lines. “Farmers do need to receive subsidies, especially after the Covid pandemic. Rural communities have to recover from the economic shock. But we do know there are subsidies that are inefficient and are driving deforestation,” says Ding. While the postwar expansion of fertiliser and pesticide use alongside technological support lifted millions out of poverty, some well-intentioned schemes are not achieving their aims, according to the WRI report. In Malawi, the government spent about 60% of its annual agricultural budget on farming input subsidies like fertiliser after food instability in the early 2000s. Over time, the initial increase in maize yields fell while the soil was also damaged. Ding’s report argues that such schemes could be changed to benefit both farmers and the environment. Either way, the $1.8tn calculated in the new research is likely to be a gross underestimate of the true scale of environmentally harmful subsidies, say the report’s authors, Doug Koplow and Ronald Steenblik. A year after the review by Cambridge economist Prof Sir Partha Dasgupta of the failure of economics to take into account the rapid depletion of the natural world ahead of Cop26, there is little sign so-called “natural capital” has gone mainstream. The human-driven sixth mass extinction of life on Earth continues to be subsidised with public money. “We found at least $1.8tn a year in subsidies. What was equally striking to me is how much we couldn’t find out. There were no estimates of water for direct withdrawals by industry and agriculture, even though that’s just a massive use of freshwater around the world,” says Koplow, founder of the organisation Earth Track, which monitors environmentally harmful subsidies. “My hope is that this report restarts a critical conversation.” Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on Twitter for all the latest news and features | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/environment', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/forests', 'environment/farming', 'world/world', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/analysis', 'profile/patrick-greenfield', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-age-of-extinction'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-02-17T06:30:28Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
news/2014/sep/22/weatherwatch-reach-sky | Weatherwatch: Reach for the sky | One of the great fascinations of JMW Turner was what on earth drove him to paint such fantastic pictures of skies, seas and landscapes in later life. In Rain, Steam and Speed, painted in 1844, Turner showed a railway steam engine enveloped in a vortex of its own smoke that swirled into multi-coloured clouds filling the sky. Audiences gasped at the audacity of the picture, but Turner may well have been inspired by the smoggy atmosphere of the industrial revolution, when coal smoke created a psychedelic cocktail of colours in the filthy smogs created under calm weather conditions. And natural phenomena quite possibly also inspired Turner. He was working at a time of great volcanic activity in the world, when the atmosphere was often filled with the dust of violent eruptions, especially the great eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815. This shot a vast cloud of fine dust high into the stratosphere, which circled the globe for years afterwards, leading to worldwide climate cooling. But the dust also filtered out blue wavelengths of light at sunrise and sunset, allowing red, orange and amber colours to become more lurid, most famously captured in Turner's picture The Fighting Temeraire (1839). One lady is said to have told the artist: "I never see your skies in nature, Mr Turner," to which he replied: "Then God help you, ma'am." A new exhibition, Late Turner: Painting Set Free, is at Tate Britain in London until 25 January. It presents work that Turner completed in his last 16 years of life, from 1835 to 1851. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'tone/features', 'artanddesign/jmw-turner', 'artanddesign/painting', 'type/article', 'profile/jeremy-plester', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-09-22T20:30:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
social-enterprise-network/2013/sep/23/tips-working-big-corporations | Open thread: working with big corporations | If you run a social enterprise and you are looking to grow, the question of working with for-profit, multinational, large scale business operators will inevitably arise. There are many benefits of working with the for-profit sector – they touch so many people in their operations, leading to the potential of new markets and customers for social entrepreneurs. They are full of highly skilled people and often they can act fast. If you can get to the decision makers, you have access to resources and the talent to execute. Of course, there are reasons to take care. Make sure you only consider working with companies that have the same long term values as you. Don't be fooled: some large organisations are not as entrepreneurial as you; they don't like risk and, if they think you present a risk to them, be prepared to be treated like competition. What are some of the best ways to work together that really can have a positive impact for both sides? Coaching and mentoring Get a corporate executive to spend time with you, working on your social enterprise. It can be very rewarding for corporate executives to see their skills used outside of their immediate job roles. If you can't get a corporate professional to spend time in your social enterprise, at least ask for their time to discuss it. Coaching and mentoring exchanges give you the chance to be asked difficult relevant questions and, depending on the relationship, guided in the right direction. Use your network You've probably already been working with at least some corporate professionals in your supply chain. You already have a relationship with them, so why not ask them for help. They might have been waiting for an excuse to work more closely with your organisation. Use someone else's network Join a programme with a partner who as already spent time developing trusted relationships, like for example, Ashoka. They have strict criteria on the social entrepreneurs they support, but once you are in, the value of the network is priceless. By working with corporate managers, social entrepreneurs can influence their values and goals. As you start your corporate relationship, remember that you offer value to them as well, and of course, corporations are made up of people, too. Richard Brownsdon runs Inspiring Adventures. He is a writer, blogger and freelance social enterprise marketing and events specialist. Do you have any tips on how to work with big corporations or have an experience to share? Please leave your comments below. This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the Guardian Social Enterprise Network, click here. | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'tone/blog', 'society/socialenterprises', 'society/society', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/business', 'sustainable-business/start-up-scale-up', 'sustainable-business/social-enterprise', 'sustainable-business/social-enterprise-blog', 'type/article'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2013-09-23T05:59:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/shortcuts/2020/mar/09/on-a-roll-is-britain-ready-for-reusable-toilet-paper | On a roll: is Britain ready for reusable toilet paper? | Mostly, these are the worst of times, but for loo roll purveyors and disruptors it will never be better. Sales are up and supermarket shelves are empty as more and more shoppers stockpile. So we should not be surprised by the rise of reusable toilet roll – squares of washable textiles that are linked together with plastic poppers and sold on sites such as Etsy. If you are, like me, invested in a sustainable lifestyle, the idea is quite thrilling. Reusable represents the gold standard of eco-engineering. Everything that is made and used has an eco footprint, which includes the energy used to create the thing in the first place. Single-use products are the worst, recycled a close second. Historically, squeamishness has put some products out of the reach of reusable design, but this is changing. The product designer Isabel Aagaard of LastObject claims to have sold more than 125,000 units of a reusable cotton bud (since March last year). The same company recently brought out a reusable tissue, which people my age still call a handkerchief. Then there are mooncups instead of tampons and, of course, a long tradition in reusable nappies. But are we ready for washable loo roll? The farcical supply chain of toilet roll is certainly ready for disruption: dead-tree paper (or sawdust) is carted across the world, wrapped in plastic and lined up for sale. Even the most ethical versions such as Who Gives a Crap have to be transported (by ship) and delivered to homes in vans. All paper-making is water-intensive, too. The reusable fabric roll kicks all this into touch. Bidets and flannels have previously been touted as the most eco route, but the lifecycle analysis (the process of adding up all the energy costs) of using and washing them is contentious. One Defra study from 2008 put the dampener on eco nappies, saying they used more energy than disposable ones because parents would typically tumble-dry them. The same may well be true for reusable loo roll – even if many devotees only use them for number ones. They will undoubtedly need to be washed at a high temperature – which takes a great a deal of energy. Questions also need to be asked about whether detergents need to be used and do the textiles shed microplastics when washed? Habit and tradition will ultimately decide whether reusable loo roll catches on. The earliest advert I can find on a perforated roll of paper in the UK is in the Lichfield Mercury from 1885. One Frederic Brown (really) guarantees “satisfaction” through the promise of a neat contrivance to replace the standard packet of paper. He cleverly sold a 100-sheet perforated roll with a handsome holder (cost: 2 shillings). What he understood was that if you want to change a habit, you need to sell a whole system. Today’s disruptors shouldn’t just be selling the squares of textile, but also the hamper that can be closed and easily carried to the washing machine. For mass uptake, they probably need to think bigger than the square. | ['environment/recycling', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/waste', 'environment/environment', 'news/shortcuts', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/lucysiegle', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-g2-features'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-03-09T16:54:42Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2008/apr/18/climatechange.scienceofclimatechange | Greenland's disappearing lakes leave giant ice sheets largely unmoved | Fears that the rapid draining of water from the top of Greenland's ice sheet may be contributing to the rise of global sea levels have been allayed by new research. Though scientists confirmed that the water can drain away faster than Niagara Falls, it did not seem to accelerate the movement of the ice sheet into the ocean as previously thought. Receding ice sheets are of major concern to climate scientists because the melting water could lead to a rise in sea levels. In addition, the melting can encourage feedback mechanisms that amplify the warming effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: ice and snow reflect sunlight, so less of them means more heat is absorbed by the Earth. Observations have already shown that the speed at which glaciers at the edge of Greenland are moving into the sea has doubled in the past two decades. Thousands of lakes form on top of Greenland's glaciers every summer due to the increased sunlight and warmer air. Satellite observations have shown that these lakes often disappear, often in as little as a day, but no one knew where the water was going or how quickly it moved. When these lakes were first discovered in recent years, experts became concerned that the melting water might make its way to the base of the ice and lubricate the Greenland ice sheet's passage into the sea, which would contribute to a global sea-level rise. In a warming world, more lakes are expected to form on Greenland, raising the possibility that the entire ice sheet will melt more quickly than expected. But the new research, published today in Science, has cast doubt on that theory. Sarah Das, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, led a study that monitored the evolution of two surface lakes on Greenland in the summers of 2006 and 2007. Using aerial surveys and satellite imagery, they monitored the lakes and tracked the progress of glaciers moving toward the coast. She said the most impressive drainage event occurred in July 2006, when most of a 5.6 sq km lake holding 11.6bn gallons of water emptied in just 90 minutes. The scientists estimated the average flow rate to be more than that of Niagara Falls. Underneath the lake, the ice sheet was raised and began moving horizontally at twice the average daily rate. But her team also found that, when considered over the whole year, the surface meltwater was responsible for only a few per cent of the movement of the glaciers that they monitored. Even at its peak, it appeared to contribute only 15%, and often less, to the annual movement of the outlet glaciers at the edge of Greenland. "Considered together, the new findings indicate that while surface melt plays a substantial role in ice sheet dynamics, it may not produce large instabilities leading to sea level rise," says Ian Joughin, a glaciologist at the University of Washington. "There are still other mechanisms that are contributing to the current ice loss and likely will increase this loss as climate warms." "To influence flow, you have to change the conditions underneath the ice sheet, because what's going on beneath the ice dictates how quickly the ice is flowing," said Das. "If the ice sheet is frozen to the bedrock or has very little water available, then it will flow much more slowly than if it has a lubricating and pressurised layer of water underneath to reduce friction ... It's hard to envision how a trickle or a pool of meltwater from the surface could cut through thick, cold ice all the way to the bed. For that reason, there has been a debate in the scientific community as to whether such processes could exist, even though some theoretical work has hypothesised this for decades." Glacial ice is second only to the oceans as the largest reservoir of water on the planet, and 10% of the Earth's glacial ice is found in Greenland. The west Antarctic ice sheet is also increasing the rate at which it is losing mass. In a recent interview with the Guardian, leading Nasa climate scientist Jim Hansen said the ice sheets' increased shrinking meant that the world's targets for reduction of carbon emissions were not stringent enough. "If we follow business as usual I can't see how west Antarctica could survive a century," he said. Hansen said recently that the EU target of 550 parts per million of C02, already the most stringent in the world, should be cut to 350ppm if "humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilisation developed". | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/poles', 'environment/water', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/glaciers', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'world/world', 'environment/sea-level', 'world/greenland', 'type/article', 'profile/alokjha', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/poles | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2008-04-18T01:56:12Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2011/jul/24/ethical-dilemma-paper-cups-ceramic | Are single-use paper cups evil? | In any urban conurbation you can observe trudging figures with disposable coffee cups clamped to their faces like poly-paper snouts. This gives the commuter the appearance of a Womble – unfortunately one less committed to making good use of rubbish. Billions of single-use cups are thrown into landfill sites every year and, according to the WWF, to produce a single latte requires 200 litres of water, including the materials and manufacture of the paper cup and cardboard sleeve. But is that stained ceramic novelty cup really so superior? In 1994 Professor Martin B Hocking of the University of Victoria in Canada carried out an analysis of the life cycles of beverage cups, pitching the reusable – ceramic, plastic and glass – against the disposable – paper and foam – also factoring in the energy use in manufacturing materials and cleaning of a reusable cup. The ceramic cup is environmentally preferable, but only if it is reused until it is retired. Drop and smash that cup early on and a paper-based disposable cup can almost match it for eco efficiency. A Dutch study later found the energy burden of washing the cup even more significant. Meanwhile this planet's caffeine corporations are attempting to narrow the odds against disposable even more through innovation. Costa, which doles out 100m cups in the UK each year, is working on a "next generation" single-use cup with increased recycled content and FSC-certified pulp paper. It also points out its paper cups can be recycled (the process was tried out at a paper mill in Kent) but that recyclers "do not value the paper cup". Valuing cups is a point Starbucks is keen to work on – not least at its annual Cup Summit. In 2006 it began using 10% recycled post-consumer waste in its cups – fairly revolutionary in recycling terms. The goal is to make 100% of cups reusable or recyclable by 2015. So the eco superiority of the ceramic cup is being challenged. But avoid gloating. It is hard to think that millions of single-use cups aren't a ridiculous use of resources. We need to question why we have developed this habit of ingesting so many expensive caffeine products. If you're not ready to go cold turkey, invest in a reusable portable cup – a halfway house. The "barrista friendly" KeepCup has a new mini version for espresso and macchiato – the caffeine addict's eco compromise. | ['environment/series/its-not-easy-being-green', 'environment/series/ask-leo-lucy', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/waste', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/environment', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/lucysiegle', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/magazine', 'theobserver/magazine/life-and-style'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2011-07-23T23:05:19Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2016/may/12/great-barrier-reef-devastating-images-tell-story-of-coral-colonies-destruction | Great Barrier Reef: devastating images tell story of coral colonies' destruction | Devastating images showing the complete destruction of coral colonies on the Great Barrier Reef have been obtained by Guardian Australia and illustrate what is happening to coral there that would fill an area the size of Scotland. They reveal the rapid death of coral impacting much of the Great Barrier Reef, with estimates that as much as half of the coral in the northern third of the 2000km reef had this fate. The photos were taken from around Lizard Island by Lyle Vale from Coral Watch at the University of Queensland. Justin Marshall, a biologist at the University of Queensland, says more than 90% of the coral around Lizard island is dead or dying. “The thing that struck me about this event is two things,” Marshall said. “The severity of the bleaching in the first place. And the rapidity of the death, which I was completely blown away by. When I went up to the reef in March I was already seeing corals that were dying.” Marshall said that was going to be devastating for the tourism industry there. “Lizard Island has just rebuilt their resort after the cyclone. They spent millions of dollars. Tourists are going to go there and go: ‘Where’s the reef?’ “These photos show a story … The shocking thing to think about is what you’re seeing there is happening over a 1000-kilometre stretch of the reef, to at least half of it. An area of the Great Barrier Reef the size of Scotland has coral that is dying right now. Or dead – probably dead.” The four photos show the rapid effects of warm water on coral. The first image shows healthy corals from around Lizard Island on 20 December 2015. It includes two large colonies of hard coral in the centre known as acropora. Around the top of them is a common soft coral called lobophytum and nestled in at the bottom is a spiky coral called seriatopora. There are also fish swimming around the coral that feed on plankton and use the coral as shelter. The second image was taken on 12 March 2016 and shows all the corals becoming severely bleached. At that stage they’re unlikely to be dead. The third image shows the same colony one month later. Marshall says that, even as a biologist, it was easy to be confused by the colour that appears to be returning but was not the coral recovering but rather being taken over by seaweed. At this stage, the fish are still able to use the coral as shelter on the reef. The final image was taken just two weeks later on 2 May. It shows the algae has taken over and the coral – including the soft coral all around the edges – is completely dead. The spiky seriatopora that was nestled in the bottom is completely gone. With that much algae covering the coral skeletons, fish aren’t able to use them as shelter, Marshall said. He said the crisis on the Great Barrier Reef, and the billions of dollars in tourism that relies on it, demands that Australia take strong immediate action on climate change, stop building new coalmines and institute strict controls on farm run-off. “We have to grow up and actually take the COP21 plan forward at the speed of light,” he said. But with recent analyses showing that the warm conditions driving this bleaching event will be normal by the 2030s – and cooler than average after that – Marshall said he was pessimistic about the future of the reef. “Yes, maybe it’s too late. But that’s not a reason not to do it. I’m not going to sit back and buy a Hummer and just let it all slide. With biology there are always things around the corner that we don’t know. These things are fantastically resilient and biologically programmed for survival. “I’d rather be pessimistic and doing something than being pessimistic and not doing anything at all.” | ['environment/great-barrier-reef', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/queensland', 'environment/coral', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michael-slezak', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-05-11T22:02:32Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2017/jan/20/top-climate-experts-give-their-advice-to-donald-trump | Top climate experts give their advice to Donald Trump | To fulfil his campaign slogan of “make America great again”, Donald Trump must back the boom in green technology – that was the message from the leading climate figures ahead of his inauguration as president on Friday. Unleashing US innovation on the trillion-dollar clean technology market will create good US jobs, stimulate its economy, maintain the US’s political leadership around the globe and, not least, make the world a safer place by tackling climate change, the experts told the Guardian. The omens are not encouraging. Trump has called global warming a hoax and is filling his administration with climate change deniers and oil barons. But reversing action on climate change and championing fossil fuels will only “make China great again”, said one top advisor. Here are the messages to Trump from some of the key figures the Guardian contacted. Michael Liebreich, founder of analyst firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance and who has advised the UN and World Economic Forum on energy: If I had one minute with president elect Trump my message would be that the best way to ‘Make America great again’ is by owning the clean energy, transportation and infrastructure technologies of the future. Not only will this create countless well-paid, fulfilling jobs for Americans, but will also lock in the US’s geopolitical leadership for another generation. Prof John Schellnhuber, at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, and who has advised Angela Merkel, the Pope and the EU: “Mr President, if you want to make China great again, you have to stay the course you have promised. I think it would be the end of US domination in innovation, in economics. If you try to take the US backwards to the days of mountain top removal [for coal] in West Virginia and all those things, then you will just make sure China becomes No 1 in all respects. In the end, you would produce precisely what you promised to avoid to your electorate.” Prof Dame Julia King, an eminent engineer and one of the UK government’s official advisers at the Committee on Climate Change: If President Trump wants to deliver greater job security for Americans, he should focus on clean and sustainable industries where the US has a competitive advantage. Those are the sectors that are set to prosper. He needs to build an economy for 2050, not one for 1950. Leading climate change economist, Lord Nicholas Stern, at the London School of Economics: If you want to make America great again, building modern, clean and smart infrastructure makes tremendous commercial and national sense, In the longer term, the low carbon growth story is the only growth story on offer. There is no long-term, high-carbon growth story, because destruction of the environment would reverse growth. Mark Campanale: founder of the Carbon Tracker Initiative thinktank: If you’re interested in quality, high paying and skilled jobs for the American middle classes, then renewable energy has to absolutely be the place to look. It’s a sector with more employees now than in the US coal industry and with a long way to grow. Prof James Hansen, adjunct research scientist of the Earth Institute, Columbia University, and ‘father of climate change awareness’: “If [Trump] wants to achieve the things that he claimed he would: improving the situation of the common man, the best way he could do this would be a programme of a rising carbon fee with the money distributed to the public.” Jennifer Morgan, co-executive director of Greenpeace International [Mr Trump] you might not realise it yet, but your action, or inaction, on climate will define your legacy as president. The renewable energy transformation is unstoppable and, if the US chooses to turn its back on the future, it will miss out on all the opportunities it brings in terms of jobs, investment and technology advances. China, India and others are racing ahead to be the global clean energy superpowers and surely the US, led by a businessman, does not want to be left behind. Alden Meyer, at the Union of Concerned Scientists in the US: Trump’s stance threatens to diminish America’s standing in the world and to weaken the ability of US companies and workers to compete in the rapidly growing global market for clean energy technologies. May Boeve, head of climate campaign group 350.org: Quit. But if you have to stick around, realise that the clean energy economy is the greatest, biggest job creator in history. Some leading figures, who will have to deal directly with the Trump administration, chose more diplomatic messages to the new president, while emphasising the vital need to act on global warming: Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – the UN’s climate chief I look forward to working with your new administration to make the world a better place for the people of the US and for peoples everywhere in this very special world. Scientist Derek Arndt, at Noaa, presenting the temperature data showing 2016 was the hottest year on record: “We present this assessment for the benefit of the American people.” | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'us-news/trump-administration', 'us-news/donaldtrump', 'environment/environment', 'environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'profile/juliettejowit', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2017-01-23T17:11:27Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
environment/2020/feb/03/pm-urges-major-economies-to-go-carbon-neutral-by-2050 | Boris Johnson urges major economies to go carbon neutral by 2050 | Boris Johnson is calling on countries around the world to follow the UK in pledging to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as part of the government’s presidency of the UN’s climate talks this year. About 80 countries around the world are committed to such a target, but most are small economies with small greenhouse gas outputs. The EU is the biggest bloc on the brink of signing up to net zero, but major economies including China, the US and India show little sign of doing so. As part of the push, the prime minister is bringing forward a target to phase out diesel and petrol vehicles by 2035, instead of 2040 as at present. The ban will include hybrid vehicles for the first time. Johnson’s call to other countries came as he launched the UK’s plans to host crunch UN climate talks in Glasgow this November. The talks, known as COP 26, are aimed at putting the world on track to fulfil the Paris agreement of 2015, as current emissions pledges are inadequate to stave off dangerous levels of global heating. The launch got off to a rocky start, however, as last Friday evening the former energy minister charged with leading the UK’s presidency, Claire O’Neill, was abruptly sacked. She was said to have provoked rows with officials, to have issued confusing messages to other countries, and to have lacked the diplomatic skills and experience to inspire confidence in foreign capitals. But her sacking led to consternation among observers, who feared the UK was losing its grip on the process. The UK will face a massive diplomatic challenge to make COP 26 a success, as the last round of talks ended in disarray and recriminations last December in Madrid: countries failed to agree on key agenda items, with only a partial resolve to come back with stronger emissions-cutting targets this year in Glasgow. No replacement for O’Neill has yet been officially announced. The former prime minister David Cameron has been approached but has turned down the role. Other candidates including Michael Gove and former Conservative leaders William Hague and Michael Howard have been mentioned as possibles. Getting a strong leader in place is widely viewed as vital to demonstrating the UK’s seriousness of intent. “Hosting COP 26 is an important opportunity for the UK and nations across the globe to step up in the fight against climate change,” Johnson told dignitaries, businesses and campaigners. “As we set out our plans to hit our ambitious 2050 net zero target across this year, so we shall urge others to join us in pledging net zero emissions. 2020 must be the year we turn the tide on global warming – it will be the year when we choose a cleaner, greener future for all.” As part of the COP 26 push, the prime minister also highlighted the £2bn that the government has agreed to spend on meeting the net zero target, including up to £1bn to encourage the take-up of electric vehicles, £222m for research into nuclear fusion, and £26m for carbon capture technology. Edmund King, president of the AA, said the new target on car sales was incredibly challenging and asked whether there would be a proper supply of zero emissions vehicles in less than fifteen years. “We will also need a package of grants coupled with a comprehensive charging infrastructure at homes and in towns, cities, motorways and rural locations,” he said, adding concern about the ban on hybrids. Alasdair Roxburgh, of Friends of the Earth, said ministerial promises were no longer enough, however. Campaigners are frustrated that although Theresa May’s government agreed the net zero target last summer, little in the way of concrete measures have been brought forward since then, which they have said sets a poor example for inspiring action in other countries at COP 26. “If the government is honest about the scale and urgency of the problem then we won’t hear about plans and pledges any more, we will hear about definite actions being immediately taken,” said Roxburgh. “What the UK must do is drastically cut emissions in the lifetime of this parliament. With the bushfires raging in Australia and deadly flooding in Indonesia, the climate crisis is already claiming lives, destroying homes and wildlife. But we can stave off the worst impacts of climate breakdown, if we act together now, and the UK government have the opportunity to set the bar high.” A key aim for COP 26 is for rich countries to provide the necessary finance to the developing world to cut carbon in poor nations. But discussions on climate finance ran aground at last year’s conference, and little progress has been made on the issue in the four years since the Paris agreement was signed. “One strong and important thing that the UK government can do is provide funding for poorer countries, most affected by climate change, yet least responsible for it,” said Roxburgh. | ['environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021', 'uk/uk', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/green-politics', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/fiona-harvey', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2020-02-04T06:19:40Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
us-news/2020/sep/08/california-fires-power-shutoffs-pge | Hundreds of thousands brace for power shutoffs as California fires burn 2m acres | Hundreds of thousands of Californians are bracing for preventive power shutoffs, as wildfires have burned a record 2m acres across the state and the pandemic keeps many confined to their homes. The first wave of power shutoffs started late on Monday night, with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) cutting power to 172,000 homes and businesses in 22 counties in northern California because of strong winds and dry conditions in the forecast. The utility also planned to shut off power to customers in Kern county, north of Los Angeles, starting Tuesday afternoon. Another utility, Southern California Edison, was considering shutting off power to close to 55,000 customers in six counties in southern California on Tuesday. San Diego Gas and Electric was also considering cutting power to 16,715 customers. The shutoffs could affect up to a total of 721,000 Californians, based on California’s average persons per household, and will significantly affect residents’ lives. Power shutoffs affect businesses and transport systems, and pose significant risks to the physically vulnerable. With many schools closed and more Californians working from home than ever because of the pandemic – more residents will be reliant on having access to power than during shutoffs last year. Gavin Newsom, the California governor, said on Tuesday the state put “tens of millions of dollars in the budget in anticipation” of this year’s shutoffs. That includes funding for community resource centers that have power but some residents may avoid them because of coronavirus infection risks. California utility companies began cutting power to swaths of the state as a preventive measure against wildfires last year. With the climate crisis fueling more extreme fires than ever – and PG&E at fault for two of the deadliest wildfires in California’s history – local leaders have declared these planned power shutoffs a part of the state’s new normal around wildfire prevention. PG&E declared bankruptcy in January, in part because of potential liabilities from its role in some of the 2017 northern California fires and the 2018 Camp fire. Combined, those fires killed a total of 129 people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. Last year, Newsom expressed dissatisfaction with how PG&E handled the shutoffs, particularly around notification of when the shutoffs would occur and which customers they would affect. Through the bankruptcy process, the utility put in place new protocols that include a 72-hour notification. “Is it perfect? Not yet, but it has improved,” Newsom said. He said a year ago he would have imagined “more customers being impacted for a longer period of time”. “There is more precision, there has been more communication but we’re not where we’re going to be and we are not yet where we need to be.” These planned power shutoffs are separate from the rolling blackouts the state experienced last month, for the first time in nearly two decades, during an extreme heatwave. With much of California still coming down from record-high temperatures over the holiday weekend, the National Weather Service warned of increased risk of power outages due to more Californians wanting to use their air conditioners amid the heat. Los Angeles county saw temperatures of 121F, a record high over the weekend, and San Francisco hit 100F on Sunday, breaking a previous same-day record of 92F set more than 100 years ago in 1904. According to Newsom, California averages 38,000 daily megawatts of energy use at its peak. Over the weekend, it reached more than 47,000 megawatts. The National Weather Service has placed much of the state under red flag warnings for fire danger this week, with northern California facing diablo winds and southern California facing Santa Ana winds. Wildfires have burned a record 2.2m acres across California, shrouding much of the state in smoke that has caused some of the worst air quality in the world. Mid-August lightning storms ignited more than 900 wildfires in the north of the state that together have burnt through more than 1.8m acres – almost five times the size of London. Two of the three largest fires in California history – the LNU Lightning Complex fire and the SCU Lightning Complex fire – are currently burning in the San Francisco Bay area. With the weather conditions and wildfires, Newsom declared a state of emergency over the weekend. On Tuesday, he expressed optimism that California could get through multiple crises at once. “This is a resilient state,” Newsom said. “We have a remarkable capacity to meet these challenges head on.” | ['us-news/california', 'world/wildfires', 'business/pacific-gas-and-electric-company', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/vivian-ho', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2020-09-08T23:48:13Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2009/sep/01/metropolitan-police-climate-camp-tactics | Met promises to repeat low-key Climate Camp policing at future demonstrations | Scotland Yard said tonight the model of policing used at Climate Camp, the week-long gathering of environmental activists that ends tomorrow, was a "really successful" approach that would be repeated at future demonstrations. Chief Superintendant Helen Ball, a spokeswoman for policing at the campsite in Blackheath, south-east London, said neighbourhood-style tactics which included a "low-key" presence, limited surveillance of activists and almost no use of stop-and-search powers proved the Met had changed its approach since the G20 protests in April. The tactic is likely to be repeated at future demonstrations, she said, noting there had been just one arrest in seven days. "Where the opportunity arises to adopt a similar policing style in the future, we will do that." The Met's six-day policing operation at the camp was in stark contrast to the way the force handled the April demonstrations, when many of the same protesters were "kettled" and charged with batons as they were forcibly cleared from Bishopsgate, central London, which they intended to occupy for one night. Ball said the approach was "not an accident", but designed to build trust with activists after the G20 that would be repeated at future demonstrations. Organisers of the camp, which will end tomorrow as activists dismantle the site, which has been used as a model for sustainable living and training camp for activism, said more than 5,000 people took part in direct training workshops and discussion about global warming. Some said the barely visible police presence meant a greater attendance from people who would have otherwise have been nervous about participating. The decision not to use stop-and- searches was in complete contrast to last year's camp at Kingsnorth power station, in Kent, where there was blanket use of the powers. But activists were cautious about welcoming the Met's change in stance. "We're not going to be grateful to the police for not assaulting us and not trampling over our civil liberties like they did at Kingsnorth," said Tracy Lane, from the camp's media team. "The fact they maintained a low-key presence at this event doesn't mean any long-term, substantial change in the policing of protest." Climate Camp was used to prepare for a "mass action" against Nottinghamshire's Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in October andlaunched a series of smaller protests across the City yesterday. Protesters glued themselves to the headquarters of RBS and superglued themselves naked to the offices of Edelman PR, which represents the energy company E.ON. Friction did arise when Superintendant Julia Pendry entered the camp on the first day to talk to campers. She is understood to have wanted access to the camp, but agreed to backed down and all other meetings with between police and campers were held outside the perimeter fence. Officers did keep watch of the camp via CCTV cameras erected on a nearby crane. The force used its newly-activated Twitter account to dispell the as rumour that the cameras had directional microphones. Another Twitter message informed campers that a mobile police station parked had been closed "as there is no demand for it". • This article was amended on Wednesday 2 September 2009. We said activists superglued themselves naked to the officers of Edelman PR: we meant, of course, offices. This has been corrected. | ['environment/climate-camp', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'uk/police', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'world/protest', 'environment/activism', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/paullewis', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/climate-camp | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2009-09-01T18:24:18Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
lifeandstyle/2014/jun/19/sustainable-blog-of-the-week-moral-fibres | Sustainable blog of the week: Moral Fibres | What inspired you to live more sustainably, and write about it? I’ve always been interested in the environment and sustainable living. I have a degree in environmental geography and a masters in environmental sustainability, and I’ve been lucky enough to work in the environmental sector since graduating, so it really is a long running interest. There was no real pivotal moment for me. I decided to start writing about living more sustainably at the start of last year. My partner and I have always lived our lives fairly sustainably but we felt we could do a bit more. We’d recently had a baby and we started to think more and more about environmentalism and consumerism. I started looking around the internet for blogs to draw inspiration from but at the time I couldn’t find anything that I felt I could relate to. A lot of the (mostly American) sites I came across at that time inadvertently bolstered some of the negative stereotypes that people often have of environmentalists – things like "yoghurt knitters" or "lentil weavers" – so I decided to start my own blog to show that sustainable living could be stylish and relevant to everyone’s lives, whether you identified as an environmentalist or not. Since then, I’ve found many great environmental blogs that don’t perpetuate the common negative environmental stereotypes, and it’s great to see so many relatable blogs out there coming to the fore. What changes have you made to live a greener lifestyle? We’ve made more of an effort to reduce our food waste, and I regularly share the tips I’ve found on my blog. I’ve also got really into foraging in this past year, and often share recipes that feature my foraged finds to encourage others to get out there and forage. The last recipe I shared was nettle pesto, which was surprisingly tasty! I wouldn’t say we do anything particularly unusual in our lives – we just go about living a normal life as sustainably as we can, and I think the blog reflects that. It’s all about simple, achievable and affordable things that anyone can do to lead a greener life, so some of the more "out-there" ways to live a greener life, such as turning faeces into power, probably wouldn’t feature too heavily on the blog. I guess some might say that the fact that we live in a small, rural village but don’t have a car is quite unusual – but that’s probably as unusual as it gets around here! What have you learned along the way? There honestly isn’t a day that goes by without learning something new. Although I have an academic background in sustainability, my career has mainly focused on sustainable transport so by writing the blog I’m learning more and more about all facets of sustainable living. The world of ethical fashion is a relatively new one to me, and a topic my readers tell me they enjoy reading about it most on the blog, so that has been a real eye-opener. My new interest in foraging has also completely changed how I look at the world. Instead of seeing plants, weeds or trees I now see a potential meal. How has your family reacted to your decision? Because it’s been such a long standing focus of my life the blog didn’t come as much of a surprise to my family, and they all have been incredibly supportive of it. The only real area of our lives which was met with some friction was our decision to go vegetarian. Now and again the issue of vegetarianism is raised with us, predominantly out of concern for our health. I think there’s quite a common misconception that vegetarians are quite sickly, but thankfully we’ve found that these fears are completely unjustified. I’d say though that in every other area of our lives we’re only ever supported and encouraged. What encourages you to keep living sustainably? As well as knowing that we’re helping the environment, I’ve found that living more sustainably saves us money. We used washable nappies on our daughter and I calculated that we’d saved a small fortune on disposable nappies. The blog has also attracted such a like-minded community of supportive readers. When they tell me that the blog or a particular post has helped them to live a bit more sustainably it’s really motivational and spurs me on that bit more. Wendy blogs here and tweets here. If you would like your green or sustainable blog to be featured in Grassroots, send us an email to livebetterchallenge@theguardian.com. Interested in finding out more about how you can live better? Take a look at this month's Live Better challenge here. The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. | ['lifeandstyle/live-better', 'lifeandstyle/series/sustainability-blog-of-the-week', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'environment/environment', 'environment/ethical-living', 'lifeandstyle/gardeningadvice', 'environment/recycling', 'food/food', 'environment/waste', 'type/article', 'profile/katherine-purvis'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2014-06-19T11:29:34Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
world/2008/feb/13/australia1 | British tourists rescued as gales send drifting yacht on to rocks | A British man has described the panic aboard a stricken yacht full of backpackers that ran aground in wild seas around the Great Barrier Reef before the 37 passengers were plucked to safety by helicopters. Tim Jones said many of the young tourists were terrified after the boat struck rocks off Australia's Whitsunday islands in the middle of night and began listing and taking in water. "You've seen [the film] Titanic ... the boat was listing at 45 degrees and people couldn't keep their footing. They were holding on to what they could to steady themselves but they were still sliding away. "There were beds and other bits of furniture floating by. It was pretty intense." The group, which included eight holidaymakers from Britain, set out on Sunday on the 18-metre yacht Romance, which takes budget travellers on short sailing and scuba diving trips. The weather deteriorated on Monday night when 30-knot winds produced huge swells, and the boat got into difficulties around 2am when it broke anchor and started drifting towards Hook island. "The boat had been rocking from side to side really hard and none of us had got any sleep so we knew right away what was happening," said Jones, 24, from Sheffield. The captain told the tourists to stay down below in the main cabin and they heard "an almighty bang" as the craft struck rocks and began to be pounded by huge breakers. They came up on deck and several futile attempts were made to get ashore. "There was only one flashlight so we were all in the dark and there was a really scary moment when we thought one of the girls had gone overboard," he said. "A lot of the girls were crying." Rescuers responding to a mayday call found the vessel listing dangerously, and plans to use boats or string a line to shore were abandoned because of the appalling conditions. Three helicopters from the air rescue service were called to winch the tourists off two at a time in an operation that took more than an hour. Jones said the rescue crews were heroes. "It was a really dangerous manoeuvre because they had to cut away all the rigging and sails to get the winch lines down. Some of the people airlifted off did actually hit the mast as they were going up but there were no serious injuries," he said. Dr Julianne Schliebs, who was aboard one of the helicopters, said the tourists were fortunate to escape with only minor injuries. "We knew there were more than 30 passengers on board a crashed vessel - it did not sound good," she said. Queensland's premier, Anna Bligh, thanked those who had taken part in the "daring and courageous rescue". During the night a family of six was also plucked to safety from their stricken yacht, and boats moored in nearby harbours were damaged. The shocked tourists, who have lost all their belongings, are still on Hayman island recovering from their ordeal. | ['australia-news/australia-news', 'world/world', 'uk/uk', 'travel/travel', 'world/asia-pacific', 'environment/great-barrier-reef', 'type/article', 'profile/barbaramcmahon', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/great-barrier-reef | BIODIVERSITY | 2008-02-13T01:03:33Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sustainable-business/blog/underestimate-climate-change-underfund-innovation | We are underestimating climate change and underfunding innovation | Sustainability has become a race between two kinds of destruction. The destructive power of a changing climate reduces our economic activity and forces us to divert available funds toward remediation and repair, threatening our ability to incubate and fund 'creative destruction', first named by Joseph Schumpeter. Creative destruction replaces the old and unsustainable with new products, services and processes of greater value. By destroying what we have already built and forcing us to repair or write off old infrastructure, natural disasters undermine our ability to invest in the future. The increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters that climate change is causing threaten the innovation we so desperately need. Climate change makes three demands on the capacity of businesses, governments and individuals to invest scarce resources. First, we must adapt our existing systems to the new climate, adding more robust power and cooling systems, redeveloping almost all of our agricultural processes, building new levees and barrier islands, clearing flood plains of development and resettling affected businesses and families. Second, we must be prepared to write off or repair existing assets that will be damaged by storms, heat and drought, even as the insurance industry becomes more restrictive in its underwriting. Third, we must develop new technologies that will reduce and reverse our carbon emissions, a programme critical to our survival as a species. Every extreme weather event that causes damage costing billions to remediate diverts investment dollars away from productivity and into subsistence. Calgary In late June, sudden storms and a saturated water table overwhelmed two great rivers of southern Alberta, the Bow and the Elbow, flooding the downtown core of Calgary. It destroyed homes and businesses, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands and caused an estimated C$5bn in damage. A railway bridge collapsed under the weight of a cargo train, leaving carriages filled with toxic petroleum diluent dangling over the Bow River for nearly 24 hours. The disaster befell Calgary a week before the Stampede rodeo, which brings in C$340m annually. For many years, reports and planning documents warned of the potential for extraordinary losses due to flooding. But Calgary has never fully addressed the risks inherent in building a downtown core in a flood plain. The negative impact of the floods will be followed by insurance money, new mortgages and government disaster relief flowing into the areas most deeply affected. However, a great deal of value will have been written off, displacing investments in innovation. Creative destruction In recent years, Calgary has built an infrastructure to promote entrepreneurship. Innovate Calgary is a massive organisation providing assistance to start-ups. Haskayne, the University of Calgary business school, offers an entrepreneurship and innovation concentration. Startup Calgary creates networks among high-tech business founders, and AcceleratorYYC provides incubator services. There's a group for women entrepreneurs. Together, this infrastructure has produced Canada's highest number of entrepreneurs per capita. Many of these entrepreneurs have been creating greener alternatives, chasing the dream of a better future. They've built Twin Hills, a LEED-ND certified "next era" town, based in wetlands preservation and water and energy conservation, good public transit, reliable fibre optics, alternative energy use and entrepreneurial solutions. They have created green roofs and xeriscape garden installations. They are creating employee reward programmes that include green spending accounts. The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology is backing student-led innovations in green building technology. As is true almost everywhere, the only limit seems to be funding. There are simply not enough high-risk, high-reward funding sources to bring great ideas to fruition as viable products or companies. And now the increasingly indebted Alberta government and its people must find billions of dollars to help rebuild what has been lost. The future How can we fund our future if we are constantly remediating the destruction of our existing capital? If we are to reduce destruction of our capital due to climate-change related weather, we must identify and invest in the best new technologies and pursue them until they are viable. The problem of extreme weather will only become more dangerous. It has already become commonplace, destroying crops, riverbanks, homes, towns, factories and offices. Insurance providers, whether governments or corporations, are less willing and able to underwrite risks and compensate policy holders. Both natural and creative destruction make it clear that material objects – inventions, bridges, dams, early warning systems – are the building blocks of an economy. We must invent, build and invest in the ones that have the most value for our future. We cannot afford to do otherwise. This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Become GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'guardian-professional/sustainability', 'sustainable-business/climate-change', 'weather/calgary', 'environment/flooding', 'sustainable-business/blog', 'tone/blog', 'type/article', 'profile/alison-kemper', 'profile/roger-martin'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2013-09-09T13:32:04Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
us-news/2023/nov/13/freeway-fire-los-angeles | Los Angeles interstate fire: arson likely cause of raging blaze, authorities say | Arson was probably the cause of a raging fire over the weekend that has closed a mile-long stretch of the I-10, a major elevated interstate highway near downtown, the California governor said on Monday. The California department of forestry and fire protection fire marshal made a preliminary determination that the fire was set intentionally, Gavin Newsom said during a press conference at the fire site. He said investigators had received some tips from witnesses but did not say if there were any suspects or persons of interest. Newsom said investigators were trying to determine if one or more persons were involved. He gave no other details. “I have to stress that we have determined what started the fire,” Newsom told reporters. The closure has wreaked havoc for LA commuters and officials have warned commuters that they should expect traffic snarls as crews assess the damage to the route, which is typically used by 300,000 vehicles daily. It is not yet known whether the damaged portion will be repaired or demolished entirely, officials said. “As we made clear yesterday, this was a huge fire and the damage will not be fixed in an instant,” said Karen Bass, the LA mayor, at a news conference on Monday morning. “Engineers have worked all night and are working right now to determine our path forward.” Hazardous materials teams have taken samples of burned material to analyze, and will then remove debris from underneath I-10 to make way for engineers tasked with ensuring the columns and deck of the highway can support the vehicles that typically travel that route each day, officials said. The interstate is the top priority of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, who visited the area on Sunday, said Toks Omishakin, the head of California’s transportation department. Newsom said crews are working around the clock, but that officials could not yet offer a timeline for when the highway might reopen. Preliminary samples taken from the highway deck found that it appears stronger than originally assessed but more structural analysis is under way, Newsom said on Monday. Officials have urged commuters to use public transportation into downtown LA or work from home if possible as the closure will have ripple effects on other freeways and surface streets. Commuters should stay on freeways as surface streets will not be able to accommodate a surge of 300,000 people, Bass said. “Losing this stretch of the 10 freeway will take time and money from people’s lives and businesses,” Bass said. “It’s disrupting in every way.” The blaze was first reported around 12.20am Saturday when flames tore through a pallet yard in an industrial area under the highway. The fire spread to another pallet yard and burned parked cars, stacks of wooden pallets and support poles for high-tension power lines, the fire chief, Kristin Crowley, said. No injuries were reported. One of the damaged vehicles was a fire engine, the Los Angeles Times reported. Pandemic-era sanitizer that was being stored under the freeway helped fuel the blaze, sources told the newspaper. More than 160 firefighters from more than two dozen companies responded to the blaze, which spread across 8 acres – the equivalent of about six football fields – and burned for three hours. The highway’s columns are charred and chipped, and guardrails along the deck are twisted and blackened. Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday afternoon and directed the state department of transportation to request assistance from the federal government. Bass, said she had also talked with the US secretary of transportation, Pete Buttigieg, about any additional resources that may be needed. The governor said on Sunday that the state had been in litigation with the owner of the business leasing the storage property where the fire started. The lease is expired, Newsom said, and the business had been in arrears while subleasing the space. “This is a site we were aware of, this is a lessee we were aware of,” he said. Omishakin said storage yards under highways are common statewide and across the country, but that the practice would be re-evaluated following the fire. At least 16 unhoused people living underneath the highway were evacuated and brought to shelters, Bass said. Officials said there was no immediate indication that the blaze began at the encampment, but misinformation spread in the aftermath blaming unhoused people. “We know that the origin of this is arson,” Bass said. “We do not know other information. There is no reason to assume that the reason this fire happened is because there were unhoused individuals nearby.” The mayor said the fire’s long-term impact could be reminiscent of damage from the Northridge earthquake that flattened freeways in 1994. “Unfortunately, there is no reason to think that this is going to be over in a couple of days,” she said. | ['us-news/los-angeles', 'world/wildfires', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/road-transport', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/dani-anguiano', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2023-11-14T02:04:11Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2016/jun/07/mike-croxford-obituary | Mike Croxford obituary | My lifelong friend and colleague Mike Croxford, who has died aged 71, was a pioneer of recycling in his native Wales. The Welsh government’s current recycling performance – at 60% it is fourth in Europe – owes much to Mike, who was a founder member of the Zero Waste movement worldwide and of the Zero Waste International Trust. His interest in recycling began in 1980, while running the Augusta Street youth project in Cardiff. The young people started collecting newspapers to improve their standing among local people and to fundraise to run events for the community. The project turned into the Community Support Anti-Waste Scheme (CSAWS) that in 1986 initiated the first citywide collection scheme in the UK. When CSAWS was wound up after funding changes, Mike did some consultancy work and then moved to Newport to transform the collection system Wastesavers. He was chairman of National Community Recycling Networks until it too was wound up, in 2012, hosting conferences and meeting ministers at Westminster and in Cardiff. He was also active in promoting Zero Waste worldwide. Mike was born in Cardiff. His father, John, was a Pathfinder pilot who died in action over Germany in 1944, six months before Mike was born. His mother, Dorothy (nee Pugh), was the nursing sister at the Dock Labour Board (the dockland medical centre) until the mid-1970s. After his father’s death, the RAF funded some years of Mike’s education at King’s College, Taunton, and then he attended Monkton House school in Cardiff before gaining a hospitality qualification at Cardiff College of Food Technology. In 1969 Mike was managing the Grand Hotel in Cardiff when he met Anne Rowlands, an economics student at Cardiff University who had a part-time job at the hotel. Shortly after Anne’s graduation in 1970 the couple moved to east Africa, where Mike took up a hotel management job at the Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam, and they had a daughter, Kari. After Anne and Mike divorced a few years later, Mike spent several years in India and Nepal, including a few months in a Buddhist monastery. In 1978 he met Pam Hall. They married and had two children, Alexandra and Sam; Pam already had a son, Jason, and a daughter, Julie. Friends since childhood, Mike and I shared accommodation for three years when he returned to Wales. At Wastesavers in 1994 he met Caroline Williams, who was involved in educational work and who became his companion for the rest of his life. At 6ft 5in and with a big voice to match, Mike was larger than life, attracting attention and affection commensurate with that substantial presence. He had a wickedly sharp wit, a wide range of cultural interests and enjoyed fishing. He was appointed MBE in 2006. He is survived by Caroline, Kari, Alex, Sam, Jason and Julie. | ['environment/recycling', 'environment/waste', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/environment', 'uk/wales', 'theguardian/series/otherlives', 'tone/obituaries', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/obituaries'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2016-06-07T15:50:29Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2023/oct/18/wrexhams-480-year-old-sweet-chestnut-crowned-tree-of-the-year | Wrexham’s 480-year-old sweet chestnut crowned tree of the year | A 480-year-old sweet chestnut that has withstood storms, firewood collectors and, increasingly, parties and picnics beneath its boughs has been crowned tree of the year. The stately ancient tree in Wrexham’s Acton Park fought off competition from 10 other urban trees in the Woodland Trust competition, which this year highlighted city trees which are widely enjoyed by the public but are often still vulnerable to destruction. Previous winners include the Sycamore Gap tree (2016) beside Hadrian’s Wall which was felled last month, as well as the Cubbington Pear in Warwickshire (2015), which was chopped down to make way for the HS2 rail line. Wrexham’s much-loved tree has been showering people with sweet chestnuts since the reign of Henry VIII, and has survived many challenges, including people plundering the park for firewood in the 1940s and numerous storms, including one in 2021 which blew down neighbouring trees. The 24-metre high tree, which won 17% of the vote, is appreciated by many people and celebrated by the local council, which hosted a party for it this month. Hugh Jones, lead member of Wrexham county borough council’s environment and technical department, said the council was delighted with its victory. “We would like to thank the people of Wrexham and the wider population who took the time to vote,” he said. “It goes to show that the Wrexham sweet chestnut has inspired people for so many years and is now getting some well-deserved recognition.” Rob McBride, a tree campaigner who lives nearby, visited the tree last weekend and found it busy with admirers and chestnut collectors. He said: “Wrexham has had a torrid time since the 1970s with heavy industry closing. This is showing – along with the football – how nature and leisure can reinvigorate a community.” After a Surrey yew won the competition last year, the Crouch Oak in the same county came second this year with 14% of the vote. It is famed for reputedly having hosted a picnic for Queen Elizabeth I underneath its copious canopy. Another sweet chestnut in Greenwich Park, planted at the request of King Charles II after he took the throne in 1660, polled 13% of votes. Jack Taylor, of the Woodland Trust, said the Wrexham sweet chestnut was a worthy winner. “The sweet chestnut in Wrexham’s Acton Park is a symbol of resilience in the city having survived many storms and other threats,” he said. “This almost 500-year-old giant is celebrated and loved by locals for its beauty and history and it now has the claim to fame of being a tree of the year winner. A true icon!” The Wrexham tree will now represent Britain in the European tree of the year competition. | ['environment/forests', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'uk/wales', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/patrickbarkham', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-10-18T18:30:30Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2015/sep/04/solar-industry-criticises-queensland-government-for-delay-in-tackling-prices | Solar industry criticises Queensland government for delay in tackling prices | The body for the Australian solar industry has criticised the Queensland government for an “unacceptable” delay in tackling prices for solar energy amid a dramatic slump in new rooftop solar customers. The Palaszczuk government, which aims to lift the number of homes with solar panels in the “sunshine state” to 1m by 2020, has tasked the state productivity commission with reviewing prices that were cut dramatically by the previous Liberal National government. But it will not make a ruling on prices until the outcome of the commission’s inquiry, which will assess “public and consumer benefits” of solar power, in mid-2016. Consumer group Solar Citizens welcomed the inquiry, saying it delivered on Labor’s promise to investigate fair prices after “solar owners were facing attacks by the then Newman government”. Solar Citizens campaign director Dan Scaysbrook said: “Queensland’s 422,923 solar households have done the right thing by investing in clean energy and making a growing contribution to the state’s electricity grid. It’s now time for this public inquiry to ensure they’re given a fair go.” But John Grimes, chief executive of the Australian Solar Council, said the government was needlessly prolonging uncertainty around prices and warding off prospective solar customers by waiting until mid-2016. “The government seems to have good intentions … but they’ve got to understand there are commercial realities and at the end of the day a leisurely review process taking 18 months or more after they were elected is simply unacceptable,” Grimes said. “I think we’ve just seen too many governments use the review process to kick the can down the road.” The cut under the Newman government, which saw prices paid by utilities for solar power fed back into the grid drop from 44c a kilowatt hour to 8c, has seen the weekly sales of new panel systems this month sink to a third of the level in 2012. Queensland, which boasts sites with among the highest sun irradiation levels in the country, also has more solar panels than any state, about a third of Australia’s 1.44m home systems. But the former government claimed the original 44c rate was too generous because the cost of utilities meeting solar power payments pushed up electricity prices for those without systems. Grimes said numerous studies and inquiries had previously shown this to be false and utilities were now making large profits by selling solar power back to their customers at retail prices. Grimes said the industry had taken a “big hit” from price cuts, and prolonged uncertainty was warding off customers. He welcomed the idea of a “properly resourced” inquiry but said it should report back by the end of the year, with a government moving on prices early in the new year. Grimes said while the solar council “don’t advocate for a windfall profit for solar customers”, surplus power was being sold to neighbours at full retail rates. “The power company might have paid 6 to 8c for that power and they’re selling it at 28, 32, 40c,” he said. “That is simply not fair and it doesn’t take a 12 to 18 month government inquiry to figure that out.” Grimes said the argument used by the former government that old solar prices meant “poor people were paying for rich people’s solar panels” had been “smashed” most recently by the Warburton inquiry. A report for that inquiry by ACIL Allen consulting concluded “the more renewables we have on the network, the cheaper electricity prices become”, he said. The contribution of solar took the load off power infrastructure, delayed or eliminated the need for network upgrades, and pushed down power prices for all network customers at times of peak demand, Grimes said. He said where the wholesale price of power during the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009 reached $5,000 a megawatt hour, the price during similar climatic conditions in January 2014 peaked at $500/mw hr. “The one big difference between those events was you had several hundred thousands solar PV systems pushing excess electricity into the grid precisely when electricity prices were the highest,” Grimes said. | ['environment/solarpower', 'australia-news/queensland', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/energy', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/queensland-politics', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/liberal-national-party', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/joshua-robertson'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2015-09-03T23:19:44Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2024/oct/25/astrazeneca-uk-jobs-biodiversity-drug-levy | AstraZeneca ‘said it could cut UK jobs’ if biodiversity drug levy is introduced | AstraZeneca has said it may cut jobs at its UK operation if the government enforces a global push to make companies share profits derived from nature’s genetic codes, multiple sources have told the Guardian. The alleged comments from the company came amid a concerted lobbying push by the pharmaceutical industry against the profit-sharing measures. Sources told the Guardian that the British-Swedish biotech company – which made $5.96bn (£4.59bn) profit last year – made the comments during a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs roundtable meeting last week to discuss a proposed new global levy on drugs derived from the digital forms of biodiversity. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca denied the comments were made by their representative. The genetic codes of nature – which, when stored digitally, are known as digital sequence information (DSI) – are playing a growing role in new drug development in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. But there is widespread anger among biodiverse countries about how DSI is being used by multinational companies to develop commercial products – almost always for free. Most of the world’s remaining biodiversity is concentrated in poorer countries. They argue that the free use of this genetic information amounts to “biopiracy”, and say companies should share profits when indigenous species are used to develop commercial products. Global leaders have already agreed in principle that these benefits should be shared more fairly. They are now gathered in Cali, Colombia, at the biodiversity Cop16, in negotiations over what form that sharing should take. Ideas under consideration include a 1% global tax on profits of goods derived from DSI, which could cost the Cambridge-based company as much as $60m if enforced by the UK government [that figure represents an estimated maximum, as not all of the firm’s profit would be derived from DSI]. The profit-sharing proposals have prompted significant backlash from pharmaceutical companies. In March, AstraZeneca announced a £650m investment in its UK operations, including £450m for its vaccine research and manufacturing facility in Liverpool. According to sources present at last week’s meeting, however, a representative for the company said jobs in north-west England could be affected by any levy. Without a global agreement on how revenue is shared from discoveries based on DSI, some countries have threatened to restrict access to their biodiversity – potentially a major blow for commercial and scientific research. Proceeds from the global fund would be used for nature conservation around the world in an effort to prevent the continued destruction of ecosystems. Eva Zabey, chief executive of Business for Nature, said making progress on DSI at the Cop16 negotiations was essential. “Nature underpins every aspect of our economy. The benefits of natural resources – including through digital sequencing – must be valued and shared fairly. Businesses have a responsibility to contribute financially and non-financially for their use of these resources,” she said. While any DSI levy would be voluntary, governments are free to implement compulsory national measures, an approach that is under consideration by the UK government. At the Defra meeting on 15 October, pharmaceutical industry representatives voiced strong opposition to the idea and said a compulsory levy would damage competitiveness with countries such as the US, which is not a signatory to the UN biodiversity process and would not introduce any levy. Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, who attended the Defra meeting, said the imposition of a compulsory levy for UK-based companies was “a poorly targeted and damaging response to a critical global challenge”. “It would discourage the use of this vital data, stifling British research efforts into vital to public health concerns,” he said. “Any multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism must promote conservation objectives alongside scientific innovation and economic growth. The proposals on the table at Cop16 for a compulsory levy do not achieve this. “They will have a direct impact on UK innovation, investment and growth, made worse by the fact that key nations such as the US will not impose a levy, putting the UK at an active disadvantage in attracting cutting-edge medical research,” he said. Ahead of the negotiations in Cali, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), said it had “serious concerns” about a proposed global DSI tax, and that it could further complicate research. Steve Bates, chief executive of the UK Bioindustry Association, said: “Any rules or levies that come from this summit will be imposing barriers to innovation and business growth … We have already discussed this with the UK government delegation going to Colombia.” International DSI negotiations at Cop16 are expected to conclude on Friday next week. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said it may be the case that others in the room at the meeting on 15 October who represent the industry may have made comments about the impact on companies. “I can confirm that no AstraZeneca representative made threats to move operations or cut jobs. As a company we are aligned with the position set out by the IFPMA which can be found here,” they said. Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'business/astrazeneca', 'environment/cop-16', 'business/pharmaceuticals-industry', 'science/drugs', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'science/genetics', 'science/biology', 'science/science', 'business/business', 'politics/taxandspending', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'politics/politics', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/patrick-greenfield', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-age-of-extinction'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-10-25T05:00:12Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
global-development/2021/nov/28/can-the-gambia-turn-the-tide-to-save-its-shrinking-beaches | Can the Gambia turn the tide to save its shrinking beaches? | When Saikou Demba was a young man starting out in the hospitality business, he opened a little hotel on the Gambian coast called the Leybato and ran a beach bar on the wide expanse of golden sand. The hotel is still there, a relaxed spot where guests can lie in hammocks beneath swaying palm trees and stroll along shell-studded pathways. But the beach bar is not. At high tide, Demba reckons it would be about five or six metres into the sea. “The first year the tide came in high but it was OK,” he says. “The second year, the tide came in high but it was OK. The third year, I came down one day and it [the bar] wasn’t there: half of it went into the sea.” That was in the 1980s, before most people had even heard of the greenhouse effect. But to Demba, 71, and many others like him, it was obvious even then that things were changing. The sea was coming in further and further every year, and the coastline, bit by bit, was crumbling. Now, the Leybato has lost not only its beach bar but, at high tide, its beach: the sea comes right up to the bottom of the terrace and splashes over the top. The erosion of the coastline is clearly visible in the cracked paving stones and exposed roots of the coconut trees. The sea grass that used to carpet the ocean floor has gone. “Those grasses were protecting the sea, but there are no more now,” says Demba. “I also used to see turtles, big turtles. Now, none. We are in a very sad situation.” All along the 50-mile coastline of the Gambia, Africa’s smallest mainland country, hotels and guesthouses are facing similar pressures. And, in a developing country where tourism makes up about 20% of GDP and employs tens of thousands of people, it could not be more important that they withstand them. “We have already learned the lesson from Covid-19. Tourism is very, very important [for the country],” says Alpha Saine, front-office manager of the Kairaba hotel, one of the two most luxurious in the country. After a prolonged absence during the pandemic, European tourists are starting to return to the Gambia, even if numbers appear significantly down. Saine hopes Covid soon “becomes history”. The threat posed to the industry by the climate crisis, however, is more formidable in the long term, and no one appears to have found a solution that works for all. On the beaches of the Kairaba and Senegambia hotels, the beating heart of the Gambia’s “smiling coast” tourism industry, a barrier of rocks has been laid that runs for several hundred metres along the shoreline, stopping the waves from encroaching too far. When the tide is low the beach is still big and, in the age of Covid, gloriously empty – but at high tide it is a narrow strip of sand. That is not enough to put most people off. Taking a stroll in the sunshine with the waves lapping around her feet, Ann Eady – on her 15th Gambian holiday – says the barrier doesn’t bother her at all. “They’ve got to maintain the beauty they’ve got. It would be a shame for it to go,” says Eady, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. The rocks are effective, but Lamin Komma, head of coastal and marine environment at the Gambia’s National Environment Agency, is clear about the project’s limitations. “You cannot protect the entire coast with rocks. You cannot do that,” he says. Komma, who is developing a coastal management plan for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, wants the country to focus more on boosting its natural defences, for example, planting coconut trees and mangroves, which can help keep sand in place and absorb carbon in the process. “Putting [in] hard structures, yes, it’s fine, but it’s very expensive and it only serves maybe a period of time,” Komma says. The other thing that needs to change is the country’s expectation that donor partners will foot the bill, he adds. “We cannot keep on relying on donors. We have to have mechanisms in place,” he says. Over at the Leybato, where Demba breaks off from an afternoon feast of watermelon to talk to the Guardian, he seems in tune with this mindset. Not for him the rock barriers, or sea walls. “I have my plan: planting coconut trees,” he says. He has already planted dozens, and there are more to come. But although hopeful and ambitious, Demba is also angry that for more than three decades he has been seeing the climate crisis coming and nothing has been done to stop it. “I don’t think they’re listening to us,” he says, standing beside his crumbling terrace, referring to the political leaders meeting last week at Cop26. “That woman, from Sweden I think [Greta Thunberg], they have to listen to the message she is giving the world: not for us now – I’m 71 – but the young people. Climate change is real. The floods, the fire, they are real. But we have no power to do anything about them. We are the victims, we in Africa, and we are powerless. We just want our children to have a future.” Additional reporting by Omar Wally Sign up for a different view with our Global Dispatch newsletter – a roundup of our top stories from around the world, recommended reads, and thoughts from our team on key development and human rights issues, delivered to your inbox every two weeks:Sign up for Global Dispatch – please check your spam folder for the confirmation email | ['global-development/global-development', 'environment/coastlines', 'world/gambia', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/africa', 'world/world', 'business/travelleisure', 'travel/travel', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/lizzydavies', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/worldnews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2021-11-28T13:00:27Z | true | EMISSIONS |
world/2005/jan/27/tsunami2004.internationalaidanddevelopment11 | The counsellor (UK) | Alan Casselden, 56, works for Cruse Bereavement Care in Darlington A family liaison officer asked if I would work with a woman affected by the tsunami. She has somebody lost, believed dead. When you're working with people like that, the best you can hope to do is to help them manage their feelings. They have disbelief, and that disbelief protects them from the actuality of events. During that period they don't know where they are, really. They're fluctuating from thinking that the person's dead and then that they might be alive. There's ambiguity, because for a lot of people there aren't any actual bodies. Perception is reality. So, if they perceive that the person may be alive somewhere, it's not for me to impose my views on them. [The counselling] will continue for as long as both parties - myself and them - consider there's some healing getting done. You know the term "closure?" I really dislike that. I've got very little hair, but what I've got stands up on the back of my neck when I hear that. For me bereavement doesn't close. You learn to live with it. | ['world/tsunami2004', 'global-development/global-development', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features'] | world/tsunami2004 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2005-01-27T09:38:43Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
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