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global-development/2015/jan/14/tanzania-illegal-logging-tree-species-extinction | Tanzania: illegal logging threatens tree species with extinction | Illegal logging gangs in Tanzania are smuggling hundreds of tonnes of trees every month and driving some species to the brink of local extinction, officials have warned. In a trend similar to the poachers laying waste to African wildlife, armed loggers are slipping into forests at night and transferring their natural wealth to highly organised syndicates, seemingly with impunity. Shamte Mahawa Mangwi, village executive officer in the district of Rufiji, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation: “The loggers seem to be very well-organised and armed. Unfortunately, our local forest guards do not have the capacity to confront them.” Indigenous tree species such as mninga and mpodo are facing local extinction due to high demand for their wood in the construction and furniture industries, according to district records. More than 70% of the total volume of wood harvested in the forest is unaccounted for, causing huge losses of government revenue from levies, taxes and fees. Nurdeen Babu, a Rufiji district commissioner and chairman of the forest harvesting committee, said illegal harvesting threatens the survival of natural forests, but insisted that the government is fighting back. “We have beefed up security by increasing the number of forests guards,” he said. “Anyone who is found to be doing anything illegal in the forest will be arrested and charged.” But local villagers complain that fines imposed on those caught are too low to act as a deterrent. They also accuse some district forest officials of colluding with illegal loggers, helping them to move the wood through unofficial routes while pretending to detain them. Justin Mfinanga, who lives in the village of Ikwiriri, said: “I don’t have any trust with the police force. They sometimes arrest suspected criminals and release them without charge.” Police have denied the allegations. Tanzania has 33m hectares (82m acres) of forests and woodland but has been losing more than 400,000 hectares of forest each year for two decades, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s most recent Global Forests Resources Assessment found. The east African country’s controller and auditor general report in 2012 said 96% of trees cut are illegally harvested. Illegal cutting is the result of poor planning and the government’s inability to manage its forestry resources, it added. A 2013 report by Global Witness found that collusion between political elites, civil servants and logging companies is systematically robbing people of their livelihoods in African countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Ghana and Cameroon. Greenpeace Africa has warned that logging is the single biggest threat to the Congo basin rainforest. | ['global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'global-development/global-development', 'world/tanzania', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'environment/deforestation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/davidsmith'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-01-14T11:11:50Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
commentisfree/2020/jan/17/the-guardian-view-on-flight-shaming-face-it-life-must-change | The Guardian view on ‘flight shaming’: face it – life must change | Editorial | It started in Sweden, where the term flygskam (flight shame) was coined in 2018 to describe the unease about flying experienced by environmentally conscious travellers. The hashtag #jagstannarpåmarken (which translates as #stayontheground) came into use around the same time, as groups sprang up to share tips. Other wealthy countries are not immune from such trends: a recent survey of 6,000 people in Germany, France, the UK and the US found 21% had cut back. Such a shift in attitudes makes it all the more disturbing that members of the current government, including the health secretary, Matt Hancock, have yet to catch up. Asked twice on the radio this week whether people should reduce the number of flights they take, the minister said they should not. The Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has probably done more than anyone else to promote the idea that flying should, wherever possible, be avoided. In August she went to New York on a zero-emissions sailing boat. In Sweden last year, air passenger numbers fell by 5% as rail numbers went up. The German Green party (which topped 20% and doubled its seats in last year’s European elections) aims to make domestic flights obsolete. With new research showing 2019 was the second-hottest year on record on the planet’s surface, and the hottest-ever for the oceans, it is increasingly difficult to understand why any rational person would not be behind all and any measures designed to reduce carbon emissions. Evidence of the growing danger extends from the devastation caused by the Australian bushfires to this week’s report that up to 1 million seabirds were killed in less than a year by a “hot blob” in the Pacific Ocean. This context made it particularly troubling to hear a senior UK government minister, and one generally considered to be on the moderate wing of his party, blithely deny that reducing flights is a good idea. Just as bad was the fact that his remarks came only hours after the announcement of a tax holiday and review of air passenger duty as part of a rescue deal to save the regional airline Flybe. Mr Hancock’s comment that “we should use technology to reduce carbon emissions” could be dismissed as naive if it was not so irresponsible. Electric flight is in its infancy and, while there have been significant gains in fuel efficiency, zero-carbon flight remains a remote prospect. Projections of future emissions consistently expect aviation to be responsible for an increasing share of the total, although the industry complains that it is unfairly singled out given that the current figure is 2.5%. The UK, however, is a special case. Aviation is responsible for 7% of emissions now and is expected to overtake all other sources by 2050. Britons are the most frequent flyers to international destinations in the world, although a small minority are responsible for the vast majority of flights; by contrast, 48% reported in a recent government survey that they had not flown at all in the previous year. The US, meanwhile, has by far the heaviest air traffic (including domestic flights) overall, with the International Air Transport Association predicting that China will overtake it in about five years’ time – and global air traffic expected to double to around 8.2bn passengers annually by 2037. No one wants remote locations such as some of those served by Flybe to be cut off, which is why the handful of routes deemed socially necessary are exempt from European state aid rules. But ministers should promote alternatives wherever possible. Hinting at a reduction in flight taxes when rail fares are rising by 2.7% sends the wrong message. Individuals altering their habits, even in large numbers, will not avert disaster. In a sense the opposite is true: collective action by whole countries, led by governments, to push entire economies into a clean era is the answer. But “flight shame”, along with movements to restrict other carbon-intensive forms of consumption, is still a force for good. The point is not to show that you are better than other people, or to displace anxiety from the public realm into the private one. It is to show the world’s leaders, in business and politics, that we get it: life must change. • This article’s headline was amended on 18 January 2020 to better reflect the content of the article. The text was amended on 21 January to correct a reference to global air traffic potentially reaching “8.2bn flights” by 2037; the predicted figure relates to the number of air passengers, not flights. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/air-transport', 'business/flybe', 'politics/matt-hancock', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'business/business', 'politics/politics', 'environment/environment', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/science', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'tone/editorials', 'tone/comment', 'politics/conservatives', 'type/article', 'profile/editorial', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2020-01-17T18:30:06Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2014/nov/03/people-living-near-windfarms-offered-stakes-from-5-pounds-counter-opposition | People living near windfarms to be offered stakes from £5 to counter opposition | People living near new windfarms will be able to buy a stake in them for as little as £5 under new plans, as part of a fightback by industry to win over opponents of wind turbines. In a report produced for the Liberal Democrat energy and climate secretary, Ed Davey, renewable energy trade bodies, community energy groups and academics say that major future wind and solar farms should give communities the chance to invest and own as much as a quarter of projects. Onshore windfarms have proved emotive and politically divisive in the UK, despite polling showing 70% of people would be happy to have one in their local area. The Tory party has promised to pull the plug on onshore windfarm subsidies if it wins the 2015 election. The new voluntary guidelines from the ‘Shared Ownership Taskforce’ are partly designed to avert the threat of government legislating for community ownership of renewable energy projects, which Davey has warned he would push through if companies do not act. Maria McCaffery, the chair of the task force and chief executive of trade body RenewableUK, said the move was intended to cement goodwill with existing supporters of wind power but to win over vocal opponents as well. “We hope with this vehicle to attract some of those that haven’t liked us in the past. There will be people motivated by a financial return, and under present economic circumstances there are not many risk-free ways of getting a decent return. “We’ve knocked ourselves out to make it an affordable thing. There was a very strong message from the outset that this wasn’t just to be for the wealthy, not just for those who could afford new share certificates for £250.” The ownership offer will only apply to projects of £2.5m and up, which in the case of onshore windfarms is around 80-90% of developments. Davey said: “By giving communities the opportunity to buy in and benefit from renewable energy developments in their area, they can play their part in generating power at a local level which could supply enough electricity for 1m homes by 2020.” But the suggestion that developers should engage with local people and offer the chance of ownership at the earliest possible stages of a project is not binding and is entirely voluntary for companies. Renewable energy companies have also raised concerns over the cost of such engagement but the task force report says shared ownership should be “cost neutral”. Leonie Green, a spokeswoman for the Solar Trade Association, one of the members of the task force, said: “Forming direct financial relationships with communities is exciting, but there are still important unknowns on the costs of some of these approaches.” McCaffery said companies would likely recoup any costs if the planning system works more quickly as a result of local people being on board. The report admits some towns and villages might simply be uninterested in taking up the offer of shared ownership, and says developers “should not be judged harshly” by planning officials if that happens. However, in a statement, McCaffery said: “It’s clear that local authorities will look more favourably on projects where local people are fully engaged and wholeheartedly supportive.” | ['environment/windpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'environment/energy', 'society/communities', 'society/society', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-vaughan'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2014-11-03T05:30:07Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2010/jun/06/editorial-bp-oil-leak-energy | The BP oil spill demands we move beyond petroleum | Editorial | Under the reign of its former chief executive, Lord Browne, the initials BP stood for Beyond Petroleum. But far from shifting into a brave new world of clean renewable energy, the company has continued to pursue oil and gas in ever more difficult and dangerous locations. Enlightened investors have long argued that this is a high-risk strategy and so it has proved. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has wiped more than £40bn off the company's value and it is under attack from President Obama for its plans to pay a dividend. Humourists in the City say the initials should now stand for Battered Pensions. This spill should not have been completely unexpected; it was all too conceivable. So was the explosion at the company's Texas City refinery in March 2005 and the Prudhoe Bay leak in Alaska the following year. As Richard Ward, chief executive of Lloyd's of London, pointed out, we now have to ask ourselves whether the environmental and economic costs of our continued reliance on oil are proving too great. Some of our politicians have argued that green technology offers a way of reinventing the UK economy so that it is no longer so dependent on financial services or, for that matter, mega-corporations such as BP. Businesses, including BP, have the financial firepower to lead the green energy agenda and at the same time secure their own long-term economic gain. So far, the signs are not good. The current chief executive, Tony Hayward, shut down the group's alternative energy HQ last year and imposed swingeing budget cuts. He has also taken the company into controversial tar sands projects, despite a protest vote from shareholders. Environmentalism is too often made a sideshow, viewed by executives as optional or sacrificed on the altar of supposed shareholder value. That must end. We can no longer ignore the need to get beyond petroleum. The lesson here is that it is a social – and financial – imperative. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'business/bp', 'business/business', 'environment/environment', 'environment/oil', 'environment/oil-spills', 'tone/editorials', 'type/article', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/comment'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2010-06-05T23:06:22Z | true | ENERGY |
technology/2016/nov/01/hoverboard-amazon-lawsuit-burn-down-house-tennessee | Family sues Amazon for $30m claiming hoverboard burned down their house | It has been nearly a year since the self-balancing scooters known as hoverboards were setting sales charts on fire, but the resulting litigation (from the resulting real-world fires) is just getting started. A family in Nashville, Tennessee, has filed a $30m lawsuit against Amazon, arguing that the online retailer should be held liable for the ill-fated Christmas present that burned their house down. Megan Fox purchased what she thought was a FITBURO® F1 with an “original Samsung advanced battery” from a company called “W-Deals” through Amazon’s website on 3 November 2015, according to the complaint. The hoverboard remained in a closet until Christmas, when it was given to her 14-year-old son. On 9 January 2016, the toy’s battery apparently exploded – a common occurrence that led to the recall of more than 500,000 hoverboards by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in July. Two of the family’s children were at home at the time of the fire and had to escape by breaking windows and jumping from the second floor. The million-dollar house and most of the family’s belongings went up in flames. Amazon is not generally liable for the behavior of third-party merchants who use its platform to sell their products. But according to the lawsuit, “W-Deals” was a “sham entity” selling counterfeit products from China. The Fox family’s attorney told the Tennessean that they “spent months” trying to track down the actual manufacturer of the faulty hoverboard but came up empty. If no manufacturer can be found, Tennessee product liability law allows a plaintiff to go after the “seller” instead – in this case, the $380bn online retail behemoth. The suit also alleges that Amazon was negligent in failing to warn customers about safety problems with hoverboards, which it claims should have been known to the company prior to 9 January 2016. Amazon began pulling some hoverboards from the site in mid-December 2015 over safety concerns. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | ['technology/amazon', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/efinance', 'technology/technology', 'us-news/us-news', 'us-news/tennessee', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/julia-carrie-wong', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-tech', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2016-11-01T20:50:03Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2017/sep/21/caribbean-islands-hurricane-irma-maria-puerto-rico | How the Caribbean islands are coping after hurricanes Irma and Maria | Dominica More than 15 people have died and 20 are missing on Dominica, the first island hit by Maria. Prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on Thursday afternoon it was a “miracle” the death toll wasn’t in the hundreds. He said Dominica “is going to need all the help the world has to offer”. Hartley Henry, an adviser to the prime minister, said there had been a “tremendous loss of housing and public buildings”. Tourism minister Robert Tonge said the island’s capital, Roseau, still had severe flooding. He said the hospital and a community center both lost roofs. One of two airports serving the country is out of action; the other is expected to be working in the coming days. An estimated 95% of the roofs were blown off in some towns, including Mahaut and Portsmouth. There are at least nine communities that no one has any information about because they’re cut off and most communications are down in the country. Puerto Rico As of Thursday afternoon, the electricity service was completely out, the water system was shut off to 70% of customers, and the telecommunications infrastructure was barely functioning. Governor Ricardo Rossello said the only known death was a man struck by a piece of wood blown by the wind, but the death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from outlying areas. The White House on Thursday morning declared Puerto Rico “a major disaster” zone and ordered federal assistance to be directed to dozens of municipalities in the territory. To check on residents of Puerto Rico, you can reach Puerto Rico’s Federal Affairs Administration at 1-202-778-0710 or maria1@prfaa.pr.gov Turks and Caicos Residents were preparing for Maria to hit the islands on Thursday. All travel to and from the islands has been suspended and lines of communication are expected to be lost within the next 12 hours. “Right now, Turks and Caicos is in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma. We are not stable enough to cope with even a mild storm. There is lots of loose debris from Irma, which poses a huge risk,” said Sophie Newstead, press secretary for Hurricane Irma Relief Turks and Caicos (HIRTAC), one of the relief charities working on the islands. The damage caused by Hurricane Irma is preventing relief agencies like Hirtac from accessing areas most affected by the storm, including South Caicos, where some areas are almost totally destroyed. Local supermarkets are providing free meals to residents, and teams of local volunteers are assisting in clean-up efforts and helping preparations for Maria. Virgin Islands The British and the US Virgin Islands were still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Irma when Maria passed through. The White House has declared the US Virgin Islands a disaster zone and ordered assistance be sent there. At the BVI National Emergency Operations Center, the consensus was that the region had been lucky. On Wednesday, the island’s premier, Orlando Smith, said: “Last night we were fortunate, thank God, that the effects of Hurricane Maria were not nearly as severe as Hurricane Irma. There were very high gusts, but as far as I can determine, there was not a lot of more damage over the territory as a whole, and so far no major casualties have been reported, either. There were large storm surges on the western end of the islands but on the whole we have been lucky.” Montserrat As of Wednesday afternoon, electricity was out across the island and only essential vehicles were allowed on the roads, many of which were blocked by downed trees and power lines. Government offices in Montserrat will open on Friday and teachers are due in school that day to prepare for the resumption of classes the following Monday. Updates are being posted on the government’s official media Facebook page Guadeloupe At least two people died and two were missing on the French island. “Almost all the banana plantations on the island have been affected,” prime minister Edouard Philippe said after an inter-ministerial meeting. “Production has totally stopped.” St Kitts & Nevis The eye of Hurricane Maria passed to the south of the islands on Monday and heavy winds damaged homes and businesses. Citizens had a national cleanup day on Wednesday to work through the debris. The airport is open as normal. “We are deeply appreciative that again we have been spared the third hurricane in succession,” said prime minister Timothy Harris. Dominican Republic The president of the hotel association in the Dominican Republic says Hurricane Maria did not inflict any damage to the county’s tourism infrastructure. Joel Santos said that assessment includes Punta Cana on the eastern tip of the country. That was the area closest to the eye when the storm passed on its way toward the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands to the north. The government evacuated more than 4,000 tourists to the capital of Santo Domingo. The meteorological service said on Thursday that rain from the storm will continue in the Dominican Republic for the next two days for a total of around 19in. | ['world/hurricane-maria', 'world/hurricane-irma', 'us-news/puerto-rico', 'world/dominicanrepublic', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'world/caribbean', 'profile/amanda-holpuch', 'profile/carmen-fishwick', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | world/hurricane-irma | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-09-21T21:04:51Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2003/nov/27/water.guardianleaders | Leader: next year's drought | Getting a drought warning in the middle of a national downpour feels like one of nature's pranks, with a punchline straight from Coleridge: "Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink." Yet no one has much to laugh about when the heavens are opening to the current descant of admonitions about water shortages and hosepipe bans. The warning of water's impending scarcity is due to the remarkable shift in the Earth's recent weather patterns. This year's hot summer days and lengthy dry, clear autumn evenings painted the leaves a series of spectacular tints of red, yellow and brown. Also to be noted was the ripening of blackberries in the British countryside a month earlier than usual. Unfortunately most of the effects of unpredictable weather cycles are much less agreeable. Farmers have already warned that the driest months since 1921 mean next year's harvest will be poor as crops struggle to take root in hard, desiccated soil. The Environment Agency rightly hopes people will heed their counsel and notice what little rainfall is trickling into the nation's aquifers. Whether citizens find themselves taking showers instead of baths or using buckets instead of hoses to wash cars depends on the actions of nature and humans alike. Turning on a tap and watching water pour out is a miracle too readily taken for granted. Consuming more than we need and not repairing a system of pipes laid in Victorian times means we waste too much of the clear stuff. Of course, the advice need not be censorious: bathing with a friend was one suggestion during an earlier water shortage. Replenishing the reservoirs, both underground and on the surface, is not easy. For that reason alone we should welcome the rainbursts and showers which chill the bone and drench the skin. | ['environment/water', 'environment/environment', 'tone/comment', 'environment/drought', 'type/article'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2003-11-27T02:17:45Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
australia-news/2020/may/15/australias-reserve-bank-fuels-call-for-post-pandemic-renewables-push | Australia's Reserve Bank fuels call for post-pandemic renewables push | Research by the Reserve Bank showing renewable energy investment fell sharply last year is fuelling calls for federal and state governments to back changes to help the industry rebound and drive a post-pandemic recovery. Renewable energy surged to make up nearly 5% of non-mining business investment across Australia in 2018, according to the research note by RBA economists, but the number of large-scale clean projects reaching the point of commencement slumped about 50% last year. Investment is expected to fall further over the next year or two, in part due to the national renewable energy target being filled and not replaced and challenges in integrating solar and wind farms in remote parts of the national grid. The Morrison government has defended criticism of its response to the climate crisis in part by saying record levels of wind and solar power were added to the grid last year as investment in 2018 flowed through. It is yet to acknowledge the subsequent fall. The note says the renewable energy industry had supported activity and employment, particularly in regional areas. While most components used in solar and wind farms are imported, the RBA found 25-40% of spending went to local suppliers in some cases, and manufacturing companies had reported stronger demand for locally produced electricity generation equipment. The former Liberal leader John Hewson, now at the Australian National University’s Crawford school of public policy and a director of an energy storage business, said the RBA had “gone out of its way to make a point” about the importance of renewable power to the economy. “There’s no doubt this is more than a nudge and wink. It is saying this is where we should be going,” he said. “With Covid, it’s even more important. It is an opportunity to take a long-term strategic view in the national interest and looking ahead to where the country should be going given its [solar and wind] assets.” The RBA note was published online on 19 March, before the impact of the Covid-19 imposed economic shutdown. Since the pandemic there has been a growing push internationally and in Australia for policymakers to use stimulus programs designed to help the economic recovery to also address the climate crisis. Hewson said the renewable energy industry did not require subsidies, but needed improved regulations and a clear policy framework that made clear fossil fuels would be phased out and the country would move to low greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades. With renewable energy cheaper than its fossil fuel competitors, he said the grid could run on 100% renewable energy well before 2050 with the right support. Erwin Jackson, policy director with the Investor Group on Climate Change, said the RBA note showed renewable investment had been an important contributor to economic growth but had fallen, in part due to policy paralysis. “The critical implication of the analysis is that the industry faces the risk of a boom-bust cycle,” he said. “Governments can help stimulate new investment, and in turn new jobs and growth, by prioritising a net zero emissions transition and clean energy plans in a sustainable recovery from Covid-19.” The RBA research echoes assessments by industry group the Clean Energy Council and consultants Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which both found investment in renewable energy projects was cut in half last year. Alan Rai, a former senior economist at the RBA, now a director with consultancy Baringa Partners, said the central bank’s focus on the scale and benefits of renewable energy spending was instructive. The bank had been concerned about the level of non-mining investment since the global financial crisis in 2008, he said. “The fact that renewables have become such a big pipeline of non-mining investment and then fallen drew their attention,” he said. “It is important to the country on a macroeconomic level.” The report found the longer-term outlook for clean energy investment was more positive, but would depend on government policy, electricity grid considerations and wholesale electricity prices holding up. Prices have fallen in recent months and are expected to stay low if the economic impact of the shutdown is extended. Prof Frank Jotzo, director of ANU’s Centre for Climate and Energy Policy, said the renewable energy boom has helped bring down electricity prices in the wholesale market and cut emissions. Electricity sector emissions were 7% lower in the first quarter than at the same in 2019. But he said lower electricity prices meant lower revenue for renewable plants, and there were no longer sizeable subsidies. “If the Covid economic trouble turns into a prolonged recession, this could also pull the rug from under planned wind and solar power investments,” he said. “That means a risk that there may not be sufficient renewable power available to easily cover for the next coal plant shutting down. It also means that we would see an end to big annual emissions reductions from the power sector, making it harder to achieve the 2030 emissions target.” Jotzo said federal and state governments should step into the breach and contract for the construction of wind and solar parks in identified renewable energy zones. “Public investments or financial guarantees for developments in the renewable energy zones are a safe bet, because we know that these investments will be needed, and they will be an excellent way to stimulate the economy, especially in the regions.” | ['australia-news/series/the-green-recovery', 'environment/series/environmental-investigations', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'business/australia-economy', 'australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/coronavirus-outbreak', 'australia-news/reserve-bank-of-australia', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-morton', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2020-05-14T17:30:16Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2018/jun/27/china-lifts-ban-on-british-beef | China lifts ban on British beef | British beef will be back on the menu in China for the first time in more than 20 years, after it officially lifted the longstanding ban on exports from the UK. More than two decades since the Chinese government first banned British beef after the BSE outbreak, the milestone is the culmination of several years of site inspections in the UK and negotiations between government officials. The deal is also a major boost for British farmers and producers, and is estimated to be worth £250m in the first five years alone. It follows the prime minister’s trade mission to China earlier this year, where she agreed new measures to improve market access to the country. China is currently the UK’s eighth largest export market for “agri-food” – the production of food through agriculture – with more than £560m worth of food and drink bought by Chinese consumers last year. Reflecting the growing appetite of the country’s middle classes for steak and ribs, it is also the world’s second largest beef importer, taking in almost 700,000 tonnes in 2017 – worth about $3.3bn (£2.5 bn) – with volumes up 20% from the year before. The announcement on Wednesday by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will now allow official market access negotiations to begin – a process which typically takes about three years. “This is fantastic news for our world-class food and farming industry and shows we can be a truly outward-looking Britain outside the European Union,” said the environment secretary, Michael Gove. “It is the result of painstaking and collaborative work by industry and the Defra team over many years. Today’s milestone will help to unlock UK agriculture’s full potential and is a major step to forging new trading relationships around the globe.” Food exports from the UK continue to soar with exports of more than £22bn in 2017 – a new record – with food and drink businesses now selling products to 217 international markets, Defra said. A spokesman for the British Meat Processing Association welcomed the lifting of the ban. “This is an important milestone in growing our meat exports to this all-important market” he said. “We look forward to seeing the export protocols and approvals being settled as quickly as possible so that commercial shipments can start. Access to the Chinese market will play a key role in the beef sector’s ability to maximise the value of the carcass, which is good news for all parts of the supply chain.” BSE, or “mad cow disease” affected other countries as well as the UK which also led to bans by China. The US and Canada have since negotiated access back into the China beef market in recent years. In the EU, Hungary, Denmark, Italy and Ireland have all had their bans lifted – France earlier this week - although other countries such as Poland, Germany, Sweden, Portugal and Spain still have bans in place. | ['environment/meat-industry', 'world/china', 'food/meat', 'world/asia-pacific', 'environment/environment', 'environment/farming', 'environment/food', 'food/food', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rebeccasmithers', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-06-27T14:21:20Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
politics/2021/nov/11/im-not-impressed-glasgow-unmoved-by-boris-johnsons-cop26-return | ‘I’m not impressed’: Glasgow unmoved by Boris Johnson’s Cop26 return | When Boris Johnson stepped off the train as he returned to Glasgow for the final days of Cop26, he was met with boos at the city’s central station. Many people were unhappy at his decision to return to the conference on Wednesday, and felt he was doing so more to escape the sleaze scandals enveloping his party in Westminster rather than out of any strong desire to help save the planet. “I don’t think Boris really cares [about Cop26]. I’m not sure what he cares about really, other than his own ego,” said Simon Worth, 48, a performance and wellbeing coach who lives in Glasgow. “He’s not very good at facing up to any responsibilities I think. But he’s very good at smoke and mirrors and deflecting attention.” Worth said he felt there was some public anger at the sleaze allegations dominating parliament this week, but doubted it would be enough to create significant change. “I think the problem is, most of us don’t pay enough attention. We don’t kick up a fuss, so they just carry on doing it,” he said. Worth said that if Johnson’s visit to Cop26 was sincere then it would be a boost to the conference, but he urged him to “stop deflecting attention and just address it head on”. Just outside the entrance to the SEC, where the talks are taking place, Sue Hillman, 76, a retired producer, was also frustrated to hear Johnson had returned. “He likes to be in the limelight,” she said. “He’ll do anything to divert the attention from what’s really happening in this country. There is no getting away from it, the Tory party has become so embedded in sleaze and corruption. I don’t see how anybody in the UK can’t see what’s happening.” She was also frustrated that the media used his press conference on Wednesday to ask questions about sleaze when the focus should have been on the climate. “I begin to despair, really, about how the world is operating,” she said. A keen supporter of Cop26, Hillman was waiting outside the venue to meet the Kenyan delegate who has been staying with her for the duration of the conference, after many people struggled to find affordable accommodation in the city. “We get lots of nice words occasionally coming out of Boris Johnson’s mouth, but he doesn’t actually do what he’s asking everybody else to do, does he?” she said “He flies on his private jet to go for dinner in the Garrick, so I’m not impressed.” There were some who had more faith in the prime minister. “I don’t think he’s that committed to Cop, but I think he has to be here otherwise it will go terrible for him,” said Euan Warnock, 19, a college student. “And I thought he was genuinely here for that reason, I don’t think he’s running away.” Warnock said he wasn’t surprised Johnson got a bit of a frosty reception when he arrived in Glasgow, though. “Most people see him not as a politician but as a businessman who is looking after himself,” he said. Like many on the streets of Glasgow, Warnock said he hadn’t heard much about progress inside Cop, despite it being on his doorstep. “To be honest, I’ve not heard of anything big that they’ve done. If they had done I feel like we all would have heard about it. Everything is still targets for the 2030s or 2050s, it’s still so far off.” | ['politics/boris-johnson', 'environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021', 'uk/glasgow', 'uk/scotland', 'politics/conservatives', 'environment/environment', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tone/features', 'profile/jessica-murray', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-education'] | environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021 | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2021-11-11T16:17:30Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2018/oct/30/humanity-wiped-out-animals-since-1970-major-report-finds | Humanity has wiped out 60% of animal populations since 1970, report finds | Humanity has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970, leading the world’s foremost experts to warn that the annihilation of wildlife is now an emergency that threatens civilisation. The new estimate of the massacre of wildlife is made in a major report produced by WWF and involving 59 scientists from across the globe. It finds that the vast and growing consumption of food and resources by the global population is destroying the web of life, billions of years in the making, upon which human society ultimately depends for clean air, water and everything else. “We are sleepwalking towards the edge of a cliff” said Mike Barrett, executive director of science and conservation at WWF. “If there was a 60% decline in the human population, that would be equivalent to emptying North America, South America, Africa, Europe, China and Oceania. That is the scale of what we have done.” “This is far more than just being about losing the wonders of nature, desperately sad though that is,” he said. “This is actually now jeopardising the future of people. Nature is not a ‘nice to have’ – it is our life-support system.” “We are rapidly running out of time,” said Prof Johan Rockström, a global sustainability expert at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “Only by addressing both ecosystems and climate do we stand a chance of safeguarding a stable planet for humanity’s future on Earth.” Many scientists believe the world has begun a sixth mass extinction, the first to be caused by a species – Homo sapiens. Other recent analyses have revealed that humankind has destroyed 83% of all mammals and half of plants since the dawn of civilisation and that, even if the destruction were to end now, it would take 5-7 million years for the natural world to recover. The Living Planet Index, produced for WWF by the Zoological Society of London, uses data on 16,704 populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians, representing more than 4,000 species, to track the decline of wildlife. Between 1970 and 2014, the latest data available, populations fell by an average of 60%. Four years ago, the decline was 52%. The “shocking truth”, said Barrett, is that the wildlife crash is continuing unabated. Wildlife and the ecosystems are vital to human life, said Prof Bob Watson, one of the world’s most eminent environmental scientists and currently chair of an intergovernmental panel on biodiversity that said in March that the destruction of nature is as dangerous as climate change. “Nature contributes to human wellbeing culturally and spiritually, as well as through the critical production of food, clean water, and energy, and through regulating the Earth’s climate, pollution, pollination and floods,” he said. “The Living Planet report clearly demonstrates that human activities are destroying nature at an unacceptable rate, threatening the wellbeing of current and future generations.” The biggest cause of wildlife losses is the destruction of natural habitats, much of it to create farmland. Three-quarters of all land on Earth is now significantly affected by human activities. Killing for food is the next biggest cause – 300 mammal species are being eaten into extinction – while the oceans are massively overfished, with more than half now being industrially fished. Chemical pollution is also significant: half the world’s killer whale populations are now doomed to die from PCB contamination. Global trade introduces invasive species and disease, with amphibians decimated by a fungal disease thought to be spread by the pet trade. The worst affected region is South and Central America, which has seen an 89% drop in vertebrate populations, largely driven by the felling of vast areas of wildlife-rich forest. In the tropical savannah called cerrado, an area the size of Greater London is cleared every two months, said Barrett. “It is a classic example of where the disappearance is the result of our own consumption, because the deforestation is being driven by ever expanding agriculture producing soy, which is being exported to countries including the UK to feed pigs and chickens,” he said. The UK itself has lost much of its wildlife, ranking 189th for biodiversity loss out of 218 nations in 2016. The habitats suffering the greatest damage are rivers and lakes, where wildlife populations have fallen 83%, due to the enormous thirst of agriculture and the large number of dams. “Again there is this direct link between the food system and the depletion of wildlife,” said Barrett. Eating less meat is an essential part of reversing losses, he said. The Living Planet Index has been criticised as being too broad a measure of wildlife losses and smoothing over crucial details. But all indicators, from extinction rates to intactness of ecosystems, show colossal losses. “They all tell you the same story,” said Barrett. Conservation efforts can work, with tiger numbers having risen 20% in India in six years as habitat is protected. Giant pandas in China and otters in the UK have also been doing well. But Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, said the fundamental issue was consumption: “We can no longer ignore the impact of current unsustainable production models and wasteful lifestyles.” The world’s nations are working towards a crunch meeting of the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity in 2020, when new commitments for the protection of nature will be made. “We need a new global deal for nature and people and we have this narrow window of less than two years to get it,” said Barrett. “This really is the last chance. We have to get it right this time.” Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF, said: “We are the first generation to know we are destroying our planet and the last one that can do anything about it.” | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wwf', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-10-30T00:01:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
politics/2023/jul/09/five-missions-keir-starmer-labour-government | The ‘five missions’ Keir Starmer says will shape a Labour government | Clean energy One of Labour’s biggest commitments so far is to spend £28bn by the end of the parliament on green jobs and industry. While the pledge has been slightly scaled back, the headline figure remains – though there are many blanks about what the money will be spent on. Clarity factor: 4/5 Highest G7 growth An economic pledge that goes much beyond the weaker promises made by Rishi Sunak, it includes avoiding recession and ensuring that debt is falling. However, even with a series of policies designed to revive the economy, external factors could derail it. More detail is expected on the growth agenda. Clarity factor: 4/5 Future of the NHS While the headline aim is vague, Starmer has been more specific recently about what he hopes to achieve with the NHS – including ambulances arriving within seven minutes for cardiac arrest, meeting four-hour A&E waiting targets and high GP satisfaction ratings. Huge questions remain over funding levels. Clarity factor: 3/5 Opportunity for all Starmer’s most recent speech focused on this mission, which encompasses education. The aim is to increase good development at the end of reception and increase numbers of school-leavers going into work, study or apprenticeships. It will abolish private school tax breaks to pay for teachers and end non-dom status to fund primary breakfast clubs. Clarity factor: 4/5 Safer streets Labour has said it wants to halve knife crime, halve violence against women and girls, increase the rate of solved crimes and restore confidence in the police. They are clear aims, but very little is known about the costs involved or the paths to achieving them. Clarity factor: 3/5 | ['politics/labour', 'uk/uk', 'politics/keir-starmer', 'politics/politics', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'business/economics', 'society/nhs', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/tobyhelm', 'profile/michael-savage', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/focus', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/observer-main'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2023-07-09T08:00:40Z | true | ENERGY |
theguardian/2011/sep/27/where-were-my-atoms | Notes and queries: Where were my atoms before they were me? Coffee and cake at the museum; The legacy of Hurricane Irene; When 007 got it wrong | Where have all the atoms that constitute "me" been since the creation of the Earth? Have they been part of other people through the ages? Around three-quarters of a human body is water, made from oxygen and hydrogen atoms. These atoms, along with all the others in the world, have been around for eons, shifting through any number of organic and inorganic processes, or simply hanging about in the atmosphere. Anybody could have some oxygen or hydrogen atoms in their constitution that had once been part of Einstein, Elvis Presley or Mother Teresa. On the other hand, an atom could have once been part of a decomposing piece of rat offal. Sam White, Lewes East Sussex There are so many atoms in you, that yes, there is a high probability that many of them have been part of other (dead and living) people's bodies. For certain though, all the atoms that make up your body were forged billions of years ago in the fusion reactors at the core of now long-dead stars. As Carl Sagan said: "We are all stardust". hippo42 Atoms of a given isotope of an element – for example, Carbon-14 – are not merely indistinguishably similar, but identical. No matter how accurately you measure the size, shape, mass or any other attribute of an atom, it is in principle impossible to find any difference that could lead you to say that a particular atom was the atom you observed on some other occasion. It seems almost impossible to doubt the truth of this proposition; but it is fully impossible for me to comprehend it. I can glibly say that atoms of a given isotope are not distinct objects, that they partake of a common identity, from one end of the universe to the other – but what this means, I simply cannot grasp. Can anyone? The answer to the question is that, despite its innocent appearance, it has no meaning. But a simple inquiry whose correct answer seems to take us beyond the imaginable limits of human understanding is a question worth asking. HeronsGreen I remember being told at school that there are enough atoms in the human body for everyone then living to have two from the body of Julius Caesar. Maybe this idea can be taken as an updated version of Hamlet's explanation of how "a King may go a progress through the guts of a beggar". The Rev Harold Webb, West Wittering, W Sussex The last chapter of Primo Levi's The Periodic Table addresses this concept in a much better written way than I could. Levi writes about a single carbon atom and its theoretical but very possible journey from being encased in limestone, through various forms, to a nerve cell in Levi's own brain. Sophia Taylor, Sheffield Why is walking round a museum more exhausting than going for a walk? I'm surprised at the correspondence suggesting that walking round a museum exerts extreme physical forces upon the body. Am I the only one who finds that it's doing all that appreciating of art and history that's so exhausting? Mark Lewinski, Swaffham Prior, Cambs The trick to museums is to get loaded on coffee and cake (preferably chocolate – more caffeine) in the cafe first, then stomp round looking only at what grabs your attention on a visceral level. Don't go with the herd, move in opposition to their exhausted shuffle and treat it like it's fun. It is. TedDave Are there likely to be fewer or more girls given the name Irene in the next year? Do the names of hurricanes have any impact on the naming of children? Our second son was born in Miami when the damage from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was still apparent. When we told the midwife our shortlist of names featuring Andrew and Hamish, she replied, somewhat to our dismay, that "80% of the boys born here since the hurricane have been called Andrew". Then an orderly chipped in: "Hamish Andrew Forbes – that sounds like a president's name". We'll find out if she was right in about 20 years time. Harold Forbes, London SW19 Why do the French say you shouldn't drink water with the cheese course? And why should you only drink white wine with a fondue? Because water takes up valuable space in the belly that could be better filled with more cheese. Stephanie Lalanne, Bristol And "red wine with fish" is not a no-no, Mr Bond … Maybe 007 misjudged assassin "Red" Grant's table manners in From Russia With Love. Oliver Sheppard, Vincennes, France Any answers? Would it be a good thing or a bad thing if Einstein's theory of special relativity has been disproved by the faster-than-light neutrinos? Peter Johnson, Burley in Wharfedale, W Yorks Are people who submit letters to newspapers more likely to be egotistical and/or mentally disturbed than the general population? Ruth Sinclair, Cambridge Post your questions and answers below or email nq@theguardian.com (please include name, address and phone number). | ['lifeandstyle/series/notes-and-queries', 'tone/features', 'science/physics', 'us-news/hurricane-irene', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features'] | us-news/hurricane-irene | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2011-09-27T20:30:01Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2019/may/31/14-year-old-peruvian-boy-bank-for-children | The green bank for kids - set up by a child | He is a Peruvian banker who encourages schoolchildren to save, and offers his 2,000 customers cash for recycling plastic waste. But the really remarkable thing about José Adolfo Quisocala is that he is still a child himself. When many of his peers dreamed of becoming professional footballers, firefighters or cumbía music stars, José Adolfo had his sights set on the world of finance from an early age. By the age of seven, attending a state school in the Peruvian city of Arequipa, he decided he wanted to create a bank for children. He was motivated by seeing his peers skipping lunch because they had spent the little money they had on sweets or football cards. What drove him even more was the poverty he saw among children who were not attending his primary school. “Seeing children living in poverty, seeing many children working in the streets, at the traffic lights selling sweets, begging … made me think, why can’t these children go to a normal school,” he told the Guardian. “One of the reasons why those kids were working was because there was no money at home. Why can’t I teach them to save?” The Bartselana student bank he founded then now has more than 2,000 clients between the ages of 10 and 18 and offers loans, microinsurance and other financial services. The children can withdraw money from the cashpoints of several banks and building societies using personal bank cards, which no one else can use, and monitor their balances online. He also set savings goals his clients had to reach in order to withdraw money. Seven years ago, José Adolfo managed to convince a handful of teachers and pupils that his idea could work. Then a student prize from his local town hall helped him get the support of a local cooperative to formally register his bank. Since then he has won awards nationally, then internationally and he has not looked back. From winning Unicef’s Child and Youth Finance International Award in 2014 to the Children’s Climate Prize in 2018 and more recent accolades, José Adolfo has combined financial and environmental services. The student bank really took off when he came up with an innovative way for the children to earn money by collecting recyclable plastic or paper waste. “The children would sometimes bring savings of a few cents and I had promised that they could buy a bicycle, a computer or a laptop but with that amount of money it would take a long time,” he says. “I thought there must be a way they can earn money and I thought about rubbish; we all generate rubbish and I decided that was the solution.” The children bring plastic bottles, used school exercise books and old newspapers to a kiosk at their school where it is weighed and their bank accounts are credited with the corresponding amount of money. José Adolfo struck deals with local recycling companies to pay his bank’s clients a slightly higher price than normal; for example 0.80 Peruvian Soles (0.19 GBP) a kilogram of plastic or white paper. “We don’t want them to be in the street collecting rubbish but at home stopping the rubbish from reaching the street. So in their homes, they put out boxes for cardboard, paper, bottles – they start collecting and it becomes valuable,” José Adolfo explains. His efforts have not gone unnoticed by Peru’s environment ministry, which has made home recycling one of its principal campaigns. The country has introduced a law to tackle its estimated 18,000 tonnes of solid waste a day, half of which is not disposed of in landfills and ends up on streets, beaches and in rivers. “He’s making an incredible change in financial structuring and financial education that perhaps many adults could not have come up with,” said Peru’s environment minister, Lucía Ruiz, as she joined José Adolfo at a recent event in Arequipa. “By joining that with recycling and the handling of waste, a serious problem in our country, he’s scoring a double goal because he’s not just designing a financial opportunity for children and teenagers but also helping to reduce the amount of waste in the country.” “It’s a very hectic life for a 14-year-old,” José Adolfo says. “Even so, I’m passionate about what I do and I always tell people they should do what they like rather than what others believe they should do.” The bank recycles about four tonnes of material a month and has kiosks in seven schools in Arequipa; more are on a waiting list. Increasingly the model is in demand in the rest of Peru and abroad. Meanwhile, José Adolfo is studying online as he no longer has time to attend school. “He’s given up many childhood things – games, activities, what normal children do – but he too is a normal child, he just sees things differently and thinks in another way,” says his father, Herbert Quisocala, who left his job a year ago to help his son. “If he wants to cry, I’m here to help him understand that life is like that and you have to learn to accept the good with the bad.” This article is part of a series on possible solutions to some of the world’s most stubborn problems. What else should we cover? Email us at theupside@theguardian.com | ['world/series/the-upside', 'environment/environment', 'world/peru', 'society/children', 'business/banking', 'environment/recycling', 'world/americas', 'business/business', 'world/world', 'environment/plastic', 'environment/waste', 'society/poverty', 'environment/ethical-living', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/dan-collyns', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-special-projects'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2019-05-31T06:00:26Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
sustainable-business/2015/oct/01/smartphones-are-lifeline-for-homeless-people | Smartphones are a lifeline for homeless people | If you ask someone what they think are the biggest challenges for homeless people, they might say finding a safe place to sleep or a meal to eat. Few would assume that charging a smartphone to check emails would be high on the list. “When people wonder how or why a homeless person is able to afford a mobile phone, they are making massive assumptions that people are just walking into a shop and buying a phone, whereas it might be that someone has given it to them,” says Hafsah FitzGibbon, partnerships and participation manager for youth homeless charity Centrepoint. This presents a vexing paradox. While society may view a homeless person’s ownership of a smartphone as an unnecessary extravagance, in reality, experts say, this demographic is one that is most dependent on the technology as a resource for stability. In addition to being an essential way to keep in touch with support services, case workers and to look for jobs or housing, a mobile phone can also serve as an “escape from isolation” and, according to FitzGibbon, a way to create networks to combat social exclusion. Michael Thompson is a programme manager for Community Awareness Network, an organisation that helps homeless and vulnerable people in Manchester. He explains that when trying to help people who are sleeping on the streets, it’s significantly easier to assist them quickly if they have a mobile phone. “We were out on the street last night and I met a 20-year-old girl sleeping rough who was able to give me her mobile number,” Thompson says. “I can get her anything she needs now because I have her mobile number and can pass that on to other organisations. We’ll be able to get her off the street quicker because we can always trace back to her.” When it comes to getting phones into the hands of homeless, there are just a few business-backed projects addressing the issue, mostly based in the US. This year, Citibank, Vodafone, and Google partnered with the Community Technology Alliance to support its Mobile4All project which distributes smartphones to homeless people in California’s San Jose. Allan Baez, project manager for Mobile4All, says that through his work he consistently sees how mobile phones play a role in stabilising homeless people’s lives. “Smartphones are incomparable tools for connecting people who are isolated, and empowering homeless and extreme-low-income individuals to access life-changing services and gain self-sufficiency,” says Baez. As the number of phones in circulation rises due to frequent technology upgrades, slightly out-dated or secondhand devices are increasingly available and affordable. The real challenge for homeless people, Baez and FitzGibbon say, lies in the maintenance of a phone — finding a place to charge it, maintaining a contract, affording a top up or having enough space for necessary apps. For that reason, projects that increase public wireless networks, such as that recently announced by BT and Barclays, are helpful for homeless people as they are not required to go in to a shop or cafe where they might have to purchase something. “Often homeless people we work with might have both a basic phone for receiving calls and then a smartphone which they can’t afford a contract on, but can use for Wi-Fi,” FitzGibbon says. “It’s common that people will have a phone until they can’t afford it and then they’ll take it to pawn shop or cash converters to pay a bill then buy it back when they can. Many also report that they don’t use text messages but instead use WhatsApp when they’re on Wi-Fi because it’s free.” Centrepoint is leveraging the prevalence of smartphone usage among its service users by building an app and website. With a £500,000 grant from the Google Impact Challenge, FitzGibbon says the charity wants to build a social network where homeless people can find support and a way to collect data on their experiences of homelessness via self reporting. She adds that while mobile phones can be a vital tool for homeless people to manage their lives, their most precious resource remains their resilience. | ['sustainable-business/series/technology-and-innovation', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'technology/smartphones', 'society/homelessness', 'society/socialexclusion', 'technology/mobilephones', 'technology/technology', 'society/society', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'society/housing', 'technology/wifi', 'business/business', 'society/communities', 'technology/telecoms', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/sponsoredfeatures', 'tone/blog', 'profile/rosie-spinks'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-10-01T10:03:13Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
commentisfree/2009/may/23/hay-festival-climate-change | Hay festival: Climate change and the everyday | I took the train from Paddington to Hay on Thursday. The train is completely packed, with some people standing. I'm impressed that there is so much interest in the festival. At Slough and Reading, however, they all get out and I'm almost alone in the carriage the rest of the way. I suppose that people are converging upon Hay from all directions, since thousands are expected, but how are those from London getting there? Are they all going by car? If so, they are out of tune with one of the main themes of the event. Sessions about climate change, energy security and sustainability brook large, as indeed they should. I'm there to talk about my new book The Politics of Climate Change, which I'm discussing in a panel, two speeches and five or six interviews and podcasts over the course of some 24 hours. The panel, organised in conjunction with Unesco, is part of a series of public debates labelled Earth, Fire, Wind and Water. I'm talking about fire – ie, energy. There ensues a good and spirited exchange of opinions with the other panellists and with the audience. One panel member is David Mackay, author of Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air. It's a tour de force, which takes the reader through the minefield of claims and counter-claims about renewable technologies, disposing of much of the hype about them along the way. In the discussion he is forceful and convincing, but has a pleasing style of whimsical humour too – much the same mix as he offers in his book in fact. The next morning I take part in the launch of the Welsh Assembly's sustainable development strategy, somewhat quaintly labelled One Wales, One World. Why should the rest of the world, which is a very big place, take any notice of what happens in a tiny nation like Wales? Having heard politicians in many countries purveying exaggerated claims about what they can achieve, this was a refreshing change. The first minister, Rhodri Morgan, speaks first. He's a hoot – politician as stand-up comedian. Most of the answers he makes to questions are prefaced by a joke. The effect is to charm the questioner, but also allows Rhodri time to think carefully before formulating his replies. Behind the throwaway style his comments are actually acute and insightful. Jane Davidson, the environment, sustainability and housing minister, speaks next, saying that sustainability will be an "organising principle" of all branches of Welsh government and providing plenty of concrete examples of innovation to bolster her case. In the afternoon I gave a lecture about my book and respond to questions from the floor.In December this year some 200 nations will meet in Copenhagen to try to reach global agreements about how to contain climate change. I support these endeavours whole-heartedly, but I have doubts; it is hard to get such a large number of nations all to agree about anything. Moreover, there are few if any sanctioning mechanisms that can enforce targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions might be established. Only a small handful of countries look likely to meet the targets set at Kyoto several years ago – and those targets were in any case far too low in relation to what will be needed effectively to contain climate change. Whatever happens at Copenhagen, it is the developed countries that will have to take the lead in radically starting to cut back on their emissions. If they can't show they mean business, the large developing countries, China, India and Brazil, aren't going to do much if anything. China has recently overtaken the United States as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, measured in an absolute sense. In terms of emissions per person, however, it is far behind the US; moreover, the industrial countries historically have been responsible for the vast bulk of the greenhouse gases. At Hay, as in my book, I argued that the key issue in climate change politics within the industrial countries is to bring the issues into the mainstream. The vast majority of the public, in virtually all such countries, express worries about climate change, but for the most part it does not touch their everyday lives at all. We have to deal with what I call Giddens' paradox. Climate change is about avoiding or minimising abstract, largely future, risk. It is not visible in people's everyday lives and most simply filter it out from their day-to-day concerns. The paradox lies in the fact that if we wait until it does becomes visible - in the shape of disasters that can be unequivocally attributed to climate change - it will by definition be too late to control it. Once they are in the atmosphere, most greenhouse gases stay there for centuries and at the moment at least we know of no way of getting them out. After that, it's back to London. The train is full. Is everyone, like me, leaving already? If they are, I think, I hope they got as much from my short visit as I did. Well, no, again it's a different constituency. There must be something about Reading and Slough. Most people get off at those stops and the train continues onto London largely empty. I leave the reader free to ponder the metaphor. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/kyoto-protocol', 'books/guardian-hay-festival', 'tone/comment', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'books/guardian-hay-festival-2009', 'type/article', 'profile/anthonygiddens'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2009-05-23T13:30:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
technology/2017/oct/11/israel-hack-uncovered-russian-spies-use-kaspersky-lab-2015-report-us-software-federal-government | Israel hack uncovered Russian spies' use of Kaspersky in 2015, report says | An Israeli security agency hacked into Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab in 2015, providing the crucial evidence required to ban the company from providing services to the US government, according to a report. While the Israeli spies were inside Kaspersky’s systems, they observed Russian spies in turn using the company’s tools to spy on American spies, the New York Times reports. That information, handed to the US, led to the decision in September to end the use of the company’s software across the federal government by December. The revelation answers some questions about the unfolding saga around Kaspersky Lab, a previously well-regarded information security firm founded in 1997 by Russian national Eugene Kaspersky. It seems to demonstrate why the US believes Kaspersky Lab software was involved in the hacking of an NSA contractor in 2015, as well as narrows down the nature of Kaspersky Lab’s supposed involvement in the Russian operation. But it still leaves many further questions unanswered. Crucially for Kaspersky, the Israeli hack apparently failed to provide enough information to determine whether it was a willing, or even knowing, participant in the Russian espionage. The Russian government exercises tight control over domestic and foreign high-tech industries operating within its borders. In June 2017, it began demanding the source code for certain software imported, ostensibly to search for “backdoors” inserted by foreign intelligence agencies. In practice, it’s widely believed that the Russian security agency scans the source code for undisclosed vulnerabilities it can use to improve its own hacking prowess. Kaspersky vehemently denies any involvement in Russian state-sponsored hacking. “Kaspersky Lab was not involved in and does not possess any knowledge of the situation in question,” the company told the Guardian. “Kaspersky Lab has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyber-espionage efforts, and contrary to erroneous reports, Kaspersky Lab software does not contain any undeclared capabilities such as backdoors as that would be illegal and unethical. “It is also important to note, Kaspersky Lab detects all kinds of threats, including nation-state sponsored malware, regardless of the origin or purpose. The company tracks more than 100 advanced persistent threat actors and operations, and for 20 years, Kaspersky Lab has been focused on protecting people and organisations from these cyber-threats – its headquarters’ location doesn’t change that mission.” In the tangled web of spies spying on spies, it can be difficult to take any statement at face value. The Israeli security community has long had a tense relationship with Kaspersky Lab, dating back to the company’s research on Stuxnet, a specialised piece of malware created by the US and Israel to harm Iran’s nuclear industry. In fact, the highly sophisticated Israeli hacking operation that targeted Kaspersky appears to have used the same malware that was used to spy on the Iran nuclear negotiations in 2014 and 2015. Israel’s hacking of Kaspersky reportedly occurred in the same period Kaspersky publicly acknowledged that it had been targeted by a “state actor”. Kaspersky said the malware used in the attack was derived from the Stuxnet virus. At the time Kaspersky researchers disclosed that dozens of machines in its networks had been infected by the Duqu 2.0 spyware, which appeared to be attempting to access research and information, and which Kaspersky staff described at the time as being a “generation ahead” of anything they had seen before. Although there was no concrete proof until now, Kaspersky suspected Israel of being behind the attack, not least because the same malware was being used to target the P5+1 talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. Kaspersky researchers also found that the work schedules of the Duqu attackers suggested they were physically located in or near to Israel. Kaspersky said: “With regards to unverified assertions that this situation relates to Duqu2, a sophisticated cyber-attack of which Kaspersky Lab was not the only target, we are confident that we have identified and removed all of the infections that happened during that incident. Furthermore … Kaspersky Lab publicly reported the attack, and the company offered its assistance to affected or interested organisations to help mitigate this threat.” The latest revelations over Israel’s electronic espionage activities appear to have come closer to joining the dots linking a series of Israeli cyber-spying and cyberwar operations dating back to at least 2011, beginning with the use of Stuxnet. In 2015 officials in the Obama administration told journalists that Israel had spied on the nuclear negotiations and used material that it had acquired to attempt to lobby the US Congress in 2015 to derail the deal. | ['technology/hacking', 'technology/malware', 'technology/stuxnet', 'technology/data-computer-security', 'technology/technology', 'world/russia', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/israel', 'world/middleeast', 'technology/kaspersky-lab', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-hern', 'profile/peterbeaumont', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-technology'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2017-10-11T11:05:48Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2024/nov/02/robot-retrieves-radioactive-fuel-sample-from-fukushima-nuclear-reactor | Robot retrieves radioactive fuel sample from Fukushima nuclear reactor site | A piece of the radioactive fuel left from the meltdown of Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been retrieved from the site using a remote-controlled robot. Investigators used the robot’s fishing-rod-like arm to clip and collect a tiny piece of radioactive material from one of the plant’s three damaged reactors – the first time such a feat has been achieved. Should it prove suitable for testing, scientists hope the sample will yield information that will help determine how to decommission the plant. The plant’s manager, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco), has said the sample was collected from the surface of a mound of molten debris that sits at the bottom of the Unit 2 reactor’s primary containment vessel. The “telesco” robot, with its frontal tongs still holding the sample, returned to its enclosed container for safe storage after workers in full hazmat gear pulled it out of the containment vessel on Saturday. But the mission is not over until it is certain the sample’s radioactivity is below a set standard and it is safely contained. If the radioactivity exceeds the safety limit then the robot must return to find another piece, but Tepco officials have said they expect the sample will prove to be small enough. The mission started in September and was supposed to last two weeks, but had to be suspended twice. A procedural mistake held up work for nearly three weeks. Then the robot’s two cameras, designed to transmit views of the target areas for its operators in the remote control room, failed. That required the robot to be pulled out entirely for replacement before the mission resumed on Monday. Fukushima Daiichi lost its cooling systems during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, causing meltdowns in three of its reactors. An estimated 880 tons of fuel remains in them, and Tepco has carried out several robotic operations. Tepco said that on Wednesday the robot successfully clipped a piece estimated to weigh about 3 grams from the area underneath the Unit 2 reactor core, from which large amounts of melted fuel fell during the meltdown 13 years ago. The plant’s chief, Akira Ono, said only the tiny sample can provide crucial data to help plan a decommissioning strategy, develop necessary technology and robots and retroactively establish exactly how the accident had developed. The Japanese government and Tepco have set a target of between 30 and 40 years for the cleanup, which experts say is optimistic. No specific plan for the full removal of the fuel debris or its final disposal has been decided. | ['environment/fukushima', 'world/japan', 'world/world', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'world/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami', 'environment/environment', 'world/asia-pacific', 'environment/energy', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/kevin-rawlinson', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/foreign-networks'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2024-11-02T15:23:02Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2021/aug/08/spain-bans-small-boats-from-stretch-of-water-after-orca-encounters | Spain bans small boats from stretch of water after orca encounters | Spain has ordered small boats to steer clear of a stretch of the country’s southern coast after reports of more than 50 encounters with boisterous orcas, including as many as 25 incidents in which boats had to be towed to shore. A two-week prohibition bars most vessels of 15 metres or less from sailing near the coast between Cape Trafalgar and the small town of Barbate. It is the second time in 11 months that Spain’s ministry of transport has taken action to address a spate of extraordinary orca encounters that have baffled scientists. Last year’s ban applied to an area several hundred miles north. At the time the ministry said the measure was prompted by the orcas involvement in “several incidents in the coastal area of Galicia, mainly involving sailboats”. Authorities did not release the exact figure of how many boats had been affected. The most recent order was aimed at preventing “further incidents with orcas” the ministry said in a statement. “Since 27 March – the date of the first encounter [this year] – the cetaceans have had 56 interactions with small sailboats, at times causing rudder failure. Up to 25 cases required the services of Spain’s maritime rescue to tow vessels into port.” The order to give the area a wide berth came one day after three separate encounters with orcas were reported in the area within five hours. Two of the vessels suffered damage to their rudders and had to be towed into port, according to Spain’s maritime rescue service. Reports of run-ins with the highly sentient cetaceans along the coast of Spain and Portugal began surfacing in July and August of last year, with sailors sharing stories of rudders that had been rammed and boats that had been spun 180 degrees or tipped sideways. Describing the behaviour as highly unusual, scientists have struggled to explain the encounters. “These are very strange events,” cetacean researcher Ezequiel Andréu Cazalla told the Guardian last year. “But I don’t think they’re attacks.” Scientists have been cautious in characterising the encounters, given that the accounts have not come from trained researchers. Several of the scientists pointed to the stress on the endangered Gibraltar orcas as they navigate life in a major shipping route. Food scarcity, injuries and pollution have left the population on a knife’s edge, reduced to fewer than 50 individuals. The timing of the encounters, which appeared to begin as marine traffic picked up after two months of reduced noise during the pandemic, has led one marine biologist to speculate that the orcas could be expressing anger as big game fishing, whale watching and fast ferries returned to the water. Others have linked the encounters to several rowdy orcas who may have gotten carried away while playing. “We’re not their natural prey,” Bruno Díaz, a biologist at the local Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute, told the Associated Press last year. “They’re having fun – and maybe these orcas have fun causing damage.” In October a working group of Spanish and Portuguese experts said it had identified three orcas present in 61% of incidents and suggested that the “unprecedented” behaviours may be linked to an earlier “aversive incident” between the orcas and a vessel. “For the moment, we have no clear evidence of when it happened, nor can we say for sure what kind of boat may have been involved, nor whether the incident was accidental or deliberate,” it noted in a statement. | ['world/spain', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'profile/ashifa-kassam', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-08-08T14:37:48Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/cif-green/2010/sep/03/rajendra-pachauri-ipcc | If Rajendra Pachauri goes, who on Earth would want to be IPCC chair? | John Vidal | When it first emerged in India that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had made a major blunder about the date the Himalayan glaciers were predicted to melt, the sceptics predictably called for the head of Rajendra Pachauri, the IPCC's chair. There followed a series of malicious falsehoods and disinformation from journalists and bloggers about his business interests. Without waiting for retractions or the evidence of any inquiries or investigations, leading western environmentalists and other commentators shamefully rushed in to say he should resign. And now, following the InterAcademy Council (IAC) report into the IPCC's processes earlier this week (which also found Pachauri not guilty of any misconduct), commentators and editorials in the Times, Financial Times, Time, New Scientist and Telegraph have called for his resignation. The BBC's Roger Harrabin has also suggested that Pachauri's "time appears to be running out". The reason most given? That by staying, Pachauri would give the sceptics more ammunition. This is almost certainly sloppy group-think rather than a co-ordinated attack on Pachauri, but a pattern is emerging of IPCC chairs being shamefully hounded from office by powerful forces in rich countries. Back in 2002 the previous chair, Bob Watson, fell victim to the oil company Exxon and the Bush administration after just three years in office. Corporate America regarded the British-born scientist as far too outspoken and potentially too dangerous to industry, and a stitch-up by the US administration and a few friendly developing countries saw Pachauri replace Watson. Western environmentalists leapt to defend Watson, many implying in a disturbing way that the new chair was inferior. What Bush and his friends did not anticipate was that Pachauri would be just as outspoken about the perils of climate change, and was no patsy when it came to politics. If Pachauri goes – and the decision can only be taken by governments – two years into his second six-year term, then no future IPCC chair can ever feel safe. No decent candidate will ever be appointed again because the job – which involves no salary – will rightly be seen as impossible to do. The next IPCC report, the fifth assessment, will be finalised in 2014 and it can be guaranteed that the newly empowered sceptics will redouble their efforts to pick the most minute of holes in the vast swaths of scientific evidence that it will contain. If a chair must go every time the sceptics and the press attack, then every IPCC chairman will be mercilessly hounded on a personal and political level. Hunting the chair will become a destructive sport not unlike vilifying football managers, guaranteed to destroy continuity, undermine trust, and encourage uncontroversial science. Ousting the IPCC chairman mid-term again would be the ultimate victory for scepticism of the wildest kind. The absurdity of the latest attack is that Pachauri himself called on the IAC report specifically to improve IPCC procedures. If the plenary session of the IPCC does pass the recommendations made, then it will be up to Pachauri to implement them. The report suggested that in future one term only should be served, but it did not suggest that the man who implements reform should have to step down immediately. Pachauri, in fact, has been a rare find and a staunch defender of international science. As the first chair of the IPCC from a developing country he has not just succeeded in engaging Africa and the poorest countries in the climate debate, but has given them a voice. It is quite possible that it is exactly this loud, uncompromising voice from the south demanding justice and compensation from the polluters, that so offends the western press and its commentators. | ['environment/rajendra-pachauri', 'environment/ipcc', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'world/world', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'commentisfree/cif-green', 'tone/comment', 'commentisfree/commentisfree', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal'] | environment/ipcc | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2010-09-03T15:17:15Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
global-development/2012/jun/14/rio20-photo-message-earth-summit | Rio+20 photo challenge: what's your message for the Earth summit? | Next week, 20 years after the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro, politicians, businesses, activists, NGOs and more will meet again for Rio+20. The UN describes the conference as "a historic opportunity to define pathways to a safer, more equitable, cleaner, greener and more prosperous world for all". What does this mean to you? What message do you want to send to the summit? Perhaps you care about education and sanitation like Steven above? Maybe you think decent jobs are the key, or that urbanisation means our cities must be the focus? We'd love to see your messages from around the world submitted to our Flickr group. We'll feature some of our favourites on guardian.co.uk and maybe in the print version of the Guardian as well. For inspiration, take a look at these brilliant galleries of readers' global education messages or messages to UN Women. Maybe you have a broad hope for your life and family like Isaac. Or maybe you want to send a message about one of Rio+20's seven priority areas – decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness. We want your messages in pictures submitted to Flickr, or to development@guardian.co.uk if you have any problems. Please note, by posting your pictures in this group, or sending them to us in response to this request, you agree to let us use them on our site and potentially in the newspaper (copyright remains with you at all times, and you will be credited). We're looking forward to seeing your pictures. | ['global-development/series/development-talk-point', 'global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/rio-20-earth-summit', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'environment/environment', 'tone/blog', 'type/article', 'profile/jaz-cummins'] | environment/sustainable-development | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2012-06-14T10:16:03Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2017/jun/22/norway-issues-1bn-threat-brazil-rising-amazon-destruction | Norway issues $1bn threat to Brazil over rising Amazon destruction | Norway has issued a blunt threat to Brazil that if rising deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is not reversed, its billion-dollar financial assistance will fall to zero. The leaders of the two nations meet in Oslo on Friday. The oil-rich Scandinavian nation has provided $1.1bn to Brazil’s Amazon fund since 2008, tied to reductions in the rate of deforestation in the world’s greatest rainforest. The destruction of forests by timber and farming industries is a major contributor to the carbon emissions that drive climate change and Norway views protecting the Amazon as vital for the whole world. The rate of deforestation in the Amazon fell steadily from 2008 to 2014, an “impressive achievement” which had a “very positive impact” on Brazil and the world, according to Vidar Helgesen, Norway’s environment minister. But in a forthright letter to Brazil’s environment minister, José Sarney Filho, seen by the Guardian, Helgesen said: “In 2015 and 2016 deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon saw a worrying upward trend.” He warned that this had already reduced Norway’s contributions and added: “Even a fairly modest further increase would take this number to zero.” Helgesen said he had serious concern that controversial moves in Brazil to remove protection from large areas of the Amazon and weaken the environmental licensing required for agriculture would worsen deforestation. Furthermore, he said, budgets for the environment ministry and other departments that protect the Amazon had been drastically cut. Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, is seen as close to the powerful agricultural lobby, which is pressing for cuts in Amazon protection. Annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon jumped by 29% to 8,000 sq km in 2016, although it remains well below the 19,000 sq km seen in 2005. Norwegian officials say that under the rules Brazil itself set for the Amazon fund, a rise to 8,500 sq km would mean no payments from Norway. Filho, the son of the top landowner in Maranhão state, has replied to Helgesen. “I have made every effort to maintain the course of sustainability with determination and political will,” he wrote. Filho told Helgesen that the latest preliminary data suggested the increase in deforestation rate may have levelled off. “[It] indicates that we may have stagnated the upward curve of deforestation. We hope that the new data will soon point to a downward trend.” Temer is set to face protests in Oslo on Friday from rainforest and indigenous rights campaigners, including Sônia Guajajara, a leader from Brazil’s indigenous movement APIB. She said: “Temer violates his obligations and undermines people’s constitutional rights. His attacks on indigenous peoples and the environment are of a magnitude we have not seen before.” The Amazon fund currently supports dozens of projects which fight deforestation, work on land regulation and the environmental management of indigenous lands. Norway itself was criticised by environmental groups on Thursday, after offering oil companies a record number of exploration blocks – 93 – within the Arctic circle. Terje Søviknes, minister of petroleum and energy, said: “New exploration acreage promotes long-term activity, value creation and profitable employment in the petroleum industry across the country.” | ['environment/deforestation', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'world/norway', 'world/brazil', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'world/europe-news', 'environment/forests', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-06-22T17:01:11Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
global-development/2016/mar/18/east-african-farmers-rewarded-for-letting-grass-grow-under-their-feet | East African farmers rewarded for letting grass grow under their feet | Robert Kibet | Stephen Tumhaire rakes through the knee-high grass in his field to get rid of fallen tree branches that might stop the grass from growing. Sweat shines on his face, and he repeatedly mops it with his palm. In 1972, Tumhaire’s grandfather moved from the west of Uganda to the central Nakasongola district, a once sparsely populated area now made up of small farms created when farmers started dividing land among their children. With increasing rural-urban migration in the area, demand for charcoal grew in nearby towns and villages, and this accelerated a vicious cycle of deforestation that began with the clearing of land for cultivation. “This place was good before charcoal burning took centre stage. There were very many trees, there was much grass and cows, hence abundant milk,” he says. Tumhaire lives in Chamkama village in Uganda’s cattle corridor, 140km north of the capital Kampala. He says that in the mid-90s charcoal burning became so lucrative some young men dropped out of school to focus on making the fuel. Now, efforts are under way to use farmers, like Tumhaire, to help revive the trees through a scheme known as farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR). Farmers encourage regrowth by pruning and protecting existing trees, as well as encouraging new growth from felled tree stumps, sprouting root systems or seeds. The regrown trees and shrubs improve the soil, prevent erosion and water loss, and increase biodiversity. This can translate into increased crop yields, more timber for firewood and better incomes for farmers. Tumhaire was trained under the FMNR for east Africa project, funded by World Vision Australia and the Australian government. Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda are also taking part and the World Agroforestry Centre provides research and evaluation. “After the training, I pruned the trees and cleared shrubs on my land and soon grass started growing. Pasture was usually a problem during dry seasons here but through FMNR, my cows have enough grass and I have managed to sell a surplus of 39 bags of grass worth 331,000 shillings [£70],” Tumhaire says. “Milk production from my cows increased gradually … I sell seven litres per day, which fetches 9,100 shillings per litre, while the rest is consumed by my children.” Tony Rinaudo, a natural resource expert for World Vision Australia and FMNR pioneer in Niger, says this land restoration technique is cheap, based on community knowledge, and it promotes the regeneration of indigenous vegetation. “Between 25-30% of the world’s agricultural soil has been degraded. The very natural resource relied on for food supply is washing away, hence the need for trees back in the landscape in order to maintain soil fertility and stop it from eroding,” he says. In east Africa, where many farmers cannot afford inorganic fertiliser, trees can be an incredible resource in restoring soil’s fertility and nutrients. “Many tree species are nitrogen-fixing species. Any tree species would drop leaf litter on to the soil and build up carbon stock and other nutrients,” he says. The Australian government has injected $1.5m (£0.78m) into the project, says John Feakes, the Australian high commissioner to Kenya. “The programme has supported 160,000 farmers, of whom 60,000 are women,” he adds. For Florence Namembwa, another farmer in Chamkama, FMNR means wood is easier to find for cooking and boiling water. And that has given her the gift of time. “I now have enough time for other economic activities, such as working in the vegetable garden and attending our women’s savings group. My children can now concentrate on doing their homework since they don’t have to look for firewood any more,” she says. In Kenya’s Nakuru county, Jackson Mwangi stands between two acacia trees in his field of short grass and scattered bushes. The 46-year-old recalls how drought ravaged livestock herds in 2000, in this often-arid land 130km north of the capital, Nairobi. Today he practises FMNR. “Human activities led to desertification here,” says the father of four. “I can’t believe that the piece of land that used to give me eight bags of maize three years ago is now producing up to 25 bags,” he says. Kenya, like other nations in sub-Saharan Africa, has seen thousands of hectares of farmland become so degraded that they no longer produce adequate or regular crops or pastures for livestock. Government officials have also received training in FMNR in Kenya, and this has been useful in helping implement a national policy to increase nationwide forest cover from 1% to 10% of land. For Rinaudo, the benefits of FMNR go beyond the tangible. “Apart from FMNR’s contribution in increasing milk production and doubling crop yields, its biggest transformation is restoring hope to vulnerable communities in east Africa.” | ['global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'environment/forests', 'environment/soil', 'environment/farming', 'science/agriculture', 'world/uganda', 'world/rwanda', 'world/tanzania', 'world/kenya', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'world/africa', 'environment/environment', 'global-development/global-development', 'science/science', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/robert-kibet'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-03-18T10:39:10Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2018/may/01/melbournes-water-supply-at-risk-due-to-collapse-of-forests-caused-by-logging | Melbourne's water supply at risk due to 'collapse' of forests caused by logging | Melbourne’s water supply is at risk because decades of logging and forest loss from large bushfires has triggered the imminent collapse of the mountain ash forests in Victoria’s central highlands, ecologists have said. The Victorian government was warned of the likelihood of ecosystem collapse by Australian National University researches in 2015. New research led by Prof David Lindenmayer of ANU, published in PNAS journal on Tuesday, has found the ecosystem has already begun to undergo a “hidden collapse”. Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning A hidden collapse meant that while the ecosystem may appear superficially intact, the lag time in recovering old-growth mountain ash forests — the linchpin in preserving mountain ash ecosystems — “means that collapse is almost inevitable”. Even if there were no additional logging and no significant bushfires for the next 50 years, modelling by Lindenmayer and his co-author, Chloe Sato, showed the number of hollow-bearing trees in 2067 would be at best less than 10% than the number of hollow-bearing trees in 1997. The number of hollow-bearing trees had already more than halved since 1997, the modelling showed, while numbers of greater glider had declined 65% and numbers of critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum had halved. Guardian Australia revealed this month that the Victorian forest agency VicForests had begun logging Barjag Flat, a nationally significant hotspot for greater gliders. Lindenmayer said if drastic measures were not immediately taken to halt or greatly reduce native logging operations in mountain ash forests, the forest may not be able to recover from the level of projected collapse in 2067 and would instead be replaced by an open acacia woodland. Either option — a young and growing mountain ash forest or an acacia woodland — would be potentially disastrous for Melbourne’s water supply, he said. The majority of Melbourne’s water catchments are in mountain ash forests, which are either protected in national parks or in state forests where logging is either allowed or has previously occurred. If those forests have been damaged or are still growing, Lindenmayer said, they draw 12 megalitres more water per hectare per year than forests that are more than 100 years old. More than 98% of the mountain ash forest in Victoria is no more than 80 years old, and most of those in key catchment areas are less than 80. In the Upper Thomson catchment, which feeds Melbourne’s largest water supply dam, the Thomson reservoir, about 61% of the trees have been logged. “That’s a serious issue because two-thirds of all the rainfall in that catchment falls on one-third of the area and that’s the ash forest … that’s called an own goal,” Lindenmayer said. “The value of the water that flows into the water catchments is about 25.5 times higher than the value of the timber cut from those same catchments.” An economic analysis published by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub found that economic contribution of the water supply to the Victorian economy was $310m, compared with $12m from the native timber industry. “My hope is that at some stage people will wake up and say, ‘Oh my god, that’s the water supply for 4.5 million Melburnians,’” Lindenmayer said. “Is it appropriate to compromise the water supply of soon-to-be Australia’s largest city?” He said the situation would be worsened if the federal government introduced new Regional Forestry Agreements to replace the rolled-over short-term agreements, which are due to expire in March 2020. “The new RFAs are going to be even more disastrous because what they will do is lock in a guaranteed level of saw long supply … which isn’t really sustainable,” he said. “The RFAs don’t take into account other values like water or tourism ... it’s nonsensical. It doesn’t make any sense to me.” | ['environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/logging-and-land-clearing', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/environment', 'environment/forests', 'australia-news/victoria', 'australia-news/melbourne', 'environment/water', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'environment/wildlife', 'australia-news/bushfires', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/calla-wahlquist', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-04-30T19:00:20Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2007/jan/23/china.india | China and India warned their water is running out | The world is running out of water and needs a radical plan to tackle shortages that threaten humanity's ability to feed itself, according to Jeffrey Sachs, director of the UN's Millennium Project. Professor Sachs, the renowned American economist who is credited with prompting pop star Bono's crusade for African development, told an environment conference in Delhi that the world had "no more rivers to take water from". India and China were facing severe water shortages and neither could use the same strategies for raising food output which has fed millions in recent times. "In 2050 we will have 9 billion people and average income will be four times what it is today," he said. "India and China have been able to feed their populations because they use water in an unsustainable way. That is no longer possible." Since Asia's agricultural revolution, the amount of land under irrigation has tripled. But many parts of the continent have reached the limits of water supplies. "The Ganges [in India] and the Yellow river [in China] no longer flow. There is so much silting up and water extraction upstream they are pretty stagnant." The academic said the mechanisms of shrinking water resources are not well understood. "We need to do for water what we did for climate change. How do we recharge aquifers? ... There's no policy anywhere in place at the moment." Prof Sachs said that the rise of Asia was altering the world's resources in an unprecedented way; that for the first time humans, rather than nature, were shaping the environment. "China is on course to be the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide by 2010 in the world. India is building eight 4,000Mw power plants. Are they ready for carbon capture? I don't think so." The UK has been trying to persuade India to embrace green technology. But New Delhi still talks about the need for accelerating growth and views tackling climate change as a brake on the economy. David Miliband, the British environment secretary said he was confident India would join a scheme for managing greenhouse gas emissions after the present Kyoto protocol runs out in 2012. | ['world/world', 'world/china', 'world/india', 'environment/water', 'environment/environment', 'environment/drought', 'world/asia-pacific', 'type/article', 'profile/randeepramesh'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2007-01-23T09:29:08Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2017/jan/29/london-fog-air-pollution-history-christine-corton | Have we learned the lessons from the history of London fogs? | Christine L Corton | Londoners are being warned not to breathe too deeply when they go outside. A toxic fog is hanging over the streets, threatening the health and wellbeing of the capital. It is small consolation to know that this has been the state of the city’s air for more than 200 years. London is in a natural basin surrounded by hills and its air generally holds moisture because of the river running through it, so it has always had a natural fog problem. Then came the industrial revolution, with coal fires powering steam-driven factory machines and being used to heat homes. As the city’s industry and population grew apace from the 1820s onwards, smoke mixed with the moist air and on cold days produced a particularly nasty, thick, yellow, sulphurous atmosphere that became trapped in London’s narrow roads and alleyways. People knew from early on that the smog could kill and there were many calls to clean up London’s air. Many politicians took up the cause but they were generally isolated or maverick figures. It was the mustachioed Conservative MP Gerald Nabarro who turned the tide after the Great Smog of 1952 killed around 12,000 people. He forced through the 1956 Clean Air Act despite government reluctance. (Although a recent episode of TV drama The Crown presented Winston Churchill as the obstacle to change, it was actually the chancellor, Harold Macmillan.) Why did it take so long? Industrial interests often prevailed. To move to cleaner fuels always meant higher costs and successive governments were reluctant to interfere with the right of domestic consumers to use the fuel they preferred. George Orwell extolled the virtues of the “old-fashioned coal fire” and complained of “the noisy minority” who wanted to do away with it. It was only when gas and electricity became more affordable that legislation could be passed without incurring higher costs to the consumers. Londoners were also proud of their smogs. Industrial chimneys pumping out smoke signified employment. A coal fire blazing in the hearth meant warmth and comfort. London fog was given a variety of romantic names such as “London ivy” by Charles Dickens or the “pea-souper”, not the green variety but the more traditional yellow potage. Writers perceived the magic and mystery of London fog and used it extensively. Dickens employed it in the opening pages of Bleak House to signify the obfuscations of the Court of Chancery. The air, he wrote, had “flakes of soot in it as big as full-grown snowflakes”. Henry James, George Gissing, Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad also used London fog in their works. Pulp-fiction writers liked to use smog as a means of totally destroying life in London: “One common doom, one common sepulchre of gloomy fog, there was for the richest and the poorest, the best and the worst alike,” wrote one writer of these apocalyptic stories. Visitors to the city complained if they did not experience the famous London fog. Foreign artists saw its potential and came over to paint it. Impressionist painter Claude Monet booked a room on the top floor of the Savoy hotel in the winter and produced a series of beautiful London fog paintings around the turn of the 19th century. He “was terrified to see that there was no fog, not even the least trace of a mist” as a clear atmosphere frustrated his search for the effect. A Japanese artist, Yoshio Markino, travelled to London to paint the fog, observing that “the harmony of its colour is most wonderful”. Of course, people also made a connection between fog, mystery and crime. On film and on TV, Sherlock Holmes is often seen combing for clues through foggy streets. In fact, his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, did not use London fog as extensively in his writings as people think. It only plays an active role in one of his stories, The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, where the villain needs to dispose of a dead body out of a window on to the top of a train without being seen. Jack the Ripper is often dramatised as pursuing his victims through the fog, but in fact his crimes took place on clear nights. Will the toxic fog Londoners are now experiencing be seen as anything other than what it really is – a dangerous, poisonous nuisance? It is much harder to romanticise now than the pea-soupers of the past. Nowadays, too, cleaner technology is available with electric cars as well as less polluting fuels for industry. In Victorian times it was our love for home fires that politicians were reluctant to upset; today it is our love for cars and other private means of transport. It took many decades to act on the knowledge that pea-soupers cost lives. How many decades will it take in our own time? | ['environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'uk/london', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'tone/comment', 'type/article', 'environment/air-pollution', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/observer-main'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-01-29T00:04:09Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
business/2019/apr/05/mining-firms-must-come-clean-about-waste-say-investors | Mining firms must reveal waste dump safety records, say investors | A group of investors controlling more than $10tn in assets has written to the world’s largest mining companies demanding they reveal the safety records of their waste dumps after the collapse of the Brumadinho dam in Brazil in January, which killed hundreds of people. The dam, owned by the Brazilian mining firm Vale, was used to store tailings, the unwanted byproducts of an iron ore mine. It failed, releasing 11.7m cubic metres of mud that swamped nearby buildings. It is believed the collapse killed about 300 people. FTSE 100 mining companies Anglo American, Antofagasta, BHP Group, Glencore and Rio Tinto have all received the letters, which give them 45 days to publicly disclose their dams’ size, construction methods and safety records. Some 96 investors, led by the Church of England Pensions Board and Sweden’s public pension fund, have written to 683 publicly listed mining companies. They have asked each company to publish details of their tailings facilities, signed by the companies’ chief executive or board chair. Aberdeen Standard Investments, Aviva Investors, Legal & General Investment Management and Hermes are among the major City investors to have signed the letter. The safety standards of tailings dams are a key concern in investigations of the Brumadinho disaster. Vale has repeatedly said the dam had not leaked, a sign of possible imminent collapse. However, the Guardian has reported allegations by Vale employees that repairs on the dam were carried out last year after leakages. The dams are generally used for permanent storage of mining byproducts, which can be toxic. Previous tailings dam failures, including another disaster at a Vale mine in Brazil in 2015, which caused 19 deaths, have caused environmental catastrophes, including poisoning water supplies. Adam Matthews, the director of ethics and engagement for the Church of England Pensions Board, described mining companies’ current disclosures on the facilities as “largely inadequate”. He said: “It is essential that investors can establish a clear line of sight on which company has which tailings facility and how that facility is being managed.” The investor group aims to create a global database of the disclosures to help to improve standards. | ['business/mining', 'environment/mining', 'business/business', 'business/investing', 'business/financial-sector', 'uk/uk', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jasper-jolly', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2019-04-05T13:07:09Z | true | ENERGY |
news/2011/jan/13/flooding-la-nina | Weatherwatch: La Niña causes mayhem around the world | Mayhem has broken out across much of the world's weather. Queensland is awash with biblical deluges of rain, and so too are the Philippines, while the Panama Canal was closed in December, for the first time since it opened in 1914, because of floods endangering shipping. Meanwhile, crops across much of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are withering in heat and drought, pushing world food prices higher. These are just some of the signs of a mighty upheaval in the Pacific called La Niña. For the past few months the tropical seas of the Pacific have been growing cooler than normal and knocking weather patterns for six. Australia had its third wettest year on record in 2010, and La Niña may also have played a part in the huge monsoon rains in Pakistan last summer which led to the calamitous floods that killed around 1,800 people and left some 20 million others displaced. This is such a powerful La Niña it may have cast its spell over the cold winter in the UK. The vast pool of cooler water in the Pacific has disturbed the jet stream, a river of wind that flows around the globe a few miles high. The jet stream has meandered in big loops this winter and helped keep the UK in an icy embrace for several weeks. But there may be good news, La Niñas often bring a mild end to British winters as the jet stream kinks into a position where surface winds return to a more normal, warmer, south-westerly quarter. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'uk/weather', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'profile/jeremy-plester', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2011-01-13T00:01:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2023/jan/14/endangered-orcas-forever-chemicals-4np-canada | High levels of ‘forever chemical’ found in endangered orcas in Canada | Canadian researchers have discovered high levels of a “forever chemical”, used in making toilet paper, in the bodies of endangered killer whales, sparking fears the toxic substance could further harm them. Researchers in British Columbia announced they had discovered the chemical 4-nonylphenol, or 4NP, in the 12 killer whales they studied. 4NP is often used in pulp and paper processing but is also found in soap, detergents and textile processing. The chemical can enter the ocean from waste treatment plants or industrial runoff. Because killer whales, or orcas, sit atop the food chain, they often ingest smaller organisms tainted with the chemical – a phenomenon known as biomagnification, making orcas among the most contaminated cetaceans in the world. As part of the study, researchers sampled the skeletal muscle and liver of orcas living along the south-western coast of British Columbia. Of particular interest were the southern resident ecotype of killer whales, a whale that has been threatened by dwindling food supply, increased marine traffic, warming waters and chemical pollution. “This research is a wake-up call. Southern residents are an endangered population and it could be that contaminants are contributing to their population decline. We can’t wait to protect this species,” co-author Dr Juan José Alava said in a news release from the University of British Columbia. With little study into its effects on marine mammals, 4NP is known as a “contaminant of emerging concern”. In their paper, the scientists cautioned that “too few” killer whales have been screened for the toxic chemicals to infer the scope of contamination. But experts nonetheless worry high concentrations of 4NP, similar to those found in the studied whales, can interact with the nervous system and influence cognitive function as well as affect hormone levels and make the whales more susceptible to illness. Among the other chemicals found in the whales were those categorized as persistent organic pollutants – substances that are harmful to marine life and are widely found in food packaging materials and cookware. Researchers also studied the transfer of pollutants from mother to fetus in one pair of southern resident killer whales, finding most of the pollutants were transferred in the womb and that nearly 95% of 4NP was transferred from mother to fetus. | ['environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans', 'environment/environment', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/pfas', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'profile/leyland-cecco', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-01-14T08:00:03Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2022/dec/08/jungle-trek-first-ever-photo-congo-bouviers-red-colobus-monkey-aoe | Lost and found: how a jungle trek led to first photo of fearless, fluffy-cheeked monkey | “They have a nice black eyebrow, but I especially liked the fluffy white hairs on their cheeks.” For Congolese primatologist Gaël Elie Gnondo Gobolo, seeing Bouvier’s red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus bouvieri) for the first time “was an unexpected moment, like being in a dream”. No one knew the monkey still existed in the Republic of the Congo. Assessments for the IUCN in 2008 and 2016 classified it as critically endangered, with a note saying it was “possibly extinct”. There had been no recorded sightings since the 1970s until Lieven Devreese, a primatologist from Belgium, led a two-month expedition in 2015. Gnondo Gobolo was a biology student at Marien Ngouabi University in Brazzaville, Congo’s capital, at the time and accompanied him. Devreese hoped not only to find the Bouvier’s red colobus but also to take the first photograph of the species. The expedition, with financial support from four European organisations (Primate Conservation Inc, GaiaZOO, Apenheul, and La Vallée des Singes), headed to northern Congo and the 457,200-hectare (1,130,000-acre) Ntokou-Pikounda national park. “It took us a day travelling down the river to reach the village of Ntokou, where we got permission to enter the forest and found a team of local Mbendjele trackers and eco-guards who know the area,” says Devreese. “To enter the park, we travelled for a day in a pirogue up the Bokiba River. Because it was near the end of the rainy season, the river had inundated large tracts of forest. We had to wade through waist-deep mud and cross a swamp covered with spiny raffia palm leaves. “One of the teams of Mbendjele people found the monkeys and came back to alert us. It took 45 minutes of walking through virgin rainforest at high speed to get to the location, hoping the tracker who stayed with the monkeys hadn’t lost sight of them. “It was very intense and exhausting, tackling all kinds of stinging lianas, not to mention the heat and lack of water, because we’d only planned to be out in the forest until noon. I felt great relief when I heard the chattering of the red colobus monkeys nearby. Then we saw an adult female with an infant clinging to her belly through an opening in the canopy. Finding them was a special experience.” The team observed about 20 monkeys in the lower canopy. “Being able to take the first photograph of this species was proof that there’s still much to learn and discover in these forests,” says Devreese. The monkeys made a big impression on Gnondo Gobolo, who is now a community assistant in Ntokou-Pikounda park. “There are 18 different species of red colobus monkey, of which the Bouvier’s red colobus have beautiful black hands and feet,” he says. “I’ll always remember their curious behaviour when we found them in the forest. We were able to observe them for almost an hour, and at one point an adult female with her infant that we had in our view closed her eyes to take a quick nap. Unfortunately, this fearless behaviour towards people poses a serious threat to them.” Since the rediscovery, Bouvier’s red colobus has been reclassified as endangered. Proof they still exist has aided conservation efforts, with WWF and the government of the Republic of the Congo agreeing to co-manage Ntokou-Pikounda park. “The joint WWF-government team works with Indigenous people and local communities to manage this exceptional expanse of tropical rainforest,” says park director Victor Mbolo. Seeing such solid results from the rediscovery is the reward for days wading through swamps, says Gnondo Gobolo. “I feel profoundly happy to have contributed to the success of the mission. These monkeys require special protection. For me, they represent the pride of Congolese biodiversity and Ntokou-Pikounda park.” 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/lost-and-found', 'environment/environment', 'environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'world/congo-brazzaville', 'world/africa', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/graeme-green', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/environmentnews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-age-of-extinction'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-12-08T16:00:06Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
science/2019/jan/07/gene-editing-could-create-spicy-tomatoes-say-researchers | Gene editing could create spicy tomatoes, say researchers | Spicy tomatoes could soon be on the menu thanks to the rise of genome-editing technology, say researchers. It is not the first time experts have claimed the techniques could help to precisely and rapidly develop fruits and vegetables with unusual traits: scientists have already been looking at changing the colour of kiwi fruits and tweaking the taste of strawberries. But researchers in Brazil and Ireland say such methods also could offer practical advantages, with spicy tomatoes offering a way of harvesting capsaicinoids, the pungent chemicals found in chilli peppers. “Capsaicinoids are very valuable compounds; they are used in [the] weapons industry for pepper spray, they are also used for anaesthetics [and] there is some research showing that they promote weight loss,” said Agustin Zsögön from the Federal University of Viçosa in Brazil, co-author of an article arguing for the benefits of engineering hot tomatoes. Writing in the Trends in Plant Science journal, the researchers say chilli peppers are labour-intensive and difficult crops to cultivate, and it is tricky to keep the pungency of the fruits consistent. By contrast, tomato yields are high and the plant is well-studied, making it a good choice for turning up the heat. “You could produce [the capsaicinoids] in a more cost-effective manner,” Zsögön said. Tomatoes and chilli peppers developed from a common ancestor but diverged about 19m years ago. “All the genes to produce capsaicinoids exist in the tomato, they are just not active,” Zsögön said. Using a gene-editing technology, such as a variation of Crispr-Cas9, it would be possible to switch these genes back on in tomatoes, adding a kick to the everyday fruit, he said. Zsögön and his team are already working on the feat, and say they hope to have some news by the end of the year. Zsögön added the endeavour was also about showing that genome engineering is a useful tool, and helping people to accept the technology. “There is the fun side – you just do it … because we can, basically – and there [are] the potentially interesting applications for agriculture,” he said. Zsögön said he was personally looking forward to hot tomatoes to make guacamole, but added that it might be best if the spicy produce did not end up at Spain’s annual tomato-throwing competition. “There could be injuries,” he said. | ['science/food-science', 'science/science', 'food/food', 'business/fooddrinks', 'science/genetics', 'environment/farming', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/nicola-davis', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-science'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-01-07T16:00:18Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2021/dec/14/personal-details-of-80000-south-australian-public-servants-stolen-in-cyber-attack | Personal details of 80,000 South Australian public servants stolen in cyber-attack | Records including the name, tax file number and banking details of almost 80,000 South Australian government employees may have been stolen in a cyber-attack, with workers advised to assume their personal information has been stolen. The South Australian treasurer, Rob Lucas, first disclosed on Friday that records of 38,000 government employees had been stolen in a cyber-attack, but confirmed the extent of the data breach on Tuesday. The attack was carried out against Frontier Software, an external company that has provided the South Australian government’s payroll software for the last 20 years. It affects employees working for the government as of July last year, with only employees at the Department of Education excluded from the hack. Investigations are ongoing but it is believed the incident involved a ransomware attack by Russian hackers that took place five weeks ago. The personal information stolen includes – but is not limited to – employees’ first and last names, date of birth, tax file number, home address and bank account details. Lucas apologised to employees affected saying it was a “very serious breach”. “It’s almost everyone, members of parliament, right through to the premier, also people who serve on government boards and committees,” he said. “To the extent we can, we are providing the maximum amount of security we can now that this has occurred.” All employees were advised to take security steps such as changing passwords and security questions used to identify a person while monitoring their accounts for any unusual activity. Lucas said the government could not immediately terminate the contract with Frontier Software as it would take at least six months to find a new provider. Frontier Software Australia CEO Nick Southcombe said the company, was monitoring for any other suspicious activity as further investigations continued. “We are continuing to communicate closely with our customers to share the latest information about the incident, as well as offering additional cyber security support to ensure the ongoing security of their systems,” Southcombe said. “We can confirm that this is the first such cyber incident that Frontier Software has ever experienced. We are committed to learning from this experience and implementing all necessary cyber security measures to minimise the likelihood of an incident occurring in future.” In a notice posted on its website on 9 December, Frontier Software said some of its Australian customer systems had been hit be a cyber incident on 13 November and it had begun informing clients. The SA Privacy Committee, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Australian federal police have been notified about the incident. Public Service Association acting general secretary Natasha Brown said the union was seeking legal advice on behalf of its members. “The government must take full responsibility for the integrity of this very sensitive data,” Brown said. “The government might have privatised the service – but they cannot privatise their responsibility for our members’ personal sensitive data.” “The PSA expects the government to cover any costs to members of any adverse consequences of this serious data breach – including any financial losses.” Justin Warren, chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia, said the incident was “all too familiar” and that those affected should be compensated for “the work they have to do to respond to this violation of their privacy”. “This data breach demonstrates, yet again, that once government or business has your data there is very little you can do if their cybersecurity isn’t good enough,” Warren said. “Governments keep demanding we trust them with our data but I struggle to see why anyone would. If governments want our trust they have to earn it.” | ['australia-news/south-australia', 'australia-news/australian-security-and-counter-terrorism', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'technology/technology', 'technology/hacking', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/royce-kurmelovs', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2021-12-14T07:57:28Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2019/oct/25/agriculture-ministers-back-national-plan-to-address-impact-of-climate-change | Agriculture ministers back national plan to address impact of climate change | Agriculture ministers have agreed to a national framework to address the impact of climate change on the sector, as well as to develop plans to help the industry grow to $100bn by 2030. At a meeting in Melbourne on Friday federal, state and territory agriculture ministers – and federal water resources minister David Littleproud – agreed to Victoria’s plan to improve adaptation of agriculture for climate change. In September Littleproud controversially said that he doesn’t “know if climate change is manmade” before backing down and “totally” accepting that worsening droughts are linked to climate change. The ministers also agreed to meet twice a year and were forewarned by the federal government that the next phase of its drought policy will “require heavy lifting from the states”. The warning was interpreted as a reference to a plan under consideration by the Morrison government, first reported in the Courier Mail, for drought-declared farmers to be exempt from paying income tax and for the states to suspend payroll tax for affected businesses. Discussions about the adequacy of the commonwealth’s response to drought dominated this sitting week of parliament, after the National Farmers Federation called for it to pay council rates for affected businesses and to offer exit packages for those wanting to leave the land. The Nationals asked the government to pay $10m to drought-affected councils, co-funded with state governments, a policy estimated to cost $1.3bn given there are currently 123 councils who would be eligible. The Courier Mail reported that after cabinet meets in Sydney on 30 October Scott Morrison is expected to unveil the next phase of its drought policy before attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Chile in mid-November. Littleproud confirmed the meeting next week, explaining that as the drought escalates the government’s response will “take another step up” like going up a staircase. • Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning On Friday the shadow agriculture minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, noted that Morrison has said “no decision has been made” about tax breaks and the policy may not be announced until next year. Fitzgibbon told reporters in Canberra that “every piecemeal ad-hoc drought policy this government has had in the last year, and indeed over the last six years, has enjoyed the support of the opposition”. “If the prime minister has some ideas about how he might be able to extend tax relief to rural communities then, of course, we will consider that and hopefully welcome that,” he said. “I’ll state what I believe most farmers and rural communities will be thinking today in the first instances: you don’t pay tax if you’re not earning any money.” Victoria’s climate change plan, unanimously supported by the other jurisdictions at the agriculture ministers meetings, calls for a joint program of work to develop: Information and tools to improve on-farm decisions and risk management Research and innovation to support adaptation and mitigation technology Better market opportunities and farming business models More planning for biosecurity risks as the risk of pests, diseases and weeds changes. A new climate change task group will oversee the delivery of the program, regularly reporting to the agriculture senior officials committee and ministers. Victorian agriculture minister, Jaclyn Symes, said: “The science on climate change is clear and we’ll work with farmers and their communities to manage the risks it poses to our agriculture sector.” On Friday afternoon the meeting will discuss biosecurity issues, trespass on agricultural land and animal standards, following a 7.30 program alleging widespread acts of animal cruelty against racehorses. The federal agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie told reporters in Melbourne the ministers were all “very distressed by the incident that occurred in Queensland around the horse industry”. McKenzie said that the welfare of racehorses and calls for a national traceability register are a matter for racing ministers. McKenzie said that animals, including horses, have been loaded onto transports for delivery to abattoirs when they are not fit to travel, suggesting the agriculture ministers can amend transport standards and guidelines to ensure animal welfare standards are upheld. | ['environment/drought', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/coalition', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'environment/environment', 'environment/water', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/paul-karp', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2019-10-25T02:01:08Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2014/jul/09/abbott-climate-stance-reckless-shaming | Abbott's climate stance is 'reckless' and 'deeply shaming', senior UK Tory says | Tony Abbott doesn’t take climate science seriously and the repeal of the carbon price is “reckless” and “deeply shaming”, according to a former UK Conservative party environment minister. Lord Deben, who served in Margaret Thatcher’s government as John Gummer, told Guardian Australia the Australian government was out of step with centre-right politicians from around the world on the urgency of tackling climate change. “I haven’t met an Australian who is not deeply ashamed of this government, most of whom voted for Abbott,” he said. “How can you say ‘we don’t mind what 97% of scientists tell us, we are going to stick two fingers up and do it anyway’? “Conservatives around the world are taking action on climate change, including Britain and Germany. It’s in the DNA of conservatives to hand on a better world to your children and I hate that Australia is letting down conservatives around the world.” Deben said he met Abbott last year, when the prime minister was opposition leader, to gauge his position in climate change. “Quite clearly, he was someone who refuses to accept the science of climate change,” said Deben, who is chairman of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change. “He referred to ideas put forward by a small number of people whose views aren’t accepted by any serious scientist in the world. “I think future generations will ask ‘what did you do to stop the world being overwhelmed by climate change?’. Mr Abbott will have to answer that and I don’t know how he can look at children in the eye. His attitude, if everyone else did the same, would condemn the poorest people in the world to an impossible life. “I don’t think conservatives have ever taken that view before. Australia, as a great country, knows better than that, I think.” Deben, who was UK environment secretary from 1993 to 1997, said the upcoming repeal of Australia’s carbon price was “deeply shaming”. “It’s a reckless and deeply retrograde step,” he said. “There has been a notable reduction in emissions and businesses have not found it to be the imposition that they said it would be. “There’s nothing in the [Coalition’s] alternative policy that makes anyone believe they will hit the target of 5% reduction in emissions by 2020, which is manifestly inadequate anyway. “I mean, when you’ve even got small, poor countries such as Kiribati and Micronesia doing their part to reduce emissions, what on Earth is Australia doing?” Abbott has stressed that he accepts the science and wants to tackle climate change, but not “clobber” the economy while doing so. Abbott’s office has been contacted for a response to Deben’s comments. The Coalition has argued that the carbon price has been a costly imposition on the Australian economy, reducing emissions by just 0.1% in the two years of its operation. Supporters of carbon pricing, however, point out that emissions from electricity generation, which is the main target of the mechanism, have dropped by 11% in this time. Bodies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have backed carbon pricing as the most economically efficient way of reducing emissions. A spokeswoman for Ed Davey, the UK’s climate change minister, told Guardian Australia that Britain was committed to the Europe-wide emissions trading scheme. “We will continue to work with Australia on achieving an ambitious global agreement in 2015,” she said. “The UK supports the development of carbon pricing around the world as the most cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and incentivising the technologies required for the transition to a low carbon economy.” The Coalition wants to replace carbon pricing with its Direct Action policy, a voluntary fund that will pay businesses that wish to reduce their emissions. The government insists Direct Action will meet the 5% emissions target, although several independent analyses have cast doubt on this and the Department of Environment has admitted it has no modelling to prove the scheme will meet the goal. It’s uncertain whether the new senate will vote for Direct Action, due to opposition from Labor, the Greens and Palmer United party. Coalition attempts to scrap the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Renewable Energy Agency, the two main renewable energy agencies, could also be thwarted in the Senate. | ['australia-news/tony-abbott', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/coalition', 'environment/carbon-tax', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'politics/conservatives', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman'] | environment/carbon-tax | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-07-09T01:06:47Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/article/2024/aug/12/successful-environmental-projects-benefit-nature-and-people-study-finds | Successful environmental projects benefit nature and people, study finds | Restoring and protecting the world’s forests is crucial if humanity is to stop the worst effects of climate breakdown and halt the extinction of rare species. Researchers have been concerned, however, that actions to capture carbon, restore biodiversity and find ways to support the livelihoods of the people who live near and in the forests might be at odds. This is a particular issue in many parts of the globe that have important forests, as the people living nearby often have precarious livelihoods that can be negatively affected if the land they use to survive is encroached on. Now a new work led by Dr Trisha Gopalakrishna, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has found that, with careful thought, all three important outcomes can be delivered by setting up “integrated” plans, where all three goals are combined. The research finds that the plans could deliver more than 80% of the benefits in all three areas at once and that socioeconomically disadvantaged groups would benefit disproportionately from this approach. Gopalakrishna and her fellow researchers used a framework called Nature’s Contribution to People (NCP) to show how restoring nature and biodiversity can help communities to thrive if it is done carefully. They said it shows that there can be a holistic relationship between restoration and benefits to humanity that can include reducing socioeconomic inequality. In India, where the mapping took place, 38%-41% of the people affected by integrated spatial plans for these forests belong to socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. The researchers generated maps of 3.88m hectares of possible forest restoration area, and found that integrated plans aimed at multiple goals rather than just one delivered on average 83.3% of climate crisis mitigation NCP, 89.9% of biodiversity value NCP and 93.9% of societal NCP compared with those delivered by single-objective plans. It is vital to keep humanity in mind when designing conservation projects, said Gopalakrishna, and it can make the work more efficient. “In my opinion, environment/biodiversity and the requirements of local communities are compatible and there are many examples of both thriving in many different regions of the world, including India, and through time. “However, environmental projects that disregard or undermine the needs of local communities can be harmful and are often unsuccessful in meeting their environmental objectives. “Restoration projects sometimes have a narrow focus, which can lead to trade-offs. “For example, if you focus on carbon storage, you might plant particular tree species and fence the forests off to protect them. If you focus on biodiversity, you might manage forests for particular species, like the emblematic Bengal tiger or Asiatic elephant. If you focus on human livelihoods, you might plant species that provide housing materials and fuelwood for cooking. “Unsurprisingly, our study shows that plans with one NCP in mind tend not to deliver the others. However, we were surprised and pleased to find that an ‘integrated’ plan can deliver all three remarkably efficiently.” She said it was important to create a “multifunctional landscape” with trees that can store carbon, plants that can help human survival, and space for wildlife, so that “people and animals can thrive”. The method has been adopted by the UN Development Programme, which has written a report on how integrated spatial planning is important. European conservationists INSPIRE are also using the method to understand protected area networks in Europe. The researcher added that equality needs to be taken more into account when planning conservation projects and that the next frontier should be considering gender outcomes: “Generally, I do think societal needs and especially equity needs to be accounted for in all conservation and development projects, which is the biggest leap that this study makes. “We actually show that integrated spatial plans provide societal benefits to a greater number of Indians who are socioeconomically challenged than the plans focused only on biodiversity or carbon. Also, all plans including the integrated spatial plan we examined provided almost the same benefits to Indian men and women. “Understanding who gains and loses (ie equity and gender) should be the next frontier of policy and decision-making and project development, which I would say is a main takeaway from this study.” | ['environment/forests', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/world', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/india', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/helena-horton', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-08-12T19:00:49Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2018/mar/09/country-diary-it-feels-like-the-trees-could-start-lumbering-forwards | Country diary: it feels like the trees could start lumbering forwards | Contorted and deeply furrowed, the flared bole of this tree has a Lord of the Rings quality. I almost expect it to start moving and lumber towards me like an Ent. Beneath the point where each branch leaves the trunk there are shadowy elbow-deep clefts. Its muscular ridges are a rich burnt orange, and ripple down to the ground like anchoring roots, making the twisted trunk look like it is screwing itself down into the earth. This is a dawn redwood, Metasequoia glypstostroboides, one of an avenue either side of Farm Drive in Hulne Park. A medieval hunting ground of thousands of acres that provided food and wood for Alnwick Castle, Hulne Park is entirely enclosed in a 3m high perimeter wall. Deep in its heart are the ivy-draped ruins of a 13th-century Carmelite monastery, built on a steep grassy mound. We enter the demesne through the arched gateway of Forest Lodge, where early periwinkles bloom beneath walls covered in leafless vines of Virginia creeper. A woodpecker drums on a reverberating branch and the sound of a crowing cockerel echoes through the woods. One side of the drive is level ground, the other rises and falls along an undulating bank. Some of the trees are squat and stunted, while others hold the neat flame shape that has made the dawn redwood a popular tree for amenity planting. The bark is fibrous and spongy; you can dig your nail into its flaky surface. A deciduous conifer, its fresh foliage has the bright green ferny look of larch leaves. They turn coppery pink in autumn. Until the 1940s, when it was discovered growing in China, the dawn redwood was only known from fossil specimens found throughout the northern hemisphere. Believed to have survived unchanged since the Cretaceous era, the first of the rediscovered trees to be grown in Britain can be found in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Though fast-growing, the dawn redwood is critically endangered in the wild. As we walk along the drive through the avenue of trees, marvelling at the individuality of each, we are walking between living fossils. | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/susie-white', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-03-09T05:30:27Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
commentisfree/2015/aug/20/seals-london-canary-wharf-river-thames | Want to see some seals? Head to Canary Wharf | Philip Hoare | If marine mammals are the canaries of the sea – offering advance warning signs of the healthy state, or otherwise, of our waters – then the new report from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) on the extraordinary numbers of seals, porpoises, dolphins and even whales appearing in the Thames must be good news. The ZSL survey, conducted over 10 years, records an astonishing 2,732 sightings in the river and its estuary (although it cannot say how many of these were repeat visits by individual animals). Many were seals – easier to spot since they hang about at the surface. But 444 porpoises and dolphins were also seen, and a truly remarkable 49 whales, including minke whales, larger than any elephant, and more commonly seen from whalewatch boats in places such as Scotland and Cape Cod. A map of the sightings makes for fascinating study for would-be wildlife watchers. Hot spots for seals – both common and grey seals – show clusters around Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs – partly because tall office blocks and flats on the riverside have given people a better viewing point. Harbour porpoises appeared between Westminster and London Bridge, and as far upriver as Richmond. Flipper in Hammersmith? Porpoises off Battersea Park? Not so flipped-out as it might sound. What to look for? Well, a sleek round head bobbing in the water indicates a seal. Typically, they’ll peer about with their big black labrador-like eyes, before ducking down and reappearing close by. They’re particularly attracted to anglers, for obvious reasons, saving themselves the trouble of finding fish by letting humans do it for them – a remarkable reminder of the way animals use us, as much as we use them. Porpoises are more difficult to see. Their fleet, grey-brown bodies break the surface subtly, showing only a stubby dorsal fin. They were once numerous in the river, earning the name “puffing pigs”. Their common name comes from a contraction of the medieval French, “porc poisson”, a relic of their designation as fish, and exemption from the ban on eating meat on fast days. Earlier this year, a unique week-long survey of porpoises in the Thames estuary conducted by the research vessel, The Song of the Whale, identified 100 sound “contacts” with these shy but fascinating animals. Bottlenose dolphins, which have been spotted by the Houses of Parliament (perhaps they were lobbying the government to implement much-needed Marine Conservation Zones) are easier to spot, identified by their tall dorsals scything through the water. “British” dolphins (as if they observed such national boundaries) are among the largest in the world, growing up to 12 feet (3.6 metres) in length. Rarer are white-beaked dolphin – beautifully marked with white and grey shading as if airbrushed along their flanks. You might be lucky to see a whale in the Thames – but it wouldn’t be so lucky for the whale. Cetaceans get their water from the fish they eat, and the famous whale of 2006, a normally deep-diving bottlenose, was unable to forage and died of dehydration, despite a rescue attempt which closed the river traffic for the first time since Winston Churchill’s funeral. Historically, many whales and dolphins have been recorded in the Thames, often stranding on its banks. John Hunter, the 18th-century anatomist, was fascinated by these animals, and wrote one of the first scientific reports on specimens brought to him from the river. These included an orca which was chased by sailors from Greenwich Hospital before being harpooned and killed. Equally salutary was the treatment meted out to a dolphin which swam up the Thames during the first world war. It was slaughtered by scientists from the Natural History Museum, and served up to journalists to persuade the public of the tastiness of whale and dolphin meat during a time of food shortages. Apart from relishing the wondrous sight of wild marine mammals in London (as opposed to the captive dolphins which were exhibited in an underground dolphinarium in Soho in the 1970s), these sightings speak to a cleaner river – and the possibility of us joining them. Caitlin Davies’s book, Downstream, charts a remarkable history of swimming in the Thames. Until the 1950s, there were beaches at Hampton Court, Tower Bridge and Greenwich, and only recently have the authorities suppressed swimming in the river due to strong currents and busy shipping. Clearly, the porpoises have taken no notice, sensible animals that they are. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/marine-life', 'tone/comment', 'uk/uk', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/environment', 'uk/london', 'environment/whales', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/dolphins', 'environment/porpoises', 'environment/rivers', 'type/article', 'uk-news/the-thames', 'profile/philip-hoare'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-08-20T13:41:54Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2024/mar/25/starmer-labour-plan-for-state-backed-offshore-windfarms-a-gamechanger | Starmer: Labour plan for state-backed offshore windfarms a ‘gamechanger’ | Labour’s plan for state-backed offshore windfarms will be a “gamechanger”, Keir Starmer has said, as the party seeks to regain the initiative on green policy after the slow-motion ditching of its £28bn investment pledge. Speaking to broadcasters after a visit to Holyhead port in north Wales alongside Vaughan Gething, the country’s new first minister, Starmer insisted that a transition to sustainable power was still “one of my central missions”. In a separate interview the shadow climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, who also took part in the visit, insisted that he backed the climbdown from the longstanding plan and vehemently denied that he had considered resigning. The visit to Holyhead, which also involved Jo Stevens, the shadow Wales secretary, was to promote a remaining element of the scaled-back green plan, GB Energy, a publicly owned sustainable energy company. Part of this would involve floating offshore windfarms, which Starmer said would not just make energy more sustainable but would also bring down bills. “Floating offshore wind is going to be a gamechanger when it comes to energy,” he told BBC Wales. “Some country in the world is going to be the leader, and I want that to be the UK. What we can do is have the Westminster government, and the Labour government here in Wales, working on the next generation of energy.” Speaking to ITV Wales, Starmer said last month’s decision to slash the pledge to invest £28bn a year in green policies to under £15bn still left “a huge difference” with government policy over renewables. Interviewed by BBC Radio 4’s World at One, Miliband, who has been largely quiet since the change of policy, said there were “huge opportunities” for jobs from renewable energy, and that the floating windfarm plan was a major policy. “It’s going to be the first priority of GB Energy’s £5bn investment,” he said. “It will partner with the private sector in places like north Wales so that we can get the jobs that floating wind can bring and, indeed, the lower energy bills.” Dismissing a report from the Policy Exchange thinktank that said Labour’s plan to decarbonise the electricity system by 2030 was unrealistic, Miliband denied that he was disappointed in the lower investment. “I don’t see it that way,” he said. “I see it as a situation where we know the fiscal inheritance is going to be incredibly difficult for an incoming Labour government. We’ve got to promise what we can deliver, and it has got to be built on proper fiscal foundations. That’s why we made the decision that we did. “What any government must do, and this is the lesson of Liz Truss’s disaster, is have fiscal stability. I’m not going to give a running commentary on the discussion we had, but I support the decision that was made.” Asked if he had considered resigning over the ditching of the £28bn target, Miliband replied: “Absolutely not. Not for a moment.” | ['environment/windpower', 'politics/keir-starmer', 'politics/labour', 'politics/vaughan-gething', 'politics/edmiliband', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'uk/wales', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/peterwalker', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2024-03-25T17:46:39Z | true | ENERGY |
news/2019/may/10/weatherwatch-giant-whirlpool-monitored-from-space-india-monsoon | Weatherwatch: giant whirlpool monitored from space | Every spring a giant whirlpool – the size of Colorado – forms off the coast of East Africa. The “Great Whirl”, as it is commonly known, has long been avoided by sailors. At its peak, between June and September, the strong circular currents extend as far as 1km below the surface and the heavy waves at the surface stretch across a region 500km wide. Scientists believe that it influences the timing, size and strength of the Indian monsoon, but piracy off the coast of Somalia has prevented researchers from venturing near to the whirl to gain a better understanding of it. Now satellite data is helping us to monitor the Great Whirl. Using satellite data going back to 1993, Bryce Melzer, from the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, and colleagues have shown that there is great variability in when the Great Whirl forms and how long it lasts. Their results, which are published in Geophysical Research Letters, show that on average it lasts for six and a half months, but has been known to persist as long as eight months. Now the scientists are poring over the data to look for patterns in the whirl that might help them forecast when India is likely to have a very dry or wet monsoon season. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/oceans', 'world/india', 'world/piracy', 'weather/somalia', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/kate-ravilious', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2019-05-10T20:30:43Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2023/mar/10/brazil-record-deforestation-amazon-rainforest-lula-bolsonaro | Record deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest shows challenge facing Lula | Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest rose in February to the highest level on record for the month, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as it tries to undo the environmental destruction wreaked under the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro. Government satellites show that a record 322 sq km of Amazon rainforest were destroyed in February, a 62% increase on last year and the highest number for the month since records began. Lula, who took office on 1 January this year, has pledged to end illegal logging after deforestation soared to a 15-year high during the Bolsonaro years. With the environment ministry once again led by the environmentalist Marina Silva, who oversaw a sharp drop in deforestation in the same role during Lula’s first term in office, the government has reactivated the Amazon Fund, a key tool for preservation, and recreated a civil society council on the environment – both abandoned under Bolsonaro. Silva has also brushed off and updated a deforestation prevention and control plan that formed the backbone of her successful policies nearly two decades ago. These are important steps, but “innovation is necessary, as the Amazon today is not the same as it was 10, 20 years ago”, said a Greenpeace Brazil spokesperson, Rômulo Batista. Crime and violence exploded under the previous government, as Bolsonaro’s disdain for the rainforest and the people who protect it emboldened criminals of all kinds, including the killers of the Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips. Addressing the crisis will require rebuilding the manpower of environmental agencies that were gutted by the far-right populist, a process which cannot happen overnight, said Batista. “The land grabber, the deforester, the illegal miner, they are making the most of this time to rush to cut the forest down,” Batista said. After preliminary data pointed towards the jump in destruction in February, Silva told reporters last month that loggers were working even during the Amazon’s rainy season as a “sort of revenge” against the current government’s crackdown. Deforestation figures are typically lower at the start of the year, as the Amazon rainy season hinders forest clearing and cloud cover means satellites are less likely to pick up on it. For this reason, analysts had cautioned against celebrating a drop in deforestation in January. | ['world/brazil', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva', 'world/jair-bolsonaro', 'world/americas', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/constance-malleret', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | environment/amazon-rainforest | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-03-10T16:32:14Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
uk-news/2014/feb/14/prince-william-prince-harry-flood-relief-effort | Prince William and Prince Harry join flood relief effort | It was the nascent bald patch on one of the helpers and the strawberry blond mop on the other that gave the game away. Since dawn, Princes William and Harry had been discreetly helping the flood relief efforts around the Berkshire village of Datchet with a platoon of soldiers from their regiment, the Household Cavalry, when their cover was finally blown by the Guardian. Watching the TV pictures from their Kensington Palace apartments, the pair had been planning to get involved in a private capacity for a couple of days, and had hoped to keep out of the spotlight. Shortly after 10am, they were limbering up, about to put some royal muscle into lugging sandbags on to a flatbed train wagon by the village railway crossing when your reporter spotted them. The princes, dressed in waterproofs and wellingtons, formed part of a human chain with soldiers and railway workers hauling heavy sandbags out of the back of an army vehicle as part of an effort to repair an area where water was flowing beneath the railway track from the village golf course and threatening homes on the other side. Prince William dived into the back of the truck to help from there while Prince Harry stayed out in the rain and loaded up pallets alongside Miguel Head, William's private secretary. The princes did not seem entirely pleased to be spotted, perhaps especially not by a Republican-leaning newspaper. As the Guardian filmed his exertions, Harry called out: "You could come up here and help." William followed up with: "Why don't you put your notebook down and give us a hand with the sandbags?" An attempt to take up the offer was scotched by the princes' minders, who made an odd excuse about your reporter – kitted out in wellies and waterproofs – wearing the wrong type of clothes. Then after a briefing from the Network Rail man about the task in hand, they trooped off down the railway line, tried to repair the breach and trooped back about 40 minutes later looking tired and bedraggled before getting into a minibus which took them on to a nearby school where they helped build another sandbag wall, this time thronged by cameras and journalists. Kensington Palace declined to comment on the visit, insisting it was a private affair. A royal source said: "The plan was to spend as long as they could without being happened upon. It was mainly for the guys to show support for their army colleagues and they wanted to do their bit for the relief effort." Prince Harry remains a staff officer in the Household Cavalry, while Prince William left the armed forces in September last year after nearly eight years. For the beleaguered residents of the area, late on Friday hoping the heavy rains would not bring back the worst of the flooding, it was just another strange episode in a surreal week. The princes were just the latest in a line of national figures to drop in on the stricken area, including the prime minister, David Cameron, the defence secretary, Philip Hammond, and the Labour leader, Ed Miliband. It did not go unnoticed in Datchet that the princes were the only ones to offer more than words and let their back muscles do the talking. | ['uk/prince-william', 'uk/prince-harry', 'environment/flooding', 'uk/weather', 'uk/monarchy', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/robertbooth'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-02-14T11:07:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/article/2024/jul/11/china-building-twice-as-much-wind-and-solar-power-as-rest-of-world-report | China building two-thirds of world’s wind and solar projects | The amount of wind and solar power under construction in China is now nearly twice as much as the rest of the world combined, a report has found. Research published on Thursday by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), an NGO, found that China has 180 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar power under construction and 159GW of wind power. That brings the total of wind and solar power under construction to 339GW, well ahead of the 40GW under construction in the US. The researchers only looked at solar farms with a capacity of 20MW or more, which feed directly into the grid. That means that the total volume of solar power in China could be much higher, as small scale solar farms account for about 40% of China’s solar capacity. The findings underscore China’s leading position in global renewable energy production at a time when the US is increasingly worried about Chinese overcapacity and dumping, particularly in the solar industry. China has experienced a boom in renewables in recent years, encouraged by strong government support. Xi Jinping, China’s president, has stressed the need for “new quality productive forces”, a slogan which signifies a desire to pivot China’s economy towards technology and innovation. Xi has said that “new quality productive forces” includes strengthening green manufacturing. Between March 2023 and March 2024, China installed more solar than it had in the previous three years combined, and more than the rest of the world combined for 2023, the GEM analysts found. China is on track to reach 1,200GW of installed wind and solar capacity by the end of 2024, six years ahead of the government’s target. “The unabated wave of construction guarantees that China will continue leading in wind and solar installation in the near future, far ahead of the rest of the world,” the report said. However, analysts have cautioned that still more renewable capacity will be needed if China is to meet its target of reducing the carbon intensity of the economy by 18%, which is an important factor in reducing emissions. Carbon intensity refers to how many grams of CO2 are released to produce a kilowatt hour of electricity. Earlier analysis suggests that China will need to install between 1,600GW and 1,800GW of wind and solar energy by 2030 to meet its target of producing 25% of all energy from non-fossil sources. Between 2020 and 2023, only 30% of the growth in energy consumption was met by renewable sources, compared with the target of 50%. “It is obviously important for China to keep on adding more renewable energy to meet its targets,” said Li Shuo, the director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Policy Institute in Washington DC. “But it’s not as simple as you just keep building and it will be solved … [because] there is no sign that the country is trying to steer away from its coal consumption.” Previous analysis by GEM and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a thinktank, found that approvals of new coal power plants increased fourfold in 2022-2023, compared with the previous five-year period of 2016-2020, despite a pledge in 2021 to “strictly control” new coal power. Growth in total coal consumption increased from an average of 0.5% a year to 3.8% a year between the two time periods. Geopolitical tensions such as the war in Ukraine, which focused many countries’ attention on energy supplies, and major power cuts in parts of China in recent years, have increased Chinese officials’ concerns about energy security. China’s power grid remains reliant on coal, which officials see as necessary to mitigate the intermittency of renewable energy. And officials often see the coal industry as being a safe way to boost local GDP figures, although clean energy sectors are now the biggest driver of China’s economic growth, accounting for 40% of GDP expansion in 2023. Analysts say that better storage and grid flexibility is necessary to efficiently use the increasing volume of clean energy being generated on China’s wind and solar farms. The Chinese government is aware of this challenge, naming lithium-ion batteries as one of the “new three” technologies important for creating high-quality growth, along with electric vehicles and solar panels. Last year, $11bn was invested in grid-connected batteries, an increase of 364% on 2022. The GEM report also highlighted China’s lead in actually building planned renewable energy infrastructure. The 339GW of wind and solar that has reached the construction stage represents one-third of proposed projects, far surpassing the global construction rate of 7%. “China’s renewable energy pipeline is two times larger than the rest of the world,” Li said. “But the question we should increasingly ask ourselves is, how come the rest of the world is so slow?” • This article was amended on 12 July 2024. An earlier version stated incorrectly that China has 15GW of wind power under construction; it has 159GW. | ['world/china', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/amy-hawkins', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2024-07-11T04:00:17Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2006/jun/15/hurricanekatrina.usa | Fraudsters stole $1bn of Hurricane Katrina relief cash, Congress told | About $1bn (£542m) in relief meant for victims of Hurricane Katrina was lost to fraud, with bogus claimants spending the money on Hawaiian holidays, football tickets, diamond jewellery and Girls Gone Wild porn videos, the US Congress was told yesterday. The fraud, exposed through an audit by the Government Accountability Office, found a staggering amount of abuse of the housing assistance and debit cards given out by the beleaguered Federal Emergency Management Agency as a way of granting relief to those who lost their homes to Katrina. Testimony presented to the house committee on Homeland Security yesterday revealed that Fema paid housing assistance to people who had never lived in a hurricane-damaged property - including at least 1,000 prison inmates - and made payments to people who were living in free hotel rooms. In one instance it paid out on a property damage claim from a cemetery in New Orleans - to a person who had never lived in the city. In another it paid compensation for a vacant lot. "Fema paid over $20,000 to an inmate who used a post office box as his damaged property," Gregory Kutz, the GAO's director of audits, told the committee. The extent of the fraud was uncovered the day after the first tropical storm of this year's hurricane season landed near Tallahassee, Florida. Concerns remain that despite the torrent of criticism and soul searching after Hurricane Katrina, the agency remains ill-equipped to deal with coming storms. Predictions that this year will bring another season of severe storms has raised tensions along the Gulf coast, where, nearly one year after Katrina, tens of thousands of people continue to live in Fema trailers, their homes still in ruins. "It is key that Fema address weaknesses in its registration process so that it can substantially reduce the risk for fraudulent and improper payments before the next hurricane season arrives," the GAO report said. The audacity of the fraud exposed shocked the congressional committee yesterday. As much as 16% of the relief distributed by the agency was lost to fraud, the auditors said. They also said it was likely they were underestimating the scope of the fraud. "We expected it, but we didn't expect it on this magnitude," Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the house homeland security investigations panel, told reporters. "It's an assault on the American taxpayer." During the audit investigators filed their own bogus claims and used other undercover methods to discover that most of the improper payments occurred because Fema failed to verify the identity of those making claims, or to confirm their addresses. In the largest instance of abuse by an individual, Fema made 26 payments to someone who submitted claims for damaged property at 13 different addresses in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, using 13 different social security numbers. Only one of the social security numbers was valid, and a search of property records revealed that the individual had never lived at any of the 13 addresses. In addition, only eight of the addresses actually existed. Fema also paid rental assistance to people who were already enjoying luxurious hotel accommodation - footing an $8,000 hotel bill in Hawaii for someone who simultaneously received $2,358 in rental assistance. Fema debit cards also turned out to be an easy mark for those bent on fraud. Among some of the charges the GAO found unnecessary to satisfy legitimate disaster needs were $3,700 on a diamond watch, earrings and ring, a one-week all inclusive holiday in the Dominican Republic, $200 of Dom Perignon champagne, fireworks, $1,000 for a Houston divorce lawyer, and a considerable amount for adult erotica. Fema recovered some of the mis-spent funds. However, the agency remains unable to account for 381 debit cards worth about $760,000. Backstory Hurricane Katrina was the first major test of the new disaster response plan set up by the Bush administration, and Fema, the US government agency with primary responsibility for disaster recovery, failed miserably. Congressional inquiries since have exposed a dysfunctional and divided bureaucracy that became overwhelmed by the enormous numbers of those who were trapped in their homes amid rising waters or stranded in squalid shelters. Former Fema director Michael Brown became a symbol of the divide between a slow-moving and incompetent bureaucracy and the tragedy unfolding on the ground. | ['world/world', 'us-news/hurricane-katrina', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'profile/suzannegoldenberg', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international1'] | us-news/hurricane-katrina | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2006-06-15T07:09:58Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2008/jun/07/endangeredhabitats.scotland | Hebridean isle finally rid of rats after 10,000 strong invasion | It has taken almost £500,000, more than 4,200 hand-laid traps and rodent catchers flown in from New Zealand, but today the small Hebridean island of Canna will be officially declared rat-free. When the voracious brown rat took hold it threatened precious sea bird colonies and one of its smallest and rarest inhabitants, the Canna mouse. Experts said 10,000 rats had invaded the 4.5 mile-long island. In 2005 the National Trust for Scotland, the island's owners, with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, also evacuated 150 Canna mice - a distinct sub-species of mouse - to prevent them being eaten by rats or dying from poison, rehousing them in Edinburgh zoo. The last rat was seen in early 2006. The official end of the eradication programme will today be marked by the Scottish environment minister, Michael Russell. "Rats, while being fairly innocuous creatures in their natural environment, can have a devastating impact in a fragile ecosystem such as that of Canna," he said. Despite its small size, baits had to be laid every 50 to 90 metres on a grid across the island's craggy interior. Richard Luxmore, the trust's senior nature conservation adviser, said they needed two more years to guarantee that no rats had survived. It was essential, he said, for the eradication to be swift and ruthless, saying: "99% eradication is 100% failure." Climate change meant rats and mice were surviving winters in larger numbers and colonising higher ground, said Elizabeth Bell, project leader on Canna. | ['environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/environment', 'uk/scotland', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'profile/severincarrell', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2008-06-06T23:01:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
commentisfree/2018/jun/25/brexit-allows-national-debate-healthy-farming | Brexit allows us to have a national debate about healthy farming | Catherine Broomfield | Even for those who do not share the Brexiteers’ lust for life unshackled from Europe, there is, as with any divorce, something enticing; a frisson of illicit excitement in the prospect of once again being single. Reasons for the breakup are many, but the common agricultural policy must be near the top of the list. For 40 years Britain has been subject to its perversities, inefficiencies and unintended consequences, creating bafflement, distrust and a generally dysfunctional relationship between farmers and the public. If there is a prize to be garnered from Brexit, it is in resetting this relationship, so fundamental to the health and wellbeing of people and planet. Within the farming industry, there has been no shortage of talk about the historic opportunity to reshape the future. Michael Gove may bring enthusiasm to the task and greater political clout in cabinet than his department has enjoyed for decades, but if he is to succeed where his predecessors failed, he is going to have to turn his words into actions and actually make something happen. The 25-year environment plan, launched earlier this year, certainly provides an admirably bold ambition “to leave the environment for the next generation in a better state than we found it”. Achieving this is a challenge in itself, but doing so while feeding a burgeoning population is an order of magnitude greater in complexity and ambition. To leave this challenge to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs alone is to reduce it merely to an issue of agricultural practice and production, as has been the case for the past 40 years, in which time agricultural policy has become a flatulence-inducing stew of compromise, bad planning and incoherent bureaucracy. The truth is that we all have a vested interest in how we balance the need for food with the needs of our natural world. There has long been a tiresome parrying of points between the National Farmers’ Union – purporting to speak for all of farming – and the environmental zealots purporting to speak for all things “natural”. Both sides have won the odd battle, but neither has won the war. The NFU’s catatonic insistence that the environment must be restricted to both the metaphorical fringes of UK agricultural policy, and the literal fringes of its members’ farmland, has failed to arrest a decline in much of our environment’s natural assets. It also obligingly sets up the environmentalists’ counter-argument that all of farming is presiding over nothing less than an ecological race to the bottom. While indulging in their mutual myopia, they give the general public a fallacious choice: either feed the people or save the planet. Neither speak for the many farmers, growers and environmentalists who hold a more considered and constructive view that farming and environment can, and must, work in beneficial and mutually sustaining symbiosis. For them, Brexit is an opportunity to restart the conversation. The premise is simple: the purpose of farming is to deliver health; the health of our natural world and all the natural assets upon which life itself depends, and the health of our people, sustained by a balanced diet of wholesome, nutritious food. Defra’s consultation paper on the future for food, farming and the environment in a “green Brexit” links farming only to the health of our environment. It says precious little about the role of farming to produce nutritious food for a healthy population, and so does the government’s new plan to tackle childhood obesity. This at a time when the UK has surpassed the US as having the highest percentage of obese school-aged children, and obesity and poor diet have beaten smoking into second place for driving poor health in the UK. The government must now do something it has never done before: enshrine into legislation the common mission to create and sustain a healthy population and natural world. Even if some of us don’t yet know it, we really don’t want our farmers to stop producing food from the land they tend, but we – and they – may want to stop those ways of producing food that have the biggest impact on our environment, while making the least contribution to our health. Brexit will give Gove and his fellow ministers a generational opportunity, but on a matter so fundamental we must all participate in the public sphere, acknowledge the need to change our behaviours, and act. Farming has to speak less to itself and more widely with society. When faced with bare facts such as declining soil fertility, farming’s contribution to the public discourse can no longer be limited to a staunch defence of the status quo. The public also has some changes to make: food waste, and profligate consumption of food, water and energy, drive demand for the most intensive and extractive methods of production. And no foodstuff, whether derived from animal or plant, is free of environmental cost or moral hazard. The government’s next iteration of its policy on agriculture and environment is as central to all our lives as its policy and spending plans for education and health. An honest, balanced and trusted discourse between farming and society is much needed, but can only be established when we are all prepared to acknowledge our complicity in creating the problem, as well as our responsibility and ability to find a better way to sustain healthy people and planet. • Catherine Broomfield writes on farming and keeps cattle on her grassland farm in Devon | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'tone/comment', 'environment/farming', 'environment/environment', 'science/agriculture', 'politics/eu-referendum', 'uk/uk', 'politics/politics', 'politics/michaelgove', 'type/article', 'profile/catherine-broomfield', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-06-25T05:00:53Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2015/jun/29/rich-countries-100bn-promise-fight-climate-change-not-delivered | Rich countries' $100bn promise to fight climate change 'not delivered' | Rich countries are very, very far from raising the billions they promised to help poor countries fight climate change, jeopardising the prospects of reaching a global warming deal at Paris, the world’s rising economies warned. As a key United Nations meeting got underway, Brazil, China, India and South Africa said they were disappointed in rich countries’ failure to make good on a promise six years ago to mobilise $100bn a year by 2020 for climate finance. The funds, intended to help developing countries cut their greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for sea-level rises, extreme weather and other consequences of climate change, are seen as a crucial element to reaching a global warming agreement at the end of the year. Monday’s high-level meeting of the UN general assembly – including an appearance from Robert Redford – was intended to help build momentum for a Paris deal that would keep warming to 2C, the internationally agreed limit to avoid dangerous climate change. But some of the key players among the 193 countries taking part in the negotiations – and two of the world’s biggest carbon polluters in India and China – say they are frustrated with rich countries’ failure to come up with a clear plan for raising the cash to fight climate change. By some estimates, there is less than $20bn a year in public finance making its way to developing countries for climate action – or less than a fifth of the $100bn target. “We will say that that is very, very far from what has to be mobilised by the year 2020,” Edna Molewa, South Africa’s environment minister, said. “It is important therefore that this scaling up happens … there is still a lot of money that is required.” Rich countries have been promising since 2009 to help rising economies develop technologies to cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and protect their people from consequences of climate change. But a joint statement from the four countries expressed “disappointment over the continued lack of any clear road map to provide $100bn per year by 2020, as well as on substantially scaling up financial support after 2020”. Climate finance has been a major sticking point in negotiations for a global warming deal at Paris. The last round of negotiations, in Bonn earlier this month, ground along without really managing to zero in on the key components of a deal. There is widespread recognition that rich countries will need to help developing countries, which did the least to cause climate change, but will suffer the most severe consequences. “If rich countries can show they are making good on their $100bn promise, there will be a much stronger foundation of trust for the Paris talks,” said Tim Gore, Oxfam’s international climate adviser. “We need to see real funding increases.” But it’s unclear how much rich countries will pay, and to whom. Developing countries are also pushing rich countries to make more funds available for future protections against climate change – not just cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But by Oxfam’s estimates, just $2.5bn to $4.5bn of current climate finance is going towards climate protection measures. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are already spending about $5bn from their own budgets to prepare for climate change – much more than they were receiving in climate finance from rich countries, according to Oxfam. The four countries said they were working hard to try to put a climate deal in place, but that finance was a crucial element to reaching an agreement. “There is still a clear expectation and so I hope the developing countries can fulfill their commitment before the Paris meeting,” Xie Zhenhua, China’s climate change envoy, said. “We need to avoid what happened in Copenhagen”, which failed to reach a comprehensive climate deal, Izabella Teixeira, Brazil’s environment minister said. But the four countries made it clear developing countries could not be expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions without help. “Without the flow of technical support … it will be impossible to move onto any such trajectory in the near future,” said Ravi Prasad, India’s climate change negotiator. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/cop-20-un-climate-change-conference-lima', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'world/brazil', 'world/americas', 'world/world', 'world/china', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/india', 'world/south-and-central-asia', 'world/southafrica', 'world/africa', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/suzannegoldenberg'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-06-29T12:51:16Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2016/sep/02/hawaii-and-other-big-marine-protected-areas-could-work-against-conservation | Hawaii and other big marine protected areas 'could work against conservation' | British and US marine scientists say that the race to designate ever-bigger marine national parks in remote parts of the world could work against conservation. In an commentary timed to coincide with President Obama’s announcement of the huge extension of a marine park off Hawaii, the authors argue that the creation of very large marine protection areas (Vlmpas) may give the illusion of conservation, when in fact they may be little more than “paper parks”. “It is not enough to simply cover the remotest parts of our oceans in notional ‘protection’ – we need to focus on seas closer to shore, where most of the fishing and drilling actually happens,” said Peter Jones, a marine researcher at University College London. Co-author Elizabeth de Santo, an assistant professor at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania, added that the push for quantity over quality threatens to undermine sustainability. “There are concerns that marine conservation aims could be undermined by this focus on a few big areas. The marine biodiversity target is about much more than the proportion of the seas that are covered,” she said. In the past five years over 20 huge new marine parks have been designated by countries, including Britain, in response to calls by marine scientists to protect more of the oceans. The Papahānaumokuākea park off Hawaii, which will cover 582,578 square miles and include the world’s longest and most remote chain of coarl islands, is by some way the world’s biggest, covering an area larger than all US country’s national parks combined. The authors question the motives of the conservationists. “Every time there is a new ‘leader’ in the size stakes, it is feted... giving the impression of a competitive edge. This race has been enthusiastically supported by conservation campaign groups and donors, and many governments have joined in, all keen to gain the green credentials associated with remote VLMPAs,” says the paper in the journal Marine Policy. But other marine scientists this week defended the size of the VLMPAs. “Size is often a critical component of effectiveness. What is needed is for the conservation NGOs to wake up to the fact that size isn’t everything, and to push equally hard for representative, equitable, effective, local, nearshore protected areas,” said Nature Conservancy marine researcher Mark Spalding, in email correspondence. The global target, agreed in 2010 at the Convention for biological diversity meeting in Japan, is to designate 10% of the world’s oceans by 2020. But what has happened, say the authors, is that countries have taken the politically easy route, creating vast parks in remote places without taking into account their conservation value or their ability or countries’ willingness to police them. There is now a great imbalance between a few giant protected areas and the many thousands very small ones which together cover only 3.27% of the global marine area, they say. “Without remote VLMPAs , the 10% target would be even further from being reached,” said Jones. The authors emphasise that they do not discourage the designation of vast remote MPAs, but fear that by focusing on size could divert attention, political will and resources from the need for smaller MPAs in seas that are being overfished. “[Their] vastness and remoteness pose major enforcement challenges. Whilst emerging satellite surveillance technology can help detect illegal fishing vessels, there are still challenges in detaining such vessels through interception by a fisheries patrol vessel, which are very expensive to operate in such vast distant areas,” they say. Last year the UK said it would create what was then the world’s largest continuous marine reserve around the Pitcairn islands, and another huge protected area was designated around Ascension Island in January 2016. Chile, France and New Zealand have all made similar moves turning the waters surrounding their remotest island territories into huge nature reserves. “From the perspective of governments, it is clear that remote VLMPAs are win-win, in that they gain green credentials and contribute to each country’s progress towards the Aichi [2010] target. “Why go through the politically and economically expensive process of designating relatively small MPAs around the mainland when you can designate remote Vlmpas in overseas territories with minimal costs and many gains?”, the authors ask. | ['environment/oceans', 'environment/environment', 'environment/marine-life', 'world/world', 'environment/fishing', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/johnvidal', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-09-02T15:36:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2013/apr/26/edf-deal-chinese-uk-nuclear-programme | EDF deal brings Chinese involvement in UK nuclear programme a step closer | The chances of a state-owned Chinese company becoming involved in Britain's nuclear programme have moved a step forward with EDF of France signing a new co-operation deal with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co. Amid repeated speculation that the Beijing-based CGNP might become an investor in EDF's potential new reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset, the new deal made specific mention of "co-operation in future international projects". EDF declined to comment on whether the CGNP could replace Centrica, which withdrew from the Hinkley project in February, saying it needed to complete negotiations with the British government on financial support first. "We are still in discussions [with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Treasury] over contracts for difference and a successful conclusion is the key to looking for new future investors," said an EDF spokesman. EDF originally hoped to press the button on a new generation of nuclear reactors in Britain before the end of last year but talks with the government have become increasingly fraught with no breakthrough in sight. The firm has seen the cost of other newbuild projects soar through delays and technical hitches and wants to insulate itself against risks at Hinkley by obtaining commitments from Britain to pay more than £100 a megawatt hour for up to 40 years. The government, which has promised there would be no subsidies for new nuclear power stations, is determined to keep the level well below £100. Both EDF and the DECC insist the discussions are still moving forward and they remain optimistic that a deal can be done, but privately there are admissions on both sides of the argument that a breakdown of talks would not be disastrous for either. EDF has its own financial issues to worry about as it is struggling with €40bn (£34bn) of debt. The UK government, meanwhile, is aware that energy security – if not carbon emission targets – might be met more cheaply by gas-fired power stations which can be constructed quicker. The Hinkley Point reactors would cost an estimated £14bn to build. Any decision by EDF to bring in a Chinese partner would worry some politicians who have raised questions about the security implications of China gaining access to Britain's strategic energy assets. But a DECC spokesman pointed out that the chancellor, George Osborne, was keen for Beijing to invest in British infrastructure. The spokesman said: "The UK welcomes global investment into the energy sector. Any company operating in this sector will need to meet all necessary safety and security standards." | ['business/edf', 'business/business', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'world/china', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/world', 'world/france', 'world/europe-news', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/terrymacalister'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2013-04-26T17:24:17Z | true | ENERGY |
science/2004/sep/10/biodiversity.environment | Dependent species risk extinction | The global extinction crisis is worse than thought, because thousands of "affiliated" species also at risk do not figure in calculations. "With the extinction of a bird, or a mammal or a plant, you aren't necessarily wiping out just one, single species," said Heather Proctor of the University of Alberta's department of biological sciences. "We are also allowing all these unsung dependent species to be wiped out." Dr Proctor and a research team have calculated the expected levels of co-extinction across a wide range of species. Their research is published today in Science. More than 12,000 endangered plants and animals were first listed, then any insects, mites, fungi or other organisms that are uniquely adapted to the threatened hosts were also listed. At least 200 "affiliate" species have been lost through co-extinction and a further 6,300 should be classified as "co-endangered". Dr Proctor said a type of vine that became extinct in Singapore took with it a species of butterfly, Parantica aspasia, dependent on the plant for survival. "When we lose this vine, this beautiful butterfly dies off with it, and we'll never see it again except in photos at museums," she said. Craig Hilton-Taylor, co-ordinator of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources "red list" of endangered species, said: "There may be a person working on some bird but they don't know that that bird's also pollinating various plants because they're not botanists." | ['environment/biodiversity', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'education/research', 'education/science', 'society/society', 'environment/conservation', 'education/higher-education', 'education/education', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'profile/alokjha'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2004-09-10T00:41:51Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2018/sep/18/air-pollution-causes-jump-in-dementia-risk-study-suggests | Air pollution linked to much greater risk of dementia | Air pollution may increase the chance of developing dementia, a study has suggested, in fresh evidence that the health of people of all ages is at risk from breathing dirty air. People over 50 in areas with the highest levels of nitrogen oxide in the air showed a 40% greater risk of developing dementia than those with the least NOx pollution, according to the research, based on data from London. The observational study, published in the BMJ Open journal on Wednesday, cannot establish that air pollution was a direct cause of the dementia cases. However, the authors said the link between higher pollution and higher levels of dementia diagnosis could not be explained by other factors known to raise risks of the disease. Air pollution has already been linked with cardiovascular and respiratory disease, but this is one of the first studies to examine links with neurodegenerative illness. Frank Kelly, professor of environmental health at King’s College London and one of the authors of the paper, told the Guardian: “The study outcome suggests a linkage [between air pollution and dementia] but cannot inform on the cause. However, I believe that we now have sufficient knowledge to add air pollution to the list of risk factors for dementia. Our calculations suggest that it elevates risk by 7%, so [that would suggest] approximately 60,000 of the total 850,000 dementia cases in the UK, in mathematical terms.” The new findings add to a growing body of recent research on the wide-ranging effects of air pollution. Earlier this week, Unicef warned of the risk to children from the “toxic” school run, while evidence that particles of pollutants can cross into placentas has just been published. A ground-breaking study from China recently found a “huge” reduction in intelligence associated with breathing dirty air, equivalent to losing a year’s education. The Kings College London study adds to previous research suggesting a link with dementia, but scientists warned that the results must be taken cautiously because the observational study could not closely track other possible causes such as lifestyle factors or the relative economic deprivation of the patients studied, or the amount of air pollution each was subject to individually. The study used estimates of air and noise pollution levels across London and correlated these with anonymised patient health records for 131,000 patients aged between 50 and 79 at 75 GP practices within the M25. Their health was tracked for seven years from 2005, during which period 1.7% of the patients were diagnosed with dementia. Their exposure to air pollution was estimated based on their home postcodes. Martie Van Tongeren, a professor of occupational and environmental health at Manchester University, who was not involved, said: “There is a growing body of evidence of the link between air pollution and brain health, including dementia and Alzheimer’s. This study adds to this body of evidence and fits with some of the previous studies. As most people in the UK live in urban areas, exposure to traffic-related and other air pollutants is ubiquitous. Hence, even a relatively small increase in risk will result in a large public health impact.” The paper’s authors said a link between poor air quality and dementia could begin early in life. They wrote: “Traffic related air pollution has been [linked to] poorer cognitive development in young children, and continued significant exposure may produce neuroinflammation and altered brain innate immune responses in early adulthood.” Campaigners called on the government to take urgent action on air pollution. Simon Alcock, head of UK public affairs for ClientEarth, which has repeatedly taken the government to court over its failures on air quality, called for a national clean air bill backed by an independent watchdog, and clean air zones in the most polluted areas. He said: “Air pollution is damaging our health from the womb to old age. It is unacceptable in 2018 for people to be risking dementia just by breathing.” Road traffic should be the focus of efforts to clean up our air, as it is the leading cause of the health problems, added Aaron Kiely, air pollution campaigner at Friends of the Earth. “Efforts to clean up our cars, vans and lorries must be put in the fast lane – we can’t afford to wait until 2040 for most new vehicles to be zero-emission,” he said. “Greater investment is also needed in alternatives to motor vehicles, such as safer cycling infrastructure, and affordable and convenient public transport.” A Defra spokesperson said levels of air pollution, including NOx, had fallen and the government was taking further action: “By ending the sale of conventional new diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040, we are acting faster to tackle air pollution than almost every other major developed economy.” Labour slammed ministers for failing to address air pollution, which regularly exceeds legal limits in many areas, particularly in London. Sue Hayman, shadow environment secretary, said: “It is simply not good enough for Michael Gove to shunt this problem on to cash-strapped local councils, publish strategies on wood burners and drag his feet on new legislation. [We] would bring forward a new Clean Air Act and a network of clean air zones to tackle the UK’s illegal levels of air pollution in the quickest time possible.” | ['environment/air-pollution', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'society/dementia', 'society/health', 'society/society', 'science/medical-research', 'uk/london', 'science/science', 'uk/uk', 'cities/cities', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/fiona-harvey', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-09-18T22:30:01Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2015/sep/29/nuclear-industry-to-push-for-australia-to-adopt-clean-affordable-power | Nuclear industry to push for Australia to adopt 'clean, affordable power' | The nuclear industry will lobby for nuclear energy in Australia, saying the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, should embrace the technology as a way to slash greenhouse gas emissions. The Australian Nuclear Association (ANA) will accompany Danny Roderick, chief executive of the leading US nuclear technology firm Westinghouse, to talk to government ministers and business leaders in Canberra and Sydney next week. Roderick said nuclear power could help produce “clean, reliable, affordable electricity for more people”. “We’d like to help Australia explore ways to create jobs and economic opportunity that are also good for the environment,” he said. The ANA is optimistic that the change in Australia’s prime ministership will mean nuclear will be looked at “on its merits”. The move is the latest attempt to overturn legal obstacles to nuclear energy generation in Australia. Federal environmental law bans building nuclear reactors, and an attempt by the Family First senator, Bob Day, to scrap a separate law that blocks building reactors and uranium enrichment plants was halted in August by the Tony Abbott government. Australia has nearly a third of the world’s known uranium supplies but there has long been bipartisan political opposition to creating a nuclear industry, although South Australia is exploring it. The problem of disposing of nuclear waste in Australia has also proved highly controversial. The ANA says nuclear is a better option to cut emissions from electricity than renewable sources such as solar and wind. “My concern is that renewables won’t get us across the line in terms of emissions reduction,” said Rob Parker, the president of the ANA. “Nuclear is more reliable and it has a smaller resources footprint than renewables. “Until we approach the issue of carbon abatement honestly, we won’t replace coal because it is the cheapest fuel we have. Nuclear is dead until we acknowledge carbon abatement is the main issue. We already pay a premium for renewables but we need to go further or we’ll just keep burning coal.” Parker denied that nuclear was prohibitively expensive, estimating that Australia could build 29 reactors for $160bn with companies such as Westinghouse “lining up” to invest. He also claimed “strong community support” for nuclear despite the Fukishima disaster in Japan, which prompted the German government to phase out its nuclear energy supply. The first target of the lobbying push is to overturn an Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act ban on the nuclear development process. The environment minister, Greg Hunt, said there was no plan to change government policy. However, he was not “philosophically opposed” to nuclear energy. Research conducted by the University of New South Wales last year found that it was feasible to transition to 100% renewable energy without the need for nuclear power. Separate analysis conducted by the federal government in 2013 put the cost of 100% renewable energy to be between $219bn and $332bn by 2050. Jim Green, an anti-nuclear campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said it was unlikely that nuclear would ever be feasible in Australia. “Nuclear is expensive and it’s getting more expensive as time goes on,” he said. “The start-up costs would be spectacular. Once you involve the employment of thousands of specialist scientists and technicians, land acquisition and a new regulatory system you’d almost certainly need government subsidies. “There is no reality to this. There’s no technology that is vaguely acceptable to Australia available at a cost of $5.5bn a reactor. “We don’t need a bridge from fossil fuels to renewables, we just need renewables. It’s viable and affordable. There is a lot of rhetoric around a nuclear renaissance, but not much else.” | ['environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/coalition', 'australia-news/malcolm-turnbull', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'australia-news/energy-australia', 'profile/oliver-milman'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2015-09-29T05:50:00Z | true | ENERGY |
sustainable-business/2014/oct/27/25-trillion-shortfall-developing-countries-sustainable-development | $2.5tn shortfall for sustainable development in developing countries | At the level of international agenda-setting for the rest of the century, 2015 is shaping up to be a big year. Possibly the defining one. That is why this month’s UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Forum was so important, because it addressed the fundamental questions “what would it cost to become sustainable?”, “do we have the money?” and “how can we mobilise it?” The timing and focus of the Forum were largely aimed at giving momentum to preparations for three landmark UN conferences to be held next year. These will have the respective tasks of finding inter-governmental agreement on three core elements of any successful transition to sustainable development. In Addis Ababa in July, a package of finance and investment policies and measures will be assembled for developing countries with the aim of showing them that the sustainability agenda has something to offer and allowing them to take action. Second, a framework of specific global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets for the period 2015-2030 that will build on the expiring UN Millennium Development Goals will be set in New York, in September. And finally, the long overdue legally binding climate accord aiming to prevent dangerous climate change will be negotiated in Paris, in December. While it was not a decision-making event, the 2014 World Investment Forum was ground-breaking at a number of important levels. Unusually for many UN conferences, the 3,000 plus participants from developed and developing countries included not only representatives of governments and governmental agencies but also, crucially, participants from private sector financial organisations, as well as non-profits active in the finance and investment space. Finally the money (or at least some of it) was around the table. Too few governmental conferences involve the financial community. The Forum offered a glimpse of a possible new format for co-designing sustainability solutions. Significant, also, was the recognition in all conversations of the need to fund sustainability. Here, the UNCTAD secretariat took the lead by focusing a major part of its annual World Investment Report (pdf) on “investing in the SDGs” and by proposing an action plan. According to the report, while global foreign direct investment finally increased again in 2013 (by about 9% on 2012), with developing countries getting more than half of total flows, there is an estimated gap of around $2.5tn annually between what developing countries receive now and what they would need to make the transition to sustainable development. To achieve increased global investment of this magnitude, a step change is necessary in the levels of both public and private finance. In discussions, governmental and private sector participants seemed to agree on a number of points. First, that to unlock the capital needed, a major policy and regulatory re-set is required on all sides. Second, public finance alone is insufficient; massively expanded private financial flows (at least double the current growth rate) would be vital. Third, the private sector was already active in experimenting with sustainable investments. These had potential to be taken to scale. On this last point, particular attention was drawn to the various innovative partnerships such as the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, the Principles for Responsible Investment, and the UNEP Finance Initiative, all of which involved attempts to embed environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into routine investment decisions. On these, some cautions were expressed about the risks of financial sector ‘greenwash’ and the need for better impact indicators, but on the whole they were seen as moving in the right direction. There was also recognition that there was a new level of engagement on the part of the private sector in efforts to create more sustainable markets. This is being reflected in initiatives such as the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, the UNEP Inquiry into the Design of Sustainable Financial Markets and contributions by individual firms, such as Aviva Investors. Not all was harmonious however. There was some pretty blunt talking from the financial sector that must have made governments uncomfortable at points. In addition to the usual calls for a more transparent, stable and positive investment regime (in both developed and developing countries), some investors questioned the financial literacy of both legislators and regulators. If the current financial system was not fit for purpose, who would correct it and how? Noting that the greater part of the financial sector was currently moving in the wrong direction (the shift towards short-term investing, persistent failure to integrate ESG issues and large scale tax evasion were among the challenges mentioned), many argued that there was an urgent need to build capacity to understand and shape the regulatory environment more effectively. This is essential to creating the profound policy shifts needed, for example, to remove subsidies to fossil fuels, introduce a carbon price and generally help markets to invest in sustainable growth. If private finance is to be successfully leveraged for sustainable development, government economic and trade policies need to be more clearly oriented towards sustainability, more internally (and internationally) consistent and integrated, and more transparent. Judging from the conversations at the WIF, the bad news is that we’re still heading, rapidly, in the wrong direction. The good news is that there are more finance and investment experts than ever willing to help in crafting a turn-around. Paul Hohnen was a participant of the 2014 World Investment Forum and chaired the session on Leveraging Private Finance. Read more stories like this: Businesses selling to the poor should think twice before working with NGOs Nine practical tips for building a sustainable business in India Advertisement feature: Multinationals reaffirm commitment to BoP business with BCtA The role of business in development hub is funded by Business Call to Action. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. 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/sustainable-business', 'sustainable-business/series/role-business-development', 'world/unitednations', 'business/financial-sector', 'business/investing', 'global-development/millennium-development-goals', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'global-development/global-development', 'type/article', 'tone/blog', 'profile/paul-hohnen'] | environment/sustainable-development | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-10-27T11:06:29Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2019/may/09/extinction-rebellion-founder-cleared-over-kings-college-protest | Extinction Rebellion founder cleared over King's College protest | The founder of Extinction Rebellion has been cleared by a jury of all charges relating to a protest against fossil fuels in what campaigners say is a historic moment for the climate justice movement. Roger Hallam, 52, did not deny criminal damage worth £7,000 in an action to urge Kings College, London to divest from fossil fuels. He sprayed the walls with the words “divest from oil and gas” in protest against the institution’s fossil fuel investments. But on Thursday after a three day trial at Southwark crown court, Hallam and another activist were cleared of all charges. They represented themselves and argued to the jury in their defence that their actions were a proportionate response to the climate crisis. On Thursday the jury acquitted Hallam of two charges of criminal damage and his fellow activist David Durant, 25, of one charge of criminal damage. Hallam said: ‘We are extremely grateful to the jury for following common sense … ordinary people, unlike the judiciary, are able to see the broader picture.” Speaking outside court, Durant said: “We sat in the court, we watched paint dry for three days on a ridiculous charge and the jury returned the common sense verdict of not guilty. “Chalk on the wall is obviously less important than the impending catastrophe for the planet.” When university security guards intervened on 19 January 2017, Hallam handed them homegrown salad including red mustard leaves, rocket and rainbow chard as a gift. Hallam and Durant were arrested several days later, on 1 February, when they spray painted the internal walls of the university’s Great Hall. Tim Crosland, the director of charity Plan B Earth, said the verdict was a historic moment for the climate protest movement.” He added: “Mr Hallam and Mr Durant did not deny they had caused the damage; but argued that their intervention was a proportionate response to the climate crisis.” Adam Loxley, former head of security at the university, described how four columns at the front of the listed 1960s building had been defaced with the words “Divest from oil and gas”, “Now!” and “Out of time”. In a video shown to the jury, Hallam said: ‘This is not about polar bears, this is about mass starvation. It is a total emergency, if we do not take drastic action, our civilisation will soon collapse.” In a second video shown to the jury, Durant can be heard saying: “You guys seem very concerned about the fact that we’re potentially damaging your building but not by the fact that King’s is damaging the planet.” A security guard told the court fellow protesters set off smoke grenades, which triggered the fire alarms. The Great Hall had to be evacuated as a private function was under way at the venue. Giving evidence, Hallam explained that he gave security guards his homegrown salad and said: “In my polytunnels I grow salads. A big part of Gandhi and civil disturbance is to give gifts to people who oppose you as a sign of good faith.” Hallam, who is studying for a PhD in civil disobedience at King’s College, explained that his academic studies influenced his decision to deface the university. He said: “My approach and my research is how we can update the work of Gandhi and Martin Luther King in a modern context. “Everything we did in this campaign was organised with the specific intention to maximise respect, both between ourselves the students at King’s College and the college authorities.” Hallam argued his actions were lawful because there was an exemption in the Criminal Damage Act that permits damage if it protects others’ property. The prosecutor, John Hulme, had told jurors there was “no legitimate basis for applying this spray, even if the defendants did not agree with the policy of the college”. He said the pair had used soluble paint but it could still be considered criminal damage under the law. “Also, it is a fact that some £7,000 was spent by the college to wash away the spray that had been applied,” he said. The judge ruled during the case the issue of climate change was “irrelevant” to the case. He said it was not a case about the issue of climate crisis, but about damaging property and whether the defendants had a lawful excuse. He said he would not allow the trial to be “sidelined into the issues”. The decision will be watched with interest by protesters who were charged after taking part in the Extinction Rebellion protests that disrupted motor traffic in central London and other cities last month, many of whose cases will be heard in the coming weeks. | ['environment/extinction-rebellion', 'environment/environment', 'world/protest', 'world/world', 'uk/london', 'type/article', 'uk/uk', 'environment/fossil-fuel-divestment', 'education/universities', 'education/education', 'tone/news', 'profile/sandralaville', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/fossil-fuel-divestment | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2019-05-09T16:37:59Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2009/aug/12/vestas-protest-pensions | Vestas confirms closure of Isle of Wight and Southampton factories | Vestas has confirmed the closure of two sites on the Isle of Wight and Southampton with the loss of 425 jobs. Employees at both factories were informed of the decision today. The closures follow a sit-in protest by 11 employees which began on July 20 and ended on August 7 after the company obtained a repossession order and sent in bailiffs to remove the protesters. The protest was hugely embarrassing for the government at a time when it is promoting wind energy and green jobs. The Vestas plant was the only one in the country making components for wind turbines. The protesters gained considerable support from trades union groups and environmentalists. The company said that 40 employees had been found new roles within the Vestas research and development facility on the Isle of Wight. A further 57 employees will continue to work at the factory to assist with its closure. "The decision to close the factory was very difficult, and we fully recognise the impact this will have on employees, their families and on the Isle of Wight," said Ole Borup Jakobsen, president of Vestas Blades. "Nonetheless, this commercial decision was absolutely necessary to secure Vestas' competiveness and create a regional balance between production and the demand for wind turbines." Despite confirmation of the factory's closure, the company's chief executive confirmed that staff redundancy benefits, which were withdrawn from the protesting workers, were under review. Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, Ditlev Engel said that the company is planning to look again at the decision to strip the workers of their redundancy package because of their involvement in the protest. "The last thing that we wanted was to have this confrontation," he said. "We will go back and see what it is that we can do going forward and also for all the people affected because we only had one wish and that was to try to do this in the best possible way. Coming back to the 11 people, we will have to revisit, to look at that as well." Asked whether this meant that Vestas would reconsider its decision to remove the redundancy package from the men who occupied the plant, Engel said: "I am not ruling anything out." Vestas has previously said that UK planning laws are a major barrier to wind energy development and that they were one of the reasons for the company's decision to pull out. "It is clear there is a need for reviewing [planning laws] in the UK," said Engel. "Nimbyism is also an issue." He said that the UK government was failing to put its plans for more renewable energy into practice. "In the UK there is a clear division between what the government would like to see happening and what certain local politicians want to see happening, or rather not want to see happening … there is not necessarily the same ambition levels." He also said that the government needed to invest in the electricity transmission grid to make it more friendly to wind energy. "A major challenge in the UK is the future grid investment which needs to take place," he said. Vestas first announced plans to shut manufacturing at the Isle of Wight factory in April saying it could produce blades more cheaply in America. | ['environment/vestas', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'uk/uk', 'business/business', 'uk-news/southampton', 'type/article', 'profile/jamesranderson'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2009-08-12T12:39:54Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2018/mar/29/pollutionwatch-petrol-not-diesel-is-less-polluting-in-the-short-term | Pollutionwatch: petrol, not diesel, is less polluting in the short term | The UK Society of Motor Manufacturers blamed February’s rise in the average new-car CO2 emissions on an “anti-diesel agenda [that] has set back progress on climate change”. Petrol v diesel cars is often presented as a trade-off between health-harming air pollution and climate-harmful CO2. Diesel cars do more miles to the litre than petrol, but this exaggerates the difference in CO2 emissions since one litre of diesel contains more energy and more carbon than one litre of petrol. If fuel were taxed on energy and carbon, rather than volume, then the tax on diesel would be 10 to 14% greater than that on petrol. The International Council on Clean Transportation points out that petrol engines and petrol-hybrids have improved faster than diesel and will continue to do so. They conclude that a decline in diesel cars from around 56% to 15% would not jeopardise EU CO2 targets. Instead, it would make the targets cheaper to achieve since petrol engines cost less to make and have simpler exhaust clean-up. The future might be electric cars (or better yet for public health: cycling, walking and public transport), but in the short term new petrol cars, instead of diesel, might help both climate change and air pollution. | ['environment/air-pollution', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/series/pollutionwatch', 'environment/environment', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/gary-fuller', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-03-29T20:30:01Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
us-news/2024/mar/04/texas-wildfire-town-evacuated-smokehouse-creek | Texas town evacuated as firefighters battle state’s biggest ever wildfire | Firefighters in Texas are battling strong winds and warm temperatures as they work to stop the largest wildfire in state history. The large Smokehouse Creek fire was 15% contained and two other fires were 60% contained. Authorities have not said what ignited the fires, but strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fed the blazes. The winds spread flames and prompted the evacuation of one town over the weekend, while airplanes dropped fire retardant over the northern Texas panhandle. The fires have caused unprecedented destruction – burning across more than 1,900 sq miles (4,921 sq km) in rural areas and farmland surrounding Amarillo, while the largest blaze spilled into neighboring Oklahoma. At least two people have died, Cindy Owen, 44, and Joyce Blankenship, 83, and thousands of horses, goats and cattle have been killed or euthanized after suffering severe burns and smoke inhalation. So far five major fires have burned across the Panhandle destroying up to 500 homes and businesses, state officials said. A new conflagration dubbed the Roughneck fire began in Hutchinson county on Sunday. Cooler temperatures and calmer winds were set to arrive in the region on Monday and predicted to last through Tuesday, which could give authorities a chance to get a better grip on the emergency. A Texas A&M forest service spokesperson, Jason Nedlo, told CNN that the blazes had so far been feeding on plentiful fuel, including thick grass grown after higher-than-average rainfall this winter. “There’s a lot of fuel on the ground,” Nedlo told the network. “When you add high winds and low humidity to high fuel load levels, that’s when you get the conditions that are ripe for large, fast-burning wildfires.” The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings – signifying extreme fire risk due to warm temperatures, low humidity and strong winds – across much of the central US, including Texas and its neighboring states of New Mexico and Oklahoma. Red flag warnings also covered nearly all of Nebraska and Iowa, along with large swaths of Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota. Smaller portions of Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota and Illinois also were under red flag warnings. The strong winds spread the flames, forcing authorities to issue an evacuation order in Sanford, a town of about 134 residents, according to a post by the Amarillo office of the National Weather Service. Greg Abbott, the state’s governor, visited the region on Friday and has made disaster declarations for a large part of the state. He advised residents to “remain vigilant [and] heed the guidance of local officials to keep yourself [and] your loved ones safe”. Authorities are still investigating what caused the fires but a resident has sued the electric utility Xcel Energy, alleging that one of the company’s power lines fell and ignited the Smokehouse Creek fire. Failing power equipment and downed lines have led to devastating fires across the American west in recent years from California to Maui. Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations are trying to aid victims who have lost their homes and livelihoods, many of whom lack insurance. Residents began clearing affected property on Saturday and by Sunday the extent of the loss began mounting. Donations ranging from $25 to $500 have been critical for the Hutchinson County United Way Wildfire Relief Fund, which is dispersing proceeds to displaced families. “We already know that a large group of people are uninsured who lost their homes. So without monetary assistance, it’s going to be very hard for them to start back over,” said Julie Winters, executive director for Hutchinson County United Way. The organization has heard estimates of more than 150 homes being affected in the county, noting the fires extend to at least five other counties, Winters said. A steady outpouring of donated clothing, water and hot meals quickly overwhelmed one community in the affected area. The city of Borger, Texas, urged people in a social media post to redirect donation efforts from food and water to cleanup supplies including shovels, rakes, gloves and trash bags. The Associated Press contributed to this story | ['us-news/texas', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/wildfires', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'us-news/firefighters', 'profile/dani-anguiano', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-03-04T18:50:46Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2016/dec/06/arctic-antarctic-ice-melt-november-record | Sea ice extent in Arctic and Antarctic reached record lows in November | Both the Arctic and Antarctic experienced record lows in sea ice extent in November, with scientists astonished to see Arctic ice actually retreating at a time when the region enters the cold darkness of winter. Warm temperatures and winds drove record declines in sea ice at both polar regions in November compared to the 38-year satellite record of ice extent for the month. Arctic sea ice extent averaged 9.08m sq km (3.51m sq miles) for November, which is 1.95m sq km (or 753,000 sq miles) below the long-term average from 1981 to 2010 for the month. Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said that Arctic sea ice extent dipped for a short time in mid-November, an “almost unprecedented” event. Sea ice shrank by around 50,000 sq km (19,300 sq miles) in this period, mainly in the Barents Sea. This decline, which also occurred to a smaller degree in November 2013, removed an area of ice larger than Denmark from the Arctic at a time when sea ice is usually growing. “It looks like a triple whammy – a warm ocean, a warm atmosphere, and a wind pattern all working against the ice in the Arctic,” said NSIDC director Mark Serreze. In Antarctica, the average extent of sea ice in November was 14.54m sq km (5.61m sq miles), which is 1.81m sq km (699,000 sq miles) below the 1981 to 2010 average. This more than doubles the previous record low for the month of November. Ted Scambos, the lead scientist at NSIDC, said: “Antarctic sea ice really went down the rabbit hole this time.” His colleague Walt Meier, who also works at Nasa, added: “The Arctic has typically been where the most interest lies, but this month, the Antarctic has flipped the script and it is southern sea ice that is surprising us.” The Arctic’s record low, beating a mark set in 2012, was driven by unusually high temperatures over the Arctic Ocean, persistent winds that pushed ice north and a warm ocean. Areas of the Arctic have reached more than 20C (36F) warmer than usual, with an area of Russian Arctic forecast to be 33C (59F) warmer than normal on Thursday. 2016 is on track to be the warmest year on record globally. Arctic sea ice usually grows over winter until it hits its maximum annual extent in March. However, this year has been notable for the lack of ice. “Typically sea ice begins to form in the fjords at the beginning of November, but this year there was no ice to be found,” said NSIDC scientist Julienne Stroeve, who assessed ice cover in Svalbard during November. In the Antarctic air temperatures were 2-4C (3.6-7.2F) warmer than normal in November, with strong westerly winds helping disperse the sea ice pack. Several large bodies of open water have opened up within the sea ice formations around the Amundsen Sea and Ross Sea coasts. The slump in November sea ice follows a persistent trend in the Arctic, where warming temperatures are causing problems for indigenous communities and wildlife including polar bears and walruses. This summer saw the second smallest ice extent on record, with the Arctic expected to be ice-free during summer within decades. The loss of reflective sea ice amplifies the warming process by exposing the dark sea, which soaks up more heat which in turn helps melt more ice. The extra heat is also winnowing away the world’s glaciers, leading to sea level rise that places many of the world’s major cities at risk of flooding. | ['environment/sea-ice', 'environment/poles', 'world/arctic', 'environment/environment', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/poles | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2016-12-06T21:08:50Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
global-development/2013/nov/28/afghanistan-mining-safeguards-campaigners-global-witness | Afghanistan mining sector lacks safeguards, warn campaigners | A new British-supported law regulating Afghanistan's valuable mining sector does not offer enough protection against graft, a campaign group has warned. The warning came as a senior UK minister admitted that Afghanistan could be vulnerable to the "resource curse" that has left other resource-rich developing countries scarred by corruption or unsustainable extraction. The international development secretary, Justine Greening, who met mining executives on a trip to Kabul this week, has promised to boost Afghan government expertise in drawing up mining contracts to protect local communities and the environment. Afghanistan boasts deposits of everything from iron ore to emeralds, copper, lithium and natural gas, which Greening said could be worth up to $3tn. The international community, currently staring down an annual bill of $4bn just to support the Afghan police and army, is almost as keen as Kabul officials to start digging up the underground treasures. "They have the potential to really provide this country with the wealth it will need to invest in its own infrastructure, its schools and hospitals going forward and reduce its aid dependence," Greening said. Even the Taliban have promised to develop the mining sector, saying investment would help Afghans "wrangle ourselves from the tentacles of poverty". But landlocked Afghanistan still lacks many of the essentials needed to get gems and ore to markets, from basic transport infrastructure to a skilled population to run the mines. Even before serious work has started on the two biggest prizes, a copper deposit secured by a Chinese miner and an iron ore one claimed by an Indian company, there have been reports of conflict at government concessions and illegal mining elsewhere. Local police commanders in eastern Kunar have been extracting chromite without licenses but with foreign help, a recent report from Integrity Watch Afghanistan warned, while a coal tender to a Chinese firm in central Bamiyan left locals out of work and winter fuel. On her trip, Greening quizzed executives and officials invited to a reception at the embassy about how they could ensure future mines benefit the whole country. "One of my questions to them will be 'how can we ensure that the investment that comes in is sustainable and responsible?'," she said. "It is critical that it is, because if it is not, we have seen from other countries, if minerals are extracted in a way that is not responsible it can fuel corruption and it can be a curse as much as a potential blessing." The British government supported the drafting of a new mining law meant to bolster the likelihood of this happening, but it has been stranded in parliament for months. On top of the delays, campaign group Global Witness on Wednesday highlighted flaws in the legislation. These include a lack of safeguards against corruption in the bidding process and no ban on militias or the army benefiting from mining. Global Witness's has published a report entitled A Shaky Foundation, which analyses Afghanistan's mining law. It warned that from a financial point of view there is no requirement to publish details of smaller contracts, suggesting the government might be planning to row away from a widely praised requirement to make details of almost all mining deals public. It also appears to allow mining firms unlimited use of water, which is very likely to spark conflict in an arid country where even small streams are zealously guarded. "Militias implicated in human rights abuses have already been profiting from chromite and other resources. Remaining gaps in the mining law need urgent attention in order to guard against abuse and the loss of much-needed revenue for the country," said Stephen Carter, Afghanistan campaign leader for Global Witness. "The opportunity to build a minerals sector around recognised principles of transparency and good governance, and the strongest possible protections against corruption and conflict, is one that Afghanistan can't afford to miss." Greening said the current work that her Department for International Development is doing with Afghanistan's mining ministry, boosting their capacity to craft contracts that can stand up to the sharp lawyers of many mining firms, should be another bulwark to abuse. "The last time I was here I agreed that we would put some further investment with the ministry of mines to help them work on that technical ability to strike good contracts with companies that want to come in and extract those resources," she said. The work will ensure "that the contracts are done in a way that does make sure that Afghanistan truly benefits from the resources that it has as a country and we do see skills being developed for the local community, and that they do see the rewards of having companies arrive". | ['global-development/natural-resources-and-development', 'global-development/transparency-and-development', 'global-development/global-development', 'world/afghanistan', 'world/world', 'uk/uk', 'environment/mining', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/emma-graham-harrison'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2013-11-28T12:11:22Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2022/may/25/egypt-climate-finance-top-of-agenda-cop27-talks | Egypt says climate finance must be top of agenda at Cop27 talks | Financial assistance for developing countries must be at the top of the agenda for UN climate talks this year, the host country, Egypt, has made clear, as governments will be required to follow through on promises made at the Cop26 summit last year. Egypt will host Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh in November. The talks will take place in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, as well as rising energy and food prices around the world, leaving rich countries grappling with a cost-of-living crisis and poor countries struggling with debt mountains. Most of the world’s biggest economies, and biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, have yet to fulfil the pledges they made at Glasgow last November to strengthen their targets on emissions cuts. Work to turn the pledges of climate finance from rich countries into projects on the ground helping poor countries has also been slow. Rania Al Mashat, Egypt’s minister for international cooperation, said: “For us, what we want this Cop[27] to be about is moving from pledges to implementation. And we want to highlight what are the practical policies and practices, the processes that can actually push the pledges [into action], to bridge that gap.” She added: “We want this Cop to be about the practicalities: what is it that we need to do to operationalise the pledges into implementation?” Some countries have difficulty gaining access to finance, she noted, and that must be addressed with new ways of “de-risking” finance, to attract private sector investors. This could be done through governments providing guarantees or other assurances to private lenders, or co-investing with them. “One of the successes from Glasgow which will always be remembered is how the private sector was mobilised in a very important way,” Mashat told the Guardian. “So instead of just billions, the word trillions started coming up. “However, these trillions from the private sector commitments or pledges can never make their way to the countries that need them most, unless we have more synergy between [public sector] development finance and private capital to create de-risking tools.” Mohamed Maait, the Egyptian finance minister, also spoke of the need to address bigger finance issues, such as the “huge burden” of mounting debt that many poor countries are facing. “Most developing countries are in debt. Can we do something to engage those countries? Can we reduce this burden and assist them towards net zero?” he said. Maait made it clear that tackling the debt burden, which inhibits countries from taking measures that would reduce emissions, and making investments that would help them cope with the effects of the climate crisis, would be a key priority for Egypt. “We need to sit down together and come up with a solution – the alternative is to let the risks increase, the challenges increase, and people’s suffering increase,” he said. Helping poor countries cut their emissions, and become more resilient to the effects of extreme weather would benefit rich countries too, he added. “The risks of climate change are not for one country but for all of us,” he said. Rich countries would also need to find ways to compensate poor countries for not extracting more oil and gas, he said. He gave the example of Senegal, where major gas discoveries are expected that could transform the economy – but would also constitute a vast “carbon bomb”, of the kind that if exploited would lead to temperatures far exceeding the 1.5C temperature limit targeted in Glasgow. “Senegal were hoping this discovery would help them. Now you are coming to say, climate change means stopping the finance,” said Maait. “That is very worrying.” Developing countries had done little to create the climate crisis but risked being penalised in ways that rich countries have escaped, he warned. “Poor countries’ responsibility for this problem is limited. Unless we can get a good solution to this, it will be very difficult. We need to ensure we do not add to suffering, to debt, and that countries can fulfil their ambitions.” Poor countries could feel as if they were being “punished”, he added. “We [need] a situation where we ensure you are not punished but are encouraged to go green.” He also cautioned against rich countries providing climate finance in the form of loans that require repayment or incur interest. “Don’t tell me you are going to offer green finance at the same cost as traditional finance,” he said, speaking at a small gathering in the City of London. “This will not work.” | ['environment/cop27', 'environment/environment', 'world/egypt', 'world/africa', 'world/middleeast', 'world/world', 'global-development/climate-finance', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/fiona-harvey', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/cop27 | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2022-05-25T08:39:30Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
business/2021/dec/22/kremlin-denies-restricting-gas-supplies-europe-political-gain-pipeline-russia | Kremlin denies restricting gas supplies to Europe for political gain | The Kremlin has denied using Russia’s gas resources to turn the screw on Europe, after gas in a pipeline to Germany switched direction to flow eastwards for a second day, keeping prices near record highs as midwinter approaches. Flows through the Yamal-Europe pipeline to Germany declined over the weekend before stopping on Tuesday and reversing, data from the network operator Gascade showed. Gazprom, the Russian state gas firm, said the supply was flowing to Russia instead because of cold weather and high demand there. The supply squeeze came as Mario Draghi, the Italian prime minister, called for urgent action to counter rocketing fuel costs. He said companies profiting from the crisis should contribute to efforts to curb higher bills for households and businesses. “There are big producers and sellers of energy that are having fantastic profits. They will need to participate to support the economy, they too need to help families,” Draghi said in Rome. The front-month wholesale Dutch gas price, the benchmark for European prices, rose more than 20% on Tuesday to close at a record high of €181 per megawatt hour (MWh). The equivalent British gas contract also jumped by about 20% on Tuesday, to hit a new peak at £4.51 per therm, up from around 51p a year ago. Prices dipped on Wednesday but remained high. The price of gas for delivery in Europe next month fell 3% to €175 per MWh, and the British front-month contract eased to £4.17 per therm. Some analysts and European politicians have suggested Moscow is deliberately suppressing gas deliveries to shore up its political position amid tensions over Ukraine and delays in European certification of another pipeline, Nord Stream 2. The Kremlin denied using such tactics. “There is absolutely no connection [to Nord Stream 2], this is a purely commercial situation,” a spokesperson said. The German power suppliers RWE and Uniper, both among the largest customers of Gazprom, said the state firm was meeting its delivery obligations. Gazprom has previously said it is meeting all long-term contracts with its European customers The pipeline reversal has added to other pressures that have kept gas prices high for much of 2021, with knock-on effects that have included a raft of UK energy suppliers going bust. In a sign of growing anxiety about the impact of soaring gas and electricity costs, Bulgaria’s government approved on Wednesday an $867m scheme to help businesses through the winter. The measures will include compensation for power distribution companies and heating utilities to try to head off a leap in household energy bills. Underlying factors fuelling the fresh spikes in gas prices include colder weather and strong power station demand, with some French nuclear plants closed to address safety concerns. Also, wind speeds have been slower than usual in Europe, meaning turbines have generated less electricity than hoped for. Ships carrying liquefied natural gas bound for Asia have been turning around to supply European consumers willing to pay a large premium amid price spikes, the Financial Times reported this week. | ['business/gas', 'world/russia', 'business/business', 'business/commodities', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'world/ukraine', 'environment/gas', 'environment/energy', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rob-davies', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2021-12-22T18:11:07Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2021/oct/27/government-pledges-17bn-of-public-money-to-new-nuclear-plant | Government pledges £1.7bn of public money to new nuclear plant | The government will make its first direct investment in a large-scale nuclear reactor since 1995 after pledging to plough up to £1.7bn of taxpayers’ money into a new power plant. Treasury documents published alongside the autumn statement did not name which nuclear project would be in line for the public funds, but the Guardian understands it is most likely to be the planned £20bn Sizewell C plant in Suffolk. Government officials are locked in talks with Sizewell C’s developer, the French state-backed energy company EDF, about how to finance its successor to the Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset. The first investment would be enough to hand the UK government an 8.5% stake in Sizewell C, and potentially oust China General Nuclear (CGN) from the project with help from private investors. The plant, which is still going through the planning process, could eventually power 6m homes, but has been plagued by opposition from local campaigners, concerns about costs and the involvement of state-owned CGN. The Guardian understands that the government is eager to replace CGN, which has a 20% share of Sizewell, through a combination of government and private sector investment, due to growing security concerns over Chinese involvement in critical national infrastructure. The government set out new legislation earlier this week for a financial support framework for nuclear plants which would make the projects more attractive to investors by piling part of the upfront cost on to household energy bills before the plants start generating electricity. By making a direct investment in a nuclear plant through the new financial framework, known as a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model, the government could effectively put both taxpayers and energy bill payers on the hook for costly construction delays. The Treasury said the £1.7bn of direct government funding would help to secure a final investment decision in a major nuclear power plant before the end of this parliament, which was a key pillar within the government’s net zero strategy, published last week. Tom Greatrex, the chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “This is a big vote of confidence in nuclear and a historic step forward for nuclear investment.” “We can’t get to net zero without investing in new nuclear capacity, and this is a clear signal from government to investors that it sees nuclear as essential to our clean energy transition,” he said. “This is not only an investment in a greener future, but also in jobs and skills right across the country.” A spokesperson for the Treasury was not immediately available to comment. The government’s nuclear ambitions are also backed by £385m for research and development of ‘advanced nuclear’ technologies, and it has set aside £120m to address the nuclear industry’s barriers to entry. The Treasury also revealed that it would make up to £230m from the Global Britain Investment Fund available to support investment in the UK’s offshore wind manufacturing sector. | ['environment/nuclearpower', 'business/business', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'business/edf', 'uk-news/hinkley-point-c', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2021-10-27T16:18:50Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2020/aug/21/human-consumption-of-the-earths-resources-declined-in-2020 | Human consumption of the Earth's resources declined in 2020 | The rate at which humanity is consuming the Earth’s resources declined sharply this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to researchers. Consequently, Earth Overshoot Day, the point at which human consumption exceeds the amount nature can regenerate in a year, has moved back by over three weeks from 29 July in 2019 to 22 August this year. According to research conducted by Global Footprint Network, an international research organisation, coronavirus-induced lockdowns led to a 9.3% reduction in humanity’s ecological footprint compared with the same period last year. However, in order to keep consuming ecological resources at our current rate we would still need the equivalent of 1.6 Earths. “Earth Overshoot Day is a way to illustrate the scale of the biological challenge we face,” said Mathis Wackernagel, president of Global Footprint Network. Although Wackernagel said this year’s data was encouraging, he called for further progress to be made “by design not by disaster”. The three week shift between the dates of Earth Overshoot Day in 2019 and 2020 represents the greatest ever single-year shift since global overshoot began in the 1970s. Since then, rising populations and increasing levels of per capita consumption have seen Earth Overshoot Day move earlier into the year, with the date arriving in July for the first time in 2019. “It’s a Ponzi scheme, we’re using up the future to pay for the present,” said Wackernagel. “Most countries have pretty strict laws about businesses running Ponzi schemes but somehow in the ecological domain we think it’s okay. We’ve only got one planet and that’s not going to change. We’ve got a very simple choice, one-planet prosperity or one-planet misery.” Previous economic crises have seen the date pushed back temporarily, such as the 2007-08 financial crisis which saw the date retreat five days further into the year. David Lin, who leads the research team behind Earth Overshoot Day, explained: “This year it was particularly tricky because we wanted to give an indication of how Covid-19 affected 2020 results”. Lin’s research found that there was a major drop in CO2 emissions (down 14.5% compared with the same period in the previous year), and in commercial forestry (down 8.4% on 2019). Mike Childs, head of policy for Friends of the Earth, warned that “this year’s improvement in the way we use our natural resources is solely down to Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns. Unless there is a significant change in the way we act the situation is likely to return to normal, or worse, in the following years.” | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'world/coronavirus-outbreak', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'world/world', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-mistlin', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2020-08-21T09:00:45Z | true | EMISSIONS |
sport/2021/jul/03/luke-cowan-dickie-lions-selection-denounced-after-recent-head-injury-rugby-union | Luke Cowan-Dickie’s Lions selection denounced after recent head injury | Progressive Rugby, the lobby group of former players, coaches and medics for a safer game, has condemned the selection of Luke Cowan-Dickie on the bench for the British & Irish Lions’ opening tour match in Johannesburg on Saturday, a week after the Exeter hooker was knocked out in the Premiership final. Kyran Bracken, who is leading talks between Progressive Rugby and World Rugby, the game’s governing body, described the selection in a tweet as “the most ridiculous decision in my lifetime of rugby”. The former England scrum-half and World Cup winner went on to ask: “Do we require a death before this is stopped? I am absolutely disgusted that the powers that be allow this to happen. A stain on our great game.” Cowan-Dickie was knocked unconscious in the 61st minute of the final against Harlequins, as he tried to tackle Dino Lamb. He lay motionless for several seconds, until a team of medics attended to him and rolled him on to his back. Cowan-Dickie was able to get to his feet and walk off three minutes after the initial contact. The next day he flew to South Africa. On the day of the team announcement, the following Thursday, the Lions released training photographs featuring Cowan-Dickie scrummaging and carrying the ball into contact. In a statement, Progressive Rugby said: “We have to question whether selecting a player who has suffered a significant brain injury just days beforehand is in that player’s best interests, and whether World Rugby’s current concussion protocols, which Progressive Rugby maintain are insufficient, have been robustly followed on this occasion. Representing the British Lions is one of the game’s greatest honours, but player welfare must always remain the game’s number one priority.” Warren Gatland said at the selection announcement: “When I first asked him how he was, he said he had never had a knock like that before. So he has done all the return-to-play protocols and he is happy to take a part in training, He is another real competitor.” Progressive Rugby, whose members include Alix Popham, the former Wales international recently diagnosed with dementia, James Haskell and Jamie Cudmore, has held meetings recently with World Rugby, trying to establish more conservative return-to-play protocols than the current, which allow a player to return within a week, subject to passing various tests. It also wants to establish a fund for former players affected in later life by the consequences of brain injury. Negotiations are continuing. | ['sport/british-irish-lions', 'sport/rugby-union', 'sport/sport', 'sport/concussion-in-sport', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michaelaylwin', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/sport', 'theobserver/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/concussion-in-sport | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2021-07-03T10:23:35Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
news/2017/oct/19/weatherwatch-ophelia-europe- | Weatherwatch: Ophelia's arrival hints at a new vulnerability for Europe | Ophelia formed so far to the east in the Atlantic it caused the United States Hurricane Centre to recast its maps so that they could track the storm. They had not thought it was feasible for hurricanes to head north so near the coast of Europe. As it was, the cold sea south of Ireland took the sting out of the 15th named storm of a busy Atlantic hurricane season. Even so the winds of up to 100 miles an hour were only just below hurricane strength when they hit the south coast of Ireland. And Ophelia may be the shape of things to come. To form, tropical storms need sea temperatures to be at least 26C; they usually grow in strength until they make landfall or head over cooler seas. Climate change means 26C “tropical seas” are now extending further north. Research tracking these storms has shown this is allowing hurricanes to reach maximum power about 30 miles further north than 10 years ago. The ability of hurricanes to sustain themselves as they travel north in these warmer seas is expected to be a continuing trend, putting Europe potentially in the firing line for hurricanes. In the meantime, the main concern in Britain will be storms coming from the west. Brian, the second potentially damaging autumn storm, is out there somewhere in the Atlantic. These storms are named when the Met Office calculates they need to issue weather warnings. The depressions do not need warm seas to form, although climate change is giving them extra energy and they carry more rain. With the jet stream speeding up the outlook is currently turbulent. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/hurricanes', 'weather/ireland', 'world/ireland', 'science/meteorology', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'uk/met-office', 'uk/uk', 'environment/oceans', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/paulbrown', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-10-19T20:30:35Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2020/feb/25/waste-crisis-victoria-offers-businesses-965m-to-process-recycling | Waste crisis: Victoria offers businesses $96.5m to process recycling | The Victorian government will double its $28m in grants for businesses to sort and process recycling as part of a $96.5m package to fix the state’s waste industry. Another $30m will be opened up for grants for technology to create new products from recyclable materials such as glass, plastic, organics, electronic waste, concrete, brick and rubber. A further $10m will be offered to businesses to recycle more in their daily operations, and $10m will go towards waste-for-energy initiatives for processors of waste that can’t be recycled. More than $11m will be opened up for expressions of interest for treatment of hazardous waste to prevent further stockpiles from rogue operators across the state. And a $7m business innovation centre will work on waste solutions research, bringing together industry, universities and councils to develop new technologies. The premier, Daniel Andrews, said the package was “the biggest transformation of our recycling system that our state has ever seen”. “It is absolutely necessary given that China and other countries have made it very clear that we have to take responsibility for our waste and not simply ship it to the other side of the world.” A day earlier, the state government announced a container deposit scheme by 2023, to bring Victoria into line with the rest of the nation. Victorian households will also have to sort their waste into four bins as part of the overhaul, separating glass from other recyclables. The new funding was welcomed by the chief executive of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia, Gayle Sloan, who said the infrastructure investment was key to expanding domestic markets for recycled products. “By committing funding the Victorian government gives industry confidence that they are at the table with us, working with us to solve these challenges,” Sloan said in a statement. “Our essential industry alone cannot solve these recent challenges – it is a shared responsibility that requires all parts of the supply chain including government and the community to work together to solve”. The managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil in Australia, Peter West, also supported the announcement, saying the company now produced 70% of its bottles from 100% recycled material. “We want a local industry,” West said. “The material we have is a good first step, which is 16,000 tonnes of material that comes from Taiwan. “We want that to be local product … We couldn’t even source that material in Australia today.” | ['environment/recycling', 'australia-news/victoria', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'environment/waste', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-02-25T03:00:20Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2018/aug/18/great-barrier-reef-grant-risked-delaying-action-government-was-warned | Great Barrier Reef grant risked delaying action, government was warned | The government was warned that there was a “significant” risk that on-the-ground projects for the Great Barrier Reef could be delayed because of a $443.8m grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, documents reveal. The documents, obtained by the Guardian under freedom of information laws, also show the environment department and the office of the environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, discussing a $5m “reef islands” grant, but do not contain any mention of the much larger grant until after the 9 April meeting where it was offered. According to the material, Frydenberg’s office was aware of the risks of the unusually large grant. “The rapid increase in operational scale for the foundation poses significant capacity, governance and capability challenges,” it states. The information is contained in a set of preliminary “collaboration principles” for the grant that was sent by the minister to the foundation’s chair John Schubert on 22 April, after the $443.8m was offered. Under a section entitled “risk management” the document states that challenges associated with the rapid increase in the small foundation’s operations could be managed through assistance from the Department of Environment and Energy and other government agencies and seconding staff to the foundation. But it notes this could delay on-the-ground work for the reef. “The start-up phase could potentially delay delivery of on-ground projects, leading to loss of local capacity and momentum. The department has capacity to assist the foundation to implement transition arrangements while organisational capacity is being increased,” it states. The Guardian had sought access to all correspondence between the department and the minister or his office relating to the $443.8m grant for the foundation. The department released seven documents in full and 35 documents in part but access was refused to 96 others including emails, talking points, letters and ministerial briefings on the grounds they would reveal deliberative matters in the department or were cabinet material. The documents it partially released show that in the days before a 9 April meeting between prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, Frydenberg and Schubert, the department had been working on an application from the foundation for a $5m grant for a reef islands restoration project that was announced in early April. On 4 April departmental staff sent a briefing note to Frydenberg recommending that funding be approved. Emails supplied for the week prior make no mention of the much larger $443.8m grant that was offered on 9 April. In a 14 March document the department gave its assessment of the proposed reef islands partnership, but the documents supplied to Guardian Australia contain no due diligence work that the government says had been done by the department in March in relation to the almost half a billion dollar grant announced before the budget. Earlier this week, Frydenberg said the government conducted two phases of due diligence as part of the grant process and that included the department seeking information from the foundation in March about its structure and operations. However, the first emails that discuss the almost half a billion dollar grant in the documents supplied to the Guardian are dated 12 April. Department emails sent on that day show that senior department officials, including the department secretary, Finn Pratt, and Dean Knudson, the deputy secretary for environmental protection, planned to meet with the foundation board members on 17 April and were in a hurry to provide a draft of the collaboration principles. “The formal meeting with GBRF is being planned for Tuesday. It will be the secretary [Pratt] and Dean [Knudson] with a sub-group of the foundation board led by the chair,” reads email from Stephen Oxley, first assistant secretary for the heritage, reef and marine division. “The arrangements are being finalised by the secretary’s office. “I am sorry for the breakdown in the provision of the information. We are jammed by the need to get legal review of the document combined with a timing imperative to get a copy to the GBRF to enable their internal discussion. My bad.” Correspondence also appears to suggest that Paul Hardisty, the chief executive of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, was not made aware of the plan until days before the government’s announcement on 29 April. An email from Deb Callister, assistant secretary in the heritage, reef and marine division, to senior colleagues on April 24 says: “A quick update on logistics:- · Paul Hardisty, CEO AIMS has been advised. He was very positive about the news – called it ‘elegant’.” The documents provide little insight into who had the original idea for the grant or what internal discussions took place at a department or ministerial level before the 9 April meeting. The government has been under pressure to reveal who had the original idea to award the grant to a private foundation, but has defended the process as transparent. After questioning from Labor in the House of Representatives this week, the environment minister proffered a timeline of his decision making. Frydenberg had said on Sunday that extensive due diligence had been done before the awarding the controversial grant. However, the managing director of the foundation, Anna Marsden, said on Monday she was unaware of that due diligence process and no one from the government had contacted her. Frydenberg told parliament he took two submissions to the expenditure review committee of cabinet in March of this year, including one with “a proposal to establish a partnership with a non-government organisation, which was the Great Barrier Reef Foundation”. | ['environment/great-barrier-reef', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/australian-budget-2018', 'australia-news/josh-frydenberg', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/lisa-cox', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/great-barrier-reef | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-08-17T20:00:30Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
politics/2012/jul/15/tories-versus-lib-dems-coalition-flashpoints | Tories versus Lib Dems: the coalition flashpoints | Europe No issue divides the Tories and the Lib Dems more than Europe, and over the coming months and years the gulf will become wider than ever. With the EU heading for a greater degree of fiscal and political union, many Tory MPs want David Cameron to promise some form of referendum on the terms of Britain's future membership of the EU. They argue that the community will be fundamentally different to the one the UK joined in 1973. Clegg's party is resisting a referendum, and the Lib Dems have also made clear they will oppose any moves by Cameron to repatriate powers from Brussels in forthcoming treaty negotiations – another key demand of the eurosceptic Tory right. The Lib Dems have toughened their stance at the very time that foreign secretary William Hague is preparing an audit of EU powers over the UK in preparation for possible talks on repatriating power. Coalition bust-up rating: 10/10 The green agenda The Lib Dems are desperate to hold the Tories to their pre-election claim to be green converts, but the omens are not good. At the Treasury, the chancellor, George Osborne, is busy apparently sabotaging the environmental policy agenda at every turn. This week ministers are expected to announce huge cuts to subsidies for wind farms, having already done the same for the solar energy sector. Eurosceptic Tories like Osborne argue that green policies and subsidies are a luxury that cannot be afforded at a time of recession. The Lib Dems reply that green industries will create huge numbers of jobs as well as helping to clean up the environment. Perhaps most divisive of all is the issue of airport expansion in the south-east of England: Osborne has put himself at the head of efforts to expand capacity, but the Lib Dems are opposed to this on environmental grounds. Coalition bust-up rating: 8/10 The constitution House of Lords reform, despite last week's row, is not dead in the water yet. Efforts will be made to offer Nick Clegg a watered-down package of changes to the upper house. But if the Lib Dems are not satisfied and feel that the Tories have reneged on part of the coalition agreement, they say they could vote down separate plans – backed particularly strongly by the Conservatives – to change constituency boundaries at the next election. The plans, which also involve cutting the number of MPs from 650 to 600, would benefit the Tories more than any other party. They are vital to Cameron, who hopes they will help him secure the Commons majority that eluded him in May 2010. If the Lib Dems do take their revenge by blocking boundary changes, with Labour's help, the coalition will effectively be at war, and it is difficult to see how it could survive. Coalition bust-up rating: 10/10 Welfare The Tories believe their plans to cut welfare benefits are very popular with voters: as a result they have been floating more and more radical proposals over recent weeks to slash them further for old and young alike. Cameron has suggested ending housing benefit payments to people under 25, while one of his close allies on the back benches, Nicholas Boles, has called for a debate on whether the country can afford to continue funding bus passes and winter fuel allowances for well-off pensioners. Many Lib Dems say the more radical ideas – particularly those that would slash benefits for the young – go too far. Coalition bust-up rating: 7/10 Education On some education issues, such as establishing a "pupil premium" for poorer schoolchildren, there has been agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. But future clashes are looming as Tory education secretary Michael Gove looks to make his mark with radical reform, including to the examinations system. The Lib Dems have already put their foot down on this point and said they will not back Gove's idea of a return to the old two-tier division between O-levels and CSEs. Gove also wants to allow state schools to be run for profit – something he looks likely to press for increasingly, opening the way for major arguments with the Lib Dems. Coalition bust-up rating: 8/10 | ['politics/liberal-conservative-coalition', 'politics/davidcameron', 'politics/nickclegg', 'politics/lords', 'politics/conservatives', 'politics/liberaldemocrats', 'politics/education', 'education/education', 'environment/green-politics', 'environment/environment', 'politics/welfare', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/tobyhelm', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/focus'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2012-07-14T23:07:14Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
sustainable-business/sap-renewable-energy-credits-100-percent-goal | SAP joins tech giants Google and Apple in reaching for 100% green energy | Software giant SAP plans to figuratively power its operations worldwide with 100% renewable electricity by the end of this year, according to its sustainability report released today. The move is aimed at helping the company offset its growing carbon emissions. The company plans to buy renewable energy credits to achieve that goal, which is arguably the easiest and cheapest way to do it. This isn't the first time SAP has bought credits: it has been doing so since 2009, when it announced a plan to lower its carbon footprint to the 2000 levels by 2020. But the software developer is staring at rising – not shrinking – carbon emissions as a result of the growth of its cloud computing business, where a growing number of its customers who previously used their own computers to run SAP software and store data are now using SAP's data centers instead. SAP's carbon emissions grew 12% in 2013, the company said. Its emissions intensity also rose: in 2013, it generated 32.4 grams of emissions for every euro of revenue, compared to 30 grams per euro in 2012. The software maker joins other big companies, such as Google, Apple and Walmart, in setting a 100% renewable energy goal. But depending on the path a company takes, that goal can be quite difficult to achieve. Three strategies to reach 100% renewables There are three main ways for a company to boost its green power profile: buying credits, signing power purchase agreements, or installing solar power, wind power or other renewables onsite. As more companies seek to show their sustainability commitments, a debate has emerged over which approach creates the biggest environmental impact. Some companies are leveraging power purchase agreements and their own renewable-energy projects to pressure utilities to invest in renewable energy risk losing more company business. When a company buys credits, it's essentially buying a project's green attributes instead of the energy itself. The purchase helps support the project financially, and is cheaper than the other two options. But critics say the quality of projects varies widely, and these credits typically don't reduce the fossil-fuel power the company is actually using. Meanwhile, with power purchase agreements, companies agree to buy power from the owner of a renewable-energy project. The electricity is either delivered directly to companies' facilities or, more likely, injected into the local grid to increase the amount of clean electricity in the power supply. A company that buys electricity directly can ensure that it's helping to displace fossil fuels with renewable energy in its local grid and can help increase clean-energy projects locally, either via utility or independent power producer. Google has done this, for example, to ensure that its data centers are drawing electricity from a cleaner grid. A power purchase agreement typically runs for around 20 years, so it takes more commitment and money from the buyer. When a company generates renewable energy on its own facilities, that can cost the most time and money upfront, depending on the size of the project. It requires companies to secure permits and financing, fight off critics and oversee the completion of a project. This choice, though, means the company can be sure it's using clean power at its office and factory and reduces demand for traditional electricity from the grid. It has the added benefit – for renewable-energy advocates – of pressuring utilities to invest in more renewable energy. Why many corporations pick credits Given that signing power purchase agreements and building clean power projects takes a lot more time and money, many companies, such as SAP, prefer to buy credits. "We don't want to become an electricity producer. It's not our core business," said Jonas Dennler, SAP's global environmental manager, who added that the company might consider onsite generation in the future. "We want to partner with customers to buy the certificates from them." Dennler declined to name the companies SAP plans to buy the credits or certificates from, and also declined to disclose the budget for reaching its 100% renewable energy goal this year. The company has solar panels installed at its headquarters in Germany and in its Silicon Valley office, but those make up less than 1% of its annual electricity consumption, which reached 320 gigawatt-hours in 2013. SAP plans to buy credits from projects that are less than 10-years-old (this rules out big hydropower plants) and are built without government subsidies, Dennler said. The company is looking at buying a good chunk of credits from wind farms, mainly because wind power is generally cheaper than, say, solar power, and therefore relies less on government incentives. Meanwhile, renewable energy proponents are pushing tech giants to go beyond buying credits. Power purchase agreements and onsite generation could persuade utilities to produce or buy more renewable energy in order to attract big customers. Google pushed Duke Energy to do just that in North Carolina. And there's some evidence the strategy may be working: last November, Duke asked the state utility regulators for permission to sell clean power to corporate customers. It didn't hurt that another big corporate customer in the state, Apple, decided to build two solar farms – each with a capacity of 20 megawatts – close to its data center. The electricity from those farms flow into the local grid. Even before this latest announcement, Greenpeace, which ranks tech companies' clean-power efforts, placed SAP as ninth among IT companies in its latest list, released April 2013. "It's great that SAP has good intentions, and we need to see more companies doing that," said Gary Cook, an energy campaigner with Greenpeace. "But it needs to have a longer strategy than to say we are carbon neutral because we wrote a large check to buy a lot of credits." | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'tone/news', 'sustainable-business/cleantech', 'sustainable-business/business-case', 'sustainable-business/technology', 'environment/environment', 'business/business', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'type/article', 'sustainable-business/series/technology-and-innovation', 'profile/ucilia-wang'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-03-21T17:17:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
global-development/article/2024/jul/17/crisis-tres-fronteras-criminal-syndicates-amazon-colombia-peru-brazil | Crisis at Tres Fronteras: how criminal syndicates threaten Amazon’s future | The area of the Amazon where Brazil, Colombia, and Peru meet – referred to as Tres Fronteras (triple frontier) – brims with wildlife and natural resources. It is also a hotbed of illicit activity. Criminal groups are clearing the forest to plant coca and erect laboratories to turn the crop into cocaine. In the process of making coca paste, these labs discharge chemical waste – including acetone, gasoline and sulphuric acid – into rivers and soil. Increasingly, these outfits are branching into illegal logging, gold dredging and fishing, in part because these activities allow them to launder money made from drug trafficking. These activities compound the environmental harm the groups are inflicting. The consequences of this criminal activity reverberate far beyond the Tres Fronteras. The Amazon is a pre-eminent carbon sink, absorbing substantial atmospheric carbon dioxide. Through its central role in the hydrological cycle, the Amazon also profoundly influences global weather and precipitation patterns. Its unparalleled biodiversity is essential for maintaining ecological balance. In sum, the planet’s environmental health hinges in part on what is happening in this corner of the world. The assassination of Dom Phillips, a Brazil-based British journalist and Guardian freelance contributor, and his local guide and Indigenous rights defender, Bruno Pereira, brought the region’s high level of violence to international attention. Well before these killings, however, criminality had been on the rise across the region. The Tres Fronteras has some of the highest rates of violence in Latin America, which itself is the region with the world’s highest homicide rate. Communities in the area have faced death and displacement threats, while criminal groups have stepped up their recruitment of minors. Overlooking the vast Amazon River from the high riverbank in front of his community, a scarred Indigenous man in his late 30s laments that he had joined an illicit group at the age of 13, eventually becoming a hitman. “Every night when I close my eyes, I see the faces of those I’ve murdered, the bodies I have dismembered,” he says, recalling his past as a contract killer for drug traffickers. At particular risk from booming crime are the uncontacted Indigenous tribes. These communities live deep within the jungle, having successfully evaded interaction with western civilisation for centuries, such as the Yuri Passé tribe in Colombia. The unbroken perimeter of their territory, which is protected by law, is on the verge of being breached by encroaching goldminers, drug traffickers and regional Colombian guerrilla groups, threatening not only their culture but also their existence. It is not just violence that can prove lethal, but the fact that outsiders expose these tribes to diseases they lack immunity to. State officials are fighting a losing battle as they struggle to cooperate across borders. Each country’s forces cannot pursue and arrest criminals outside their jurisdiction, making it possible for criminals to make quick escapes across borders when they are in danger of being apprehended. Police and other security forces acknowledge the need to coordinate better but admit they fail to efficiently share information with their colleagues across the border due to trust issues. “What happens there affects us here,” says a Colombian law enforcement official. But thus far, transnational cooperation has been scant. In addition, criminal outfits outgun and outman law enforcement in the region. “We are a bit afraid,” a state official in Peru tells me. “They can kill us.” A lack of resources severely hampers the security forces’ ability to combat crime. In Islandia, Peru, a town isolated like an island, police are unable to pursue drug and timber traffickers because their two boats are inoperable. Officers pooled their money to buy a wifi router but still have no working internet service and lack a functional printer for official documents. So, what should be done? The growth of crime in the Amazon reflects the struggles that states across Latin America face in providing honest and effective law enforcement, particularly in their borderlands. However, local people in the Tres Fronteras area know how to protect their lands. Indigenous groups have proved to have lower deforestation rates in areas where they have collective land titles. Indigenous peoples have also organised independent and unarmed guards to patrol their ancestral lands and detect violent invaders such as illegal fishers, goldminers or drug traffickers. These initiatives could, in theory, operate as an early warning system for government officials seeking to stave off criminal groups’ illicit incursions, and state governments should capitalise on the opportunity these grassroots efforts offer to protect the rainforest. Paramount for moving ahead is political will. During a 2023 summit, eight Amazon countries agreed to increase security cooperation. Hopes are high for renewed momentum in political dialogue and cooperation during this year’s Biodiversity Cop16, which Colombia will host in October, and at Climate Cop30, which Brazil will organise in the Amazon city of Belém do Pará in November 2025. Crucially, sustainable security strategies should prioritise Amazon populations, sanctioning those who orchestrate environmental crime while supporting lawful livelihoods and with more robust collaboration with Indigenous communities to curb criminal expansion. Alternatives to crime are essential for youths to avoid being swallowed up by criminal activities and disconnected from their communities, as recognised by the former assassin who has been away from the gang’s influence for several years now. “I’ve learned to be a person again,” he says. Bram Ebus is a researcher and journalist based in Bogotá. He contributed to the International Crisis Group’s recent briefing, A Three Border Problem: Holding Back the Amazon’s Criminal Frontiers. | ['global-development/series/southern-frontlines', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'environment/conservation', 'society/drugs', 'society/society', 'world/brazil', 'world/peru', 'world/colombia', 'world/indigenous-peoples', 'world/americas', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/analysis', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-07-17T13:00:05Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2012/sep/19/arctic-ice-shrinks | Arctic ice shrinks 18% against record, sounding climate change alarm bells | Sea ice in the Arctic shrank a dramatic 18% this year on the previous record set in 2007 to a record low of 3.41m sq km, according to the official US monitoring organisation the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colorado. Scientists and environment groups last night said the fall was unprecedented and the clearest signal yet of climate change. The data released showed the arctic sea beginning to refreeze again in the last few days after the most dramatic melt observed since satellite observations started in 1979. This year's sea ice extent was 700,000 sq km below the previous minimum of 4.17m sq km set in 2007. "We are now in uncharted territory," said Nsidc director Mark Serreze. "While we've long known that as the planet warms up, changes would be seen first and be most pronounced in the Arctic, few of us were prepared for how rapidly the changes would actually occur." Julienne Stroece, an Nsidc ice research scientist who has been monitoring ice conditions aboard the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise, said the data suggested the Arctic sea ice cover was fundamentally changing and predicted more extreme weather. "We can expect more summers like 2012 as the ice cover continues to thin. The loss of summer sea ice has led to unusual warming of the Arctic atmosphere, that in turn impacts weather patterns in the northern hemisphere, that can result in persistent extreme weather such as droughts, heatwaves and flooding," she said. Other leading ice scientists this week predicted the complete collapse of sea ice in the Arctic within four years. "The final collapse ... is now happening and will probably be complete by 2015/16," said Prof Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University. Sea ice in the Arctic is seen as a key indicator of global climate change because of its sensitivity to warming and its role in amplifying climate change. According to Nsidc, the warming of Arctic areas is now increasing at around 10% a decade. Along with the extent of the sea ice, its thickness, or volume, has also significantly decreased in the last two decades. While this is harder to measure accurately, it is believed to have decreased around 40% since 1979. The collapse of the ice cap was last night interpreted by environment groups as a signal of long-term climate warming caused by man. "I hope that future generations will mark this day as a turning point, when a new spirit of global cooperation emerged to tackle the huge challenges we face. We must work together to protect the Arctic from the effects of climate change and unchecked corporate greed. This is now the defining environmental battle of our era," said Kumi Naidoo, director of Greenpeace International. Other groups called on the UK government, and industries across the world to heed the warning signs from the Arctic and act "with urgency and ambition" to tackle climate change. Rod Downie, polar expert at WWF-UK said: "With the speed of change we are now witnessing in the Arctic, the UK government must show national and global leadership in the urgent transition away from fossil fuels to a low carbon economy. "This is further evidence that Shell's pursuit of hydrocarbons in the Arctic is reckless. It is completely irresponsible to drill for oil in such a fragile environment; there are simply too many unmanageable risks." Author and environmental campaigner Bill McKibben said: "Our response [so far] has not been alarm, or panic, or a sense of emergency. It has been: 'Let's go up there and drill for oil'. There is no more perfect indictment of our failure to get to grips with the greatest problem we've ever faced." Arctic sea ice follows an annual cycle of melting through the warm summer months and refreezing in the winter. It has shown a dramatic overall decline over the past 30 years. Sea ice is known to play a critical role in regulating climate, acting as a giant mirror that reflects much of the sun's energy, helping to cool the Earth. The UN Environment programme warned that the extra shipping and industry likely to result from the thawing of sea ice could further accelerate sea ice melting. "There is an urgent need to calculate risks of local pollutants such as soot, or black carbon, in the Arctic. Soot darkens ice, making it soak up more of the sun's heat and quickening a melt," said UNEP spokesman Nick Nuttall in Nairobi. • This article and its headline were amended on 20 September. The original wrongly said the ice extent had shrunk 18% in a year; this has been corrected to reflect the 18% decrease was 2012 against 2007, not 2012 against 2011. | ['environment/sea-ice', 'environment/poles', 'world/arctic', 'world/world', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/science', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/sea-ice | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2012-09-19T18:09:35Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2016/sep/29/uk-faces-european-court-for-failing-to-protect-porpoises | UK faces European court for failing to protect porpoises | The UK will be hauled before the European court of justice for failing to provide safe habitats for harbour porpoises, the European commission said on Thursday. Harbour porpoises resemble bottlenose dolphins, with small rounded heads, flat foreheads and a black-lipped mouth that curves upwards, as if smiling. The mammals are endemic to the North Atlantic, but their numbers have been falling in the Baltic, Mediterranean and the east of the English Channel. Mortalities from fishing net accidents in areas such as the Celtic Sea, west of Cornwall, have cast doubt on the species’ sustainability, and the commission has awarded them an “unfavourable” conservation status. Under EU law, the UK should have drawn up a list of conservation areas for the porpoises, but has so far formally proposed just one small site in the Skerries and Causeway conservation area, in Northern Ireland. A second “special area of conservation” was created in the Inner Hebrides and Minches last weekend after warnings from conservationists that Scotland was lagging in conservation efforts. Lyndsey Dodds, WWF’s head of marine policy, said: “The UK has so far failed to designate enough protected areas for these charismatic, intelligent and highly social marine mammals, despite the requirement to do so under the EU habitats directive. “We welcome the recent proposal to designate the Hebrides and Minches protected area but more needs to be done to ensure there is a coherent network of sites and to ensure they are properly managed.” The commission noted the move in the Hebrides and Minches, but said: “The [UK’s] continued failure to propose and designate sufficient sites leaves the areas where the species occurs in greatest densities without the protection required.” Potential damage to porpoises from offshore windfarm construction, oil and gas exploration and fishing, has not been adequately assessed, the commission judged. At loud levels, underwater noise can injure or even kill porpoises, but it is more likely to lead them to abandon an area. A WWF report on Friday will say that an eight decibel reduction in noise from offshore windfarms – by means such as “bubble curtains” – could cut the chance of porpoise population declines by 96% . Earlier this year, the government designated 23 new areas as marine conservation zones, in an extension of a claimed “blue belt” across one-fifth of the UK’s waters. A UK government spokesperson said: “We are committed to protecting our marine environment, which includes appropriate protection for harbour porpoise.That is why we already have two Special Areas of Conservation for this important species, and earlier this year consulted on another five possible sites.” The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) argues that it is difficult to identify suitable habitats for the porpoises, but this is disputed by conservationists. Melissa Moore, the policy chief at the Marine Conservation Society said: “There are large areas where you have harbour porpoises feeding and breeding in which protected sites need to be established. The UK has consulted and should be in the process of designating them.” | ['environment/porpoises', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'uk/uk', 'world/european-commission', 'world/europe-news', 'law/european-court-of-justice', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/arthurneslen', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-09-29T14:19:36Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/blog/2009/sep/10/whale-spotting-bay-biscay | Whale spotting in the Bay of Biscay | Stephen Moss | The Bay of Biscay is not for the faint-hearted, so it was with some trepidation that I boarded the Pride of Bilbao boat on a three-day return cruise from Portsmouth to Bilbao in northern Spain. Of all the sea crossings around the British Isles, this is considered one of the roughest. But in recent years it has gained another, more positive reputation: as one of the best places on the planet to watch cetaceans – whales, dolphins and porpoises. As late August often brings calm weather, and is the best time for seabird and cetacean sightings, I was looking forward to a successful – and seasick-free – cruise. It didn't quite work out as planned: after the recent passing of the tail-end of a hurricane up the English Channel, the sea was pretty lumpy, and the whales weren't quite as obliging as usual. Nevertheless it was still a memorable trip. Whales and dolphins are notoriously unpredictable in their appearance, but it is only when I stood on the top deck and scanned the sea I realised this would be a truly needle-in-a-haystack experience. The first day of the trip is all about waiting – and because of a late departure from Portsmouth we didn't reach the deep water areas until quite late in the afternoon. Sabine's gulls – petite and buoyant seabirds from the High Arctic, named after a polar explorer – were first on the menu, flying alongside the port side of the ship. A grey phalarope – another Arctic breeder – shot under the bow, while common dolphins also swam alongside, before the ship left them far behind. We reached Bilbao early the next morning. After a pleasant three-hour excursion in Bilbao, during which we climbed to the top of nearby Monte Serrantes for a spot of birding and butterfly watching, we departed on the return leg of the journey. This time we reached the deep waters of the Bay of Biscay within the hour, and immediately began to enjoy the sightings we had come for. More dolphins rode the bow – this time both the common and striped varieties – and long-finned pilot whales also appeared. There was plenty to excite the seabird enthusiasts on board: Cory's, great and sooty shearwaters, the latter two on the return leg of their epic journey around the Atlantic, travelling back to their breeding grounds in the southern oceans. But it was the whales we had come to see. The eagle eyes of Clive Martin and Emma Webb from the whale and dolphin research charity Marinelife soon picked them out: the distinctive rounded heads and scarred bodies of Cuvier's beaked whales, whose males engage in vicious fights to defend their harem of females, and have the wounds to prove it. More soon appeared: smaller creatures, showing the longer snout of Sowerby's beaked whale – one of the least-understood marine animals on the planet. Then, towards the end of a long afternoon, just as we were starting to give up hope, came the big one. At up to 26 metres in length, the fin whale is the second largest creature ever to exist on Earth, beaten to the number one spot only by the giant blue whale. Fin whales are best spotted by their distinctive tall, straight blow. Even at a distance, the sheer height of this column of water vapour is obvious, but although we saw several blows we were unable to get good views of the whales themselves. Usually there are up to 100 fin whales in this part of Biscay during the late summer and early autumn. But this year the migration has failed to happen, much to the concern of the two conservation charities that monitor whales, Marinelife and ORCA. Sightings of fin whales in the Irish Sea, off the coast of Pembrokeshire, may give a clue to where these leviathans have gone, but as with any sudden change in animal behaviour, there must be cause for concern. More pilot whales in the Channel were a parting gift, and we returned to Portsmouth after a memorable three days of sharing our lives with these marine creatures. Somehow, terrestrial wildlife doesn't seem quite so exciting after such an amazing experience. | ['environment/blog', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/birds', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'tone/blog', 'environment/environment', 'environment/whales', 'environment/cetaceans', 'type/article', 'profile/stephenmoss1'] | environment/cetaceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2009-09-10T11:55:54Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/cif-green/2010/dec/21/bolivia-oppose-cancun-climate-agreement | Why Bolivia stood alone in opposing the Cancún climate agreement | Pablo Solon | Diplomacy is traditionally a game of alliance and compromise. Yet in the early hours of Saturday 11 December, Bolivia found itself alone against the world: the only nation to oppose the outcome of the United Nations climate change summit in Cancún. We were accused of being obstructionist, obstinate and unrealistic. Yet in truth we did not feel alone, nor are we offended by the attacks. Instead, we feel an enormous obligation to set aside diplomacy and tell the truth. The "Cancún accord" was presented late Friday afternoon, and we were given two hours to read it. Despite pressure to sign something – anything – immediately, Bolivia requested further deliberations. This text, we said, would be a sad conclusion to the negotiations. After we were denied any opportunity to discuss the text, despite a lack of consensus, the president banged her gavel to approve the document. Many commentators have called the Cancún accord a "step in the right direction." We disagree: it is a giant step backward. The text replaces binding mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions with voluntary pledges that are wholly insufficient. These pledges contradict the stated goal of capping the rise in temperature at 2C, instead guiding us to 4C or more. The text is full of loopholes for polluters, opportunities for expanding carbon markets and similar mechanisms – like the forestry scheme Redd – that reduce the obligation of developed countries to act. Bolivia may have been the only country to speak out against these failures, but several negotiators told us privately that they support us. Anyone who has seen the science on climate change knows that the Cancún agreement was irresponsible. In addition to having science on our side, another reason we did not feel alone in opposing an unbalanced text at Cancún is that we received thousands of messages of support from the women, men, and young people of the social movements that have stood by us and have helped inform our position. It is out of respect for them, and humanity as a whole, that we feel a deep responsibility not to sign off on any paper that threatens millions of lives. Some claim the best thing is to be realistic and recognise that at the very least the agreement saved the UN process from collapse. Unfortunately, a convenient realism has become all that powerful nations are willing to offer, while they ignore scientists' exhortations to act radically now. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that in order to have a 50% chance of keeping the rise in temperature below 1.5C, emissions must peak by 2015. The attempt in Cancún to delay critical decisions until next year could have catastrophic consequences. Bolivia is a small country. This means we are among the nations most vulnerable to climate change, but with the least responsibility for causing the problem. Studies indicate that our capital city of La Paz could become a desert within 30 years. What we do have is the privilege of being able to stand by our ideals, of not letting partisan agendas obscure our principal aim: defending life and Earth. We are not desperate for money. Last year, after we rejected the Copenhagen accord, the US cut our climate funding. We are not beholden to the World Bank, as so many of us in the south once were. We can act freely and do what is right. Bolivia may have acted unusually by upsetting the established way of dealing with things. But we face an unprecedented crisis, and false victories won't save the planet. False agreements will not guarantee a future for our children. We all must stand up and demand a climate agreement strong enough to match the crisis we confront. • Pablo Solon is the ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the United Nations. | ['environment/cancun-climate-change-conference-2010', 'world/world', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/mexico', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'environment/environment', 'tone/comment', 'commentisfree/cif-green', 'world/bolivia', 'commentisfree/commentisfree', 'world/americas', 'type/article'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2010-12-21T15:54:22Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
money/2022/sep/28/our-bid-for-more-solar-panels-was-left-out-in-the-cold | Our bid for more solar panels was left out in the cold | We had solar panels fitted in 2019 as part of the Solar Together initiative, and this year wanted to add to them. We chose Green Energy Together as it had done Solar Together projects with our council. We paid a £1,340 deposit. There was then a rather odd silence, but finally scaffolding and two installers appeared. The installers hadn’t been told the panels had to be fitted in addition to those already there, so the kit they had brought was inappropriate. Since then, in spite of daily phone calls and promises from the company that someone would ring back, nothing has happened. We eventually cancelled our order by phone and email, and asked for the return of our deposit and the removal of the scaffolding. Again, there has been silence, even from the company director we emailed directly. We are concerned that this company has over-reached itself while holding on to our money (and that of a lot of other people, if Trustpilot is to be believed). We are also concerned that the scaffolding is still on our house and is a security risk. Solar panels are an obvious route amid an energy crisis, and it is worrying this path seems to be made so difficult and full of obstacles. AJ, London The irony is the Solar Together scheme promises to make solar energy more accessible and more affordable to households who might not otherwise risk the investment. Councils group buy the best available deal from a vetted company at auction, and households who have registered an interest are sent a quote. Many households have benefited from the concept, but some installers, who auctioned their services, may have accepted more work than they can handle. Green Energy Together’s Trustpilot page makes for alarming reading, not just because 69% of reviews rate the company as bad or poor for the same reasons you cite, but because Trustpilot itself warns that it’s had to remove fake reviews. Trustpilot tells me that the company had ignored a formal demand to cease its “abuse” of the platform after “multiple suspected fake four-and five-star reviews” were detected. It says: “Ultimately, this enforcement action did not deter the business and, as a result, in June we terminated its paid subscription with Trustpilot. We also placed a warning banner on its Trustpilot page alerting consumers to its abuse of our platform.” So far, so bad, for a company whose website declares it keeps alive the “principles and values” of the late Queen. I put this alleged abuse – and the details of your ordeal – to Green Energy Together’s director, Nick Elbourne. He blames supply chain shortages and claims customers were sent a newsletter advising them of delays until the end of October. As for the Trustpilot abuse, he says that the platform had not provided enough information about the fake reviews for him to “diagnose the issue”. Over then to iChoosr, which runs the Solar Together scheme, and claims to vigorously vet the suitability of installers it works with. It also insists it caps the number of households which can apply for a quote if its installers reach full capacity. It told me Green Energy Together has, so far, completed 2,000 installations, but Covid and Brexit had created “unprecedented issues” with supply chains and staffing. “We are aware of some customers who have not had such a smooth journey, as we run our customer services alongside those of the installers that win our auctions, and we are working with Green Energy Together to resolve issues,” it says. Green Energy Together got in touch with you after I’d alerted iChoosr to your plight. The scaffolding was removed within three days but, two weeks after a promise that the deposit would be refunded, you’re still waiting for your money. Email your.problems@observer.co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions | ['money/consumer-affairs', 'money/money', 'money/consumer-rights-money', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'money/series/yourproblems', 'profile/annatims', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-money'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2022-09-28T06:00:00Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2017/sep/06/six-farmers-shot-dead-over-land-rights-battle-in-peru | Six farmers shot dead over land rights battle in Peru | Six farmers have been shot dead by a criminal gang who wanted to seize their farms to muscle in on the lucrative palm oil trade, according to indigenous Amazon leaders in Peru. Local leaders in the central Amazon region of Ucayali say the victims were targeted last Friday because they had refused to give up their land. A police report seen by the Guardian details how the farmers’ bodies were found early on Saturday dumped in a stream near the Bajo Rayal hamlet where the men had lived. “It was a night-time ambush. They bound them by their hands and feet, then they killed them and threw them in a river,” Robert Guimaraes, president of the local indigenous federation Feconau, told the Guardian by phone. The police report says most of the men had shotgun wounds to the neck and at least one was found bound by the hands and feet. An eyewitness told the police the victims were attacked by up to 40 armed men who had their faces covered. “We have received death threats from the same land trafficking gang,” Guimaraes said. “We are afraid for our families and we are asking the state for protection.” “These peasant farmers have paid the price for the inaction of the state and the local authorities in tackling land trafficking,” he added, warning that the nearby Santa Clara de Uchunya community had also been threatened by land traffickers. Guimaraes accused the local agricultural authority of handing out falsified land titles and said it also bore “direct responsibility” for the crime. A local investigation alleges former officials colluded in the falsification of land titles which were then sold to highest bidder. “Everything points to regional government people being involved in trafficking land,” said Jose Luis Guzmán, an environmental prosecutor in the Amazon region which is plagued by illegal logging. Julia Urrunaga, Peru director for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), said: “The lack of clarity and consistency of land titling in the Peruvian Amazon has long been a ticking bomb for violent social conflict.” After four years of investigations into land-grabbing and large scale agribusiness projects, the EIA had uncovered “chaos, abuses, violations of indigenous and local community rights as well as violations of environmental and forestry laws,” Urrunaga said. “All of this with impunity in an environment dominated by corruption that ends up favouring large scale investors,” she added. Observers fear the emergence of palm oil will fuel a new surge in land grabbing, violence and deforestation. Yet the Peruvian government is promoting expansion, claiming its cultivation will not threaten forests. At a UN climate change summit in September 2014, Peru signed a $300m (£191m) deal with Norway to reduce net deforestation to zero by 2021. More than 120 environmental and land defenders have been killed around the world in 2017 so far, with many of the deaths linked to deforestation and industry. | ['environment/series/the-defenders', 'environment/land-rights', 'world/indigenous-peoples', 'environment/environment', 'world/peru', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/palm-oil', 'environment/deforestation', 'world/world', 'world/americas', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/dan-collyns', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-09-06T17:04:37Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
film/2023/jul/27/facts-oppenheimer-got-wrong-australian-scientists-review | Where are the ‘violet hues’ and ‘bath of heat’? Australian scientists review what Oppenheimer gets wrong | Australian nuclear experts have reviewed Oppenheimer and say it is epic, intense and compelling – but not always accurate. Its portrayal of the first atomic bomb detonation, for example, lacked the “violet hues” and heat wave of the real thing. “Some characters even made comments like ‘quantum mechanics is hard’, which I disagree with – it’s only hard if someone hasn’t explained it properly,” says Dr Kirrily Rule, an instrument scientist who works with the thermal triple-axis spectrometer Taipan at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Ansto). Rule gives Christopher Nolan’s movie about the Manhattan project four stars, saying it’s exciting and suspenseful but the science is “brushed over”. “As a physicist watching the movie, I think they could have been much clearer on the science involved … I believe Nolan used such high-level jargon as a confusing element to the film intentionally. “It made the audience feel separated from these scientific giants. As a scientist and teacher, I think this is a poor way to represent science – it just continues to give people the impression that ‘science is too hard’.” The Irish actor Cillian Murphy plays J Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who led the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos laboratory, which produced the bomb. It portrays his pride, his remorse and his downfall. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Dr Ceri Brenner (four stars), leader of Ansto’s Centre for Accelerator Science, says the one thing missing for her is an element of the 1945 detonation in New Mexico, which was codenamed Trinity. “[When] the device went off, we got the flash of light and the silence, but I didn’t notice anyone reacting to the immediate experience of heat that accompanied the visual of the flash,” she says. “The energy emitted from fission is radiative and carried long distances via electromagnetic radiation, which travels at the speed of light, compared to conductive or convective heat that propagates more like the sound wave boom that arrived shortly after. “I saw a documentary where someone described it as being similar to opening an oven door and feeling the immediate bath of heat emerging.” Dr Mark Ho (four stars), a nuclear analyst, says he would have liked to have seen the atomic explosion “more faithfully portrayed in violet hues”. Major General Thomas Farrell, deputy to Manhattan Project director Leslie Groves (played by Matt Damon in the film), has described the detonation as “birth of a new age – the age of atomic energy”. “The whole country was lighted by a searing light with the intensity many times that of the midday sun,” he said, according to the Conversation. “It was golden, violet, grey and blue. It lighted every peak, crevasse and ridge of the nearby mountain range with clarity and beauty that cannot be described but must be seen to be imagined.” Dr Helen Maynard-Casely (five stars), an instrument scientist working with Ansto’s high-intensity powder diffractometer, Wombat, says the development of the first nuclear reactor is comparable to the space race between Russia and the US. The project’s lasting legacy for morality, global politics and technology is undeniable, she says, but: “It would be nice to imagine a world where the first thought on splitting a uranium atom would have been, ‘Ooo this would be good for energy,’ rather than, ‘This could make a bomb.’” Dr Joseph Bevitt (four stars), an instrument scientist on Ansto’s radiograph, tomography and imaging station Dingo, says he wanted more of the “epic and intense” movie. “At the end of the three hours, I asked, ‘Is that it?’ I craved more,” he says. “The significance of the Chicago pile reactor, built under stadium seating, was glossed over. The first criticality of the X-10 reactor at Oak Ridge National Lab, the contributions of Enrico Fermi, and so much more, were omitted. “The ramifications of the atomic bombings for humanity were suggested, but I needed closure. “The formation of the ‘Atoms for Peace’ program, the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the positive real-life impacts that atomic research and neutron science have on everyday health and technological advancement followed those events.” The so-called “Barbenheimer effect” smashed Australian box office records at the weekend, with Oppenheimer making $9.36m, the fourth-highest opening weekend for a 2023 film. The Barbie movie made $21.5m. • This article was amended on 28 July 2023. An earlier version incorrectly stated that the sound wave boom resulting from the 1945 Trinity detonation travelled at the speed of light. | ['film/oppenheimer', 'film/film', 'science/science', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'campaign/email/afternoon-update', 'film/barbie', 'world/nuclear-weapons', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/environment', 'science/physics', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/tory-shepherd', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2023-07-27T15:00:47Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2020/aug/25/from-war-to-witch-marks-graffiti-carved-into-new-forest-trees | From war to 'witch marks': graffiti carved into New Forest trees reveals past lives | Some are fading records of passionate woodland trysts, while others tell vividly of the fear of the supernatural that some still feel in the forest: they are the more than 100 pieces of graffiti carved into trees in the New Forest in the south of England that have been spotted by members of the public and collected by the national park authority. There are, not surprisingly, plenty of lovers’ initials but also “witch marks”, etched into bark to try to ward off people suspected of evil intent and examples of the “king’s mark”, which was used to identify trees chosen to be chopped down to make warships. There are also reminders of war and peace, of people stranded far from home and of families and friends coming together in the trees. The presence of American service personnel at a nearby base in the second world war can be seen in marks such as: “HD, USA, 1944.” One of the most ornate was found in one of the deepest and darkest areas of the forest and spells out: “Summer of Love 1967.” Some of the message is obscured by lichen but most of the beautifully rendered letters can still be made out clearly. The New Forest National Park Authority launched the project in February and was delighted by the amount and variety of what people found. Lawrence Shaw, archaeologist at the New Forest NPA, said some of the inscriptions dated back hundreds of years. He said: “Trees get blown over, are felled or die. These inscriptions can be a fragile record so we felt it was important to get people to help map them. The project really gripped people’s imaginations.” A frequently found mark was the one used to identify trees for use in building Royal Navy ships. “They were looking for decent beeches and oaks,” said Shaw. The ones that survived were clearly not needed before iron and steel took over as the shipbuilding material of choice. Some of the witch marks may date back hundreds of years, though it is not possible to date them with certainty. Markings such as the “HD” one are easier to place. US service personnel were based at RAF Stoney Cross in the forest during the second world war. Shaw said: “You can imagine these servicemen going out and exploring an alien environment and leaving their marks.” Other images carved into the trees include eagles, boats, houses and faces, but one of Shaw’s favourites is the summer of love message. “It’s ornate and detailed,” he said. “It’s in the deep, dark of the forest and I don’t know how anyone found it.” Shaw doesn’t know why it was created, but it was done with care. “They must have used carving tools rather than a pen knife,” he said. Shaw is also keen on graffiti carved into a fallen tree next to a popular path. “There are lots of different initials on it. You can imagine families walking there and stopping from time to time. There are 10 decades of human interaction with nature on that tree.” But the park is not encouraging people to carve new graffiti into the trees. “That might risk damaging them.” Shaw said. “ This is about appreciating what has been done in the past and understanding how people have interacted with the New Forest over time.” The project is also being careful about over-interpreting what it has found. Shaw said: “We had one beautiful “Om” symbol and wondered if it might have been created by Indian soldiers based nearby. We were contacted by someone who said, no, it was her sister who had a penchant for the symbol in the 1970s.” | ['environment/forests', 'uk/uk', 'science/anthropology', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/stevenmorris', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2020-08-25T16:32:04Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2022/aug/11/energy-ministers-reforms-to-australias-electricity-market-could-be-path-to-a-carbon-price-experts-say | Energy ministers’ reforms to Australia’s electricity market could be path to a carbon price, experts say | Australia’s main electricity market will prioritise cutting emissions as part of its objectives for the first time since its creation a quarter of a century ago, a shift that could set up conditions for a carbon price, experts said. Federal, state and territory energy ministers are scheduled to meet in Canberra on Thursday for a dinner before holding formal talks on Friday. It will be the first gathering since the national electricity market (NEM) was suspended in June after the market operator had to resort to whiteboards and spreadsheets to order generators online. The ministers, who will be briefed on the nine-day market shutdown, have been sent 600 pages of reading. “You can’t fault [federal energy minister Chris] Bowen and his love of being organised,” one insider told Guardian Australia. According to a draft of the planned communique, ministers will agree “to put an emissions objective to the national electricity objective” (NEO). Currently, the objective sets “price, quality, safety and reliability and security of supply of electricity” as the goals. “Reflecting emissions reduction goals in the NEO is important for ensuring emissions intensity of generation is considered and reducing emissions is prioritised,” said Shane Rattenbury, the ACT minister for energy and emissions reduction. “We cannot deny the need to decarbonise our energy supply. Reflecting the net zero emissions goal in the NEO will help to ensure an efficient and coordinated national approach to decarbonisation, so that we can make this transition as smooth as possible.” The ACT won approval at an energy ministers’ meeting last September to start work with the Queensland government on updating the NEO. The Victorian energy minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, proposed amending the objective in 2016 to include environmental sustainability and climate change along with emissions, but did not get wide support. Ministers are now likely to proceed with the change. The NSW Department of Planning and Environment backed investigating a change to both the NEO and the equivalent gas and retail objectives to incorporate emissions reduction as a goal. “This will demonstrate a commitment to integrating energy and climate policy, in line with a range of existing NSW government policies and positions,” a spokesman said. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Bruce Mountain, the head of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, said agreeing on a new NEO was a “step along the way” to a carbon price. “At the very least it gets the regulators to account transparently for the volume effects [of greenhouse gas emissions] of their decisions,” he said. “So they can say, ‘this option would have a greenhouse impact of that, and this one will have a greenhouse impact of that’.” Dylan McConnell, a University of Melbourne energy expert, said adding emissions to the NEO would mean undertaking public consultation on and updating the legislation that underpins the national energy market. “It’s next year, or beyond,” he said. Energy ministers are also expected to be briefed by the Energy Security Board on proposals for a new capacity market mechanism aimed at ensuring minimum levels of electricity generation to reduce the risk of blackouts. However, the push for a capacity market is losing favour from most generators, while Victoria and the ACT have declared they will not support a mechanism that extends the life of coal- and gas-fired power plants. “Almost nobody’s in favour of this capacity market,” McConnell said. Plans for a detailed design to be ready by the end of 2022 now seem unlikely to be met. “To introduce a complete overhaul of the market seems like a tall order,” he said. Bowen said it was “crucial that we work together to rectify a decade of denial, delay and dysfunction on climate action and the Taylor-made energy crisis”. “The Albanese government is already working hand in glove with our state and territory colleagues on the capacity mechanism and a number of market reforms,” he said. D’Ambrosio said the NEO and gas supplies would be of keen interest at the meeting. “Explicitly including emissions in the national energy objectives will provide strategic guidance to new investments to help to achieve net zero at least cost,” she said. D’Ambrosio also stressed the need to secure more gas for domestic use rather than exports. “It is unacceptable that Australia produces so much gas, yet we have a gas crisis because exporters are making super profits,” she said. “We’ll be seeking agreement for [the Australian Energy Market Operator] to have the power to make sure national gas storage facilities have sufficient domestic reserves, and greater market monitoring by the Australian Energy Regulator to stamp out dodgy behaviour that costs households and businesses.” | ['australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/energy', 'world/chris-bowen', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'tone/news', 'profile/peter-hannam', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2022-08-10T17:30:20Z | true | ENERGY |
australia-news/2018/dec/03/business-community-unites-to-urge-coalition-to-abandon-energy-big-stick | Business community unites to urge Coalition to abandon energy 'big stick' | Australia’s biggest energy and business groups have banded together to urge the government to abandon its “big stick” approach to energy legislation, warning the divestiture powers the government craves will impede investment and create genuine sovereign risk. Scott Morrison and Angus Taylor threatened to break up Australia’s energy companies if power prices didn’t come down – by utilising commonwealth divestment powers never used before in Australia – through legislation due to be introduced to parliament this week. The proposal, labelled an “extreme measure” by the energy sector, had already created waves in the Coalition party room, with dissenters uncomfortable with the prospect of such a dramatic market intervention. The move has prompted the Australian Energy Council, Australian Industry Group, the Business Council of Australia and others to join together to appeal to the government to abandon its plans, which it says will “specifically discourage badly needed investment in the energy sector”. “The signatories to this statement are robustly opposed to the creation of unilateral divestment powers for the treasurer. Such discretionary and quasi-judicial powers represent deep and genuine sovereign risk,” the open letter to the government reads. “They are inconsistent with best practice for a modern economy, such as Australia’s, and were specifically considered and rejected by the ACCC and the Harper competition policy review. “If enacted, these powers would cast a pall over investment in all sectors of the Australian economy and threaten the economic attractiveness of a country highly reliant on foreign investment.” The industry and business groups said the proposed law would undermine the long-term interests of consumers and was “a dangerous precedent”. “Driving down prices for any market requires investment. Investors require clear, stable and predictable rules so that they have the necessary confidence to make those investment decisions,” the group said. “This legislation will only lead to increased investment uncertainty and prices. “We urge the government to abandon the bill and work with the business community on reform options which enhance Australia’s economic stability, encourage investment and deliver better outcomes for consumers.” One of those options – renewables – marked a recent milestone, with the Clean Energy Council reporting two million homes had taken up solar rooftop power. Analysis of the postcodes with the biggest solar inclusion revealed some of the Coalition’s strongest coal supporters had the highest renewable takeup in their electorates, underscoring the Morrison government’s energy challenge ahead of the next election. Queensland, named by conservatives as the the most likely home for a floated new coal-fired power station, had the biggest takeup, with 30% of sunshine state homeowners installing solar panels. Four of the top five solar pickup postcodes sit in Queensland, with Bundaberg coming in at number one, followed by Mandurah in Western Australia, Hervey Bay, Caloundra and Toowoomba. All five electorates are held by conservative Coalition MPs: Keith Pitt, Andrew Hastie, Llew O’Brien, Andrew Wallace and John McVeigh. The conservative faction of the Liberal party room all but ended Malcolm Turnbull’s tenure as leader of the government by undermining the proposed national energy guarantee power policy. The Clean Energy Council said the new solar milestone and the obvious embrace of renewables by Australian households made the government’s position on energy perplexing. “What the milestone says to me, is there are two million households out there who think the future should be a renewable energy one, and they are prepared to put their money where their mouth is,” the Clean Energy Council chief executive, Kane Thornton, said. “There is no clearer demonstration that people are embracing renewable energies than that, and that they expect their government to do the same. “Some people are just out of step with those community concerns and whether they have it plain wrong – and the reality is, that once upon a time, renewables were expensive, but they are not any more – so whether it is some misunderstand that new reality or wilfully ignore it, they do that at their own risk, and at risk at the ballot box.” | ['australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/energy', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/coal', 'australia-news/liberal-party', 'australia-news/coalition', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/scott-morrison', 'australia-news/business-australia', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/amy-remeikis', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2018-12-02T17:00:38Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2023/aug/28/the-guardian-view-on-londons-low-emission-zone-doing-the-right-thing | The Guardian view on London’s low emission zone: doing the right thing | Editorial | Everyone who cares about public health and environmental regulation should welcome the expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), which launches on Tuesday. Air pollution is estimated to cause 4,000 premature deaths each year in the capital, with nitrogen dioxide from exhausts being the main danger, along with particulate matter whose effect is likened by scientists to inhaling tiny particles of tar. Air pollution causes disproportionate harm to low-income families, who are most likely to live on main roads and least likely to own cars. It is particularly damaging to children’s growing lungs. That the mayor, Sadiq Khan, has defied pressure to delay or weaken the scheme is to his credit. In France, vehicles that do not meet new limits have been banned from urban areas. In London, drivers of non-compliant vehicles – mostly petrol ones dating from before 2005, and diesel before 2015 – must pay a daily charge of £12.50, with higher charges for lorries and coaches. While no scheme is flawless, the improvements to air quality achieved by the existing scheme, covering inner London, mean that Londoners can be confident of the extension’s health benefits. There is no point, however, in denying the risks. Mr Khan’s decision to press ahead was made easier because of Labour’s large lead in London polls and with the Conservatives in disarray. However, opponents to Ulez expansion have been emboldened by the Tories’ narrow victory in July’s Uxbridge byelection, where the scheme was seen as a factor in the campaign. In Manchester, another Labour mayor, Andy Burnham, paused a planned clean air zone in the face of rising protests and cost of living pressures. His argument is a good one: the Treasury should fund a scrappage scheme, compensating businesses and owners of polluting vehicles, to ensure they do not bear a disproportionate cost. Under the terms of London’s £110m scheme (funded by the mayor), owners of disqualified cars can apply for a £2,000 payment, with differing terms for motorcycles and vans used by businesses. Earlier this month, eligibility was widened so that applicants no longer need to be on benefits. Mr Khan has done the right thing because central government did not. Such measures should also help calm his party leadership’s nerves, post-Uxbridge, and win over some voters worried about rising bills. Nevertheless, police in London have warned of the risk of vandalism to fixed cameras. Air quality matters to voters but so do living standards, including transport costs, the personal freedom associated with driving, and fairness. The struggle to reconcile these priorities is why the significance of the Ulez scheme goes beyond London. Finding ways to protect the environment, while sharing out the cost of the transition away from fossil fuels, is the key public policy challenge of our time. It speaks volumes about Rishi Sunak that rather than come up with solutions he prefers to whip up resentment about the need to adopt greener lifestyles. Such grievances are not entirely without basis. Small business owners, or drivers of 10-year-old diesel cars, may feel legitimately angry about policies targeting them rather than multiple-car households or the growing number of private jets. Ministers have given financial assistance to Birmingham, Bristol and Portsmouth to help fund their clean air zones, but have refused to support London’s scheme. Rather than capitulate in the face of Tory attempts to exploit the climate crisis for short-term political gain, Labour nationally should call them out. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/air-pollution', 'politics/transport', 'uk/london', 'uk/transport', 'politics/sadiq-khan', 'politics/politics', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/editorials', 'tone/comment', 'profile/editorial', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-08-28T18:12:08Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2009/dec/07/global-press-copenhagen-editorial | Global media unite over Copenhagen climate change conference editorial | Adam Vaughan | Newspapers, blogs and individuals around the world have welcomed a common editorial on the Copenhagen climate conference, which opened today. The editorial, which called on rich countries to commit to "deep cuts which will reduce their emissions within a decade", appeared on the Guardian front page and ran in 56 newspapers in 45 countries. Some of the world's leading papers, such as Le Monde, El País, Russia's Novaya Gazeta and the Toronto Star, carried the leader, as well as two Chinese newspapers – the Economic Observer and the Southern Metropolitan – and India's second largest English-language paper, The Hindu. However, no newspaper in Australia carried the editorial, following the week when the country's Senate voted against a carbon trading bill and the opposition party's leader was ousted by a climate change sceptic. The editor-in-chief of Melbourne's The Age, Paul Ramadge, said in a statement: "We applaud the Guardian's global initiative. At The Age we decided it was important to put our own views – to be consistent and partly because of the nuances of the debate in Australia.'' The common leader was described as a success by commentators. Mark Borkowski, the founder of and head of Borkowski PR, wrote on Twitter that it was a "great Copenhagen PR stunt ... Let's pray it has impact despite current greenwashing." Dozens of Guardian readers also wrote their own versions of the editorial online, and the text ran on several high profile blogs and sites on the Guardian Environment Network, including Grist in the US, BusinessGreen in the UK and the UN-backed OurWorld 2.0. Alan Rusbridger, editor-in-chief of the Guardian, said: "No individual newspaper editorial could hope to influence the outcome of Copenhagen but I hope the combined voice of 56 major papers speaking in 20 languages will remind the politicians and negotiators gathering there what is at stake and persuade them to rise above the rivalries and inflexibility that have stood in the way of a deal." | ['environment/copenhagen', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'media/theguardian', 'media/newspapers', 'media/media', 'uk/uk', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'type/article', 'profile/adam-vaughan'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2009-12-07T17:47:21Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
us-news/2023/jul/18/new-york-lead-contamination-water-pipes | One in five New Yorkers may be drinking lead-contaminated water, report finds | One in five New Yorkers may be drinking lead-contaminated water, a new report has found. Roughly 900,000 households – or 21% of the city’s residents – live in properties with lead or possible lead service lines, the pipes that provide city water to individual properties. Lead can leach into the water from the pipes as the water travels through them. “There is no safe level of lead,” said Joan Matthews, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which co-authored the report as part of the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning. A potent neurotoxic metal, lead can cross the blood-brain barrier, causing a host of neurological problems in young children, including behavioral disorders and lower IQ levels. “Lead in drinking water can be a significant exposure path, particularly for infants who are drinking formula,” Matthews said. Adults can also suffer serious consequences from lead exposure, including high blood pressure and kidney damage. Brooklyn and Manhattan are the boroughs with the highest estimated number of lead service lines, at 46% and 44% respectively. Nearly a quarter of all water lines in the Bronx are confirmed to have lead. At a neighborhood level, Staten Island’s Port Richmond community has the highest concentration of lead water lines in the entire city, at roughly 61%. The new report is based on data from the city’s department of environmental protection (DEP), which includes a publicly accessible map of every property in the city. The report identified water lines as “possible lead” if there is no record or conflicting records about the material type. New York City banned lead pipes in 1961 as public awareness of the dangers of lead exposure grew, and a national ban went into effect in 1986. But pre-existing lead service lines remain in use. “New York City treats replacing lead service lines as something extra, as an add-on work, and instead they need to acknowledge that this work needs to be done to protect the public health,” Matthews said. The New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning is hoping the report will push the city council to pass a law requiring the replacement of all lead pipes in the next decade. The city of Newark, New Jersey, passed an ordinance in 2019 which helped replace 23,000 lead service lines in less than three years, under a city-funded program that covered the full cost. “I’m hoping New York follows the good practices that Newark has done and does it in a very aggressive, nation-leading way,” said Josh Klainberg of the New York League of Conservation Voters, which also co-authored the report. | ['us-news/new-york', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/water', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/aliya-uteuova', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-07-18T19:30:57Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
travel/2018/jul/23/country-diary-boon-to-walkers-threat-to-wetland-new-forest | Country diary: a boon to walkers, a threat to the wetland | The view towards Lyndhurst was reassuringly familiar after my long absence, with the heathland sloping gently away towards the ragged groups of trees that line the river, but I was unprepared for the abrupt change in the acoustic landscape as I reached the top of the ridge. Muted, but insistent, the background roar – apparently from the container port a few miles to the north – spilled out over the surrounding countryside. The path I followed, once just a braided pony trail between clumps of heather, has grown wider through its understandable popularity with walkers, runners and cyclists from the housing estates newly plaited between the old village centres. The increased pressure has eroded the fragile, peaty soil surface and cut down into the flinty gravel that forms the substrate. Walking down the north side of the ridge, I realised that the place I was looking for was no longer there. Until a few years ago, a perched water table halfway down this slope formed an isolated lobe of wetland habitat that was home to a variety of species including the common sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) – a carnivorous plant that garners nutrients from the capture and digestion of passing insects. Now, the track is uniformly dry and dusty. The culprit, a new trench cut in the slope above the path and backfilled with stone, was easily spotted. Above it, a small portion of the wetland remains and a few sundew plants survive in this newly marginal environment. Presumably intended to make the path more welcoming to walkers, the drain has significantly changed the delicate hydrology of this hillside – reducing the wetland habitat by at least three quarters and making it increasingly vulnerable. Intrigued by the points of evening light captured in the sticky drops of liquid on each remaining sundew leaf I stayed longer than I meant to, and the sun was almost below the horizon when I started back. Pausing at the top of the hill, in the company of innumerable hungry midges, I listened without success for the distinctive churr of the nightjars that I once found here – but perhaps it was still too early for them. | ['travel/series/historic-walking-trails', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'environment/environment', 'environment/plants', 'travel/newforest', 'travel/walkingholidays', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/summer', 'travel/travel', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/john-gilbey', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-07-23T04:30:24Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2019/feb/13/academics-back-uk-schools-climate-change-strikes | Academics back UK schools' climate change strikes | More than 200 academics have voiced their support for this week’s school climate strikes, in which thousands of young people are expected to take to the streets in towns and cities across the UK. The academics, including almost 100 professors, say the “tragic and desperate facts” of the unfolding climate breakdown – and the lack of meaningful action by politicians – leave young people with little option but to take matters into their own hands. In a letter to the Guardian, they write: “[Those taking part in the strike] have every right to be angry about the future that we shall bequeath to them, if proportionate and urgent action is not taken.” The number of those taking part in Friday’s strike is growing rapidly, amid mounting evidence of the scale and impact of the climate emergency. There are more than 50 confirmed events from Fort William to Hastings, with more added each day. The UK day of action is part of a movement that started in August when Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, held a solo protest outside Sweden’s parliament. Globally, up to 70,000 schoolchildren each week are taking part in 270 towns and cities. Individual demonstrations have already been held in the UK, but Friday’s coordinated day of action is expected to see the biggest protests by students and young people in the UK since the student strikes of 2010 over tuition fees. There has been some criticism of the strikes by climate change deniers and politicians who claim the strike amounts to little more than truanting. Earlier this month a Belgian environment minister was forced to resign after falsely claiming the country’s intelligence services held evidence that the tens of thousands of children skipping school were being directed by unnamed powers. But the strike has been backed by one of the UK’s leading teaching unions and the academics say the young people who are prepared to organise and take part in the strike are setting an example that others should follow. “We are inspired that our children, spurred on by the noble actions of Greta Thunberg and many other striking students all around the world, are making their voices heard.” The letter highlights the growing signs of climate breakdown, from the latest UN report that warns there are 12 years to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, to record-breaking droughts and heatwaves, warming oceans and melting ice sheets. The academics added: “It is with these tragic and desperate events in mind that we offer our full support to the students, some of whom may well aspire to be the academics of the future, who bravely plan to strike on 15 February to demand that the UK government takes climate action.” | ['environment/activism', 'world/protest', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'education/academics', 'education/schools', 'education/secondary-schools', 'environment/environment', 'education/education', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'environment/school-climate-strikes', 'profile/matthewtaylor', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2019-02-13T12:12:10Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2021/dec/15/calls-for-independent-salmon-testing-after-lab-tests-allegedly-show-higher-fat-content-than-industry-figures | Calls for independent salmon testing after lab tests allegedly show higher fat content than industry figures | The Tasmanian salmon industry is facing calls for independent nutritional testing after an analysis by activist groups found far more fat in farmed fish than wild-caught salmon and industry-reported figures. Environment groups concerned about the impact of salmon farming bought two salmon fillets from a Coles supermarket, an IGA supermarket and a fishmonger in Melbourne to have them tested. The results suggested farmed salmon has higher total saturated and trans fats than figures available for each of the three Tasmanian salmon companies and those known for wild-caught salmon. Of the three farmed salmon companies, Tassal is the only company to publish nutritional information directly on its website. It says that its fish contain 16.1g total fats and 3.1g saturated fats per 100g. Similar data was not readily available for Huon Aquaculture and Petuna but independent nutrition website MyNetDiary lists the total fat content of fresh fillets of Huon salmon per 100g as 17.9g with 3.5g of saturated fat. Total fats for Petuna salmon were 12g with 3g of saturated fat per 100g. But tests on the fillets bought from the supermarket or fishmonger revealed the total fat content in Tassal salmon was 28.5g, and 21.2g of saturated fat per 100g. Huon’s two fillets recorded fat content of 24.2g and 23.7g, while Petuna logged 16.3g and 19.8g. Wild caught salmon, by comparison, contains total fats of 6.3g and 1g of saturated fat per 100g, due to the difference in diet and habitat the fish were raised in. A spokesperson for the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association dismissed the results citing in a statement the small sample size and variations in fat levels in fish between seasons. “Due to this natural variation of the fish, the companies use an average of the past three years nutritional testing results for our nutritional information panels (NIP) on the labels of our products,” the association said. “The data in the nutrition panel also states that all results are ‘averages’ and not absolute values.” They also rejected calls for independent testing, saying the industry already complied with all existing regulations set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. “Australia has some of the most robust food safety and production regulations on the planet,” they said. “Nutritional information is widely available on product packaging so consumers can make informed decisions from assured sources versus an unknown methodology and politically motivated consumer spot testing.” Environment Tasmania said the tests called into question the reliability of the companies’ own figures and called for an independent government body such as the CSIRO to conduct its own testing. “It needs to be truly independent,” ET campaigner Jilly Middleton said. “And it would need to be run from a consumer perspective rather than having the salmon samples chosen and handed over by the industry.” “Consumers trust the Australian government to give them honest information about food. When you look at a nutrition panel, you expect to get the truth. It shouldn’t be up to Environment Tasmania and others to go digging.” Michael Skilton, a professor of nutrition and cardio-metabolic health, was given the chance to review the results and said that it raised questions that should be investigated further. “All that evidence [about salmon’s health benefits] is based on the samples and the nutritional data for what it used to look like and not necessarily what it looks like now,” Skilton said. Skilton said the testing showed that healthy omega-3 fats had increased, as had fats overall. He also said the saturated fat levels should be a focus as they can have an effect on cholesterol levels and is a major risk factor for heart disease. “The implication here is that farming practices of the salmon led to these changes, and I think that’s reasonable,” he said. “A comparable comparison would be the difference between grass fed and grain fed beef.” | ['environment/fish', 'australia-news/tasmania', 'environment/farming', 'australia-news/health', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/royce-kurmelovs', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-12-15T06:10:07Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
lifeandstyle/2024/sep/13/absolutely-wasted-the-inner-city-garden-using-food-scraps-to-create-top-grade-soil | Absolutely wasted: the inner-city garden using food scraps to create top grade soil | ‘Let’s start in the front garden!” With the delirious energy of a zany scientist showing off his lab, Anthony Ussher, 42, takes me around the compartmentalised space that makes up the garden of James Brine House, a four-storey block of flats in east London. He pushes the fluffy seeds of a salsify plant into my hand while talking me through the street-facing section of the garden. What started as a few paving slabs salvaged from a skip is now a thriving, pocket-sized courtyard filled with unusual, edible plants. Ussher introduces me to fruits I’ve not met before, such as Nepalese raspberries and the aronia berries he infuses syrups with. “This is my favourite flower in the world,” he says, pointing to the devil’s-bit scabious growing next to some wild ginger. This space emerged during the Covid lockdowns, Ussher says, when he and his neighbour, Helenka, healed their once tricky relationship over a love of plants. Ussher had previously run – and lived above – a fried-chicken restaurant on the spot where much of this garden now stands. When the pandemic forced him to close, the neighbours took down the fence that divided their land to create a larger, shared space that spans the courtyard, as well as a roof terrace and shady back garden. As they sowed and planted edible and medicinal plants to create a shared kitchen garden (from which seeds, plant cuttings and compost are gifted to locals) Ussher developed the burgeoning obsession that’s come to define the project: compost. As a climate-conscious restaurateur, Ussher had been eager to find better ways to manage the food waste produced in built-up areas. When he stumbled upon fermentation composting – a process where scraps that have to be left out of a traditional compost system, such as bones, shells, meat and dairy, can be composted too – he realised he might have found his answer. Now, dotted around the shady, foliage-filled back garden are wheelie bins containing different waste products in various stages of decomposition. From oyster shells to chicken carcasses to cheese, Ussher collects food waste from nearby restaurants, separates elements by hand, then puts each one in the right conditions for fermentation. Unlike traditional composting, fermentation composting takes place anaerobically, in a closed container without the presence of oxygen. Microbes, bacteria or fungi (in the form of a spray) are added to kickstart the decomposition process. After a few weeks, the contents look the same but are, biologically speaking, entirely different. This material is then buried in the ground for four weeks or added to an ordinary compost heap until fully decomposed and ready for use. “I’m not inventing anything; I’m harnessing processes,’’ Ussher tells me as he opens a tub containing what he’s been working on recently. What’s inside was formerly chicken bones but after the work of a specific fungus, it miraculously looks and smells like powdered beef stock. He has been adding this substance to his wormeries and using the resulting worm compost to make a nutritious feed for his plants. The success of it is clear to see: his herbs and vegetables often end up on the menu at one of the high-end restaurants he collects waste from. It’s an impressive example of a closed-loop system – and it’s just the start for the project, now known as City Soil Lab. The series of small-scale experiments is soon to be expanding into a Tower Hamlets Council-backed scheme to see whether nutrient-dense organic matter produced from fermented waste could be the answer to enriching soil across London. Ussher is designing a blueprint for composting projects that other London boroughs – perhaps other cities – could replicate. While his approach isn’t especially accessible yet (the inputs aren’t cheap and you need the space to fully compost your fermented material), Ussher’s aim is to create a model that can be tailored to the waste needs of any area. Once the pilot project is up and running, City Soil Lab’s compost is destined to nourish three nearby gardens, and will lead to improved local biodiversity. The hope is that composted material could also be sent to rural farming enterprises to help improve depleted soils. “It’s exciting: there’s so much untapped potential all across cities in the UK,” says Ussher. If he really can create a waste management system capable of turning any food waste into valuable soil fertility, he might be the kind of sustainability champion our cities desperately need. | ['lifeandstyle/gardens', 'lifeandstyle/compost', 'environment/soil', 'lifeandstyle/gardeningadvice', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'food/food', 'type/article', 'environment/waste', 'environment/environment', 'tone/features', 'profile/claire-ratinon', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/saturday', 'theguardian/saturday/lifestyle', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/saturday-magazine'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-09-13T10:00:55Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2023/sep/05/wolf-spider-discovered-on-saint-helena-already-endangered | Wolf spider discovered on St Helena already endangered | Three new species of spider have been discovered on the island of St Helena, in the South Atlantic, prompting calls from scientists to quickly identify unknown invertebrates so they can be protected. The wolf spiders bring the total number of species that exist nowhere else in the world except this remote island to 505. One spider discovered is the Molearachne species M. sanctaehelenae, which makes unique mounds that have earned it the local name “mole spider”. Two other species were discovered, the Dolocosa joshuai and Hogna veseyensis. Conservationists are racing against time to find and protect species as they are thought to be under threat from habitat loss on the British Overseas Territory. The three new spiders are thought by scientists to already be endangered. Two of the wolf spider species live in the island’s cloud forest, which used to cover 600 hectares of the island, but due to deforestation now covers only 16 hectares. Liza Fowler, an invertebrate specialist from the St Helena National Trust, said: “St Helena is peppered with pockets of unique habitats which are home to species that exist nowhere else in the world. In the cloud forest alone there are 120 endemic invertebrate species that we know of, and who knows how many more not yet identified. If we don’t know what species are out there, we don’t know how best to protect them.” The RSPB and the St Helena government are running a project, funded through the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, to protect and restore the cloud forest, which also provides more than half of the island’s fresh water to its 4,500 residents. St Helena has recently been susceptible to droughts. The project aims to increase the size of the forest, which provides water by capturing mist, by 25%. Danniella Sherwood, a research associate at the Arachnology Research Association, added: “St Helena is like an island-sized candy store for a spider specialist like me. The island has an incredible range of habitats which has produced over 400 invertebrates that exist nowhere else in the world, about 120 of which are in the cloud forest. I hope that our work will lift wolf spiders up as a flagship group on the island, exemplifying its unique and beautiful invertebrate richness.” | ['world/st-helena', 'environment/spiders', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/world', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/helena-horton', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-09-05T10:15:55Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2022/feb/26/us-fossil-fuel-industry-russia-ukraine-drilling | US fossil fuel industry leaps on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to argue for more drilling | The US oil and gas industry is using Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to pressure the Biden administration to throw open more land and ocean for domestic drilling and to loosen regulations for large companies attempting to ramp up their fossil fuel extraction. Just hours before Russian troops began their unprovoked assault on Ukraine, the American Petroleum Institute (API) posted a string of tweets calling for the White House to “ensure energy security at home and abroad” by allowing more oil and gas drilling on public lands, extend drilling in US waters and slash regulations faced by fossil fuel firms. API, which represents oil giants including Exxon, Chevron and Shell, has called on Biden to allow an expansion of drilling and to drop regulations that impede new gas pipelines in order to help reduce fuel costs for Americans and support European countries that have seen gas costs spiral due to concerns over supply from Russia, which provides Europe with around a third of its gas. “At a time of geopolitical strife, America should deploy its ample energy abundance – not restrict it,” said Mike Sommers, the chief executive of API. Sommers added that Biden was “needlessly choking our own plentiful supply” of fossil fuels. Some leading Republicans have joined the calls. “No administration should defend a Russian pipeline instead of refilling ours,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, told her state’s legislature this week. “Every day, I remind the Biden administration of the immense benefits of Alaska production, energy and minerals alike, and every day I remind them that refusing to permit those activities can have harmful consequences.” Environmental groups were quick to criticize the renewed push for more drilling, accusing proponents of cynically using the deadly Ukrainian crisis to benefit large corporations and worsen the climate crisis. “Expanding oil and gas production now would do nothing to impact short term prices and would only accelerate the climate crisis, which already poses a major threat to our national security,” said Lena Moffitt, chief of staff at Evergreen Action, a climate group. “We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and stand opposed to actions by leaders of the fossil fuel industry that attempt to profit off of these harrowing atrocities.” Russia has faced a barrage of sanctions from the US and the European Union, although the western allies have so far largely steered clear of targeting the country’s vast oil and gas industry. Biden has said the sanctions will “end up costing Russia dearly, economically and strategically” but has not applied punitive measures to Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned oil company. The US president faces the opposing pressures of dealing with the climate crisis while avoiding the political headache of rising gasoline prices for American drivers. On Thursday, the price of a barrel of crude oil rose to more than $100 on the global market for the first time since 2014, amid fears over Russia’s supply. A group of 10 congressional Democrats wrote to Biden on Thursday to urge the president to release more oil from the US’s strategic petroleum reserve in order to lower fuel costs for consumers in the short term. “We know that in the long-term, eliminating US dependence on oil will provide the stability we need to keep energy costs low for American households,” the lawmakers acknowledged. The European bloc is thrashing out a plan for a long-term shift away from dependence on the fluctuating fossil fuel markets, with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, outlining the need for “strategic independence on energy”. Europe is “doubling down on renewables”, she added. The Ukraine crisis could prove to be a “turning point” in global energy consumption, said Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency. “There will be a transition to clean energy... it will be a difficult one, but I believe the governments will have to manage a transition if we want a planet that is safe and clean in the future,” he said. The development of solar and wind power has grown strongly in the US in recent years, although fossil fuels still account for about 80% of domestic energy consumption. Scientists have warned that emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas must be rapidly and drastically slashed if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate impacts such as heatwaves, floods, food insecurity and societal unrest. “Clean energy is affordable and reliable; we can’t afford to wait any longer to free ourselves from the volatility of the fossil fuel market and the dictators and violence it enables,” said Moffitt. | ['world/ukraine', 'business/oil', 'us-news/us-news', 'business/business', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'us-news/us-politics', 'us-news/biden-administration', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'type/article', 'profile/oliver-milman', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-business'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2022-02-26T12:53:04Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/green-living-blog/2010/aug/31/alcoholic-drink-environmental-impact-worst | Which is the most eco-friendly alcoholic drink? | Leo Hickman | Which alcoholic beverage is the most eco-friendly? Tracey Tatty Yappa, via Facebook After reading through the comments below, it seems we have a consensus view that cider has the least environmental impact of all the alcoholic drinks, and spirits the worst. This stance is largely based on the proposition that the most significant impact - in terms of energy use, at least - is caused by the manufacturing stage, as opposed to the packaging or transportation phase of a drink's lifecycle. I would agree with this argument in most cases, but it does seem there are some massive variables between the various types of alcoholic drinks. For example, beer seems to get a fairly bad rap from readers because its production requires plenty of heating, cooling and water, not to forget the often agriculturally intensive ingredients. There are some excellent inputs from ColdRiverBrewing and bobinfrance on the specific issue of how much water is required to produce beer. "A rule of thumb is that breweries use 5-10 times more water than actually leaves the premises as beer," says ColdRiverBrewing. According to an article earlier this year in the brewing industry trade press, SABMiller (Nastro Azzurro, Peroni, Grolsch, Miller, among other brands) has now vowed to cut its use of water to 3.5 litres of water per litre of beer brewed by 2015, a reduction of 25% on its 2008's figure. But SABMiller claims to have among the best environmental record in the business, so maybe the industry average is higher? Sustain, the "alliance for better food and farming", agrees with the point made by Waterlizard and others about the need to support local producers in an effort to reduce the amount of energy used to ship our alcohol across the globe: It has been calculated that the ingredients in locally brewed, locally drunk beer could, taken together, travel as little as 600 miles. A major brewer, exporting to the UK from, say, Germany, could accumulate 24,000 miles of transport for the ingredients and the product. Environmental costs could also be reduced if we followed the Danes' example, where 99% of all glass bottles are re-used. Only about 2% of UK beer was sold in returnable bottles in 1997. It does seem to be a rather sensible conclusion that importing fewer liquids around the world wherever possible is a good thing from an environmental point of view. The same argument applies to bottled water, but I suppose many people in the world would be deprived of wine, for example, if you didn't allow the odd shipment of wine to leave the regions where vines can be commercially grown. (Imagine the rioting in wine-deprived nations!) Leadballon makes a valid point about this, though: A reasonable strategy for the more distant wine sources is to look for locally bottled wine that has been transported in bulk. Unfortunately bulk transport is usually only the most generic varietal and origin available, Cabernet/Shiraz from South East Australia is about as specific as it gets. Light weight containers such as boxes are similarly restricted to the generics. I'm not a big fan of cider myself (I'm not sure I've even ever tried perry), but I'm persuaded by the enthusiasm shown here for it. Cade, smartse, Mentalfloss, Titaflan, and andreakkk all put forward the case for why we should order a local cider at the bar over all other forms of merriment. Cade probably says it the simplest: "Cider is just about as green as you can get. Mash up some apples, squeeze the juice out, barrel it up then just leave it." I'm also persuaded by smartse's argument that apple orchards provide a more sustainable habitat for wildlife than, say, a field of barley or hops. But surely it all comes down to how intensively the farmer manages that acre of land. The obvious alternative to all this, though, is producing your own alcohol at home. As roolbg and rashomonuk state, homebrewing can be a rewarding hobby. What's more, you can control exactly what goes into your brew as well as greatly minimising the packaging and transportation required. I'll certainly drink to that. On 31 August, Leo originally wrote: Vodka, wine, beer, whisky, sherry, gin: the drinks cabinet is well stocked, but which of these alcoholic refreshments causes the least damage to the environment during its production? Alternatively, is there any alcoholic drink you would argue provides environmental benefits? And would you - unlikely, I know - ditch your favourite tipple if it was shown to have a poor environmental record? Please share your thoughts below and, as ever, I will return on Friday to join the debate. • Please send your own environment question to ask.leo.and.lucy@guardian.co.uk. Or, alternatively, message me on Twitter @leohickman | ['environment/series/ask-leo-lucy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/green-living-blog', 'food/food', 'tone/blog', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'environment/carbonfootprints', 'type/article', 'profile/leohickman'] | environment/carbonfootprints | EMISSIONS | 2010-09-03T15:27:00Z | true | EMISSIONS |
sport/2018/apr/07/adam-peaty-commonwealth-games-2018-gold-coast-100m-gold | Adam Peaty disappointed despite Commonwealth Games gold medal | The stratospheric standards Adam Peaty holds himself to were etched on his face after he obliterated the competition to claim Commonwealth gold in the 100m breaststroke. There was barely a flicker of a smile before the winning time of 58.84sec flashed on the scoreboard. Hoisting his enormous frame from the water, he wore a nonplussed expression for TV cameras expecting to capture a moment of unrestrained celebration. “They asked me why I didn’t look happy,” he said. “It’s because I wasn’t satisfied with my performance. At the touch you go, ‘Oh my god, I’ve won gold’, but I look at the time and go, ‘That’s not the best version of myself.’ I’m obsessed with self-improvement.” Peaty does not just want to win, he wants to win like nobody has before, later proclaiming his belief that he can go a lifetime undefeated, possibly until the Los Angeles Olympics in 2024. Before this event he had spoken about Project 56, a mission heavily marketed by his PR team, to improve on his own world record of 57.13sec achieved at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Realistically, it is more likely that he will surpass that mark at a summer meet, when swimmers typically aim to peak. But he admitted the conversation had become a distraction. “I was maybe taking too many strokes and thinking too much of the time instead of the process,” he said. “Coming back to what made me so good in Rio was that I was focusing on the process and not the time.” The 23-year-old conceded that victory on the Gold Coast neatly completed the circle four years after he became Commonwealth champion in Glasgow, which represented a major breakthrough at senior level. Since then he has amassed 26 titles, including becoming European, world and Olympic champion. “Even though it’s a gold medal and it’s four years undefeated and that has completed the quad, I’m disappointed,” he said. “I was nowhere my best.” The Optics Aquatics Centre is the most eye-catching of venues, an outdoor pool with a sold-out crowd of 10,000 in stands bordered on one side by city skyscrapers and on the other by the coral sea. Beneath the floodlights, Peaty beat both shoulders with his fists on the dive blocks. At 50m he was just outside world-record pace but tired in the final 30m. Such is his dominance over the rest of the field, victory was never in doubt. Peaty’s English team‑mate James Wilby took silver in 59.43, the thickness of a swimcap ahead of South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh in 59.44. “It’s been a big learning curve here,” Peaty said. “My stroke feels nowhere near where it should feel like, so I think we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and see how we improve. I think that’s the first time ever where I didn’t feel in control of my race and let the event get to me. I was thinking of the end result rather than the process.” Peaty is so far ahead of the rest he admitted the struggle was keeping himself mentally engaged enough to continue with endless daily sessions in the pool and one of the most punishing strength and conditioning regimes in sport. “The more worrying thing for me is how can I keep the sport new,” he said. “How can I keep my motivation now? That’s going to be my next challenge.” More immediately is the final of the 50m freestyle on Sunday evening. Asked whether Peaty was unbeatable, Wilby said, almost hopefully: “He’s only human so you have to believe he can be beaten.” As if to prove there was some hint of the mere mortal within him, Peaty said he would allow himself a modest celebration after he finishes competing here. “A few beers are in order at the moment, just to keep my sanity,” he said. | ['sport/adam-peaty', 'sport/swimming', 'sport/commonwealth-games-2018', 'sport/commonwealth-games', 'sport/sport', 'sport/australia-sport', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/martha-kelner', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/sport', 'theobserver/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/commonwealth-games-2018 | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2018-04-07T12:36:44Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2022/nov/25/chris-packham-leads-call-for-pm-to-attend-cop15-aoe | ‘Point of no return’: Chris Packham leads calls for Rishi Sunak to attend Cop15 | Chris Packham is urging the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, to attend a key nature summit to protect the planet for the sake of his great-grandchildren because we are “very close to the point of no return”. The Cop15 biodiversity summit being held in Montreal from 7-19 December is the nature equivalent of the recent Cop27 climate summit in Egypt, with governments from all over the world expected to agree targets to halt the destruction of the natural world. But world leaders are not expected to attend the once-in-a-decade meeting where the next 10 years of targets will be agreed. “Sunak ought to be looking further into the future, to protect the planet, not for himself, but for his great-grandchildren, if he’s in that way motivated, because environmental care isn’t about the next five minutes, it’s about the next 500 years,” the TV presenter and campaigner told the Guardian. “And that’s what none of these numpties can grasp, or want to grasp. Because all they can see is short-termism, which is about making short-term fixes so that they can get another short term of power, if they can possibly get their grubby hands on it.” World leaders have not been invited to Cop15 and there are fears that the summit will not be treated with the importance it deserves. The climate crisis is one of the main drivers of biodiversity decline and scientists say we will be unable to reach climate targets without addressing the biodiversity crisis. “These Cops, 27 and 15, are implicitly important, because all of the science is saying to us that we are very close to the point of no return,” said Packham. “Cop, after Cop, after Cop, with cop-out, after cop-out, after cop-out, is not serving humanity or the planet. The importance of these things needs to be better understood. And that better understanding ought to be coming from our leaders. That’s what they’re there for. They’re there to lead. And they’re not, globally, and certainly not in the UK.” Packham is joined by the UK’s leading conservation charities in urging Sunak to push for a deal that will reverse wildlife decline globally by 2030. The RSPB, the Woodland Trust, Wildlife Trusts and Plantlife have set out a campaign called Urgent Conversation, which includes a petition asking Sunak to attend the conference and “secure the strong global deal required to end the nature crisis”. Sunak initially said he would not attend the Cop27 climate conference, but U-turned after pressure from supporters of the UK’s net zero goals from within the Conservative party, as well as international criticism about showing a lack of leadership. A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister does not plan to attend Cop15. Wildlife organisations say the nature deal must set out goals to prevent extinctions and restore habitats that will result in halting and reversing biodiversity decline by 2030, as well as protecting 30% of land and sea. The UK is among the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with more than two-thirds of land now used for agriculture. Globally, wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years, research shows. Beccy Speight, chief executive officer of the RSPB, said: “We can’t go on like this. It’s time to have the urgent conversation that our leaders have been avoiding. The world desperately needs a shared plan for restoring nature and Rishi Sunak must play a leading role in securing a strong deal at Cop15.” Dara McAnulty, the author of Diary of a Young Naturalist, said: “Cop15 is a really important moment for trying to reverse biodiversity loss. All these countries with different government systems, different people, different cultures, working together … It’s really important for young people to speak out about biodiversity loss because this is our future … We can do this if we can all work together and shout from the rooftop.” A UK government spokesperson said: “The government remains absolutely committed to leading international and domestic action to tackle climate change and protect nature. The UK will be represented at Cop15 by the environment secretary.” 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-road-to-kunming', 'environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/biodiversity', 'politics/rishi-sunak', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/protest', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'environment/cop15', 'profile/phoebe-weston', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-age-of-extinction'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-11-25T00:01:41Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2018/oct/22/fareshares-surplus-food-redistribution-saves-uk-economy-51m-a-year | FareShare's surplus food redistribution saves UK £51m a year | The collection and redistribution of edible food by the UK’s largest charity tackling hunger – and that would otherwise go to waste – saves the UK economy some £51m every year, according to an independent report published on Monday. If FareShare and other charities in the sector were able to scale up their capacity in order to handle half of the surplus food available in the UK supply chain, the value back to the state could be as much as £500m per year, it claims. The Wasted Opportunity Report, carried out for FareShare by NEF Consulting, evaluates the economic and social value of redistributed surplus food, as well as the current and potential cost avoided by the UK public sector as a result of the charity’s work. FareShare is UK’s largest charity fighting food waste and hunger. It redistributes good quality surplus food from the UK supply chain and delivers it to nearly 10,000 charities and community groups, including homeless hostels, children’s breakfast clubs, domestic violence refuges and community cafes. By collecting food that would otherwise go to waste and redistributing it, FareShare creates approximately £50.9m of socio-economic impact each year, the report reveals. That equates to £6.9m in social value to direct beneficiaries and £44m in savings to the state (the NHS, the criminal justice system, schools and social care). “We have always known food is a catalyst for good and now we are able to evidence it,” said FareShare chief executive Lindsay Boswell. “A balanced, nutritious diet provides obvious health benefits, but sharing a meal also helps alleviate loneliness. The costs avoided by the state by charities serving up nutritious meals with FareShare food is worth a staggering £51m every year, and that’s with us accessing just 5% of the surplus food available. Imagine what we could do if we could get more of it.” Demand for surplus, in-date food in the UK has soared against a background of growing dependence on food banks and rising homelessness. The charity is also launching a new campaign, Good Food Does Good, to encourage more businesses to make their surplus food available. In FareShare’s annual report, the charity said that in 2017-2018 it redistributed 17,000 tonnes of in-date, good to eat surplus food, enough to create almost 37m meals. That is worth £30m per year in cash savings to the charitable sector, and means charities can spend more delivering their frontline services. It follows the recent announcement by environment secretary Michael Gove of a £15m pilot project to make it as cost-effective for the food industry to redistribute their surplus to charities as it is for them to dispose of it as waste. A roadmap published in September by the government’s waste reduction body, Wrap, and the food and grocery charity IGD sets a series of milestones for businesses to reduce waste at every stage of the supply chain. | ['environment/food-waste', 'environment/environment', 'environment/waste', 'society/food-poverty', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rebeccasmithers', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-10-21T23:01:17Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2019/jul/19/crown-backs-down-and-refines-plans-for-offshore-wind-auction | Crown backs down and ‘refines’ plans for offshore wind auction | The Queen’s property manager has bowed to criticism over its plans for the biggest offshore wind auction in a decade by agreeing to fairer terms for renewable energy companies. The Crown Estate, which holds the rights to seabeds around the British Isles, told windfarm developers on Thursday that it has “refined” its controversial plans for the upcoming tender to make it more affordable to develop renewable energy. The crown stands to earn record sums from the offshore wind industry by auctioning off the seabed to major energy companies, but the plans were delayed by concerns that they amount to a “cash grab” for the royal coffers. The crown’s change of tack comes after the Guardian revealed that the auction could raise hundreds of millions for the Queen while raising household energy bills. The Queen’s estate broke with previous tender rounds by calling for companies to compete for a licence by submitting a sealed envelope bid, which it planned to use as the basis for a new, decade-long rent agreement too. The energy companies warned that this would raise their costs, which would ultimately be passed on to households through higher wind power subsidies. Announcing changes to the auction on Thursday, the Crown Estate said it would make the tender process more transparent by using daily bidding cycles. The change should allay industry fears of a “runaway auction”. It has also promised to scrap the hefty upfront payment in favour of annual payments over at least three years. Jonny Boston, the Crown Estate’s business development manager, said: “Following extensive engagement with the market, we have now further refined our tender design, in light of the feedback received. “Our goal has been to design a process that is attractive, accessible and fair, supports the sustainable development of the seabed and ultimately delivers a robust pipeline of new projects that will help the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy.” The Crown Estate charges royalties equal to 2% of revenues for use of its seabeds, and collected £41m from existing leases last year. This sum is expected to balloon as the offshore wind sector grows at pace. Currently the Queen’s seabeds generate about 8% of the country’s electricity, but that could increase to almost a third by 2030 under government targets. Barnaby Wharton, of RenewableUK, an industry trade association, said the changes showed that the Crown Estate “has recognised a more transparent process is needed to avoid adding unnecessary costs”. “That is welcome and should be the principle which guides the Crown Estate in implementing this new leasing process,” he said. “It’s crucial that leasing for new offshore wind sites supports the right level of ambition to meet our net zero emissions target, while ensuring value for consumers.” | ['environment/windpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'uk/monarchy', 'uk/uk', 'uk/queen', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2019-07-19T05:00:47Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/blog/2009/feb/27/islam-bioethanol | Saudi Islamic scholar condemns bioethanol | It's taken a week or so for this story to go viral, but as of today it is one of the most Digged (dug?) environmental story on the web, with over 500 Diggs. It's not a surprise as it's a corker of a story with all manner of implications. You can read the original story at AlArabiya.net (and the follow-ups at Treehugger and GreenCarReports.com), but here's a quick summary … Sheikh Mohamed Al-Najimi, a scholar at the Saudi Islamic Jurisprudence Academy, reportedly warned students travelling outside Saudi Arabia not to drive any vehicles powered with ethanol because the "prophet prohibited all kinds of dealings with alcohol including buying, selling, carrying, serving, drinking, and manufacturing". As ethanol is "basically made up of alcohol", it must be avoided. The sheikh was keen to stress that he has not issued a fatwa, but does believe the matter needs further clarification from the relevant Islamic institutions. Now, where do we begin? With the question of what other possible motives there might be for why ethanol might be perceived to be a threat in an oil-rich nation? Or what other environmental innovations (the jury is still out on ethanol, in my view) might come under further scrutiny by religious scholars? For example, Catholicism isn't exactly keen on birth control, which logic suggests might be one of the ways to help reduce population growth. And how might Jewish and Islamic scholars view the use of any fuel made from pig slurry, as has been proposed? (The US anthropologist Marvin Harris once suggested that any religious objections to the rearing and eating of pigs might have been initially formed by concerns about the animal's voracious appetite and, hence, negative impact on the local environment in the region once known as Canaan.) Ignoring for one moment the goings-on in Iran, there also seems to be some debate among Islamic scholars about whether the use of nuclear power is allowed. For example, Indonesia's conservative Sunni Islam group Nahdlatul Ulama decreed in 2007 that the building of the country's first nuclear power plant in central Java would be "haraam", or forbidden, under Islam as its potential dangers would outweigh its positives. So, where else might religion and the environment potentially clash? Finally, I hereby decree, with the almighty authority bestowed upon me, that the comments be free of any wisecrack references to environmentalism being "a fanatical religion". OK, I accept this is a futile command. | ['environment/blog', 'environment/biofuels', 'world/islam', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'tone/blog', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'profile/leohickman'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2009-02-27T15:30:41Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2017/oct/11/sewage-plants-are-leaking-millions-of-tiny-plastic-beads-into-britains-seas | Sewage plants are leaking millions of tiny plastic beads into Britain's seas | Sewage plants are contributing to plastic pollution in the oceans with millions of tiny beads spilling into the seas around the UK, according to a new report. Dozens of UK wastewater treatment plants use tiny plastic pellets, known as Bio-Beads, to filter chemical and organic contaminants from sewage, according to a study from the Cornish Plastic Pollution Coalition (CPPC). The report found that many millions of these pellets, which are only about 3.5mm wide, have been spilled and ended up in the environment. The author of the report, Claire Wallerstein, said once the Bio-Beads had been released they are hard to spot and almost impossible to remove – yet can cause significant harm to marine wildlife. “We are learning more all the time about the environmental impact of consumer microplastics in wastewater such as laundry fibres, cosmetic microbeads and tyre dust,” said Wallerstein. “However, it now seems that microplastics used in the wastewater plants’ own processes could also be contributing to the problem.” However, South West Water said there was “no evidence that Bio-Beads are currently being released into the marine environment” from any of its sites. It said only nine of its 655 plants use Bio-Beads but did accept there had been spills in the past that “were subsequently cleaned up”. A spokesperson added: “We worked with the authors to encourage evidence-based rigour to this well-intentioned report. However, in parts, it remains anecdotal rather than factual, some of its conclusions are not supported by evidence and it insufficiently differentiates between nurdles [tiny pellets that form the basis of most plastic products] and Bio-Beads.” However, Wallerstein said samples had been analysed by a plastics expert who had been studying nurdles for 20 years and he had confirmed they were Bio-Beads. The Bio-Bead system is used in at least 55 wastewater treatment plants around the UK, according to CPPC. Wallerstein said the scale of the subsequent pollution could be far-reaching adding that in Cornwall Bio-Beads account for the majority of industrial plastic pellets found littering the beaches. “We know that these Bio-Beads have now reached the coast of northern Europe as well as the beaches here in the UK. What we need is more research into the scale of this problem and for a concerted effort by water companies to do something about it.” Industrial pellets and small bits of plastic such as Bio-Beads are mistaken for food by birds, fish, and other marine animals. These particles can kill animals, not only by causing digestive blockages, but also as a result of the high concentrations of pollutants, such as DDT and PCBs, which adhere to them in seawater. Plastic pollution can also enter the food chain. Last August, the results of a study by Plymouth University reported plastic was found in a third of UK-caught fish, including cod, haddock, mackerel and shellfish. Wallerstein said: “We understand that Bio-Bead plants have been good at improving the quality of the effluent discharged by our wastewater plants – but this should not involve the risk of polluting our seas and waterways with microplastics, which could have long-term and far-reaching consequences.” Bio-Beads are used in the last step of the sewage cleaning process before treated effluent water is released back into rivers or straight into the sea. There is currently no mechanism in place to trap lost Bio-Beads in the event of a spill and the CPPC report details several spills and near misses in recent years. Wallerstein said: “We believe that the Bio-Bead system is far too vulnerable to losses. We are calling for a range of safeguards to be put in place at all plants using it, and ultimately for water companies to phase out its use altogether.” South West Water said it welcomed the report but called for more research. “We commend the report’s authors in raising this subject but they insufficiently acknowledge other potential sources of small plastic pellets on south-west beaches such as plastic manufacturing plants in the UK and abroad, or spills from container ships, all of which are worthy of further investigation.” | ['environment/plastic', 'environment/waste', 'environment/oceans', 'uk/uk', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'environment/water', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/matthewtaylor', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-10-11T10:20:54Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2021/mar/29/average-westerners-eating-habits-lead-to-loss-of-four-trees-every-year | Average westerner's eating habits lead to loss of four trees every year | The average western consumer of coffee, chocolate, beef, palm oil and other commodities is responsible for the felling of four trees every year, many in wildlife-rich tropical forests, research has calculated. Destruction of forests is a major cause of both the climate crisis and plunging wildlife populations, as natural ecosystems are razed for farming. The study is the first to fully link high-resolution maps of global deforestation to the wide range of commodities imported by each country across the world. The research lays bare the direct links between consumers and the loss of forests across the planet. Chocolate consumption in the UK and Germany is an important driver of deforestation in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the scientists found, while beef and soy demand in the US, European Union and China results in forest destruction in Brazil. Coffee drinkers in the US, Germany and Italy are a significant cause of deforestation in central Vietnam, the research shows, while timber demand in China, South Korea and Japan results in tree loss in northern Vietnam. As a wealthy, populous country, the US has a particularly large deforestation footprint, being the main importer of a wide variety of commodities from tropical countries, including fruits and nuts from Guatemala, rubber from Liberia and timber from Cambodia. China bears the biggest responsibility for deforestation in Malaysia, resulting from imports of palm oil and other farm produce. Consumption in G7 states accounts for an average loss of four trees a year per person, the research says; the US is above average with five trees being lost per capita. In five G7 countries – the UK, Japan, Germany, France, and Italy – more than 90% of their deforestation footprint was in foreign countries and half of this was in tropical nations. Dr Nguyen Hoang, at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, in Kyoto, Japan, led the research and said the detailed maps could help target action to halt deforestation. He added: “Policymakers and companies can get an idea of which supply chains are causing deforestation. If they know that, they can focus on those supply chains to find the specific problems and solutions.” Dr Chris West, at the University of York, UK, who was not part of the research team, said: “Consumption can have large effects overseas, given our dependence on international supply chains. While policy at government level is often focused on domestic concerns, the fact is that if we don’t also tackle this international footprint we will continue to drive devastating environmental impacts globally. “This can’t be tackled by single nations alone and is also not just a western issue,” he said. “The rise of the deforestation footprint of China is particularly striking, and speaks to the need for multilateral action.” The research, published in the Nature Ecology and Evolution journal, combined high-resolution data on forest loss and its drivers with a global database of international trade relationships between 15,000 industry sectors from 2001 to 2015. This enabled the researchers to quantify each country’s deforestation footprint based on its population’s consumption. The research scientists said: “Despite the growing recognition of the seriousness of deforestation in developing countries, deforestation footprints [in rich nations] have remained largely unchanged [since 2000].” China, India and the G7 countries have increased forest cover in their own countries, but have also increased their deforestation footprints outside their borders. One limitation of the study, acknowledged by the researchers, is that lack of data meant it was unable to clearly link consumption to specific areas within countries. “We need finer-scale analysis where this is possible,” West said. The Trase project he works on does allow closer linkages for some landscapes, and importantly, the identification of the actors involved in the deforestation. The data was also unable to separate natural forests from cultivated ones – the latter are important in countries such as Canada. Paul Morozzo, a campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “The report shines a light on overconsumption and shows that individual choices – to reduce meat and dairy for example – are important. But companies are failing to be honest. They are not taking responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and this has to change.” Reversing forest loss should be a priority for the upcoming G7 summit, being hosted by the UK, he added. The idea that western consumers might plant four trees to compensate for their deforestation footprint was unfortunately flawed, said West. “Cutting down a tropical rainforest cannot be compensated by planting a pine tree.” | ['environment/deforestation', 'environment/forests', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'food/food', 'environment/food', 'world/world', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/farming', 'food/chocolate', 'food/coffee', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-03-29T15:00:16Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2018/aug/01/world-weatherwatch-flooded-japan-battered-again-by-typhoon-jongdari | World weatherwatch: Flooded Japan battered again by Typhoon Jongdari | Following a summer of severe weather, Typhoon Jongdari is the latest storm system to batter those regions of Japan already devastated by flooding. Winds in excess of 100mph (160km/h) and torrential rain made landfall in Mie Prefecture, Honshu, during the early hours of Sunday morning, local time. Tens of thousands of people had already been ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm, but it was reported that dozens were injured. Large waves on the coast caused landslides and damaged roads, while some vehicles were swept away. On the other side of the Pacific, unprecedented wildfires continued to wreak havoc in California. One fire in the northern parts of the state killed five people and forced the evacuation of more than 30,000. Weather conditions remained very dry and gusty winds allowed fires to spread rapidly. Droughts are affecting many parts of the world, from the US and Canada to north-west Europe. Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, have been enduring drought since February and some water supplies are down to a third of their normal levels. The threat of a developing El Niño – a weather pattern that can enhance drought in eastern Australia – is now a serious cause for concern. | ['environment/flooding', 'world/wildfires', 'environment/drought', 'weather/japan', 'us-news/california', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australia-weather', 'news/series/weatherwatch', 'news/series/world-weatherwatch', 'science/meteorology', 'weather/index/asia', 'environment/environment', 'world/natural-disasters', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/brendan-jones', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2018-08-01T20:30:06Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2013/mar/15/greenland-government-oil-mining-resources | Greenland government falls as voters send warning to mining companies | The race for resources in the frozen wastes of the Arctic has brought down its first national government, leaving foreign oil and mining companies shivering about the future. Voters in Greenland feared that ministers were surrendering their country's interests to China and foreign multinationals and called an end this week to the government of prime minister Kuupik Kleist. London Mining, which has a former British foreign minister, Sir Nicholas Bonsor, on the board, has been at the centre of a row in the country after speculation it could bring in 2,000 Chinese workers to build one of the world's biggest iron ore mines expressly to serve steel mills in Beijing. The activities of Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy, which drilled for oil off Greenland's south-west coast in 2011, had also polarised opinion between those who welcomed the potential for a hydrocarbon strike bringing huge economic wealth and those worried about spills. The Siumut party in Greenland, led by Aleqa Hammond, has just won 42% of the vote, allowing it to form a coalition government in place of the current ruling party led by Kleist. The election campaign was dominated by a debate over the activities of foreign investors and concerns among the 57,000 population that Greenland's future could be dictated by the demands of potentially polluting new industries such as mining and oil rather than traditional Inuit trades of fishing and hunting. Hammond, 47, who was educated in Canada and brought up with traditional skills such as curing seal skins, said she would take a more critical look at Chinese mining investments in Greenland. She also pledged to increase royalties on miners and ensure they talked through staffing plans with trade unions. "We are welcoming companies and countries that are interested in investing in Greenland," she said in her first interview since the election. "At the same time we have to be aware of the consequences as a people. Greenland should work with countries that have the same values as we have, on how human rights should be respected. We are not giving up our values for investors' sake." Global warming has caused thawing of sea ice that has made drilling for offshore oil easier and opened up huge amounts of land which are believed to be stuffed with iron ore, copper and rare earth minerals used in tablets and mobile phones. There is still an acceptance in Greenland that foreign investment is needed to bring in revenues and allow the mainly self-governing country to escape economic dependence on an annual grant from its former colonial power Denmark. Although a rush by the main oil companies into the Arctic has led to some embarrassing setbacks – Cairn has found nothing off Greenland and Shell has just abandoned drilling plans for this summer off Alaska – there is still keen interest in the region, most notably off Russia. However, Shell was banned from work off Alaska by the US government this week until it came up with a more robust safety programme. Late last year, a UK House of Commons committee called for a halt to all drilling in the far north until a pan-Arctic response plan was in place. Joan Walley, chair of the environmental audit committee, said: "The infrastructure to mount a big clean-up operation is simply not in place and conventional oil spill response techniques have not been proven to work in such severe conditions." Recently plans for onshore mining have triggered concern in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. London Mining wants to spend more than £1.5bn on constructing a mine, pipeline and deep sea port in the south-west of the country. The company said it "does not want to talk" about the impact of the latest political upheaval on its plans but denied it had hired workers from China or anywhere else and said it would not do so until it had permission to proceed with its mine at Isua, 95 miles (150km) east of Nuuk, which could eventually produce 15m tonnes of iron ore a year. Others with plans are Greenland Minerals and Energy, an Australian-listed company, which wants to mine rare earth minerals at Kvanefjeld and – even more controversially – uranium to fuel nuclear power. A spokeswoman for the foreign office in Beijing said on Friday: "To my knowledge, no Chinese enterprises have been granted oil, gas or mining licences. There are no Chinese workers entering Greenland." She said a single Chinese company is in the early stages of joining an investment project in Greenland. A report on the website of China's Ministry of Land and Resources said mining company Sichuan Xinye had held preliminary discussions with London Mining about eventually taking over the Isua scheme. Other Chinese companies digging for business in Greenland were said to include Jiangxi Zhongrun Mining and Jiangxi Union Mining. Beijing is more openly expansive about its hopes that the thawing ice in the Arctic Ocean will open a new, more direct, shipping route linking east and west. A Chinese shipping firm is planning the country's first commercial voyage across the Arctic Ocean to the United States and Europe in 2013, a leading Chinese scientist said earlier this week at a conference organised by the Economist magazine in Oslo. Huigen Yang, director general of the Polar Research Institute of China, said the experimental trip he led last year on the icebreaker Xuelong, or Snowdragon, to explore the route had "greatly encouraged" Chinese shipping companies. Russian and Norwegian shipowners have already started and "one commercial voyage by a Chinese shipping company may take place this summer," said the scientist. Yang showed delegates at a conference about the Arctic in Oslo longer-term scenarios under which between five and 15% of China's international trade, mostly container traffic, could use the route by 2020. Whether that will include the 250,000 tonne iron ore bulk carriers that London Mining wants to use from Isua, will depend on Hammond. | ['world/greenland', 'environment/mining', 'environment/environment', 'business/mining', 'business/business', 'environment/oil', 'environment/energy', 'business/oil', 'world/china', 'business/cairnenergy', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/terrymacalister', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2013-03-15T22:00:05Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2020/may/19/renewable-energy-investors-increasingly-look-to-uk-says-report | Renewable energy investors increasingly look to UK, says report | The UK has become more attractive to renewable energy investors following the government’s decision to lift its block on financial support for onshore wind and solar projects. Britain has climbed the rankings of a biannual global survey of investors to take the sixth spot in EY’s “attractiveness index” for renewable energy ahead of a major clean energy auction next year. The auditing giant said the government’s decision to include onshore wind and solar energy projects in the auction had helped the UK climb one rung on the rankings list, to just below Germany, Australia, France, China and the US. The US topped the rankings for the first time since 2016 – in spite of the federal government’s ongoing support for fossil fuels – in large part due to plans to invest $57bn (£47bn) to install up to 30GW of offshore wind by 2030. China has fallen from the top of the rankings to second place as Beijing looks to wean the market off subsidies, and the coronavirus pandemic cut its growing appetite for energy. “Certainly, renewable energy is not immune to the economic disruption being wrought,” said Ben Warren, the author of EY’s report. “But many of these effects are likely to be short-term. Already, manufacturers in China and Europe are restarting production. Utilities have worked hard to keep generation going in difficult circumstances. And power demand will rebound as economies get back to work.” He said investors remain confident in “the long-term picture for clean energy”. “The need, after the pandemic, to ensure greater economic and social resilience will work in favour of distributed power sources, such as wind and solar, and the applications offered by battery storage,” he said. The UK’s decision to remove a block against onshore wind projects earlier this year followed a government pledge to cut emissions to virtually zero by 2050 – a feat that its official climate advisers believe will require a tripling of the UK’s onshore wind-power capacity in the next 15 years. Renewable energy developers are working towards the 2021 auction, despite the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, to help spur a green economic recovery once lockdown measures are lifted. Luke Clark, of RenewableUK, said EY’s report is right to highlight the economic opportunity offered by renewables after the pandemic. “Our sector’s plans to invest tens of billions of pounds in vital new energy infrastructure all over the country have not changed, and the government is supporting our work as it remains committed to reaching its legally-binding target of net zero emissions,” he said. “The UK’s low-carbon economy will stimulate new growth, boost productivity and support tens of thousands of jobs as we work on projects at home and secure new export opportunities around the world.” | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'uk/uk', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/solarpower', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2020-05-18T23:01:41Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2020/apr/23/pollutionwatch-why-has-particle-pollution-increased-under-lockdown | Pollutionwatch: why has particle pollution increased under lockdown? | News reports have focused on reductions in air pollution from traffic during the lockdown, but particle pollution has increased in the last few weeks. At the end of March, and again around Easter, UK particle pollution reached its greatest concentrations for the year so far. This peaked across south-east England on 9 April, at eight on the 10-point UK air quality index. Values between four and six were measured over most of England and Wales. Spring smogs happen most years and typically result in air pollution at index eight to 10. So, the lockdown may have averted the worst impacts but why are we having any air pollution at all? Chemical analysis by King’s College London reveals that the particles came from traffic and industry, gas heating and agriculture. The annual start to the agriculture cycle makes spring the most polluted time of year in western Europe. A global study showed that halving ammonia from farming could reduce the early deaths from air pollution in Europe by around 20%. This could be done by improving fertiliser spreading (also saving farmers money), changing animal feeds and better manure and slurry storage. Home wood burning was measured during the March episode but had less impact in the warmer weather around Easter. | ['environment/series/pollutionwatch', 'environment/pollution', 'world/coronavirus-outbreak', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'environment/air-pollution', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/gary-fuller', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-04-23T20:30:04Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
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