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australia-news/2022/oct/12/i-am-no-fan-of-agricultural-chemicals-but-without-them-food-would-cost-much-more | I am no fan of agricultural chemicals but without them food would cost much more | For the past couple of weeks, planes have been spraying some canola crops around us with fungicide. We rely on tank water that is collected from the roofs of our house and sheds. So aerial spraying of fungicide does not spark joy. The crops are being sprayed from the air because it has been a wet year and you can’t drive on the paddocks. We are entering our third La Niña and we know extreme events will only increase with global warming. There are no easy solutions in any part of agriculture that pays the bills. Chemicals are a big part of most high-production farm budgets and chemical costs are rising faster than any other farm cost. In recent weeks, Guardian Australia has rolled out a series on the use of agricultural chemicals in Australia. It focused on the types of chemicals used compared to other countries, the trade implications these bring, the lack of data for pesticide residues and the hollowing out of regulatory agencies such as the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. It is a debate we have to have. But it must be done with two realities held in our heads. First, governments have pushed farmers to design high-productivity businesses to deliver the maximum possible volume of produce at the lowest possible food price. That food has fed a lot of people. Second, eaters’ antennae are increasingly twitchy about chemical use, often without an understanding of how those chemicals are used. The range and diversity of farmer opinions on this topic underlines the fact that there is no single industry view when it comes to the use of herbicides and pesticides. Murray Scholz is a grain and beef producer near Culcairn in southern New South Wales. More than 15 years ago, he did a Nuffield scholarship on integrated weed management and the implications of glyphosate-resistant weeds. He was ahead of the curve – but remains cautious. “The real value that herbicides have given us is that we developed a farming system suited to our natural environment with very little cultivation,” Scholz said. “I’m no advocate for pesticides but if you look at the European system, it has a huge carbon footprint. It’s a complex issue to make systems fit a natural environment while still delivering lots of food at a reasonable price for the consumer.” Scholz thinks the European Union is using the heavy regulation of chemicals as an artificial trade barrier, more than anything else. “The European hazard system bans products based on a criteria of hazardous properties. If the same system was applied to food, things like alcohol and salt would not be allowed. Just because something is natural, doesn’t mean it isn’t hazardous.” Europe and the UK are not a perfect production system – no one has one – and their farmers are heavily subsidised. Also the UK manufactures chemicals like Paraquat even though their own farmers aren’t allowed to use it. But they are a rich region, and while they don’t account for a lot of our trade, they are a target market. So trade hurdles are a sign of things to come for Australian farmers. Lamb producer Vince Heffernan transitioned to biodynamics a couple of decades ago. He grew up on his farm, using arsenic to dip sheep. While his father questioned the practice, he took advice from experts. Heffernan pointed out the different withholding periods for agvet chemicals like livestock drenches, dips and lice treatments. As a result, the time in which you can eat meat after treatment is different for Australian domestic consumption compared with export. “In some cases, you can dip a sheep and it is not allowed to go for export in Europe but you are allowed to eat it in Australia. It makes you think: how does that work, what is going on there?” He no longer uses those products and has developed a healthy market direct to consumers and restaurants for his Moorlands lamb. “I’m a big believer in oils ain’t oils. Not all farmers are equal, not all farms are equal and it is not black of white. The utilisation of some chemicals can make sense but not broad use.” The other complication with a black-and-white approach to chemical usage is in the environmental space. The council’s CEO, Andrew Cox, told Guardian Australia that without weed control, native ecosystems could be replaced by exotic plant species. But herbicides and pesticides must be used according to instructions, he said. “Glyphosate is a widely used and effective herbicide for controlling environmental weeds in bushland and other native vegetation. “There are measures that can avoid glyphosate exposure to humans and the potential for harm. There are controls on its use and if used correctly, current research suggests it is unlikely to cause cancer in humans. Glyphosate readily breaks down on exposure to the soil, so it is not a persistent chemical.” Cox said the council did not support the widespread application of glyphosate on agricultural crops, “a practice which has become common”. But he pointed out that banning a more widely studied chemical, such as glyphosate, could increase usage of less studied chemicals that might be more harmful. “There would be greater environmental harm caused if these tools are not available to land managers. A ban on glyphosate would have serious environmental consequences with weed invasions increasing in areas of native vegetation, such as national parks.” • This story was amended on 12 October 2022 to remove text stating that the Invasive Species Council uses glyphosate to control weeds. The Invasive Species Council does not do on-ground management in general. Its core focus as an organisation is advocacy around biosecurity and invasive species to protect the environment and prevent extinctions. | ['australia-news/series/toxic-nation--australia-s-pesticide-problem', 'australia-news/series/the-rural-network', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/farming', 'science/agriculture', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/analysis', 'profile/gabrielle-chan', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/the-rural-network'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-10-11T16:30:10Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2022/aug/17/eastern-australia-faces-wet-weather-and-flooding-with-70-chance-of-third-consecutive-la-nina | Eastern Australia faces wet weather and flooding with 70% chance of third consecutive La Niña | Australia could be lashed with more rain and possible floods for the next three months with La Niña conditions predicted to return for a rare third consecutive year. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology raised the El Niño-Southern Oscillation La Niña outlook from “watch” to “alert” on Tuesday afternoon. Senior meteorologist Jonathan How said the risk of La Niña returning this spring was about three times higher than normal. Under such conditions, it has developed about 70% of the time. La Niña involves warming ocean temperatures in the western tropical Pacific Ocean and typically delivers increased rainfall across eastern and central Australia and a wetter start to the northern wet season. How said the heavy rain forecast was a combination of climate drivers including a negative Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) and warmer than average waters to the north of Australia. “The bureau’s three-month climate outlook shows a high chance of above average rainfall for most of the eastern two-thirds of the Australian mainland between September and November,” he said. “As many Australians in the east know, soils are still quite wet, rivers are running quite high and dams are full. So with this outlook of increased rainfall, it does bring elevated flood risk for much of eastern Australia.” The prediction for renewed rainfall comes after three major flooding events in New South Wales within a year and a widespread flooding event in Queensland that claimed the lives of 18 people. “Australia’s climate has warmed by around 1.47C for the 1910 to 2020 period,” the BoM said. “Southern Australia has seen a reduction of 10% to 20% in cool season rainfall in recent decades. “There has also been a trend towards a greater proportion of rainfall from high-intensity short duration rainfall events, especially across northern Australia.” Wetter than normal conditions have lingered in eastern Australia since 2020. Sydney had its wettest summer for 30 years in 2021-22 and its wettest March and July on record. As of August, it’s already experiencing its wettest year on record. Weather forecasting page Higgins Storm Chasing said Australia would be the “land meat” between an Indian and Pacific Ocean sandwich for the next six months. “All latest global data is still saying above average rain,” it said, pointing to a strong negative IOD event, which tends to bring more rain over southern and eastern Australia. “Watch for very moist north-westerly winds to develop across the Indian [Ocean] and pile moisture in across the country. “Add La Niña’s increased easterly trade winds and additional moisture to the mix and … we could be looking at widespread rain and flooding.” Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning The Indian Ocean Dipole index has been “very close” or within negative thresholds since early June, the BoM said, while the latest weekly value was “one of the strongest observed so far”. “All surveyed climate models indicate that negative IOD conditions are likely to continue into late spring.” A negative IOD means warmer ocean temperatures in the east, increasing the likelihood of low pressure systems in Australia’s south-east and moistening the air. If it transpires, it would be the first time on record three consecutive La Niña events had coincided with negative IOD years. While not unprecedented, Dr Andrew King, a senior lecturer in climate science at the University of Melbourne, said three La Niña events in a row was “unusual”. “The increased chance of another La Niña raises the odds of wetter conditions persisting for a few more months at least,” he wrote in the Conversation. Last month, the BoM’s head of long-range forecasting, Dr Andrew Watkins, told Guardian Australia a La Niña event three years in a row would be rare although not unprecedented. “We’ve only seen that three times since the middle of last century,” he said. At the same time, Tasmania is likely to be drier during the spring months. The Southern Annular Mode index is “neutral” and likely to be mostly positive for the coming three months, bringing lower than average rain in western Tasmania and a wetter influence for parts of eastern NSW and far eastern Victoria. The BoM said if a La Niña event was established in the Pacific Ocean, wet conditions would persist into summer. | ['australia-news/australia-weather', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/la-nina', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'weather/victoria', 'australia-news/northern-territory', 'australia-news/queensland', 'australia-news/australian-capital-territory', 'australia-news/tasmania', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/caitlin-cassidy'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-08-16T17:30:13Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
technology/2020/feb/27/uk-to-launch-specialist-cyber-force-able-to-target-terror-groups | UK to launch specialist cyber force able to target terror groups | A specialist cyber force of hackers who can target hostile states and terror groups is due to be launched later in the spring, after many months of delays and turf wars between the Ministry of Defence and GCHQ. The National Cyber Force – containing an estimated 500 specialists – has been in the works for two years but sources said that after months of wrangling over the details, the specialist unit was close to being formally announced. Britain is keen to be seen as a “cyber power” able to disrupt against enemy states, targeting satellite, mobile and computer networks as well as trying to take down communications networks used by terror groups. The National Cyber Force is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Defence and GCHQ, and insiders said it would consolidate some existing capabilities as well as develop new ones. However, officials are coy on details, arguing that much of what the UK’s offensive hackers could do should remain classified. Nor is the identity of its leader expected to be publicly disclosed, although previous speculation that it would be a woman is understood to be inaccurate. Experts argue that the lack of clarity makes it difficult to discuss the appropriate limits of cyber warfare in a democracy and what sort of attacks or disruptive measures can be considered legitimate, particularly if there is a strong military dimension to its work. James Sullivan, the head of cyber research at defence thinktank Rusi, said: “There has been limited public debate on the purpose and ethics of offensive cyber, the circumstances under which it might be used, and the kinds of effects that might and might not be acceptable.” Avowed examples of British hacking are rare. Jeremy Fleming, GCHQ’s director, boasted in 2018 of conducting “a major offensive cyber campaign” against Isis, which he said “had significant success in suppressing [its] propaganda, hindered their ability to coordinate attacks, and protected coalition forces on the battlefield”. The spy chief claimed that during 2017, the terror group had “found it almost impossible to spread their hate online, to use their normal channels to spread their rhetoric, or trust their own publications” in a speech given at Nato in Brussels. Britain’s delayed efforts come on the heels of the US, which has been gradually acknowledging an expanded offensive cyber capability. Last summer, John Bolton, the then US national security adviser, acknowledged that Washington was broadening its operations after Donald Trump relaxed restrictions. The US also rarely acknowledges what its hackers do, although in one operation known as Synthetic Theology, the US Cyber Command jammed servers belonging to the Russian Internet Research Agency, in an apparent attempt to prevent Kremlin interference in the 2018 US mid-term elections. Fresh discussions about Britain’s offensive hacking capability come a day after Boris Johnson unveiled an integrated review of the UK’s foreign and defence policy, aimed at examining spending across all of the country’s UK security agencies over the next five years. But the last National Security review, in 2015, promised to “provide the armed forces with advanced offensive cyber capabilities”, although the final phase of that implementation has dragged on so long that it crossed over into the next review, which is due to complete in the autumn. No 10 has indicated that the review would not necessarily be cost-neutral, meaning that defence spending could increase beyond its existing level of 2% of GDP if an appropriate justification can be found. One of the issues it will address is the future balance of spending between conventional and cyber warfare. | ['technology/cybercrime', 'uk/gchq', 'uk/ministry-of-defence', 'technology/hacking', 'technology/internet', 'technology/technology', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/dan-sabbagh', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2020-02-27T08:00:41Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2018/jan/05/mps-25p-charge-takeaway-coffee-cups-possible-ban-environmental-audit-committee-report | MPs call for 25p charge on takeaway coffee cups ahead of possible ban | MPs are calling for a 25p charge on takeaway coffee in a move that could see disposable cups banned in five years time. In the UK 2.5bn takeaway coffee cups are used and thrown away each year – enough to stretch around the world five-and-a-half-times. The UK produces 30,000 tonnes of coffee cup waste each year, according to a report published by MPs on the environmental audit committee on Friday. Disposable cups cannot be recycled by the normal systems because they are made from cardboard with a tightly bonded polyethylene liner, which is difficult to remove, and means they are not accepted by paper mills. As a result just one in 400 cups are recycled – less than 0.25%. Half a million coffee cups are littered each day in the UK, the report said. MPs are calling for: a 25p levy on coffee bought in takeaway cups to be used to reduce the number of cups thrown away and invest in reprocessing facilities the introduction of a ban on throwaway coffee cups if a target that all takeaway cups are recyclable by 2023 is not met coffee chains to pay more towards disposing of cups improved labelling to better educate consumers Labour MP Mary Creagh, chair of the committee said: “Coffee cup producers and distributors have not taken action to rectify this and the government has sat on its hands.” Only two of the major coffee chains gave evidence to MPs inquiry, while others refused to engage. “Their silence speaks volumes,” MPs said. “There is no excuse for the ongoing reluctance from government and industry to address coffee cup waste,” the report said. “Disposable coffee cups are an avoidable waste problem and if the UK cannot be confident of their future sustainability, the government should ban them.” Some coffee shop chains – Starbucks and Costa – had shown initiative in introducing on-site recycling bins for cups, which they then sent to one of three specialist recycling facilities. These were “well meaning”, MPs said, but not enough to tackle the scale of cup waste in the UK. Other efforts were “inconsistent and need targets” to be imposed by the government. Instead coffee chains perpetuated customer confusion that cups are widely recyclable when they are not. The Local Government Association said more waste could end up in landfill if coffee cups were put into normal collection systems because they contaminated other paper waste MPs said: “It is unacceptable that coffee sellers are perpetuating customer confusion though their use of recycling labels and emphasis on the recyclability of coffee cups, despite the shockingly low recycling rate,” the report said. “Those without in-store recycling should print their cups with a not widely recyclable label.” Although some coffee shops provide discounts for customers who bring their own cup, uptake of these offers is low at only 1-2% of coffee purchases. The committee said the impact on consumer behaviour of the plastic bag charge – which reduced bag usage by more than 83% in the first year – showed consumers are more responsive to a charge than a discount. The charge could lead to a reduction in the use of disposable cups of between 50-300m per year, according to evidence submitted to MPs. The committee last month recommended the government introduce a plastic bottle deposit scheme to cut plastic waste and leakage into the oceans. Richard Burnett, from James Cropper, one of only three companies that recycles coffee cups, supported the 25p charge if the money is used to support the infrastructure to recycle them. “Anything that would help facilitate the recycling of these cups is a good thing,” he said. Cropper takes cups collected by coffee retailers instore recycling bins, removes the plastic and turns them into luxury paper and packaging products. But Burnett said there was a key link missing in the chain: transporting the cups from the retailers to the recycling facilities. If a charge helped to pay for infrastructure around this, he added, it could increase the volume of cups recycled. Just five retailers have taken up Cropper’s cup recycling initiative and the firm has recycled just 10m cups following a target of 500 million a year. Starbucks said on Friday it would trial a 5p charge on takeaway coffee cups for three months in about 20 London cafes. The chain said its efforts to persuade customers to buy reusable cups had led to a 1.8% uptake. A spokesman said the money raised would be donated to a charity to run a study on how to change the public’s behaviour and encourage the use of reusable cups. Dr Laura Foster, head of clean seas at the Marine Conservation Society welcomed the recommendations. “A ‘latte levy’ of 25p will remind people that their normal coffee cup is typically lined with plastic making it hard to recycle, with more than 99% of them destined for landfill or incineration. “Only by treating this issue as one that is the responsibility of both industry and consumers will re-use become the norm.” | ['environment/recycling', 'environment/environment', 'environment/waste', 'environment/ethical-living', 'food/coffee', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'food/food', 'business/starbucks', 'business/fooddrinks', 'business/business', 'uk/uk', 'politics/politics', 'politics/mary-creagh', 'environment/plastic', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/sandralaville', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-01-05T06:01:05Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
world/2012/nov/03/new-york-marathon-cancellation-decision | New York's marathon cancellation is frustrating, but the right decision | "The marathon is off!" It was my running mate Gavin, shouting from the other end of the immigration line at JFK airport. "You're joking," I called back, not entirely convinced. And when I saw the look of a man utterly crushed, contemplating the futility of six months of gruelling training, 5am starts, ice baths and long lonely runs, I knew he wasn't having me on. As the news rippled down the line of passengers, most of whom were runners or supporters, there was confusion, tears, anger and disappointment. But right then, I didn't know what to think or feel. I just went cold, and then numb. I had watched the rolling news reports from London of the devastation wreaked by Sandy. I fully expected the marathon would be cancelled – not just out of respect for those whose lives were affected so tragically, but also just for purely logistical reasons. The images being beamed around the world in the hours after the disaster were of the Manhattan skyline plunged into darkness and subway tunnels filling up with water. It seemed impossible that the city could cope with 40,000 people running through its streets at a time of such chaos. As the days went by and reports of the human cost of the storm began to emerge, my feelings about running became increasingly conflicted. But the New York city mayor, Michael Bloomberg, insisted the marathon would go on, and the word across the Atlantic was that the runners would be welcome. Our presence would help New York overcome this tragedy, and New York would send a message to the world that she was back on her feet. So on Friday morning, with my running mate Gavin and our support team of eight friends, we bundled up our banners and boarded our planes. It's hard to describe to people how much completing this marathon meant to me and everyone else who spent the summer grinding out the miles in training runs. Every runner involved has their own reasons for running and are deeply personal to them. For me, it has been about proving I still can run, after a freak accident last year when I tripped on dry leaves (I've heard all the jokes). It left me on crutches and in intense physiotherapy for five months. It was a huge challenge – mental and physical – but I wanted to prove that I could do it. But as I stood in that line at border control, as the reality of the situation dawned, I could not take my eyes off the television screens tuned to cable news, showing footage from Staten Island, the starting point of the marathon. It looked like New Orleans after Katrina. And as I watched the images of wrecked homes and ruined livelihoods, and saw the scale of the loss of life, my personal challenges melted away. How could I have been so selfish even to think of coming? Back in the UK, the level of devastation had not been apparent. Or perhaps it was just being in New York that made it seem more real. But pretty soon it became clear why Bloomberg's decision to press ahead with the marathon had caused such bitter divisions. How could we possibly have gathered to run a marathon, with banners waving and supporters cheering, when just minutes away from us, two young children had been swept from the arms of their mother as she tried to drive them to safety? Obviously I am frustrated by the sacrifices I've made, but they are nothing compared to the losses faced by so many people here. Had the marathon gone ahead, I would have not run. And now that it has been cancelled, pass me a broom – and show me the way to a bar so I can have my first beer in five months. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'us-news/new-york', 'us-news/hurricane-sandy', 'sport/athletics', 'sport/sport', 'us-news/us-news', 'tone/comment', 'sport/new-york-city-marathon', 'type/article'] | us-news/hurricane-sandy | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2012-11-03T19:57:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2007/feb/04/argentina.theobserver | Eco-millionaire's land grab prompts fury | Douglas Tompkinscalls himself a 'deep ecologist'. He is a millionaire on a quest to preserve some of Argentina's last frontier lands from human encroachment by buying them and turning them into ecological reserves. But Argentina may not permit him such philanthropy. Opponents are branding him a new-age 'imperialist gringo' and claim he has a secret aim: to help the US military gain control of the country's natural resources. Tompkins, who sold his Esprit clothing firm in 1989 for a reported $150m to devote his time and wealth to ecology, takes such attacks in his stride. 'Land ownership is a political act; it arouses passions,' he says. Tompkins, 63, holds to a very severe brand of environmentalism and is fond of reminding listeners that, unless runaway consumerism is halted, 'we humans will be building ourselves a beautiful coffin in space called planet Earth'. Yet such statements do not carry much weight with Argentinian nationalists. The heaviest fire has come from radicals in the ruling Peronist party. Left-wing legislator Araceli Mendez introduced draft legislation in Congress a few months ago to confiscate the American's vast holdings. At the centre of the storm is a 310,000-acre estate Tompkins owns in the Ibera wetlands, a labyrinth of marshes, lakes and floating islands of nearly 2 million acres. 'He says he's worried about the birds and the wildlife,' said Mendez. 'But his land is above the Guarani aquifer, one of the most important fresh water reserves in the world, only 700km from an airbase the United States plans to build in neighbouring Paraguay.' The aquifer is soon to become an issue of strategic defence policy. Argentina's military planners are convinced the country's oil and fresh water deposits could become targets for world powers in an ecologically dark future, and are putting together 'Plan 2025', dividing the country into regions based on their resource potential. The Argentinian press has suggested Tompkins might be a covert CIA operative securing US access to the aquifer. And even Argentinians who don't share such conspiracy theories are uncomfortable with Tompkins transforming his properties into environmentally pristine but unpopulated and economically unproductive areas. Tompkins and his wife, Kristine McDivitt, a former CEO of the Patagonia clothing retail chain, first went to Ibera in the late 1990s. After being initially unimpressed - 'it's as flat as a billiard table' - they eventually succumbed to the challenge, putting the accent on restoring the original wildlife. 'Wetlands are not up there in the collective human mind, they get very poor conservation protection, but there is an enchantment in every ecosystem,' said Tompkins. 'The land has been environmentally degraded and many of the indigenous animals have disappeared,' he went on. 'We've started with the marsh deer. Eventually we'll be able to reintroduce the jaguar, the top of the food chain.' Tompkins expects that in 15 to 20 years he could turn his Ibera estate into a national park. 'It can take that long to generate a change in attitude. Tourism has to become a national priority.' Tompkins and his wife say they are not old-fashioned imperialists in a new guise. 'All the fears created by the fact that I am American buying land are ridiculous,' said Tompkins. 'My intention has always been to eventually turn over the land to the Argentinian government for a national park.' He has already done so, donating an estate in Patagonia to the National Parks administration in 2004. In the late Nineties he had bought the 155,000-acre Monte Leon sheep farm, including a 25-mile stretch of South Atlantic coast, home to one of the largest Magellan penguin rookeries in the world and also abundant in sea lions, pumas and birds. But pressure to pass an anti-Tompkins bill in Congress could be strong. The presence of other high-profile foreigners fuels passions. The Italian clothing giant Benetton holds 2.2 million acres in sheep farms in Patagonia and has clashed with the indigenous Mapuche people over land ownership claims. And US media magnate Ted Turner likes to go trout fishing on his Patagonian estates. For Tompkins, it has been a long road from fashion king to 'deep ecologist'. As the founder of North Face and Esprit, he sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of clothes worldwide every year. All that changed when he became involved in radical environmental projects, what he calls his 'restoration work', returning native animal and plant species to the nation-sized swaths of land he owns. Tompkins and his wife have acquired properties encompassing Pacific coastal fjords, Patagonian virgin forest and tropical wetlands, a total area of some 2.2 million acres - about the size of Cyprus -in Argentina and neighbouring Chile. Despite all the difficulties, Tompkins is optimistic about converting opponents to his way of thinking. 'I see an unstoppable wave of environmentalism. Environmental problems arise from the mistaken notion that humans come first. They have to come second. This has not sunk into the political and social leadership.' | ['environment/environment', 'world/argentina', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'world/world', 'world/international-land-deals', 'type/article', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/worldnews'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2007-02-04T00:02:10Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
technology/2014/may/01/apple-headphones-heart-rate-blood-pressure-leak-claims | Apple's next headphones to track heart rate and blood pressure, leak claims | Apple will break into the wearables market by incorporating sensors in headphones to measure heart rate and blood pressure, according to a posting on the anonymous app Secret. The headphones would also use Apple's "iBeacon" system to help locate them if lost, according to the author of the post - who claims to have been let go from the company, along with others, last week. Update: the author of the posting says it is a fake - and that he has never worked for Apple. Apple is also working on an "iWatch" wearable, the author suggested, but said that the "name isn't final yet". That would put it into contention with Samsung, which has released both a smart watch and a "Gear Fit" wristband that claims to measure heart rate, in favour of a minimal product that could be used on millions of its existing products. The suggestion would also fit well with leaked suggestions that iOS 8, Apple's next version of its iPhone and iPad software, will incorporate a "Healthbook" app. Those leaks, first published by 9to5Mac in March, pointed to attempts by Apple to capitalise on the growing interest in tracking fitness. But other research has also shown that people tend to discard separately bought fitness gadgets within a few months – suggesting that any successful "wearable" would have to have a dual function, one of which was not in health or fitness-related. Apple however could have a potential market among its own users of at least 100m devices which could replace existing headphones with the newer ones. True secrets The nature of Secret means that it is impossible to trace the authors of posts, or verify their identity. But it has gained increasing credibility as a number of staff inside Silicon Valley companies have begun using it and leaking sometimes confidential information. In April, one post on Secret claimed that Nike was shutting down its Fuelband wearables division - a claim that was in effect confirmed by the company. Another claimed that Google+ chief Vic Gundotra was looking at jobs outside outside Google; he left two days after the posting appeared. More recently a claim said that Box, the enterprise cloud filing company, would delay its stock market float, and that also happened. Ben Wood, chief of research at the research company CCS Insight, told the Guardian: "We can't take any credibility from something posted on Secret. But - are these things Apple could do? If you had simply asked me what Apple could do, then putting sensors in is a rational next step." He points out that other companies including LG and Intel have already shown off prototypes of headphones with built-in sensors: LG's measure heart rate, and connect to a wearable band as well as a phone. "You see so many people running with headphones in an a smartphone or music player attached," said Wood. "This is totally, utterly rational as a product direction for Apple. It's been widely investigated by other manufacturers, but as always with Apple, they're great at taking an existing technology and improving the user experience." Samsung's Galaxy S5 includes health and fitness apps, including a heart-rate monitor which requires the user to hold a finger up to the camera. In the post, the writer claims that "Apple's new EarPods will have sensors in them, for heart rate & blood pressure. Also iBeacons so they don't get lost. They will require the Lightning port [a proprietary connector used only on the iPhone and iPad], it's why the audio jack was moved to the bottom." They add that "[the phone] stores the data in a similar way to thumbprint point data, fully encrypted and nothing identifiable. But nice to send to your doctor to keep track of at which point your blood pressure started rising for example." The author also suggested that the headphones will be introduced when iOS 8, the next version of Apple's iPhone and iPad software, is released - which would probably be in September this year, to maintain the company's cycle of updates to its iPhone line too and catch the Christmas selling period, the largest in the year. Asked why they had leaked details of Apple's forthcoming product - the sort of information the company always tries to keep secret up until the moment of an announcement - the post's author said "I have being manipulated… I'm not the only person who got sent home for good last week." Wood noted that if the headphones do require the Lightning port, it would create a huge potential market for Apple, because was introduced with the iPhone 5 in September 2012. Since then Apple has sold a total of 245m iPhones. A significant number of those will be the older iPhone 4 or 4S, which do not use the Lightning connector - but Apple would probably have a potential market for such "wearable" headphones of around 100m devices. Apple said that it did not comment on rumours and speculation. • iPhone 'lock-out' patent could end texting while driving | ['technology/apple', 'technology/iphone', 'technology/wearable-technology', 'technology/technology', 'technology/samsung', 'technology/gadgets', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/charlesarthur', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2014-05-01T15:18:47Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
sustainable-business/2015/apr/10/talkpoint-what-does-zero-waste-mean-to-you | Talkpoint: what does zero waste mean to you? | When industry talks about “zero waste”, the goal is to send nothing besides hazardous waste to landfill. To achieve this, materials that previously would have been thrown away are recycled, repurposed or even designed out from the beginning. Simple enough. But is that what actually happens and do consumers even care? A recent live discussion on Guardian Sustainable Business put zero waste under the spotlight to work out what’s really going on. As a reader, consumer and non-expert, what does zero waste mean to you? Do you think incineration should be called zero waste? Would you buy a product with a zero waste label? To get the ball rolling, we’ve rounded up five key takeaways from the debate. Let us know what you think. 1. Zero waste might not necessarily mean zero waste The panel broadly agreed that ambitious targets are helpful. And, in the case of zero waste, it is better to underachieve slightly on a tougher target than overachieve on something “easier”. Rita Yi Man Li, director of the Sustainable Real Estate Research Center at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, provided a useful analogy: if a student sets a goal of simply passing a test, they may end up with 50 marks. If that student sets a goal of 95 marks, they may get 80. She concluded that enthusiastic targets are therefore necessary. In the case of many businesses, they’re surprisingly achievable as well. 2. Do zero waste and circular economy mean the same thing? The discussion began with an attempt to define exactly what zero waste means. Some panelists felt it should not be grouped together with the circular economy. “I would not use the term zero waste when referring to circular economy or sustainability,” said Nick Voulvoulis, reader in environmental technology at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. “It is not just the ‘zero’ we have a problem with – the moment you call something waste you are reducing its value.” Li pointed to various interpretations of what zero waste means for different industries. In the animal slaughter industry, for example, zero waste means that all discarded materials are used for productive purposes. Where construction activities are concerned, Zero Waste Scotland thinks of zero waste in terms of what purpose other industries may have for discarded construction materials. These principles sound suspiciously similar to those of a circular economy, don’t they? “Zero waste terminology is obsolete (and confusing/misleading). Circular economy is more meaningful and achievable”, said Forbes McDougall, head of circular economy at Veolia. However, for Unilever, there was less concern about distinguishing between the two ideas. “We have a vision for the future that the materials that come in to our factories either go out as a product or back into the supply chain”, said Tony Dunnage, group environmental engineering manager. 3. Where do consumers come in? It is great if you’ve got a rigorous process in place to reduce waste within your own operations, but it’s important to consider what happens to goods after they leave the distribution centre. That makes sense, said Gareth Dinnage, owner of Seacourt Printing, but how do we track post-consumer materials? “We know our main paper is made using 100% recycled paper in a factory powered by biomass and nuclear mix; we print using 100% renewable energy, using the most sustainable print process with zero materials going to landfill; we then assume that the end printed product is recycled – but how could we possibly know?” he asked. If you, the end consumer, knew what efforts had gone into producing a zero or low waste product, would that change your behaviour as far as recyling or reusing it? Do you support Extended Producer Responsibility or would you like to see more focus on consumer behaviour change? 4. Is it waste, resources, or surplus? Should we care? As we increasingly incorporate notions of the circular economy into sustainable business, companies must go back to the drawing board and in some cases completely rethink notions of waste or, rather, resources. Mark Linehan, managing director at the Sustainable Restaurant Association, raised an issue particular to the food industry. “The lack of distinction between waste and surplus in the context of food is really problematic,” he said. But who cares if we call it waste, as long as it doesn’t end up in landfill? “If the material can be reused, recycled, repurposed etc, then it does not matter that it was waste at the beginning of this series of loops,” said McDougall. 5. It’s not all up to business If landfill is not available then industries are forced to be creative and invest in alternatives. However, policy and infrastructure still needs to be in place so that rubbish is not illegally dumped or exported. “We have a responsibility to manage the waste generated by society today in a safe and responsible manner. It would be very detrimental to the environment and perhaps even a risk to public health to close infrastructure without having sustainable alternatives in place,” said McDougall. Scotland has mandated that by 2016 businesses producing more than 5kg of food waste per week will have to put it out for separate collection. What kinds of policies do you think government should put in place to reduce waste? How can your government be a part of the zero waste and circular economy agenda? What do you think? Contribute in the comments section below or tweet us at @GuardianSustBiz. The sustainable living hub is funded by Unilever. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled brought to you by. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox. | ['sustainable-business/series/sustainable-living', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'environment/waste', 'environment/environment', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/energyefficiency', 'environment/landfill', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/sponsoredfeatures', 'profile/sarah-labrecque'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2015-04-10T15:00:54Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
technology/2022/oct/27/live-facial-recognition-police-study-uk | UK police use of live facial recognition unlawful and unethical, report finds | Police should be banned from using live facial recognition technology in all public spaces because they are breaking ethical standards and human rights laws, a study has concluded. LFR involves linking cameras to databases containing photos of people. Images from the cameras can then be checked against those photos to see if they match. British police have experimented with the technology, believing it can help combat crime and terrorism. But in some cases, courts have found against the way police have used LFR, and how they have dealt with infringements of the privacy rights of people walking in the streets where the technology has been used. There are also concerns about racial bias. The report, from the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, at the University of Cambridge, says LFR should be banned from use in streets, airports and any public spaces – the very areas where police believe it would be most valuable. The study examined three deployments of LFR, one by the Metropolitan police and two by South Wales police. Both forces told the Guardian they had made improvements and believed in the benefits of LFR. The report author Evani Radiya-Dixit said: “We find that all three of these deployments fail to meet the minimum ethical and legal standards based on our research on police use of facial recognition. “To protect human rights and improve accountability in how technology is used, we must ask what values we want to embed in technology and also move from high-level values and principles into practice.” The report adds: “We have shown how police use of facial recognition fails to incorporate many of the known practices for the safe and ethical use of large-scale data systems. This problem moves well beyond the concern of bias in facial recognition algorithms.” Inside UK law enforcement LFR is seen as potentially the next big crime-fighting innovation, on a par with the introduction of fingerprints. It potentially boosts the ability to locate an individual and track them. Critics warn it could lead to abuses of human rights on a huge scale, including against rights such as protest and freedom of assembly. Overseas and more authoritarian regimes, such as China, have used the technology as part of their suite of repressive tools. The Met said the algorithm used had improved hugely in its accuracy with help from the National Physical Laboratory and input from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, with a false alerts rate of less than 0.08% Pete Fussey, from the University of Essex, was hired by the Met to audit their previous LFR trials, and produced a critical report. The Met claimed a 70% success rate by 2020; Fussey said it was only 19%. Fussey said: “Live facial recognition is a powerful and intrusive technology that has real implications for the rights of individuals. “That the court of appeal explicitly stated in 2020 that South Wales police uses of this technology was ‘unlawful’ makes it difficult to argue this technology should be used. “Current regulation and oversight structures do not have the scope to protect people’s rights from misuses of this technology.” South Wales police said 61 arrests had been made through LFR and they had improved their system since losing in court “to ensure there is no risk of breaching equality requirements through bias or discrimination”. The assistant chief constable Mark Travis said: “The whole aim of using facial recognition technology is to keep the public safe and assist us in identifying serious offenders in order to protect our communities from individuals who pose significant risks. “I believe the public will continue to support our use of all the available methods and technology to keep them safe, providing what we do is legitimate and proportionate.” Parliament has yet to bring in guidance balancing the potential security benefits of live facial recognition versus safeguards, such as those put in place for police use of fingerprints and DNA. Fussey said officers had been left to work it out as they go along, because successive governments have failed to do so: “The lack of informed government guidance or any coherent national strategy places an enormous burden on a small team of officers.” The Met said: “The MPS has a number of long-established policing responsibilities and powers derived from the common law which have been consistently recognised by the courts. “LFR is regulated by a number of sources of law. These sources of law combine to provide a multilayered legal structure to use, regulate and oversee the use of LFR by law enforcement bodies.” | ['technology/facial-recognition', 'law/uk-civil-liberties', 'law/law', 'technology/technology', 'uk/police', 'uk/uk', 'world/race', 'campaign/email/morning-briefing', 'world/ethics', 'law/human-rights', 'uk/ukcrime', 'uk/wales', 'uk/metropolitan-police', 'uk/london', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/vikramdodd', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | technology/facial-recognition | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2022-10-27T14:00:03Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
travel/2004/sep/07/travelnews | Caribbean flights warning as Florida tourists come home | Special flights were heading for Florida today to bring home thousands of Britons stranded by Hurricane Frances. But more bad weather in the form of Hurricane Ivan is menacing the Caribbean. Virgin Atlantic Airways cancelled today's Gatwick-Barbados flight while British Airways put its Gatwick-Barbados service back 24 hours. BA's Gatwick-Antigua flight today was not continuing to Grenada, another of the islands threatened by Ivan. With Frances now causing damage in northern Florida, the main airports in the south of the state reopened today, allowing UK holiday companies and airlines to set about bringing back stranded tourists. As well as operating four scheduled services to Florida today, Virgin Atlantic sent out four extra flights from London to Orlando, while Thomas Cook Airlines operated four rescue flights to Orlando from Manchester, Glasgow and Gatwick. BA was able to run all its scheduled Florida services today - two from Heathrow to Miami, one from Gatwick to Tampa and one from Gatwick to Orlando. Around 6,000 Britons on package tours have been stuck in Florida since the weekend because of the airports' closure. Most have been able to stay on in their original hotel while others have been moved inland. The Association of British Travel Agents said: "It had been hoped to start flying out rescue flights on Monday but it now looks as if the last of the delayed Britons will not be back in the UK until Thursday morning." UK tour operators and airlines are now worried about Hurricane Ivan which looks set to be at least as destructive as Frances. ABTA said: "There are about 3,000 tourists in Barbados at the moment and we understand that Ivan could also hit Grenada and the Dominican Republic. Holiday companies are contacting clients in the Caribbean giving them up-to-date information about what's happening." BA said it hoped to operate today's postponed London-Barbados flight tomorrow, along with Wednesday's scheduled London-Barbados service, but would wait to see how Ivan developed. | ['travel/travel', 'tone/news', 'world/hurricanes', 'type/article'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2004-09-07T16:58:43Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
news/2021/aug/07/weatherwatch-lake-victorias-huge-influence-over-ugandan-climate | Weatherwatch: Lake Victoria’s huge influence over Ugandan climate | Virtually the same size as the UK, Uganda might be landlocked but its climate and weather are hugely influenced by the presence of Lake Victoria, the largest inland waterbody in Africa, to the south. Almost half of Lake Victoria’s waters are within Uganda’s borders – the rest is mostly in Tanzania, with a small portion in Kenya. Lake Victoria’s influence is twofold: first, it creates atmospheric moisture, which brings higher rainfall and humidity; second, it increases the frequency of thunderstorms. As a result, the southern city of Entebbe, on the shores of the lake, is considerably wetter than nearby Kampala, a short distance inland. Both cities experience most of their rainfall from March to May. Temperatures across Uganda are, as you might expect from one of just 13 nations crossed by the equator, remarkably consistent, with maximums in the low to high 20s celsius and minimums mostly in the high teens. One notable exception is the hillier south-west, including Kabale, at an altitude of almost 1,900 metres (6,200ft). Here, although daytime temperatures are equally high, at night they can plummet to as low as 8 or 9C. In general, though, Uganda’s climate is very pleasant, with warm (rather than very hot) temperatures, and the rain mostly falling in heavy showers before clearing to sunshine. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/uganda', 'weather/uganda', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/stephenmoss1', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-08-07T05:00:44Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2017/feb/08/lagom-might-be-just-enough-to-save-us-all | Lagom might be just enough to save us all | Letters | Richard Orange (Opinion, 6 February) chooses to describe the Swedish concept of lagom as being based in Lutheran principles of self-denial, thereby inviting it to be seen as puritan and killjoy. Quite apart from the fact that, as with all Christian principles, the believer is called to apply self-denial to his or her own behaviour, not to impose it on others, lagom has an appeal way beyond religious ethics. We live in a world where we are encouraged to see continuous increase in the consumption of stuff as the only sure measure of political and personal success, ignoring that the Earth’s resources are finite. In this country we pay only lip service to the condemnation of a western culture of conspicuous waste, and we walk away from institutions formed to enhance individuals’ quality of life by cooperating in the development of social welfare. A move as simple as the recent Swedish government decision to cut VAT on the repair of possessions shows an understanding that real improvement in the quality of life requires more than simple acquisitiveness. Lagom gives practical expression to secular action on the protection of the planet, and a start to reducing inequality in global living standards. The fact that it reinforces religious warnings on the unwisdom of basing personal fulfilment on amassing goods, and on self-indulgence, is incidental. Maurice Vassie Deighton, North Yorkshire • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters | ['world/sweden', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'global-development/inequality', 'global-development/global-development', 'inequality/inequality', 'society/society', 'environment/waste', 'environment/environment', 'tone/letters', 'uk/uk', 'world/religion', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-02-08T19:39:00Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
world/2019/sep/08/hurricane-dorian-disaster-relief-how-you-can-help | How you can help Hurricane Dorian disaster relief | The devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas has left dozens of people confirmed dead, and potentially thousands still missing. “We have no food. No water. We’re abandoned here,” a survivor in one of the worst-hit areas of Grand Bahama told the Guardian. Hubert Minnis, the prime minister of the Bahamas, called the damage “unprecedented”. Another official estimated the damage could take hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, to repair. A wide range of organizations are raising money to provide immediate disaster relief to survivors in the Bahamas. Some have argued that donors who want to make a real difference after a natural disaster should try to give money to local organizations. Donations to the government of the Bahamas The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency has instructions for how to donate money directly to the government of the Bahamas. HeadKnowles Hurricane Relief HeadKnowles was founded by two friends in 2015 to raise money for disaster relief after Hurricane Joaquin. Since then, Lia Head-Rigby and Gina Knowles, two Bahamians living in the United States, have continued to coordinate donations for disaster relief after multiple hurricanes. The group has currently raised more than $1m on GoFundMe to help Dorian survivors. HeadKnowles has been endorsed as a trustworthy NGO by the founding director of the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, and its leaders are cited as local relief experts in news reports. GoFundMe also has a dedicated page of other “verified” crowdfunding campaigns to help those affected by Dorian. Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation The foundation was formed by the Grand Bahama Port Authority. American citizens can make tax-deductible donations to the foundation through the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, which pledges to send 100% of all donations to Grand Bahama. Salvation Army Minnis has reportedly encouraged donors to give to the Salvation Army, which is working closely with the Bahamian government. Miami Herald’s Operation Helping Hands Miami, Florida, is just a short distance from the Bahamas, and many local organizations have been coordinating aid to Dorian survivors, including the Miami Herald, the region’s most prominent newspaper. The news organization pledges that 100% of funds raised “will go directly to help people affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and other affected areas”. 30+ other organizations vetted by Charity Navigator Charity Navigator, a group that vets American philanthropic groups, has a list of dozens of organizations in the Bahamas and in the United States that is says are highly rated and able to provide relief to Dorian survivors. The charities on this list “have pre-positioned resources to deliver food, emergency shelter, medical care, and other critical items to people impacted by this storm” and Charity Navigator “has confirmed these charities’ efforts on the ground”, the group said. | ['world/hurricane-dorian', 'world/bahamas', 'global-development/aid', 'world/world', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/extreme-weather', 'world/americas', 'world/hurricanes', 'type/article', 'tone/explainers', 'profile/lois-beckett', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2019-09-08T17:47:54Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sustainable-business/2015/apr/24/washington-climate-change-environmental-defense-fund-ceres-mars-google-starbucks-epa-clean-power-plan | In Washington, a handful of corporations lobby against climate change | Brad Figel’s official title is vice president of public affairs at Mars, the global food manufacturer, but he describes his job more simply. “I’m a lobbyist,” he says. “I’ve learned to admit it,” he jokes. “It makes me feel better.” But Figel is no ordinary lobbyist. He is one of the few corporate lobbyists in Washington who works on behalf of meaningful climate action. Mars, for example, supports the EPA’s Clean Power Plan to regulate carbon-spewing coal plants, a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s climate agenda. Figel can count on several corporate allies in the climate fight, including Ikea, Kellogg, Levi Strauss, Nestle, Nike, Novelis, VF and Unilever. But this handful of activist corporations are vastly outnumbered by lobbyists from the coal, oil and natural gas industries, as well as by the powerful US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. This is no small problem for environmentalists and companies that worry about the climate crisis. Nonprofit trade association BSR and investor-environmental coalition Ceres are working to change that. The pair hosted several events on Earth Day, including a day of congressional lobbying on behalf of climate action, the release of a new report on business and climate change from BSR, and an evening forum on corporate advocacy and climate change. BSR’s 77-page report, Creating an action agenda for private-sector leadership on climate change, strikes an upbeat tone, stating: “At BSR, we believe in the transformational power of the private sector. We further believe that businesses can lead to address climate change.” But in Washington DC, as well as the state capitals where climate policy is being set, the hard truth is that business is not leading – or even playing a constructive role – in addressing climate change. In fact, as the Guardian has reported, out of 50 companies that work with big environmental groups, only three – Mars, Starbucks and Google – publicly support the Clean Power Plan. Pepsico, one corporation that has been unwilling to take a stand, was represented at the forum by Paul Boykas, vice president of public policy. The company has a strong corporate responsibility program, he explained, ticking off savings in greenhouse gas emissions and water from efficiencies in its operations, its refrigeration equipment, its fleet and its supply chain. Pepsico says it kept its greenhouse gas emissions constant from 2008 through 2012, while growing production volume in foods by 7% and beverages by 12%. But Boykas says that the company decided to stay out of the fight over the Clean Power Plant – which directly affects coal companies and utilities – because it is not core to Pepsico’s business. “We had a very robust discussion about it internally,” he says. Interestingly, Pepsico took sides in the climate debate in 2009. It supported the US Climate Action Partnership, which supported a climate regulation bill that passed the House of Representatives and failed in the Senate. At the time, Democrats held a majority of both chambers. Now, Republicans are in charge of the house. Companies like Pepsico need to work with them on a variety of other issues ranging from health and nutrition to taxes and trade. Pepsico’s political action committee has given more campaign donations to Republicans than Democrats in every election cycle since 1990, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Andrew Hutson, who works on corporate partnerships at the Environmental Defense Fund, says the companies need to align their corporate advocacy with their internal sustainability efforts. “Companies can’t be talking out of both sides of their mouth,” Hutson says. “If a core value of your company is sustainability, your government affairs should be supporting that as well.” That means ending support for candidates and trade association who stand in the way of climate regulation. Figel and Boykas say that membership in trade associations like the US Chamber of Commerce is a tricky issue for companies. While the chamber opposes climate action, it also does important work on issues like taxes, trade and intellectual property. When Figel was the chief lobbyist for Nike, he recalls, the company left the chamber board over the climate issue, but remained a member. Mars, he explains, is taking a leadership role on climate because of potential threats to its supply chain. “If Mars can’t get cocoa, rice, fish for our pet food business or mint for our gum, we’re really in a lot of trouble,” he says. But he adds that many companies which are concerned by the business risks posed by climate change have yet to bring their concerns into the political arena. “I know very few multinational companies who don’t have phenomenal sustainability stories,” Figel says. “I really question whether they are using their advocacy voice.” The leadership hub is funded by Xyntéo. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled ‘brought to you by’. Find out more here | ['sustainable-business/series/leadership', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'sustainable-business/brand', 'sustainable-business/collaboration', 'environment/environment', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/marc-gunther'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-04-24T14:47:02Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
business/2010/apr/04/bp-shale-gas-environment-protection-agency | BP fights to limit controls on shale gas drilling | BP is lobbying on Capitol Hill against a federal US environmental agency being given jurisdiction over the use of a controversial method of extracting gas from shale deposits, ahead of an important meeting this week. The London-based oil company wants decisions on drilling techniques such as hydraulic fracturing – which uses high-pressure liquids to force fissures – to be taken at state level, rather than being left to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose specialist committee meets on Wednesday to discuss its concerns. BP is also opposed to the public disclosure of the chemicals used in fracturing, on the basis that the information is commercially sensitive – something that will anger environmentalists, who are highly suspicious of the process. Although BP was unable to comment, the New York Times published a "discussion draft" said to have been produced by BP which says: "States with existing oil and gas regulatory programmes have the authority to and are best situated to continue regulating hydraulic fracturing processes and procedures." Tony Hayward, the chief executive of BP, said in a recent speech that abundant shale gas had the potential to transform the US's dependence on foreign gas imports. The shale gas deposits have been known about for decades but recent technological developments have opened the way for supplies to be exploited in North America – and potentially in Europe and Asia. Environmental groups fear that the chemicals used in fracturing are highly toxic and are worried about them filtering into reservoirs. Oil companies have found significant shale deposits in New York state and Pennsylvania, close to densely populated areas. Requests to drill have met opposition from green groups, as well as from local politicians. But the EPA is seen as an even tougher potential opponent. The environmental engineering committee of the agency's science advisory board is scheduled to meet on 7 and 8 April to evaluate "fracking", as it is known. The EPA is well known to BP, having recently challenged a permit given by the state of Indiana allowing the company to expand its Whiting refinery for use as a centre for treating crude from the controversial Canadian tar sands. BP was once seen as one of the most environmentally conscious oil companies but that reputation is now under strain as it becomes a vocal supporter of and active participant in the carbon-intensive tar sands extraction in Canada. The green rhetoric of its former chief executive Lord Browne has been toned down since Hayward took the reins three years ago, although the company retains the use of the slogan "Beyond petroleum" – adopted under Browne's leadership – for some of its activities. Hayward has promised to boost annual profits at BP by $3bn (£2bn) over the next two or three years and committed the company to increasing production by 1%-2% a year until 2015. BP will face further questions about its attitude to the environment when directors appear before shareholders at the annual meeting next week. | ['business/bp', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'environment/mining', 'environment/environment', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'business/business', 'tone/news', 'environment/fracking', 'type/article', 'profile/terrymacalister', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2010-04-04T15:56:22Z | true | ENERGY |
business/2020/oct/14/national-grid-warns-of-short-supply-of-electricity-over-next-few-days | National Grid warns of short supply of electricity over next few days | National Grid has warned that Britain’s electricity will be in short supply over the next few days after a string of unplanned power plant outages and unusually low wind speeds this week. The electricity system operator said it will take action to “make sure there is enough generation” during the cold weather spell to prevent a second major blackout in as many years. “Unusually low wind output coinciding with a number of generator outages means the cushion of spare capacity we operate the system with has been reduced,” the company told its Twitter followers. “We’re exploring measures and actions to make sure there is enough generation available to increase our buffer of capacity.” A spokeswoman for National Grid said the latest electricity supply squeeze was not expected to be as severe as recorded last month, and added that the company did not expect to issue an official warning in the next 24 hours. “We’re monitoring how the situation develops,” she said. The warning is the second from the electricity system operator in recent weeks. In mid-September the company issued an official warning to the electricity market that its ‘buffer’ of power reserves had fallen below 500MW and it may need to call on more power plants to help prevent a blackout. The notice was later withdrawn. Concerns over National Grid’s electricity supplies have been relatively rare in recent years. It was forced in November 2015 to ask businesses to cut their demand as a “last resort” measure to keep the lights on after a string of coal plant breakdowns. But since then, National Grid’s greater challenge has been an oversupply of electricity which has threatened to overwhelm the grid during times of low electricity demand. National Grid has already spent almost £1bn on extra measures to prevent blackouts over the first half of the year by paying generators to produce less electricity during the coronavirus lockdown. The company paid wind farms to turn off, and EDF Energy to halve the nuclear generation from its Sizewell B nuclear plant, to avoid overwhelming the grid when demand for electricity fell by almost a quarter from last year. The electricity supply squeeze comes a little over a year after National Grid left large parts of England and Wales without electricity after the biggest blackout in a decade left a million homes in the dark. National Grid blamed a lightning strike for the widespread power failure. | ['business/nationalgrid', 'business/energy-industry', 'business/utilities', 'environment/windpower', 'type/article', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2020-10-14T20:10:29Z | true | ENERGY |
uk-news/2016/jan/22/toast-ale-beer-surplus-bread-feedback-food-waste | Raise a Toast and help tackle the problem of food waste | Its makers joke that it is the best thing since sliced bread, as the first UK-produced beer made from discarded crusts and unsold loaves launches this weekend. Toast ale, made entirely from surplus bread that would otherwise by thrown away by bakeries, delicatessens and supermarkets is the brainchild of Tristram Stuart – who has linked up with Hackney Brewery to produce the new ale.Stuart, founder of the charity Feedback, which campaigns to end food waste, was inspired to use bread to make beer by a Belgian brewer who follows the same process and wants the model to inspire the UK’s burgeoning home brewing community to make their own versions Stuart hopes Toast ale will help to offset the 24m slices of bread currently thrown away every day by UK households. According to official UK figures, every year about 15m tonnes of food is wasted – at home and in the commercial sector – with bread the most wasted item of food. “Tackling the global issue of food waste has taken me all over the world,” said Stuart. “We hope to eventually put ourselves out of business. The day there’s no waste bread is the day Toast ale can no longer exist.” The beer is made when surplus bread is sliced and mashed to make breadcrumbs, then toasted and brewed with malted barley, hops and yeast to make a quality pale ale with a distinctive taste. The toasted bread adds caramel notes that balance the bitter hops, giving a malty taste similar to amber ales. Each 330ml bottle of Toast uses one slice of surplus bread and all profits will go straight to Feedback. Stuart has just been named at the World Economic Forum in Davos as one of 30 leaders to inspire ambition and mobilise action to reduce food loss and waste globally. In a survey commissioned by Love Food Hate Waste, just under half of adults (49%) said they eat bread every day, with 38% buying two loaves a week. But the survey also found that 18% admitted to throwing away a loaf before opening it, while a quarter admitted to discarding bread before reaching the end of the loaf. Jon Swain, co-founder of Hackney Brewery, said: “The important thing for us, as brewers, was to create a beer that tasted good and stood up against other craft beers. We worked hard to brew a beer that wasn’t just a fad but something that people could enjoy time after time and would have a significant impact.” Greg Hughes, director of Brew UK, which every year invites home brewers to enter a national competition for the best and most innovative new beer, welcomed the initiative: “This seems like a great idea. There are lots of different flavours and ingredients from artisan breads and it seems like an excellent and potentially very creative way of using up a staple item that most people will have in their bread bin.” The move follows other, limited, attempts to use food waste in a productive way in the drinks sector. The supermarket Waitrose last year used windfall apples from English orchards to create a cider, while the award-winning Chase potato vodka was famously created from the peelings of the Tyrrells crisps brand. The company also makes a marmalade vodka that uses up orange peel supplied by a farmer in Seville. Toast ale is available to buy at £3 a bottle and will available from craft ale retailers, pubs, bars and restaurants. | ['uk/uk', 'food/food', 'food/beer', 'money/consumer-affairs', 'environment/waste', 'food/bread', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rebeccasmithers', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2016-01-22T17:46:17Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2023/mar/25/young-country-diary-not-just-one-newborn-lamb-but-two | Young country diary: Not just one newborn lamb, but two! | Levi | As the mid-afternoon mist came down upon us, we drove over the picturesque rolling hills. The car jolted from side to side on the craggy, treacherous ground. We came to a stop at a farm and a farmer greeted us with a warm welcome. She led us into an old, creaking barn with friendly cows and a small flock of sheep laying beside their wobbly little lambs. We went outside and across the yard to see the two dominant male sheep in a massive field. It was feeding time, so the farmer poured feed into buckets as they nudged her legs. She then fed the younger sheep in the opposite field, throwing them pellets like a thousand bullets firing over the wall. Suddenly, her phone went off like a siren, warning her that a baby lamb was being born. My heart skipped a beat and I felt a tingle down my spine. She ran off and instructed us to stay where we were. But soon she beckoned us into the barn. We ran carefully towards her and went in just as her husband pulled the lamb out. Slippery slime slithered down its body before it was laid down on the soft straw next to its mother. He then pulled out another lamb. My eyes opened in shock – I had never seen one lamb being born, never mind two! After that dramatic event, we said goodbye to the farm and drove home, bumping along the road, my mind filled with awe and wonder. Levi, 10 • Read today’s other YCD, by Stanley, 11: ‘Being dragged away from my computer was worth it’ | ['environment/series/young-country-diary', 'environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'environment/farming', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-03-25T11:01:47Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
global-development/2012/jun/15/rio20-voice-kabul-afghanistan | Rio+20: A voice from Kabul, Afghanistan | Over the past three decades of war, we have had a lot of problems with our environment; people cutting down forests for timber, changing rangeland to farmland, bad agricultural practices that caused problems such as soil degradation, soil erosion. We also don't have the wildlife we had before the war. However, since 2002 the new government recognised the importance of the environment and established the National Environmental Protection Agency (Nepa). We have had lots of progress, but with some challenges too. For instance, we have a very good environment law, but enforcement is a challenge in Afghanistan, because of the conflict and other issues. We often face the problem that people outside Afghanistan feel it is impossible to do environmental work in a country where there is conflict. What few realise is that it is going on already. Protecting the environment for Nepa is not only looking after the standard of life of people in the big cities. The environment for us is the livelihood of the people, the wealth of our poor. In the past 10 years the international community has not been able, or they have not chosen, to prioritise the environment over security and other sectors. Now, the trend is changing. When we talk with the international community, we emphasise that a good and healthy environment can also underpin peace. If all we have is our land, and our natural systems, still we have a lot! I am sure Rio+20 will make a difference for the world and for Afghanistan as well. For me, a really important part of Rio+20 is the theme of the green economy. For Afghanistan, sustainable development means – as well as environmental protection – security, good governance, good education, good health services, women's empowerment, and the creation of jobs for the poor people of Afghanistan. Our delegation will have a joint message on behalf of all the people of Afghanistan. But my personal message to Rio+20 is that it should discuss carefully and decide on a course of action which means a country like Afghanistan will be able to see some changes, so it's not just a talking shop that produces yet another document. | ['global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/rio-20-earth-summit', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'environment/environment', 'tone/interview', 'global-development/series/global-development-voices', 'type/article'] | environment/sustainable-development | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2012-06-15T09:20:49Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
australia-news/2022/jun/06/labor-has-set-an-exceptionally-ambitious-target-for-renewable-energy-can-it-be-met | Labor needs to double the pace of its renewable energy rollout to meet 2030 emissions target. Can it be done? | Australia will need to double the pace of its renewable energy uptake to meet the 2030 emissions target set by the Albanese government, even without any increase in demand, according to Bruce Mountain, head of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre. Labor’s main energy policy, Rewiring the Nation, includes the creation of a special corporation to funnel $20bn into new transmission links to accelerate the uptake of more clean energy. The plan is part of Labor’s pledge to cut Australia’s 2005-level greenhouse gas emissions 43% by 2030, projecting renewables reach an 82% share of renewables in the National Electricity Market by then. Excluding hydro power, renewable energy has increased its share of the market 3% annually in the past five years, Mountain says. “Deducting 10% from hydro, the target is 72%,” he says of Labor’s goal. “This requires variable renewable energy growth of 6.1% of operating demand per year, so a bit over twice the rate from 2016-21.” But that assumes no increase in demand. The electrification of transport and other sectors will boost demand without big improvements in energy efficiency. “I just do not feel that this realisation [of the scale of the task] is anywhere near real in the corridors of power,” says Mountain, who recently launched a report on the need for much greater storage to support renewables. Energy ministers will meet on Wednesday to discuss soaring energy prices, with the second big cold front of the winter sweeping across south-eastern Australia, potentially straining energy markets again. The climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the energy price crunch makes it “more important than ever to implement Labor’s plan”. “After nine wasted years, Labor will not only supply renewable energy through policies like Rewiring the Nation, but we’ll make sure that Australia develops a sovereign manufacturing capacity, including in renewable energy as well as greater value-adding to critical minerals like lithium.” Bowen last week said the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, sometimes described as the government’s green bank, and the Australian Energy Market Operator would be asked to implement the rewiring plan. Simon Corbell, the chief executive of the Clean Energy Investor Group and architect of the ACT’s shift to 100% renewable power, says Labor’s plan will accelerate the “step change” scenario outlined by the Aemo in 2020. “It’s certainly achievable from a renewable energy development perspective,” Corbell says. “The key issue will be delivery of the transmission infrastructure in a timely way.” It would require “a very high level of coordination between the states and the commonwealth” to ensure federal action complements state-based renewable energy zones, he said. The policy will need more than 10,000km of new transmission lines. “It’s something we haven’t seen before in Australia,” Corbell says. The development gap remains wide. A survey of Corbell’s group last year found there was less than one gigawatt of new capacity committed, as confidence shrivelled under the Morrison government. Aemo’s 2020 step-change goal would require 20GW in new generation capacity alone by 2032. Chris McGrath, chief executive of the solar farm builder 5B, exemplifies both the progress and potholes facing the sector. Last week, 5B completed part of a $30m capital raising, which it hopes will allow it to accelerate its world-leading pace of new solar panel deployment. In May, a team of 10 in Chile’s Atacama Desert built a solar farm using prefabricated panels at the pace of 1.1 megawatts of capacity per day. With the use of robots, 5B expects that can be increased 10-fold. “If we continue to kind of tiptoe around and think, ‘oh, that’s too big’… then we’ve kind of given up before we’ve even started,” said McGrath, who considers himself “a terrified optimist”. “The government’s got a huge challenge and opportunity in front of it to address its renewable energy target by 2030,” he says. Given the sales and construction cycles, the goal is more like five or six years away. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Indeed, supply constraints have been tightening lately, forcing 5B to cut a quarter of its staff, or about 50 positions. Shipping times from China have increased by as much as four times as it battles to curb the Covid pandemic. Solar module prices have risen as their availability drops, McGrath says. The world will need between 40 and 80 terawatts of new solar by 2050 to meet net zero emissions. Tim Buckley, director of consultancy Climate Energy Finance, says the target of 82% by 2030 is “exceptionally ambitious” but possible, “if the ALP can get the Rewiring the Nation strategy up and running quickly”. “This challenge has definitely been more political than financial or technological, for sure,” Buckley says. “The cost of not striving for electrification of everything, an aggressive electric vehicle rollout and a 82% renewables target will be sustained fossil fuel price inflation impacting industry, transport and consumers.” | ['australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'business/gas', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'business/business', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/analysis', 'profile/peter-hannam', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2022-06-06T00:00:19Z | true | ENERGY |
business/2005/aug/27/oilandpetrol.news | Hurricane keeps oil price near high | The world's energy markets suffered a fresh bout of jitters yesterday as fears of damage to oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico from Hurricane Katrina kept the price of crude well above $67 a barrel. Amid fears that damage to rigs could send oil prices spiralling above $70 a barrel over the next few days, futures contracts for oil were close to the record levels of $68 reached on Thursday. A terrorist attack on a well in Iraq's northern Kirkuk oilfield added to concerns that supplies of oil might not be able to keep up with strong global demand, particularly from the United States and China. Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, said yesterday that the world's biggest economy had so far emerged relatively unscathed from oil prices more than doubling since 2003. In remarks to a gathering of central bankers, Mr Greenspan said the "flexibility of our market-driven economy has allowed us, thus far, to weather reasonably well the steep rise in spot and futures prices for crude oil and natural gas that we have experienced over the past two years". Evidence that higher motoring costs are starting to affect the US economy emerged yesterday with news of a sharp and unexpected drop in consumer confidence. The Michigan University index of sentiment dropped from 96.5 in July to 89.1 in August, prompting analysts to predict slower spending in the second half of the year. The economic data was published as oil and gas producers in the Gulf of Mexico were braced for rough weather. Hurricane Katrina's projected course runs east of the heart of oil and gas production but at least five companies were battening down the hatches. The 11th-named storm in the Atlantic hurricane season forced at least four firms to evacuate workers from the Gulf of Mexico, the source of 25% of US oil and gas output. Tetsu Emori, the chief commodities strategist at Mitsui Bussan Futures in Tokyo, said: "The impact of Katrina is a bit limited now. But there will be more to come." Oil dealers also focused on Nigeria, an Opec producer where fuel price rises of 40% to 50% yesterday could lead to general strikes, as has happened previously. The blue-collar union NUPENG said on Thursday it would not halt oil sales from the world's eighth-biggest exporter if it joined any general strike called to protest against the price increase. | ['business/business', 'business/oil', 'us-news/hurricane-katrina', 'world/hurricanes', 'type/article', 'profile/larryelliott'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2005-08-26T23:05:01Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2010/jun/02/2010-could-be-warmest-year-ever | 2010 could be among warmest years recorded by man | New data from some of the world's leading climate researchers and institutions suggest that 2010 is shaping up to be one of the warmest years ever recorded. Scientists at the US National Snow and Ice Centre Data Centre (NSIDC) report today that Arctic sea ice – frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface – is now at its lowest physical extent ever recorded for the time of year, suggesting that it is on course to break the previous record low set in 2007. Satellite monitoring by the NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado, shows that the melting of sea ice has been unusually fast this year, with as much as 40,000 sq km now disappearing daily. The melt season started almost a month later than normal at the end of March and is not expected to end until September. Meanwhile, research from the polar science centre at the University of Washington suggests that the volume of sea ice in March 2010 was 20,300 cubic km, 38% below the 1979 level when records began. Global surface temperatures may also be at a record high, according to leading climate scientist James Hansen and colleagues at the National Aeronautic Space Administration (Nasa). In a paper which is yet to be peer-reviewed but has been submitted to the journal Reviews of Geophysics, they suggest that the Earth has been 0.65C warmer over the past 12 months than during the 1951 to 1980 mean, and that the global temperature for 2010 will exceed the 2005 record. Hansen, credited with being one of the first scientists to study climate change, dismisses sceptics' claims that global warming "stopped" in 1998. "Record high global temperature during the period with instrumental data was reached in 2010," he writes. "It is likely that the 2010 global surface temperature ... will be a record. "Global warming on decadal timescales is continuing without let-up ... we conclude that there has been no reduction in the global warming trend of 0.15-0.2C/decade that began in the late 1970s." The Nasa research backs up findings by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the US national climate monitoring service that measures global temperatures by satellite. This has recorded the hottest ever first four months of a year. As a result of high sea surface temperatures, the Atlantic hurricane season – which officially started this week – is expected to be one of the most intense in years. Last week NOAA predicted 14 to 23 named storms, including eight to 14 hurricanes – three to seven of which were likely to be "major", with winds of at least 111mph. This is compared to an average six-month season of 11 named storms, six of which become hurricanes, two of them major. • This article was amended on 11 June 2010. In the original, a heading said: 2010 on track to become warmest year ever. This has been corrected. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/poles', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/environment', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/nasa', 'science/hansen', 'science/science', 'world/arctic', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'world/natural-disasters', 'science/meteorology', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/poles | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2010-06-02T16:27:24Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
global/2020/jan/24/air-filtering-bus-to-launch-across-six-regions-in-the-uk | Air-filtering bus to launch across six regions in the UK | An air-filtering bus which removes pollutants from city streets while it operates is to be rolled out into six regions of the UK following a successful trial. The bus, trialled since 2018 in Southampton, is fitted with fans on the roof that draw in air at a rate of one cubic metre per second and filter out ultra-fine particulate pollution. The single-decker buses are expected to start operating in Brighton, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Plymouth and Crawley from this summer. Another five buses will be introduced in Southampton. According to tests, audited by manufacturer Pall, and being assessed by the University of Southampton, the bus removed approximately 65g of pollutants from the air and cleaned 3.2 million cubic metres of the city’s air. David Brown, the chief executive of Go-Ahead group, which owns the BlueStar bus in Southampton, said the system had exceeded their expectations and he hoped that councils would help fund more routes. The trial cost the operator about £100,000 and each bus conversion is around £20,000. “We think it’s part of the solution [to air pollution], along with getting people on public transport anyway,” he said. The buses have the cleanest Euro VI engines, whose nitrogen oxides emissions are now less than a single diesel car, “so it’s a double-whammy,” Brown added. “For all local authorities who have an issue with air pollution and clean air zones, I genuinely believe this is part of the solution,” Brown said. “These are small pilots, but if you could put it on every bus it would actually make a difference.” He said the bill to convert Go-Ahead’s entire nationwide fleet would be around £100m. | ['environment/air-pollution', 'tone/news', 'environment/pollution', 'uk/transport', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'uk-news/southampton', 'uk/brighton', 'uk/manchester', 'uk/newcastle', 'uk/oxford', 'uk/plymouth', 'type/article', 'profile/gwyntopham', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-01-24T07:00:18Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
australia-news/2022/mar/06/fears-hawkesbury-nepean-river-will-surpass-last-weeks-flood-level-as-rain-batters-nsw | NSW flood cleanup continues as south-east Queensland again lashed by thunderstorms | South-east Queensland has again been lashed with rainfall and thunderstorms, while areas around Sydney and Newcastle faced the renewed risk of flooding as the cleanup continued. Destructive winds and giant hail were possible as a “very dangerous storm” near Beaudesert in Queensland moved east on Sunday afternoon. Severe thunderstorms were also detected near Boonah, north-west of Noosa Heads, with severe rainfall that may lead to flash flooding “likely”. The Bureau of Meteorology had 10 active flood warnings in Queensland including major warnings for Eyre Creek, the lower Moonie River, the Weir River and the Condamine and Balonne Rivers as wet weather returned. In New South Wales there were several warnings issues for severe weather on Sunday, including parts of the Sydney metropolitan region, the south coast, Illawarra, and parts of the tablelands. Some rivers in NSW, including the Hawkesbury-Nepean, will exceed the major flood levels reached last week. Heavy rainfalls of between 70 and 120mm were possible on Sunday afternoon in the eastern tablelands and Illawarra, bringing possible flash flooding. The rainfall was expected to temporarily ease before concentrating over the south coast in the evening and on Monday. The source of the latest rain was an upper-level low that was moving slowly over northern NSW, the weather bureau said. A surface trough off the NSW coast was expected to strengthen, dragging in moist south-easterly winds to the warning areas. Heavy rainfall was likely to reintensify throughout the warning area by early Monday morning, bringing possible thunderstorms. For Sydney, heavy rain was forecast for most of the coast on Sunday evening and on Monday and Tuesday as another east coast low forms offshore. The predicted rain could lead to flash flooding. There was also the possibility of thunderstorms, the bureau said. Nearby Wollongong will cop the brunt of the low, with heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and flash flooding possible for Monday and Tuesday, along with damaging winds. The Hunter region is another area of concern, with Singleton, Maitland and Newcastle facing moderate to major flooding. The bureau had listed more than a dozen flood warnings on Sunday morning, while there was a hazardous surf warning for the NSW coastline. “We just want to make sure that communities there are aware of that and begin taking preparations as well,” said an SES spokesperson, Phil Campbell. The defence minister, Peter Dutton, earlier likened the weather conditions hitting the state to a “cyclone” that had ripped through townships. “It is much more than a flood that we are experiencing in northern New South Wales and the surrounding remote towns in particular,” he told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday. “It’s much more akin to a cyclone that has gone through there. There is absolutely devastation.” People in parts of Picton were ordered to evacuate on Sunday as the Stonequarry Creek was rising quickly and could break its banks, he said. Towns along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River were already getting another soaking on Sunday, and the river was rising again. Major flooding at levels similar to last week was expected along the Upper Nepean, Nepean, Hawkesbury and Colo Rivers on Sunday evening and into Monday. At North Richmond, major flooding was already occurring along the Hawkesbury River, expected to reach about 11.5 metres at North Richmond on Monday with further rises possible. More than 100mm of rain had been recorded at Richmond in the 24 hours since 9am Saturday. “For those who are in low-lying areas out in western Sydney along the Hawkesbury we are looking at the potential of the rain forecast over the next couple of days for those river levels to rise again, possibly up to or even exceeding the level of a few days ago,” Campbell said. “That will just prolong for some people that flooding well into the coming week,” he added. “So it may well be that some communities and some properties will remain isolated or underwater for until next weekend.” Warragamba Dam spill rate rising One factor affecting the size of the flooding will be the spill rate at Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s main reservoir. It began spilling on Wednesday morning when the dam exceeded full capacity and has been spilling ever since. As of Sunday afternoon, it was spilling at the rate of at least 166 gigalitres a day, with the pace expected to peak on Monday, the government said. Last week, the peak spill rate reached 315GL a day compared with more than 440GL a day during the March 2021 floods. Across NSW, dams were at 99.9% capacity, a 2.8% increase on last week. Seven of the state’s 18 dams were overflowing, including the Brogo Dam, which was sitting at 113.7%. An SES spokesperson said teams had responded to heavy rainfalls overnight with the busiest areas in Penrith, Hawkesbury and Mount Druitt. The recovery was continuing in the northern rivers with a number of homes and businesses remaining shut off to access in the wake of the floods. The NSW SES has more than 600 volunteers in the field, backed up by many agencies. Volunteers have also joined from Victoria and Tasmania. In the 24 hours to noon on Sunday, the SES conducted 42 flood rescues, and filtered 1,023 requests for assistance. Authorities are continuing to warn people not to drive through flood waters, with 56 evacuation orders remaining in place. | ['australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022', 'australia-news/australia-weather', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/queensland', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/sydney', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/peter-hannam', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-03-06T07:17:35Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
business/2008/may/17/britishenergygroupbusiness.nuclearpower | British Energy shares surge after bid approaches | Shares in British Energy rose 5% yesterday after the nuclear generator said it had received a series of proposals from its string of suitors, including some pitched above Thursday's 680p closing price. The company said: "There can be no certainty that any of the proposals will lead to an offer being made for the company nor as to the terms on which any offer would be made." However, the prospect of a bid battle for British Energy sparked a rally in the shares, which rose 35.5p to 715.5p yesterday, valuing the company, where the government has a 35% stake, at about £11.5bn. Last month the shares hit an all-time high of 785p on the back of City expectations of a battle for control of the group but the price had fallen back amid a growing belief that EDF was the most likely bidder. "This weakness in the price has been because people thought it would only be EDF," according to Evolution Securities' analyst Lakis Athanasiou. "The key today is that there are a number of players." British Energy, which owns one coal-fired and eight nuclear power plants, has been in the bid spotlight since the government backed a new generation of nuclear power stations to ensure Britain has a broad portfolio of electricity generation. The company's existing nuclear plants are seen as the most likely locations for a new generation of reactors. A report yesterday said the approaches came from EDF and Suez of France, and a combination of Germany's RWE and Iberdrola of Spain. Suez later denied any approach. The other firms have yet to comment. British Energy had set an informal deadline of last Friday for proposals. | ['business/britishenergygroup', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'business/business', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'profile/markmilner', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2008-05-16T23:05:14Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/feb/17/breakeven-low-carbon-barrel-oil | Break-even for low-carbon economy is $100 a barrel oil, says Chris Huhne | Damian Carrington | The UK's ambitious low-carbon energy plans will mean energy consumers paying lower bills in 2020 if oil is over $100 per barrel, compared to a fossil-fuelled future. That price is the break-even point, said the energy and climate change secretary, Chris Huhne, today. I think it is an important number, because it clearly shows why a failure to invest the large sums of money needed into renewable energy, nuclear power and carbon capture and storage would be a false economy. Here's what he told a conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London today. Bear in mind the price of oil (Brent crude) is $104 as I write: If we relied on oil and gas, and the price stayed relatively low at $80 a barrel then consumers will pay more under our policies – about an extra 1% on their bills by 2020. At the oil price reached this month - $100 a barrel or more – consumers will pay less through the low carbon energy policies than they would pay for fossil fuel policies. And if the US administration is right, and the price is $108 a barrel in 2020, then our consumers are winning hands down. So, as Huhne put it, when people say the energy policies his government are pursuing are far too costly, the reply is "hang on, what is this other world?" Predicting oil prices is a black art of course, but the question is do you think the price of oil is going to remain flat for the next nine years? He also made another argument for low carbon energy investment: insulation from oil and gas price shocks. He said: I asked economists at DECC to look at how a 1970s style oil price shock would play out today. They found that if the oil price doubled, it could lead to a cumulative loss of GDP of around £45 billion over 2 years. [The oil price rose fivefold in the 1970s]. And this is not just far-off speculation: it is a threat here and now. The Office of Budget Responsibility forecast that if oil prices rose by 20% - as they have since October – the total cost to the economy would be £4.5bn. Oil and gas will play an important role in the low-carbon shift. But in the long term, getting off the oil hook will make our economy more independent, more secure and more stable. We rightly hear a lot about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and are promised that the UK's economic recovery should include an industrial resurgence based on clean technology. In terms of the three crucial tests of energy policy - low carbon, security and cost - it's the latter that had been least convincing, making the arguments above significant. One other part of the speech stuck out for me: more startling numbers from China, which just might change the world with its new five year economic plan. China is undoubtedly running fastest in the race for leadership in green technology. Huhne reeled the numbers off - China's $34bn pumped into the low-carbon economy in 2009 - by way of arguing that even if the UN climate talks look like dragging on for years, some countries were acting anyway. These two stuck out for me: China will build 24 nuclear power stations in the time it takes us to build one. By 2020, their nuclear capacity will have increased tenfold. They will complete 16,000km of high-speed rail in the time it takes us to go from London to Birmingham. Does a low carbon future really look so scary? Note: I'm off on holiday, so there'll be no blogposts next week. | ['environment/damian-carrington-blog', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'tone/blog', 'environment/energy', 'environment/oil', 'environment/green-economy', 'business/business', 'business/oil', 'type/article', 'profile/damiancarrington'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2011-02-17T16:28:00Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2009/feb/17/climate-change-coal | Thomas Crowley: Tales of our environmental demise are greatly exaggerated – coal reserves are dwindling | As more and more discoveries are made about global warming, scientists and political organisations have been clamouring for stronger and more immediate actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Amid this rising call for action, there has been surprisingly little attention given to recent work suggesting that future peak carbon dioxide levels may have been overestimated by a factor of four to five. At the annual December meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco, Professor David Rutledge from the California Institute of Technology re-examined estimates of world coal inventories. He concluded that reserves (resources that can be economically produced) – widely assumed to be sufficient for energy use for centuries – are far smaller than usually assumed. In fact, peak mid-century CO2 levels of about 460 parts per million (ppm, the present level is about 385ppm) estimated by Rutledge represent the maximum amount of CO2 reduction most scientists and organisations can only dream of for any scenario of reducing carbon emissions. It is almost as if nature might do for society what it has been incapable of doing for itself – significantly reducing planetary carbon emissions. Since coal is almost entirely responsible for the projected rise in CO2 beyond mid-century, the implication is that neither CO2 nor the climate consequences from its use may be nearly as severe as usually assumed by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change. This conclusion has significant ramifications for those involved in international negotiations for a "post-Kyoto" global agreement on emission reductions in Copenhagen later this year. Rutledge has given more than 20 presentations on this work, and there were about 500 attendees at the AGU session. Yet there has been surprisingly little publicity on the topic. Why has this work not received more attention? For one, the results have not yet been submitted for peer review, and some/many scientists might be unwilling to make any statements until this happens. However, the new estimate is consistent with the trend toward decreased estimates of world coal reserves published by the World Energy Council and a 2007 assessment by the research council of the US National Academy of Sciences that US coal reserves have been significantly overestimated. So publicity now seems warranted, especially with the ongoing discussions for a new global agreement on carbon reductions. One source of scepticism comes from some economists, who assume that if there is a need for a resource, the resource will be found. Perhaps so, perhaps not. During the recent oil crisis, there was very little increase in oil production in non-Opec countries, despite the enormous financial incentive to do so. There is a general sense in the petroleum community that the only real prospects for enhanced production are among Opec countries. Still, the "non-response" is surprising, and even disappointing. Have the implications of Rutledge's work just not sunk in, or are some scientists having difficulty disengaging from a fundamental assumption that has been in the community mindset for a quarter of a century? Rutledge's work does not imply that society has completely dodged the carbon bullet. Even if his calculations are further substantiated and widely accepted, the planet will continue to warm in the interim and concerns about, for example, drought and rising sea level will still be legitimate. And the need for alternate energy sources would become even more urgent in the near-term than it would be if coal were available in the vast amounts previously assumed. Nevertheless, there is now some hope that society and ecosystems may not be subjected to the more extreme climate and ecosystem scenarios that many have come to believe were almost inevitable. Wider discussion of this finding would seem to be de rigueur for any future discussions on global warming and international agreements extending therefrom. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'environment/coal', 'tone/comment', 'commentisfree/cif-green', 'type/article', 'profile/thomas-crowley'] | environment/coal | ENERGY | 2009-02-17T12:00:00Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2017/jun/01/great-barrier-reef-sharply-declines-in-north-but-signs-coral-recovering-elsewhere | Great Barrier Reef sharply declines in north but signs coral recovering elsewhere | Parts of the Great Barrier Reef not regularly affected by problems such as cyclones have demonstrated the reef still has the ability to regenerate, with a survey showing sharp declines in coral cover in the north but increases elsewhere. However, the latest results from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims), collected by divers visiting 243 individual reefs, do not include the losses caused by bleaching this year, or the effects of cyclone Debbie, both of which killed coral in the central section. Up until March 2017, the results show that coral cover over the whole Great Barrier Reef improved dramatically between 2012 and 2016 but then suffered an unprecedented loss from the 2016 bleaching, with about a quarter of the reef’s coral being killed. The head of the long-term monitoring program at Aims, Hugh Sweatman, said the capacity of the reef to recover was under threat from climate change, as well as other chronic stressors such as pollution. “The predictions under climate change are that cyclones will get more intense, which means there will be more damage, so they will require longer to recover,” Sweatman said. In addition, pollution and warmer waters are slowing the rate of recovery. “So you’ve got this double whammy. The time for recovery is likely to get less and the rate of recovery is going to be impeded. “So what I’m saying is it’s OK so far but there are limits to this.” Sweatman also noted the recovery in the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef was partly a result of those reefs being mostly dominated by fast-growing corals, which are easily damaged by cyclones but recover relatively quickly. Richard Leck, a campaigner at WWF, said the results gave hope to conservationists. “There is still resilience in the system,” Leck said. “This data shows that if the reefs aren’t exposed to underwater heatwaves, if they’re not subject to major pollution events, and they’re not hit by a cyclone, then they recover really well and that should give us a lot of hope that the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef is still there and, if we reduce those threats, we should see recovery reef-wide.” That loss as a result of the 2016 bleaching event was driven almost entirely by coral mortality in the northern third of the Great Barrier Reef, where there was ongoing loss since 2013 caused by two cyclones and the continuing crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak. As a result, the northern Great Barrier Reef has lost the majority of its coral, declining from about 25% coral cover in 2010 to just 10%. “This level of decline is unprecedented in the 30+ year time series,” the report said. While coral cover in the central section declined to a record low in 2012, following massive damage from tropical cyclone Yasi in 2011, since then coral cover has increased to levels not seen since the mid 1980s. But even that upward trajectory was reversed in 2016 when bleaching and crown-of-thorns activity caused significant mortality there. Sweatman said next year’s results will likely reveal even more significant coral loss in that region, following the most recent bleaching and cyclone Debbie. In the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef, the latest results show continued improvement in coral cover. In that region, coral cover had reduced from almost 45% coverage in the mid-1980s, to below 10% in 2011. The latest results show coral cover has continued to recover, to more than 30%. The report notes that impacts from the latest bleaching will be captured in future Aims long-term monitoring program updates. Imogen Zethoven, from the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said it was “heartening to see coral cover increase significantly in the southern third of the Great Barrier Reef”. “It’s not too late to save our reef but the federal government must stop the Adani coalmine, reject all new coalmines and switch to 100% renewable energy as a matter of urgency,” Zethoven said. | ['environment/great-barrier-reef', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'environment/marine-life', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'type/article', 'profile/michael-slezak', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/great-barrier-reef | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-06-01T04:14:16Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2023/aug/27/cities-worldwide-watch-london-to-see-if-ulez-can-get-up-to-speed | Cities worldwide watch London to see if Ulez can get up to speed | The controversial expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) on Tuesday will be watched closely by policymakers around the UK and the world, as other cities weigh up whether to introduce similar schemes. One key question is whether low-emission zones make financial sense for cities that introduce them. City administrations must weigh up the health benefits, any income from tolls and fines, the positive and negative effects on businesses and the cost to affected residents. Since its initial rollout in 2019, the existing Ulez – which covers central London – has reduced nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions across the whole city by 23%, according to the London mayor’s office. An analysis by the University of York found that Ulez, the congestion charge introduced in 2003 and the less strict low emission zone covering all of London, introduced in 2008, had reduced the probability of long-term health conditions by 22.5%, other health conditions by 29.8% and the amount of sick leave taken by 17.7%. One of the key questions for policymakers is whether the health benefits of such schemes translate into broader economic gains. Research commissioned by Transport for London (TfL) and the Greater London Authority has forecast that London’s clean-air policies will save the city’s NHS and social care system about £5bn by 2050. The study also found that if action is not taken, the cost of air pollution to health and social care will be about £10.4bn by the same year. Businesses stand to benefit from better air quality. Air pollution is responsible for more than 6 million sick days in the UK every year, and research from the World Green Building Council suggests that better air quality increases workers’ productivity by 8-11%. However, some small business owners have questioned the expansion, saying that the daily fees or the need to buy new vehicles will cost too much. In a recent poll, 39% of business owners in outer London and 29% in inner London said they were worried about the Ulez expansion having a negative effect on their workers, despite the mayor’s £110m scrappage scheme and a six-month “grace period” for which they can apply. Some opponents of the Ulez expansion have described the scheme as a revenue-raising exercise for TfL. In the 2021-22 financial year, TfL earned earned £226m from the scheme. The net revenue generated from Ulez is reinvested back into inner and outer London’s transport networks, which is likely to make sustainable modes of transport more appealing, further lightening the burden of pollution caused by motor vehicles. Other cities have done the same. Birmingham city council has used the £52m it has raised from low-emission zones to invest in hydrogen bus trials, railway stations and cycling routes, while Bristol has provided grants and loans to help the switch to low-emission vehicles. In a letter to the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, the Builders Merchant Federation expressed concerns that Ulez expansion would make some tradespeople reluctant to attend jobs within the zone. John Newcomb, boss of the trade body, said: “This will have a knock-on effect for end customers, who will find it more difficult and costly to get work done.” However, research has shown consumers spend less on days where there is poorer air quality, and a Yale study found Spanish consumers spent €25m-€41m less on days where pollution was 10% worse than usual. Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh, an environmental psychologist and director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (Cast), says: “While Ulez schemes are providing an important ‘stick’ to discourage car use, they may not be providing enough of a ‘carrot’ to enable some groups to shift transport modes.” Recent research by Cast found sociodemographic factors played a large part in people’s opinions. Low-income groups were more likely to be opposed to the policy, whereas people with children were more in favour. “Since fairness is a key driver of policy acceptance, Ulez opposition may be due to the perception that the scheme is unworkable, or unfair for those with older vehicles. Low-income groups, nevertheless, are most likely to benefit in general from Ulez since they tend to live in areas with greatest air pollution.” Dr Audrey de Nazelle, a senior lecturer at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, says drastic changes are necessary both for air pollution and climate change. “Ulez will contribute to this and is part of the solution, but far more than Ulez needs to be done. “People need to be engaged towards far more transformative solutions than just having to buy another car. By explaining the multiple benefits and creating a common vision of what a desirable city might look like we’re more likely to make these solutions politically feasible for the benefit of all.” Khan has weighed up the financial case for Ulez against the political cost and decided to press ahead with its expansion. How it is received in the next few weeks is likely to determine which other cities decide to follow suit. | ['business/business', 'business/series/observer-business-agenda', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'uk/london', 'cities/cities', 'uk/uk', 'politics/health', 'politics/transport', 'type/article', 'tone/analysis', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/business', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-08-26T23:05:04Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
commentisfree/2017/nov/20/nurseries-ban-glitter-microplastics-seas-pollution | A gold star for the nurseries that have stopped being glitter bugs | Jules Howard | What will the rocks record about the lives we lead? What might a future palaeontologist, human or otherwise, make of the structures that will come to signify these moments in which you and I live our lives? They will notice extinctions, of course. Fossils of mammals’ tusks and horns will abound in the rocks, only to disappear when we humans turn up. They will come across our mines – enormous trace fossils, perhaps the largest ever to have existed. They will see, by studying fossil pollen, that the climate changed. They will find our discarded KFC bones and they will wonder how the world supported so many chickens. And there, among it all, they will probably find that most awful of human inventions: glitter. Oodles of it – purples, pinks and reds – crushed into rocks the world over. Mineralised madness. Our lowest ebb. What will those future palaeontologists make of it? What will glitter say about us? I am reaching a point in my life when I am discovering the true awfulness of glitter. Having two small children will do that for you. Barely a day goes by when I am not picking the stuff out of my hair, my bellybutton or, inexplicably, my ear canals. It is stuck in the cracks between our floorboards. It is stuck in our carpets. There is a faint residue of it in our car from a spillage two years ago. It is in our children’s book bags, their beds. They love how it sparkles, but for me it’s become a charmless wretch of a product and we need to be done with it. Thankfully, I’m not alone. The tide is, I hope, turning against glitter. A group of nurseries looking after 2,500 children in southern England has just banned the use of glitter in their craft activities. With Christmas coming, they felt it was time to make a stand. The reason? The environment. Glitter is often made of plastic and aluminium, bonded with polyethylene terephthalate in tiny structures that scientists call microplastics. It’s capable of being blown vast distances and the sea, being so massive, is often its inevitable destination. Thirty per cent of all ocean plastics are microplastics like this, or the microbeads that the UK government has just outlawed. Many will persist in the environment for decades, where they are swept into foodchains, assimilating themselves into the bodies of fish, corals and crabs and probably many other species, piscivorous humans included. Glitter: it really does get everywhere. Not everyone will support the so-called glitter ban, of course. “It’s health and safety gone mad!” some will inevitably say. “Let kids be kids!” they will mutter. I agree, mostly, but I’m almost certain that a child’s love and appreciation of crafting will not be shot to pieces because of the absence of a substance that reflects the ceiling light in a few different directions, instilling a feeling of momentary half-amazement before the vacuum cleaner has to come out. There are alternatives – glitter that is biodegradable, for instance. And why shouldn’t we tell nursery-age children how the choices we make can safeguard the planet that they will one day inherit? It’s not really a “ban”, either. It’s not as if the glitter was being brought in from home, or snuck in by mules. It was just something that these nurseries used to buy. So I applaud this decision, and I applaud others who are finally turning their back on this pernicious, devilish dandruff. I dream of a world where craft sessions will no more finish in human tears. No more will I have to pick it out of my teeth or from between my fingers. No more shall I be fishing it out of our plughole or, more bluntly, my various body holes. No more. No more. This is an intervention. All that glitters is not gold. Perhaps this is our line in the sand. Our mark in the geological strata. A brave first step into a post-glitter epoch, and it all started with a handful of children’s nurseries. A world in which glitter has finally lost its shine. May we find new ways, as a species, to sparkle. • Jules Howard is a zoologist and the author of Sex on Earth and Death on Earth | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/plastic', 'environment/environment', 'society/children', 'environment/oceans', 'society/society', 'education/schools', 'education/education', 'uk/uk', 'science/science', 'tone/comment', 'type/article', 'profile/jules-howard', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-11-20T10:00:26Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
business/2008/apr/18/windpower.alternativeenergy | Crown Estate buys turbine prototype | Britannia, along with ruling the waves, is about to make a contribution to the UK's renewable energy programme. The Crown Estate, which owns almost all of the UK's territorial seabed within 12 miles of the coast, has agreed to buy the prototype of the world's largest offshore wind turbine - known as the Britannia project - from the Aim-listed company Clipper Windpower. The 7.5MW turbine will have three times the generating capacity of Clipper's current onshore Liberty turbine, above, with a 100-metre tower and a blade diameter of 150 metres. The Crown Estate, which has a portfolio of urban property, farmland and much of Britain's foreshore and territorial waters worth more than £7bn, said the project would allow it to gain first-hand experience of developing offshore wind technology designed to operate in deep water. The government has said it wants to open up Britain's seabed to offshore windfarms to help the UK meet its targets for renewable energy. "It is widely recognised that offshore wind energy will provide the majority of the required contribution needed to ensure that the UK meets its demanding renewable energy target to supply 15% of our consumed energy from renewable sources by 2020," Rob Hastings, the Crown Estate's director of marine estates said yesterday. The prototype turbine will be assembled and tested at Clipper's centre of excellence for offshore wind at Blyth in the north-east. The Crown Estate also has the right to lease seabed for renewable energy projects on the continental shelf within the renewable energy zone, which extends out by 200 miles. | ['environment/windpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'profile/markmilner', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2008-04-17T23:27:28Z | true | ENERGY |
australia-news/2022/jun/08/breakthrough-gene-discovery-could-help-prevent-disease-affecting-10-of-worlds-crops | Breakthrough gene discovery could help prevent disease affecting 10% of world’s crops | A son of Vietnamese farmers who made a breakthrough as a scholarship student in Australia has released a scientific finding which could help protect a tenth of crops worldwide from disease. Dr Hoan Dinh, AusAID scholar and PhD student at the University of Sydney, found and defined the sequence of a gene responsible for leaf rust resistance in barley. The finding, which was published in the journal Nature Communications last month, will help protect cereal crops such as wheat and barley against fungal rust – a disease that decreases global food production by at least 10%. Dinh, now doing postdoctoral research in Japan, told Guardian Australia he isolated the single gene from a genome of 5 million base pairs. But Dinh is no stranger to painstaking processes. He said the main difference between Australian and Vietnamese agriculture is that in his country of birth, most work is done manually by hand, whereas in Australia more work is carried out by machines. Dinh said witnessing the difficulties farmers faced in the field when he was growing up on his parents’ rice and vegetable farm in rural Vietnam inspired him to study agriculture. Dinh’s PhD supervisor, Prof Robert Park, who is the Judith and David Coffey chair of sustainable agriculture and director of cereal rust research at the University of Sydney, said his student’s “painstaking” work has paid off, discovering a new class of resistance gene in plants generally. Dinh said: “When I first found the gene, I was worried I had done something wrong because it was so unusual. The majority of disease resistance genes belong to a different gene family.” Lee Hickey, an associate professor and the principal research fellow at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Crop Science, said: “it’s quite surprising what they’ve found, and it really shows our limited understanding of resistance genes and which ones are actually going to be durable against these rust pathogens.” But isolating the gene was only the beginning – Dinh’s research subsequently set out “to know how the gene works to help the plants become stronger. And that’s when the story [gets] very interesting.” According to Park, 28 rust resistance genes in barley have been identified worldwide to date, but only four of these have been isolated, three by the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute (Dinh’s finding being the third). The gene that Dinh isolated was known and previously used in Australia to protect barley crops against leaf rust, but was overcome by a new strain of the leaf rust pathogen in 2009 – which Park likens to Covid-19 vaccination resistance changing in the face of new variants like Delta and Omicron. Park said: “Even though the rust fungus had defeated the resistance gene, we wanted to understand how the gene worked, to see if it could be deployed with other genes, or even if its sequence could be altered to be made effective again. “You can see already that the work has a direct application to agriculture. This came about as a problem that emerged in agriculture in Australia.” Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning The significance goes beyond barley as a single crop and provides better insights into how plants defend themselves from pathogens, Park said. The defence against pathogens, he said, is “really, really important, because these pathogens globally reduce food supply from plant production very significantly … we’re talking 20-25%, there have been estimates made, that we lose every year due to pathogens and pests.” Brett Hosking, a barley farmer and the chair of Grain Growers Australia, said it’s not unusual for farmers to lose a portion of their crop each year to rust diseases, most often when the grass is thick, coming out of winter and heading into spring. Rust in wheat and barley costs Australian farmers $350m each year in lost production and fungicides. The other option to prevent rust disease is to spray crops with chemicals, which Park says is not only an environmental problem but also adds to the cost of production, which is passed on to the consumer. Worldwide, about 70% of the barley crop is used as animal fodder, while the remainder is used in brewing and food production, and chemicals used in treating rust could be passed up the food chain. Park said genetics was the cleaner, greener way of controlling pathogens, and the university’s work can take effect thanks to connections with industry. The institute works with all of the major barley breeding companies in Australia before they release their varieties and suggest what breeds they sell to farmers will prove more resistant. Hickey said the insight would help researchers better develop varieties with longer-lasting rust resistance, which in turn would help increase agricultural productivity. “We’ve got some pretty big challenges in the face of climate change, and rapidly evolving pests and pathogens. We’re also under increasing pressure to improve the sustainability of agricultural systems as well.” Park said the war in Ukraine is also disrupting the supply chain which will cause “a huge disruption of wheat production. There’s going to be a huge knock-on effect around the world.” • This article was amended on 8 June 2022 to make clear that Dr Hoan Dinh is now working as a researcher in Japan. An earlier version said he was still a student in Australia. | ['australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/farming', 'australia-news/rural-australia', 'australia-news/australian-universities', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/series/the-rural-network', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'australia-news/series/rural-network', 'profile/natasha-may', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/the-rural-network'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-06-07T17:30:04Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2019/apr/25/death-by-a-thousand-cuts-vast-expanse-rainforest-lost-in-2018 | ‘Death by a thousand cuts’: vast expanse of rainforest lost in 2018 | Millions of hectares of pristine tropical rainforest were destroyed in 2018, according to satellite analysis, with beef, chocolate and palm oil among the main causes. The forests store huge amounts of carbon and are teeming with wildlife, making their protection critical to stopping runaway climate change and halting a sixth mass extinction. But deforestation is still on an upward trend, the researchers said. Although 2018 losses were lower than in 2016 and 2017, when dry conditions led to large fires, last year was the next worst since 2002, when such records began. Clearcutting of primary forest by loggers and cattle ranchers in Brazil dominated the destruction, including invasions into indigenous lands where uncontacted tribes live. Losses were also high in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Indonesia. Indonesia is the only major country where government protections appear to be significantly reducing the losses. Ghana and Ivory Coast recorded the biggest percentage rises in rainforest destruction, driven by gold mining and cocoa farming. “We are nowhere near winning this battle,” said Frances Seymour from the World Resources Institute, part of the Global Forest Watch (GFW) network, which produced the analysis. “It is really tempting to celebrate a second year of decline since peak tree cover loss in 2016 but, if you look back over the last 18 years, it is clear that the overall trend is still upwards.” “The world’s forests are now in the emergency room – it is death by a thousand cuts,” she said. “Band-Aid responses are not enough. For every hectare lost, we are one step closer to the scary scenario of runaway climate change.” There are many government and corporate efforts to combat deforestation, but they are not proving to be enough, Seymour said. The analysis looked at all tree losses in the tropics, but focused on primary forests. These are untouched and store the most carbon and have the highest populations and variety of wildlife. Their destruction is seen as largely irreversible, even over decades. More than 3.6m hectares (8.9m acres) of pristine rainforest was cut down in 2018, according to the data. “Most of the 2018 loss [1.3m hectares] is clearcutting in the Amazon,” said Mikaela Weisse, a GFW manager. “Shockingly we are also seeing some invasions into indigenous lands that have been immune to deforestation for years.” For example, at the Ituna Itata reserve in Brazil there was more than 4,000 hectares of illegal clearing in the first half of 2018, more than double the total loss since 2002. The reserve is home to some of the world’s last remaining uncontacted peoples, who have conserved the forest for centuries. Forest protection is being weakened under Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, who took office in January, but these impacts will only be seen in the data for 2019. In the DRC, primary forest loss was 38% higher in 2018 than the average from 2011-2017. Expansion of small-scale forest clearing for agriculture and firewood is thought to have caused about three-quarters of this loss. The destruction of Indonesia’s pristine forests has been driven by palm oil plantations, but has begun to fall and is at its lowest level since 2003. The government’s policies appear to be working, but 2019 is likely to be a drier year in the country than the last two and fires exacerbated by the draining of land could spike again. “Indonesia is not out of the woods yet,” said Weisse. Forest destruction jumped by 60% in Ghana and 26% in Ivory Coast. “The good news is the cocoa industry has taken steps to combat this trend,” said Caroline Winchester, a GFW research analyst. “In 2017 the cocoa and forests initiative launched to end further deforestation.” However, 70% of tree felling in Ghana and Ivory Coast was in protected areas, she said. Seymour also highlighted the direct human tragedies. “Behind the bars on these charts are heartbreaking losses in real places,” she said. “All too often the loss of an area of forest is also associated with a funeral, because every year hundreds of people are murdered when they try to stop the miners, loggers and ranchers. The moral imperative to act on this story is unquestionable and urgent.” | ['environment/deforestation', 'environment/forests', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/logging-and-land-clearing', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/palm-oil', 'world/brazil', 'world/congo', 'world/indonesia', 'world/ghana', 'world/ivory-coast', 'world/africa', 'world/americas', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-04-25T04:01:39Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2011/jan/17/bp-rosneft-share-swap-oil-business | BP's reputation in the US is torched, so now it's Bolshoi Petroleum | Oil companies, like the media, always need a good "story" to engage investors and lead them to believe the future is bright. The deal that BP signed with Rosneft on Friday was the British oil major's way of trying to move on from the horror story of the US Gulf. The new narrative was wrapped round the idea that the Russian Arctic is an offshore gold mine waiting to be exploited by BP. It has massive reserves but is also a hazardous place to drill with huge financial and environmental costs. That is why the Russians have talked endlessly about its potential but done so little to exploit it. The share swap between BP and Rosneft with the Arctic assets deal is no doubt done to please the Russians. Having a 9% stake in a company 75%-owned by the Kremlin gives BP no control as it knows from its travails with its other big Russian venture, TNK-BP. BP was generally believed to be fed up with Russia. The quick bucks had been made out of TNK-BP with old inefficient oilfields upgraded by the British oil firm's technical expertise. Equally, the climate for foreign investment in Russia was universally believed to have turned for the worst. No surprise then that the US group ConocoPhillips is selling out of its joint venture with Lukoil of Russia. But needs must. BP's reputation has been torched in the US, where it earned 40% of its profits. It fears deals in the Gulf, where it is the biggest operator, will be hard to come by in future. So it must look east and has chosen Russia, from where its new chief executive, Bob Dudley, was forced to flee when he was boss of TNK-BP. The Russians are undoubtedly the main winner in the Rosneft tie-up with BP. The Kremlin does not care too much about BP's rock-bottom reputation with environmentalists. It wants BP's technological prowess – and access to the international financial markets – to try to make its dream of mastering the Arctic come true. Although questions remain over the economics of the Arctic fields, Moscow will be delighted with its "strategic alliance" with BP which shows, it says, how foreign investors are clamouring to do business there. Chris Huhne, UK energy and climate change secretary, has given his blessing to the corporate tie-up, talking cheerfully about the good relations between the two countries. Few others realised that things were so cordial, especially in the wake of former Yukos boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky being imprisoned for another six years in Siberia – Khodorkovsky had his Yukos assets taken back by the Kremlin and transferred to Rosneft. In the past British governments shuddered at the idea that Gazprom might buy British Gas's parent company, Centrica. Perhaps Huhne is ready to wave through that kind of merger in future, too. Meanwhile, some Americans are splitting blood that a company such as BP, with such huge holdings in their country, might get into bed with Moscow. The oil major will not want such a reaction to become widespread in Washington and risk its business there. BP was once criticised for being too close to the last Labour government and is now under fire for being too close to the Kremlin. So it's no longer Blair Petroleum or even Beyond Petroleum but – as a US senator has claimed – Bolshoi Petroleum. And Moscow has been changeable in its enthusiasm for foreign companies over time, sometimes putting pressure on them to hand over assets or control, as Dudley found out with TNK-BP. From Tolstoy to Dostoevsky to Chekhov, if anyone can tell a good story it's the Russians. But is this the start of a fairy tale and a new beginning for BP, or a dark tragedy? | ['business/bp', 'business/oil', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'business/energy-industry', 'business/business', 'world/russia', 'world/world', 'world/arctic', 'environment/oil', 'environment/environment', 'business/bob-dudley', 'tone/analysis', 'world/europe-news', 'world/south-and-central-asia', 'business/conocophillips', 'type/article', 'profile/terrymacalister', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2011-01-17T06:59:01Z | true | ENERGY |
business/2019/oct/31/adani-deadline-for-185m-water-licence-payment-pushed-back-until-mid-2021 | Adani deadline for $18.5m water licence payment pushed back until mid-2021 | Adani has sought to delay significant upfront expenses for its Carmichael coalmine by another two years, raising questions about the company’s claims its Indian parent has allocated the required finance. Guardian Australia can reveal Adani was granted a reissued water licence to take up to 12.5bn litres a year from the Suttor River by the Queensland government on 29 May. The deadline for the $18.5m outstanding payment has now been pushed back until mid-2021. The company had previously been given a year’s extension beyond the initial July 2018 payment deadline. Adani’s own water modelling shows it requires 3.35bn litres of water during the first year of construction. Adani says the reason for the delay is because the company is working through the implications of “legal challenges by activist groups” to its water scheme, and will pay when those matters are finalised. The company has also recently sought and been granted approval by the federal government for a two-year extension to the deadline to legally acquire properties to be used as environmental offsets for the western portion of its rail corridor. Adani will have to negotiate with landholders and pay compensation to secure the offset areas. Since announcing it had secured finance from within the Adani group to build a scaled-down version of the Carmichael mine in November 2018, Adani’s Australian operation aggressively sought to pressure governments to sign off on outstanding environmental approvals. The campaign included messaging that “we have finance” and “we’re ready to start” and linked the push for environmental approvals to the immediate provision of jobs. Since gaining those approvals, Adani says it has agreed $450m worth of contracts and has 150 workers on site conducting land clearing, surveying, fencing works, civil earthworks and other construction activities. Financial market sentiment appears to be improving towards Adani’s Australian operations, with bonds in the Abbot Point coal terminal increasing 15% in the past month. In a statement, Adani said Carmichael was proceeding in line with its schedule and cost estimates and that “minor variations are a matter of course on major mining projects”. “Works will continue to ramp up over the coming weeks and months and we are on track to deliver our first coal in 2021.” But satellite images show little physical progress has been made since the notional start of construction in June. Analysis of those images shows the company has cleared about 365 hectares (900 acres) of land at the 28,000 hectare mine site. Guardian Australia understands many of the workers on site are employed by external contractors under short-term agreements. The energy finance expert Tim Buckley says any notional finance allocated by the Adani group to the Carmichael project was still “sitting in India”. “The fact they don’t have $18.5m [to pay for the water licence] is pretty telling,” Buckley said. “In the scheme of the Adani group’s business that’s small change. “[Adani chairman and founder] Gautam Adani has got the cash to build Carmichael and pay for things, let’s not pretend he doesn’t. The money is there now, but it’s sitting in India. By definition, the finance hasn’t come yet.” Buckley says projects with secure finance were typically then able to spend the money without restriction. “When a project gets finance, you’re off to the races. You don’t say you’re going to build a quarter of a railway line.” He said Adani’s attempts to progress the Carmichael mine were “debt on debt on debt” and that was a good indication the Indian parent had at least some hesitation about the project, given the risks that remain from environmental activism, the diving price of thermal coal and additional regulatory hurdles, such as negotiating access to the Aurizon rail network. Guardian Australia has spoken to contractors who previously discussed working with Adani, and who said the company had proposed an unusual sort of “vendor finance” arrangement that would effectively delay payments for work by up to two-and-a-half years, until after the mine was operational. Adani Mining’s negative balance sheet and the groups’s lack of assets in Australia, other than the heavily in debt Abbot Point port, have raised concerns about its ability to offer security to contractors and others. The state government requires financial assurance to cover a potential royalties deferral deal, which is still under negotiation. The Lock the Gate Alliance said the extension for the water licence payment was “further evidence that Adani is in no way financially prepared to put its money where its mouth is”. The Lock the Gate coordinator, Carmel Flint, said the water licence conditions contained a trigger for the Queensland government to cancel it, should payment not be made by the due date. “It’s very unfortunate the Queensland government didn’t take the opportunity to cancel this licence and reassess the water impacts on the graziers and waterways in Central Queensland,” Flint said. The Australian Conservation Foundation says it is concerned about allowing a further delay in securing offset areas, which would provide habitat for native species including the black-throated finch. Christian Slattery from the ACF said offsets were inadequate, but that the variation to Adani’s conditions further weakened the protection for those species. “This decision means delayed protection for threatened species like the black-throated finch, which Adani’s coalmine places at further risk of extinction. “Adani’s coalmine will never have a social licence to operate in Australia. Any company that shackles itself to this project risks a permanent mark against its reputation and must be prepared for the financial consequences that will follow,” Slattery said. In its statement, Adani said that “all activities are being conducted safely and in line with Adani Mining’s environmental requirements, including having wildlife spotters on site monitoring all construction activity”. | ['business/adani-group', 'australia-news/queensland', 'environment/carmichael-coalmine', 'world/india', 'environment/water', 'australia-news/business-australia', 'business/mining', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'environment/coal', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/ben-smee', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/coal | ENERGY | 2019-10-31T08:29:41Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2015/jun/19/ferrero-accused-nutella-youre-really-spoiling-us | You're really spoiling us: has Ferrero been wrongly accused over Nutella? | It is not often that government ministers urge their citizens to boycott a specific product. But that is just what the French environment minister Ségolène Royal did with Nutella this week – claiming that the palm oil it is made from contributes to deforestation and does “considerable damage” to the environment. Cue irritation from the Italian company Ferrero that makes the chocolatey spread and a backlash from Royal’s opposite number in Italy. Industry observers including Greenpeace and WWF also leapt to the defence of the company, pointing out that it has in fact led the industry in cleaning up its act and goes much further than most competitors on responsible sourcing of palm oil. The company has met its commitments to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the voluntary mechanism for controlling the practices of the industry, a year ahead of time. This means it can trace 100% of its palm oil from RSPO registered oil mills. Royal was flagging up a real issue but chose the wrong company to put in the stocks. “Ségolène Royal opened her mouth but didn’t engage her brain,” said Scott Poynton, founder of the Forest Trust, an NGO that works closely with Ferrero and other companies on their palm oil supply chain. “It’s a shame that she chose Nutella. Ferrero are the leaders. If all the companies in the palm oil industry operated like Fererro, the palm oil industry would not have the reputation that it does.” Following the counter-blast Royal tweeted to offer “one thousand apologies” and said she would “flag up the progress” the company had made. But the row has served to highlight the link between palm oil and deforestation and the less-than-perfect efforts by the industry to clean up its act. The RSPO is the key measure of progress for much of the industry. According to Duncan Brack, a researcher at the Chatham House thinktank, around 60% of the global trade is conducted by companies who either operate within its standards or have indicated plans to fall into line by 2020. But many believe the standard set by the RSPO is too weak and, against this yardstick, progress amounts to going nowhere fast. At the beginning of June a host of US corporations, including Walmart and Starbucks, called on the RSPO to toughen up its standards. The roundtable’s coverage of the industry is impressive, said Brack. But “in terms of the robustness of the system itself, clearly it could be better”. “I’m not a great fan of the RSPO,” said Poynton. “Ten years ago people sat around a table and came up with the lowest common denominator standard. That’s rubbish.” Marcus Colchester, a senior policy adviser for the Forest Peoples Programme, said the issue was with ensuring that voluntary commitments to the RSPO were followed. “We are trying to make this mechanism work but we’re not happy that it is working yet. There’s a lot of work to be done to ensure compliance.” One problem with the RSPO is that its mills are not the source of deforestation. This happens in the plantations that supply the mills. The RSPO does not require mills to trace every palm fruit back to its source. “Ferrero’s responsibility does not stop at certification,” said a spokesperson for the company, which has gone beyond the RSPO and developed its own palm oil charter. According to Poynton, Ferrero now traces 98% of its palm oil right back to the plantation. It is the first company to go this far. But Ferrero does not buy its palm oil direct from these plantations. And while its own supply chain might be in order, their business can still indirectly support bad practice. Corporate middlemen govern much of this vast trade. Colchester said the RSPO had not succeeded in stopping human rights abuses across the supply chain. “The RSPO standard is meant to stop land grabbing, unfortunately RSPO members are still taking land without the consent of communities,” he said. Like most buyers, Ferrero keeps its suppliers secret. “They are not able to say that the companies they are taking product from are yet fully compliant,” said Colchester. These suppliers still had “a long way to go” before they could be considered sustainable and ethical, he said. | ['environment/palm-oil', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'environment/forests', 'world/france', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tone/blog', 'profile/karl-mathiesen'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-06-19T10:28:49Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2024/mar/25/climate-conscious-investors-put-nuclear-dead-last-on-list-of-desirable-australian-ventures | Climate-conscious investors put nuclear dead last on list of desirable Australian ventures | Nuclear energy ranks last on the list of climate technologies that big institutional investors want exposure to, according to a survey of climate conscious investors with $37tn under management. Fewer than one in 10 investors were exploring new investments in nuclear technology in the survey of the Investor Group on Climate Change, whose 100 members include super funds and asset managers looking after the funds of 15 million Australians. The survey found a rebound in confidence in Australia’s climate policy but a growing appetite for clear timelines for the phase-out of coal, oil and gas. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup The opposition, led by Peter Dutton, plans to propose locating nuclear power plants on the site of retiring coal power plants, claiming that this would save having to build new transmission infrastructure for renewables. But the plan has been widely panned. The energy department has estimated it would cost $387bn to go nuclear, and Dutton faces opposition from his own state colleagues. Australia’s big private electricity generators have dismissed nuclear energy as a viable source of power for their customers for at least another decade, and likely more. In the yearly survey by the Investor Group on Climate Change investors were asked which energy and climate solutions they believed had good long-term returns. Nuclear energy was ranked last of 14 possible responses, along with sustainable oceans. “This is due to nuclear energy’s very high cost, and the lack of maturity and deployment in next generation technologies,” a policy brief on the survey said, citing the CSIRO’s gencost report. The five most popular options were: renewable energy (backed by 47% of respondents); nature solutions, including biodiversity or nature capital (34%); energy storage (32%); low carbon transport (32%); and industry/materials, including critical minerals (32%). In 2021 about 70% of investors cited policy and regulatory uncertainty as a barrier to investing in climate solutions, a figure that dropped to 40% in the 2023 data released on Monday. Asked to nominate the policies they wanted the government to prioritise, most investors (56%) called for sector-by-sector decarbonisation plans to keep global heating under the 1.5C threshold. There was also majority support for improved carbon pricing through the safeguard mechanism (54%), funding support for new technology (53%), and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies (51%). The policy brief said “emerging priorities” included mandatory climate-related disclosures, timelines for the phase-out of coal, oil and gas, and clear policies to build resilience and adapt to the physical damages of climate change. Erwin Jackson, Investor Group on Climate Change’s managing director of policy, said: “Investors have given the government a pretty good report card. “They’re also sending the message that credible, investible and durable policy frameworks put in place today will support strong investor and beneficiary returns into the future, enhance Australia’s economic competitiveness, and help attract international capital. “We must have a fair and fast transition to net zero emissions, but we must also adapt. “Investors look forward to working with governments on initiatives that can incentivise and remove barriers for private sector investment in adaptation across the economy.” In the 2023 budget the Albanese government gave $2bn to help establish Australia’s hydrogen industry and a further $1bn for households. In February Anthony Albanese raised expectations of another major energy package in this year’s budget, telling the Hunter Nexus dinner that Australia “must be prepared to think big” to help regions diversify their economies and achieve the energy transition. Albanese said that “every nation needs to decarbonise and electrify” and this was “a race that Australia can win”. “No nation is better placed than Australia to achieve this transition here at home – and power it in the world,” he said. “This is a task that traverses far more than energy policy, or industry policy. “This is a whole-of-nation opportunity and it demands a whole-of-economy approach.” | ['australia-news/energy-australia', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'campaign/email/afternoon-update', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'business/investing', 'australia-news/business-australia', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/anthony-albanese', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/paul-karp', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-politics'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2024-03-24T14:00:10Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2012/dec/10/on-12th-day-christmas-present-junk | On the 12th day of Christmas ... your gift will just be junk | George Monbiot | There's nothing they need, nothing they don't own already, nothing they even want. So you buy them a solar-powered waving queen; a belly-button brush; a silver-plated ice cream tub-holder; a "hilarious" inflatable Zimmer frame; a confection of plastic and electronics called Terry the Swearing Turtle; or – and somehow I find this significant – a Scratch Off World Map. They seem amusing on the first day of Christmas, daft on the second, embarrassing on the third. By the twelfth they're in landfill. For 30 seconds of dubious entertainment, or a hedonic stimulus that lasts no longer than a nicotine hit, we commission the use of materials whose impacts will ramify for generations. Researching her film The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard discovered that, of the materials flowing through the consumer economy, only 1% remain in use six months after sale. Even the goods we might have expected to hold on to are soon condemned to destruction through either planned obsolescence (wearing out or breaking quickly) or perceived obsolesence (becoming unfashionable). But many of the products we buy, especially for Christmas, cannot become obsolescent. The term implies a loss of utility, but they had no utility in the first place. An electronic drum-machine T-shirt; a Darth Vader talking piggy bank; an ear-shaped iPhone case; an individual beer can chiller; an electronic wine breather; a sonic screwdriver remote control; bacon toothpaste; a dancing dog. No one is expected to use them, or even look at them, after Christmas day. They are designed to elicit thanks, perhaps a snigger or two, and then be thrown away. The fatuity of the products is matched by the profundity of the impacts. Rare materials, complex electronics, the energy needed for manufacture and transport are extracted and refined and combined into compounds of utter pointlessness. When you take account of the fossil fuels whose use we commission in other countries, manufacturing and consumption are responsible for more than half of our carbon dioxide production. We are screwing the planet to make solar-powered bath thermometers and desktop crazy golfers. People in eastern Congo are massacred to facilitate smartphone upgrades of ever diminishing marginal utility. Forests are felled to make "personalised heart-shaped wooden cheese board sets". Rivers are poisoned to manufacture talking fish. This is pathological consumption: a world-consuming epidemic of collective madness, rendered so normal by advertising and by the media that we scarcely notice what has happened to us. In 2007, the journalist Adam Welz records, 13 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa. This year, so far, 585 have been shot. No one is entirely sure why. But one answer is that very rich people in Vietnam are now sprinkling ground rhino horn on their food, or snorting it like cocaine to display their wealth. It's grotesque, but it scarcely differs from what almost everyone in industrialised nations is doing: trashing the living world through pointless consumption. This boom has not happened by accident. Our lives have been corralled and shaped in order to encourage it. World trade rules force countries to participate in the festival of junk. Governments cut taxes, deregulate business, manipulate interest rates to stimulate spending. But seldom do the engineers of these policies stop and ask, "spending on what?" When every conceivable want and need has been met (among those who have disposable money), growth depends on selling the utterly useless. The solemnity of the state, its might and majesty, are harnessed to the task of delivering Terry the Swearing Turtle to our doors. Grown men and women devote their lives to manufacturing and marketing this rubbish, and dissing the idea of living without it. "I always knit my gifts," says a woman in a TV ad for an electronics outlet. "Well you shouldn't," replies the narrator. An ad for a Google tablet shows a father and son camping in the woods. Their enjoyment depends on the Nexus 7's special features. The best things in life are free, but we've found a way of selling them to you. The growth of inequality that has accompanied the consumer boom ensures that the rising economic tide no longer lifts all boats. In the US in 2010, a remarkable 93% of the growth in incomes accrued to the top 1% of the population. The old excuse, that we must trash the planet to help the poor, simply does not wash. For a few decades of extra enrichment for those who already possess more money than they know how to spend, the prospects of everyone else who will live on this Earth are diminished. So effectively have governments, the media and advertisers associated consumption with prosperity and happiness that to say these things is to expose yourself to opprobrium and ridicule. Witness last week's edition of Radio 4's The Moral Maze, in which most of the panel lined up to decry the idea of consuming less, and to associate it somehow with authoritarianism. When the world goes mad, those who resist are denounced as lunatics. Bake them a cake, write them a poem, give them a kiss, tell them a joke, but for God's sake stop trashing the planet to tell someone you care. All it shows is that you don't. Twitter: @georgemonbiot • A fully referenced version of this article can be found at monbiot.com | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'lifeandstyle/christmas', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'environment/mining', 'environment/environment', 'lifeandstyle/toys', 'media/media', 'media/advertising', 'tone/comment', 'type/article', 'profile/georgemonbiot', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/commentanddebate'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2012-12-10T20:30:00Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2020/jan/14/driving-city-clean-air-zones-birmingham | Driving into a city should become as antisocial as smoking | Gaby Hinsliff | Imagine a capital city where nobody has to die on the roads. It may sound almost impossible, but last year not a single pedestrian, cyclist or child lost their life on the streets of Norway’s capital, Oslo; the only fatality recorded was a motorist crashing into a fence. (By comparison 12 people were killed in Bristol, a city slightly smaller than Oslo, in 2017 – and over half of them were pedestrians or cyclists.) The catch? The lives saved in Norway seem to have been a byproduct of a bigger plan to become a carbon-neutral city that would probably spark a mutiny if you tried it here. Oslo has closed some streets to traffic entirely, removed parking spaces across the city to deter drivers, introduced measures to stop parents doing the school run by car and reduced speed limits. There’s plentiful public transport and lots of bike lanes but the bottom line is, as Oslo’s mayor says, that while cities will always have traffic, “the drivers should act as guests”. And not very welcome guests, by the sound of it. Something like this would probably be the future for British cities, if we were serious about dealing with the air pollution filling urban children’s lungs, as well as tackling the climate crisis. This week, Birmingham announced proposals to stop people driving across the city centre, amid research suggesting that illegal levels of air pollution may be shortening the lives of children growing up in the city by up to half a year. Cars will be allowed into a new clean-air zone, but not through it to reach other parts of the city, forcing them out around the ring road, or otherwise encouraging drivers on to the bus. It’s following in the footsteps of other cities, including Bristol, which unveiled proposals last autumn to ban diesel cars from parts of the city in daytime, and Oxford, which this week published plans for a zero-emission zone in the centre with a £10 charge for non-compliant vehicles. Suddenly you can imagine a time when driving into a smog-laden city, in all but the greenest cars and for all but the most essential journeys, will feel as antisocial as smoking on the bus. But there’s bound to be a backlash, as there was in Oslo initially, and sometimes for reasons that aren’t so easy to dismiss. In Bristol there have been awkward questions about whether a ban would be fair on sick and frail people trying to reach hospitals inside the zone. Keeping polluting cars out of town, but letting drivers of new electric ones go where they like, meanwhile, hurts poorer families who can’t afford to replace their old car. It would be wholly unfair for ministers either to sit back and let local councils bear the brunt of motorists’ anger over all of this when they’re responding to national imperatives (Birmingham is one of five cities asked by central government to introduce clean air zones after a court ruling that Britain was breaching EU air pollution limits) or to expect this to work without serious improvements to public transport. We’re overdue an honest national conversation about how to do this fairly – and national politicians should summon the nerve to lead it from the front. Nobody drives in a city for the thrill of the open road, to put it mildly. There’s nothing fun about stewing in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and while sometimes drivers do it out of laziness, more often it’s just because it works; because it would be lovely if everyone cycled Nordic-style to school with the kids, stopping en route for cinnamon rolls and neighbourly conversation, but sometimes life isn’t like that. Sometimes stuffing the children into the car is the only way to manage school and nursery runs in two different directions, plus getting to work on time, plus grabbing a supermarket shop on the way home – because too many Britons live frantic lives with no slack in the day and dismal public transport options. If you want people to drive less then you have to organise society in a way that makes that bearable, and that’s ultimately a job for central governments. It’s time national politicians stopped being backseat drivers here, and took the wheel. • Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'politics/transport', 'tone/comment', 'uk/transport', 'uk/uk', 'politics/politics', 'cities/cities', 'environment/air-pollution', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'profile/gabyhinsliff', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-01-14T14:21:35Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
us-news/article/2024/jul/26/plane-missing-oregon-wildfire | Missing air tanker plane fighting Oregon ‘mega-fire’ found, officials say | A single-pilot tanker plane that disappeared in eastern Oregon while fighting the Falls fire has been found, authorities said on Friday. The pilot who was on board the aircraft is dead, officials confirmed. A Grant county search and rescue team located the aircraft on Friday morning and confirmed the death, said Lisa Clark, a Bureau of Land Management information officer for the Falls fire. The single-engine tanker, a small and nimble plane that looks like a crop duster, was located in steep, forested terrain on Friday morning after the search was suspended at nightfall the day before, Clark said. The plane – used to deliver gallons of fire retardant or water – had been contracted by the US Bureau of Land Management to aid firefighters near the town of Seneca, on the edge of the Malheur national forest. Thomas Kyle-Milward, spokesperson for Northwest Incident Management Team 8, said authorities received a report of a missing aircraft at around 6.53pm on Thursday. The pilot was the only person on board and had been assisting on a lightning start. The nearly 142,000-acre Falls fire, which began more than two weeks ago and has more than 1,500 firefighters on its lines, is one of several “mega-fires” over 100,000 acres being battled across Oregon. It is currently about 55% contained. The Oregon senator Ron Wyden tweeted on Friday morning: “The dangers of fighting fires are constant and this developing news story from eastern Oregon is a painful reminder of that fact.” The news comes as several wildfires are raging across western states – including in Oregon, California and Idaho. More than 1,500 sq miles (3,900 sq km) have burned so far this summer in the US Pacific north-west, and more wildfires have spread in western Canada. Oregon still has the biggest active blaze in the United States, the Durkee fire, which has combined with the Cow fire to burn nearly 630 sq miles (1,630 sq km). It remains unpredictable and was only 20% contained on Friday, according to the government website InciWeb. | ['us-news/oregon', 'world/wildfires', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'us-news/west-coast', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/cecilia-nowell', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-07-26T19:31:47Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
tv-and-radio/2023/mar/02/in-the-pacific-review-the-bombing-of-the-rainbow-warrior-boat-makes-for-thrilling-urgent-tv | Murder in the Pacific review – the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior boat makes for thrilling, urgent TV | In 1985, the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship involved in protests against nuclear testing in the Pacific, sank when it was docked in Auckland, New Zealand. Police and even some crew members initially suspected that something had gone wrong with the boat, but it soon became clear that this was no accident. Over three parts, the gripping Murder in the Pacific tells the story of what happened that night, and what came next. “We’d never had a case like that,” says detective Chris Martin, who was 25 when he received the call to work on the investigation. Despite much of the story taking place almost 40 years ago, this tangled tale of nuclear weapons, geopolitical coverups and attempts to take action against impending environmental collapse is about as current as it is possible to get. With the Doomsday Clock moving closer to midnight, the idea of watching politicians argue that nuclear weapons act as a peacekeeping deterrent may be galling. But alongside the tragedy, both individual and on an international scale, this is a fascinating, pacy history with all the markings of a thriller. It begins by setting up the world of Greenpeace in the 80s and describing its anti-nuclear mission. Bunny McDiarmid was a deck hand who joined Greenpeace while travelling around the US in her 20s. She describes how boats each have a personality, right down to the smells. “She was a really lovely ship,” she remembers of the Rainbow Warrior. Peter Willcox was the skipper. “You couldn’t find a better boat to send a bunch of crazy hippies out on the ocean,” he recalls. Both describe the legacy of decades of nuclear testing in the Pacific, by the Americans and later the French. There is surely some deliberate ambiguity to the documentary title, which refers to the death of the photographer Fernando Pereira on the ship, but arguably to those gravely affected by radioactive contamination in the region, too. Willcox and McDiarmid discuss their role in moving islanders, whose ancestral land on the coral atoll of Rongelap was contaminated by nuclear fallout, to another atoll, after years of suffering from the effects of US nuclear testing. Greenpeace agreed to move, and publicise the plight of, 350 people, along with their housing. “That’s a huge operation,” says Willcox, with some understatement. Pereira was there to photograph it and tell the world what was going on. Director Chloe Campbell has marshalled many of the key players in this saga. As well as those on the Rainbow Warrior, and the police investigating the attack on the ship, there are politicians who present other layers to the story. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, then a Foreign Office minister, argues that Greenpeace’s action could have benefited the Kremlin, suggesting that there could have been a Soviet stooge involved, though he does not know who. Pierre Joxe, the French minister of the interior, argues that nuclear weapons are good for peace. (This feels like a less steady-handed assertion today, as the conflict in Ukraine grinds on.) Lord Heseltine, secretary of state for defence at the time, talks of the “essential” nature of nuclear deterrents back then, due to threats from the USSR. He says that while there was some agreement that Greenpeace had legitimate concerns, its tactics were less palatable to those in power. After Rongelap, these tactics went up another level. According to McDiarmid, the activists’ plan was to stop France testing in French Polynesia by turning themselves into a human shield. They would go into territorial waters, without permission, and get so close to the testing site that the French wouldn’t dare drop bombs, all the while taking photographs of what was going on. This was a military site, but the activists were optimistic, holding a party on the Rainbow Warrior, certain they were ready to “go out and change the world”. History had other ideas. On the night of the party, the ship was rocked by two explosions and Willcox describes watching from the dock as the boat sank, in 40 seconds. This is the first episode of three, and it races through the lead-up to the attack, and the immediate aftermath. It ends on a cliffhanger, which is quite a feat in a film about relatively recent history that many will remember. But this is a very well-made series that taps into historical fears as well as present-day ones, and whenever documentaries are made about eco-activists in an earlier time, you can’t help but feel despair at the fact that these people were ringing the alarm when we were a little less close to the point of no return. Murder in the Pacific was shown on BBC Two and is now on iPlayer | ['tv-and-radio/series/tv-review', 'culture/television', 'tv-and-radio/tv-and-radio', 'culture/culture', 'campaign/email/whats-on', 'tv-and-radio/documentary', 'environment/greenpeace', 'type/article', 'tone/reviews', 'profile/rebeccanicholson', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-culture', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-g2-production'] | environment/greenpeace | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2023-03-02T21:45:13Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2017/mar/06/pollution-quarter-of-deaths-of-young-children-who | Pollution responsible for quarter of deaths of young children, says WHO | Pollution is responsible for one in four deaths among all children under five, according to new World Health Organisation reports, with toxic air, unsafe water, and and lack of sanitation the leading causes. The reports found polluted environments cause the deaths of 1.7 million children every year, but that many of the deaths could be prevented by interventions already known to work, such as providing cleaner cooking fuels to prevent indoor air pollution. “A polluted environment is a deadly one, particularly for young children,” said Dr Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO. “Their developing organs and immune systems – and smaller bodies and airways – make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water.” The harm from air pollution can begin in the womb and increase the risk of premature birth. After birth, air pollution raises the risk of pneumonia, a major cause of death for under fives, and of lifelong lung conditions such as asthma. It may also increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer in later life. The reports present a comprehensive review of the effect of unhealthy environments and found that 570,000 children under five years old die each year from respiratory infections such as pneumonia, while another 361,000 die due to diarrhoea, as a result of polluted water and poor access to sanitation. The WHO estimates that 11% to 14% of children aged five years and older currently report asthma symptoms, with almost half of these cases related to air pollution. It also suggests that the warmer temperatures and carbon dioxide levels linked to climate change may increase pollen levels, making asthma worse. “Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health will result in massive health benefits,” said Dr Maria Neira, WHO director of environmental and social determinants of health. For example, tackling the backyard recycling of electrical waste would cut children’s exposure to toxins which can cause reduced intelligence and cancer. In October, the UN’s children’s agency Unicef made the first global estimate of children’s exposure to air pollution and found that almost 90% – 2 billion children – live in places where outdoor air pollution exceeds WHO limits. It found that 300 million of these children live in areas with extreme air pollution, where toxic fumes are more than six times above the health guidelines. The WHO announced in May that air pollution around the world is rising at an alarming rate, with virtually all cities in poorer nations blighted by unhealthy air and more than half of those in richer countries also suffering. Research in 2015 revealed that more than 3 million people a year die early because of outdoor air pollution, more than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. Chan told the BBC on Monday that air pollution is “one of the most pernicious threats” facing global public health today and is on a much bigger scale than HIV or Ebola. | ['environment/pollution', 'world/world-health-organization', 'environment/environment', 'society/health', 'society/society', 'world/world', 'society/children', 'global-development/sanitation', 'global-development/global-development', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'environment/air-pollution', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-03-07T11:43:37Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
travel/2021/jan/19/cumbria-new-carbon-neutral-plan-travel-tourism-lake-district | Sustainable tourism key to Cumbria’s new carbon neutral plan | Across Cumbria local communities, businesses and grassroots organisations are being mobilised to map out ways that they hope will help it become the UK’s first carbon-neutral county. The county is aiming to decarbonise by 2037, an ambition initially supported by £2.5m of national lottery funding, awarded last August and to be drip-fed over five years starting this month. Tourism will be an area of focus, alongside housing, transport and agriculture. “The national lottery funding is an injection of adrenaline at the beginning of a long journey,” said Karen Mitchell, CEO of Cumbria Action for Sustainability (Cafs). The funding was secured by the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership, which was set up by Cafs in 2019 with the help of the county council. The partnership has 68 members tasked with leading the drive to cut emissions, including the Lake District national park authority. The UK government has a legal commitment to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, but last month announced an additional target of reducing carbon emissions by 68% by the end of this decade. Last November, UK water companies launched a sector-wide commitment to achieving net zero by 2030, and a handful of cities, including Bristol, Glasgow and Leeds, have also committed to becoming carbon neutral by that date. “We’re not excluding being able to do it earlier,” said Cafs’ Mitchell. “This is a climate emergency and we should be throwing everything at it.” Achieving decarbonisation poses challenges for a county that in 2019 was visited by 48 million people. Visitors contribute £3.13bn to Cumbria’s economy and support 65,500 jobs. Tourism’s impact on its carbon footprint is largely linked to transport. In February 2020, the partnership commissioned A Carbon Baseline for Cumbria, which was produced by Professor Mike Berners-Lee, an expert in carbon footprinting – who also happens to live in Kendal. The report found that the driving emissions of visitors to Cumbria are three times the UK average; their emissions from eating out and recreational activities are also higher than residents’. They account for 49% of Cumbria’s consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions, although 36% of those emissions come from travelling to and from Cumbria. “Tourism does create significant challenges [to decarbonising], but it’s a huge part of the local economy,” said Chris Hodgson, owner of Haven Cottage B&B in Ambleside, which is now working towards gold certification with the Green Tourism accreditation body. He believes becoming carbon neutral will offer new opportunities for local tourism, but also that it shouldn’t have to mean reducing visitor numbers. “You just have to find ways for people to visit in a more sustainable fashion,” he said. This could mean increasing the public transport options, the number of bike hire locations and cycleways, and looking at pedestrianisation. Hodgson is a member of the Ambleside to Zero action group, which is working with Cafs on some of these challenges. The Lake District national park authority is about to release a new management plan that will tackle transport, one of the biggest causes of emissions in the world heritage site. As well as emphasising the public transport options available within the park, it will promote active travel days that can be undertaken without a car. “Three quarters of visitors already go for a walk while they’re here,” said Emma Moody, sustainable transport adviser for the national park authority. “It’s about getting them to do it more, and also to get them to think about walking from the door of where they’re staying rather than feeling they have to jump in the car every morning.” In essence, it’s about persuading visitors to experience Wordsworth country in the same way the poet would have. Electric vehicle charging points and electric buses are also on the agenda. The national park has already installed charging points in many of its car parks, and is working with Cafs and other partners to map demand hotspots and the potential volume required to cater for visitors in the future. Electric buses are a more complicated challenge, according to Moody, as the technology required to be able to do the types of journeys needed in the Lake District isn’t in place. The region has many power-draining hills and relatively long distances between charging points. A low-carbon food programme is another area where the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership hopes to get tourists on board. Restaurants will be encouraged to decarbonise their food menus by lowering food miles, while also showing the impact of food choices by highlighting the carbon footprint of each item listed on the menu. The concept has been road-tested by the National Trust-run Sticklebarn pub in Langdale, which in 2019 was one of the first in the UK to list carbon calculations against its dishes. Some of the £2.5m funding will go towards setting up a “grow local, eat local” scheme, by encouraging Cumbria’s livestock farmers to set aside land to grow fruit, vegetables and cereals. At the moment, local agriculture is geared towards lamb and dairy, according to Cafs, which leaves huge gaps for decarbonising restaurants. “We will need every business and home in Cumbria to get on board with the net zero ambitions,” said Jonathan Kaye of Cedar Manor in Windermere, one of Cumbria’s leading eco-hotels, which already holds Green Tourism gold accreditation. “It’s taken us more than 12 years to get to where we are, and we are nowhere near carbon neutral,” he said. “The plans are not too ambitious, they are essential, but it will take time and money to get there, and there is no point starting in 2035. Let’s be totally honest – we need to get on with this now.” | ['travel/green', 'travel/uk', 'travel/travel', 'uk-news/cumbria', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'fashion/sustainable-fashion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-travel'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2021-01-19T06:30:49Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2013/dec/16/natural-england-andrew-sells-access | Natural England chair re-establishes public path on his Wiltshire farm | The major Conservative party donor chosen to chair Natural England, which is charged with promoting access to countryside, has been drawn into a row over the public paths on his own Wiltshire farm. One path running through the tennis court of Andrew Sells's farm was unmarked, while another was blocked by fences, until a few days ago. Andrew Sells, an investment banker and venture capitalist who describes his donations as "serious money", was approved on Friday by MPs to lead the nation's statutory adviser to government on the natural environment. Sells, who has lived on the farm for 22 years, told the Guardian he had been unaware that one of the paths on his land had not followed the official route. "I looked into this as a matter of urgency and have now re-established the route of the official footpath. A Rights of Way officer has confirmed on Friday that the footpaths are open, accessible and correctly marked. Walkers are very welcome to use them." Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society who walked the paths on Sells's farm immediately before and after the changes, said: "Mr Sells has scrambled to get his paths in order in double-quick time. Since telling MPs last Wednesday it would be 'a very great concern' if he had obstructed paths on his land he has removed three chunks of fencing which were blocking one path." But Ashbrook said the new waymarking of the paths was "scanty" and placed on top of posts, rather than on the side where they can be seen by walkers from a distance. The waymark by the tennis court was "barely visible", she added. While local authorities are responsible for waymarks on rights of way, Ashbrook said: "Since Natural England has a statutory purpose of 'promoting access to the countryside and open spaces and encouraging open-air recreation', one would expect the access provision on land belonging to the chairman to be exemplary." In 2008, the footpath secretary of the local Ramblers group highlighted footpath obstructions, lack of signposts, a broken stile and an apparent unofficial diversion on the farm. Sells said: "As far as I can recall this has never been raised with me by Rights of Way officers in the 22 years I have lived here. I am grateful this was brought to my attention." The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said Sells was selected "following a rigorous selection process chaired by an independent assessor". During the session with MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs select (Efra) committee to scrutinise his appointment, Sells said he had given about £140,000 to the Conservative party over the last five years, which he said was "serious money but does not put me in the Lord Ashcroft league". He said he would not give further donations to any political party and was stepping down as a trustee of the right-of-centre thinktank Policy Exchange. Sells told the MPs: "I am an accountant and have spent years in finance, but as a boy I worked on a farm in East Anglia." He added: "I am passionate about the countryside." The committee chair, Anne McIntosh, asked Sells: "[Chairing Natural England] is quite different to the work you have done before, which I could call high finance. What makes you think you are suitable for the post?" Sells replied: "A year ago I took a job part-time at the Department of Work and Pensions that was very different to anything I had done before. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed working in a topic I knew nothing about at that stage." On Friday, the MPs report concluded: "We are satisfied Andrew Sells has the professional competence and personal independence required for the post of chairman of Natural England. We wish Mr Sells every success in his new post." Sells was until recently chair of the Garden Centre Group and has also chaired the property developer Linden Homes. The Defra statement said he "has planted thousands of young trees and created acres of wildlife habitat where none existed before" at his farm. | ['environment/natural-england', 'environment/green-politics', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'travel/walkingholidays', 'travel/travel', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2013-12-16T15:49:05Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2014/dec/28/flood-memories-haunt-residents-sunbury-stormy-winter | Flood memories continue to haunt residents as stormy winter takes hold | “The surreal thing was watching the swan swim up to my window,” says June King. In early February, her home was flooded. It turned the life of the self-confessed home-bird upside down, ruining her possessions and forcing nine months away in temporary accommodation. “People can’t imagine what it means.” King lives in Willow Way, a pretty cul-de-sac of bungalows, just off Thames Street, in Lower Sunbury. The river, with its high banks, flows slowly eastwards at the end of the close, where boats tie up. King was one of the thousands across the country who were flooded in last winter’s deluge. But almost a year later many of their homes remain barely habitable and stress levels remain high. Residents remain fearful that another stormy winter will bring further flooding. Opposite King’s home, Jacqui Bryce is sitting in the only room in her bungalow that has been renovated so far. The rest of the house remains a building site. “The flood was mentally traumatic,” she says. “Everything I have worked for since I was 15 I lost. I was in tears.” Bryce’s floors are now being raised by 25cm. “It is lucky we had high ceilings,” she says. Another neighbour, Tina Kirby, remembers the evacuation. “We did 12 hours of putting stuff in bags and putting it on boats,” she says. As well as her three children, Kirby had pets to rescue, a dog, two cats, a rabbit, four chickens and a tank of fish. “Putting those on the boat was fun,” she says ruefully. But the impact of the flood lingered long after the skies had cleared and the flood water had subsided. “My daughters were doing their GCSEs and A levels, and they lost all their course work,” Kirby says. One daughter then spent months getting up at 5am in order to get the school in time from the house they had to rent. Even when they finally got back into their house and turned the heating on, the plaster on the walls started cracking. “It is not just losing your home, you lose the community around you too,” says Bryce, who has lived there for 17 years. She was forced out on the weekend of the flood. “We had to phone a friend, like refugees.” The community was subsequently scattered into rented homes and hotels across the region. Bryce was only able to return in early November. It takes months for homes to dry out, before renovation can even begin. During that time Bryce had to install CCTV to deter burglars who were seen casing empty properties in the area. But, in a small silver lining to the storm clouds that brought the floods, the Willow Way residents feel generally well served by their insurance companies. “We’ve had no complaint so far, though they were a bit overwhelmed at the beginning,” says Bryce, whose premium has not been hiked, to her relief. She is concerned, however, about whether her home’s value will have been blighted: “The house was going to be our pension.” Bryce is scornful of the promise David Cameron made at the height of the floods. “He said ‘money was no object’, but of the £5,000 ‘renew and repair’ grant, £3,500 alone will go on moving the energy meters higher. The government are not taking it seriously. They are looking at it piecemeal.” “People say you should not have bought a house near the river, but in this country you are always near a river or stream,” Bryce says, adding that the homes were already raised and had water storage space underneath. “We can only do so much ourselves.” Groundwater started rising in Willow Way in January, like a slow torture. “It had been holding us hostage for weeks: will it, won’t it?” says Kirby. But there was no warning of the final flood from the Environment Agency, the residents say, and they believe the local weirs and sluice gates hadn’t been maintained properly. They also criticise the local council. “They arrived with sandbags the day after the flood, and then the guy had no boots,” says King. The memory of the flood is not fading, says Kirby: “You spend every day it rains worrying, is the river rising?” All the residents are now improving the flood protection on their homes, including barriers and pumps, some funded by the EA. None wants to leave their homes and the lives they have built for their families in Willow Way. If there is one positive to have come out of the flood, says Bryce, it is that “we are an even stronger community than before”. | ['environment/flooding', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment-agency', 'environment/environment', 'environment/winter', 'society/localgovernment', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/sea-level', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/sea-level | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-12-28T14:00:40Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/blog/2011/nov/29/kyoto-protocol-julius-caesar-durban | Kyoto protocol may suffer fate of Julius Caesar at Durban climate talks | John Vidal | Just one day into the Durban talks and, as we expected, we are witnessing the assassination of the Kyoto protocol. Canada has let the cat out of the bag with its environment minister, Peter Kent, saying: "Kyoto is the past" and suggesting that formally pulling out of the treaty is an option. If Canada – once Kyoto's friend, now its undisguised enemy – were to withdraw, it would probably be a death blow to the only international treaty that obliges by law rich countries to reduce emissions. The world can just about live with the US outside the treaty, but to have Canada formally outside too, really signals the rich countries' diplomatic flight from the treaty that the world signed up to only 15 years ago. Japan and Russia are set against the treaty, leaving the EU as the only rich grouping of countries which is hedging its bets. It all reminds me of the assassination of Caesar in Julius Caesar. In the play, Caesar's friends and colleagues hide their weapons before ritually stabbing him together, thus sharing the responsibility for his death. The US may be the country that has plotted the end of the treaty but Canada now has the dagger in its hand. For anyone unacquainted, here's how Will Shakespeare might have re-imagined it (with apologies). The Tragedy of Kyoto Enter UNITED STATES, CANADA, JAPAN, BRITAIN, RUSSIA followed by throng of AFRICAN and other poor countries including ALBA, AOSIS COUNTRIES: We will be satisfied; let us be satisfied. UNITED STATES : Then follow me, and give me audience, friends. Canada, go you into the other street, And part the numbers. Those that will hear me speak, let 'em stay here; Those that will follow Africa, go with it; And public reasons shall be rendered Of Kyoto's death. UNITED KINGDOM: I will hear America speak. EU: I will hear Africa; and compare their reasons, When severally we hear them rendered. Exit AFRICA, with some countries UNITED STATES goes into the pulpit JAPAN: The noble AMERICA is ascended: silence! US: Be patient till the last. Nations, countrymen, hear me for my cause, and be silent, If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of Kyoto's, to him I say, that my love to Kyoto was no less than his. If then that friend demand why Canada rose against Kyoto, this is my answer: – Not that it loved Kyoto less, but that it loved the United States more. Enter UNITED KINGDOM, NEW ZEALAND and others, with KYOTO'S body UNITED STATES: Here comes Kyoto's body, mourned by the rich: which though they had no hand in his death, shall receive the benefit of his dying. EU: Methinks there is much reason in its sayings. AUSTRALIA: If thou consider rightly of the matter, Kyoto has had great wrong. AFRICA: Has it, masters? I fear there will a worse come in his place. The stakes are incredibly high and the choices being put to countries were well expressed in today's short spat between Sir David King, former UK chief scientist, and Jonathon Porritt, former head of the Sustainable Development Commission on the Today programme. Sir David – a scientist with canny political antenna whose views frequently mirror those of the government, proposed that countries did not need a legally binding agreement to reduce emissions, but that pledges and voluntary cuts by all would be sufficient. Porritt made the point well that no country will feel committed to meet any target if it is not obliged to meet in law. We are edging to the crunch point, the moment when the senators crowd around Caesar, the daggers go in and Kyoto stumbles and dies. Developing countries – like Porritt – fear that any new treaty that might emerge will be much weaker than the existing Kyoto protocol regime, with a voluntary and domestic "pledge and review" system nowhere near strong enough to force countries to act. Any new treaty which might emerge after the death of Kyoto, they say, would be a complete re-writing of the UN convention where historical responsibility and the principles of equity are disregarded. Developing countries profess to be Kyoto's friend, but how many of these in the wings secretly conceal a dagger and intend to join the throng of rich countries in Durban hoping to kill Kyoto off in the next two weeks? The reality of international diplomacy is that, like the senators in Julius Caesar, countries follow power, hide their weapons, watch which way the wind is blowing, and then back who they expect to be the winner. COP18 in 2012 Qatar has beaten South Korea to host next year's conference, it was announced on Tuesday. | ['environment/blog', 'environment/durban-climate-change-conference-2011', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/environment', 'world/southafrica', 'world/africa', 'world/world', 'tone/blog', 'environment/green-politics', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2011-11-29T15:28:32Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
news/2016/mar/20/weatherwatch-saxon-roads-water-lane-cotswolds | Managing mud and traffic, the Saxon way | Before the invention of tarmac, mud must have been a serious hazard for travellers, particularly at the end of winter when some roads were impassable. But the Saxons, who were good water engineers, also planned for mud. One of the few surviving Saxon landscapes where this can be clearly seen is along the Dun Brook in Gloucestershire, where three churches all still with Saxon features are shared between the four villages in this short steep-sided valley. It has been an idyllic place to live for more than 1,500 years. The villages are linked by an ancient network of roads just wide enough for a horse-drawn cart. Most appear virtually unchanged since the Saxons developed them. The summer roads are in the valley bottom, along the shortest route between the settlements. The winter roads are longer, up and along the valley sides, well drained enough to be passable in the wettest weather. Three of the villages – all called Duntisbourne: D Abbots, D Leer and D Rouse – all still have fords across the crystal clear brook. The most interesting feature is at Duntisbourne Abbots, where the brook is deliberately directed into the road between high walls and raised pavements. It is both road and brook for about 200 feet before the Dun is diverted back into the fields. The stream flowing over the solid shingle is now designated “unsuitable for motors,” but this is said to be the only surviving water lane in the Cotwolds. It was designed to wash the mud from horses’ hooves and cart wheels as they were driven the last stretch home. An original Saxon car(t) wash. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'tone/features', 'science/meteorology', 'culture/heritage', 'culture/culture', 'science/archaeology', 'type/article', 'profile/paulbrown', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2016-03-20T21:30:50Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
lifeandstyle/2017/feb/22/kitchen-gadgets-review-coconut-grater-ugly-pleasure-flesh | Kitchen gadgets review: coconut grater – an ugly pleasure of the flesh | What? Suction-footed shaft supporting a hand-cranked rotary coconut grater (£14.99, Coconutty.co.uk). Separates flesh from shell within bisected coconuts. Why? If you’re loco for the coco, look no further. Well? Did you know the coconut isn’t actually a nut, it’s a bloody nuisance? A fibrous boat containing a wooden bowling ball, which is full of water. Who would bother with ’em? Except they are uniquely delicious, and more versatile than Meryl Streep on a yoga mat. Is it a seed? Nut? Fruit? Technically, coconuts are classified as a “dry drupe”. (Maybe they were tired at the time of testing, or had a stressful week.) Whatever they are, I’m craving fresh coconut this week, all over my porridge. Think of the creamy bounty locked inside that desiccated husk, dying to shake down its dry hair. How to emancipate these librarians of the fruit world? This gadget can help – but I have to get inside one of the damn things first. I turn to internet video tutorials. A survivalist bro in board shorts advises me to drop weight on my coconut “from the rocky part of the beach”. Honestly, this ding-dong in his Oakley sunglasses, you can smell the Bear Grylls pillowcase coming off him. As I’m not on a desert island, I make do with household tools. (Knocking a hammer along the equator of the shell opens up a hairline fracture, so I can pull it apart feeling like the Incredible Hulk. Recommended.) Once I’m in, it’s time for the grater to shine. Sort of. The suction base is made of grimy rubber and arrives looking old, while the revolving head’s eight serrated spokes might have been designed for trepanning a cow. Despite the shonky appearance, it works surprisingly well – turning over a lever pressurises the suction base, fixing the device to the countertop while I whirl the blades against the coconut meat. Nut or not, the shavings taste ex-seedingly good. The blades mince evenly, although fluffy shreds drift everywhere like a snowglobe scene. The resulting pile is creamy and fresh, ready to sex up curry or cake, ice-cream or fish fries. My porridge is through the roof. I’m happy to share a (breakfast) island with this coconut grater; it’s not much to look at, but the liberation of the flesh is its own reward. Redeeming features? Grater than the sum of its hideous parts. Counter, drawer, back of the cupboard? The Rocky part of the beach, where he raced Apollo Creed. 3/5 | ['lifeandstyle/series/inspect-a-gadget', 'food/food', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'tone/features', 'technology/gadgets', 'type/article', 'profile/rhik-samadder', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-g2-features'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2017-02-22T15:18:28Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
technology/2015/nov/15/smart-luggage-transform-air-travel | How smart luggage could transform air travel | Do you get anxious waiting at the baggage carousel in the airport? I do. And the longer it takes for my luggage to appear, the edgier I get. It is= a fear of that moment when only a handful of battered suitcases are trundling around, none of which are yours. But imagine, as you rush to the inquiry desk to vent your spleen you get a text on your phone saying: “I’m on carousel 5, come and pick me up.” Your suitcase is the latest product to be given a technology makeover, with in-built GPS tracking and messaging. That means bags will be able to pair with your phone and send you a text about where they are, when they have been taken off a plane or if someone opens them without your consent. But is “smart luggage” fulfilling a user demand? Ramesh Tainwala, CEO of the luggage company Samsonite, insists it is not a fad. He predicts embedded technology will be as big a leap for the luggage world as suitcase wheels in the 1970s. “Smart luggage will communicate on one side with the owner and on the other with the carriers handling it. Everything will be connected. This will be the next big thing,” he says. Think ahead to luggage that can check itself in at airports or a motorised suitcase that can follow you around, a bit like a robotic dog. Following the lead of fashion brands that are teaming up with tech companies to weave fitness sensors into clothing, so Samsonite is partnering with Samsung to launch a new range of connected luggage by the end of the year. Not all of this innovation is coming from big-name brands, there are growing numbers of start-ups pushing the boundaries too. US-based Planet Traveler has turned to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter to help to launch its Space Case 1. Its hi-tech gadgets include biometric fingerprint locking, global tracking, self-weighing digital scales, even Bluetooth speakers that can turn your suitcase into a boom box or a phone. “Smart luggage is tapping into that paranoia we have about things not going quite right,” says Richard Cope, a trends analyst at the research group, Mintel. “It’s ‘smart home’ tech going out into the open world.” Numbing that paranoia is an expensive business, though. The Space Case 1 is expected to cost about £450 for the full-size bag, and £390 for the carry-on. But will GPS-tracking luggage cause havoc for airport security? How does this square with those constant reminders to switch off phones anywhere near an aircraft? Tainwala admits there are issues, but believes they are close to resolving them. He is so confident, in fact, that he believes technology will be integral to all of Samsonite’s luggage in the next five to 10 years. “Whether you activate it or not, the luggage will just come with it,” he says. Others are not so convinced. May Ling, a research manager at market intelligence firm Euromonitor, says: “Smart luggage will be scrutinised by government securities around the world. One could imagine them taking the ‘better safe than sorry’ approach and banning it completely to avoid complications.” The Department for Transport declined to comment. Crucially, perhaps, the big airlines are understood to be keen for smart luggage to break into the mainstream and are working with companies such as Samsonite to iron out the security challenges. Cope says: “Smart luggage makes sense for the industry – they want things to be as efficient as possible.” But what about the consumer? Eleanor Aldridge, a senior editor at Rough Guides, the travel guides publisher, questions whether we are ready for this type of technology, especially because “digital detoxing” – holidaying without smartphones or connections to the internet – is very popular. “Travellers want to find a balance between tech that enriches their trip and gadgets that tie them into constant connectivity”, she says. Aldridge predicts many of the gadgets in smart luggage will date quickly, but believes features such as GPS tracking could be more enduring. “Whether you’re waiting for a suitcase at the airport or you’ve thrown a bag on to the roof of a bus for a 10-hour journey, knowing where it is offers huge peace of mind,” she says. There might be something else for smart-luggage brands to worry about, though. Cope predicts that in the future we won’t bother to pack at all. Instead, when we get to our destination, the clothes and things we need for our trip will already be there waiting for us, hired in advance for the duration of our stay. “That’s where we’re headed,” he says. Not so much smart luggage then, as no luggage at all. | ['technology/gadgets', 'technology/wearable-technology', 'technology/technology', 'world/air-transport', 'world/world', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'technology/samsung', 'type/article', 'profile/rob-walker', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/uknews'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2015-11-15T00:05:05Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2008/sep/19/cuba.usforeignpolicy | Cuba faces food shortage after hurricanes | Cuba has warned that it faces food shortages for the next six months after the devastating damage caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The government is introducing emergency measures after almost one-third of the country's crops were destroyed. The twin storms caused the worst damage in the island's history. "There have been very serious effects, but I can say no Cuban is going to die of hunger or be abandoned to their fate," Alcides Lopez, the vice-minister of agriculture, said. "We face six hard months ... but we can't lament, we have to plant," he added, outlining more than 80 measures designed to speed up production and the distribution of food. The government is also taking steps to stop food speculators driving up prices. Gustav hit western Cuba on August 30, with Ike striking seven days later. Heavy rains and high winds devastated thousands of acres of agricultural land. Cuba, which spends up to $2bn annually on food imports, was already struggling to increase its domestic production when the storms hit staples such as rice, beans, plantains and sweet potatoes. Around 1.2m eggs were destroyed and 500,000 chickens killed. The authorities said they were trying to salvage as much of the damaged crops as possible, repair farm equipment and restore power to food processing plants. The Cuban government has also hit out at the US over the shortages, saying its trade sanctions were the biggest obstacle to Cuba's recovery. The embargo prevents Cuba from buying supplies directly from the US, and prevents the island from purchasing any US goods on credit. "The economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed during 50 years by the United States is the main obstacle to Cuba's development," Felipe Perez Roque, the Cuban foreign minister, said. Every year for the past 16 years, the UN general assembly has approved Cuba's resolution calling for the embargo to be lifted. The next vote is next month. | ['world/cuba', 'us-news/us-foreign-policy', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/food', 'us-news/hurricanegustav', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'world/americas', 'type/article', 'profile/rachelstevenson'] | us-news/hurricanegustav | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2008-09-19T13:06:06Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2021/nov/24/was-bulb-as-green-as-it-claimed-to-be | Was Bulb as green as it claimed to be? | The collapse of Bulb Energy this week follows a steady decline in its promises to customers. Britain’s fastest-growing energy supplier set itself apart as a challenger to legacy energy giants by claiming to offer better service and energy that was cheaper and greener. But was Bulb as green as it claimed to be? It promised to supply 100% renewable electricity to its customers and offset the carbon emissions of its gas. However, less than 5% of the green power it supplied to homes was sourced directly from renewable energy projects last year and it did not own any generating assets, such as wind or solar farms. The rest was bought from the UK’s wholesale electricity market alongside “renewable energy certificates”, which have come under fire in recent years for allowing companies to “greenwash” their energy tariffs. These certificates are issued to renewable energy projects for every megawatt-hour of clean power they generate, but a loophole means they can be sold separately from the green electricity itself. This means suppliers can use the cheap certificates to market their tariffs as 100% renewable without ever supporting clean energy. The energy regulator has set out plans to clamp down on so-called “pale green” energy tariffs. And a government review, launched three months ago, plans to take aim at companies that claim to sell renewable energy without buying directly from renewable energy projects or investing in green schemes. It may have spelled trouble for Bulb’s marketing campaign and proved to be one more issue for the firm’s beleaguered bosses. | ['environment/energy', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tone/analysis', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2021-11-24T20:14:13Z | true | ENERGY |
australia-news/2017/apr/03/police-search-flood-hit-river-near-tumbulgum-for-sunken-car | Police search for three people in sunken car in flood-hit Tweed river | A police rescue effort was under way on Monday to recover three people from a car that went into the Tweed river in far northern New South Wales. Emergency services were called to Dulguigan Road in Tumbulgum about 1.40pm . A spokeswoman for NSW police said a child had been able to escape the vehicle and seek help from a nearby house. In a subsequent statement, NSW police confirmed that the vehicle had been located at 3.25pm by boats using sonar equipment, about five metres from the northern river bank. An operation was underway to recover the car’s three occupants. Witness Thomas Grinham saw the girl reporting her family members had been swept away. “She was screaming (that) her mum, little sister and older brother had gone into the river in the car,” he told the Seven Network on Monday. The child was taken to Tweed Heads hospital with family members. Tumbulgum was among the worst-hit communities in the flooding that devastated northern NSW last week after Cyclone Debbie struck. Evacuation orders were issued for the town by state emergency services on Thursday. The Tweed overflowed, damaging homes and small business from Murwillumbah to Condong and along to Tumbulgum, Chinderah and Fingal. It’s the latest tragedy in what’s been a devastating few days forresidents of northern NSW towns and south-east Queensland. Two women, 36 and 64, were carried off by floodwaters in NSW, while a 46-year-old man died in Murwillumbah from a heart attack when paramedics couldn’t reach him. A 45-year-old man was discovered dead at a South Murwillumbah caravan park, although his cause of death is yet to be confirmed. In Queensland, wild weather is hampering the search for a man in his 60s reported missing in in the Lamington National Park area on 29 March. The 65-year-old is one of three men who remain missing across Queensland in the wake of Cyclone Debbie and the ensuing floods. The other two missing men are 50-year-old Mondure man David Heidemann and 58-year-old John Frost from Mount Pleasant in Mackay. Police believe he was walking with a large sightseeing group but didn’t return to a pre-arranged meeting point. “It’s been rough terrain to cover due to the weather conditions, we had mud and other debris to clear before we were able to access the area,” Senior Sergeant Glenn Ryder said. “The weather is also impeding our ability for an aerial search but we hope to get the helicopters up shortly.” Queensland State Disaster Coordinator Steve Gollschewski said “exhaustive” searches were being undertaken and there were serious concerns for the trio’s welfare. So far, there has been one confirmed Queensland death following the flooding driven by heavy rain after category four Cyclone Debbie swept down the state last week. The body of 77-year-old Nelson Raebel was found in floodwaters at Eagleby in Logan on Saturday. | ['australia-news/new-south-wales', 'australia-news/cyclone-debbie', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/police-policing-australia', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/elle-hunt', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-04-03T06:18:21Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/blog/2012/sep/03/web-chat-wwf-illegal-wildlife-trade | Web chat: WWF and Traffic on the illegal wildlife trade | We're joined on Tuesday as part of our 'sixth extinction' special series by WWF's senior species policy officer Heather Sohl and global communications co-ordinator Richard Thomas at the NGO Traffic to answer your questions on the illegal wildlife trade. As our series explores on Tuesday, the illegal trade in everything from rhino horn and ivory to pangolins and rare amphibians is driving many species close to extinction. To combat the practise, which Interpol has called on governments to crack down on, WWF and TRAFFIC recently launched a campaign to stop the criminal trade that sees live animals transported in suitcases and rhinoceros massacred with AK47s. Sohl and Thomas will be online 1-2pm BST on Tuesday to answer your questions on everything about the illegal wildlife trade. Want to know about the worst cases they've encountered? What's driving the recent surge in poaching in countries such as South Africa? Interested in the role of the internet? Just post your question below. Please note anything off-topic will be removed. | ['environment/blog', 'tone/blog', 'environment/series/sixth-extinction', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/illegal-wildlife-trade', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'profile/environmenteditor'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2012-09-03T15:03:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2018/may/15/uk-government-to-remove-single-use-plastics-from-parliament | UK parliament to remove single-use plastics from Westminster | The UK parliament has unveiled a package of measures to “virtually eliminate” single-use plastics from Westminster in the next year. The move will see a range of items – from coffee cups to straws, plastic bags to water bottles – removed from the parliamentary estate, to be replaced by compostable or reuseable options by 2019. The move was welcomed by Mary Creagh MP, chair of the environmental audit committee, who said it followed many of the recommendations set out in her committee’s reports (pdf). But she called on the government to take firmer action to ensure similar programmes were rolled out across the country. “Parliament’s action stands in stark contrast to ministers who consult, announce and re-announce, but never seem to do anything to turn back the plastic tide,” she said. “The government should follow parliament’s lead and introduce a ‘latte levy’ for coffee cups, a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles, and make sure that those who produce the packaging pay to recycle it.” There is growing alarm at the damage plastic pollution is doing to the oceans and wider environment. Scientists have warned that it risks the near permanent contamination of the world with increasing evidence it is entering the food chain with unknown consequences for human health. Several major retailers have announced they are taking measures to tackle plastic pollution but campaigners say ministers must go further to stop the problem. Sir Paul Beresford MP, chair of the commons administration committee, which recommended the proposals for the House of Commons, said he was delighted parliament was taking a stand. “The measures we are introducing are ambitious and wide ranging, covering not just coffee cups but an array of items from plastic bottles and straws to condiment sachets and stationery. Our aim is to remove, as far as possible, disposable plastic items from the parliamentary estate.” Parliament will stop purchasing non-recyclable disposable cups and plastic water bottles. The coffee cups will be replaced by a compostable alternative and to encourage a long-term move away from single-use items, a 25p charge will be added to hot drinks served in the new compostable cups. Reusable coffee cups will be available to buy, and incentives will be offered to customers who refill them. Plastic bottles of water will no longer be on sale, with more water points installed. Condiment sachets and plastic cutlery and food packaging will be replaced by compostable alternatives. As part of the plan, plastic carrier bags will be phased out in retail outlets next year to be replaced by paper carrier bags, alongside the branded fabric shopping bags which are already available to buy. Lord Laming, chair of the House of Lords services committee, which agreed the proposals for the House of Lords, said: “Parliament has acknowledged the damaging effect single-use disposable plastic is having on the environment and that it must lead the way in valuing our environmental future over convenience.” He added: “We all have a responsibility in this so it’s time to really start to think about the steps everyone can take to reduce their plastic use and I hope that the measures parliament will implement over the next 12 months will inspire other organisations and people to make changes in their everyday lives.” | ['environment/plastic', 'environment/waste', 'environment/recycling', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'environment/ethical-living', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/matthewtaylor', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-05-15T14:23:41Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
technology/2018/aug/10/hackers-accessing-paypal-via-voicemail-security-expert-says-its-possible | Hackers accessing PayPal via voicemail? Security expert says it's possible | With just a simple script and a $40 virtual phone number, a hacker could automatically break into voicemail accounts at scale, and parlay that access into control over online accounts including WhatsApp or PayPal, or even track someone’s every move. Martin Vigo, a Spanish hacker who works in mobile security, presented new research at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas, demonstrating how easy it could be for a motivated attacker to break into phone voicemails, and how much more damaging that security breach could be than simply letting an attacker listen to messages. Voicemails are still poorly secured, Vigo said, with many of the same weaknesses first documented more than 30 years ago largely unchanged in the back-ends of mobile carriers. All four major US carriers, for instance, have easily-guessable default pins protecting the inbox (most use the last few digits of the phone number the account is associated with, while one simply uses the same four digit code for every account). Even for users who change their passwords, there’s little extra security. Most carriers limit protection to short numeric codes, with the minimum being just four digits; they don’t have any prevention against brute force attacks, letting hackers exhaustively try every possible code; and they even make brute force attacks easier by allowing callers to enter three pins at once, separated with a hash symbol. The weakness of voicemail systems is well-documented, and many of the techniques Vigo described were famously abused by journalists at the now-defunct British paper News of the World. But Vigo added a further twist to the vulnerabilities, noting the ways they interact with security systems across the web. Users log in to WhatsApp, for instance, by requesting a text message and then entering a code into the app. But after a minute delay, they can also request the company call them and read the code out instead. By requesting that code when the target’s phone is unavailable – for instance, while they are flying, or on an underground train – it gets pushed to voicemail, where an attacker can then listen to it, enter it, and seize the WhatsApp account for themselves. Some companies attempt to short-circuit that attack. PayPal, for instance, lets users reset passwords with a phone call, but requires a four digit code to be typed into the keypad during the call, preventing an attacker from simply listening to a voicemail and gaining access. But in a second attack demonstrated by Vigo, he showed a way around that: setting the voicemail’s greeting message to a recording of the keypad tones tricks PayPal’s system into thinking it’s got through to a real person. “We just compromised PayPal,” Vigo declared, to applause from the audience. “What services are vulnerable? Password reset for PayPal, Instagram, Netflix, eBay, LinkedIn,” Vigo said. “Authentication for WhatsApp, Signal, Twilio, Google Voice.” Vigo recommended users defend against the possibility of such attacks by changing the default pin on their voicemail to a long code, or turning off the voicemail service altogether if they aren’t using it. He also called on online services to stop using automated calls for security purposes, and on carriers to end the practice of using a default password for voicemails. | ['technology/hacking', 'money/mobile-phones', 'technology/mobilephones', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-hern', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2018-08-11T00:07:12Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2019/mar/27/us-china-soy-tariff-war-could-destroy-13-million-hectares-of-amazon-rainforest | US-China soy trade war could destroy 13 million hectares of rainforest | The Amazon rainforest could be the greatest casualty of the trade war between the United States and China, warns a new study showing how deforestation pressures have surged as a result of the geopolitical jolt in global soy markets. Up to 13m hectares of forest and savannah – an area the size of Greece – would have to be cleared if Brazil and other exporters were to fill the huge shortfall in soy supply to China that has suddenly appeared since Donald Trump imposed hefty tariffs, according to the paper published in Nature. US exports of the commodity, primarily used to feed livestock, to China plummeted by 50% last year, which the authors say is an unusually sharp level of decline between two trading partners outside wartime. As well as raising concerns that food is being used as an economic weapon – though not yet at the level of the 1980 grain embargo on the Soviet Union during the cold war – this has prompted fears about the additional burden it could put on an already highly stressed global environment, particularly in the Amazon region. To make up the gap from the US, China will need to find 22.6m to 37.6m tonnes from elsewhere, notes the journal article. This could be spread among the 94 soy-producing nations but by far the most likely source is Brazil, already the world’s biggest supplier of soy and keen to further boost its agricultural exports. Boosting production would require either greater yields per hectare or more land. More intensive agriculture is difficult because Brazil’s nutrient-poor tropical soils already need nearly three times as much fertiliser as those in the US and Canada. So the easiest way for farmers to increase harvests is to plough new fields in the frontier lands of the Cerrado savannah and the Amazon forest. The amount of land needed would depend on adjustments to global trade and government regulation. But even if Brazil simply maintained its current share of the non-US soy market, this would require up to 5.7m hectares more land, a 17.3% increase on current levels. The authors warn this could push deforestation of the Amazon beyond even the worst levels of 3m hectares a year recorded between 1995 and 2004, with dire implications for carbon dioxide emissions. “This is a case study of why it will be extremely difficult for the world to meet the Paris target to keep warming within 1.5C [above pre-industrial levels]. We’re moving in the wrong direction,” said Peter Alexander, one of the authors and lecturer in global food systems and security at the University of Edinburgh. “Many people may not realise that a trade war between two nations can affect land use in a third country. But this is the unintended consequence that arises from decisions made in a complex web of interactions in which change in any one part may affect every other.” Regulatory barriers to deforestation are already under pressure. Much of the remaining Amazon forest is designated as nature reserves, indigenous territory or the homes of quilombolas and extractivist forest dwellers. In recent years, however, the strong “ruralista” agriculture lobby in Brazil has pushed for a weakening of protections. The government of Jair Bolsonaro has further diluted the powers of the environment agency and pushed for the expansion of agricultural interests. Rising soy prices have also sent a signal to farmers to cash in by expanding their cropland. Brazil is already moving to take advantage of the trade war. At the end of last year, 75% of China’s soya bean imports came from Brazil, which was a new record and a sign that the entire US shortfall was substituted with Brazilian soya beans, according to the paper. The stock index of the country’s 52 biggest companies has risen faster than any other market in the region. Trade talks between the US and China continue. A deal could help stabilise the soy market and ease deforestation concerns. The authors say consumer choices in other nations could also make an impact if it helped to reduce global demand for beef and pork, which are largely fattened on soy feed. But the situation could easily get worse. The conservative estimates for land clearance in the new paper assume Chinese demand for soy will remain stable. The trend is very different, Since 2000, China’s imports of the commodity from the US have risen 700%, from Argentina 200% and from Brazil 2,000%. If even more of the supply pressure is concentrated on Brazil, the impact is most likely to be felt by the Amazon, the world’s biggest forest, greatest home of biodiversity and most important terrestrial carbon sink. The Nature article concludes with a stark call for change. “Governments, producers, regulators and consumers must act now. If they don’t, the Amazon rainforest could become the greatest casualty of the US–China trade war.” | ['environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/deforestation', 'global-development/trade-and-development', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'environment/forests', 'us-news/donaldtrump', 'world/china', 'world/brazil', 'world/jair-bolsonaro', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/americas', 'world/asia-pacific', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/conservation', 'global-development/food-security', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jonathanwatts', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-03-27T18:00:07Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2019/jun/08/tories-see-green-sadiq-khan-ulez-zone | The Tories should see green over Sadiq Khan’s ‘old banger tax’ | Phillip Inman | A petition against the London mayor’s tax on car emissions – the ultra low emissions zone (Ulez) – has yet to reach 100,000 signatures, but is not far off, at 91,000. This is not a protest against the tax imposed in April on high-emission vehicles travelling into the West End and the City, inside the existing congestion zone. No, the petition is a howl of pain directed at the zone’s planned extension to the vast expanse between the north and south circular roads. Signatories accuse Sadiq Khan, who announced the project last year, of a “blatant money grab from the motorist,” and “ripping off the normal man”. Due to take effect in October 2021, the Ulez will require drivers to pay a daily charge of £12.50 when they enter this larger zone with an old banger or a gas guzzler that fails the emissions test. Residents inside the zone won’t pay when their high-emission car is parked, but will pay as soon as they drive it. Sadiq Khan has estimated that 100,000 out-of-date cars will be directly affected. That total can probably be multiplied by five if all the cars that travel over the north and south circular boundaries once or twice a month are included. A £12.50 charge quickly adds up to serious money, especially when hard-pressed families must add it to rising council tax charges and escalating fuel bills. Lower emissions are undoubtedly important, but without a robust defence, Khan could find himself characterised much as French president Emmanuel Macron was by the gilets jaunes anti-government protests. That is, as an aloof politician, unaware or unconcerned that hard-working families who rely on a car or van to get around will be financially much poorer. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, hasn’t dared go down this route for fear of a major backlash. A referendum in 2008 rejected a congestion zone for Manchester by almost 80%. Even though times have moved on, and the pubic is more sympathetic to green issues, Burnham has excluded private cars from the city’s fresh attempts to reduce emissions. One major obstacle to making life easier for poor families is money, and Khan doesn’t have much to play with. The amount set aside for the private car scrappage scheme (which he has yet to announce) is just £25m, or £250 per car. This is in addition to the £23m he has set aside for commercial vehicles, for which the details are already worked out. Not all households will qualify, and not all will apply. Nevertheless, it’s easy to see why Khan asked the government to boost his £48m package to £515m to ease through the transition. Theresa May and Philip Hammond turned him down, of course. And it won’t be a surprise if Boris Johnson follows suit should he become prime minister. Khan even went to see environment secretary Michael Gove and health minister Matt Hancock to plead his case, only to be sent packing. Should Johnson take over as PM, the former London mayor would relish watching Khan suffering a hail of abuse, especially if the abusers fit into the category of hard-pressed, low-income households. Worse, it could be that when the charge comes into force, London becomes the next capital city to see gilets jaunes-style protesters rampaging down avenues, stopping traffic and smashing shop windows. The Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey has already decided just two policies are all he needs to eject Khan from City Hall next year. More police on the streets and characterising the Ulez as a tax on the poor. Bailey has virtually no hope of ousting Khan. The Tory has little profile in the capital and his party will probably still be at a low ebb next year. However, he could persuade huge numbers of people that the Ulez is unfair. Even the far left, which is riding the Momentum wave to dominate Labour constituencies in London, could take up the banner against Khan when the issue becomes a tax on the poor. Khan is already facing huge pressure from the left in London to ease back on criticism of Corbyn and the Labour leadership. There are moves to deselect Labour GLA members who support Khan. Delegates to the London party organisations are increasingly hostile to him. So Khan will need all the support he can get to push through the Ulez – most importantly in the form of extra money from the Treasury. The Tories should relent and put green initiatives above party-political point scoring. Those on the hard left also need to remember that they support the green new deal. Khan’s green agenda should be their agenda. Progress won’t happen otherwise. | ['business/economics', 'uk/london', 'environment/air-pollution', 'environment/environment', 'politics/congestioncharging', 'politics/transport', 'politics/sadiq-khan', 'politics/boris-johnson', 'tone/comment', 'type/article', 'profile/phillipinman', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/business', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2019-06-08T16:00:03Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2023/feb/23/cutting-air-pollution-improves-childrens-lung-development-study-shows | Cutting air pollution improves children’s lung development, study shows | Reducing air pollution could improve lung function development in children and cut the numbers of young people with significant pulmonary impairments, research suggests. The impact of air pollution on health has become a topic of intense concern in recent years, with research suggesting it can affect every organ in the body and the World Health Orgazisation noting children’s developing organs and nervous systems are more susceptible to long-term damage. The issue was thrown into the spotlight in 2020 after nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah became the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as the cause of death on their death certificate. Ella’s mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah is now a leading campaigner for cleaner air, advocating for Ella’s law – legislation that would make clean air a human right. Researchers have previously found even low levels of air pollution can reduce lung function development from the ages of six to 15. However, the new study suggests cleaning up the air can bring improvements. “That’s a strong message to policymakers and city planners that actions to decrease air pollution level and exposure will pay off in the long term, definitely, for children and across the life course,” said Prof Erik Melén, paediatrician and professor at the department of clinical research and education, Karolinska Institutet, who co-authored the new study. Writing in the European Respiratory Journal, Melén and colleagues note that lung function typically grows rapidly during adolescence, before reaching a peak by the early 20s. However, people experiencing reduced growth are potentially at higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as adults. Melén and colleagues analysed data collected as part of a wider study in which a cohort of children in Stockholm born between 1994 and 1996 were followed up from birth to the age of 24, with measurements of lung function collected at age eight, 16 and 24. Crucially, said Melén, the research did not focus on particular populations, such as those with asthma or who only lived in highly polluted areas. “This is real-life data,” he said. By analysing the measurements of 1,509 participants for which lung function data was available at eight years old and at least one subsequently timepoint, the team was able to track their lung function development. They then used participants’ addresses to estimate their exposure to air pollution over time, including particulate matter known as PM2.5 and PM10, as well as black carbon and nitrogen oxides. Overall, although not for all participants, long-term air pollution exposure levels decreased over the study period – a finding Melén said could be down to a number of factors, including a more modern car fleet, the rise of electric vehicles, and traffic restrictions. After taking into account lung growth expected as a result of adolescence, as well as factors such as smoking, parental education and air pollution exposure in the first year of life, the team found that reductions in air pollution were associated with an increased growth rate of participants’ lung function. For example, the mean growth rate in forced expiratory volume in one second increased by 4.63mL a year for each 2.19 μg/m3 decrease in PM2.5. “We estimate that this [equates to a] couple of percent [improvement in lung function growth rate] over a 10-year period,” said Melén. While he said the increase was not huge on an individual level, over a longer period the impact could be large, while it also meant fewer children would fall below the bar of normal lung function. Compared with those having no air pollution decrease, participants who experienced a 2.19 μg/m3 decrease in PM2.5 would have a 20% lower risk of having clinically impaired lung function, the team said. “With better air quality, we reduce the risk of children [having] … clinically impaired lung function. That’s indeed important because those patients end up in my clinic as a paediatrician,” said Melén. “In the long run, any incremental improvement in lung function will have a positive effect on the risk of acquiring chronic diseases in adulthood, or even life expectancy.” | ['environment/air-pollution', 'science/science', 'environment/environment', 'world/sweden', 'uk/uk', 'society/children', 'society/childrens-health', 'society/health', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/nicola-davis', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-science'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-02-23T16:51:18Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
technology/2014/jul/21/iphone-6-screen-sapphire-scratch-resistant-gorilla-glass-video | iPhone 6 screen could be sapphire-glass blend, says expert | Apple has patents for a sapphire-glass blend screen that could explain why sandpaper can scratch a supposed leaked iPhone 6 screen, the Guardian has established. A new video that apparently shows a 4.7in sapphire screen from an iPhone 6 being scratched by sandpaper could “certainly” be a legitimate blend of sapphire and glass, according to Prof Neil Alford of the department of materials at Imperial College London, who was consulted by Apple about sapphire screens 18 months ago. “Apple has patents for both sapphire lamination – taking two different cuts of sapphire to induce strain and increase its resilience – and for fusing quartz or silica (glass) to sapphire,” Alford explained to the Guardian. “So they could certainly do that.” From lens to screen Apple currently uses sapphire crystal for its camera lenses and the cover of the iPhone 5S’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor, but the super-hard material could make excellent screens that are much more scratch resistant than traditional glass and potentially even Corning’s Gorilla Glass, which covers the majority of smartphone and tablet screens. Apple has entered into a joint venture in the US with GT Advanced to build plants and furnaces able to produce sapphire in industrial quantities for a “critical component” that it said in trade documents would be shipped abroad for assembly. That could refer to the touch sensors – or to screens. The new video shows Marques Brownlee scratch both an iPhone 5S screen – which uses the third generation of Gorilla Glass – and the alleged iPhone 6 4.7in screen with two different types of sandpaper. A softer garnet sandpaper, which is about six on the Mohs scale, and emery, which is about eight on the Mohs scale, were used on the two screens. “The Mohs scale is a relative scale used by geologists and mineralogists to describe minerals and goes from one, which is super soft, to 10, which is super hard,” explained Alford. “The softest mineral on the scale is talc rising to quartz at number seven and diamond is 10. Corundum, which is sapphire, is number nine.” “The relative hardness of sapphire is 400, compared to quartz which is 100, so it is a lot harder than quartz,” Alford stressed. Quartz is a crystal formed from silicon dioxide, the main component of glass and sand, and is used in electronic components including digital watches as part of the time keeping mechanism. ‘Smash the thing up, stick it under a microscope’ In the video, Brownlee manages to scratch both iPhone screens with the sandpaper, with the alleged iPhone 6 screen showing higher resistance to scratching with the garnet and emery sandpapers than the iPhone 5S Gorilla Glass screen. The sapphire home button of the iPhone 5S resisted all scratches from both sandpapers. Brownlee concludes that the leaked iPhone 6 screen could be a blend of sapphire crystal and traditional glass, which Alford agrees is possible. “I would smash the thing up, stick it under a microscope and you’d have your answer as to whether this is aluminium oxide (sapphire) or silicon dioxide (glass),” said Alford. “You can’t truly tell until you get it under a microscope.” Sapphire crystals are made from aluminium oxide powder, compared to silicon dioxide in standard glass. Once heated and cooled, it can be cut and formed into glass-like layers – known as sapphire glass. The optically transparent material has long been used for camera lenses as well as the screens of high-end watches because of its combination of scratch resistance and high transparency. Sapphire has many advantages over glass, but has been prohibitively expensive to produce in large areas despite abundant raw materials. Creating artificial sapphire is not a problem in smaller areas for electronics and other uses, much in the same way artificial diamonds are used in manufacturing. • Sapphire crystal – why Apple’s interested in a precious gem | ['technology/iphone', 'technology/apple', 'technology/technology', 'technology/apps', 'technology/iphone-5s', 'technology/smartphones', 'technology/mobilephones', 'science/science', 'science/materials-science', 'technology/gadgets', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/samuel-gibbs'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2014-07-21T11:03:29Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
books/2023/nov/02/wh-smith-launches-buy-back-scheme-for-secondhand-books | WH Smith launches buy-back scheme for secondhand books | WH Smith has launched a buy-back service for used books, offering readers vouchers in exchange for their secondhand volumes. Through the BookCycle scheme, launched on Tuesday, readers register their books online, take them to a branch and receive an e-voucher to spend in store or online. The books will be “passed on for another reader to enjoy or will be responsibly recycled”, according to the WH Smith website. Users will register a book using the ISBN number before being given a price, which is based on “criteria such as its condition, the popularity of the title and its demand in the market”. A paperback version of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club is valued at 30p, while a hardback copy of Britney Spears’ newly released memoir is valued at £3.10. The scheme is one of several launched in recent years that claim to address the environmental impact of the book publishing industry, which includes deforestation, paper milling, printing, packaging and transport. In 2021, the Publishers Association launched a sustainability pledge called Publishing Declares; it now has 162 signatories, including Penguin Random House UK, Simon & Schuster UK and HarperCollins. In April, the Society of Authors launched Tree to Me, a campaign aimed at encouraging publishers to reduce their environmental impact. “It makes great sense for our customers and our business to support a circular economy for books, as we aim to minimise our impact on the environment and support our local communities,” said WH Smith group commercial development director Ian Sanders. The retailer is running the scheme in partnership with Zeercle, a company that offers buy-back services. On the WH Smith website, it says that “the majority of the books” will find “new homes through Zeercle’s resale channels which offer secondhand books at reduced prices”. Chris Edwards, who owns independent secondhand bookshop Skoob Books, said that though the scheme will help readers get rid of unwanted items, he believes it may operate more like a “recycling service” than a bookselling one. He is doubtful that the scheme is “anything to do with the secondhand book trade” because there is “no evidence to suggest there’s an increase in secondhand sales” of the types of popular books that the scheme is likely to attract. Prior to Brexit, booksellers would sell excess book stock to Europe, but this now rarely happens due to sales being subject to 20% VAT, Edwards explained. Edwards also wondered how it will be financially viable for WH Smith and Zeercle to recycle books, given that the UK is “not a favourable recycling environment since Brexit”. WH Smith may instead be launching the scheme to increase footfall or to encourage people to sign up to an online account, he said. “This sounds rather too good to be true with used books already flooding [the] market here,” sustainability organisation Sussed in the Forest stated in a post on X. Zeercle CEO Eric Gagnaire told the Guardian that “our business is not recycling books but reselling books in the UK” through online marketplaces including Amazon and eBay. Authors will not be compensated through the scheme. “While we are keen to see books reused from a sustainability point of view, this initiative could be detrimental to author incomes,” said Nicola Solomon, CEO of the Society of Authors. “Most authors receive full royalties on books sold by high-street bookshops,” but “rarely receive royalties or other payments from sales of secondhand books”. Gagnaire said that if the scheme is a “success”, the company will “study” solutions such as AuthorSHARE – a scheme launched in 2021 that allows authors to be compensated for books sold through large online secondhand bookseller World of Books. “We’re committed to helping our customers with the cost of living and encouraging reading across all sections of the community,” a WH Smith spokesperson told the Guardian. “Our partnership with Zeercle delivers both, helping customers by giving them money back for books sitting on shelves at home, and enabling them to redeem that money for new books in our stores.” | ['books/books', 'business/whsmith', 'environment/environment', 'campaign/email/bookmarks', 'business/retail', 'environment/recycling', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/ella-creamer', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-culture'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-11-02T16:00:45Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
world/2023/oct/10/zelenskiy-promises-not-to-attack-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-says-iaea-chief | Zelenskiy pledged not to attack nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia, says IAEA chief | Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, says Volodymyr Zelenskiy has promised him that Ukraine will not attack Europe’s biggest nuclear plant as part of its counteroffensive against Russia. In an interview with the Guardian, the nuclear watchdog chief said he was most concerned about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant becoming engulfed in fighting between the two sides, but insisted he had obtained a commitment from the Ukrainian president. “President Zelenskiy has personally assured me that they will not directly bomb or shell it,” Grossi said, although he added that Zelenskiy had told him “all other options are on the table” in terms of taking it back. That means Ukraine would comply with the first of the five new nuclear safety principles – “do not attack a nuclear power plant” – initially outlined by Grossi at the UN security council at the end of May to avert “a catastrophic accident”. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station was captured by Russia in March 2022, the first time any reactor has been captured in war, prompting fears of a fresh incident in the same country where an explosion at Chornobyl spread radioactivity across Europe in 1986. Grossi said the danger was that “anything can happen at any time” given the prevailing military situation. “I’m often asked, is [the power station] safe now? No. It’s in the middle of a war zone with a counteroffensive,” he said. He said he believed there “were two main problems”, the most significant of which was “a direct attack, hit” on one of the less secure areas of the plant, while the secondary concern was the maintenance of water cooling, necessary even as the six reactors are in shutdown. Ukraine has been trying to regain the territory it lost to the Russian invaders in the early stages of the war, with the most intense fighting taking place 60 miles (97km) to the east on the southern front south of Orikhiv. Progress has been slow during the summer, but at some point Ukraine will be hoping to recapture the area around the nuclear plant and ultimately the facility itself, which is, it is estimated, a base for 500-600 Russian troops. Grossi said he was particularly concerned by “a number of fragile points apart from the reactors themselves”, including “the spent fuel area which is not fortified” as well as other storage areas holding fresh nuclear fuel. “The fresh fuel halls, let me remind you, were hit in August 2022,” he added, describing the aftermath of an attack that left holes visible to satellite imagery on the roof of the power station’s key facility. A few days later, Grossi crossed the frontlines to pay one of three personal visits since the start of the war to the nuclear plant, where he said he saw the damage caused by the attack where “a few metres down, you have the racks containing the fresh fuel”. Though the damage was likely to have come after a Ukrainian attack, Grossi said he would not say who was responsible. “I don’t have a forensic capacity [to determine who was responsible],” he said. “The Russians would certainly say that [the Ukrainians did it].” IAEA monitors are permanently based at the nuclear power plant, although last week Greenpeace said their number – at four – was too small and they were unable to provide effective assurances about safety because they had to give a week’s notice of their inspection requests. Grossi insisted the IAEA was able to keep on top of the safety situation. “There are difficult moments, moments where we don’t get the access, so we have to argue a little bit. This is not new for us,” he said, noting the IAEA had had to deal with access problems in other countries such as Iran. “Nobody likes the auditor,” he added. Russia’s Rosatom nuclear agency has taken over the management of the plant, but has had to rely on a fraction of the prewar Ukrainian staff to keep it operational. Staffing levels plunged from 12,000 before the war to, Grossi said, about 2,000 today, although he added it was “growing again” with more native Russians coming onsite. Concerns about maintaining water cooling increased sharply after the Nova Kakhovka dam downstream was blown in June, draining the Dnipro reservoir around the plant and leaving its reserve cooling water pond exposed. Evaporation and leaks meant the cooling pond had been losing about 1cm depth of water a day, but the problem of the falling water levels had been resolved by the digging of wells to find fresh supplies. “All I can tell you is for the time being the management has stabilised the situation,” Grossi said. But Grossi said he regretted how the plant had been used in military brinkmanship between the two sides. “We were not expecting a war with these kind of characteristics,” he said. The focus of nuclear regulators in recent years had been the risk of a terrorist or cyberattack, not a land war in Europe. Grossi said: “I’ve had to cross the frontline three times, and as a diplomat I was not expecting to do that in my career. I’ve been in places where they see each other. We are walking in the middle.” | ['world/ukraine', 'world/russia', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'world/europe-news', 'world/volodymyr-zelenskiy', 'campaign/email/headlines-europe', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/dan-sabbagh', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2023-10-10T12:33:20Z | true | ENERGY |
us-news/2015/jun/26/california-wildfires-water-shortage-drought | California wildfire rages as firefighters scramble for water amid record drought | A week-old wildfire in southern California picked up steam late on Thursday and early Friday as firefighters in the drought-stricken state struggled to find enough water to contain the blaze. The fire has so far consumed about 40 square miles of the San Bernardino mountains, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. It is one of several fires spreading along the west coast this week, and one of 2,500 fires to break out this year alone in California. The wildfires have been exacerbated by the historic drought in western states. Almost 70% of California is considered to be in “extreme to exceptional drought”, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. “Normally at this time of year, we’d be seeing green and wildflowers as far as we can see,” Orange County fire captain Dave Lopez told CBS News. “But because of the drought, we’re seeing brown, dry fuel that has no moisture in it at all.” The drought is also making it harder for authorities to find bodies of water, meaning planes and helicopters are flying farther and farther away to reload. Personal drones being used to film the fire have also gotten in the way of planes filled with retardant. “I think this is going to be the worst fire season we’ve seen yet,” Lopez told CBS. “And next year will probably be worse than that unless this drought breaks.” Residents in the tiny towns of Burns Canyon and Rimrock have been told to evacuate. The fire department says as many as 7,390 structures are threatened by the fire. Wildfires have also been spreading in remote parts of northern California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. While most of the fires are small, Alaska is grappling with about 300 of them. The state’s snow cover melted off much earlier than usual this year thanks to an exceptionally hot May, giving the fires more opportunity to spread. Those fires are also threatening the state’s permafrost – underground frozen soil – which if burned could release massive doses of carbon into the atmosphere. | ['us-news/california', 'world/wildfires', 'environment/drought', 'us-news/california-drought', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/environment', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/water', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/peter-moskowitz'] | us-news/california-drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2015-06-26T14:19:26Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
us-news/2015/mar/16/california-water-drought-nasa-warning | Drought-stricken California only has one year of water left, Nasa scientist warns | As California experiences the fourth year of one of the most severe droughts in its history, a senior Nasa scientist has warned that the state has about one year of water left. In an LA Times editorial published last week, Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory senior water cycle scientist Jay Famiglietti called for a more “forward-looking process” to deal with the state’s dwindling water supply. Famiglietti, who is also a professor at University of California at Irvine, said the state had about one year of water in reservoir storage and the backup supply, groundwater, was low. “California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain,” Famiglietti wrote. “In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis.” Nasa data shows that water storage has been in steady decline in California since at least 2002, before the drought began. Famiglietti called for specific measures to combat the crisis, including accelerated implementation of a law that requires groundwater sustainability, a state taskforce focused on long-term solutions and immediate, mandatory rationing. He also said there was a need for the public to be more involved in the issue. A Field poll released in February showed that 34% of California voters supported a mandatory rationing policy, though 94% agreed that the drought is “serious”. The majority of respondents – 61% – favored the voluntary reductions the state currently encourages. On Tuesday, the State Water Resources Control Board is scheduled to vote on a conservation measure that would limit landscape watering, the strictest mandate directed at such water use the state has considered. “Our state’s water management is complex, but the technology and expertise exist to handle this harrowing future,” Famiglietti said. “It will require major changes in policy and infrastructure that could take decades to identify and act upon. Today, not tomorrow, is the time to begin.” Scientists are working to determine what role climate change has played in California’s drought. Earlier this month, a study by Stanford researchers showed that high temperatures increase the risk of drought conditions. Last year, two research teams said in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society that they could not definitively pin the drought on climate change. A third team, which includes a Stanford researcher from the previous study, said that rare atmospheric conditions are exacerbating the drought. | ['us-news/california', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/environment', 'environment/drought', 'science/nasa', 'environment/water', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/amanda-holpuch'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2015-03-16T17:25:32Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
business/2017/jan/06/uk-wind-power-coal-green-groups-carbon-taxes | UK wind power overtakes coal for first time | Windfarms across the UK generated more electricity in 2016 than coal power plants for the first time, according to an analyst’s estimates. Three major coal power stations closed last year, causing coal electricity generation to plummet to 9.2%, down from 22.6% in 2015. Wind power provided 11.5% of generation in 2016, slightly down from 12% in 2015. Coal’s collapse was described as a “milestone” by climate analysts Carbon Brief, and saw coal-fuelled electricity output at its lowest in 80 years. Green groups described it as “fantastic news”. “The past 12 months have seen a year of firsts for the UK’s electricity system. At the broadest level, the UK grid is changing as centralised power stations are joined by thousands of smaller sites, particularly renewables, as part of efforts to decarbonise electricity supplies,” wrote Simon Evans, policy editor at Carbon Brief. Ministers have pledged to phase out coal power by 2025 to meet carbon targets, but expect the final plant to close within five years as environmental policies make coal increasingly uneconomic. The huge decline in coal power last year saw a series of records, including days with no coal power at all, and solar power generating more than coal across six months. The slack was largely taken up by gas-fired power stations, which was up 45% year on year, Carbon Brief found. Its analysis was based on grid data and estimates; official figures are due in March. But 2016 also saw considerable growth in renewable power, and Christmas Day saw a record amount of electricity supplied by windfarms and biomass power plants. On Friday, Scottish company Dounreay Trì announced it had awarded the construction contract to Global Energy Group for an innovative pair of floating wind turbines off the coast of Dounreay, in Scotland. The technology is seen as a key way of putting turbines out in deeper waters. | ['business/energy-industry', 'business/business', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-vaughan', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2017-01-06T09:54:26Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2016/mar/23/european-clean-tech-industry-falls-into-rapid-decline | European clean tech industry falls into rapid decline | Europe’s once world-beating clean technology industry has fallen into a rapid decline, with investment in low-carbon energy last year plummeting to its lowest level in a decade. The plunge in European fortunes comes as renewable energy is burgeoning around the world, with China in particular investing heavily. As recently as 2010, Europe made up 45% of global clean energy investment, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), which examines the sector. But after peaking at $132bn in 2011, investment in the EU plunged by more than half, to 18% of the global total, or $58bn, in 2015. Michael Liebreich, chairman of the BNEF board, said the global financial crisis and its aftermath were to blame only in part. “Europe’s failure to respond [to the crisis was a factor and] global investors, scared about the survival of the euro, had plenty of reason to hesitate about putting money into euro-dominated clean energy projects,” he said. But he also pointed to mistakes made by policymakers in member states, which he said had created a “boom-bust” cycle by initially showing strong support for renewables then rapidly rowing back as they feared the expense of successful subsidies. Europe’s manufacturers have also suffered in the rapid fall. From being a world leader in solar panel manufacturing in the early and mid 2000s, the EU no longer has any companies in the global top 10. Last year, the Chinese company Goldwind took the crown as the world’s biggest wind turbine maker, leaving European companies in the shade. Jobs are being lost as a result. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, employment in solar photovoltaics in Europe fell by more than a third to 165,000 jobs in 2013, the last year for which it has yet collated figures. Jobs in wind energy rose slightly, by more than 5% in 2013, to nearly 320,000 across the bloc, with more than half of these in Germany. Investment is not uniform across the clean technology sector. Despite the poor showing overall, Europe’s wind generation industry had a bumper year in 2015, with €26.4bn invested. But this is not likely to last. Oliver Joy, spokesman for the European Wind Energy Association, told the Guardian: “The outlook for 2016 is not as rosy and we’re likely to see a dip in installations this year. Beyond this, the future for onshore wind is not clear as an uncoordinated patchwork of policies across Europe continues to stifle progress, not least in the UK and Spain. We need to see more political appetite at European and national level, which means putting in place a vision for renewables into the next decade.” Prospects for the struggling EU clean energy industry look poor overall, said analysts. The best hope of a revival is likely to be a return of political commitment to the sector, but that looks unlikely in the short term, even in the wake of the landmark climate change agreement signed in Paris last December. A major European commission announcement on the future of the bloc’s energy, published last month, was criticised by green groups for focusing on gas, rather than renewables or efficiency. Commission leaders and some member states are thought to take the view that as Europe is struggling with recession, unemployment and immigration, emphasising the security of gas supplies - despite the need to import the fuel expensively from outside the bloc, including from countries such as Russia with which Europe has a troubled relationship - is more reassuring to business. In a further blow, the looming UK referendum on EU membership is creating uncertainty for investors, while the Tory government has reined back sharply on support for renewables such as onshore wind and solar power, claiming cost reasons. Liebreich attacked this argument: “The tragedy is that Europe lost its renewable energy mojo just as costs were plummeting to the point where green power is fully competitive without subsidies in more and more parts of the world.” He pointed to costs of wind energy generation of $0.04 per kilowatt hour in the US, and said this should be possible in the UK, with the right support from government. “[Politicians and opponents of wind] have failed to grasp that one of the reasons why costs are higher in the UK is because of the policy uncertainty they helped to create.” As the EU has declined, clean energy in China is forging ahead. Last year, according to a new report from the climate change thinktank E3G, the Chinese invested two and a half times as much as the EU in clean tech. The irony is that investment in the EU has made the Asian clean powerhouse possible, as initial subsidised forays into clean technology have borne fruit in the form of slicker manufacturing processes and vastly reduced costs. On current showings, China is now poised to reap the economic benefits of Europe’s historic investments. Nick Mabey, chief executive of E3G, said: “Twenty years ago, Europeans were still teaching China how to draft environmental laws. Ten years ago, Europe saw China just as a market for its green exports. Today, China is on the verge of dominating the global clean energy economy. The EU must act decisively to stay in the race.” This article was amended to change the amount invested in wind power from €24.6bn to €26.4bn. | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/fiona-harvey'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2016-03-23T15:48:12Z | true | ENERGY |
us-news/2024/dec/06/a-pardon-that-proves-power-trumps-all | A pardon that proves power trumps all | Brief letters | There are plenty of people in the US justice system who suffer miscarriages of justice, who cannot afford good lawyers and who receive unnecessarily harsh sentences. By pardoning his son (Report, 2 December), Joe Biden has sent a message to the American people – and the world – that people close to those in power can get a better deal. This undermines the entire justice system and is an utter disgrace. Angela Wright London • In your article (Four of UK’s oldest nuclear plants to run for even longer as Hinkley Point delayed, 4 December), we are told by Ed Miliband that these extensions are “a major win for our energy independence”. No, Ed – they are a major win for EDF, a French company on whom, this article asserts, we are 100% dependent for our nuclear energy. Rosemary Middleton Middle Taphouse, Cornwall • There is an internet meme that sums up Mary Ann Sieghart’s article (Why do some men behave badly? I think I have the answer, 6 December) in 10 words, advising women and girls to: “Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.” One of my younger feminist colleagues has even cross-stitched this great advice. Prof Rachel Fyson University of Nottingham • You report (3 December) that the leader of Merthyr Tydfil county borough council says his team, officers at the council and external agencies will “move heaven and earth to ensure everything is put back into place” following the emergence of a sinkhole. Earth, yes, but is it really necessary to move heaven? Richard Foster Thatcham, Berkshire • If the government is allowing the British Museum freedom to decide on the fate of the Parthenon marbles (Report, 2 December) then the Greek authorities had better keep an eye on eBay. John Rushton Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire • The third letter above was amended on 8 December 2024. An earlier version misspelled “cross-stitched” as “cross-stiched”. | ['us-news/joebiden', 'us-news/hunter-biden', 'us-news/donaldtrump', 'us-news/us-politics', 'us-news/us-news', 'business/edf', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'politics/edmiliband', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'uk/wales', 'world/sinkholes', 'culture/british-museum', 'artanddesign/parthenon-marbles', 'technology/ebay', 'uk/uk', 'commentisfree/series/brief-letters', 'type/article', 'tone/letters', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2024-12-06T18:19:47Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/planet-oz/2015/may/29/freedom-and-liberty-should-not-be-red-flags-for-climate-science-denial-but-they-are | Freedom and liberty should not be red flags for climate science denial, but they are | Graham Readfearn | You can play one of those fun bingo games with anyone that reckons climate change science is all bunk, is a conspiracy or can be easily ignored and pushed down the list of priorities. Here’s what you do. First you need to wait until time you’re about to read an opinion column or listen to a speech from one of the usual suspects (good candidates include Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s business advisor Maurice Newman or anyone speaking at an event for a ‘free market’ think tank anywhere in the world, whether that’s Australia’s Institute of Public Affairs or America’s Heartland Institute). Then get out your Denialist Bingo card ready and printed with words and phrases like “freedom”, “liberty”, “totalitarian”, “authoritarian”, “prosperity” and “big government” and you’re off and running. When Danish climate contrarian Bjorn Lomborg was rejected by a leading Australian university, there were screams from conservatives that it was both an attack on “freedom of speech” and an attack on “academic freedom” when the case was a demonstration of neither. When Newman penned his latest piece for The Australian on how climate change science is a conspiracy, he claimed the United Nations was “opposed to capitalism and freedom” and how climate action was a campaign for “authoritarians”. Words like “freedom” and “liberty” have essentially been co-opted by those opposed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The question is, why? Some studies have suggested a link between a person’s tendency to reject established science and accept conspiracy theories (known as ‘conspiratorial ideation’) while endorsing “free market” policies. Maybe an explanation for all this, then, lies in whether you think governments should have a role in protecting the public interest through regulations, or if you think they should just sit back, watch and then offer a guilt-free shrug when things go wrong. If you accept that adding 30 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere every year is a bad thing, then you have to accept that someone should do something about it. As that “someone” is generally governments and authorities introducing rules and regulations, this seems to put some “free market” advocates in a quandary. Accept the science and accept regulations, or reject the science and leave their “free market” - which is essentially a fiction anyway - intact. An example of this has been analysed in a recent paper in Nature Climate Change that tried to get a grip on the sources that US politicians used to inform themselves about climate change. The study, reported on Think Progress, looked at these “echo chambers” and found people tended to surround themselves with sources that confirmed their existing view. But when it came to those who rejected climate change science (looking at you, Republicans) the number of scientific sources they relied upon was tiny compared to the diversity of sources relied on by those pushing for cuts to greenhouse gases emissions. Or in other words, denialists tended to read and repeat the same “facts” over and over because these reinforced their view on how the world should work. One example of this “echo chamber” in action can be found with the Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) – a private membership group of free market protagonists established in the 1940s. MPS has more than 600 members worldwide and meets regularly in all parts of the globe. The society doesn’t publish a list of its members, although I have a copy of its 2013 membership list. There are currently about 40 Australian members. Many have expressed scepticism or worse about climate change science or are part of organisations that push denial, reject the need to act and dismiss renewable energy sources. These include former Prime Minister John Howard, Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson, Institute of Public Affairs boss John Roskam, former IPA fellow Alan Moran, mining magnate and Mannkal think tank head Ron Manners and conservative columnist Janet Albrechtsen. Oh yes. Maurice Newman is a member too. In the US, many MPS members work at think tanks that have campaigned against cuts to greenhouse gases and/or pushed climate science denial. Charles Koch - one half of the “libertarian” oil billionaire Koch brothers who have pushed millions into campaigns to block action on fossil fuel burning – is a member. So too is former Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus, who thinks climate science and environmentalism are a threat to people’s freedom. Blurting out words like “freedom” and “liberty” has become an almost reflex response for too many “free market” conservatives as they try and rationalise anything that happens in and around the climate change issue. The broader and decades-long “small government” and “low regulation” campaigns of liberals of various colours have turned regulation into a dirty word. But you have to wonder if they would be opposed to regulating or restricting other activities that pose a risk to the public interest, in the same way that unmitigated greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning does. Should governments and authorities sit back and allow the tobacco industry a “free market” to advertise and sell their deadly products? No, and most people wouldn’t want it to. Knowing that asbestos was harmful and could kill people, do governments wave away concerns on the basis that a “free market” will sort it all out? No. Understanding that CFCs were eating the ozone hole, governments agreed to phase them out. They didn’t wait for the “free market” to do it for them. For decades scientists have warned that the risks from climate change are likely to be far reaching and fundamental on a global scale. Can so called “free market” activists pull the blinkers away for long enough to see that failing to act decisively on greenhouse gas emissions will eventually restrict people’s freedoms, rather than enhance them? Are they in fact steering themselves - and the public with them - into a barrage of the very kind of big government interventions they fear the most? | ['environment/planet-oz', 'environment/environment', 'environment/series/guardian-environment-blogs', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'australia-news/maurice-newman', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/blog', 'tone/comment', 'profile/graham-readfearn'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2015-05-29T02:55:38Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
global-development-professionals-network/2014/mar/21/world-in-a-week-edward-snowden-misses-out-on-digital-activism-award | World in a week: Edward Snowden misses out on digital activism award | Good week for ... Shubhranshu Choudhary. The Indian journalist and founder of CGnet Swara, a mobile news service, has won the 2014 Digital Activism Award, beating the US whistleblower Edward Snowden. The prize was presented at Freedom of Expression Awards ceremony on 20 March. Alice Nkom. Recognised for her work defending gay rights, the Cameroonian lawyer received an award, on Tuesday 18 March, from the German branch of Amnesty International in Berlin. Bad week for ... Robert D Kaplan whose article, In defense of empire –which argues for “tempered imperialism” – has been met with disdain by all rational people. Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue. Son of the president of Equatorial Guinea (and the country's second vice president) is being investigated in France for money laundering. What you're saying ... Where better to gauge the response to Kaplan's piece than on Twitter, and the microblogging site did not disappoint, with these gems shared: And for the academic take on what is wrong with Kaplan's comment: The week in numbers $2bn: The amount the UN's humanitarian chief, Lady Amos, has called for donors to contribute to help combat another looming food crisis in the Sahel. 12 million carats of Zimbabwean diamonds to be sold by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre this year, making the southern African country one of the six biggest suppliers to the Belgian-based trading group. According to Bloomberg, diamonds are becoming an increasingly important source of revenue for the government after the European Union lifted sanctions on the Marange field in the east of the country in September 2014. $6m is the sum in US aid that Uganda's health minister says the government has lost over the new anti-gay law. 25,000 Somalis, including hundreds of women and children, have been expelled from Saudi Arabia and sent back to their war-torn home since December 2013, says Human Rights Watch. 57%: By 2010, TB prevalence in China fell by more than half according to a new Lancet report based on a 20-year-long analysis of national survey data. Picture of the week: Milestones Global Freedom Network launched this week at the Vatican. The objectives of the interfaith anti-slavery campaign include persuading 50 major corporations to commit to "slavery-proofing" their supply chains. Multimedia Ted fellow Manu Prakash and his team have created a microscope made of paper that's just as easy to fold and use. This demo shows how the invention could revolutionise healthcare in developing countries. Global development reading list: Redefining Pakistan - comment piece by Yasmeen Aftab Ali Give impact investing time and space to develop - Harvard Business Review The stabilizing influence of Chinese development finance in conflict-prone African countries - AidData Beyond the fence: research to explore how policy decisions on one side of the US-Mexico border ripple to the other side - Centre for Global Development Mortality from road crashes in 193 countries: a comparison with other leading causes of death - University of Michigan Now your turn... Our weekly round-up is admittedly just the tip of the iceberg. Get in touch to tell us what story of the last week most moved you or impacts your work. Press officers, add globaldevpros@theguardian.com to your mailing lists or email us about upcoming reports and new hires at your organisation. Join the community of global development professionals and experts. Become a GDPN member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['working-in-development/working-in-development', 'global-development-professionals-network/series/world-in-a-week', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/business', 'world/cameroon', 'world/equatorial-guinea', 'world/mozambique', 'world/zimbabwe', 'world/vatican', 'society/poverty', 'global-development/aid', 'world/lgbt-rights', 'type/article', 'profile/eliza-anyangwe'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-03-21T20:10:55Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
australia-news/2022/mar/20/flood-affected-lismore-residents-with-nowhere-to-go-return-to-homes-deemed-uninhabitable | Flood-affected Lismore residents with nowhere to go return to homes deemed uninhabitable | Residents in Lismore have been left with no choice but to move back into their houses that have been deemed uninhabitable, with some sleeping on swags in mouldy rooms without electricity, as they are unable to find safe accommodation three weeks after floods devastated the town. In South Lismore – a low-lying part of the town that bore the brunt of historic flooding this year and an area well known for attracting residents seeking affordable housing – Guardian Australia spoke with multiple residents who had evacuated town following the floods but had returned to their homes in recent days. The State Emergency Service had deemed more than 3,600 homes across the New South Wales northern rivers region as uninhabitable and on Friday some residents were living in homes that had been as assessed as such. In one case, a homeowner had returned to their property which had been condemned for demolition after being assessed as structurally unsound, and had warning tape erected at its entrance, however they did not want to be interviewed. Some homes in South Lismore were swept off their foundations, but they remained intact, despite needing renovations and structural repairs. Stories of residents living in unsafe housing follow revelations in Guardian Australia that motor homes intended for Lismore residents whose houses were inundated in the floods were lying empty because linen and water sources had not been organised, while housing “pods” promised by the NSW government were yet to materialise. On Crown Street, the Lee family’s home was deemed uninhabitable after flooding rose to about chest height on its elevated top floor. The family of four hosted four neighbours on the Sunday that waters rose, and all eight had to be rescued by a friend who had a boat on Monday 28 February. After evacuating, brothers Ryan and Evan have slept at a variety of places, including at their grandparents’ home and on friends’ couches. Their parents also leaned on family and friends for accommodation. While they were able to rely on people who opened their homes to them, countless other residents also required temporary accommodation. And so on Monday, after weeks of living in cramped conditions with other flood evacuees, the Lee family made the difficult decision to return to their home, despite its status as uninhabitable. “There was nowhere else left to go, that is the only reason why we’re back here,” said Evan, a 20-year-old student, who was sleeping on an old fold-out camping bed made of steel, less than a metre from his mother, who was sleeping on a blow-up mattress. Ryan, a 21-year-old labourer, was sleeping on a swag in the next room, while their father, Andy, was sleeping at his brother’s house due to a back problem. While water was running, the Lees were unsure if it was safe, so were drinking bottled water. The house relied on a portable generator for electricity, and its mountain of flood-ruined possessions in the front yard was yet to be collected. “I’ve got no idea when it will be collected, but hopefully it’s within the next week because it’s starting to smell pretty bad,” Ryan said. Outside, the smell of dried dirt and sewage lingered. Inside, water damage and mould was evident. It was hot inside the rooms, and flood damage left it largely unprotected from the elements. The family had been told it would take more than six months for their home to be rebuilt and safe for them to move back in. Despite this, Andy said one benefit of the fact they had returned to the home was that they could protect against looters looking to steal donated goods, such as fridges and washing machines, that had already arrived at some homes. The family were desperate for more secure medium-term accommodation and frustrated at the current options available to them. They had attempted to apply for one of the 40 mobile homes the state government delivered to Lismore for flood-affected victims, but had not heard back from the government. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Regardless, the mobile units were not large enough to accommodate all four of them for multiple months. “We’d prefer to live in a house somewhere together as a family, even if it’s in a different town up the coast. Anywhere really,” Ryan said. Along their street and those intersecting, the story was similar. Piles of possessions remained uncollected at most homes, and stories of families forced to return were common. Looking over the pile of ruined possessions in his front yard, Andy noted that the house was not tied down to the bricks that elevate it, and only sat on them, and was concerned about its future safety. However, he counted the family as fortunate, as they had an insurance policy in place. “We really are some of the lucky ones in a way,” he said. | ['australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/elias-visontay', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-03-19T19:00:36Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2020/sep/30/weatherwatch-mumbai-india-wettest-monsoon-season-more-than-61-years | Mumbai has wettest monsoon season in more than 61 years | An exceptionally wet monsoon season has been recorded in Mumbai, India, this year with the highest recorded rainfall totals in more than 61 years – with 3,679.9mm of rain falling between 1 June and 24 September. Rainfall totals have exceeded 3,000mm only six times since 1901, with four of those within the last 10 years. Torrential rains halted city life as many establishments, transport links, and homes were submerged in flood waters waist deep last week; within a 48-hour period 395mm of rain was recorded in Mumbai, nearly 54mm more than the September average. In Europe, there were several road closures in the Alps last weekend as authorities were taken by surprise at the first heavy snowfall of the autumn season. Snowfall accumulation records were broken at Montana, Switzerland, where 25cm (10in) of snow was recorded, with some reports of accumulations over 60cm at altitude. Temperatures in the region were also nearly 10C below average for the time of year. Meanwhile, the Greek island of Crete recorded temperatures soaring on Saturday; the south coast reached 28C, while the city of Chania in the north had temperatures approaching 39C. Downslope winds from the White mountains gusting 40mph were fuelling the 10C difference seen across the island – the phenomenon known as the foehn effect. | ['world/india', 'news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/mumbai', 'weather/mumbai', 'news/series/world-weatherwatch', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'tone/news', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2020-09-30T20:30:49Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2023/jan/14/country-diary-a-golden-glint-in-the-gwynt | Country diary: A golden glint in the gwynt | Jim Perrin | Bitter-bright, golden towards sundown, the cold blast streams harsh across Ireland Moor. The Welsh phrase for this wind, gwynt o draed y meirwon, translates as “wind from the feet of the dead”. A score of golden plovers hurl past where I stand, surfing upon it. They’re gold-flecked, their slender outlines etched with black. Suddenly they drop to the surface of the moor – not to where the heather’s at its most dense, but to where it’s interspersed with leads of grass along which they pursue their staccato scurryings. A glint of water at the spring-line feeds into reedy flushes that join up to form a small lake in wet seasons. Good plover-nesting territory, this, but they’re not here for nesting yet. There are wintry months still to be endured before that sweet time arrives. As if of one accord, the flock lifts off and whirls past me again, alighting this time to feed across molehill-studded pastures behind ash tree-shaded ruins of the old keeper’s cottage. They probe into mounds of loose earth for chilled worms within. I lift my glass, focus, and feast on the beauty of their plumage. It’s a richer feast than the plovers are finding, though. Soon they’re airborne again, scattering away past a nearby pool. There are shooting butts at its end, where tweed-clad gentlemen crouch in their seasons to kill this red-list species that incomprehensibly still features on “sporting” quarry lists. The sun has sunk behind Yr Elenydd. Our pool takes on a gunmetal sheen under a rising full moon. I ponder this wicked urge to destroy even the endangered and beautiful, and think of the lovely, plaintive quality of the plovers’ call-note, surely the characteristic sound of wild uplands in Britain, haunting and redolent. You can hear it in the flow country of Sutherland, or across Tooleyshaw Moss in the High Peak, and always here in the kindly hills of Radnorshire. To think that “sportsmen” slaughter the gorgeous, gentle creatures that make it batters my heart. Obscurely, there comes to mind the scene from Gabriel Axel’s film Babette’s Feast, where General Löwenhielm picks out a quail from Babette’s signature dish of cailles en sarcophage, crunches the skull and sucks out the brain. Delicacy, or barbarism? • Country Diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/birds', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/jim-perrin', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-01-14T05:30:35Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
commentisfree/2008/oct/14/forests-carbonemissions | Tony Juniper: John Eliasch is right: we need a global fund to pay for rainforests | Today's report from Johan Eliasch on the measures needed to save the tropical rainforests demonstrates how we have reached an important watershed in a key environmental debate that has raged on for more than two decades. I came to this issue in 1990, when I took on the role of running Friends of the Earth's tropical rainforest campaign. Back then the focus was on development projects such as dams and roads, the international commerce in tropical hardwoods and the land rights of indigenous people. Some famous victories were won, but the destruction was not halted. Since the early 1990s the rate of deforestation has gone up and down in intensity, but inexorably it has continued. All of the questions that were important in 1990 remain so now, only the issue has got a whole lot bigger and more important since then. Today deforestation is increasingly driven by international commodity markets in products including beef, soya and palm oil. And no longer is the concern solely about wildlife and local people. Vital though these questions remain, they are now joined by the global challenges of climate change and the supply of vital ecosystem services, including a critical role in the global freshwater cycle. The rainforests hold tight tens of billions of tonnes of carbon in vegetation and soils, and continue to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere even when the have reached the stage of old and mature ecosystems. As they breathe they pump out some 20bn tonnes of water into the atmosphere every day. A lot of this falls back on the forests (hence the name) but a great deal of it travels, to water crops as far away as southern Europe and North America. These carbon and water services are of global importance and need a global financial mechanism to pay for them. Most rainforest nations are developing countries with high levels of poverty. In order to grow, they have been liquidating forests to make way for export crops and to win natural resources, including timber and minerals. If they are going to stop this and to hang onto the forests, they will need reason to see that keeping the trees standing is a better business proposition than cutting them down. Hence the need for major international finance. There are of course dangers. Lots of money can sometimes do more harm than good, in fuelling corruption, widening inequalities and funding conflicts, for example. There can be inadvertent impacts on local people, who can have their interests swept aside in order that governments can gain money from global funds. And there could be reduced pressure on the industrialised countries to reduce their own emissions, if the money they provide enables them to count reduced deforestation against, for example, emissions from their own coal-fired power stations. Yes, we need big money, tens of billions, to pay rainforest countries to get out of the deforestation business. But it needs to be done right, in ways that improve people's welfare, uphold good governance and do not let the big global industrial polluters off the hook. It is not beyond human ingenuity to do this, but we need to now get on with it. The rainforest issue is now completely different. A huge opportunity exists and it must be seized. Time is running out in the race to cut greenhouse emissions and the world must now act decisively. But it must also act in ways that maximise the chances of success. That means a fair deal that is not about aid but is about compensation and a deal that recognises every country's role in the fight against climate change. Crucially, whatever the detail of the final deal (and hopefully one will be done at the climate change talks in Copenhagen in 2009), it has to be based on improving the welfare of people. That will not be easy and will in large part rely on the continuing struggles for land rights and just development making progress in countries across the developing world. No global treaty or deal can solve all these problems at once, but a global financial mechanism could be an important part of the mix. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/conservation', 'uk/uk', 'tone/comment', 'global-development/global-development', 'type/article', 'profile/tonyjuniper'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2008-10-14T09:02:29Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2019/jan/17/adani-contractor-wont-work-on-carmichael-project-after-protesters-target-worksites | Adani contractor won't work on Carmichael project after protesters target worksites | An Adani contractor has pledged not to work with the company on its Carmichael mine project, agreeing to the demands of protesters who had targeted worksites this week. The Eastern Tree Services group – an integrated contractor based in Melbourne – had been clearing trees near the Adani Abbot Point port to manage a fire break. The group Frontline Action on Coal launched protests at ETS worksites on Monday morning after a tip – denied by both ETS and Adani – that the contractor had verbally agreed to clear vegetation for Adani’s proposed rail spur line. The chief executive of ETS, Paul Tymensen, told Guardian Australia on Monday, as the first protest was unfolding, that the company decided to accept work in line with its values, which include making communities safer. He said those values – not the actions of protesters – would determine whether they accepted future work from Adani. On Thursday morning, ETS and the anti-coal group Galilee Blockade released apparently coordinated statements confirming the company would not participate in the Carmichael project. “Following events of the past week ETS can confirm we will not undertake work for Adani relating to the proposed Carmichael mine, including the mine site, water facilities, rail corridor or expansion of the port,” the company said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. Galilee Blockade thanked the company for upholding their value to “make communities safer” and not take on contracts “if potential client work compromises this”. “ETS asserted they were not contracted to do further work for Adani but until today refused to rule out working on Adani’s Carmichael mine.” Activists have consistently targeted contractors and claim responsibility for the decision by Downer EDI to end a contract to build the mine in 2017. The political climate around Adani will likely become more heated in the coming months, as the Indian conglomerate attempts to push ahead with construction, the Queensland government assesses critical management plans and traditional owners launch another court challenge – all amid a federal election campaign. Protesters are expected to ramp up actions during that time. “Adani must be the most toxic company in Australia’s corporate history,” Galilee Blockade spokesman Ben Pennings said. “Eastern Tree Service learnt very quickly how committed people are to protecting the reef, scarce water and a liveable climate. “Banks, insurers and major contractors have all walked away from Adani. Now smaller contractors are beginning to understand that Australians will punish companies that threaten their future.” Adani, which usually ignores the actions of anti-coal groups, criticised the protesters in a statement on Monday. “Once again we are seeing activist and anti-coal groups peddle misinformation in an attempt to create hysteria based on myths,” the statement said. “Had the group checked its facts, it would have found that the business which it caused disruption to ... is not a contractor for the Carmichael project. “We recognise there are varied opinions about the Carmichael project but when groups such as this disrupt private businesses, impacting employees and their families based on incorrect information, they should be held accountable. “The great thing about living in a democracy is that we can hold and express our different views. All we ask is that people’s opinions are based on facts and that they don’t put lives at risk through irresponsible, illegal and unsafe protest behaviour.” | ['business/adani-group', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/business-australia', 'environment/coal', 'business/mining', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/ben-smee', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/coal | ENERGY | 2019-01-17T04:36:54Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2018/jun/05/man-begins-six-month-swim-through-great-pacific-garbage-patch | Man begins six-month swim through 'Great Pacific garbage patch' | A French anti-plastic campaigner has begun a six-month journey to swim through the giant floating rubbish mass known as the Great Pacific garbage patch. Ben Lecomte, who has previously swum across the Atlantic Ocean in 1998, left the shores of Choshi in Japan on Tuesday morning, heading east. The 51-year-old plans to swim from Japan to San Francisco in 180 days, covering 8,000km. His journey will take him through 1,600km of the garbage patch, in an attempt to raise awareness about plastic pollution. The Great Pacific garbage patch, according to the latest March estimate, is twice the size of France and contains nearly 80,000 tonnes of plastic. Also known as the Pacific trash vortex, the patch is caused by the North Pacific gyre – a circle of currents that keep plastic, waste and other pollution trapped. According to scientists, the patch has been growing “exponentially” in recent years. The March estimate found it was 16 times larger than previously expected. Lecomte and his support team intend to sample the water they swim through every day of the journey, and gauge the level of plastic and microplastic pollution. The expedition’s first mate, Tyral Dalitz, told the ABC the team wanted to dispel a myth about the garbage patch. Rather than being made up of large pieces of plastic, most of the pollution is made up of invisible pieces of microplastic that sit in the water like a “plastic smog”, he said. “In reality the truth is much worse – the ocean is now filled with microplastics ... Rather than calling it an island of trash, it is more like plastic smog throughout the ocean.” The team will also be catching fish along the journey to track how plastic pollution accumulates within the food chain. To complete the journey Lecomte plans to swim for eight hours, or 50km, each day. He will use ocean currents to push him along and will wear a shark-repellent bracelet. He told the ABC that the psychological factor was the hardest part. “It’s mind over matter … sometimes that’s very difficult to do, when you are dry and sleepy and in pain, to jump in the water and to stay in that water for eight hours when it’s cold.” • This article was amended on 28 November 2018. An earlier version gave Lecomte’s age as 50. He is 51. | ['environment/plastic', 'world/asia-pacific', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'world/france', 'world/japan', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/naaman-zhou', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-foreign'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-06-05T04:45:01Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
commentisfree/2021/nov/17/azeem-rafiq-racism-workplace-yorkshire-antiracism | Azeem Rafiq's testimony should shine a light on racism in every workplace | Shaista Aziz | I spent some of the past summer at the Lord’s and Oval cricket grounds watching my beloved England and Pakistan play. When both teams play each other, I’m never going to be on the losing side. As is the case for many working-class British Asians, cricket has been part of my life since childhood, and a personal barometer for racism, classism, Islamophobia, identity and belonging. Remember Norman Tebbit’s infamous “cricket test”? In July, while waiting for a friend at Lord’s, known as “the home of cricket”, a security guard looked me up and down while walking towards me: “You’re standing at the wrong gate. You’re here to work? You need to go through another entrance.” He tried to shoo me away. Up until this point, this man and I had not exchanged a word. However, he assumed that a brown, hijab-wearing woman could only be at Lord’s to work in hospitality. I told the security guard he need not worry, I was at the right gate. He looked stunned. Cricket is riddled with class, race and gendered inequalities at every level. That incident was yet another reminder that the establishment and “polite” English society demands that people of colour, people like me, know our place. I have spent my entire life as an anti-racist campaigner, refusing to know my place, because my place is everywhere. If anyone has a problem with that, then it’s just that – their problem, not mine. It has taken years of me internalising painful experiences of racism, Islamophobia and misogyny. Coping with workplace cultures of silencing, denial and the minimising of racism, and the many harms it has caused to me and my career, has led me to this point. A recent study shows that English cricket is increasingly dominated by privilege. Two in five of England’s Test cricketers last year were privately educated, six times more than the national average. This is such a stark contrast with football, where 87% of the England team are state educated. Even though Asians have a minimal presence in professional football, the Three Lions football team is far more representative in terms of class and race than is cricket. According to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) there are approximately a million South Asian cricket fans across the country. The ECB has created a South Asian action plan – an 11-point strategy presented on its website under an image of two beaming young brown women of colour, one of whom is wearing a hijab. Like many people of colour, I watched the former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq give evidence to the parliamentary inquiry into racism in cricket with my stomach churning and my chest feeling tight. Supremely dignified and courageous, Rafiq’s testimony was triggering for so many who have been subjected to racism and Islamophobia in our places of work. Yet, unlike many of my white friends, I wasn’t shocked by his devastating testimony. His story of dealing with institutional racism isn’t exceptional. What marks him out is the fact he is finally being listened to and believed: by MPs, the cricketing authorities and the media. When I was growing up, the P-word was used frequently against me, my family members and my friends; it was often followed up by violence. Over the past two decades, aided by the “war on terror”, the P-slur has been replaced with open and mainstream anti-Muslim hate. This is likely to be part of Rafiq’s experiences. It needs to be recognised that Islamophobia is a form of racism. Rafiq told parliament that he wouldn’t want his son involved in the sport. It makes me mourn for the massive potential waste of talent, the future England stars who could be lost to the game; but Rafiq is right to say what he has said. Until English cricket tackles institutional racism and Islamophobia at all levels, the rest of us must do everything in our power to protect those at risk of racism from the mental anguish Rafiq is still enduring. He has gone on record to say the bullying led to him contemplating taking his own life. For anyone, let alone a practising Muslim, to disclose this publicly, is horrifying. Rafiq’s account is a bodyblow for the ECB and its attempts to diversify the sport; it should also be a watershed moment for English cricket and wider society, including every workplace. • Shaista Aziz is a journalist, writer, comedian, and Labour councillor for Oxford city council | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'sport/cricket', 'sport/sport', 'world/race', 'sport/azeem-rafiq', 'uk/uk', 'sport/yorkshire', 'sport/ecb', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/shaista-aziz', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | sport/ecb | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2021-11-17T16:18:46Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2006/mar/02/hurricanekatrina.usa | Video shows Bush being warned over Katrina | The US president, George Bush, was warned before Hurricane Katrina struck that it could cause huge devastation, according to leaked video footage. The footage appears to contradict Mr Bush's later claims that the scale of the damage took officials by surprise. Obtained by the Associated Press and broadcast on TV networks today, it shows federal staff and experts telling the president that Katrina could breach levees in New Orleans, putting lives at risk. Mr Bush listened but did not ask questions during the briefing on August 28 - a day before Katrina hit the Gulf coast. He told state officials: "We are fully prepared." Four days after the storm devastated New Orleans, however, the president declared: "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." The breach sent deadly floodwaters pouring into the city. He later sought to clarify that statement, saying officials had incorrectly believed the levees had survived Katrina. Linked by secure video, Max Mayfield, of the National Hurricane Centre, voiced "very, very grave concern" about the levees during the August 28 briefing. The then Federal Emergency Management Agency chief, Michael Brown, told Mr Bush and the Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff, that he feared there were not enough disaster teams to help evacuees at the city's Superdome. Mr Brown faced fierce criticism over his reaction to the storm, and resigned as the director of Fema two weeks after Katrina hit New Orleans. "We're going to need everything that we can possibly muster, not only in this state and in the region, but the nation, to respond to this event," he said. He urged federal agencies to cut through red tape to help people, bending rules if necessary. Mr Bush received the briefing at his ranch in Texas. The White House deputy chief of staff, Joe Hagin, sat next to him, but neither asked questions. "I want to assure the folks at the state level that we are fully prepared to not only help you during the storm, but we will move in whatever resources and assets we have at our disposal after the storm," the president said. Despite the warnings, the government did not send active duty troops to augment the National Guard in Louisiana until days after Katrina. Although the taped briefing shows Mr Brown expressing concern that hospitals were not being evacuated, it took days for search and rescue teams to reach some of them after Katrina struck. Mr Brown told colleagues he was worried about whether evacuees sent to the Superdome would be safe and have adequate medical care - but it took four days for a large-scale evacuation of the stadium to begin to begin. In the meantime, images of thousands of people stranded there without enough food, water or medical supplies shocked the world. The New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin - a fierce critic of the Bush administration's response to the disaster - watched the taped briefing on an AP reporter's camera yesterday. "I have kind of a sinking feeling in my gut," he said. "I was listening to what people were saying - they didn't know, so therefore it was an issue of a learning curve. "You know, from this tape it looks like everybody was fully aware." The White House urged Americans not to read too much into the footage. "I hope people don't draw conclusions from the president getting a single briefing," the presidential spokesman, Trent Duffy, was quoted as saying by AP. "He received multiple briefings from multiple officials, and he was completely engaged at all times." | ['us-news/hurricane-katrina', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'type/article'] | us-news/hurricane-katrina | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2006-03-02T16:29:17Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/article/2024/jul/02/hurricane-beryl-storm-summer-extreme-weather | Why Hurricane Beryl foretells a scary storm season | Hurricane Beryl’s explosive growth into an unprecedented early whopper of a storm shows the literal hot water the Atlantic and Caribbean are in – and the kind of season ahead, experts said. Beryl smashed multiple records even before its major-hurricane-level winds approached land. The powerful storm is acting more like monsters that form in the peak of hurricane season thanks mostly to water temperatures as hot or hotter than the region normally gets in September, five hurricane experts told the Associated Press. Beryl set the record for earliest category 4 with winds of at least 130mph (209km/h ) – the first-ever category 4 in June. It also was the earliest storm to rapidly intensify with wind speeds jumping 63mph (102km/h) in 24 hours, going from an unnamed depression to a category 4 in 48 hours. Late Monday, it strengthened to a category 5, becoming the earliest hurricane of that strength observed in the Atlantic basin on record, and only the second category 5 hurricane in July after Hurricane Emily in 2005, the National Hurricane Center said. Category 5 storms have winds exceeding 157mph . Beryl is on an unusually southern path, especially for a major hurricane, said University at Albany atmospheric scientist Kristen Corbosiero. It made landfall Monday on the island of Carriacou with winds of up to 150mph, and is expected to plow through the islands of the south-east Caribbean. Beryl may stay near its current strength for another day before it begins weakening significantly, according to the late Monday forecast. “Beryl is unprecedentedly strange,” said Weather Underground co-founder Jeff Masters, a former government hurricane meteorologist who flew into storms. “It is so far outside the climatology that you look at it and you say: ‘How did this happen in June?’” Forecasters predicted months ago it was going to be a nasty year and now they are comparing it to record-busy 1933 and deadly 2005 – the year of Katrina, Rita, Wilma and Dennis. “This is the type of storm that we expect this year, these outlier things that happen when and where they shouldn’t,” University of Miami tropical weather researcher Brian McNoldy said. “Not only for things to form and intensify and reach higher intensities, but increase the likelihood of rapid intensification. All of that is just coming together right now, and this won’t be the last time.” Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach called Beryl “a harbinger potentially of … even more potential threats and more – and not just a one-off – maybe several of these kinds of storms coming down later.” The water temperature around Beryl is about 2F to 3.6F (1C to 2C ) above normal at 84F (29C), which “is great if you are a hurricane”, Klotzbach said. Warm water acts as fuel for the thunderstorms and clouds that form hurricanes. The warmer the water and thus the air at the bottom of the storm, the better the chance it will rise higher in the atmosphere and create deeper thunderstorms, said the University at Albany’s Corbosiero. Sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and Caribbean “are above what the average September [peak season] temperature should be looking at the last 30-year average”, Masters said. It’s not just hot water at the surface that matters. The ocean heat content – which measures deeper water that storms need to keep powering up – is way beyond record levels for this time of year and at what the September peak should be, McNoldy said. “So when you get all that heat energy you can expect some fireworks,” Masters said. This year, there’s also a significant difference between water temperature and upper air temperature throughout the tropics. The greater that difference is, the more likely it becomes that storms will form and get bigger, said MIT hurricane expert Kerry Emanuel. “The Atlantic relative to the rest of the tropics is as warm as I’ve seen,” he said. Atlantic waters have been unusually hot since March 2023 and record warm since April 2023. Klotzbach said a high-pressure system that normally sets up cooling trade winds collapsed then and hasn’t returned. Corbosiero said scientists are debating what exactly climate change does to hurricanes, but have come to an agreement that it makes them more prone to rapidly intensifying and increases the strongest storms. “This is sort of our worst scenario,” Corbosiero said. “We’re starting early, some very severe storms … Unfortunately, it seems like it’s playing out the way we anticipated.” | ['world/hurricanes', 'world/caribbean', 'world/extreme-weather', 'world/grenada', 'world/americas', 'type/article', 'tone/explainers', 'tone/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-07-03T13:33:43Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2020/apr/07/air-pollution-linked-to-far-higher-covid-19-death-rates-study-finds | Air pollution linked to far higher Covid-19 death rates, study finds | Air pollution is linked to significantly higher rates of death in people with Covid-19, according to analysis. The work shows that even a tiny, single-unit increase in particle pollution levels in the years before the pandemic is associated with a 15% increase in the death rate. The research, done in the US, calculates that slightly cleaner air in Manhattan in the past could have saved hundreds of lives. Given the large differences in toxic air levels across countries, the research suggests people in polluted areas are far more likely to die from the coronavirus than those living in cleaner areas. The scientists said dirty air was already known to increase the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is extremely deadly and a cause of Covid-19-related deaths, as well as other respiratory and heart problems. A separate report from scientists in Italy notes that the high death rates seen in the north of the country correlate with the highest levels of air pollution. The scientists said their findings could be used to ensure that areas with high levels of air pollution take extra precautions to slow the spread of the virus and deploy extra resources to deal with the outbreak. Air pollution has already fallen because of widespread lockdowns, but the scientists said ensuring cleaner air in the future would help reduce Covid-19 deaths. The study, by researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston,analysed air pollution and Covid-19 deaths up to 4 April in 3,000 US counties, covering 98% of the population. “We found that an increase of only 1μg/m3 in PM2.5 [particles] is associated with a 15% increase in the Covid-19 death rate,” the team concluded. A small increase in exposure to particle pollution over 15-20 years was already known to increase the risk of death from all causes, but the new work shows this increase is 20 times higher for Covid-19 deaths. “The results are statistically significant and robust,” they said. The study took account of a range of factors, including poverty levels, smoking, obesity, and the number of Covid-19 tests and hospital beds available. They also assessed the effect of removing from the analysis both New York City, which has had many cases, and counties with fewer than 10 confirmed Covid-19 cases. “Previous work showed that air pollution exposure dramatically increased the risk of death from [the] Sars [coronavirus] during the 2003 outbreak,” said Rachel Nethery, one of the Harvard team. “So we think our results here are consistent with those findings.” Xiao Wu, a fellow team member, said: “This information can help us prepare by encouraging populations [with high pollution exposure] to take extra precautions and allocate extra resources to reduce the risk of poor outcomes from Covid-19. It is likely that Covid-19 will be a part of our lives for quite a long time, despite our hope for a vaccine or treatment. In light of this, we should consider additional measures to protect ourselves from pollution exposure to reduce the Covid-19 death toll.” The authors said the results highlighted the need to keep enforcing existing air pollution regulations, and that failure to do so could potentially increase the Covid-19 death toll. They noted that the US Environmental Protection Agency suspended its enforcement of environmental laws on 26 March. The study is being fast-tracked for publication in a major medical journal. Prof JonathanGrigg, from Queen Mary University of London, said the study was methodologically sound and plausible, but had some limitations, for example, important factors such as smoking were not measured at the individual level. “Clearly, we urgently need more studies, since locally generated particle pollution will bounce back once the lockdown is eased,” he said. The US has the third highest death toll to date, after Italy and Spain. A second study focusing on Italy, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, said: “We conclude that the high level of pollution in northern Italy should be considered an additional co-factor of the high level of lethality recorded in that area.” It noted that northern Italy was one of Europe’s most polluted areas and that the death rate reported up to 21 March in the northern Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions was about 12%, compared with 4.5% in the rest of Italy. “It is well known that pollution impairs the first line of defence of upper airways, namely cilia, thus a subject living in an area with high levels of pollutant is more prone to develop chronic respiratory conditions and [is more vulnerable] to any infective agent,” it said. Medical scientists warned in mid-March that air pollution exposure could make Covid-19 worse. Early research on Covid-19 had suggested that the weakened lungs of smokers and former smokers made them more susceptible to the virus. While lockdowns have caused air pollution to fall dramatically, a comprehensive global review published in 2019 found that over long periods air pollution may be damaging every organ and virtually every cell in the human body. • This article was amended on 8 April 2020 to correct a misspelling of the surname of Jonathan Grigg. | ['environment/air-pollution', 'world/coronavirus-outbreak', 'environment/environment', 'science/infectiousdiseases', 'science/medical-research', 'science/microbiology', 'science/science', 'science/biology', 'world/world', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/italy', 'campaign/callout/callout-coronavirus', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-04-07T16:16:28Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
science/animal-magic/2015/jan/29/dippy-diplodocus-retires-natural-history-museum | Is it right to retire Dippy, the Natural History Museum's famous diplodocus? | I should be in a lather. Dippy the famous Diplodocus at the Natural History Museum in London is to be retired. This is something I had not anticipated. “In 1979, Britain’s Dippy settled in to its current location - the museum’s grand central hall,” I wrote a couple of years ago in a post about Dippy. “It is now so established (even tweeting regularly @NHM_Dippy) it’s hard to imagine it will ever move again. It would cause an uproar.” How wrong I was. Rather than being outraged by the news that Dippy is to walk, I find myself unexpectedly excited. “This is an important and necessary change,” says Michael Dixon, director of the Natural History Museum, in press release issued this morning. The dinosaur cast is due to be replaced, in 2017, by the blue whale skeleton that currently hangs in the Mammal Hall. “As the largest known animal to have ever lived on Earth, the story of the blue whale reminds us of the scale of our responsibility to the planet,” says Dixon. “This makes it the perfect choice of specimen to welcome and capture the imagination of our visitors, as well as marking a major transformation of the Museum.” I met and interviewed Dixon back in 2011 for an opinion piece I wrote for Nature on the future of natural history museums. Attendance figures at the museum have been rising steadily over the past several years, an increase that probably has something to do with the museum’s success at pushing itself into mainstream life (e.g. through television documentaries like Museum of Life and David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive or, most recently, in the movie Paddington). But Dixon also felt that issues like climate change, loss of biodiversity, energy, and food and water security have resulted in a significant shift in the way people are engaging with the natural world. “I think the public are just getting more and more interested in these issues,” he said. “Somewhere like this is somewhere they can learn about it from a place that has a reputation for being independent and objective.” As is the case for any institution, it must move with the times to stay relevant and the transformation of the entrance hall is just the latest in a series of spectacular and successful transitions that the Natural History Museum has made over the last two decades. I will, of course, be sorry to see the back of Dippy, but he has had a good 35 years in the limelight and I am ready for something new. “As we build new galleries, we will try to build our science into the stories that those galleries tell,” Dixon said in 2011. The whale is expected to be in place in the Hintze Hall (as the central gallery is now known) some time in 2017. I am not uproarious after all. I can’t wait. | ['science/animal-magic', 'science/series/science-blog-network', 'science/science', 'science/biology', 'science/dinosaurs', 'culture/natural-history-museum', 'culture/museums', 'education/museums', 'science/zoology', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/whales', 'environment/cetaceans', 'science/evolution', 'science/fossils', 'environment/marine-life', 'type/article', 'tone/blog', 'profile/henry-nicholls'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-01-29T14:28:57Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2015/jan/07/two-children-six-and-10-survive-stings-by-irukandji-jellyfish-on-wa-beach | Two children, six and 10, survive stings by Irukandji jellyfish on WA beach | Two children have been treated for the sting of a tiny jellyfish known for producing “a sense of impending doom” in its victims. The children, a six-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, were stung by Irukandji jellyfish at Honeymoon Cove beach in far-north Western Australia on New Year’s Day and 4 January respectively. A spokesman for the WA Country Health Service said both were taken to the emergency department of the Nickol Bay hospital and “responded well” to treatment. Jamie Seymour, an associate professor from James Cook University and recognised expert in venomous Australian animals, said symptoms from the sting of the thumbnail-sized jellyfish take 20 minutes to develop and “range from a mild headache to death”. Usually, though, they present as “intense, overall pain”. “[People get] stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and pain coming in waves,” Seymour said. “But it’s not a wave that comes and goes, it’s a wave that builds up. It’s progressive. It peaks, and peaks again, and peaks again.” Then there is the sense of impending doom, which Seymour said is not yet fully understood. The leading explanation is that it is caused by excess adrenaline. “Your body says, ‘It’s time to get out of here and do something,’ but you don’t know what to do, so you get the feeling that something bad is about to happen,” he said. Irukandji jellyfish were discovered in Cairns in the 1960s, but between 10 and 12 species of jellyfish have been known to produce the symptoms known as Irukandji syndrome. There have been only two recorded deaths from Irukandji syndrome in Australia. Both occurred in far-north Queensland in the early 2000s. Seymour said that, at most, there are about 30 stings a year. The WA Country Health Service recommends that people stung by an Irukandji pour vinegar on the sting and get to a hospital as soon as possible. The intense pain raises blood pressure which “can lead to potentially fatal complications”. Not much is known about the distribution of Irukandji jellyfish or when they are most likely to be around. In Australia they are known to be in waters from the southern tip of Fraser Island in Queensland to Exmouth in Western Australia, just 600km south of the most recent stings at Honeymoon Beach. Seymour said while there was evidence they are heading further south, there are few comprehensive studies on distribution because the jellyfish “are pretty hard to find and if you put a foot wrong you get stung”. Seymour said one reason for the lack of research was that until recently they were considered to be only a northern Queensland problem. “But we know now it’s global – it’s becoming a global problem,” he said. “They are found anywhere from the tropic of cancer to the tropic of capricorn.” An information sheet produced by the shire of Broome said there was no way to detect the jellyfish and advised all swimmers to wear a full-body stinger suit. | ['australia-news/western-australia', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/queensland', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/calla-wahlquist'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-01-07T06:23:32Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
cities/2017/jul/22/paris-queues-clean-canal-swimmers-villette-seine | Paris plunge: daily queues after city opens cleaned-up canal to swimmers | Standing in his swimming trunks, Gilles looked up at the modern grey apartment buildings and trees that lined the Paris canal. He took a deep breath, then dived into the dark mass of water that had been officially banned to swimmers for decades. “Bliss,” he said after doing 500m of front crawl, occasionally brushing past bits of green algae in the new temporary swimming zone at La Villette canal basin, where Parisians can take their first legal dip in a city waterway for a century. “It’s symbolic,” said the 45-year-old film director, drying off. “It shows a future is possible where we can reverse pollution, where we can make things cleaner and reclaim nature. I hate the smell of bleach and chlorine in public pools. This open-air water is cloudy and you can’t see the bottom, but it makes me feel secure. I feel like I’m taking possession of nature again.” After decades in which casual bathing in Paris’s river and canals has been banned for a variety of reasons, including fears of bacteria and sewage pollution, authorities are moving to give swimmers more access to the murky waters that were once off limits. The temporary floating structure that has opened at La Villette as part of the summer festival, Paris Plages, allows swimmers to plunge into the water of the Canal de l’Ourcq free of charge, with lifeguards standing by. Parisians are so keen to try it that huge queues form each morning, and it has had to close by mid-afternoon on some days after reaching its daily quota of 1,000 swimmers. The next – more difficult – challenge for Paris city hall is to bring swimmers back to the capital’s bigger and more famous stretch of water, the Seine. If Paris wins its bid to host the 2024 Olympics, one of the benefits being promised to locals is that the river will be made officially swimmable. “Thanks to the Olympic Games we’ll be able to see to it that the water in the Seine is clean water,” the Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, vowed this month. Taking a dip in the Seine and other city waters has been banned since 1923, because of currents, river traffic and water quality. In 1988, Jacques Chirac, the mayor of Paris at the time, promised to make the river safe for swimmers and said he would proudly swim in it himself. It never happened. Although the water in 1870 was more than 400 times more polluted than today, the issues over purity, linked in part to human and agricultural residues, are still being addressed. A triathlon open water swim was held in the Seine in 2011, but a competition scheduled for 2012 was abandoned amid health concerns. Authorities now say significant progress has been made, with some species of fish absent for decades now returning and the river clean enough to swim in on some days of the year. Jean-François Martins, Paris’s deputy mayor in charge of sport and tourism, said climate change meant authorities had to look at natural ways for people in the city to cool down in heatwaves, including swimming in waterways. He said of the Seine: “Not all of it would be swimmable because of strong currents in some areas, and also because the Seine has other uses, namely the river transport of goods and passengers. So we would look to find certain places where the current is weak.” Because of busy passenger boat traffic, there is unlikely to be swimming below the Eiffel Tower or Musée d’Orsay, but possible sites are under consideration near the Trocadéro or the François-Mitterrand library in the east. If open swimming has recently become a big issue in Paris, it is in part because of the late-night illegal swims organised over the past five years by a small collective of urbanists called the Laboratory of Experimental Urban Swimming, who seek to highlight how Paris waterways should be reclaimed. “One of the biggest things we changed was people’s view of the city’s water,” said Pierre Mallet, 26, one of the group’s founders. “When we started, we would always get a reaction from onlookers. At the beginning, it was mainly mockery, disgust or laughter. Then people started to want to join in.” He said that crucially, open swimming was a way of making people take better care of the water. In the past few years, illegal swimming at La Villette had become so common on hot days that authorities started to turn a blind eye. “You still see swimmers jumping off the footbridge or swimming further down the canal,” said a lifeguard at the new official swimming spot. Françoise, a retired teacher, was sitting in a deckchair reading her book after her now daily swim in La Villette pool. “It’s just so nice to swim in the open and feel the breeze,” the 68-year-old said. “It changes the city from a place of work to a place of leisure.” Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter and Facebook to join the discussion, and explore our archive here | ['cities/cities', 'world/paris', 'world/france', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'lifeandstyle/swimming', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'tone/news', 'profile/angeliquechrisafis', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/cities'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-07-22T07:15:32Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
us-news/2021/jun/21/big-sur-wildfire-willow-fire | Big Sur fire: hundreds of firefighters battle blaze raging in California | Firefighters are battling to contain a wildfire that erupted near Big Sur last week, as the flames continue to engulf the dry California landscape and threaten historical sites, cabins and ranches. The fire is one of dozens of wildfires burning in hot, dry conditions across the US west, including in Arizona and New Mexico. In Monterey county, the so-called Willow fire has burned more than 2,800 acres since it broke out on Thursday evening. More than 500 firefighters face the difficult task of trying to contain the large forest fire in the rugged coastal mountains south of Big Sur. The blaze forced the evacuation of a Buddhist monastery and nearby campground. The area is also home to endangered species and contains cultural sites that could be at risk if the fire continues to grow, and the Los Padres national forest resource advisers have brought in biologists, botanists and Chumash tribal members to aid in protecting sensitive areas. “We have to take our time accessing these areas because we can’t get the equipment in there,” said Amanda Munsey, a public information officer with California interagency incident management team 11. “Weather is also a big factor,” she adds, “and it has been very hot for a number of days – and very dry.” Hundreds have been ordered to evacuate the mountainous area, including most of those at the Tassajara Mountain Zen Center, a historic Zen Buddhist monastery. Some monks who are part of a trained fire crew stayed behind to assist in the firefight. “The ZMC fire crew will remain in order to run ‘Dharma Rain’ [Tassajara’s sprinkler system] and to prepare the monastery in case the fire reaches the valley,” the center posted on its website on Sunday. “Tassajara has been working on special fire prep projects during the pandemic shutdown and the fire crew has been in place and training for several months. Our water supplies are good and we are well prepared for this situation.” The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The latest wildfire comes as the American west is gripped by a historic drought, and as officials predict another record-breaking fire season. A heatwave has baked the region, intensifying drought conditions and ignition risks much earlier in the year than normal. Already this year, 33 large fires have burned more than 372,000 acres across 10 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. “Right now, in June, the dryness and the fuel conditions – it is what we would expect in August,” says Munsey. “It is alarming but it is beyond our control. So we have prepared as best as we can.” There’s hope that cooler weather, expected with higher humidity across the Bay Area in the coming days, will help slow the flames, but there are concerns that winds along the ridges will continue to drive the fire and complicate containment efforts. But with so many fires already burning across the west, resources have been strained. In Arizona, a blaze named the Backbone fire that has burned more than 32,750 acres after igniting last Wednesday from a lightning strike is also at 0% containment. Temperatures there have exceeded 100F and thousands of residents have been evacuated north-east of Phoenix, in the communities of Strawberry and Pine. “There are major fires around Arizona and Utah – all over the western United States,” Munsey says. “That becomes problematic when trying to get resources to whatever fire you are on because they are already stretched so thin.” Meanwhile, the mountainous city of Flagstaff was shrouded in smoke by another fire, dubbed the Rafael fire, on Monday. If the fire continues its north-eastern push, hundreds of people in the college city, which lies about two hours north of Phoenix, could be affected, officials say. The national forest surrounding Flagstaff announced a full closure set to begin later this week – the first time that has happened since 2006. It’s already been a tough fire season for Arizona, which has seen multiple blazes spark this summer. On Monday, two national forests in northern Arizona made rare announcements that they would close completely to visitors starting later this week, because of concerns they won’t have enough resources to respond to any future wildfires. In New Mexico, lightning-sparked blazes have been scorching the southern part of the state, where a large portion of the Gila wilderness remains closed, and fire officials are closely watching the Gila Cliff Dwellings national monument. Firefighters in Oregon were focused on two wildfires, one burning near the state’s highest peak and another in the southern part of the state that was threatening 125 structures. And in Utah, several wildfires were burning in bone-dry conditions. The largest near the small town of Enterprise in southern Utah forced evacuations over the weekend. The Associated Press contributed reporting | ['us-news/california', 'world/wildfires', 'us-news/us-news', 'us-news/arizona', 'world/natural--disasters', 'environment/drought', 'us-news/california-drought', 'world/extreme-weather', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/gabrielle-canon', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | us-news/california-drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-06-22T16:52:54Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2022/dec/11/moon-humpback-whale-journey-british-columbia-hawaii | Moon the humpback whale completes 5,000km journey – with a broken back | Over the course of nearly three months, navigating ocean swells and currents, vast expanses of flat water and immense pain, Moon the humpback whale completed a journey of 5,000km (3,100 miles) from the waters of British Columbia to Hawaii – all with a broken back. Her crossing of the Pacific – and the likelihood that she will soon die – is a stark reminder of the growing dangers for whales along Canada’s west coast, as marine traffic clashes with the gentle marine giants. “Without the use of her tail, she was literally doing the breaststroke to make that migration. It’s absolutely amazing,” said Janie Wray, CEO and lead researcher for BC Whales, a non-profit that studies cetaceans off the province’s west coast. “But also it just breaks your heart.” Every September for the past decade, researchers at Fin Island research station in Gitga’at First Nations territory have spotted Moon when she appears in the coastal waters to gorge on nutrient-rich krill. Two years ago, researchers were overjoyed when she appeared with a calf. But in September, a drone photographed a humpback whale with a grievous injury to its lower back: the entire lower portion of its trunk bent into an unnatural “S” shape – likely the result of a strike from a boat. “It was one of those ‘oh my God’ moments when we learned it was Moon. It’s not like she has scoliosis or something that just came out of the blue – she was struck by something pretty hard,” said Wray. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my lifetime as a researcher.” Despite the severe injury, on 1 December, Moon was spotted off the coast of Maui, more than 4,800km from where the researchers first took note of her injury. Humpback whales reach nearly 50ft long, weigh almost 90,000lb and are known for the immense journeys they undertake each year, travelling from frigid waters near Alaska all the way down to the lukewarm waters of Mexico and Hawaii, where they breed and give birth. “This migration is part of their culture, their tradition. Moon was probably born in Hawaii. And she just goes back every single year, because that’s what her mother taught her to do,” said Wray. “It’s been passed down from mother to calf. That’s likely what drove her to travel all that way with her injury.” Images of Moon in Hawaiian waters, emaciated and covered in whale lice, highlight the extent to which she used up her fat stores to make the journey, and is left with no food source in the tropical waters. But Wray said that there is little be done for the whale. “She’s suffering and yet she’s still alive. We know she’s not coming back to see us again. She is going to pass soon and we all feel: the sooner, the better,” said Wray. Attempts to euthanize Moon would require a cocktail of toxic substances – and risk poisoning the marine life that would feed off her remains. “If she was on land, we could intervene. But because she’s in the ocean, and because of her size, there is nothing that we can do. And that just breaks your heart even further into pieces.” Wray hopes that Moon’s story can serve as a cautionary tale for the devastating effects collisions can have on whales. In recent months, humpbacks have washed ashore along the British Columbia coast from boat strikes. The deaths reflect both the success of a recovering population – and the reality that marine traffic hasn’t adjusted to a surge in whale numbers. “Even if you’re really a focused boat driver, you could accidentally hit a humpback whale because they will just come up in front of your boat. The most important thing to do is everybody needs to slow down, especially in areas where we know there are whales. It’s easy – just slow down. We have school zones. We need whale zones.” But she recognized the whale’s plight and unlikely journey speaks to a deeper connection that humpback whales have to their habitat, their culture and tradition. “Something deep within her drove her to just swim across the ocean, using just her pectoral fins,” said Wray. “Moon will never know how many people are thinking about her. And how many people I can guarantee you have been crying over her. I can’t even find the words to express the amount of honour – and respect – that I have for her.” • This article was amended on 11 December 2022. An earlier version said that Moon had travelled along Canada’s east coast instead of the west coast. | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/whales', 'world/canada', 'environment/environment', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/leyland-cecco', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-age-of-extinction', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | environment/cetaceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-12-11T11:00:31Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
commentisfree/2018/oct/22/recycling-fuels-consumption-plastic | Are the days of recycling with a clear conscience over? | Sharon George | Is recycling supporting unsustainable consumerism? There is a recycling crisis and we may have only just noticed. For years we have been recycling, dispelling the guilt generated by our high-consumption lifestyles, as if our actions are somehow good for the environment. Recycling is the “green” thing to do. But is our whole recycling culture a shameful illusion that has been masking a growing problem of unsustainable manufacturing and consumerism? We are discovering that our recycling systems might not be fit for purpose. Retailers and companies producing waste are required to meet obligations according to how much waste they generate. They meet this obligation by buying packaging recovery notes (PRNs) or packaging export recovery notes (Perns). These PRNs are generated every time a tonne of waste is recycled – or so we thought. Exporters of waste are under scrutiny after some have been found sending out shipments of worthless contaminated or mixed waste and claiming the notes fraudulently. The National Audit Office found that about half of the UK’s plastic recycling is sent abroad but there is little assurance of what actually happens to it. Many countries in the developing world routinely dump waste into rivers and oceans. About 90% of ocean plastic started out inland and made its way to the ocean through just 10 rivers. The biggest contributor, the Yangtze in China, discharges a staggering 1.5m tonnes of plastic into the ocean every year. And it’s not just plastics. We export a number of other commonly recycled materials, including paper, glass and electronic waste, with faith that it is being dealt with in a sustainable manner. So what does happen to it? We might imagine our hi-tech devices undergo hi-tech reprocessing, but the reality is far from ideal. Just like plastics, most of our “e-waste” has been shipped to China. The city of Guiyu was a major hub for recycling international e-waste, with terrible consequences for the local environment: poisoned water and land, and high levels of lead in the blood samples of 80% of local children. This route was cut off in January 2018, when China decided that the environmental costs of accepting the world’s waste was not worth the profit, especially as it has its own growing stream of toxic e-waste to deal with. But this has not stopped us producing e-waste: in 2018 it is estimated that we will produce 50m tonnes globally. We have simply found new routes to dispose of the stuff. After China’s ban on importing recyclable materials, a huge wave of US and European e-waste found its way to Thailand, where hundreds of facilities have been set up to operate crude, low-cost recycling processes. These include recovering copper and other metals from cables and circuit boards by burning the plastics away, producing highly toxic fumes of dioxins and furans and heavy metals. Acid baths that strip out metals expose workers to acrid and toxic fumes. Thailand is now taking rapid steps to close its borders too. With more routes for our waste closed, we need to consider more sustainable solutions closer to home. The truth is, if we dealt with our waste on our own soil it would cost more. Recycling abroad, in countries with inexpensive labour and less regulation, is cheaper. This has become the norm, giving us a route to jettison our waste plastic, electronic goods, metals, paper and glass under the banner of recycling with a clear conscience. Meanwhile, we shop for cheap replacement goods. The illusion that we can recycle so easily has enabled us to continue to consume and as we see more countries refusing our waste, the problems are stacking up – literally. One way to reduce waste is to stem the flow of mass-produced cheap products, at least until we have a solution. Prices should reflect life-cycle costs. Higher prices would mean we buy less, but value those goods more. We would hang on to things. Disposable items such as single-use plastics would be uneconomical and we would reuse more. This also cuts across those business models that rely on fast product turnover, especially in electronics (the fastest growing source of waste). This might create some economic disruption in the short term, but would open up new business opportunities around reusing, repairing and locally recycling goods. It would certainly stem the rising tide of unsustainable “recycling”. • Sharon George is a researcher and lecturer in environmental sustainability and green technology at Keele University | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/recycling', 'tone/comment', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/waste', 'environment/environment', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/plastic', 'type/article', 'profile/sharon-george', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-10-22T14:14:04Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
uk-news/2018/jan/12/vicar-unchained-tree-protest-hs2-work-euston | Vicar unchained from tree after protest against HS2 work at Euston | A protesting priest has been voluntarily unchained from one of 200 trees around Euston that HS2 is felling in preparation for the high-speed rail line. The Rev Anne Stevens, the vicar of neighbouring St Pancras church, was padlocked and fastened with a heavy-duty chain to a doomed century-old London plane tree. Stevens said it was a “symbolic act” and she did not expect to stay to block construction work. HS2 Ltd said it had no plans to forcibly remove the vicar before Monday, when it takes possession of the land and starts to seal off Euston Square Gardens. The park in front of Euston station contains dozens of giant London planes, which will be cut down to provide space for construction vehicles and a temporary taxi rank. Chained alongside Stevens was Jo Hurford, 46, a local parishioner and artist. Asked if she would repeat the protest when construction workers moved in, she said: “We aren’t ruling anything out.” Construction work to redevelop and expand Euston for high-speed trains is expected to last up to 17 years, adding to congestion and pollution in the area. Stevens said: “We’ve been to parliament, committees, endless meetings, it’s a last attempt to hope HS2 will see reason. I don’t entirely oppose the project but the way it’s been brought in here is devastating, and has enraged the local community. “This green space until now has offered some respite. The people losing this space are in the middle of a construction project which will have an enormous impact on air quality and their health. There is something soul-destroying about seeing so many trees lost.” Protesters accused HS2 and the government of conducting a land grab of the surrounding area, with subsequent redevelopment helping to pay for the £55bn high-speed rail network. Nearby St James Gardens, a park and a former burial ground behind the station, has been taken by HS2, and dozens of trees cut down. John Sauven, the executive director of Greenpeace UK, was also among the protesters. He said the design of HS2 was causing unnecessary environmental damage: “These are beautiful trees in one of the most polluted areas of London. The HS2 line itself is threatening 100 ancient woodlands. Environmental arguments were made to switch to rail, instead of domestic flights. All we are seeing now is airport expansion and HS2.” HS2 has promised to plant more trees and to enhance some local public space, but residents fear the park will also be lost in the building of the rail network linking London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. A spokesperson said HS2 would create a green corridor of new woodland and habitats along the route. He said: “Supporting the natural environment is just as important to us as building stations, regenerating city centres and supporting the economy. “HS2 will provide much-needed extra capacity at Euston … while also creating thousands of jobs and acting as a catalyst for economic growth across the UK.” | ['uk/hs2', 'uk/rail-transport', 'uk/transport', 'uk/uk', 'uk/london', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'politics/transport', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/gwyntopham', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-01-12T15:44:33Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
media/pda/2010/oct/13/peregrine-aerial-camera | Elevator Pitch: Peregrine Media takes HD video to the skies | Andrew Currah co-founded Peregrine Media in September last year and officially launched this August. The clue's in the name; it's all about aerial camera work. Currah, the managing director, set up the firm with his brother and father. The three have so far run the privately-funded company from their base in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, and hope to expand their handful or clients to around 100 this time next year. Destination: Google Eagle View, perhaps? • What's your pitch? "Imagine you are a filmmaker. You want to film an action scene from the air but the shot you have in mind is too high for a crane and too low for a full size helicopter. Peregrine Media provides a flying camera service that can enable such a shot. We use a radio-controlled helicopter system, operated by trained pilots. The camera can be positioned anywhere from ground level to 400 feet high, and approximately 1000 feet in any direction (depending on visibility and safety). Our system can support a range of projects, from inspection work and property surveys to film and television production. "The helicopter has been custom built for aerial photography and video production. Although lightweight and powered by batteries, the system can carry a professional HD camera. It is also equipped with the latest stabilisation technology to ensure the shot is as smooth as possible. There are two pilots: one pilot to fly the helicopter and another to control the camera. There is a wireless video feed from the helicopter showing the team what the camera is recording. All our operations are governed by a flight safety manual approved by the Civil Aviation Authority." • How do you make money? "Three ways. First, the system is available for charter by the day or week. The service is primarily targeted at advertising and creative agencies, events organisers, video production companies and a range of other media clients. Second, we also offer full-service productions for clients requiring aerial videos - for example, promotional videos of estates, golf courses, hotels and places of natural beauty. Third, we plan to license stock footage to photographic and motion picture archives." • How are you surviving the downturn? "We have received our latest round of funding so fortunately have the freedom to focus on marketing and building the client base." • What's your background? "I am a freelance technology and strategy consultant, digital media analyst, photographer and former lecturer at Oxford University." • What makes your business unique? "We have a unique brand identity, a custom built system and some of the best pilots in the country working with us. While there are other companies with similar technology, we are one of the only companies in the UK to offer a full service solution - from project design and aerial shooting to editing and musical scoring." • What has been your biggest achievement so far? "Producing our first video for the owners of Cornbury Park, a beautiful estate here in the Cotswolds and home to a successful music festival." • Who in the tech business inspires you? "It's not the tech business exactly - but Emmanuel Previnaire, founder of Flying Cam, is a true inspiration to us and a world leader in the technology of unmanned aerial filming." • What's your biggest challenge? "The British weather is a huge challenge. We are able to operate in winds up to 20mph but cannot operate in rain. However, the system can be packed and deployed internationally - hopefully to sunnier climes during the winter months." • What's the most important piece of software that you use each day? "Google Apps for business." • Name your closest competitors "Flying Cam, Hovercam, High Spy." • Where do you want the company to be in five years? "An established service provider in the film and television industries, with a fleet of machines and a team dedicated to international operations." • Sell to Google, or be bigger than Google? "Neither. However, the technology is already moving in a direction that may be of interest to Google in the future. For example, I can imagine elevated panoramic images of landmarks, cities and wilderness areas being incorporated into Google Earth or Street View." peregrinemedia.co.uk | ['media/series/elevatorpitch', 'technology/startups', 'technology/digitalvideo', 'technology/robots', 'media/pda', 'tone/blog', 'tone/news', 'media/media', 'media/digital-media', 'technology/technology', 'type/article'] | technology/digitalvideo | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2010-10-13T10:43:51Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2021/apr/05/extinction-rebellion-to-step-up-campaign-against-banking-system-climate-crisis | Extinction Rebellion to step up campaign against banking system | Extinction Rebellion is planning to step up its campaign against the banking system with a series of direct action protests and debt strikes in the coming weeks aimed at highlighting the financial sector’s role in the escalating climate crisis. Last week the group targeted Barclays Bank’s headquarters in London and the Bank of England as well as high street branches across the UK as part of its Money Rebellion protest. One of XR’s founders, Gail Bradbrook, broke the windows of the Barclays branch in her home town of Stroud to kickstart the campaign. “This is an escalation in tactics,” she said. “As the suffragettes said, better broken windows than broken promises. What do we need to do to shake the system, to change the system that is killing us … I literally do not know what else to do.” A recent report found that the world’s 60 biggest banks have provided $3.8tn (£2.75tn) of financing for fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2015, and that Barclays provided the most among all European banks. XR said more direct action protests were planned for this week as part of a campaign that will also involve debt, tax and mortgage strikes. One group of activists have taken out loans totalling £4,000 from Barclays that they are refusing to repay and have instead donated the money to the human rights group Survival International. Later this month XR is planning to launch a tax strike during which campaigners will withhold a percentage of theirs – about 3.5% from business or income tax. The money, which the group has calculated is the percentage the government spends on “harming the planet”, will be withheld for a year, and if by that time ministers have not met the group’s demands – including telling the truth about the climate emergency and cancelling “destructive projects” – the money will be donated to Wilderlands, a project to support nature in the UK. Bradbrook said it was time to “challenge a system that has destruction baked in and incentivises harm”, adding that it was being critiqued not just by protesters but by the “World Economic Forum, the Economist magazine, IMF … Prince Charles”. She continued: “It is no longer seen as radical and ridiculous to say the political economy needs to dramatically change. It has become a mainstream conversation … I think anyone saying we have to have what we’ve got because there are no better ideas has either got their eyes closed or they are just pushing the agenda of business as usual because themselves or their paymasters are making too much money.” XR, which came to prominence in April 2019 when thousands of people blocked sites across London for days, said it was finalising plans for action in the buildup to Cop26, the international climate meeting being held in Glasgow in November. “XR’s job is to keep the pressure up on the climate and ecological crisis and the inter-related justice issues and we will carry on doing that,” said Bradbrook. “There are many rebels that want to see Cop do as well as it can, so creating the pressure on the streets can help.” But she said the “Cop process” had so far failed to bring about the changes that were required to address the huge challenge of the climate and ecological emergency. “We need to look at the systemic issues around why we are failing to act and why we are carrying on killing our life support system,” she said. In response to Barclays being targeted by XR, a spokesperson for the bank said: “We have made a commitment to align our entire financing portfolio to the goals of the Paris agreement, with specific targets and transparent reporting, on the way to achieving our ambition to be a net zero bank by 2050 and help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.” | ['environment/extinction-rebellion', 'business/banking', 'environment/activism', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/matthewtaylor', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2021-04-05T06:00:28Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
world/2024/oct/31/it-was-a-trap-flood-alert-came-too-late-for-residents-of-paiporta-spain | ‘It was a trap’: flood alert came too late for residents of Paiporta, Spain | As public buildings across Spain lowered flags to half-mast to mark the first of three days of national mourning, Letícia Cardona Teruel set off with her husband and eight-year-old daughter – their rucksacks packed to the brim – to walk the seven kilometres to Valencia. About 36 hours earlier on Tuesday, they had watched as rivers of mud-coloured water coursed through their small town of Paiporta, swamping the ground floor of buildings, sweeping away cars and submerging local plazas. On Thursday, as access roads remained mostly cut off, they were among a dozen or so residents who were walking to the regional capital in hopes of staying safe. The journey gave them a first-hand look at the devastation wreaked by the storm: streets littered with piles of cars and street lights that lay scattered on the ground. “Everything is destroyed,” said Cardona Teruel, speaking to the Guardian by phone. “It’s like a zombie apocalypse that you see in the movies.” This week the quiet commuter town of Paiporta became known across Spain as one of the places to have been worst affected by the country’s deadliest flood in modern history. Of the reported 155 deaths in the region of Valencia, at least 62 – nearly half – occurred in the town, leaving many reeling with grief amid anger that there had been no official alert before water began surging through their town. “There was no warning,” said the town’s mayor, Maribel Albalat. In the absence of any sign that this storm would be different from any other, many residents had gone down to garages beneath their apartments to move their cars to higher ground. “We’re told that that’s where a lot of people were caught,” said Albalat. Later, explaining that the floodwaters had surged just as many residents were at ground level or underground, she was more blunt. “It was a trap,” she told the broadcaster TVE. Among the residents who lost their lives were Lourdes María García and her three-month-old baby. She had been in a car with her partner, Antonio Tarazona, when the waters started to rise around them. As the car began to float, Tarazona got out in an attempt to pull the family to safety. Instead he found himself swept away by the currents. “The currents began to drag the car down,” he told El País. “The last thing I saw was them calling for help from the roof of the car.” Police later confirmed that the bodies of García and the baby had been found. At the local care home, the floods struck just as residents were having dinner. Videos posted online showed them screaming as water came rushing in, leaving staff wading frantically through knee-deep waters to carry residents to higher floors. While they managed to save the majority, six people died. Several inhabitants of Paiporta spoke of being caught off guard by the floods, given that it hadn’t been raining in the area at the time. For Andries Klarenberg, an English teacher from Manchester living in Paiporta, the first inkling that something was wrong came when the electricity shut off. “I look out the window and the first thing I see is, literally, cars floating down the street of where I live,” he said. “It was really surreal.” His thoughts immediately turned to his wife and their one-month-old daughter, who were driving back to their flat with his mother-in-law. He tried to call but his phone battery was dead. “I had no idea if they were alive or dead until I could charge my phone via an old laptop.” About three kilometres away, his wife, Florencia Rey, was frantically debating what to do. They had turned on to one street after spotting flooding on another, only to find themselves surrounded by rising waters. Water had started entering the car, filling it rapidly. “The car started to move, even with the brakes on,” said Rey. She wrenched open the door, going through the boot of the car to pull her baby out of the car seat. The three of them waded through three feet of water, eventually making their way to the second floor of a warehouse. During brief bursts of phone coverage they managed to connect with Klarenberg and keep in touch during the eight hours it took before they were rescued by police. After being reunited on Wednesday morning, the family was on Thursday safe in their third-floor apartment but without water or reliable access to food. “We’ve felt very isolated because there’s no government presence or anything like that,” said Klarenberg. “There are helicopters overhead, sirens but everything that is being done is being done by the community, like clearing the road or moving cars.” Albalat said the community was in shock. “The situation is catastrophic … We don’t have electricity in some areas; we’re without water and communication is difficult,” she told broadcaster Onda Cero. Scientists say the human-driven climate crisis is increasing the length, frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, is also thought to play a key role in making torrential rains more severe. The gravity of the floods took most in Paiporta by surprise. The state weather agency, AEMET, had launched a red alert for the region on Tuesday morning. But it took until just after 8pm for the civil protection service to send an alert urging residents not to leave their homes. For Cardona Teruel, the official alert came after she had moved her car and waded through knee-deep waters to make it back to her house. “We’re very upset,” she said. “Prevention is about getting ahead of what might happen … at no time was there talk of evacuating homes or people not taking their cars. There was none of that. You can’t send alerts when the worst has already happened.” | ['world/spain', 'world/extreme-weather', 'environment/flooding', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'world/europe-news', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/ashifa-kassam', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-10-31T19:56:17Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2015/dec/18/carbon-emissions-loss-of-monkeys-and-birds-in-tropical-forests | Loss of monkeys and birds in tropical forests driving up carbon emissions | Large fruit-eating monkeys and birds in tropical forests have been revealed as surprising climate change champions, whose loss to over-hunting is driving up carbon emissions. This is because their seed-spreading plays a vital role in the survival of huge, hard-wooded trees. Tropical forests store 40% of all the carbon on the Earth’s surface and the slashing of trees causes about 15% of the greenhouse gases that drive global warming. Long-lived, thick and hard-wooded trees are especially good carbon stores, but they have large seeds that can only be dispersed via defecation by large animals. These big creatures have suffered huge losses from subsistence hunters, meaning hardwood trees are being replaced with softwood trees, which have smaller seeds but store less carbon. “In much of the tropics these [large] animals are pretty much gone, outside of protected areas and sometimes even inside protected areas,” said Prof Carlos Peres, at the University of East Anglia, UK, one of the international team behind the new study. “[Hardwood trees] require these big beasts to disperse their seeds. This is what is being lost.” “Policies to reduce carbon emissions from tropical countries have primarily focused on deforestation,” Peres said. “But our research shows that a decline in large animal populations poses a serious risk for the maintenance of tropical forest carbon storage.” The new research was led by scientists at São Paulo State University in Brazil and published in Science Advances. It focused on the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil, where 95% of all trees rely on animals to disperse seeds, and analysed the interactions between 800 animal species and 2,000 tree species. It found losses of large animals like woolly spider monkeys, tapirs and toucans leads to the loss of hardwood trees. These are replace by softwood trees, whose smaller seeds (less than 12mm long) are spread by small fruit-eating marsupials, bats and birds which are not the target of hunters. The scientists estimated that 10-15% of the carbon stored in the original mixed forest is lost. Peres said the same effects were likely to apply to other tropical forests, including the Amazon. “This is a fairly universal process,” he said. “It is happening across the tropics, in Africa, southeast Asia, everywhere there are these species-rich forests.” The scientists concluded: “Our result highlights the fragility of carbon storage service in tropical forests under the current global change conditions. Halting the ongoing, fast-paced [animal loss in] tropical forests will not only save large charismatic animals and the plants they disperse but also have effects on climate change, carbon markets, and reforestation.” In November, the first comprehensive estimate of threatened species in the Amazon rainforest found that more than half of the myriad species could be heading for extinction. Among the species expected to suffer significant falls in numbers are the Brazil nut, and wild cacao and açai trees, all important food sources. | ['environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/biodiversity', 'world/brazil', 'world/americas', 'world/world', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-12-18T19:00:53Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2019/sep/18/airbus-forecasts-48000-aircraft-to-be-in-operation-by-2038 | Airbus forecasts that number of planes in sky will double in 20 years | The number of commercial aircraft in operation will more than double in the next 20 years to 48,000 planes worldwide, Airbus has forecast. The European aerospace company said that despite mounting concerns about the effects of aviation and the climate crisis, it believes air travel will continue to grow rapidly. Urbanisation and development will mean the emerging global middle class of air passengers could rise 50% by 2038 to almost 6 billion people. Most of the expected 4.3% annual growth in air traffic will occur in the Asia-Pacific region, where demand for new planes is set to surpass that of Europe and North America combined. Airbus executives said aviation growth had proved resilient in the face of economic and geopolitical shocks, such as war and oil price rises, and they expected it to continue. Last year, the growth in flying exceeded predictions, with the number of flights per year up by 280m. Christian Scherer, the chief commercial officer of Airbus, said: “It is as if every single inhabitant of the US took another trip.” The manufacturer expects about 60% of the global fleet of 22,680 passenger jets and freight aircraft to be replaced with new planes in the next two decades, which it said would “contribute to progressive decarbonisation of the air transport industry”. Asked if “flight-shaming” could affect Airbus’s forecasts, Scherer said: “It’s not a concern. We’d rather see it fundamentally as an opportunity. Airbus sees itself as a champion of bringing global emissions down and lowering fuel burn.” While newer models of plane are far lighter and consume much less fuel, aviation’s overall carbon emissions have grown due to the huge rise in passenger numbers. Airbus said that on average, fuel consumption by distance per passenger is 47% of what it was in 1990. However, the number of annual passenger flights worldwide has quadrupled to 4 billion during that period. The average aircraft has more seats and spends 2.3 more hours per day flying than 20 years ago - a trend that suggests even more air journeys could come from the 39,000 planes Airbus forecasts to be delivered by 2038. Bob Lange, the senior vice-president for business analysis at Airbus, said its forecast had not been tempered for potential flying restrictions, whether through government action or public pressure. He said: “Greta Thunberg says, listen to the scientists and be equitable. The growth we see is from routes that are developing.” Chinese domestic flights are due to triple and overtake US domestic flights as the biggest source of air traffic within the next two decades, according to the Airbus forecast. Indian people are expected to take five times as many flights as they do now by 2038. Lange said: “As we become more globalised there are more reasons to travel. The growth is largely coming from people who haven’t accessed air travel in the past. If the US decide to halve their travel, it’s not going to make a dent in people travelling for the first time. “In the notion of what we’re going to do to protect our planet there has to be a notion of equity.” He argued that it would be wrong to say other people shouldn’t aspire to travel as we do today. Scherer said the goal of halving aviation’s emissions by 2050 was “not talk”, but targets Airbus uses as anchors. As yet, no technology appears to exist that is compatible with continued growth in flying. Airbus is exploring sustainable fuels and alternative propulsion. It hopes to fly a test plane, the E-Fan X, in 2021, which could mean short-range hybrid-electric flights are feasible by the mid-2030s, Lange said. “We need to do more, it’s not enough but we can’t do it purely on our own.” | ['business/theairlineindustry', 'business/airbus', 'business/business', 'uk/uk', 'world/air-transport', 'environment/carbonfootprints', 'world/world', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'travel/travel', 'world/europe-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/gwyntopham', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/carbonfootprints | EMISSIONS | 2019-09-18T16:54:16Z | true | EMISSIONS |
uk-news/2018/jan/15/weatherwatch-scotlands-worst-storm-ignored-by-the-rest-of-us | Weatherwatch: Scotland's worst storm – ignored by the rest of us | In mid-January 1968, a weather system moved across the Atlantic Ocean towards Europe. Sometimes these weaken as they near our coasts, but this one deepened, dropping to a near record low of 956 millibars. As the gale began to strengthen, no one was prepared for the sheer power of the storm. Winds gusted to well over 100 miles per hour, and as it passed over the Central Belt of Scotland it wreaked unprecedented havoc. 21 people died, and in Glasgow alone more than 300 homes were destroyed, leaving over 1,000 residents homeless. 70,000 properties suffered storm damage, including half the city’s council houses, which had not been built to resist such winds. On the river Clyde, several ships sank, while locals compared the effects of the storm to that of the Blitz. Elsewhere in Scotland, tens of thousands of trees were uprooted, and an oil rig escaped from its moorings and drifted away. In the aftermath, the event was named as Central Scotland’s worst ever natural disaster. Yet even though the storm affected huge swathes of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Lake District, the London-centric media barely reported it at all. | ['uk/scotland', 'news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/natural-disasters', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/stephenmoss1', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2018-01-15T21:30:06Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2012/apr/29/wind-farms-night-temperatures-study | Windfarms can increase night time temperatures, research reveals | Large windfarms can increase local night time temperatures by fanning warmer air onto the ground, new research has revealed. The study used satellite data to show that the building of huge windfarms in west Texas over the last decade has warmed the nights by up to 0.72C. "Wind power is going to be a part of the solution to the climate change, air pollution and energy security problem," said Liming Zhou, at the University of Albany in New York. "But understanding the impacts of windfarms is critical for developing management strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of wind power." West Texas has seen rapid expansion of windfarms, with turbine numbers rising from 111 in 2003 to 2358 in 2011. Zhou's team compared the land surface temperatures at the windfarms with other areas across this period and detected a clear rise at night. They note, however, that the effect on the air temperature, which is usually given in weather forecasts, will be lower than 0.72C rise because they respond less quickly to changes than land temperatures. The scientists say the effect is due to the gentle turbulence caused by the wind turbines. After the sun has set, the land cools down more quickly than the air, leaving a cold blanket of air just above the ground. But the turbine wakes mix this cold layer with the warmer air above, raising the temperature. A previous study found a similar effect but was based on data from only two weather stations over just six weeks. "The result looks pretty solid to me," said Steven Sherwood at the climate change research centre at the University of New South Wales, Australia. "The same strategy is commonly used by fruit growers, who fly helicopters over the orchards rather than erect windmills, to combat early morning frosts." "Overall, the warming effect reported in our study is local and is small compared to the strong year-to-year changes" that result from natural variation, said Zhou. The study is published in the journal Nature Climate Change. He told the Guardian that his results could not be used as an justification for blocking new windfarms. "The warming might have positive effects," he said. "Furthermore, this study is focused only on one region and for only 9 years. Much more work is needed before we can draw any conclusion." | ['environment/windpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/damiancarrington'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2012-04-29T17:00:00Z | true | ENERGY |
news/datablog/2012/jul/28/music-data-science-emi-predict-song-preferences | Can you predict who will love a song? | As finales go, it couldn't have been much more tense. With the finish tantalisingly in sight, the relatively unknown frontrunner held a clear and seemingly unbreakable lead, only to find a veteran champion breaking through. And then as the two grappled for first place, in a true Cinderella story, a third darted in from nowhere in the final moments to steal it from them both and claim the victory. But this nailbiting finish had nothing to do with the Tour de France, the Olympics, or any other kind of traditional sporting event for that matter. Instead, it involved a battle between hundreds of data scientists around the world racing to help shape the future of the music industry. Their task: to develop an algorithm capable of predicting if a listener will love a new song. Not that long ago such a pursuit would have been considered utter folly and best left to soothsayers and astrologers. Thanks to the sheer scale and quality of data that's now becoming available, and to the development of better algorithms through events such as this, it is now not only quite feasible but rapidly becoming a way of doing business in many industries. This event, the Music Data Science Hackathon, is clear evidence of that because it involved the music giant EMI Music sharing its highly prized EMI Million Interview Dataset for the very first time. This is a vast and uniquely rich dataset compiled from 20-minute interviews with 800,000 music lovers from 25 different countries, recording their interests, attitudes, behaviours, and their familiarity and appreciation of music. For the data science community in London and those further afield – through Kaggle's online platform – this was a chance to show just what can be achieved when the right kind of data meets the right minds. Held in partnership with Data Science London, EMI Music, EMC, Lightspeed Research and Kaggle, the challenge was to use this dataset to predict the rating someone would give a song based on their demographic, the artist and track ratings, their answers to questions about musical preferences and the words they use to describe EMI artists. With a prize fund of £6,500, we saw more than 1,300 entries submitted by 138 different teams. Some of these attended the event in person, while the rest were made up of Kaggle's online community of 45,000 data scientists. We saw a broad range of approaches, from generalised boosted methods to random forests, single value decomposition to matrix factorisation and collaborative filtering, with no one class of model outperforming all the others. The results were outstanding, both in terms of quality and quantity of algorithms. However, in the end there was a very clear winning team, which came from Shanda Innovations, a tech incubator based in Shanghai and Beijing and a rising star in the Kaggle community. As in several previous Kaggle and Data Science London collaborations, the winners' code and algorithms will be open sourced. But besides showing that is possible to make these kinds of predictions, this event also uncovered some other nice gems, such as how women tended to be generally more positive than men, using words like "current", "edgy" and "cool" to describe songs, as opposed to "cheap", "unoriginal" and "superficial". Retired people tended rate songs higher, while students and unemployed people often gave lower ratings. And it was interesting to see correlations between the words people used to describe the same song, often seemingly at odds with each other. The words "noisy" and "uplifting" is one example. And similarly one person's "superficial" is another's "playful". Another consistent theme was that the characteristics commonly used by the music industry to inform their marketing, such as "age" and "gender", turned out to be not the most powerful predictors after all. Perhaps the loudest message to take from this is how very qualitative data sets – extremely subjective survey questions about people, their relationship with the music they like, and the words they associate with different tracks – can be mined. It's a great reminder that collaboration, bright minds, and machine learning can be used to understand even a very non-technical question such as "Will you like a new song?" Jeremy Howard is president and chief scientist at Kaggle, a platform for competitive data science, specialising in predictive modeling. NEW! Buy our book • Facts are Sacred: the power of data (on Kindle) More open data Data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian World government data • Search the world's government data with our gateway Development and aid data • Search the world's global development data with our gateway Can you do something with this data? • Flickr Please post your visualisations and mash-ups on our Flickr group • Contact us at data@guardian.co.uk • Get the A-Z of data • More at the Datastore directory • Follow us on Twitter • Like us on Facebook | ['news/datablog', 'tone/blog', 'business/emi', 'music/music', 'technology/data-visualisation', 'type/article'] | technology/data-visualisation | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2012-07-28T09:00:00Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
technology/2008/apr/10/yahootakeover.yahoo | Yahoo advertising deal with Google aims to deter Microsoft bid | Yahoo last night moved to outflank Microsoft, which is threatening to launch a hostile takeover for the business, by agreeing to surrender some of its advertising revenues in a landmark deal with bitter rival Google. Yahoo said it would run a limited test of Google's online advertising system on its US website, one of the most popular destinations on the internet, to see whether the two companies could work more closely together in future. The test, which is expected to last about two weeks, involves the placing of advertising sold through Google's AdSense service alongside search queries made by users of the Yahoo.com website. Yahoo said the test would involve no more than 3% of search queries, but its ramifications are much wider. Insiders said the deal was designed to counter the threat of Microsoft as it took a more aggressive stance in its attempt to buy out the business. Microsoft's initial $31 a share offer, made more than two months ago, was dismissed by Yahoo as undervaluing the company. But at the weekend Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer warned Yahoo that if it did not agree a deal by April 26 he would "go hostile" and take an offer direct to shareholders. He warned that he could reduce the value of the cash and shares bid, which values Yahoo at about $40bn (£20bn), in the process. On Monday, Yahoo's chairman, Roy Bostock, and chief executive, Jerry Yang, wrote back to Ballmer attacking Microsoft's bullying tactics but admitted they were not opposed to a tie-up if the software company made a higher offer. Wall Street analysts said last night that Yahoo's tie-up with Google may be an attempt to show Microsoft that if it is unwilling to come up with a better offer, Yahoo could end up an even fiercer competitor through a tie-up with Google. Google, which dominates the global search advertising market, would face fierce regulatory scrutiny if it attempted to buy Yahoo outright but a commercial deal between the two firms might be possible. Together the two companies control about 81% of the lucrative US search market. Merging Microsoft and Yahoo would create a company with control over 31% of the market compared with Google's current share of 59%. Yahoo said last night that the Google test was part of its stated aim to explore "strategic alternatives" to the Microsoft deal that would "maximise stockholder value, including exploration of potential commercial business arrangements". Yahoo stressed that "the testing does not necessarily mean that Yahoo will join the AdSense for Search program or that any further commercial relationship with Google will result". | ['technology/yahoo-takeover', 'media/mediabusiness', 'media/advertising', 'technology/yahoo', 'technology/google', 'technology/microsoft', 'technology/mergers-acquisitions', 'media/media', 'technology/internet', 'business/business', 'technology/technology', 'business/mergers-and-acquisitions', 'type/article', 'profile/richardwray', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | technology/yahoo-takeover | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2008-04-10T07:32:31Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/apr/15/litter-bug-motorway-man | Litter bug: the motorway man who's cleaning up | Damian Carrington | When David Cameron talks about the "big society", he probably isn't dreaming of people successfully taking the government to court. But that's what retired financial advisor Peter Silverman does. Silverman got exasperated by the litter befouling the verges of motorways and, as we reported last year, used a little known law to force the secretary of state to clean up part of the M40. Now, he's doing it again - on Tuesday he was awarded a summons requesting the transport secretary Philip Hammond to appear at High Wycombe Magistrates Court on May 9th over a Litter Abatement Order to clean the slip roads at junction one of the M40. But what's really infuriated Silverman is he thought he'd got an ally, with the appointment of Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning as roads minister in May 2010. It's easy to see why, as just a few weeks before in parliament, Penning had raged against the state of the roads: "I asked for this debate out of anger and real frustration. Our road networks, in particular our motorways are blighted by rubbish. I am aware that there is legislation in place however … it is frankly not working. Travel up the M1 from Brent Cross and you are driving through a rubbish tip." In November, Silverman wrote a report on why the legislation isn't working - he blames the Highways Agency passing the buck - and sent it to Penning. A consultant would have charged a lot for this, but Silverman did it for free - very Big Society. But when the Highways Agency published its business plan on 31 March, there was not a single mention of litter or cleansing in it 35 pages. "When I saw Mike Penning's speech I was overjoyed," Silverman told me. "At last, I thought, we had someone in the driving seat who would sort out the problem. So I was shocked to see that after 10 months in charge of the Highways Agency he seems to have had no impact whatsoever." I put this to Penning, who replied: "I share Mr Silverman's concern about litter on the motorway and trunk road network and I have been working with the Highways Agency and colleagues across government on how the situation can be improved." He noted that at least 700,000 sacks of litter are removed every year, before adding: "I continue to investigate what more can be done but this is a difficult issue ... picking litter from [motorways] safely and without having to disrupt traffic is not straightforward. The simplest – and cheapest - solution would be if the rubbish wasn't dropped in the first place. I urge the public to report to the Highways Agency any instances of litter being spilled from vehicles." At least Penning had the courtesy to reply to my request, unlike the Highways Agency. But Silverman has some urging of his own: "I would urge people to take advantage of their rights under the Environmental Protection Act to take the government to court to force them to clean up verges that are being neglected. There's a how-to guide on my Clean Highways website." William Gates at the Campaign to Protect Rural England has worked with Silverman and said: "It's people like Peter who are needed if we are to sort out Britain's litter problem." And people like roads minister Mike Penning. | ['environment/damian-carrington-blog', 'environment/travel-and-transport', 'tone/blog', 'environment/environment', 'world/road-transport', 'politics/transport', 'environment/waste', 'type/article', 'profile/damiancarrington'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2011-04-15T06:00:02Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2019/oct/30/supporters-of-our-content-the-age-of-extinction | Supporters of our content | BAND Foundation A private family organisation that oversees charitable interests through strategic grant-making, primarily in nature conservation and epilepsy care. Oak Foundation Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global, social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged. With offices in Europe, India and North America, Oak makes grants to organisations in approximately 40 countries worldwide. Arcadia Arcadia is a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge. Since 2002 Arcadia has awarded more than $1 billion to organizations around the world. To find out more about support for the series, click here | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/biodiversity', 'info/info', 'type/article', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/series/the-age-of-extinction | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-10-30T17:18:29Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2017/jun/27/hywind-project-scotland-worlds-first-floating-windfarm-norway | World's first floating windfarm to take shape off coast of Scotland | The world’s first floating windfarm has taken to the seas in a sign that a technology once confined to research and development drawing boards is finally ready to unlock expanses of ocean for generating renewable power. After two turbines were floated this week, five now bob gently in the deep waters of a fjord on the western coast of Norway ready to be tugged across the North Sea to their final destination off north-east Scotland. The £200m Hywind project is unusual not just because of the pioneering technology involved, which uses a 78-metre-tall underwater ballast and three mooring lines that will be attached to the seabed to keep the turbines upright. It is also notable because the developer is not a renewable energy firm but Norway’s Statoil, which is looking to diversify away from carbon-based fuels. Irene Rummelhoff, head of the oil firm’s low-carbon division, said the technology opened up an enormous new resource of wind power. “It’s almost unlimited. Currently we are saying [floating windfarms will work in] water depths of between 100 and 700 metres, but I think we can go deeper than that. It opens up ocean that was unavailable,” she said. Offshore windfarms are springing up across the North Sea for a reason – its waters are uniquely shallow enough to allow turbines to be mounted atop steel poles fixed to the seabed. However, such fixed-bottom turbines can only be installed at water depths down to 40 metres, making them little use for the steeply shelved coastlines of the US west coast or Japan. “If you look at coastlines around the world, there’s few that have sufficient area at depths down to 40 metres so if they want to deploy offshore wind, they need to introduce floating wind,” said Rummelhoff. As well as opening up new frontiers such as the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, floating windfarms could be placed farther out to sea to avoid the sort of aesthetic objections that scuppered a £3.5b windfarm off the Dorset coast. While Hywind is a minnow among modern offshore wind projects – it will power just 20,000 homes compared with the 800,000 by one being built off the Yorkshire coast – proponents say floating turbines could eclipse fixed-bottom ones in the long run. “Looking to the next decades, there might be a point where floating is bigger than fixed based,” said Stephan Barth of IEA Wind, an intergovernmental wind power body covering 21 countries. Bruno Geschier, chief marketing officer at Ideol, a French company hoping to build floating windfarms in Japan, France and elsewhere, said he expected floating farms to begin to take off in the next decade, “reaching cruising altitude in the mid-2020s and a big boom in 2030-35”. The commercialisation also means a chance for new countries to emerge as renewable energy leaders. The UK has the most offshore wind capacity in the world, with Germany not far behind, but France, which has none, wants to become a market leader. “Floating wind is an opportunity for France to step on to the podium,” said Geschier. For Statoil, the ambitions go well beyond Peterhead in Scotland, where Hywind will be moored and providing power from October at the latest. Rummelhoff said floating windfarms will come of age in the areas where conventional ones have been established, as countries such as the UK run out of suitable sites in shallower waters. But it is also talking with state governments in Hawaii and California about projects, and eyeing Japan and the new, pro-renewables government in Seoul. Like many new technologies, the biggest challenge will be cost. Behind the turbines at the deepwater port of Stord in Norway sits a huge lifting vessel usually used in the oil and gas industry. It is the second biggest of its kind, very expensive to hire – and, for now, essential in the process of lifting the turbines off the quayside and floating them. The first-of-a-kind nature means supply chain complexity, too. “We have 15 main contractors. For the future we cannot have 15, we can have between 5 and 10,” said Leif Delp, project manager for Hywind. Statoil said floating wind would be the same cost as conventional offshore windfarms by 2030, while IEA said the cost today was the same as fixed-bottom ones a decade ago. Experts have said a conventional offshore windfarm with the capacity of Hywind would be less than half the cost. A generous subsidy deal from the Scottish government made the project viable. “Technically, everything is possible. It’s just the price tag that comes with it,” said Barth. | ['business/energy-industry', 'uk/scotland', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'business/business', 'world/norway', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'world/europe-news', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-vaughan', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2017-06-27T13:55:25Z | true | ENERGY |
weather/2009/jun/18/weatherwatch | Weatherwatch | The hurricane season for the North Atlantic officially began on 1 June. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Hurricane Center are predicting that it will be an average season, producing between four and seven hurricanes. Primary indicators suggest it could be a quiet season. Nasa satellite data shows that tropical Atlantic surface waters are cooler than normal, which should starve tropical storms of energy and help to prevent them from reaching hurricane strength. However, this is counterbalanced by conditions that have driven a spate of active years, since 1995. Higher than average rainfall over West Africa and lighter winds have been providing moist, still air, which increases the chances of tropical storms spawning. And the Atlantic Ocean could still warm up considerably over the summer, sparking off more tropical storms. An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 11 named storms, including six hurricanes, in the season which runs to 30 November. Currently NOAA forecasters predict a 70% chance of having between nine and 14 named storms, of which four to seven could become hurricanes. Up to three of these hurricanes could be major (category 3, 4 or 5). Last year was a very active season, with 16 named storms, eight of which became hurricanes. So far this year is looking quieter, with the first tropical storm of the season yet to appear. When she does she will be called Ana. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'uk/weather', 'type/article', 'profile/kate-ravilious', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2009-06-17T23:01:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
commentisfree/2019/dec/16/the-guardian-view-on-climate-change-diplomacy-is-boris-johnson-up-to-it | The Guardian view on climate change diplomacy: is Boris Johnson up to it? | Editorial | Next year’s United Nations Climate Change conference (COP26) will be held in Glasgow, with Boris Johnson in the chair. It will be the largest gathering of world leaders in Britain since the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics in London, in which Mr Johnson also played a leading role. Unlike the Olympics, conditions are hardly propitious for a successful UN conference in 2020. The COP25 conference in Madrid at the weekend ended with despair about the lack of progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To avoid repeating what was widely criticised as one of the worst outcomes in 25 years of climate negotiations, Mr Johnson will have to display hitherto unknown diplomatic depths. The irony is that he needs a global green deal while pursuing a post-Brexit British trade policy to outcompete the European Union by undercutting green standards. Madrid was a depressing example of how not to do international diplomacy. This is not the fault of Spain, which took over the running of the conference at short notice after Chile, which had been due to host, pulled out following bloody unrest at home. Understandably distracted, Chile’s lack of leadership saw a coalition of states with strong links to fossil fuel industry – the United States, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia – seize the opportunity to undermine the talks. Their success was to render meaningless the summit’s final declaration. This is a snub to science and strikers in a year of unprecedented climate activism. If this climate denialism persists we will pay a heavy price. Under the Paris agreement 190-odd countries have plans which, if implemented, would still see Earth’s temperature rise by 3.2 degrees. Scientists have warn that beyond 1.5 degrees of warming there’s a real risk of extreme heat, drought and floods becoming the norm. Next year countries will have to bridge the gap between the policies now in place and what is required to stop global heating with a round of new, bolder climate pledges. As the impact of the emergency becomes more evident, so does the scale of the challenge ahead. The UN now says that countries must increase their ambitions fivefold. Mr Johnson does not want a rerun of the UN summit in Copenhagen in 2009, which ended in failure amid clashes between 100,000 environmental protesters and Danish police. To ensure that the Glasgow conference passes off smoothly, he will first have to show that he is cleaning up his act at home. At present the government won’t hit carbon reduction targets after 2028, hardly inspiring confidence that the UK will reach net-zero by 2050. This needs more than just a new government department. Mr Johnson’s newfound green zeal can be politically useful: his manifesto promised to spend £6bn on improving the energy efficiency of 2.2m social homes, which may be allocated – brazenly – to the constituencies of new northern Tory MPs. But whatever his own approach, Mr Johnson’s fate is in the hands of others. Most important are US voters who might deliver a Democratic president just days before the Glasgow summit takes place. This would halt the Trump White House’s attempt to withdraw from the Paris agreement. EU leaders hope to strike a bargain with Beijing next September, so efforts to cut emissions remain meaningful even without the US. The Paris agreement has Mr Johnson facing one way on climate, but Brexit has him facing the other way. He will have to choose, perhaps symbolically by cracking down on City financing for dirty coal abroad. The world is not short of ideas to realise climate goals. We urge and encourage the prime minister to secure a global response that matches the scale of the crisis. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'politics/boris-johnson', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/cop-25-un-climate-change-conference', 'politics/politics', 'politics/conservatives', 'environment/green-politics', 'environment/environment', 'uk/glasgow', 'uk/scotland', 'uk/uk', 'environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021', 'tone/editorials', 'tone/comment', 'type/article', 'profile/editorial', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2019-12-16T18:49:03Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
global-development/2012/jun/15/rio20-voice-jakarta-indonesia | Rio+20: A voice from Jakarta, Indonesia | I'm not going to be in Rio this time, but I was at the 1992 summit. These conferences are really good in setting targets, but the biggest issue is how we actually reach the targets. That's my big concern. I think we have to definitely reduce subsidies in fossil fuels. This year in Indonesia, we spent $16.6bn on subsidies. We need to make the financing mechanisms as friendly as possible towards renewable energy projects. The money spent for renewable energy and fossil fuels is unbalanced. I'd like to have those two things spoken about at Rio. We need to have resources available locally. Small islands are providing their own local resources but the funding mechanisms need to be in favour of encouraging this. I really do hope and expect that governments can switch subsidies to funding for renewable energy and decentralise energy supplies to utilise local resources, so the role of the national government can be reduced. But we also have to make it known that people have to learn to live on less. Sometimes people will follow whenever we scare them. If we are not on the road to achieving sustainable development, we will face catastrophe. | ['global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/rio-20-earth-summit', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'environment/environment', 'tone/interview', 'global-development/series/global-development-voices', 'type/article'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2012-06-15T09:23:18Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
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