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news/2021/mar/13/weatherwatch-unsung-woman-behind-modern-forecasting-klara-dan-von-neumann | Weatherwatch: the unsung woman behind modern forecasting | This month is women’s history month in the US and an excellent excuse to celebrate women who have changed the field of meteorology. There are many to choose from, but today I’m going to write about Klára Dán von Neumann. You might have heard of her husband, John von Neumann, a mathematician who became famous for his work on the Manhattan Project. After the war he helped to produce the first computer-based weather forecast in 1950 using ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) – one of the earliest electronic computers. It was one of the most important breakthroughs in weather forecasting and the cornerstone of modern weather forecasts. But while the male scientists were lauded for their achievement, the numerous female computer operators were merely thanked in the research paper’s acknowledgments. Many of these women spent hundreds of hours manually calculating the equations before the experiment even began, and one woman in particular was key to the success of the project. Klara, a Hungarian-born self-taught computer programmer, instructed the meteorologists how to code ENIAC and managed the experiment’s 100,000 punch cards, working flat out for the 32 days of the experiment and taking responsibility for the final code. Her brilliance is described in a feature in the Smithsonian Magazine, which is well worth a read. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'science/meteorology', 'lifeandstyle/women', 'technology/computing', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/kate-ravilious', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-03-13T06:00:54Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2022/apr/16/uk-organic-dairy-farmers-fear-futures-food-prices-soar | UK organic dairy farmers fear for futures as food prices soar | Organic dairy, for so long the sector’s success story, is facing a crisis of confidence, with fears about whether people will keep buying organic milk, butter and cheese as food prices soar. Some UK organic farmers are being paid a milk price that is lower than the price some of their non-organic competitors get. On-farm costs have been spiralling. Organic feed prices have tripled year on year thanks to high shipping costs dating back to disruption from the pandemic hiking the price of commodities such as organic soy coming from Asia. The sector has recorded little growth in sales in the UK over the past five years. Overall, organic dairy sales are smaller (1% of cheese and 5% of milk) compared with European countries such as France or Germany. In Denmark, more than one-third of milk sales are organic. Retailers say organic milk and dairy is struggling to stand out to consumers, on shelves crammed with a host of new standards and commitments being rolled out by conventional milk brands and producers, such as claims of “free-range” cows. There is also stiff competition from alternative milks, with sales of oat, almond and soy milk rising fast. Unsurprisingly, there have been reports of producers ditching their organic status and moving over to claim a higher milk price as a conventional farmer. “Others will be looking too,” said a dairy farmer at a recent industry event. Tim Downes, an organic dairy farmer in Shropshire, said the difference between milk prices and feed costs was “untenable” at the moment and predicted organic milk buyers would be short of milk soon, with farmers either switching to conventional or producing less. “We’ve got to be positive in our messaging as organic farmers and let consumers know how much effort goes into making organic food,” he said. David Williams, the chief executive of the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative, said: “Organic needs to be 10p per litre more [than milk produced by cows in conventional farming systems], but the challenge is convincing our customers’ customers to pick it off the shelf.” The point of difference for organic appears to have been eroded as the dairy sector as a whole commits to many of the initiatives that previously appeared unique to organic, such as eliminating antibiotic use, giving cows access to outdoor grazing and trialling out carbon audits. There is also likely to be a decline in the use of artificial fertiliser by all dairy farmers this year – another key part of organic farming standards – as the cost rises. “You could question what the significant selling point of organic is any more,” said one industry insider this week. “As food prices go up, consumers are driven to keep the cost of their food basket down to whatever they wish to pay. Why should they fork out extra for it?” Williams, whose cooperative represents almost two-thirds of milk produced by organic farmers in the UK, said organic’s selling point was its farmers’ work to protect wildlife and the environment. He said the standards, including not using artificial fertiliser or antibiotics, were certified, with farms audited annually to ensure they comply. However, Williams said organic products and brands needed to do better at selling their credentials. “Organic looks too much like conventional [on the shelf in its current packaging]. We should not be surprised that consumers are not so interested in paying more for it.” In the long-term, organic farmers need to be able to reduce their reliance on imported feed, said Liz Bowles, the farming director at the Soil Association, an organic farming charity. “We need to get more of the animal feed used by farmers from the UK, through greater use of homegrown proteins such as peas and beans and making sure cows are eating mostly a diet from grass and forage,” she said. Dan Burdett, a Sussex-based organic dairy farmer, said the crunch time for many organic farmers would be this autumn and winter when feed usage was higher with less grass growth. “We’ve been organic here on the farm for 22 years [when his father converted from conventional] and I’ve never known anything else myself so it’d be hard for us to switch out now.” Sign up for the Animals farmed monthly update to get a roundup of the biggest farming and food stories across the world and keep up with our investigations. You can send us your stories and thoughts at animalsfarmed@theguardian.com | ['environment/series/animals-farmed', 'environment/farming', 'environment/organics', 'environment/environment', 'environment/ethical-living', 'food/milk--drink-', 'food/cheese', 'food/food', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/tom-levitt', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/environmentnews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-04-16T07:00:03Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sustainable-business/2017/may/22/recycling-in-australia-is-dead-in-the-water-three-companies-tackling-our-plastic-addiction | 'Recycling in Australia is dead in the water': three companies tackling our plastic addiction | There’s no escaping plastic in modern life. In Australia, more than 1.5m tonnes of the crude oil derivative is consumed each year, not including plastics imported in finished products or their packaging. And most of this ends up on a centuries-long path to degradation in landfill or the world’s waterways and oceans. One recent sobering analysis has estimated that by 2050, the weight of plastics in the oceans will match that of fish. Reducing consumption by avoiding the use of disposable plastic shopping bags, for instance, and reusing plastic containers are important waste-reduction measures. But what role does recycling play? Despite our profligate consumption of plastic goods, only 300,000 tonnes of the stuff is collected for recycling each year in Australia, according to the Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association of Australia. Around half of this is sent overseas for processing and a further 20% of the plastics reprocessed into pellets to be made into new products is also sent overseas. Not all plastics can be readily recycled. Hard thermoset plastics commonly used in electronics are currently unrecyclable, though researchers are finding ways to change that. Even for those plastics that are recyclable, the process often begins with mechanical or hand sorting into separate plastic polymer classes – represented by that number emblazoned within the recycling logo on the bottle or container – before reprocessing can begin. But technical challenges are not the main bottleneck for plastics recycling, according to Mark Jacobsen, director of marketing at recycling firm Replas. “Recycling in Australia is dead in the water,” he says, unless people are willing to buy products made of their own waste. Replas has been in the recycling business for close to three decades, turning soft plastics such as milk cartons and squeezable shampoo bottles into sturdy plastic play equipment, termite-proof boardwalk decking and bollards that outlast their timber alternatives by decades. Yet Replas only processes about a third of what it has the capacity to and frequently turns down offers of more scrap plastic. “The whole economy has got to change,” says Jacobsen. Currently, he says, people still view plastic primarily as a waste product. The company now uses a partnership model, only accepting plastic waste from organisations willing to buy back the recycled products they make. Large supermarket chains, such as Coles and Woolworths, are some of those leading by example, says Jacobsen. Some city councils are also shedding historic buying practices, which often dictate purchasing decisions, by incorporating recycled plastic into their operations. A few years ago, Replas partnered with RED Group, the Melbourne-based company behind the REDcycle program that collects soft plastic packaging for recycling. Elizabeth Kasell, director of RED Group, abandoned a career in the fashion industry to start the company in 2010 because she saw an unmet need every time she threw a plastic bread bag in the bin. “Anyone can say no to a plastic [shopping] bag,” she says. “However, you can’t say no to a bread bag.” This type of soft plastic packaging is normally a problem for the mechanical sorting machines used in plastic recycling operations. The REDcycle program eliminates this hassle by collecting and processing the packaging separately, before sending it on to Replas for incorporation into its products. What started out as a pilot program to collect plastic bags at a few Melbourne primary schools has grown into a network of more than 600 collection stations, mostly at supermarkets, around the country. Like Replas, RED Group is happy to accept plastic packaging, but only if a company is willing to be part of the solution, buying back what it contributes in waste. Another Australian company, Range International, is avoiding the need for sorting altogether and is tapping into a massive market. The company, which listed on the ASX in 2016 and whose backers include Prince Albert II of Monaco, recovers unsorted mixed plastic waste from Indonesian landfill. A process involving heat and intense pressure turns the waste into a malleable plastic “cookie dough” that is pressed into moulds in the shape of shipping pallets. “What we have in our product is actually two environmental benefits contained in one,” says the Range International chief executive, Lars Amstrup, referring to the diversion of landfill waste and the replacement the industry-standard timber pallets with plastic ones. Range International’s choice of market for its recycled plastic was deliberate – over 5bn new shipping pallets are made annually. Almost all of these – 93% – are made from timber and consume 40% of the world’s timber supply, according to the company’s website. Many of these require heat treatment and fumigation before being shipped on a single journey to their destination country and discarded. For every 25 of Range’s plastic RePal pallets bought, the felling of one tree is prevented, according to the company’s figures, and an independent analysis of the magnitude of environmental benefits provided by the scheme is currently in preparation. Expensive virgin plastic pallets are available, but usually cost far more than their timber alternatives. Range’s philosophy, says Amstrup, is to sell their pallets for the same price as a timber pallet, thereby making the switch to recycled pallets easy for companies seeking a greener approach to international commerce. Range also ships pallets back for reuse by the same customer, resale or reprocessing into new pallets. Only by reintroducing recycled plastics into the economy in this way will plastics actually become part of a circular, rather than linear, economy. | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'sustainable-business/series/smart-cities', 'environment/waste', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/plastic', 'environment/environment', 'environment/ethical-living', 'australia-news/business-australia', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/dyani-lewis', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-gsb'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-05-21T22:58:30Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
politics/2020/jan/15/cardiff-proposes-congestion-charge-for-non-residents | Cardiff proposes £2 congestion charge for non-residents | Cardiff council is proposing to charge non-residents £2 to drive into the city centre and use the proceeds to improve the creaking public transport system in and around the Welsh capital. Council leaders and public health experts are arguing that a relatively modest congestion charge could help change perceptions of driving without overly penalising those who need to travel by car. The idea was outlined during the unveiling of a £2bn “transport vision” in Cardiff city centre on Wednesday. Leaders said the 10-year plan would help to tackle the climate emergency, reduce congestion and improve air quality. They claimed imposing a charge on motorists could lead to the same sea change that followed the introduction of charges for single-use plastic bags. The council leader, Labour’s Huw Thomas, said: “The future success of Cardiff hinges on getting transport right in the city. There can’t be anyone who is happy with the current state of affairs, which is why we are bringing forward this ambitious 10-year vision and why we are beginning an honest conversation about how it’s paid for.” Asked if a £2 charge was enough to change behaviour, Thomas said such a charge would break habits and generate significant funding for transport changes without penalising people too much. The council said it would not introduce charges before improvements had been made to public transport, and anticipated that there would be exemptions – for blue badge holders, for example. Caro Wild, the council’s cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said Stockholm had introduced a modestly priced congestion charge that had successfully changed behaviour. The Labour councillor said: “Cardiff’s current transport network was designed half a century ago for a city of 200,000 people. Today, once commuters, shoppers and visitors are taken into account, our city has a daily population of almost half a million. No wonder our transport network is creaking – it’s no longer fit for purpose. “If you look at it from the point of view of the average Cardiff resident driving within the city to work every day, struggling for their bit of road space with the 80,000 other car commuters from outside the city’s boundaries, then absolutely, traffic congestion, traffic pollution and a public transport system which struggles to adequately serve the people who live and work here are all issues of major concern. “We are living in a world where the climate emergency is changing how we feel about our future. I have become more and more convinced that to undertake the kind of radical change required we will need to investigate bringing in some form of charging mechanism to fund the infrastructure required in the city and the wider region. “One option might be a simple, universal, £2, low-charging system applied to non-Cardiff residents who drive into the city, which could reduce congestion while raising money towards paying for improvements to our transport network. We need to get people out of cars and on to public transport. To do that we need to give them the best public transport options. And to do that we need to raise money to pay for them.” Wild said a congestion charge was not the only option and other possibilities would be looked at over the next year. He said: “No charge will be put in place until that business case is completed and all options have been reviewed.” The white paper unveiled by the council lists a series of projects that could revolutionise public transport options in Cardiff and the region, including: Opening up new tram/train routes and stations. Introducing new park-and-ride sites. Lowering the cost of bus travel significantly. Delivering safer walking and cycling routes. An electric bike pilot scheme. Fiona Kinghorn, the executive director of public health for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “We fully support the ambition to increase walking and cycling in Cardiff, provide major enhancements to the public transport network and reduce harmful air pollution.” | ['politics/congestioncharging', 'uk/cardiff', 'uk/transport', 'politics/transport', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/air-pollution', 'environment/pollution', 'uk/wales', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'politics/politics', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/stevenmorris', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-01-15T12:54:07Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
news/datablog/2011/jul/06/oil-spills-north-sea-rigs | Oil spills by North Sea rigs: which is the worst? | North Sea oil rigs operating in UK waters suffered major or significant leaks at a rate of almost one every week throughout 2009 and 2010. The revelations of spills off the UK's shores come as part of a Guardian investigation showing shortcomings in safety and oversight in UK operations. The data, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, shows more than 25,000kg of oil and gas leaked from UK oil platforms between January 2009 and December 2010, in 110 separate incidents. A further 6,000kg of oil and gas leaked in incidents classed as "minor". The register includes all leaks voluntarily declared by operators to the Health and Safety Executive, as part of security measures set up in response to the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988, which killed 167 workers. The worst-performing rig on the register was "Brent Charlie", owned by Shell, which leaked a a total of 4,900kg of material in seven separate incidents rated at significant or higher. The chart below details the total quantity of oil and gas leaked by rig. To concentrate on a particular rig operator, click its name on the left-hand menu. To see how many incidents occurred at a given rig, hover over its bubble in the chart. There was at least one significant or major leak in every single month in 2009 and 2010. August 2010 was the quietest month, with just one leak, while January 2009 had the most incidents, at 11. The full data can be viewed, searched, sorted and downloaded below. The operator information reflects the situation recorded in the data as it was received by the Guardian: ownership may have subsequently changed hands, or switched from one contractor to another. Seen something in the data that we've missed? Let us know in the comments below, on twitter, or by email. Data summary Download the data • DATA: download the full spreadsheet 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', 'business/oil', 'environment/oil', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'environment/oil-spills', 'tone/blog', 'tone/graphics', 'type/graphic', 'type/data', 'type/article', 'profile/jamesball'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2011-07-06T06:00:00Z | true | ENERGY |
news/2019/nov/22/weatherwatch-storms-that-make-the-earth-move-earthquakes | Weatherwatch: storms that make the earth move | A network of sensitive seismometers has revealed a new source of earth tremor. Rather than emanating from deep in the Earth’s crust, this disturbance comes from above and is produced by storms at sea. Researchers at Florida State University dubbed the effect a stormquake in a paper in Geophysical Research Letters. While most earth tremors are jolts lasting a matter of seconds, there is also seismic background noise over a longer time scale. The scientists were exploring these longer-duration events and discovered a type which was highly seasonal and never occurred in summer. Normally seismic activity is indifferent to the seasons, but the meteorological connection became obvious when the researchers found the mystery quakes coincided with major hurricanes and storms. Stormquakes only occur in a particular set of conditions, requiring long ocean waves striking an ocean bank, an underwater hill on the continental shelf. It is not known yet exactly how waves produce the tremors, but they can continue for hours or days, reaching a magnitude of 3.5 on the Richter scale. Researchers have long suspected that storms can sometimes trigger earthquakes. Tokyo experienced a magnitude 5.7 quake on 12 October, the day Typhoon Hagibis hit. The new work may help shed light on the complex interaction between weather and seismic activity. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/earthquakes', 'world/extreme-weather', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/japan', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/davidhambling', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2019-11-22T21:30:35Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sustainable-business/3d-printing-simulation-softwares-design-boeing-ford | 3D printing, simulation softwares and new designs for Boeing and Ford | Form and function have always been a focus for product designers. But a third principle has emerged in recent years and is being woven into the design process for everything from jumbo jets to drugs: sustainability. The focus on sustainability has forced developers of design software to build new capabilities into their products. It has also required software developers to reconsider how they educate their customers about the process and goals of sustainable design. That has been the case for Dassault Systemes, one of the largest 3D design software makers in the world. Based in France and with many US companies among its customers, Dassault develops 3D modelling and project management software for product engineering. This can help designers with anything from choosing the right materials to reducing the environmental impact of a manufacturing process. The use of simulation to see how a product might work in real life cuts down on the number of physical prototypes needed to test a product's performance and safety. In recent years, Dassault and its fellow software developers have seen a growing demand from customers who are incorporating sustainability into their corporate missions. For companies like Dassault Systemes, educating customers about sustainable design has became as critical as creating software that enables it. "By and large, the world hasn't yet figured out how to integrate sustainability into the design process in a systematic way," said Asheen Phansey, head of Dassault's Sustainable Innovation Lab. "I recall speaking to a group of engineers, and the engineers' manager said, 'Our guys didn't realise they could affect the carbon footprint of the product. They said they just do their things on computers, and it's the manufacturers who cut the steel and make the products,'" Phansey recalled. "But of course, the manufacturers are just following the instruction." A 'virtual universe' Dassault, which has about 175,000 customers worldwide, formed the innovation lab in 2012 to reflect its need to help its customers figure out what it means to run a sustainable business. The lab is set up to show Dassault customers the software tools they could use in different parts of their operations, from selecting materials to undertaking life-cycle analysis. "Our vision is to create this virtual universe where our customers can look at everything from their supply chains to product designs to manufacturing to how their customers will use the products," Phansey said. "Our design software, for example, allows our customers to sketch out a concept, look at 100 ways to design it and predict of impact of their decisions." Take aerospace and automotives, two big markets for Dassault, who count not only Tesla Motors but also Ford and Boeing as customers. The transportation sector accounts for about 28% of the US greenhouse gas emissions, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The federal government has tightened regulations recently to require automakers to roll out more fuel efficient vehicles in the next 10 years. Since the beginning of 2012, emissions from international aviation have been included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Businesses may loathe stricter regulations, but those policy changes have created opportunities for Dassault. A tool with many uses Dassault's simulation software has helped Boeing come up with alternate designs for a component and gauge its ability to withstand a certain amount of stress without having to build physical prototypes to test how it would perform under different scenarios, Asheen said. Ford, meanwhile, used Dassault's software to design the dies used to stamp portions of the aluminium alloy body of its popular F-150 truck. Using aluminium instead of steel lowers the weight of the truck by about 700lbs and improves the truck's fuel economy. Ford unveiled the new body design at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month. AB Sciex, which develops research lab equipment such as mass spectrometers, uses Dassault's software to keep track of the ever-expanding lists of toxic materials that are banned in electronic instruments. A lab tool could be composed of anywhere from 2,500 to 3,500 parts, so keeping and updating a database of materials used to make them is a daunting task. "It's a risk mitigation tool and a way to meet the compliance rules," said George Valaitis, compliance program manager at the Massachusetts-based AB Sciex. "I can go into the database, do a quick search and have answers at my fingertips." Looking ahead Phansey said he sees two trends in the future of sustainable design. One looks at how to convey sustainable design to consumers and make them feel like they are making the right purchasing decisions. A company could create products with labels and a means for shoppers to, say, track where the leather for a pair of shoes came from or whether the metals in an electronic device came from regions free of conflict mines. The emergence of 3D printing to make products close to where they are used is another trend that will further define what it means to create sustainable designs. "More and more the line between manufacturers and consumers is blurring as we can create our own worlds physically and virtually," Phansey said. | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-design', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'tone/blog', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/business', 'environment/environment', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'artanddesign/design', 'artanddesign/artanddesign', 'type/article', 'sustainable-business/series/sustainable-design', 'profile/ucilia-wang'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-03-13T21:06:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
uk-news/2018/may/15/uk-police-use-of-facial-recognition-technology-failure | UK police use of facial recognition technology a failure, says report | Police attempts to use cameras linked to databases to recognise people from their face are failing, with the wrong person picked out nine times out 10, a report claims. The report from Big Brother Watch, published on Tuesday, warns that facial recognition technology turns innocent British citizens into “walking ID cards”. It says the technology, whereby computer databases of faces are linked to CCTV and other cameras, was used by the Metropolitan police to spot people on a mental health watch list at the 2017 Remembrance Sunday event in London. It was also used by South Wales police at protests against an arms fair. Police plan to use it at music festivals and other events. Some in policing see facial recognition as the next big leap in law enforcement, akin to the revolution brought about by advances in DNA analysis. Privacy campaigners see it as the next big battleground for civil liberties, as the state effectively asks for a degree of privacy to be surrendered in return for a promise of greater security. But for now the Big Brother Watch report says the benefits are missing, because the technology does not work. The Met used facial recognition at the 2017 Notting Hill carnival, where the system was wrong 98% of the time, falsely telling officers on 102 occasions it had spotted a suspect. The technology failed to pick out any suspects during the Met’s trial at the previous carnival. South Wales police have been given £2.1m by the Home Office to test the technology, but so far it gets it wrong 91% of the time. It was used at at a festival to celebrate Elvis, a Kasbian concert in Cardiff, a royal visit by Prince Harry and a Liam Gallagher concert, among other deployments. On 31 occasions police followed up the system saying it had spotted people of concern, only to find they had in fact stopped innocent people and the identifications were false. In its report, Big Brother Watch says: “Automated facial recognition cameras are biometric identification checkpoints that risk making members of the public walking ID cards. “It is plainly disproportionate to deploy a technology by which the face of every passerby is analysed, mapped and their identity checked.” The report says US research shows the technology is particularly inaccurate identifying minority ethnic women. It is extremely unlikely that police attempts to harness the power of facial recognition will cease as officers believe the benefits are potentially massive. The ability, as police see it, to track suspects anywhere there is a camera, offers a big leap in crime fighting ability from finding vulnerable people or missing persons, to hunting terrorism suspects or keeping track of one-time suspects for whom there are not the resources to keep under surveillance by officers. The big opportunities come about because of two technological changes being married up – the big increase in computer power and increase in quality of CCTV, with high-definition cameras decreasing in price and increasing in coverage. Silkie Carlo, the director of Big Brother Watch, said: “Real-time facial recognition is a dangerously authoritarian surveillance tool that could fundamentally change policing in the UK. Members of the public could be tracked, located and identified – or misidentified – everywhere they go. “We’re seeing ordinary people being asked to produce ID to prove their innocence as police are wrongly identifying thousands of innocent citizens as criminals. “It is deeply disturbing and undemocratic that police are using a technology that is almost entirely inaccurate, that they have no legal power for and that poses a major risk to our freedoms. “This has wasted millions in public money and the cost to our civil liberties is too high. It must be dropped.” Ch Con Mike Barton, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for crime operations, said: “Facial recognition technology has the potential to help us disrupt crime networks and identify people who pose a threat to the public. A number of forces are conducting trials and working with legal experts to better understand how it could be deployed. “The public would expect the police to consider all new technologies that could make them safer. Any wider rollout of this technology must be based on evidence showing it to be effective with sufficient safeguards and oversight.” | ['uk/police', 'technology/facial-recognition', 'technology/technology', 'uk/uk', 'uk/metropolitan-police', 'uk/london', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/vikramdodd', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | technology/facial-recognition | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2018-05-14T23:01:42Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2023/may/25/brazil-congress-environment-indigenous-ministry-powers | Outcry as Brazil congress moves to gut environment and Indigenous ministries | Brazilian activists have voiced outrage after congress moved to drastically dilute the powers of the environment and Indigenous peoples ministries in what campaigners called a potentially crippling blow to efforts to protect Indigenous communities and the Amazon. Hopes that Brazil could turn the page on Jair Bolsonaro’s era of Amazon devastation were sky-high after the far-right leader lost last year’s presidential election to the leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During his campaign Lula vowed to stamp out environmental crime and champion Indigenous people, and after taking power in January put the veteran environmentalist Marina Silva in charge of environmental affairs and made the Indigenous activist Sônia Guajajara head of a new ministry for Indigenous peoples. But that optimism received a dramatic reality check on Wednesday as members of the conservative-dominated congress – where the ruralista caucus representing agribusiness interests remains a powerful force – moved to severely weaken both ministries. By 15 votes to 3, a congressional committee approved draft legislation that would strip the environment ministry of control of the rural environmental registry, a key tool in the fight against illegal deforestation and land-grabbing, and water resources. The rule change would also strip the ministry for Indigenous peoples of responsibility for delimiting Indigenous territories, handing those powers to the justice ministry. Silva and Guajajara both denounced the moves, amid anger and alarm that members of Lula’s administration had not done more to oppose the changes, which are likely to be voted on by the lower house and senate in the coming days. “They are fleecing the environment ministry,” Marina Silva told the newspaper O Globo. “The Brazilian people elected President Lula but it seems congress wants a repeat of the Bolsonaro government,” Silva added, warning the moves would undermine Brazil’s international claims to be committed to fighting deforestation and climate change. Guajajara told AFP that attempts to erode her ministry’s powers went “totally against what president Lula is defending” and represented a “step backwards” for Indigenous rights. A prominent political columnist, Miriam Leitão, claimed the changes were tantamount to “the demolition of the [two] ministries”. In a separate move, the lower house also approved plans for an imminent vote on legislation which activists fear would annul all Indigenous claims to land Indigenous people were not physically inhabiting when Brazil’s constitution came into force in 1988. On Twitter, Guajajara called that manoeuvre “genocidal” and a direct attack on Indigenous rights, territories and the fight against climate change. The developments came as a shock to environmentalists who had hoped South America’s largest country was entering a new, greener era after four bleak years under Bolsonaro during which illegal deforestation soared. Greenpeace Brasil called the moves an act of anti-environmental “barbarity”. Opi, the campaign group founded by Bruno Pereira, the Brazilian activist murdered last year with the British journalist Dom Phillips, denounced “a terrible day for Indigenous rights”. Marcio Astrini, the chief executive of the Climate Observatory environmental watchdog, said the moves – if approved in their current form – would deal a severe blow to the environment ministry and an even greater one to the Indigenous ministry, whose raison d’être was the demarcation of Indigenous lands. “It would be like having a finance ministry that couldn’t handle fiscal or tax policy. It would be like having a health ministry that didn’t run the NHS,” Astrini said, urging Lula’s administration to find ways to block or alter the proposed changes. “The government is going to have to take some decisions … Will it cave in to all the demands of the ruralistas and Bolsonaristas in congress? Or will it stick to President Lula’s campaign promises? It seems very clear to me it can’t do both,” he added. Amid a major outcry on Wednesday, one report suggested Lula’s administration was considering a legal challenge to the changes. Speaking on the television network GloboNews, the minister of institutional relations, Alexandre Padilha, insisted: “[People can be] absolutely certain sustainability is at the heart of president Lula’s government”. | ['world/brazil', 'world/world', 'world/americas', 'world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/environment', 'environment/deforestation', 'world/indigenous-peoples', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/tomphillips', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-05-25T15:25:29Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
commentisfree/2019/jun/21/climate-emergency-citizens-assemblies-public-politics | Politicians must find solutions for the climate crisis. Not outsource it to us | Stefan Stern | “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard,” said the American journalist HL Mencken, who died 60 years before the EU referendum but nonetheless seems to have known how things might play out. The British people have spoken and said … what, exactly? Last week’s BritainThinks survey of today’s attitudes found rampant pessimism, anxiety and gloom. “I cannot recall a time when the national mood was more despairing,” said the research firm’s boss Deborah Mattinson. Now we learn that the government is going to give this participatory democracy idea another go, launching a citizens’ assembly on the climate emergency later in the year. The catch is that, while a group of informed and motivated people will meet several times this autumn, its recommendations will be merely advisory and not binding. A spokeswoman for Greenpeace worried that the assembly might simply be a “glorified public consultation”. We have lived through a succession of outsourcing scandals and disasters in recent times. Carillion, Interserve, G4S, Capita, Kier Group and Serco have all made headlines for the wrong reasons. But what we are experiencing today may the biggest scandal of the lot – the outsourcing of the destiny of the nation to a confused, disgruntled and disillusioned population. Asking citizens to settle the complicated matter of our continued membership of the EU with a simple yes/no question was not one of David Cameron’s better ideas. It bought him an extra year in office after the 2015 election, but has left his political reputation in tatters. He outsourced the government’s responsibility for governing to the rest of us. Most sensible people probably aren’t all that interested in politics much of the time. In the past Jim Messina, the US elections strategist, has argued that the average person may spend only four minutes a week really engaging with political issues. That was then. Since the referendum it has been impossible to hide from endless, noisy talk about hard and soft Brexits, the customs union, the single market, Norway plus, super-Canada, and all the rest of the joyous vocabulary of despair. And normal people’s reaction to all this? I refer you to the findings of the BritainThinks survey. We’ve had enough of it. We’ve been forced to try to engage with obscure technocratic chat and the result is the gloom, anxiety and confusion which has shocked seasoned researchers. I was out buying a copy of Private Eye recently – the one with a blank cover underneath the headline “Theresa May memorial issue: the prime minister’s legacy in full”. The shop assistant saw it, laughed, and then corrected herself. “Well, they [Private Eye] have a go at everyone, don’t they?” she said rather hastily. This was how we used to discuss politics (if we did at all): tentatively, and with some care. Not knowing my personal views the shop assistant had rowed back a bit from her initial response. For all she knew I could have been a Theresa May supporter. It wouldn’t do to get into a row about it. This great Brexit outsourcing calamity has turned us all into semi-informed pundits, required to have a clear view on issues that are complicated, mysterious and unknowable. It’s like being trapped at a three-year-long dinner party with guests you don’t know or particularly like. We’re all thoroughly fed up with it and want to go home. Except that our former home seems impossibly out of reach. When I read in this paper that “governments are going to have to embrace such innovations as citizens’ assemblies and participatory budgeting”, a voice inside my head asks: really? A citizens’ jury sounds like a fine thing. But when called for actual jury service how do a lot of people react? They look for any reason to postpone it or get out of it altogether. There is, sadly, a lot more unpleasantness to get through before the Brexit disaster will be in any sense behind us. Paradoxically, we may need one more democratic moment – an election or a further referendum – to move on. But then perhaps, one day, we could go back to having politicians who do not shirk the duty of leadership, and a political system that has the confidence to operate more normally, without outsourcing its work to the rest of us. Of course, we still want “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. We just need to find some better people to do it. Don’t hold your breath. • Stefan Stern is co-author of Myths of Management | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'politics/eu-referendum', 'politics/conservatives', 'uk/uk', 'world/eu', 'politics/politics', 'tone/comment', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'environment/green-politics', 'type/article', 'profile/stefan-stern', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2019-06-21T12:27:02Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
business/2022/aug/02/oil-firms-seem-more-interested-in-shareholders-than-net-zero | Oil firms seem more interested in shareholders than net zero | Oil companies are partying like it’s 2008. As during the global financial crisis that took hold that year, economies face the prospect of deep recessions but oil companies are reaping record profits. BP on Tuesday became the latest in the procession to post bumper results, with its best quarter since record earnings in 2008, just as the financial system collapsed. This time around, the finances of the oil and gas giants have benefited from the higher prices resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, just as consumers in the UK and elsewhere face sky high energy bills and a broader cost of living crisis. There were calls for windfall taxes back in 2008, as now, but some things have changed. The climate emergency has risen up the agenda, and been signed into law. That has forced oil companies into investments in renewable energy and other net zero-compatible projects that would have been laughed out of a supermajor’s boardroom in previous decades. Even the US giants ExxonMobil and Chevron – laggards in an industry of laggards – have been forced to admit begrudgingly that some form low-carbon technologies are going to be necessary. BP chief executive Bernard Looney knows how to talk the talk. Speaking to analysts on Tuesday he repeatedly highlighted BP’s lower-carbon investments. On their own they can make for impressive reading – BP is a leader in UK electric car charging, for instance – but a quick look at oil company investments makes for less flattering reading. Alok Sharma, a member of the UK cabinet (albeit a lame-duck one), on Tuesday highlighted a comparison between BP’s share buybacks, worth $3.5bn (£2.9bn) this quarter alone, and its planned spending on low-carbon energy for the whole year of $2.5bn. We should be able to “see if their actions match their rhetoric”, he wrote. BP, its FTSE 100 rival Shell, the US companies ExxonMobil and Chevron, and France’s Total between them made underlying profits of nearly $100bn in the first half of 2022 – triple their earnings in the same period in 2021. The same companies have so far announced shareholder returns (via dividends and share buybacks) for this year worth $52bn – more than half their profits for the first half. Returning money to shareholders can have upsides for the broader population, as savers and pension funds will be large beneficiaries. But share ownership is dominated by the wealthiest, and a stream of dividends will do very little indeed to help poorer households in the UK or elsewhere cope with soaring energy prices. Energy prices will remain high up the political agenda around the world. The issue is likely to be at the top of the in-tray for the UK’s new prime minister once the Conservative party chooses between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. The average energy bill in Great Britain could reach more than £3,600 a year this winter, according to the latest estimates. Shell’s boss, Ben van Beurden, last week said he “cannot perform miracles” to bring on new energy supply and lower bills for households. But the history of renewable energy technology – such as the astonishing increase in wind and solar power as costs fell – suggests that miracles are not necessary: what is required is the will to invest in a speedier transition. Finance bosses are taught that they should return cash to shareholders when they are unable to make more money themselves with new investments. The pace of buybacks and dividends during 2022 suggests that oil companies are content to hand more cash to investors rather than invest more to speed up the net zero transition. | ['business/energy-industry', 'business/bp', 'business/cost-of-living-crisis', 'business/oil', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'business/business', 'money/energy', 'money/household-bills', 'money/money', 'uk/uk', 'business/commodities', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'type/article', 'tone/analysis', 'profile/jasper-jolly', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2022-08-02T14:55:27Z | true | EMISSIONS |
world/2014/jul/13/coalition-confident-carbon-tax-repeal-is-finally-secure-under-pup-deal | Coalition to call Clive Palmer's bluff on carbon tax repeal | The Abbott government believes it has finally secured the agreement of the Palmer United party to pass the carbon tax repeal – indicating it won’t succumb to any more dramatic last-minute changes and will call Palmer’s bluff to bring on a vote. The environment minister, Greg Hunt, said on Sunday that he was “sending a very, very, very clear message” to any crossbenchers who voted against repeal that they would have to “explain themselves” to the Australian people, saying he was “firming up [his] approach from diplomacy to send a very clear message”. After days of negotiation the government believes the PUP has agreed to changes to its own amendment that derailed the repeal vote on Thursday. The repeal bills will be brought back to the parliament on Monday. The changes aim to allay business concerns that the amendment would have imposed unintended red tape on a wide range of small and medium businesses by including so-called “synthetic gases” – used in refrigerants and air conditioning – in the bill’s penalties and regulations. Those gases will now be removed from the list of goods where businesses can be fined for not passing cost savings on. “We’ve worked on amendments over the course of the weekend which reflect any final requests from the Palmer United senators … There have been some minor edits to ensure any remaining questions about the scope and unintended consequences on small businesses are removed. We wanted to make sure that was the case, and to be fair the PUP team wanted to make sure that was the case,” Hunt told 3AW. “I am informed, and from my discussions with the Palmer team, they recognise and accept, they don’t want to put extra conditions on small business … so I hope and expect this will be passed this week.” But some uncertainty still surrounds the repeal bills. The PUP leader, Clive Palmer, told Guardian Australia that he was on holidays and “oblivious” to any deal, the PUP senators are not scheduled to meet to consider any changes until Monday morning, and four other Senate crossbenchers refuse to guarantee their vote until they see the final form of the agreement. The government has been strongly criticised for appearing weak and willing to do whatever Palmer was asking last week, including offering to pass on Thursday the same amendments it has now insisted on changing. The Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm told Guardian Australia: “They were willing to drop their pants and bend over way too quickly. I’ve told the government you have to stand up here; this is not good for anyone for Palmer to be seen to be setting the agenda and for the government to be played like a fiddle.” Or as Independent senator Nick Xenophon said on Friday: “I think if the government was asked to put red underpants on their heads in the Senate chamber, I reckon they probably would have done it.” But the government is now telling stakeholders and other parties that if the deal it believes it has struck does not hold it will bring on the repeal vote anyway, forcing the PUP senators to decide whether they want to vote to retain the carbon tax, contrary to their promises to the electorate. Leyonhjelm and Bob Day, the Family First senator for South Australia, warned earlier in the weekend that the PUP amendment presented last week was unacceptable and could lead to them voting against the repeal bills. On Sunday Leyonhjelm said he had spoken to Hunt over the weekend and “he says as the amendment now stands the fines are a small stick, not a big stick, and if that is true then I will have to hold my nose and support the repeal in the end”. Day said the new amendments circulated over the weekend “we are much more happy with. If this is the final version I can support it.” Hunt said he believed he now had the full support of both Leyonhjelm and Day. The government needs six out of eight crossbench senators to pass the repeal bills in the Senate, meaning that even if Day and Leyonhjelm vote against repeal it can pass with the support of the rest. But at least two others – while likely to back repeal – are not locking in their votes on the amendment, which the PUP has said is essential to its support for the overall repeal legislation. Xenophon said that while he believed “the general principle of passing through cost savings is sound, I will need to see the final wording of the amendment”. And a spokesman for Motoring Enthusiasts senator Ricky Muir, who signed a memorandum of understanding with PUP but has been indicating in recent weeks it is more of a loose alliance, said he was “inclined towards supporting it but his vote is not set in stone”. The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, accused the government of not understanding how to negotiate: “I understand that in a vibrant democracy the Australian people will pick a range of people to a range of different parties … [The government] can’t work out if they hate the Palmer United party or they want to do anything the Palmer United party asks.” Shorten said Tony Abbott’s claim that the current Senate was “situation normal” was “bordering on the delusional”. Speaking to the Liberal National party convention at the weekend, the prime minister vowed the repeal would pass. “If we have a problem one day in the parliament we will work, we will regroup, we will deal with it the next day,” he said. “If we have a problem we don’t despair. We deal with it.” | ['australia-news/australian-politics', 'environment/carbon-tax', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/coalition', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/lenore-taylor'] | environment/carbon-tax | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-07-13T05:40:37Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
business/2007/jun/04/g8.climatechange | Too late for 'luxury' of Kyoto delay, warns Blair | Tony Blair has issued a stark warning to fellow world leaders ahead of this week's G8 summit on climate change, telling them it would be unforgivable if they failed to agree on ways to tackle global warming. Speaking in Berlin after talks with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, he said that it would be the people in the world's poorest countries who suffered most from rising global temperatures: the summit offered the chance of a "historic breakthrough". "We have to make quicker and bolder progress, if we are to respond to the scale of the threat we face and the consequences if we fail to act. The science tells us time is running out ... "Given the evidence, given the scale of the disaster should that evidence be correct, it would be grossly, unforgivably irresponsible not to act." Yesterday's talks were designed to give momentum to the meeting starting on Wednesday at Heiligendamm, a Baltic resort in Germany, between G8 leaders - the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia - and those of the "plus five" states: China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. Mr Blair said: "We now must move quickly. We simply don't have the luxury of the five years it took us to agree Kyoto. That is why the G8 plus 5 discussions are so important in the coming days. Climate change poses a huge challenge. But together we can rise to this challenge, and ensure we don't inflict lasting and irreversible damage on our world. Now is the time to act. It is our duty to do so." Mr Blair also praised George Bush, who last week called for a "new global framework" on climate change, describing it as a first sign that the US president was ready to take part in international agreements to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Environmentalists criticised Mr Bush's proposal for a separate summit in the autumn, claiming that it in fact constituted an attempt to divert or frustrate the established international process. the outgoing prime minister said: "President Bush's announcement a few days ago is an important step forward. The US for the first time wants to be part of a framework which commits the world to agreeing a long-term global goal to reduce emissions and national targets below that." Ms Merkel described the Bush initiative as very welcome; but cautioned it would have to be part of the UN treaty-negotiating framework on climate change, which produced the 1997 Kyoto protocol. "The US initiatives on climate protections are very welcome to us, under the condition that they are channeled into the framework of the UN programme," she said during the press conference at her office with Mr Blair. He went on to say that his visit to Africa last week had highlighted for him global warming's impact on the poorest nations. "The evidence suggests it will be the countries which are already the poorest which will be hit the hardest. They will also obviously lack the resources to help alleviate some of the worst effects of climate change, so their citizens will doubly suffer ... Slight changes in rainfall and temperature could lead to 80 million more people in Africa living in malaria-affected areas." The summit would build on the commitment to Africa made at Gleneagles, but needed to be "bolder". He had been told while in Africa that, for example, universal access to HIV/Aids treatment would save millions of lives: "It's an indication of why it's so important when we are able to act, that we do act ... So it's not just a question of recommitting to Gleneagles, it's also a question of showing how we are going to meet those Gleneagles commitments in expressed form." | ['business/business', 'world/g8', 'environment/environment', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/world', 'environment/kyoto-protocol', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'type/article', 'profile/larryelliott', 'profile/matthewtaylor', 'profile/matthewtaylorrsa'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2007-06-03T23:06:41Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
sustainable-business/brazil-sustainability-tipping-point-three-lessons-west | Brazil's sustainability tipping point – three lessons for success from the west | In terms of mainstreaming sustainability, Brazil looks great on paper. GlobeScan report a high level of advocacy, social change has mainstream appeal and Brazilian businesses are spending more than countries such as the UK, Germany and Australia on sustainability. You'd be forgiven for thinking the outlook was rosy. However, overpromising, greenwash and lack of leadership or accountability are creating a tipping point. And while Brazil's extreme income inequality substantially differentiates it from other countries, learnings from elsewhere can be used to explore trends in attitude change. As traditional optimism levels plummet, there's a risk that the current path could take Brazil to the apathy and cynicism seen in the UK and US. Whereas looking at Sweden and Germany, for example, the next stage could be consumer advocacy and normalisation of sustainable behaviours. How the conversation develops depends on government and business leadership, truthful marketing and creation of tangible change. There are three key ingredients for success. 1. Tell better stories: In Brazil, sustainability often exists in the world of philanthropy, showmanship and "feelgood" exercises, yet the story sustainability departments, change-makers and their supporting agencies should be building is around sustainability delivering as business driver, creating new market opportunities and strengthening investor confidence. Opportunities should be pitched as "my world" rather than "the world", something sustainability jargon and visuals of the earth will never do. This also extends to external communications. Advertising and PR have a powerful role in creating social norms. Brazil has the Conar advertising code, but the social norms and the glorification of consumption need a rethink. One Brazilian told me they learned how to consume from the US. While evidence suggests that millenials in the US are now entering post-consumerism, a look at the Funk movement (a music style, which heavily endorses materiality) shows that this attitude has been exported. Projects such as The International Exchange, which imports people from international communications agencies to work on NGO projects, and Indi.us, a video production agency which creates mainstream stories around sustainability, are helping, but a better advertising code and thought leadership by mainstream agencies are needed, to prevent the kind of backlash we've seen in the UK. 2. Flip the conversation from problem to solution: Ongoing protests and bad sentiment about the political situation and World Cup mean that conversations around change often focus on what is wrong rather than how to fix it. People and brands need to think of themselves as problem solvers to circumvent lack of leadership from the government. Apps such as Colab are trying to do this, by encouraging users to submit relevant issues and problems to their Prefeitura (local council), but if their reports are ignored, the problem is compounded. Businesses should use this kind of data to identify behaviour change opportunities or fix issues that are important to their brand and the people of Brazil. This is starting to happen. NBS's Rio+Rio, connects favela communities with brands, identifying mutually beneficial opportunities, while Imagina na Copa campaigns to use the World Cup to create a positive shift in attitude by asking members to submit one thing they will do until then to make Brazil a better place. These are great examples, but need to be scaled up to create mainstream change. A sense of momentum also needs to be created through knowledge sharing networks. Creative workspaces like Rio's Goma are doing this on a local scale and online platforms like Como Podemos link people and initiatives with others who have similar aims. However, Brazil lacks less formal forums that empower the lower classes, make use of its love of social media, highly relationship-based culture and mainstream interest in social change. 3. Create tangible change: Businesses and the government lack credibility due to making promises that they struggle to, or have no intention of, delivering. For a country that spends so much on reporting, this seems counterintuitive. Companies should be learning from the likes of Itau Bank, which is embedding sustainability into its corporate strategy. Companies that have the Sistema B certification also have sustainable practices as part of their make up, helping to guide those that want to start the journey. However, corporate level improvements won't convince people that change is actually happening. We know from the UK and US that people don't believe their small actions amount to anything and feel that brands and the government are not changing their behaviour. Businesses can capitalise on their reporting spend by creating consumer-facing stories and initiatives that solve a real brand and consumer issue (rather than exploiting favela communities with short term projects that look good on the international stage), and celebrate the aggregated impact of the effort. Brazil presents great opportunities. The desire for social and, to some extent environmental, change is mainstream. The chance to build brand value through problem solving is there. Yet, so is the danger of repeating the mistakes of the west, creating apathy through overpriced products, sustainability ghettoisation and false promises. Like it or not, business has a chance to lead government and consumers into a new era, but this opportunity won't last forever. Harriet Kingaby is an independent branding and engagement consultant who has worked in Brazil and Europe. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'guardian-professional/sustainability', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'tone/blog', 'world/americas', 'world/brazil', 'global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'type/article'] | environment/sustainable-development | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-05-22T14:12:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
science/2009/apr/23/sun-cooling-down-space-climate | Laura Spinney on signs that the sun is cooling down and what that means for us | The sun's activity is winding down, triggering fevered debate among scientists about how low it will go, and what it means for Earth's climate. Nasa recorded no sunspots on 266 days in 2008 - a level of inactivity not seen since 1913 - and 2009 looks set to be even quieter. Solar wind pressure is at a 50-year low and our local star is ever so slightly dimmer than it was 10 years ago. Sunspots are the most visible sign of an active sun - islands of magnetism on the sun's surface where convection is inhibited, making the gas cooler and darker when seen from Earth - and the fact that they're vanishing means we're heading into a period of solar lethargy. Where will it all end? Solar activity varies over an 11-year cycle, but it experiences longer-term variations, highs and lows that can last around a century. "A new 11-year cycle started a year or two ago, and so far it's been extremely feeble," says Nigel Weiss of the University of Cambridge. With Jose Abreu of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology in Dübendorf and others, Weiss recently predicted that the long-term solar high we've been enjoying since before the second world war is over, and the decline now under way will reach its lowest point around 2020. Their prediction is based on levels of rare isotopes that accumulate in the Earth's crust when weak solar winds allow cosmic rays to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. There's even a chance, says Weiss, that we might be heading for a low as deep as the Maunder minimum of the 17th century. Either side of that trough, Europe shivered through the Little Ice Age, when frost fairs were held on the Thames and whole Swiss villages disappeared under glaciers. So should we expect another freeze? Those who claim the rise in temperatures we've seen over the last century are predominantly the result of intense solar activity might argue that we should, but they're in the minority. Most scientists believe humans are the main culprit when it comes to global warming, and Weiss is no exception. He points out that the ice remained in Europe long after solar activity picked up from the Maunder minimum. Even if we had another, similar low, he says, it would probably only cause temperatures on Earth to drop by the order of a tenth of a degree Celsius - peanuts compared to recent hikes. So don't pack your suncream away just yet. | ['science/astronomy', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/meteorology', 'science/science', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'environment/environment', 'science/nasa', 'science/space', 'type/article', 'news/shortcuts', 'profile/lauraspinney', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2009-04-22T23:01:00Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
world/2015/aug/20/where-warm-storm-killer | Where warm not storm is the killer | Weather is a major factor in mountaineering. Spring and summer are the preferred seasons, but are not without their own weather hazards. At least the wind is less between May and October. In winter months, it blows at hurricane speeds (over 74mph) for weeks on end in the high Himalayas, forcing climbers to anchor themselves for the duration. In summer, winds rarely rise above 30mph. In June and July though, the monsoon brings thick clouds that cut visibility to zero. Warm summer weather causes problems. Cold, dry snow is crusted and easy to walk on; warmer snow can be slushy and slippery. More seriously, prolonged warm weather causes water to seep through the snow, reducing its strength and grip on the rock face until it slides downslope. This is a wet avalanche, distinct from the dry avalanches in winter caused by snow piling up. Warmth also means rockslides. The expansion of freezing water can fracture rock, but the pieces remains glued together by ice. When the ice melts in the sun, chunks of rock fall freely. These can break the bones of climbers when they hit. David Tait, climbing with the NSPCC expedition to K2 this summer, reported that as conditions warmed up, he could hear an avalanche or rockslide every 15 minutes. One avalanche killed a Pakistani porter in another group, and there were injuries from rock strikes. It was not a storm but warm weather that forced Tait’s group back. | ['world/mountaineering', 'news/series/weatherwatch', 'tone/features', 'science/meteorology', 'type/article', 'profile/davidhambling', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2015-08-20T20:30:04Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
media/2010/jun/07/south-africa-media-critics-world-cup | South Africa kicks out at media's World Cup critics | Jerome Valcke, the under- pressure Fifa secretary general, was unequivocal when asked at the turn of the year why the number of overseas visitors planning to travel to South Africa for the World Cup was down on expectations. He railed against the "really bad and sad" reporting in Europe, and in particular Germany and England, which, he said, was skewing perceptions of South Africa and harming ticket sales. And that was before a Daily Star front page warned that England fans may be "caught up in a machete race war" in a "crime ravaged" country. That left UK journalists based in South Africa desperately trying to explain to colleagues that the Star's editorial line was not representative of the British press as a whole. Security threat It is beyond question that there are a string of issues surrounding the South African World Cup that are open to legitimate probing. Some are the same ones as those faced by any country hosting a major tournament. Will the venues be ready? What is the level of the security threat? Will visitors be overcharged for tickets and hotel rooms? But, given that this is the first African World Cup and is taking place in a country with a particular history, there are also additional questions. Would the money lavished on new stadiums be better spent on other priorities? Or had winning the right to host a World Cup prompted a leap forward in terms of investment in infrastructure, transport and tourism that simply wouldn't have happened without it? But over two years there has been a growing sense in South Africa that some of the reporting from British newspapers in particular has been overly negative and, for some, retained an undercurrent of post-colonial superiority that, followed to its logical conclusion, would ensure that no World Cup or Olympic Games ever took place outside the US and Europe. Nicola Brewer, the British high commissioner in South Africa who was in London last week ahead of the World Cup, said: "There has been a sense that the tabloids in particular have focused in a rather sensational way on some of the negative stories. I am not trying to pretend that there aren't problems in South Africa, and nor are the politicians. These things are domestic priorities – crime, health, education. But you need to keep it in proportion and you need a sense of perspective." The criticism has been further complicated by the fact that many South African newspapers syndicate a sizeable amount of content from UK newspapers and several are modelled on their British counterparts. The web has also been a factor, meaning that over the top conjecture is given the same weight as finely argued investigation and ensuring that all articles, in all papers are available internationally within moments of being published. Particularly controversial examples are linked to, copied, pasted and passed around while more measured arguments are passed over. Genuine issues Yet there has also been a tetchiness to some of the reaction in the South African media and, in particular, from tournament organisers, that suggests an unwillingness to engage on genuine issues that are central to the country's future. It is not as though the same South African media that have railed against the foreign press have been slow to question the tournament. In particular, there have been searching questions asked of Fifa, with one newspaper winning a lengthy court battle to be able to reveal the details of the contract between the governing body and the host nation. One tabloid even featured a picture of Fifa president Sepp Blatter on the lavatory on its front page. Hard on the heels of Canadian outrage at reporting of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, when a pile-up of problems at the start of the games provoked a major row between the International Olympic Committee and sections of the British press, there is a pattern emerging. "What I read in the British papers bears absolutely no relation to what I've been seeing in these games," said the IOC's director of communications, Mark Adams. Several Canadian papers, and many South African ones, have looked to the London Olympics as an opportunity for revenge. But they may be disregarding the fact that the British press is likely to be as criticial – if not more so – of an event in its own back yard. Analysis by the media monitoring group Media Tenor suggests that the way in which the World Cup build-up has been reported is not unusual. Analysing 66,446 stories in 195 titles from 37 countries, it showed that the concerns may have been different but that Germany also received a rough ride in the run-up to its tournament. It is possible that the South African hosts have underestimated the extent to which major sporting events are scrutinised during preparation but tend to enjoy an altogether different appraisal in hindsight. As William Saunderson-Meyer, a columnist for the Mail & Guardian (the Guardian's South African sister title), recently wrote: "Dare one predict that the World Cup will be neither miracle-cure nor disaster? Just a marvellous sporting spectacle in an extraordinarily beautiful and hospitable country, enviously watched on television by half the globe." | ['media/worldcupthemedia', 'media/newspapers', 'media/pressandpublishing', 'media/media', 'tone/features', 'football/worldcup2010', 'football/football', 'world/southafrica', 'world/world', 'world/africa', 'football/world-cup-football', 'type/article', 'profile/owengibson', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mediaguardian', 'theguardian/mediaguardian/mediaguardian1'] | media/worldcupthemedia | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2010-06-07T06:00:54Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
technology/2024/oct/15/google-buy-nuclear-power-ai-datacentres-kairos-power | Google to buy nuclear power for AI datacentres in ‘world first’ deal | Google has signed a “world first” deal to buy energy from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors to generate the power needed for the rise in use of artificial intelligence. The US tech corporation has ordered six or seven small nuclear reactors (SMRs) from California’s Kairos Power, with the first due to be completed by 2030 and the remainder by 2035. Google hopes the deal will provide a low-carbon solution to power datacentres, which require huge volumes of electricity. The company, owned by Alphabet, said nuclear provided “a clean, round-the-clock power source that can help us reliably meet electricity demands”. The explosive growth of generative AI, as well as cloud storage, has increased tech companies’ electricity demands. Last month, Microsoft struck a deal to take energy from Three Mile Island, activating the nuclear plant for the first time in five years. The site, in Pennsylvania, was the location of the most serious reactor meltdown in US history, in March 1979. Amazon bought a datacentre powered by nuclear energy in March, also in Pennsylvania, from Talen Energy. The locations of the new Google plants and financial details of the agreement were not revealed. The tech company has agreed to buy a total of 500 megawatts of power from Kairos, which was founded in 2016 and is building a demonstration reactor in Tennessee, due to be completed in 2027. Michael Terrell, the senior director for energy and climate at Google, said: “The grid needs new electricity sources to support AI technologies that are powering major scientific advances, improving services for businesses and customers, and driving national competitiveness and economic growth. “This agreement helps accelerate a new technology to meet energy needs cleanly and reliably, and unlock the full potential of AI for everyone.” Mike Laufer, the chief executive and co-founder of Kairos, said: “We’re confident that this novel approach is going to improve the prospects of our projects being delivered on cost and on schedule.” The deal, which is subject to regulatory permits, represents a vote of confidence in SMR technology. The smaller, factory-built power plants are designed to cut the cost overruns and delays often experienced in building bigger plants. However, critics argue that SMRs will be expensive because they may not be able to achieve the same economy of scale as larger plants. SMRs are defined as reactors with a maximum output of 300 megawatts (MW) that can produce more than 7m kilowatt hours a day. However, some designs are larger than this and the term is often simply used to describe factory-built, modular plants. Large nuclear power plants typically have an output of more than a gigawatt and the planned plant at Hinkley Point C in Somerset is expected to produce 3.2GW, enough electricity to power 6m homes. In the UK, companies are bidding to be selected by the government to develop their SMR technologies as ministers aim to revive the country’s nuclear industry. One of the bidders, Rolls-Royce SMR, received a significant boost last month when it was selected by the Czech government to build a fleet of reactors. Rolls has said one of its SMRs would be a tenth of the size of a large power plant and produce enough power for a million homes. It has been argued that SMRs can complement output from large-scale reactors as countries attempt to move away from power generated by fossil fuels. Proponents argue that they provide a more flexible approach to constructing new nuclear plants, as they require less cooling water and a smaller footprint, opening up a greater variety of potential site locations. However, environmental campaigners and academics have argued against the technology, claiming they have no proven UK track record and that resources would be better spent on renewables such as more offshore wind. | ['technology/google', 'technology/alphabet', 'technology/artificialintelligenceai', 'technology/technology', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'business/energy-industry', 'business/business', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-lawson', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2024-10-15T14:37:07Z | true | ENERGY |
music/article/2024/jun/17/coldplay-vinyl-copies-of-new-album-moon-music-will-be-made-from-old-plastic-bottles | Coldplay: vinyl copies of new album Moon Music will be made from old plastic bottles | Coldplay are aiming to make the most ecologically sustainable vinyl record yet, for their newly announced album Moon Music. Each 140g vinyl copy of Moon Music, released 4 October, will be manufactured from nine plastic bottles recovered from consumer waste. For a special “notebook edition”, 70% of the plastic has been intercepted by the environmental nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup from Rio Las Vacas, Guatemala, preventing it from entering the Gulf of Honduras and the Atlantic Ocean. The band say they will reduce carbon emissions compared with regular 140g vinyl production by 85%, and prevent the manufacture of 25 tonnes of virgin plastic. CD copies will be made from 90% recycled plastic, with a 78% reduction in emissions compared with traditional CD manufacture. The initiative comes alongside Coldplay’s attempt to reduce the environmental impact of touring, as the band continue their epic Music of the Spheres world tour which is now the third-highest grossing tour of all time. Earlier this month the band said they had reduced their carbon footprint by 59% compared with their previous world tour. As well as trying to avoid plane travel where possible, creative technological solutions were deployed, such as “kinetic dancefloors” that harnessed energy from the movement of the crowd. Moon Music will be Coldplay’s 10th album, in a discography that stretches back to their 2000 debut Parachutes. They have re-teamed with Max Martin, the producer for their previous album Music of the Spheres and one of the greatest pop producers of all time, who has had a hand in 27 US No 1 hits. The first single from Moon Music, feelslikeimfallinginlove, will be released on Friday 21 June. It will likely feature in their headline Glastonbury festival set on 29 June. Other artists are attempting to reduce the environmental impact of vinyl production, such as Billie Eilish, who used recycled vinyl – made from offcuts of traditional vinyl production – for the release of her recent album Hit Me Hard and Soft. In a March interview with Billboard, Eilish lamented how “some of the biggest artists in the world [are] making fucking 40 different vinyl packages that have a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more. It’s so wasteful.”. She later added on Instagram: “I wasn’t singling anyone out, these are industry-wide systemic issues.” | ['music/coldplay', 'music/music', 'environment/environment', 'culture/culture', 'music/vinyl', 'uk/uk', 'environment/recycling', 'campaign/email/sleeve-notes', 'music/popandrock', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/ben-beaumont-thomas', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-culture'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-06-17T12:12:31Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
commentisfree/article/2024/jun/20/countryside-protection-keir-starmer-britain | Come 5 July, an almighty fight looms. Keir Starmer, take on the countryside at your peril | Simon Jenkins | What do Britons most love about Britain? At the last count it was still the NHS. After that it was not the royal family, the army or democracy. Believe it or not, it is the countryside, according to polling commissioned last year by Future Countryside, an initiative of the Countryside Alliance. Today, the NHS may cram election manifestos, but of the countryside we hear not a word. This will not last. An almighty clash is looming between the lucrative renewables industry and defenders of the rural landscape. Labour and the Tories are both eager to weaken local planning. Keir Starmer wants to curb the rights of citizens to object to new development in the countryside. The Tories recently announced a return to onshore wind, hence the proposal for a turbine cluster on the Yorkshire Moors above Charlotte Brontë’s Calderdale. Sixty-five turbines funded by the Saudis are to rise a staggering 200m each, higher than Blackpool Tower. It is hard to believe such an outrage is to be allowed for so trivial a contribution to the climate. This is nothing on the National Grid’s extraordinary plan for a massive, £31bn expansion of Britain’s onshore pylon network. This will include a chain of structures 50m high, three to every kilometre, running north to south across the Lincolnshire Wolds into East Anglia and on to Tilbury in Essex. It will urbanise some of the most beautiful landscape in eastern England and will have a fight every inch of the way. Another branch of the network will run down Wales from Bangor in the north to Swansea in the south, intruding on the great landscapes of Snowdonia and the Cambrian mountains. It will be like a noose round Wales’s neck. Both these lines could go underground or under the adjacent sea. Though figures vary wildly and depend on location, the extra cost could be four to six times that of pylons. Such costs have to be negotiated. But debate on the costs and benefits of public projects is startlingly illiterate. During the election we quibble over grants to operas or GP surgeries. Yet we fail to challenge the astronomical cost of submarines or of the energy-guzzling HS2, the financial burden of which is ever rising. Cancel it and Starmer could breathe new life into the NHS. The grid project is being carried out by a private company that will reward itself with bonuses and dividends. As with Britain’s water companies, it is a private monopoly whose chief concern – we might say its capitalist duty – lies in maximising profit, not in advancing the public interest. That interest should be decided by the government, not fought out between a bunch of feuding lobbyists. The various costs of lowering carbon emissions are high and some are hard to assess, in particular those that will be hard to reverse in the future. One such cost would be a countryside wrecked by fields of solar panels, wind turbines, electricity pylons and substations. This would be tragic if some day we find methods of taming and storing carbon that contrive eventually to control the climate. As long as no such sacrifices are required of China, India or the US, these decisions by Britain are mere virtue gestures. Balancing costs requires determined policy. For decades, urban dwellers have fought to control their townscapes from visual destruction. At least in the more beautiful ones, such as Bath, Norwich and York, they have succeeded. Listed buildings and conservation areas are protected, even at considerable loss to developers’ profit. Why should that profit be left to run riot over the rural landscape? Outside the national parks building pressure has brought near anarchy. Residents fight builders over every inch of soil. Case after case ends up in some court or other. This will worsen if Starmer means what he said at his party conference, that he would “fight the blockers” and overrule “nimbys”. The time has come to treat the countryside as we do towns. It should be valued for what it is: a much-loved resource of nature, beauty and peace. That resource is finite, with more disappearing every year, and is the more precious because of it. At present its sole defenders are local people who are snubbed as nimbys and told – often by stern defenders of urban neighbourhoods – that they have no right to a say over another turbine cluster or executive estate. The answer must be to “list” the countryside for protection as we list towns. At the top would be national parks and areas of “outstanding natural beauty”. These would be followed by uplands and coastlines, valleys, woods, stretches of farmland and the fringes of villages and towns where proximity to greenery is particularly precious. Most of rural Britain would certainly be protected. But there is no doubt that large areas, brownfield and greenfield, would be zoned as suitable for building. Elsewhere in Europe this zoning works. Why not in Britain? The rural landscape is already recorded for agricultural grant purposes. Its listing would mean that builders, landowners and local planners would know where to direct their efforts. Zoning the countryside, like zoning the city, is in everyone’s interest. It makes sense to know which parts of the countryside should be regarded as a glory for ever, and which can be put to a better purpose. And it might tell the National Grid where to bury its ugly cables. Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'business/nationalgrid', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'environment/windpower', 'business/energy-industry', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'politics/general-election-2024', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/simonjenkins', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2024-06-20T15:43:38Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2023/mar/30/butterflywatch-brimstone-appears-early-after-dry-and-sunny-february | Butterflywatch: brimstone appears early after dry and sunny February | My wildlife highlight of the year is always the moment when a yellow brimstone bursts from a catkin-filled hedgerow into the pale early-spring sky. The first butterfly of the year is a heart-soaring experience which signals that an irresistible pulse of colour, warmth and new life is coming. This year, a male brimstone arrived in my garden – the earliest since I began recording eight years ago – on 20 February, after a dry, sunny month. But fickle spring withdrew in March, turning cold and very grey here in eastern England. The brimstones are fine though: they’ve simply retreated back to the evergreen leaves – often ivy – where they have sheltered since hatching last July. It’s difficult to find hibernating brimstones – they don’t seem to frequent log piles and sheds like peacocks and small tortoiseshells – but this spring naturalist Matthew Oates found “Bella the brimstone” underneath the leaf of an evergreen perennial in his garden. On 8 March, he photographed her when her leaf was covered in snow. She recently departed this spot but is almost certainly hunkered down nearby. When we’re finally granted a run of warm days, the first brimstones will reappear: lemon-yellow males, constantly patrolling, particularly ivy-clad areas. It’s the still-hibernating females they’re seeking, for the great reproductive dance of spring is about to begin. | ['environment/butterflies', 'environment/series/butterflywatch', 'environment/environment', 'environment/insects', 'environment/wildlife', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/patrickbarkham', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-03-30T05:00:54Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2017/sep/29/cameroon-palm-oil-campaigner-arrested-crackdown-activists | Cameroon palm oil campaigner arrested in crackdown on activists | A prominent campaigner against palm oil plantations has been arrested amid a growing crackdown on environmental and human rights activists in Cameroon, according to local lawyers and NGOs. Nasako Besingi, who has led opposition to a US-funded 73,000 hectare farm in a biodiverse rainforest, is among more than 100 individuals who have been detained during an escalation of tension between the predominantly French-speaking authorities and the country’s large English-speaking minority. Supporters of Besingi claim the authorities are using the “anglophone crisis” to put pressure on the campaigner, who has been jailed, threatened, and sued on several previous occasions. Police raided Besingi’s office in Mundemba on 25 September, seizing his passport, documents, phones and computers. The NGO Frontline Defenders said the arrest was in keeping with a pattern of intimidation. In November 2015, Besingi lost a defamation case filed by the US company Herakles Farms regarding a claim that he was beaten by the company’s employees. In January 2016, a court ordered Besingi to pay a fine of 344,400 CFA francs (£450) or serve a year’s imprisonment. “We see this as a continuation of the intimidations against him and his organisation Sefe [Struggle to Economise the Future Environment] for the work related to environmental and social justice campaigns,” said a local source. “Our worries are with his health. He has a health condition and needs access to medication. We are not clear if this is being provided.” A lawyer familiar with the case predicted Besingi would probably remain in prison on suspicion of sedition until the end of October, when he and others detained in the crackdown were likely to be freed. “This isn’t the first time this has happened. What is new is that people are using social media to spread the news so there is international attention,” said the lawyer, who asked not to be named due to fears of repercussions by the authorities. The Cameroon human rights committee did not respond to the Guardian’s request for a comment. Besingi had rallied the local community against the plantation, one of many to open up recently in the Congo basin, the world’s second-largest rainforested area. After his previous trial, Greenpeace condemned the alleged efforts of the palm oil company to silence Besingi. “Nasako has committed no crime other than exercising his democratic right to protest at what he believes to be a project detrimental to his community, his environment and local livelihoods,” said Irène Wabiwa Betoko, a forest campaign manager with Greenpeace Africa. But Besingi had also spoken out against the human rights violations, including recent arrests of anglophone activists – potentially putting him on the radar of security forces in the ongoing crisis. Several people have been killed in protests over the past year that call for greater economic and political representation by the anglophone community. In recent demonstrations some waved secessionist flags. The rallies are expected to peak on independence day this Sunday, prompting concerns of violence. President Paul Biya has deployed the military, advised parents to keep their children at home, and warned that demonstrators will “meet the firm reaction of the armed forces”. The border with Nigeria has been temporarily closed. The roots of the linguistic divide lie in the partitioning of the former German colony at the end of the first world war between the French and British victors. Although the two groups unified after independence in 1960, there have been allegations of unequal treatment. The recent upsurge of hostility has alarmed onlookers. On Thursday, António Guterres, the UN secretary general, expressed “deep concern” and urged the government to promote measures of national reconciliation. | ['world/cameroon', 'environment/palm-oil', 'law/human-rights', 'world/africa', 'environment/environment', 'law/law', 'world/world', 'uk/uk', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/forests', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'profile/jonathanwatts', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-09-29T17:03:17Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
technology/2017/oct/25/bad-rabbit-game-of-thrones-ransomware-europe-notpetya-bitcoin-decryption-key | Bad Rabbit: Game of Thrones-referencing ransomware hits Europe | A major ransomware attack is hitting computers in Russia and Ukraine, bearing similarities to the NotPetya outbreak that caused billions of pounds of damage in June. The self-titled “Bad Rabbit” malware encrypts data on infected machines before demanding a payment of 0.05 bitcoin (£250) for the decryption key. The ransom demand is phrased similarly to that of June’s outbreak, and researchers at Russian security firm Kaspersky say that the malware uses “methods similar to those used” during the NotPetya attack. Among the affected organisations are Kiev’s metro system, Russian media organisation Interfax and Odessa airport. Interfax was forced to publish to its Facebook page during the outage, since its servers were taken offline for a number of hours. Unusually, the malware’s code is peppered with pop culture references including the names of two dragons from Game of Thrones and the character Gray Worm used as names for scheduled tasks. A list of passwords that the malware tries while attempting to spread also includes “love”, “sex”, “god” and “secret”, which were dubbed the “four most common passwords” by the 1995 movie Hackers. In fact, the four most common passwords are 123456, 123456789, qwerty, and 12345678. “Our observations suggest that this been a targeted attack against corporate networks,” Kaspersky’s researchers said, again suggesting a link between this outbreak and June’s. The NotPetya outbreak began through the release of a compromised version of a popular Ukrainian accounting program, spreading automatically throughout corporate networks. The strongest link between the two attacks is based on the web servers which were used to distribute the initial software. Kaspersky researcher Costin Raiu told Forbes magazine that a network of hacked sites initially linked to NotPetya in July was now being used to host secondary distribution channels for Bad Rabbit. But the two attacks contain a number of notable differences, as well. Where NotPetya was targeted at Ukraine, Bad Rabbit appears to have primarily hit Russian businesses. It was initially seeded through a fake Adobe Flash update placed on at least three hacked Russian media outlets, and from that initial foothold has spread through Russia and Ukraine, as well as other eastern European countries including Poland and Bulgaria. The attack is also different from NotPetya in its mode of distribution. The fake Adobe Flash update which initially installs it doesn’t use any software exploits to run, instead relying on old-fashioned trickery to convince a user to open it themselves. Also, once installed, the software doesn’t use the famous EternalBlue exploit, believed to have been developed by the NSA before being stolen by a hacking group known as The Shadow Brokers, to spread within corporate networks. That decision may have limited the dispersal of the outbreak. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is that Bad Rabbit does not appear to be a “wiper”, as was suspected of NotPetya. That malware was basically impossible to remove, even for users who attempted to actually pay the ransom, leading to suspicions it had been created more to cause damage and destruction than raise revenue for its developers. Bad Rabbit, by contrast, reportedly does decrypt the hard drive upon entry of the correct password. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said in a statement, “We are aware of a cyber incident affecting a number of countries around the world. The NCSC has not received any reports that the UK has been affected by this latest malware attack. We are monitoring the situation and working with our partners to better understand the threat.” Carl Leonard, a principal analyst at Forcepoint, said: “We will continue to see massive attacks with economic, employee and public safety ramifications. And the methods will continue to evolve, including the evasive methods to hide their activity as well as their true intent. “The trick will be to better understand the human points in these attacks. The intent or motivations of the attackers can range broadly including financial gain, revenge, political or hacktivism. Understanding these intentions can help shape our security strategies.” Initially, few security products were capable of stopping the outbreak: a sample of the malware uploaded to analysis service VirusTotal showed just four products correctly flagging it as malicious as of 4:30pm on Tuesday, including ones made by Kaspersky and Symantec. By then, the outbreak was well and truly underway. As of Wednesday morning, almost two thirds of updated security products correctly identify the malware. Users without working antivirus protection can also reportedly protect themselves with a “vaccine” by creating a file on their computer before the malware does. Government called on to let data breach victims force compensation | ['technology/malware', 'technology/data-computer-security', 'technology/technology', 'technology/viruses', 'world/russia', 'world/ukraine', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'technology/hacking', 'tv-and-radio/game-of-thrones', 'tv-and-radio/tv-and-radio', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-hern', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-technology'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2017-10-25T10:06:46Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2009/mar/05/chris-broad-sri-lanka-pakistan-terrorists | Cricket: Poor security made us sitting ducks, says Chris Broad | Chris Broad, the former England batsman turned International Cricket Council match referee who escaped unhurt from the ambush on the Sri Lanka squad, risks uproar in Pakistan today by not only castigating the country's security services for inadequate protection but also questioning why the Pakistan team coach was not in the official convoy. Broad, arriving back at Manchester airport, accused Pakistan of not providing the "presidential-style security" that had been promised and suggested that the security services had largely fled during the attack and left the match officials as "sitting ducks" in their van. His allegations will win favour with the Sri Lankan team, who also privately believe that Pakistan's security was below the quality that they had been promised. But they brought anger from Ejaz Butt, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who said: "I don't know how he can say there was no proper security because, don't forget, six brave policemen sacrificed their lives trying to protect the Sri Lankan team and the match officials." Pakistan will be even more affronted today when they learn that Broad has even stoked conspiracy theories by raising an exhausted eyebrow at why the Pakistan team bus left five minutes after the rest of the convoy. "The first two days both buses and the officials' van left at the same time," he said. "This particular day the Pakistan bus left five minutes after the Sri Lankan bus. It went through my mind as we were leaving the hotel, but there were times when that happened in Karachi so you shrug it off. After it happens, you think, 'My God, did someone know something and hold the Pakistan bus back?'" Broad arrived back in England admitting that he had not slept for 30 hours, saying "there are so many images going through my mind". He said it was too early to confirm that he would fulfil his next match-refereeing appointment, a World Cup qualifier in Johannesburg next month, and that he had been offered counselling by the ICC. "I am extremely fortunate to be here today," he said. "Questions need to be asked of Pakistan security. They promised security and it wasn't there when we needed it. After the incident there was not a sign of a policeman anywhere. They had clearly gone, left the scene and left us to be sitting ducks. I am extremely angry that we were promised high-level security and in our hour of need that security vanished and we were left open to anything that the terrorists wanted. "The convoy consisted of about four outriders with rifles and three vehicles with what are termed elite-force policemen all armed to the hilt. But the view seemed to be let's just throw numbers at it. They weren't very well co-ordinated and didn't have a Plan B, if they even had a Plan A. We were meant to change route but we went the same route every day. "I had an inkling before this Test match leg of the tour that something might happen [and] I raised my concerns with the ICC before the tour started. [The PCB] assured me that all security would be taken care of, presidential-style security, and clearly that didn't happen." Broad rejected reports that he had been a hero and had saved the life of the Pakistani umpire Ahsan Raza, who remains in a critical condition in a Lahore hospital. Broad's recollection was quite the opposite. "I wasn't a hero, I was lying on the van floor," he said. "I saw the Sri Lankan bus stop and we heard these popping sounds. We didn't know what they were. It was Ahsan Raza who told us to get down." | ['world/sri-lanka-cricket-team-attack', 'sport/sri-lanka-cricket-team', 'sport/pakistancricketteam', 'sport/cricket', 'sport/sport', 'world/srilanka', 'world/pakistan', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'world/south-and-central-asia', 'type/article', 'profile/davidhopps', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/news'] | world/sri-lanka-cricket-team-attack | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2009-03-05T00:05:03Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
commentisfree/cif-green/2009/nov/05/climate-change-ruling-beyond-belief-religion | It isn't godly being green | Myles Allen | A British judge has decided that belief in human influence on climate has the status of religious conviction. This is being celebrated as a success by some activists. As a scientist who works on climate change, I find it deeply alarming. Is Jeremy Clarkson similarly entitled to protection if he declares himself a conscientious objector and wants to keep his 4x4? It is yet another symptom of general confusion over the status of science among the public, politicians, the judiciary and, indeed, just about anyone who is not a practising scientist. I don't ask anyone to believe in human influence on climate because I do, or because thousands of other scientists do. I ask them to look at the evidence. As Einstein is said to have reacted to an article entitled 100 scientists against Einstein: "If I'm wrong, one would be enough." The scientific case for human influence on climate is not a political opinion, made stronger simply by lots of people signing up. Nor is it a religious conviction, made stronger, in Mr Justice Burton's phrase, if it is "genuinely held". It is based on evidence and understanding that has withstood some of the most intense scrutiny in the history of science. If I could come up with convincing evidence that greenhouse gas emissions do not cause dangerous climate change after all, evidence that similarly withstands the scrutiny of my peers, I would get, and deserve, a Nobel prize (and for physics this time, not peace). If a scientist finds something that appears to conflict with mainstream opinion, she or he publishes it like a shot – this is not the behaviour of an adherent to a "genuinely held philosophical belief". There is, of course, a moral and ethical dimension: to what extent should we concern ourselves with what happens to the generation-after-next? But very few of those arguing against emission reductions actually claim they don't care at all what happens in the 22nd century. They argue that emission reductions will not make a substantial difference to the risk of dangerous climate change. That is a testable hypothesis, and one which looks, on the overwhelming weight of current evidence, to be wrong. To be fair, Tim Nicholson, the activist who brought the case, seems to be aware he may have opened a Pandora's box, stressing that climate change is not a new religion because it "is based on scientific evidence". But that means he should have lost his case: one of the key arguments the judge used was that, in his opinion, the case for human influence on climate was not "a view based on the present state of information available". But that is precisely what scientific evidence provides: if countervailing information becomes available, I would revise my view, as would any genuine scientist. There is a very dangerous trend to regard climate scientists as just one of many "stakeholders" in the climate change debate. Journalists have taken to asking me whether I take steps to reduce my personal carbon footprint, presumably as a test of whether my beliefs are "genuinely held". If anyone thinks this is relevant, they don't understand how science works. I know climate scientists who drive Priuses and climate scientists who drive 4x4s: this is not a factor I consider when reading or reviewing their papers. Working as I do in a University traditionally dominated by the Humanities, I suspect many of my colleagues would also be suspicious of a scientist arguing she or he occupies a privileged position. Memories of Cold War arrogance die hard. Of course, unlike the pope, science is not infallible: that is precisely the point. But nor are scientists just another participant in a political, philosophical or religious discourse. Our job is to provide the factual framework within which that discourse takes place. Some of the darkest episodes of the 20th century occurred when we forgot this distinction. The problem is not Mr Justice Burton's views on climate change. The problem is his view of science. This decision should be appealed, and the appeal should be supported by the Royal Society and universities everywhere, in the name of science in general. Myles Allen heads the Climate Dynamics group at the University of Oxford, and was an author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Read Tim Nicholson's take on the ruling at theguardian.com/commentisfree | ['commentisfree/cif-green', 'commentisfree/commentisfree', 'law/law', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'tone/comment', 'society/society', 'world/religion', 'world/world', 'commentisfree/belief', 'world/philosophy', 'type/article', 'profile/myles-r-allen', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/commentanddebate'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2009-11-05T22:30:01Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
environment/2009/mar/17/nature-conservancy-california-salmon-run | US Nature Conservancy buys California ranchland to preserve salmon run | The Nature Conservancy has bought ranchland near Mount Shasta to repair a cow-ravaged tributary of Shasta River, historically one of the most productive salmon streams in California. Restoring Big Springs Creek could be "a silver bullet" in reviving runs of salmon, steelhead and other fish throughout the Klamath Basin, said Henry Little, project director for the conservancy in California. The conservation organisation bought all but 407 acres of the 4,543-acre Shasta Big Springs Ranch in Siskiyou County, California, according to an announcement. The conservancy has been eyeing the creek for decades because of its potential to provide ideal spawning grounds year-round, said Peter Moyle, a University of California Davis professor of fish biology. "It has got everything a salmon could want: a year-round cold water supply, steady flows and incredible amounts of food," Moyle said. The creek is fed by the only glaciers in the continental United States known to be growing in the face of global warming. While warmer temperatures have caused the retreat of glaciers in the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, those flanking Mount Shasta have advanced as a result of changing weather patterns over the Pacific Ocean, glaciologists say. A warmer Pacific means more moisture sweeping over northern California, falling as snow on Mount Shasta, which reaches 14,162 feet above sea level at the southern end of the Cascade Range. Most of the snowmelt runs below ground through porous volcanic rock, rather than running off in streams. The water then bubbles up from the creek bottom at about 55 degrees, just right for salmon, Moyle said. The special hydrology makes Big Springs Creek exceptionally resilient during climate change. As other streams turn warmer and less suitable for salmon, the springs feeding the creek will remain cold in the summer, Moyle said. The creek has warmed up, though, as cows trampled its banks and stripped streamside vegetation. The resulting erosion widened the channel, and diversions for irrigation lowered water levels. "It's like a toaster in the summer," Little said. All 2.2 miles of the stream flows within the ranch, which has been operating for more than a century. The conservancy is fencing off the creek and plans to lease the land for cattle grazing so long as it's compatible with the fish restoration. The ranch acquisition comes as Indian tribes, environmentalists and fishing interests negotiate to remove four of the Klamath's six dams. If they succeed, the ranch also could become a natural nursery for repopulating the river system with coho and other salmon, conservancy officials said. The Klamath once produced the third largest salmon run in the continental United States, behind the Columbia and Sacramento rivers. | ['environment/fishing', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/environment', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2009-03-17T20:22:53Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2022/may/04/swapping-20-of-beef-for-quorn-could-halve-global-deforestation | Swapping 20% of beef for microbial protein ‘could halve deforestation’ | Replacing 20% of the world’s beef consumption with microbial protein, such as Quorn, could halve the destruction of the planet’s forests over the next three decades, according to the latest analysis. The move would also halve emissions from the global food system, by reducing the razing of trees and the methane emissions from livestock. Previous studies have found meat alternatives have lower environmental footprints but this latest analysis is the first to assess what impact that could have in the world. Deforestation also devastates wildlife but is proving very difficult to stop. Experts say the best way is to cut demand for the products driving the destruction, such as replacing them with greener alternatives. Microbial protein is brewed in warm bioreactors, like beer, with the microbes fed sugar. The protein-rich product could taste and feel like meat, and be as nutritious, the researchers said. Today, 83% of farmland is used for livestock and their feed crops, but the meat and dairy produced accounts for only 18% of the calories consumed by humans. The production of ruminant meat – mostly beef, but also lamb and goat – has more than doubled since 1961, but a series of studies have shown meat-eating in rich nations must fall drastically to beat the climate crisis. “The food system is at the root of a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with ruminant meat production being the single largest source,” said Dr Florian Humpenöder, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany who led the study. “The good news is that people do not need to be afraid they can eat only greens in the future. They can continue eating burgers and the like, it’s just that those burger patties will be produced in a different way.” The research focused on microbial meat as it had been produced at industrial scale for 20 years and was already available, said Dr Isabelle Weindl, also at PIK. “Even accounting for the sugar as feedstock, microbial protein requires much less agricultural land compared [with] ruminant meat.” Previous studies have shown the protein quality of microbial meat is equivalent to beef but it requires 90% less land and water and produces 80% less greenhouse gas emissions. The study, which was published in the journal Nature, used computer models that included middle-of-the-road projections of socioeconomic factors such as rising demand for beef, growing world population, increases in income and shifts in international trade. The 56% reduction in deforestation – 78m hectares (193m acres) – resulting from one-fifth of beef being replaced by microbial protein occurred in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Significant deforestation still occurred in the modelling due to the production of other foods, such as palm oil and cocoa. The researchers found the substitution of microbial protein largely cancelled out projected rises in demand for beef, meaning new areas of pasture did not need to be cut into forests. Increasing the proportion of beef replaced to more than 20% resulted in diminishing returns because much of the deforestation had already been prevented, with a 50% replacement leading to an 82% cut in deforestation by 2050. Microbial protein can be produced from a range of microorganisms, including bacteria, but the main source on the market today is produced from fungi, with the market leader being Quorn. “The best meat alternative is to eat less,” said Humpenöder. “But [microbial protein products] can make it easier for people to switch away from meat.” The study did not analyse the effect of plant-based alternatives to meat, but these would also be expected to significantly cut environmental impacts. Meat cultured in bioreactors from animal cells is still in early stages of development and was not included in the study because of a lack of suitable data. Dr Tilly Collins at Imperial College London, who was not part of the study team, said: “While the predictions of these models depend strongly on our ability to deliver such protein substitution, there is no doubt that the efficiency of biotech-enabled alternatives offers huge future potential for more sustainable food provision. “Governments and food production business need to coordinate to develop appropriate standards [for microbial protein] and thus future public confidence. Our nuggets may never be the same again.” The bioreactors used to create microbial protein require heating, and using high-carbon sources of electricity would offset part of their benefit, but green electricity is expanding quickly as costs continue to fall. Humpenöder said: “Microbial protein should not be seen as a silver bullet, but rather as a building block in a large transformation of the whole food and agricultural system, combining it with reductions in food waste, incentives to eat healthier, and de-incentivising the sale of products with high environmental impacts.” | ['environment/food', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/meat-industry', 'environment/farming', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'environment/forests', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-05-04T15:00:10Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2016/jul/26/renewable-energy-australias-first-hybrid-wind-solar-farm-gets-funded | Australia's first hybrid wind-solar farm to be built near Canberra | Australia’s first large-scale hybrid wind and solar farm is set to be built near Canberra, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) providing a $9.9m grant. The money would go towards the $26m cost of building a 10MW solar photovoltaic plant alongside the existing Gullen Range windfarm. Goldwind, one of the Chinese companies that will build and operate the project, said the solar farm was expected to generate about 22,000 MWh of electricity in the first year of operation, enough to supply about 3,000 homes. Building the solar farm on the same location as the windfarm meant 20% could be saved from the construction costs of the solar farm, said Ivor Frischknecht, the chief executive of Arena. Arena recently commissioned an investigation into the costs and benefits of hybrid solar and windfarms. It found that besides huge cost savings – achieved mostly because the grid connection was able to be shared by the two generators – the two energy sources were often complementary, producing peak outputs at different times of both the day and year. That meant they combined to create a more reliable energy source. “Co-location provides more continuous energy generation as windfarms tend to generate more energy overnight whilst solar only generates during the day,” Frischknecht said. “Gullen windfarm generates more power in winter and the new solar farm will generate more in summer.” Frischknecht said he hoped that, by building the first example of a combined solar and windfarm, others would follow. “This is the first project of its type in Australia, so the lessons learned will be invaluable,” he said. “It has the potential to provide a blueprint for future projects and cement industry confidence in the approach.” Since the costs of connecting the solar farm to the grid were almost eliminated, there was less need for the farms to be very large just to recoup those costs. He said that meant the co-location strategy could unlock medium-scale PV projects. The project is expected to be completed in July 2017. It will be built and owned by two Chinese companies – Goldwind and Beijing and Jingneng Clean Energy – which own and operate the existing wind farm. After the Arena grant of $10m, another $10m is being lent to the project by National Australia Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, leaving the existing windfarm to fund the remaining $6m. | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'australia-news/canberra', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michael-slezak', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2016-07-25T20:00:53Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2016/apr/11/two-thirds-of-europeans-support-ban-on-glyphosate-says-yougov-poll | Two-thirds of Europeans support ban on glyphosate - poll | Two-thirds of Europeans support a ban on glyphosate, the most widely used agricultural chemical in the world’s history, according to a new Yougov poll. A prohibition on the herbicide ingredient was backed by three-quarters of Italians, 70% of Germans, 60% of French and 56% of Britons, in a survey of more than 7,000 people across the EU’s five biggest states. Up to 150 MEPs in Strasbourg are expected to give urine samples today and tomorrow to see if they contain residues of the ingredient, ahead of a symbolic vote on prohibition this Wednesday. Previous tests have found traces of the residue in the urine of people from 18 different European countries, and in over 60% of breads sold in the UK. The Green MEP Bart Staes told the Guardian that the MEPs’ test was inspired by a recent “Urinal 2015” test which detected glyphosate in Germany’s 14 best-selling beers, stirring public unease. Staes said: “This poll clearly shows that the European public does not want... the authorisation of glyphosate, and certainly not until June 2031.” Glyphosate is used in best-selling pesticides made by Monsanto, Dow and Syngenta, but the herbicide has divided scientific opinion. The World Health Organisation’s cancer scientists last year dubbed it “probably carcinogenic to humans” while the EU’s European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) declared it “unlikely” to pose a public health risk. An ensuing row over best scientific practice and industry involvement in the legislative process ended with the European commission unable to pass a proposal to relicense the substance for another 15 years. With 11 of the EU’s 28 states now thought unlikely to back relicensing, the new poll will add momentum to environmental opponents of the controversial chemical. A commission source said: “We are trying to get as much consensus as possible among the member states. If there are reasonable concerns, they can be addressed. All things are on the table.” Commission negotiators are working on compromise proposals varying from a shorter extension, to a ban on certain co-formulants which increase plant uptake of glyphosate. The Netherlands wants a postponement until the end of 2017, to allow the European Chemicals Agency to complete a study of the chemical. Criticisms from some scientists that the Efsa ruling depended on six unpublished reports by an industry-funded group have elicited a response, after a transparency request by the EU’s health commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis. Last week, the Glyphosate taskforce said that it would allow reading room access to all parts of the unpublished studies, after “confidential information” had been removed from the texts. “We are seriously concerned that the anxiety that is being generated in the public mind by the questioning of the scientific findings of studies ... is undermining the whole basis for the evaluation of plant protection products,” the board’s chair, Dr Richard Garnett wrote to Andriukaitis. Garnett also works as the head of Monsanto Europe’s global crop protection regulatory affairs unit. Most global use of glyphosate is for GM-resistant crops and, as a non-selective herbicide, environmentalists say that it can kill all plants, algae, bacteria and fungi in a crop’s vicinity, creating knock-on effects for biodiversity. Some 9.4m tonnes of glyphosate have been applied to crops since 1974, enough to spray half a pound of Roundup onto every cultivated acre of land on the planet. “In the EU, the precautionary principle applies and as long as risk to human life cannot be ruled out, there must be no approval for such a strong plant poison,” said Jörg Rohwedder of WeMove.EU, one of the group’s which commissioned the YouGov poll. Graeme Taylor, a spokesman for the European Crop Protection Association (Ecpa) countered: “We recognise that there is public concern but we also see 90,000 pages of evidence and 3,300 peer-reviewed studies in favour of glyphosate’s approval.” A separate YouGov poll for Ecpa this month has found that 58% of Britons agreed with the statement: “To keep our food affordable, I think that farmers should be able to tackle weeds, pests and disease with pesticides”. Twenty-one percent disagreed. Glyphosate’s current licence is due to run out in June, although a temporary extension could be granted while the EU agrees a position. A vote on relicensing could be held as early as next week, but is thought most likely to take place at a committee meeting in Brussels on 19 May. | ['environment/pesticides', 'environment/environment', 'environment/farming', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'science/agriculture', 'environment/gm', 'world/eu', 'science/science', 'environment/biodiversity', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/arthurneslen', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-04-11T13:51:22Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2011/mar/17/japan-giving-erratic-information-about-nuclear-crisis | 'Erratic' information from Japan about nuclear crisis creates conflicting advice | Official and public dismay mounted on Thursday at the conflicting advice and contradictory statements being put out about the Japanese nuclear crisis by embassies, scientists, governments and industry bodies. As conditions at the stricken plant remained far from under control, the Foreign Office advised Britons to "consider" leaving Tokyo. This contradicted a statement from Professor John Beddington, the UK's chief scientific officer, who insisted that even a worst-case scenario – of complete meltdown, combined with adverse weather and wind conditions blowing radiation over Japan's most populated areas – would not cause a serious safety problem. In a recorded conversation with the British embassy in Tokyo, Beddington said: "If you then couple that [a complete meltdown] with the worst possible weather situation and you had maybe rainfall which would bring the radioactive material down – do we have a problem? The answer is unequivocally no. Absolutely no issue. The problems are within 30 km of the reactor … Beyond that 20 or 30km, it's really not an issue for health." However, the embassy officially urges UK nationals to stay 80km from the stricken the plant "as an additional precautionary measure", at the same time urging them to follow advice by the Japanese government – to stay put indoors if between 20km and 30km distance of the reactors. The British advice differed from other western countries. The US, Canada and Australia recommended that citizens who were within 50 miles (80km) of the plant should evacuate or take shelter indoors; however, France has advised all citizens in Japan to leave Tokyo for the next few days. Those close to the nuclear plants, said the French embassy in Tokyo, "should stay indoors, close down venting systems and stock bottles of water and food for many hours. When venturing outside, a breathing mask should be worn." The conflicting advice appears partly to be due to a lack of information from the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power company (Tepco), which operates the plant. This boiled over yesterday with China calling on Japan to provide accurate information swiftly in order to control a rumours sweeping the region about possible dangers. "We hope the Japanese side will release information to the public in a timely and precise manner as well as its evaluation and prediction of the situation,"said Jiang Yu, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. "There's clearly an erratic quality to the information coming out from the Japanese," said Edwin Lyman, of the American NGO the Union of Concerned scientists. "I would urge the authorities to be as realistic as possible rather than taking a complacent view of how things will turn out." Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also said he wanted more timely and detailed information. "We do not have all the details … so what we can do is limited." A major study in 2007, presented to the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security in 2008, of what messages people wanted to hear and who they would trust after a nuclear disaster found that local officials, such as firemen, were trusted above prime ministers or scientists, and that people did not want "sugar-coating". John Ullyot, of the global PR company Hill and Knowlton, which surveyed 1,000 people, said: "They wanted early and accurate information and they wanted to know just how bad the situation was so they could make the best decisions for themselves and their families." | ['world/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/japan', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'world/world', 'science/science', 'tone/news', 'world/asia-pacific', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2011-03-17T17:55:42Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2017/jul/13/environmental-and-land-defenders-killed-in-2016-the-full-list | Environmental and land defenders killed in 2016: the full list | Bangladesh Anowarul Islam (Angur) Mortuza Ali ZagerAhmed Zaker Hossain Shyamal Hembrom (Shyamal Soren) Mangal Mardi (Mongol Madri) Ramesh Tudu Brazil Nilce de Souza Magalhães (Nicinha) Edmilson Alves da Silva Enilson Ribeiro dos Santos Valdiro Chagas de Moura Allysson Henrique Lopes (Bá) Ruan Hildebran Aguiar Iraúna Ka’apor Roni dos Santos Miranda (Rony) Francisca das Chagas Silva Marcus Vinicius de Oliveira (Marcus Matraga) Luis Antônio Bonfim Aponuyre Guajajara Zé Sapo Vilmar Bordim Leomar Bhorbak Ivanildo Francisco da Silva Fernando Gamela Genésio Guajajara João Pereira de Oliveira (João Bigode) Isaías Guajajara Joel Martins Gavião Krenyê Assis Guajajara (Silvio Assis Guajajara) José Bernardo da Silva (Zuza) Nivaldo Batista Cordeiro Jesser Batista Cordeiro Geraldo de Campos Bandeira Luís Carlos da Silva Cleidiane Alves Teodoro Alexsandro dos Santos Gomes Jaison Caique Sampaio Clodiodi Aquileu Rodrigues de Souza (Clodioude, Clodiode) Valdomiro Lopes de Lorena João Luiz de Maria Pereira Genivaldo Braz do Nascimento (Ninja) José Lisboa Candide Zaraky Tenetehar/Guajajara Ronair José de Lima Luiz Jorge Araújo Luciano Ferreira de Andrade Isaque Dias Ferreira Edilene Mateus Porto José Queiros Guajajara Sebastião Pereira dos Santos João Natalício Xukuru-Kariri Luís Alberto Araújo José Dias de Oliveira Lopes Guajajara Luiz Viana Lima José Colírio Oliveira Guajajara Geraldo Lucas Cameroon Bruce Danny Ngongo China Lei Yang Colombia Johan Alexis Vargas Henry Pérez Aníbal Coronado Víctor Andrés Flórez Maricela Tombé William Alexander Oimé Alarcón (Williar) William Castillo Chima Gil de Jesús Silgado Orlando Olave Adrián Quintero Cristian Anacona Castro Jesús Adilio Mosquera Palacios Manuel Dolores Pino Perafán Manuel Chimá Pérez Willington Quibarecama Naquirucama Marco Aurelio Díaz Gersaín Cerón Amado Gómez Evaristo Dagua Troches Camilo Roberto Taicus Bisbicusm Luciano Pascal García Alberto Pascal García Diego Alfredo Chirán Nastacuas Joel Meneses Ariel Sotelo Nereo Meneses (Nero, Mereo) Cecilia Coicue Nestor Ivan Martinez Ramiro Culma Carepa Yimer Chávez Rivera Jhon Jairo Rodriguez José Antonio Velasco Taquinas Erley Monroy Fierro Didier Losada Barreto Democratic Republic of the Congo Sebinyenzi Bavukirahe Yacinthe Fidele Mulonga Mulegalega Venant Mumbere Muvesevese Vincent Machozi Richard Sungudikpio Ndingba Rigobert Anigobe Bagale Dieudonné Tsago Matikuli Jules Kombi Kambale Munganga Nzonga Jacques Patrick Prince Muhayirwa Guatemala Walter Manfredo Méndez Barrios Héctor Joel Saquil Choc Juan Mateo Pop Cholom Benedicto Gutiérrez Daniel Choc Pop Jeremy Abraham Barrios Lima Honduras José Pantaleón Alvarenga Galdámez Elvin Joel Palencia Fuentes Roberto Carlos Palencia Fuentes Nahún Alberto Morazán Sagastume Santos Filander Matute Berta Cáceres Jairo Ramírez Nelson Noé García Laínez Rufino Alexis Bulnes Mejía Allan Reyneri Martínez Pérez Manuel Milla Lesbia Yaneth Urquia José Ángel Flores Silmer Dionisio George India Manda Katraka Narendra Kumar Sharma Sidheshwar Singh Sheik Baji Sahid Dadli Lazar Adangu Gomango Jagdish Binjwar Ram Lakhan Mahato Dashrath Nayak Anjuma Khatun Fakhruddin Mehtab Ansari Ranjan Kumar Das Abhishek Roy Pawan Kumar Abraham Munda Iran Mohammad Dehghani Parviz Hormozi Manouchehr Shojaei Ireland Michael McCoy Malaysia Bill Kayong Mexico Baldomero Enríquez Santiago Alejandro Nolasco Orta Salvador Olmos García Myanmar Naw Chit Pandaing Soe Moe Tun Nicaragua Rudy Manuel Centeno Solís Gerardo Chale Allen Nelin Pedro Parista Francisco Benlis Flores Bernicia Dixon Peralta Francisco Benlis Peralta Francisco Joseph Balerio Meregildo Ángel Flores Rey Müller Den Silwa Pakistan Zafar Lund Peru Quintino Cerceda Pedro Valle Sandoval Philippines Jover Lumisod Benjie Sustento Ricky Peñaranda Alibando Tingkas Christopher Matibay Teresita Navacilla Jennifer Albacite Ronel Paas Michael Sib-ot Edjan Talian Rolan Lonin Casiano Datu Mansulbadan Lalinan Gloria Capitan Remar Mayantao Senon Nacaytuna Rogen Suminao Hermie Alegre Makinit Gayoran Jerry “Dandan” Layola Jimmy Mapinsahan Barosa Baby Mercado Violeta Mercado Eligio Barbado Gaudencio Bagalay Ariel Diaz Arnel Figueroa Jimmy Saypan Joselito “Anoy” Pasaporte South Africa Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Rhadebe Wizani Baloyi Tanzania Roger Gower Thailand Den Khamlae Uganda Anthony Twesigye Vietnam Le Dinh Tue Zimbabwe Kennedy Zvavahera This year, in collaboration with Global Witness, the Guardian will record the deaths of people who are killed while defending their land, forests, rivers or wildlife – most often against the harmful impacts of industry. We will also report on the stories of some of the land and environmental defenders still under attack. You can see the names of those who have died so far this year here. You can read more from the project here. | ['environment/series/the-defenders', 'environment/environment', 'environment/land-rights', 'environment/mining', 'world/brazil', 'world/nicaragua', 'world/philippines', 'type/article', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2017-07-13T11:00:06Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2009/apr/29/plane-stupid-campaign-police-informants | Marcel Berlins: Plane Stupid campaigners shouldn't whinge about police infiltration - it's a sign of their success | I am not in the least surprised or shocked that the police attempted to turn Matilda Gifford and others from the Plane Stupid campaign into informants. I am, though, surprised at the surprise of others that the police should be doing such things. Insinuating someone into an organisation in order to reveal its secrets - whether a police spy from the start, or a genuine member bribed, threatened, blackmailed or even persuaded by the force of argument - is an ancient police practice and very often a successful one. We do not complain when conspirators planning serious crimes or acts of terrorism against our society are exposed and brought to justice. We are conscious of the risks run by brave people who endanger their lives by becoming part of the enemy in order to expose wrongdoing. So it is not the principle of infiltration, by way of a spy or an informant, that we find offensive. It must therefore have everything to do with the nature and aims of the organisation whose plans and intentions are being relayed to the police. Gifford argued in the Guardian that Plane Stupid - whose hostility to the malign effect of aircraft on climate change is widely shared - makes its protests peacefully and harmlessly, and should not therefore be subjected to police spying and attempts to entice informants. But where is the line to be drawn between groups that are legitimate targets for police infiltration and those nice, polite ones where police action amounts to a denial of people's right to protest? The exploits of Plane Stupid may not have been violent or impolite but they did, actually or potentially, cause considerable disruption of flights and much inconvenience, even distress, to passengers. I do not think a family that has saved up for a holiday and finds their flight cancelled will have much sympathy for Plane Stupid's argument that their protests don't harm anyone. Is it not legitimate for the police to want to know what they are up to and where they may strike next? Is it not the police's duty to try to find out, on our behalf? What, though, is appropriate action? Gifford tries to equate the attempt to make her spy on her colleagues with police behaviour at the G20 protests, and with their pre-emptive arrest of 114 anti-power station activists (absurdly) on suspicion of conspiracy. The fact that all three events had to do with climate change doesn't mean that the police are to be equally damned on all counts. It is arguable that some police conduct during G20 amounted to refusing citizens their right to protest peacefully. They were disgraceful and disproportionate in their treatment of the 114. But that does not mean they were wrong in trying to find out what the protesters were intending to do, even if that involved getting a tip-off from an insider. The legal gathering of information by the police is not, of itself, necessarily sinister and to be automatically denounced. It is what they do with the information that matters. Gifford is wrong to whinge at the attention she and Plane Stupid attracted from the police. It is what successful protesters should expect. Incidentally, no discussion of police infiltration should omit mention of GK Chesterton's wonderful comic novel The Man Who Was Thursday - though anyone intending to read it is warned that the next sentence reveals the plot's denouement. An unsuccessful poet is planted by the police into a dangerous anarchist gang, to report back on its activities, only to discover finally that every other member of the gang is also a police spy. • I was delighted to see Anne Fine, a former chidren's laureate, vote for Just William as her favourite children's book (a pleasure enhanced by the total absence of Harry Potter from the shortlists of all five children's laureates who participated in the exercise). I have a particular, personal and perhaps unique reason for venerating Richmal Crompton's William books. They taught me English. I spoke not a word of the language - except, possibly, OK - when my parents emigrated to South Africa from my native Marseille. I went to school and picked up the rudiments of this strange tongue, but someone must have suggested that the William books were pitched at just the right level of vocabulary and grammar to suit my burgeoning understanding of my new language, with plots and characters that entertained as well as informed. I read them all. They not only improved my English; they made me realise how much I enjoyed reading. For a long time, less helpfully, the William books also taught me all I knew about English society, class differentiation, manners, courting habits (through William's sister Ethel) and the police. Given that I was then also reading Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven, and thence progressing to Agatha Christie, I was receiving increasingly skewed ideas of what England and her inhabitants were like. I have not entirely discarded those early impressions. To Crompton, Blyton and Christie, I should add the forgotten name of Peter Cheyney, an English thriller writer who, for a reason I cannot now fathom, I much enjoyed during that crucial learning period. All four contributed to my eventually reaching the eminence of a Guardian columnist. But of all the writers and their characters, William Brown was the most important. • This week Marcel watched most of a cycle of short plays about Afghanistan by different writers at London's Tricycle theatre: "An ambitious project that taught me that we cannot understand the country's present if we are ignorant of its past." He visited London's newly expanded and reopened Whitechapel art gallery: "Excellent space, not yet matched by an excellent exhibition." | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/activism', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'world/protest', 'uk/police', 'politics/politics', 'world/surveillance', 'environment/environment', 'profile/marcelberlins', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2009-04-28T23:01:00Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
world/2019/sep/04/hurricane-dorian-millions-under-orders-to-evacuate-as-storm-approaches-us | Hurricane Dorian: millions face evacuation orders as storm approaches Carolinas | As forecasters warned on Wednesday of near-record water levels swamping North and South Carolina, millions of people were under evacuation orders while Hurricane Dorian crept up the south-eastern US coast. Dorian’s ferocity has weakened since it struck the Bahamas. But it is still powerful and appears likely to get dangerously near Charleston, South Carolina, which is particularly vulnerable since it is located on a peninsula. Businesses are boarded up around the city and some people have been in shelters for days. Governor Henry McMaster warned residents in evacuation zones to “get out now”. There was still time for people to leave at-risk areas, he said, but they should do so immediately. In the Bahamas the storm brought chaos and terror during the day-and-a-half mauling of the northern islands, leaving behind a muddy, debris-strewn landscape of smashed and flooded-out homes on Abaco and Grand Bahama. Senior government officials told the Guardian that the official death toll remains at seven but it is expected to rise. Several outlets reported 20 dead on Wednesday. On Monday, McMaster ordered 830,000 to leave areas likely to be affected. Charleston was among the mandatory evacuation zones, along with parts of counties to the north. “Once the wind speeds reach up to 40mph, we can no longer come in to get you,” McMaster said, according to the South Carolina news channel WBTW News 13. “It is the water that kills people. It is the water that is the real danger. And it is clear we’re going to have a lot of water.” A flood chart by the National Weather Service projected a combined high tide and storm surge around Charleston Harbor of 10.3ft. The record is 12.5ft, set by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Dorian, now a category 2 storm, was still off the eastern coast of Florida on Wednesday, moving slowly to the north. A hurricane warning covered about 500 miles of coastline. Approximately 396,000 North Carolina residents were under mandatory evacuation orders, according to a state joint information center spokeswoman. Many were in shock as they slowly came out of shelters and checked on their homes. In one community, George Bolter stood in bright sunshine and surveyed what was once his home. He picked at the debris, trying to find something salvageable. A couple of walls were the only things left. “I have lost everything,” he said. “I have lost all my baby’s clothes, my son’s clothes. We have nowhere to stay, nowhere to live. Everything is gone.” The Bahamian government sent hundreds of police officers and marines into the stricken islands, along with doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, in an effort to reach drenched and stunned victims and take the full measure of the disaster. “Right now there are just a lot of unknowns,” the parliament member Iram Lewis said. “We need help.” The US coast guard, Britain’s Royal Navy and relief organisations including the United Nations and the Red Cross joined a burgeoning effort to rush food and medicine to survivors and lift the most desperate to safety. The US government dispatched urban search-and-rescue teams. | ['world/hurricane-dorian', 'us-news/south-carolina', 'us-news/northcarolina', 'world/natural-disasters', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/extreme-weather', 'us-news/florida', 'world/bahamas', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-gabbatt', 'profile/laughland-oliver', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | world/hurricane-dorian | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2019-09-04T20:47:58Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
money/2020/oct/15/eco-glitter-causes-same-damage-to-rivers-as-ordinary-product-study | Eco glitter causes same damage to rivers as ordinary product – study | Biodegradable glitter causes the same ecological damage to rivers and lakes as the ordinary product, according to the first study of its kind on the impact of the microplastic on the environment. Tests on ordinary glitter and so-called biodegradable or “eco glitter” were carried out by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge. The production of biodegradable glitter has increased as consumers are urged to turn to apparently environmentally friendly alternatives to glitter made from a type of plastic known as PET. Sixty festivals in the UK announced they would switch to biodegradable glitter instead of PET glitter by 2021, but the study says the biological or ecological effects of any type of glitter, conventional or biodegradable, have never been tested. The Anglia Ruskin study is thought to be the first to examine the environmental impacts of glitter. One version of eco glitter has a core of modified regenerated cellulose (MRC), sourced mainly from eucalyptus trees, which is coated with aluminium for reflectivity and then topped with a thin plastic layer. Another form is mica glitter, which is increasingly used in cosmetics. The research found that the alternative “biodegradable” glitters had several effects similar to those observed for conventional PET glitter, meaning they could be causing ecological damage to rivers and lakes. The study found that the effects of MRC and mica glitters on root length and chlorophyll levels were almost identical to those of traditional glitter. Dr Dannielle Green, a senior lecturer in biology at ARU, said: “Glitter is a ready-made microplastic that is commonly found in our homes and, particularly through cosmetics, is washed off in our sinks and into the water system. “Our study is the first to look at the effects of glitter in a freshwater environment and we found that both conventional and alternative glitters can have a serious ecological impact on aquatic ecosystems within a short period of time.” She said all types, including so-called biodegradable glitter, had a negative effect on important primary producers that are the base of the food web. “Biodegradable” cellulose-based glitter had an additional negative impact in that it encouraged the growth of an invasive species, the New Zealand mud snail. “We believe these effects could be caused by leachate from the glitters, possibly from their plastic coating or other materials involved in their production,” she said. The supermarket chain Morrisons has announced it has removed glitter and plastic from all its own-brand ranges before Christmas, including cards, crackers, wrapping paper, present bags, flowers, plants and wreaths and non-seasonal items. It said the decision would remove more than 50 tonnes of plastic from its shelves over Christmas alone. Waitrose and John Lewis also announced they have removed glitter from all their crackers, cards, wrapping paper and gift bags for Christmas. | ['money/consumer-affairs', 'environment/plastic', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'money/money', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/sandralaville', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-10-15T06:00:16Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
business/article/2024/aug/23/thousands-british-steel-jobs-christmas-union-scunthorpe | Thousands of British Steel jobs could go by Christmas, union warns | Thousands of workers could be laid off before Christmas amid concerns that British Steel is preparing to bring forward plans to close its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, according to a trade union. The furnaces could be closed before Christmas resulting in 2,500 job losses which could devastate the local community in North Lincolnshire, the GMB union said. However, the Chinese-owned company insisted that no decision has yet been made. British Steel and its owner, Jingye, are already in discussions with the UK government over a deal for £600m in taxpayer support to aid a move to less-polluting technology. The GMB trade union urged British Steel and the UK government to engage with employees immediately amid concerns about the early closure of the furnaces. British Steel has previously said it would build an electric arc furnace (EAF) as part of its decarbonisation plans, replacing the carbon-intensive blast furnaces at the Scunthorpe site. The move will further reshape the UK steel industry amid uncertainty over the future of the vast Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales. Under the proposals, the two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe would be replaced by an electric arc furnace at Scunthorpe and another at a site in Teesside, North Yorkshire. That would mark the return of steelmaking to Redcar, where the blast furnace was demolished last year after its closure in 2015. However, an EAF would require far fewer staff, meaning significant layoffs could occur. Until now, no firm detail has been given on timings. The company had previously proposed to keep its current operations up and running until the transition had been made to electric arc steelmaking. Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, GMB national officer, said: “Early closure of the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe would be devastating for the community and workforce. “Unions have been assured throughout the process that the blast furnace operations would continue throughout the construction of an electric arc furnace. There has been no consultation over an early closure.” British Steel said: “Our imports of raw material are continuing but have reduced in light of ongoing production issues. We’re working to restore production levels from our ageing blast furnaces. We’re discussing our decarbonisation plans with the government and no final decision has been made.” Electric arc furnaces offer the ability to recycle scrap steel using clean electricity, unlike blast furnaces, which rely on coal, creating unavoidable carbon emissions. In the past, unions have estimated that about 2,000 fewer people could eventually be required to operate British Steel’s electric arc furnaces at Scunthorpe, although the company has not yet told workers how many jobs could be affected. | ['business/british-steel', 'uk-news/gmb-union', 'business/steel-industry', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'uk/uk', 'uk/sheffield', 'business/job-losses', 'business/business', 'environment/coal', 'business/manufacturing-sector', 'uk-news/yorkshire', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jane-croft', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/coal | ENERGY | 2024-08-23T17:54:40Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2014/oct/21/venice-gondola-rising-waters-iron-ornament-stern-risso | Death in Venice: long-admired gondola feature threatened by rising waters | Gliding through Venice, its brocaded velvet seats occupied by a sullen pair of tourists, the boat is almost everything a gondola should be: black, sleek and gleaming, with a genial man in stripes rowing it expertly to the canal-bank. Just one thing is missing from this quintessentially Venetian scene, and while it is passes unnoticed by most visitors it is an absence that aficionados see as a cruel blow to the city’s heritage. On the stern, where there should be a curved piece of iron recalling the skilled movement of the gondolier’s oar – or, say some romantics, the shape of a lion’s mane – there is nothing. “Shall I put it back on?” asks Stefano, the gondolier, bending down to pick the iron stern ornament up from where it is lying, discarded, beside the seats. “This morning there was acqua alta [high water] and I had to take it off,” he says. “It’s a necessity.” A glance at the hundreds of gondolas ferrying tourists through La Serenissima reveals that Stefano, who would not give his surname, is far from alone in his abandonment of the ferro di poppa. As the acque alte occur more frequently, largely due to rising sea levels, gondoliers are having more and more trouble getting their boats under bridges – and, as the highest part of the boat, the stern iron is becoming increasingly problematic. “I take it off and put it back on again,” says gondolier Vittorio Manfré, 56, whose stern is properly adorned with what is known as a risso (curl). “It’s right that gondolas should be like this, but we also have to find ways of being able to work. [High water] is happening much more often and the water is coming much higher than it used to.” According to the Venice municipality’s lengthy regulation governing the use and appearance of gondolas, a steel risso is an essential feature. The only compromise “allowed but not recommended” is to have a hinged device so the gondolier, “exclusively” when rowing beneath a particularly low bridge in particularly high water, can flip it down. To keep within the regulations, it must be flipped back up again immediately to restore Venetian dignity. That, however, is clearly not being done by a large number of gondoliers. Saverio Pastor, from the El Felze association of gondola-making artisans, says that while 10 years ago some gondoliers used a hinge-operated risso, “almost all” now chosen the more drastic option of taking them off altogether. When Pastor sees a gondola without a risso, “I see a beauty which has been spoiled. Because [the stern] is the most beautiful part of the gondola,” he says. For him, the removal of the risso altogether is an aberration, but he also has sympathy with those who must contend with the changes in water levels. “It comes down to a serious problem of life in the city,” he says. The increased frequency of high water incidents is clear: according to figures on the Venice city council’s website, there have been 125 acque alte this year, seven of them reaching more than 110cm above normal sea level. Somewhat unusually, they continued throughout the summer months. In 1983 there were 35, with only one reaching over 110cm. In 1993 there were 44. Last year there were 156. Last month the local newspaper La Nuova Venezia reported that, faced with a widespread flouting of the regulations, city police had begun handing out the first fines for gondoliers breaking the rules on rissos. The city police did not respond to the Guardian’s request for confirmation. But for Stefano, a gondolier for 13 years, a fine would be ludicrously unfair. “We take it off when we have to,” he says. “It’s absurd this thing.” | ['world/italy', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'travel/italy', 'travel/europe', 'travel/travel', 'environment/environment', 'environment/flooding', 'world/natural-disasters', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/lizzydavies', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-10-21T18:02:25Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2015/dec/05/paris-climate-change-talks-democratic-senators-obama-cop-21 | Paris climate talks: Democratic senators say they 'will not back down' | Democratic senators staged a show of force at the Paris climate meeting on Saturday, pledging they “had Barack Obama’s back” and would defend his agenda in a Republican-controlled Congress. The appearance by 10 Democratic senators, days after Congress voted to repeal new power plant rules, was intended to demonstrate solid political support for Obama’s climate plan – despite Republican claims to the contrary. The 10 senators, the first wave of an expected US political invasion of the climate talks, said they would be prepared to defend Obama’s agenda in Congress and push for stronger climate action. “What you see here are people who are going to protect what the president is putting on the table here in Paris as a promise from the American people to the world,” Ed Markey, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, told a press conference. “We are going to back up the president every step of the way.” Republican presidential contenders and the party’s leadership in Congress have moved repeatedly to undercut Obama’s position as a global leader on climate change. Last week, the House of Representatives voted to repeal the clean power plant rules that are the main pillar of Obama’s climate plan and released statements accusing the president of pursuing “a suspect climate agenda”. The White House has said it would veto any such measures, and Republicans do not have the votes to overturn a presidential veto. The senators said they were in Paris to demonstrate there was strong political commitment to fighting climate change. “We are moving in the right direction and we are not going to back down,” said Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico. “We have the president’s back and we are going to make sure we keep moving in the right direction.” But Markey said there would be more fights to come, warning that Republicans were mobilising to overturn increased fuel efficiency rules, which would raise the standard for US cars to an average of 54mpg. Obama’s focus on climate change has put the Paris meeting on the US political map to a much greater extent than in past years. The Democratic delegation included some of the strongest climate warriors in Congress such as Markey, who co-wrote the 2009 climate bill, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who has delivered well over 100 speeches about climate change on the Senate floor, and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who last month co-wrote a bill with presidential contender Bernie Sanders that would halt new fossil fuel extraction on public lands. All of the senators have come out strongly in favour of the US playing a global role on climate change, and called for a strong deal in Paris. Ben Cardin of Maryland, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Coons of Delaware, Al Franken of Minnesota, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Tom Udall of New Mexico also made the trip. Several Obama administration officials are scheduled to visit Paris to demonstrate US commitment to fighting climate change. A far bigger delegation – with Republicans as well as Democrats – is expected to visit the meeting next week, and could deliver a much more ambivalent message from the US about a climate deal. | ['environment/cop-21-un-climate-change-conference-paris', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/paris', 'us-news/us-senate', 'us-news/us-congress', 'us-news/barack-obama', 'us-news/obama-administration', 'us-news/democrats', 'environment/environment', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'us-news/cory-booker', 'us-news/us-politics', 'us-news/republicans', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/suzannegoldenberg'] | environment/cop-21-un-climate-change-conference-paris | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-12-05T15:11:05Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2022/dec/14/discovered-in-the-deep-the-fish-with-razor-sharp-fangs-too-big-for-its-mouth | Discovered in the deep: the viperfish with fangs too big for its mouth | Deep-sea viperfish have razor-sharp fangs so big they don’t fit inside their mouth, but they interlock in front of their jaws forming an inescapable, glassy cage. “When people think of deep sea fishes, the viperfish is one of the first things that comes into their mind,” says Yi-Kai Tea, a fish expert from the Australian Museum in Sydney. “They’re very charismatic, very iconic.” Tea found a Sloane’s viperfish (Chauliodus sloani) on a research expedition that recently returned from the remote waters of the Indian Ocean around the islands of Cocos (Keeling). This species is relatively common in open waters of the twilight zone, between about 500 and 1,000 metres down, so it was a surprise to find this one in the trawl net that Tea and his team were using to sample animal life closer to the seabed. The viperfish’s splendid teeth not only form a trap for prey, but they’re very difficult to see. “Having really transparent, big teeth, allows you to conceal something that is otherwise very obvious and very evident,” says Tea. A few years ago, a study of a closely related species of deep-sea fish, the shiny loosejaw (Aristostomias scintillans), uncovered the secret of their see-through teeth. They’re made of enamel and dentine, the same substances as human teeth. The intricate nanostructure of their teeth scatters very little light and instead lets it pass straight through. This means the fish’s teeth don’t twinkle in the bioluminescent lights made by so many animals in the deep sea. Along with other members of their family, the Stomiidae, including dragonfish, stareaters and loosejaws, viperfish have another trick that helps make them even more formidable predators of the deep. Their jaws aren’t fixed firmly in place but are loosely held together with ligaments and cartilage, allowing them to be slung open very widely. They also don’t have stiff vertebrae at the back of their skulls. “Imagine having a neck with no bone,” says Tea. “If you bend your neck really far back, and your jaw extends really far forward, you end up having these enormous gapes that are otherwise quite impossible.” This family of fish is incredibly well adapted for life in the deep sea. “They’ve just managed to diversify really well,” says Tea. One member of the family, the stoplight loosejaw, can unusually produce and detect red light. As sunlight seeps into the ocean it gets very quickly absorbed by the water, so most deep-sea species have lost the ability to see red. By shining their own red light through the dark, the stoplight loosejaw has evolved a private wavelength. “It’s using this invisible torch to look for things that don’t see it coming,” says Tea. Catching a viperfish and seeing one in person reveals something that’s otherwise not immediately obvious. “They look really fearsome in photos, but in life they’re no longer than a standard 15cm ruler,” says Tea. Even so, these little fish are supreme predators, he says. “They are the masters of their realm.” | ['environment/series/discovered-in-the-deep', 'environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/helen-scales', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-12-14T06:00:47Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2018/sep/25/belgium-could-build-island-over-abandoned-poison-gas-grenades | Belgium could build island over abandoned poison gas grenades | For almost 100 years 35,000 tonnes of poison gas grenades, abandoned by the fleeing Germans around first world war battlefields, have lain in steel barrels on the seabed less than a kilometre from the Belgian coastline. A convoy of small boats dumped the cargo into the North Sea over a period of six months in 1919 when unloading it into the world’s oceans was thought to be the best way to protect people from exposure to the toxic material. The site was soon forgotten, only to be rediscovered under three metres of sand and silt by divers in 1971 during the expansion of the port of Zeebrugge. Building over the barrels was considered given the danger of gas leakage but the costs were thought to be too high. Monitoring was chosen over action. Yet now, with plans being devised to protect the Belgian coast from rising sea levels through the building of an artificial island off the coast of the seaside resort of Knokke, scientists are starting to explore again whether the construction of a bulwark against the tide could serve two purposes by also keeping the poison gas secure. “We are just in the process of exploration,” said Jan Seys, a biologist and spokesman for the Flanders Marine Institute. “We are looking at the condition of the seabed. When we start to build the island, can we have a win-win situation?” Similar toxic dumps exist elsewhere in the world, containing larger amounts of toxic chemicals, but the shallow depth of the site on the Paardenmarkt sandbar, just five to 10 metres below the waterline, is thought to be unique to Belgian waters. Fishing and the dropping of an anchor in the Paardenmarkt is forbidden. The proximity to Zeebrugge port, one of the busiest in Europe, and major shipping routes, pipelines and gas terminals, is also a factor in the need for a long-term solution. “We have been monitoring since the 1970s for leakage, and we need to know the state of the ammunition,” Seys said, “but there is a problem in doing seismic tests because natural gas bubbles are created in that area coincidentally and that makes it difficult to see.” Seys said there was a danger of leakage from the grenades but also in the possibility of impact with a ship given the heavy traffic in the North Sea shipping lanes. “The liquid inside looks like a viscous liquid, a bit like water saturated with sugar,” he said. “The problem is that this would float on the top of the sea and come in-shore. Or, slowly over time, it could slowly dilute into the sea, increasing the levels of certain metallic elements, such as arsenic. There is also the problem that a ship could lose its way and impact with the ammunition dump, which could be a big problem. We don’t know for sure that there isn’t normal munitions down there.” Plans for the artificial island of Knokke are part of a 2020-2026 plan for Belgian waters. Further geomorphological surveys of the state of the seabed and the ammunition dump are to be launched over the next year. | ['world/belgium', 'world/firstworldwar', 'environment/sea-level', 'environment/environment', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/daniel-boffey', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | environment/sea-level | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2018-09-25T12:16:44Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
money/2017/may/02/its-not-older-drivers-who-should-worry-us | It’s not older drivers who should worry us | Brief letters | Boris Johnson seems to have lost his edge and should stick to the classical references he knows (Confusion over mugwump jibe, 28 April). As half of the 1960s band of that name went on to form the Mamas and the Papas and the other half to form the Lovin’ Spoonful, Mugwump is no kind of insult. “Mutton-headed”, on the other hand, could work, but ovine-based abuse is probably best avoided when the abuser himself has been said to bear more than a passing resemblance to a rather seedy old English sheepdog. Mike Hine Kingston upon Thames • Why this push to test drivers over 70 every three years (Letters, 26 April)? The statistics clearly demonstrate that the most dangerous people on the road are in the 16-30 age group. May I suggest re-testing at 18, 21, 24, 27 and 30 and only then not re-testing every subsequent three years if the driver has not had a serious accident in the full re-test period. The driver will have demonstrated responsibility and really earned the right to be in charge of several tons of dangerous metal. Jan Wiczkowski Prestwich, Greater Manchester • Our grandchildren have no problems distinguishing between different sets of grandparents (Letters, passim). We’re Welsh so we’re called Nain and Taid. The other side are English and are Granny and Grandad. Two have great-grandparents and they are Babba and Dedda owing to Dedda being Serbian. Judith Morgan Doncaster, South Yorkshire • Have you sent your north of England correspondent to Wales again? Your London-centric paper didn’t report on a fabulous event when a million people turned out to watch great athletes cycle through glorious scenery. All ages watched entertaining sport with good natured enthusiasm, a great community event. No cheating, no tantrums from over-paid managers – is that why you didn’t report on the Tour de Yorkshire? Richard Webb Penistone, South Yorkshire • Just to say that Amazon’s Kindle is not the only e-reader (Letters, 2 May). Kobo is an admirable alternative and without the monopolistic restrictions of the other. Rod Warrington Chester • I think Colston Hall should be renamed after a famous Bristolian (Letters, 1 May). Why not then call it Brenda of Bristol Hall (Brenda’s broadside, 19 April)? Pavel Gregr Lichfield, Staffordshire • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters | ['money/motoring', 'music/music', 'society/older-people', 'lifeandstyle/family', 'technology/ereaders', 'uk/bristol', 'culture/culture', 'money/money', 'society/society', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'uk/wales', 'uk/uk', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/technology', 'commentisfree/series/brief-letters', 'tone/letters', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2017-05-02T18:42:34Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
commentisfree/2019/apr/24/greta-thunberg-general-strike-action-climate-change | Greta Thunberg is right – only a general strike will force action on climate change | McEver Dugan and Evan Cholerton | Climate change is hurling humanity towards disaster. There is no more room to question the science, when nearly every climate scientist is in agreement that the implications of a global rise in average temperature will spell drastic changes for human civilisation. In the face of such a rapidly encroaching threat, political niceties and traditional incrementalism and compromise cannot come close to the level of change and upheaval required to solve, or even mitigate, the problem of global climate change. Climate scientists continue to stress the importance of lowering carbon emissions significantly, yet they are currently increasing at an accelerating rate. A 2018 UN study found that unless promised emission reductions under the Paris agreement were tripled, they would cause the global temperature increase to reach 3C by 2100 and continue to rise after that. Meanwhile, some of the most influential people in the world continue to deny the very existence of climate change. Even as the relatively tame 2018 IPCC report states that we must cut our emissions in half within the next decade, people are feeling that their elected leaders, and mainstream political avenues as a whole, cannot measure up to this task. The current ineptitude and impotency of the ruling class is unacceptable when the consequences of inaction are so far-reaching. More than ever, it is time for workers – those who will be hardest hit by soaring food and healthcare costs, and by property destruction caused by natural disasters and the rising sea – to exert their power and force the hand of major players (governments and corporations) to avert what is almost certain to be the next global mass extinction. As such, climate activism of all types is blossoming. Greta Thunberg’s school strikes led to one of the largest global climate demonstrations in history. Extinction Rebellion has shut down major intersections in London and held events around the world. The Sunrise Movement caught the attention of the US when children in San Francisco confronted the Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein over her climate policy. Indigenous groups across the globe have been fighting tooth and nail against resource development on their ancestral lands. And Earth Strike is preparing for a global general strike on 27 September 2019. Through all of this, as Greta Thunberg has said, one thing must be made clear. There is no greater way to capture the attention of the public, and the powers that be, than a general labour strike. An old and effective strategy, it is the holy grail of activism. And in such dire times, there is no question that a general strike is sorely needed once more. Earth Strike is seeking to revive the general strike in service of a global, apocalyptic problem – one that encompasses the lives of every creature on the face of this planet. The reason Earth Strike exists is that shutting off the global labour supply will force governments and industry giants to listen. There’s no way to avoid the conversation when profits are in danger of eroding, and production has stalled to a halt. Every day we go into work and spend our time and labour building a system that is burning us alive. The top polluters in the world are directly dependent on this effort. It is time to withhold it. Some will inevitably argue that labour action is too disruptive, and too messy, but that’s the very point. The system causing this crisis needs to be disrupted. A general strike is an exceptionally powerful tool with a long history of gaining concession. In Iceland in 1975, a women’s general strike was instrumental in guaranteeing equal pay; and in India earlier this year, a general strike by between 150m and 200m workers illuminated the injustices inflicted on them by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party. We simply don’t have the time to forge a new tool from scratch. In fact, the opposite reaction is more likely. 27 September is only the first strike, and sympathisers all over the globe are bound to take notice. To those who do not feel like they have the power alone, organise. Unions and workers must work together in solidarity. The growing number of participants in this general strike, numbering in the tens of thousands, are already talking about what will come next. For whatever comes, we will fight, and strike, together. • McEver Dugan is the writing coordinator for Earth Strike. Evan Cholerton is the international organiser for Youth for Earth Strike. This article was co-authored with Cosmo Patell, Jonathan Altman, Paxton Batchelder, Isaac Horvath, Alex Rawson, John Ryan and Olivia Sauve, all members of Earth Strike International | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'uk-news/industrial-action', 'tone/comment', 'environment/environment', 'environment/greta-thunberg', 'world/world', 'uk/uk', 'politics/tradeunions', 'environment/extinction-rebellion', 'type/article', 'environment/school-climate-strikes', 'profile/evan-cholerton', 'profile/mcever-dugan', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/school-climate-strikes | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2019-04-24T14:16:56Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
global-development/2013/nov/20/climate-change-adaptation-cost-destabilise-african-countries | Cost of climate change adaptation could destabilise African countries, UN warns | African countries are increasingly vulnerable to climate change and could struggle to feed and defend their people as temperatures rise, according to a major UN report. The cost of developing drought-resistant crops, providing early-warning systems for floods, droughts and fires, and building seawalls, dykes, and wave breaks will be vast, says the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) emissions gap report, launched this week at an African environment ministers' meeting in Warsaw. It will cost Africa approximately $350bn a year to adapt its farming and infrastructure to climate change if governments fail to hold temperatures to less than 2C and allow them to rise to about 4C, according to the report. The higher temperatures rise, the greater the financial and human challenge to adapt, says the report, which argues that present policies point to temperatures rising to 3-4C by 2100, a turn of events it claims would be catastrophic. The report claims coral reefs will die, sea levels will rise, freshwater reserves will decline over wide areas, and rainfall in southern Africa will decrease by 30%. Countries that fail to adapt to even the minimum expected temperature increase of 2C will be in dire straits, the report says. "Climate change in Africa is a reality," said Ephraim Kamuntu, Uganda's minister for water and environment. "We have to adapt or perish, but our capacity to respond is limited. The cost of waiting to do something is far greater than doing something now. How many super-typhoons do we need before we have to take action. This is a matter of survival; what are we waiting for?" "The plight of Africa is not of our making," said Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, lead negotiator for the Africa group of nations. "The developed countries have caused the problem and Africa are asking for the funds to help but so far they are not forthcoming. "One billion Africans are in harm's way. We witness instability in rainfall, diseases spreading, sea level rise and floods. One of the effects of climate change is to send Africans further and further to seek water. This brings them into conflict with other Africans. We are faced with wars on African soil that are not created in Africa." The report warns: "Even with a warming scenario of under 2C Africa's undernourished would increase 25-90%. Crop production would be reduced across much of the continent as optimal growing conditions are exceeded. The capacity of African communities to cope will be significantly challenged." It suggests the magnitude of adaptation requirements could destabilise countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, water supply, infrastructure, and agriculture can be expected to incur the highest costs. In north Africa, infrastructure and adapting to extreme weather events are expected to prove costliest. | ['global-development/global-development', 'global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'global-development/future-of-development', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'world/africa', 'tone/news', 'environment/cop-19-un-climate-change-conference-warsaw', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal'] | environment/sustainable-development | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2013-11-20T12:36:07Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
australia-news/2024/nov/30/my-solar-panels-are-faulty-can-i-repair-them-or-is-it-time-for-new-ones | My solar panels are faulty. Can I repair them or is it time for new ones? | Technically, solar panels have no expiry, but failing parts, changes in certification standards and a hunger for more kilowatts are seeing huge numbers of home solar systems meeting their fate earlier than they need to. With limited onshore recycling options for solar panels, the waste generated is headed for a crisis point. While some upgrades are unavoidable, here’s how to decide if it’s really time to replace your current array. How long should a solar array last? Helen Oakey, the CEO of sustainability not-for-profit Renew, says for most household solar panels a good innings would be considered about 20 to 25 years (the length of most solar panel warranties). Oakey says panels will often outlast other components, such as inverters and cabling, and it is not unusual to replace inverters (which typically last about a decade) at least once during the lifetime of the panels. But with older systems, this is not always straightforward and the death of an inverter can sometimes trigger the need for a full upgrade. Get the most out of what you’ve got While solar panels themselves are fairly resilient, keeping them clean is important. Oakey recommends at least biannual cleaning and calling in the professionals if accessing the panels poses a safety risk. “Just like you might pay someone to clean your gutters, it’s worth the expense.” If you’re going to DIY it, it’s important to do it at a time of day when the panels are at their coolest, and to avoid using harsh chemicals. Inverters and cabling are more susceptible to damage from environmental conditions and contaminants, Oakey says. “You don’t want to put in a solar system, ignore it, and then five years later wonder why it’s not working very well.” Repair or replace? Replacing faulty components is obviously the more sustainable option, but it is not always possible. Oakey points out that some older systems may only be compatible with inverters that have since gone out of code or production, likewise replacing solar panels may trigger a need for inverter and cabling upgrades. She adds that if there is just one or two panels that have gone bust it is possible to have a technician disconnect them from the system to buy yourself some time before committing to a full upgrade. Loss of efficiency and output over time is expected with solar panels, but Oakey says that as long as they are meeting your household energy requirements there is no need to replace them. How to know when it’s time While there is technically no expiry on solar systems, advancements in technology and changes in certification and safety codes mean that not all issues can be resolved with repairs. When your system was installed and what new certifications impact its components will ultimately make the decision for many consumers. As with any piece of equipment, when parts can no longer be replaced it is time to overhaul the lot. Another reason would be if the energy provided by your system is no longer meeting your requirements. Oakey points out, though, that if you are yet to make your home as energy-efficient as possible (think insulation and double glazing), your resources would be best directed there before upgrading your solar. What’s happening in the market? The rapid advances in solar technology mean that while repairing older systems can be a challenge, when you replace them the upgrade is significant. Oakey says that someone who replaces an old 1.5 kilowatt system today could easily increase their kilowatt capacity sixfold. She adds that as we reach a plateau in evolution, the market will likely stabilise and make it easier to maintain these newer systems without the need to replace them entirely. The uptake of newer micro inverters, where each panel operates as an isolated cell, means that any fail can be individually replaced without disrupting the whole unit. “There’s going to be stabilisation, we’ll be able to sit on this next generation for a while,” Oakey says. Things to consider Solar trailblazers might be on very generous feed-in tariffs, but Oakey cautions that any changes to your current system will often void those agreements. “If you are interested in adding more panels to your system, you won’t be able to get the same feed-in tariff for additional panels because those schemes will have closed.” If you’re sitting on an older 1.5kW system and getting a feed-in tariff of 50 cents per kW hour, Oakey says “you’re doing very nicely”. And that deal might be worth hanging on to for as long as possible. Where do they go? Thinking about the full life cycle of your system is an important sustainability consideration and the waste generated as older systems are replaced is enormous. While the options of what to do with solar panel waste are limited, innovative programs and a 12-year industry roadmap to deal with solar waste in Australia is due to commence next year. Another reason to hang on to your old system as long as possible. | ['australia-news/series/change-by-degrees', 'australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/doosie-morris', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-opinion'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2024-11-29T23:00:09Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2012/jul/18/china-average-europe-carbon-footprint | Average Chinese person's carbon footprint now equals European's | The average Chinese person's carbon footprint is now almost on a par with the average European's, figures released on Wednesday reveal. China became the largest national emitter of CO2 in 2006, though its emissions per person have always been lower than those in developed countries such as Europe. But today's report, which only covers emissions from energy, by the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and the European commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) show that per capita emissions in China increased by 9% in 2011 to reach 7.2 tonnes per person, only a fraction lower than the EU average of 7.5 tonnes. The figure for the US is still much higher – at 17.3 tonnes – though total Chinese CO2 emissions are now around 80% higher than those of America. This widening gap reflects a 9% increase in total emissions in China in 2011, driven mainly by rising coal use, compared with a 2% decline in the US. Total emissions in Europe and Japan also fell last year, by 3% and 2% respectively. But emissions rose across much of the developing world, including India, which saw a 6% increase. As a result, OECD nations now account for only around a third of the global total. The figures published on Wednesday – like most official data on carbon emissions – are based on where fossil fuels are burned. A recent UK select committee report argued that it was also important to consider the import and export of goods when considering national responsibility for climate change. This would affect today's data, because previous studies have suggested that almost a fifth of Chinese emissions are caused by the production of goods for export. In addition, the new county data exclude international travel, which accounts for 3% of the global total and is likely to be heavily weighted towards richer countries. Non-CO2 greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide are also excluded. For these reasons, the total carbon footprint of the average European most likely remains substantially higher than that of the average Chinese person. In addition, Europe, the US and other developed countries have contributed a disproportionate share of the historical emissions that have caused the warming to date and will remain in the atmosphere for decades or centuries to come. But a recent study showed that even when imports and international travel are taken into account, the developed world now accounts for less than half of current global emissions. Moreover, China's emissions may be even higher than reported today according to another study showing that the country's official energy statistics were as much as 20% lower than they should be. Owing to factors such as these, precise national emissions figures will remain the subject of debate. Globally, however, the picture is clear. Total emissions from fossil fuels and cement increased by 3%, leaving global emissions at a record 34bn tonnes of CO2. That is less than the rise in 2010, when emissions shot up by 5% as the world economy bounced back from recession, but higher than the average annual increase for the past decade, which stands at 2.7%. This suggests that efforts to curb global emissions have so far failed to make any impact. The continued steep rise in global carbon emissions will make it even more difficult for the world's nations to fulfil their stated aim of limiting temperature rise to 2C, considered a danger threshold after which the risks of irreversible climate change increase. According to the report, if global emissions continue on their current trend, the world will commit itself to 2C of warming within two decades. | ['environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'environment/carbonfootprints', 'environment/ethical-living', 'world/china', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/world', 'world/europe-news', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/duncanclark'] | environment/carbonfootprints | EMISSIONS | 2012-07-18T15:21:26Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/blog/2014/jul/16/web-helping-waste-pickers-bangalores-rubbish | How the web is helping waste-pickers clean up Bangalore's rubbish | Shreya Dasgupta | Bangalore’s streets have always been a concoction of smells, from roasting coffee beans to the doughy sweetness of local bakeries. But the one smell that will probably invade your senses today is the foul stench of garbage. While most of us would crinkle our noses at this stink, waste-pickers busily scavenge through the garbage heaps every day, looking for recyclable items that can help them earn a living. In doing so, they also do the environment a favour. Having realized their potential, Bangalore, the IT hub of India, is now using its expertise to empower these entrepreneurial environmentalists and solve the city’s garbage crisis. The solution is simple, yet innovative – a cloud-based platform called I Got Garbage (IGG), that brings the informal sector of waste recyclers in Bangalore face-to-face with the city’s garbage generators. “Currently, their work location is the garbage heap. But we felt that they needed to come to the beginning of the supply chain, which is my house and your house,” says Prashant Mehra, chief architect of IGG at Mindtree Ltd. Bangalore’s 8.5 million residents generate more than 4,000 tonnes of solid waste every day. Almost 90% of this ends up in landfills, despite being largely recyclable. To control this menace, Bangalore became the first metropolis in the country in 2012, to make waste segregation at source compulsory. But in the absence of implementation, the mandatory rulings had little effect. Predictably, copious amounts of mixed waste continue to fill up overflowing landfills. To change this, IGG has partnered with six organisations actively working to improve the city’s waste situation. One such partner, Hasirudala (translating as “green force”), has engaged with some of the city’s 20,000-odd waste-pickers for the last three years. In one of their initiatives, Hasirudala helps apartments hire the services of waste-picker franchises, in a "pay-per-kilo" model. Under this model, uniformed, trained waste-pickers collect segregated waste from apartments, selling recyclable dry waste to scrap dealers, composting the wet waste at the apartments, or sending it to government-run composting centres. The residents, however, pay for their reject waste. The larger the amount of reject waste, the more they pay. “In doing so, we really discourage the amount of waste that goes to the landfill,” says Nalini Shekar, co-founder of Hasirudala. It is this system that IGG started incorporating into their platform since January 2014. After six months of digitising and organising data into IGG, MindTree finally released its public interface in June. Both citizens and waste-recyclers form an important part of IGG. Citizens can use the intuitive website to hire services of waste-pickers, volunteer to become waste auditors, track their carbon footprint, or even take a day-long trash trail meant to educate people about how trash moves from homes to landfills. Waste-recyclers can use IGG to increase their efficiency, and ultimately their income. IGG’s mobile applications help them track their trash-flow and trash-collecting routes. In fact, a scrap dealer in the city and his team of MBA graduates is using one of the apps to geo-tag, digitise and map all of the city’s 5,000-odd scrap dealers. “This will help all the waste-pickers connect with the nearest scrap dealers, who will then become the first sale point,” says Mehra. “This will reduce the distance they need to travel each day.” These apps, Mehra hopes, will bring technology directly into the hands of their target clients - the waste-recyclers. So far, the average monthly incomes for the 5,251 waste-pickers on-board IGG have almost doubled from Rs 4,828 to Rs 8,834, and 2,350 tons of waste has been recycled. Mehra, however, is cautious about scaling up too rapidly. “IT can help the garbage problem by creating repeatable solutions. But it will take a while before we can say that the Bangalore solution is a repeatable one. In addition, if all of Bangalore starts segregating, the local ecosystem will struggle. It doesn’t have enough processing capability yet. So we have to bring in big recyclers who will need predictability, and for this we need more data.” Despite the challenges, shifting from a client-base of corporates to waste-pickers has only made Mehra happier. “This is probably one of the most important projects I will ever work on,” he says. | ['environment/blog', 'technology/technology', 'world/india', 'environment/waste', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/ethical-living', 'type/article', 'tone/blog'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2014-07-16T11:11:27Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/blog/2008/dec/22/waste-ethicalliving | The ecofriendly font that saves on ink | Sometimes, life's simplest innovations can turn out to be the most useful: cats' eyes on roads, Post-it Notes, Velcro – the sorts of things that cause a sigh of frustration for not having thought of it yourself. Embracing blissful simplicity as a creative aide, Dutch communications company Spranq have designed a new environmentally friendly font, that looks like this: The Ecofont saves on printing ink by … well, using less of it. Letters in the freely downloadable typeface contain multiple small circular holes, meaning that each letter requires less ink to be printed. As the designers put it: "After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well." Quite. Though rather striking, the typeface is wholly readable (no pun intended) and is, apparently, most effective at nine or 10 point. It's also sans serif, because, of course, the little flourishes on serif fonts will use up more ink when being printed. Spranq claims that the Ecofont will reduce ink use by up to 20% - not bad for something that was developed over "lots of late hours (and coffee)". Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the font is the question it raises: why hasn't anybody thought of this before? It appears to be one of those blindingly obvious innovations that simply slipped under the radar all this time. As it's now widely accepted that printing should be minimised, there seems little reason as to why most homes and workplaces couldn't switch some or all of their printing to the new typeface, thus saving themselves some cash and doing the environment a small favour. Obviously, the font shouldn't be viewed as a licence to print more than you normally would, however economical it may be. In fact, Spranq actively encourages printing as little as possible and "hopes to increase environmental awareness" through the Ecofont. All right – a new typeface isn't going to solve the planet's problems, granted (and it might not be the best choice to use in a cover letter for that dream job), but surely innovative thinking like this is a positive step in conservation on any scale? I'll leave it to you to decide: the Ecofont – example of everyday genius or waste of valuable thinking time? | ['environment/blog', 'environment/waste', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/environment', 'tone/blog', 'type/article'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2008-12-22T15:28:15Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2021/jul/26/chinas-nuclear-power-firm-could-be-blocked-from-uk-projects | China’s nuclear power firm could be blocked from UK projects | China’s state-owned nuclear energy company could be blocked from building a nuclear reactor due to rising security concerns over Chinese involvement in critical national infrastructure. Ministers are reportedly looking for ways to move ahead with plans for EDF Energy to build the £20bn Sizewell C nuclear plant on the Suffolk coast without China General Nuclear (CGN), which owns a one-fifth stake in the project. Whitehall sources have confirmed the report, first published in the Financial Times, which has emerged amid deepening concerns over China’s security risk after the Huawei scandal last year. CGN holds a minority stake in EDF’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset, as well as the Sizewell C project, but it hopes to use the pair as a springboard to building a Chinese-designed reactor at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex. It has submitted its reactor design for scrutiny by the UK’s nuclear authorities, but industry sources have warned that even if CGN wins approval for its reactor, a Chinese nuclear plant within 30 miles of London would be “politically unpalatable”. “A minority Chinese interest in a nuclear project could probably be tolerated,” one Whitehall source said. “But the direction of travel towards a Chinese-owned project at Bradwell is no longer tenable.” EDF Energy and CGN both declined to comment. The government said late last year it had restarted talks with EDF Energy over how to finance its Sizewell C nuclear project, including ways to include institutional investors or even for the UK government to take a direct stake in the project. These options could help the French company proceed with Sizewell without CGN’s financial support, according to one source. “There are ways for EDF to attract other investors onboard,” said a source. “By wiping their hands of the Chinese they could open up the opportunity for investment from the US, for example. There are many ways to cook this pie.” The government reopened talks with EDF months after plans to build a £20bn reactor at Wylfa in Wales fell apart after Japanese conglomerate Hitachi rejected the government’s financing deal, in a blow to the government’s new nuclear ambitions. The UK had hoped to build at least six new nuclear power plants across the country but three have been cancelled, leaving only the projects with Chinese involvement: Hinkley Point, Sizewell and Bradwell. A spokesperson for the Nuclear Industry Association warned that by 2030 all but one of the UK’s existing nuclear power stations will have been retired, “so it is vital that the UK invests in new reactors – both large and small modular designs – to help meet our climate targets and create good jobs across the country”. “Achieving net zero by 2050 will require four times as much zero carbon power as we have today – that means more nuclear, more wind and more solar,” the spokesperson said. The fresh fears over Chinese involvement in the UK’s nuclear future have emerged amid deepening tensions between China and western governments, and weeks before a ban on all Huawei equipment in the UK’s 5G networks takes effect from September. Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, told the Reuters news agency that the UK government should “earnestly provide an open, fair and non discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies”. “It is in the interests of both sides to conduct practical cooperation in the spirit of mutual benefit and a win-win result,” he said. A spokesperson for the UK government did not comment directly on the claims that ministers would seek to forge a nuclear programme without CGN, saying “all nuclear projects” must comply with “robust and independent regulation” in order to meet the UK’s “rigorous legal, regulatory and national security requirements, ensuring our interests are protected”. | ['environment/nuclearpower', 'uk/uk', 'world/china', 'environment/energy', 'politics/politics', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2021-07-26T13:43:05Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2021/jun/24/brazil-environment-minister-quits-amid-inquiry-into-amazon-logging | Brazil environment minister quits amid inquiry into illegal Amazon logging | Brazil’s environment minister has quit amid a criminal investigation into whether he obstructed a police inquiry into illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest. A supreme court justice authorised the investigation of Ricardo Salles after federal police raids targeted the minister and other officials alleged to have allowed illegal wood exports. “I understand that Brazil throughout this year and next on the international stage and also in the national agenda needs to have a strong union of interests,” Salles told reporters in Brasília on Wednesday. “So that this can be done in the most serene manner possible, I submitted my resignation.” The outgoing minister had acted as lead negotiator for Brazil in talks with the US over funding to preserve the Amazon rainforest, where deforestation has surged since rightwing president Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019. Those negotiations had stalled, with the last meeting held more than a month ago, according to two sources familiar with the matter, who said it was unclear if the delay was related to Salles. Salles and president Jair Bolsonaro have been outspoken supporters of development in the Amazon, which critics say has encouraged land grabbing and illegal mining in protected areas. As some foreign investors began expressing concern about surging deforestation, Bolsonaro’s administration received no rebuke from then US president Donald Trump on his environmental policies. On the campaign trail last year, US president Joe Biden called on Brazil to curb Amazon deforestation in order to slow climate change, and this year his administration began talks with Salles’ ministry in an attempt to find solutions. Preliminary data, based on satellite images, has shown year-on-year increases of Amazon deforestation for three straight months, most recently by 41% in May. The data is considered a reliable leading indicator for more complete calculations released at year end. Brazilian activists said Salles’ departure was overdue. Adriana Ramos, coordinator of the policy and legal program at the nonprofit Socioenvironmental Institute, said Salles’ tenure will be remembered by the loss of international confidence, an increase in emissions from deforestation and the dismantling of environmental controls. Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a network of environmental groups, said Salles’ legacy is “the worst possible”. “There were two straight years of deforestation in the Amazon, fires in Brazil and invasions of public areas. He paralyzed the collection of environmental fines, persecuted inspectors and followed a path of environmental destruction in the country,” Astrini said. Talks between the Biden administration and Brazil’s environment ministry are “paralyzed”, senator Katia Abreu, who heads the Brazilian senate’s foreign relations committee, said in a statement on Tuesday. She said that reflects US dissatisfaction and the need for changes by Brazil in order to reestablish dialogue. The US said it remains committed to partnering with Brazil to address climate change and that its stance regarding conversations with its government hasn’t changed. Environment ministry officials including Salles are under investigation for possibly facilitating the export of illegally cut timber. A separate probe is investigating whether Salles obstructed an operation to seize illegal timber. Salles has denied wrongdoing in both cases. “It isn’t possible for people to criminalize different opinions, points of views. Brazilian society needs that advance,” Salles said Wednesday. “We experience a lot of objections over measures that were taken or planned, an attempt to characterise them as disrespecting laws or the constitution, which isn’t true.” Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report. | ['world/brazil', 'world/jair-bolsonaro', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-foreign'] | environment/amazon-rainforest | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-06-23T23:46:33Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/commentisfree/2015/jun/19/global-warming-lie-liberals-tell-distract-us | Global warming is totally a lie liberals tell to distract us from their commie agendas | Bonnie McFarlane | Everybody is talking about global warming. Clearly, it’s got a great publicist. My guess is it’s the same one that Amy Schumer uses. However, unlike Schumer – whom I have on good authority is real – Global Warming is a big fat lie. Now, before you spit out your fair trade coffee and start yelling about carbon emissions, let me assure you that this is not a conclusion that came easily to me. I thought about it a lot. Just this morning I was in the shower for a good two hours debating the pros and cons of dating someone with a giant global footprint. Once the water went cold and I dried myself off with a hair dryer, I knew I had my answer. This so-called “environmental Armageddon” is a fictitious construction cooked up by the left so we’ll spend all our time (or at least a half hour a week) changing out our light bulbs and flattening cardboard and completely overlooking their pinko/commie/socialist agendas. I’m on to you, liberals! You’re trying to be heroes to humanity. You want everyone to pat you on the back and say, “Oh, look who saved the planet!” Well, I have news for you. The planet doesn’t need saving. After all, it’s been around for almost 2,000 years. It was fine before you got here, and it’ll be fine after the apocalypse destroys most of humankind for the sins of homosexuality and shellfish consumption. God hates Shrimp Scampi, but He doesn’t seem to have a problem with littering. (Leviticus 10:10) I wish people would stop incessantly asking, “Don’t we care what kind of planet we’re going to leave our children?” First of all, I’m pretty sure any child psychologist would agree that leaving a whole planet to a kid is an appalling idea. I wouldn’t dream of spoiling my daughter with an entire planet. You don’t have to give your kids the world; just spend some time with them once in a while. That’s what they really want. That, and a Mercedes SUV for their sweet 16. I wish scientists would stop blaming us humans for causing global warming. This is patently false, since global warming is not real! If the fact that we’ve just experienced the coldest spring on record isn’t enough to sway you, I’ve got other anecdotal evidence that should be plenty convincing. For example: my sister went to Greenland and never saw any polar bears stranded on tiny ice floes. In fact, my sister didn’t see any live polar bears at all, so there. But the most telling sign that global warming is not an actual threat is this: the Republican presidential candidates aren’t trying to scare us with the prospect that we’re all doomed to die from toxic air and scorching temperatures. And Republican presidential candidates love scaring the public. It’s their passion. If they could put a gun to each of our heads individually and say, “Vote for me or else you die”, I think they would. That’s why, despite the numerous scientific claims and all those hockey-stick graphs showing the sharp rise in temperatures, I don’t think there’s any truth to this whole global warming thing. At the very least, the declarations are exaggerated and we have nothing to worry about for at least a decade. | ['environment/series/climate-change-too-hot-to-handle', 'commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/environment', 'environment/series/keep-it-in-the-ground', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'culture/comedy', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/bonnie-mcfarlane'] | environment/series/climate-change-too-hot-to-handle | GLOBAL_CRISIS | 2015-06-19T11:00:02Z | true | GLOBAL_CRISIS |
business/2016/jan/05/drax-biomass-conversion-must-comply-with-eu-state-aid-rules | Drax biomass conversion must comply with EU state aid rules | The European commission has launched an investigation into the UK’s plans to support the conversion of part of its Drax coal power plant to biomass. The commission, which late last year gave approval for the German energy group RWE to undertake a similar conversion at its Lynemouth plant, wants to ensure the Drax plans are in line with EU state aid rules. The carbon footprint is reduced by 86% by burning wood pellets rather than coal, according to figures audited by PwC. The commission said it “fully supports member state efforts to increase the use of renewable energy and pursue EU energy and climate objectives. At the same time, EU state aid rules make sure that the cost of such support for consumers is limited and does not give certain operators an unfair advantage over competitors.” The Drax conversion project in North Yorkshire is one of several selected under a UK support measure for renewable energy projects. The plans went to the EU last April for consideration. The commission says it is concerned that the estimates of a fully converted plant’s economic performance might be too conservative and that this could lead to overcompensation. It is also worried about the number of wood pellets required and whether the sheer quantity could distort competition in the biomass market. A Drax spokesman said: “We welcome this announcement as the next step towards the full conversion of our third generating unit from coal to sustainable biomass. A positive outcome will result in half our power station running on biomass. “This will improve the security of UK electricity supply and, in saving more than 12 million tonnes of carbon per year, play a critical role in helping the UK meet its climate change targets. Shares in the group fell more than 4.5% to 221p as investors feared the uncertainty the EC decision would bring, though Angelos Anastasiou of Whitman Howard said a decision in Drax’s favour might come sooner than expected. Drax insiders are confident their maximum annual demand for biomass (2.4m tonnes) will not have a significant effect on its price when there is an approximate annual surplus of 50m tonnes in the softwood forests in the south-east of the US alone. | ['business/draxgroup', 'business/business', 'business/energy-industry', 'world/european-commission', 'world/europe-news', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/biomass-and-bioenergy', 'environment/energy', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/david-hellier', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2016-01-05T14:12:19Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/southern-crossroads/2013/sep/10/tony-abbott-carbon-price-referendum-flop | Tony Abbott's carbon price referendum was a flop | Alexander White | Just five days before polling day, then-opposition leader Tony Abbott declared at Australia's National Press Club that the 2013 election would be a referendum on the carbon price. "More than anything," Mr Abbott said, "this election is a referendum on the carbon tax." The Australian federal election was held on Saturday 7 September, an event notable for vast absenteeism at the polling booths in a nation with compulsory voting. Factoring in early voting and postal voting, there are likely to be more than 2 million enrolled voters out of over 14 million, who chose to pay a fine rather than vote on Saturday. The electoral commission's website is being progressively updated as votes are still being counted, but it is likely that fewer people voted this year than in the previous election three years ago. Abbott, who leads a coalition of parties comprised largely of climate deniers, made it clear in during the election campaign that he has no plans whatsoever to tackle climate change. His single climate policy, called "Direct Action" was jettisoned days before the poll when he revealed that he would spend no more than the slated $3.2bn in industry hand-outs for carbon reductions and tree planting — even if that meant missing the bipartisan 5% emission reduction target. Analysis of the Direct Action policy by the Climate Institute shows that it would have been $4bn short to reach the 5% target. Although Australia is still in care-taker mode, Tony Abbott has directed the public service to commence drafting legislation that would abolish the carbon price. The ABC reported: Mr Abbott's spokesman - and likely minister - for the environment, Greg Hunt, says scrapping the carbon tax will be new government's "first order of business". The cost of repealing the carbon price has been estimated at over $6bn over four years. This is in addition to the $3.2bn that Abbott would waste on its Direct Action policy. To successfully abolish the carbon price, Tony Abbott would need to navigate the relevant bills through a newly constituted Senate that from next year will be comprised of a cross bench of conservative minor parties, the Greens party and the opposition Labor party. Both the Greens party and Labor have said they will oppose moves to abolish the carbon price. Alternatively, Abbott could take the bills to the current Senate, where he would need to negotiate with Labor, the Greens party and two independent senators, notably anti-poker machine senator Nick Xenophon and socially conservative senator John Madigan. Returning to Saturday's election, it is worth recognising that if 2013 was a referendum on the carbon price, then there was no clear result. Despite Australia supposedly experiencing a "conservative tide" following the three years of minority government under Labor, Abbott's relentless campaign against the carbon price resulted in a paltry 1.7% swing to his Liberal National party coalition. In the Senate, Australia's house of review, the LNP saw a swing against it. In fact, more pro-carbon price senators were elected than anti-carbon price (35 to 33). Mr Abbott needs 39 votes to pass legislation through the senate. This is hardly a decisive result in the "referendum election". In his victory speech, Abbott said: "In three years' time, the carbon tax will be gone." This was the sole reference to the issue that "more than anything" the election was about. The result on Saturday is far from a mandate for Abbott's agenda to abolish the carbon tax. Given the choice, after three years of negative campaigning by the prime minister elect, to rush to the ballot box and vote against the carbon price, Australians seem to have preferred to stay home instead. His referendum was a failure. • This article was amended on 16 September to correct who holds the balance of power in the current senate | ['environment/southern-crossroads', 'environment/series/guardian-environment-blogs', 'tone/blog', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/tony-abbott', 'environment/carbon-tax', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'profile/alexander-white'] | environment/carbon-tax | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2013-09-10T22:30:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
global-development/2023/jun/09/they-are-overlooked-by-everybody-elders-in-ethiopia-bear-brunt-of-the-climate-crisis | ‘They are overlooked by everybody’: elders in Ethiopia bear brunt of the climate crisis | After two and a half years of drought, rain has finally returned to Borena in southern Ethiopia. Recent downpours have turned the landscape green and produced enough grass for grazing animals. But they have come too late for 89-year-old Saku Shuna, who lies in an airless tent, cradled by her daughter Loko. Like the other 28,000 people in this camp for the displaced outside the town of Dubuluk, she was a herder who relied on cattle. She came here after thirst, hunger and disease claimed her herd a year ago. “My mother was a strong and vibrant woman,” says Loko. “She walked everywhere and drank milk whenever she liked.” Now Saku is so weak from hunger that she cannot sit up or even speak. She gets a few kilos of cornmeal a month as aid from an NGO, but it is too tough for her to digest. The only thing her stomach can handle is milk, but Loko has run out of money to buy it. “I feel helpless,” Loko says. “I am just waiting for her to die.” The drought in the Horn of Africa is the worst in four decades. It could not have happened without the human-induced climate crisis, which has disrupted weather patterns and caused the failure of five consecutive rainy seasons, according to a recent study. Some 22 million people are at risk of starvation in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Older people such as Saku are among the most acutely affected. In Borena, half of those over 60 are malnourished. This is the highest rate ever recorded among old people in the area, according to HelpAge International, an NGO, and far above the local malnutrition rate of 19% among children. Yet there is little help for old people from aid agencies, which prioritise the targeting of children and mothers, says Samson Yigezu from HelpAge. The Ethiopian government’s drought response plan contains no measures for the elderly, for example. This is despite the fact that old people experiencing hunger need special interventions, such as nutrient-rich, easy-to-swallow food. This is sometimes distributed at the displacement camp where Saku lives, but only to mothers with young children. “The old people here are in a terrible condition,” says Gondana Kanchora, a camp community leader. “They are pastoralists who are used to drinking milk, but now their animals are dead. They don’t have strong teeth and they cannot eat normal food given by the NGOs.” HelpAge International is the only organisation specifically helping old people hit by the drought in Borena. It works with local partners to distribute emergency supplies, cash and water to people over 60 and their families. “Older people are the group with the highest level of malnutrition,” says Yigezu. “Yet they are completely overlooked by everybody – aid agencies, the government, even the community itself. It is a huge failure.” Some are trying to address this. Fitsum Degama, a local official, says he has raised the plight of old people in Borena with the government, but without success. “They are forgotten,” Degama says. Putting old people at even greater risk in Borena is a local custom that says elders should not eat until the family’s children are fed. Duba Galgalo, 78, explains that this practice is closely followed when times are lean. “Since the drought started, I always eat last,” says Galgalo, who has 12 grandchildren. The family share one meal a day. “If there is nothing left after they have eaten, I will pass the evening without food. But at least I feel relieved that the children have eaten.” Old people are also vulnerable to exploitation during droughts. Sitting outside his tent in the camp and wrapped in a ragged white shawl, Kiro Godana, who is in his 90s, says he has seen many droughts but that this one is the worst. “In the past, it might not get rainfall for one season. We might lose one to two cows and the others would survive. We had ways of coping. But this one is much longer. That’s why our cows didn’t survive.” Godana is partially deaf so questions have to be shouted loudly into his ear. He responds in a hoarse whisper. The toll malnutrition has taken on his body is clearly visible: his ribs protrude through his skin and weeping wounds run down his stick-thin legs. “My life was normal and good when I had my cows,” he says. “Everything changed when I lost them.” Conditions are even tougher in the villages outside the camp, which are hard for aid agencies to reach. In Higo, a collection of grass and stick huts about an hour’s drive away, all the young men have left in search of work, leaving behind children, women and the elderly. Boru Dido, who estimates he is 85, says the drought has left his family with nothing. He has little hope they will be able to replenish their livestock. “It is good the rain has come back, but our animals are already dead,” he says. “There is no way of bringing them back.” | ['global-development/global-development', 'environment/drought', 'world/ethiopia', 'environment/environment', 'world/africa', 'world/world', 'global-development/aid', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'campaign/email/global-dispatch', 'society/older-people', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/fred-harter', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2023-06-09T06:00:51Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2024/sep/26/video-shows-explosion-in-london-refuse-truck-after-combustible-items-put-in-bin | Video shows explosion in London refuse truck after combustible items put in bin | A crew of refuse workers in north London narrowly escaped injury when combustible items that had been packed into a bin exploded after being loaded into a refuse truck. Footage shows the moment of the explosion, caused after combustible items such as batteries, aerosol or gas canisters were wrongly placed into a residential bin. They were then crushed by the lorry’s impactor, causing a bin and other debris to be fired out into the street. It follows another incident this year where a set of lithium batteries caught light and burned a hole in the side of a bin lorry. Alan Schneiderman, a councillor in Barnet, said: “The video is incredibly shocking, and we’re relieved that the crew members escaped unharmed. I hope this helps people to understand how important it is to properly recycle items such as gas canisters and bottles, batteries and aerosols, as on another day we might not have been so lucky.” The council said combustible waste should never be placed in waste bins and should be taken to a local recycling centre. In some cases they can be reused and refilled or returned to the seller for future use. Battery fires in bin lorries and at waste sites in the UK have reached an all time high, the National Fire Chiefs Council said this year, adding that they were a disaster waiting to happen. More than 1,200 such fires were recorded in the year to May, an an increase of 71% from 700 in 2022. When crushed or damaged, batteries can be dangerous to the public, waste operators and firefighters as they cause fires that are especially challenging to tackle. They can create their own oxygen, which means they can keep reigniting, prolonging the fire. | ['environment/waste', 'technology/lithium-ion-batteries', 'environment/recycling', 'uk/london', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/benquinn', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-09-26T15:52:13Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2009/mar/11/greenland-channels-ice-loss | Greenland ice sheet riddled with channels that could accelerate melt, study reveals | The Greenland ice sheet is riddled with channels that could quicken ice loss and speed sea level rise, a new study has revealed. Unique video footage taken 100m inside the ice has revealed a complex subglacial network of interconnecting tunnels that carry water from the surface to deep inside the ice sheet. Konrad Steffen, an ice expert at the University of Colorado, told a global warming conference in Copenhagen that the discovery could explain sudden and severe increases in ice movement seen during peak summer. Water channelled from the surface to the base of the ice sheet could speed up the way it slides across the bedrock. On a large scale, this could cause the ice sheet to break up much faster than expected. Steffen worked with experts from Nasa to design a special camera that his team dangled inside the Greenland ice in summer 2007. They sent it down a "moulin" — a hole at the surface that carries away fast-flowing streams of surface water produced from melted ice. "I have lots of graduate students working on this project, but we couldn't find any volunteers who were willing to go down there to take a look," he joked. Experts suspect such moulins carry melt water from the surface to the bedrock, but until now it had been impossible to track the flow to check where water went. Combined with images from a ground-penetrating radar dragged across the ice surface, Steffen's results showed that the moulin quickly widened beneath the surface. Several side channels carried water away to other parts of the ice sheet and fed the moulin from other holes on the surface. "The whole ice sheet is connected with these open channels," he said. | ['environment/glaciers', 'environment/poles', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'world/world', 'environment/water', 'tone/news', 'environment/sea-level', 'world/greenland', 'type/article', 'profile/davidadam'] | environment/poles | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2009-03-11T13:14:48Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sustainable-business/2015/jan/01/2015-predictions-social-entrepreneurs-responsible-business-innovation | 2015 prediction: doing the right thing becomes central to business, not a sideline | People with good hearts often do the most harm. I witnessed this firsthand about 20 years ago, when – after I’d already been helping to build responsible businesses, large and small, for some 20 years – I saw the creation of a special business focus called sustainability. Then came corporate citizenship and other labels. The organizations I had worked to develop had never separated out – and, as a result, fragmented – the work of doing business responsibly. Responsibility was part of how they did everything, not a sideline. I think separating responsibility from business operations, while well-intended, ultimately caused setbacks. But I finally see that well intended sidetrack reversing: 2015 is looking bright for responsible entrepreneurship. Three big shifts in particular that should give us hope: 1. Less counting, more caring Until recently, most reporting, consulting and corporate programs have used metrics to leverage responsibility. Managers figure out a way to count everything, believing a metric is the golden ticket to getting things done. The misguided notion of “what you measure is what you get” has been the mantra for decades. I don’t think it’s true. My mantra is: “What you get is what you care about.” Google, for instance, is making headway in changing our relationship with food. Instead of focusing on metrics, it’s finding ways to make people care about the impact of their food choices on farming, health and climate. Via global dialogue and multidisciplinary projects, it aims to create food experiences and knowledge that brings those impacts to life in a more effective and powerful way than simply by sharing abstract numbers and statistics. This approach has already born fruit: Google has set up its own community-supported agriculture deals directly with local farms in Northern California. If Google and other companies can get more people to care, that could make it possible to scale for organic farming, resulting in real systemic change. 2. Less copying, more innovating The sustainability movement unwittingly has borrowed many bad ideas from the traditional business world. Chief among them is the idea of “best practices.” Copying others’ practices has the tendency to commoditize the same approaches rather than creating unique ones that are relevant to each situation and business. For example, most companies have separate programs and standards for goals such as water conservation, fair trade, green building, energy efficiency and more. But focusing on the individual numbers in each category isn’t enough to make a business create real change. Being a fair trade brand is a baseline for being a good business; not a differentiator. What I hope to see more of in 2015 is the shifting of entire systems through innovation. I’m already seeing some signs this trend is growing: take Merida Meridian, a small US textile design company that has been changing the rug industry with unique designs and products that exceed sustainability and fair-trade standards. The company creates healthier communities in places – such as Brazilian villages – where it sources woven, dyed materials. It supports the unique artisan skills that were being lost to commodity sourcing. And the designs themselves stand out: Merida Meridian is now considered a “go to” source for top interior designers around the world. It would have missed all that commercial and social success if it had simply pursued the best practices in its industry. 3. Fewer substitutions, more game changing 2014 may have been the year of the social enterprise , but many social enterprises operate on a small scale. If we want to see true progress, these companies will need to think bigger. While most social ventures offer product substitutes for conscious consumers, they leave more than 97% of the market to more irresponsible options. Or they focus on solving a single problem rather than changing the system that produces the problem. Most, so far, haven’t been disruptive enough to change their whole industry. But that transformation, I hope, is coming. Community Sourced Capital of Seattle, Washington, is changing the financial system that affects small business investing and local economic vitality in its area. In particular, it’s taking on the impersonal relationships banks often have with their communities. Here’s how it works: local residents make interest-free loans to local CSC-member businesses – which are vetted by CSC – to buy equipment and grow. The investors are investing in the neighborhood, as well as the business. They are deeply connected to the neighborhood businesses and care if it is succeeds. CSC is changing both an industry and a social system. If more social enterprises find innovative ways to change systems, they could end up doing far more good. Carol Sanford is an educator who has worked with companies such as DuPont, Procter & Gamble, Seventh Generation and Google. She is also the author of The Responsible Entrepreneur: Four Game-Changing Archetypes for Founders, Leaders, and Impact Investors. The values-led business hub is funded by SC Johnson. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled “brought to you by”. Find out more here. | ['sustainable-business/series/sustainable-business-predictions-2015', 'sustainable-business/series/values-business', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/entrepreneurs', 'society/socialenterprises', 'business/business', 'business/small-business', 'sustainable-business/sustainability-reporting', 'type/article', 'tone/comment'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-01-01T14:00:12Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
australia-news/2022/mar/28/morrison-plan-to-allow-renewable-agency-to-fund-fossil-fuels-blocked-by-liberal-led-committee | Government plan to let renewable agency fund fossil fuels blocked after Liberal-led committee’s motion | A Morrison government plan to change the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) to allow it to fund a broader range of technologies, including some using fossil fuels, has been blocked after a Liberal-led committee moved a motion against it. The government did not contest the Senate disallowance motion which was moved by the standing committee for the scrutiny of delegated legislation, chaired by the outgoing Liberal Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. The committee had earlier written to the energy minister, Angus Taylor, to warn it believed his proposal to change Arena’s remit without legislation went beyond what the parliament envisaged when it passed laws to create the agency. Taylor had attempted to use regulation to allow Arena to fund programs under the government’s technology investment roadmap, including carbon capture and storage as well as “clean” hydrogen made using gas. It is the second time the government’s proposed changes to Arena had been blocked. It was knocked back by the Senate in June last year after being opposed by Labor, the Greens and crossbench senators Rex Patrick, Stirling Griff and Jacqui Lambie. The government later reintroduced an altered version of the regulation that more tightly defined the technologies that could benefit and introduced a spending cap. The government chose not to contest the disallowance motion on Monday, saying it did not want to call a vote in the Senate out of respect for a condolence motion in the chamber for Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, who died suddenly earlier this month. A spokesperson for Taylor said the government remained committed to the change and would revisit it in the “immediate future”. It is likely a majority of senators, including from Labor, the Greens and several crossbenchers, would have supported Fierravanti-Wells in blocking the Arena changes if a vote had been called. Chris Bowen, the climate spokesperson for Labor, said the disallowance was “just the latest addition to the climate and energy bonfire that started with this government’s election nine years ago”. He said that the motion had been moved by a Liberal-led committee vindicated Labor’s fight to stop Arena from becoming a “slush fund”. The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, said it showed “Greens in parliament deliver for the climate”. “We helped set up Arena in the 2010 power-sharing parliament, we stopped [former prime minister] Tony Abbott abolishing it and now we’ve stopped the Liberals using the country’s renewable energy agency to funnel public money to coal and gas donors,” he said. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning In a letter to Taylor last year, Fierravanti-Wells noted the objective of the laws governing Arena was “to improve the competitiveness and supply of renewable energy in Australia”. The Liberal senator said there was nothing in the bill’s explanatory memorandum “to suggest that it was contemplated that the Arena would have the ability to foster anything other than renewable energy technologies”. “The committee is concerned that the [change] deals with the significant matter of expanding the jurisdiction of the Arena from investing in renewable energy technologies to programs relating to energy efficiency and low-emissions technology,” Fierravanti-Wells wrote. She said the committee believed the changes were “more appropriate for parliamentary enactment” – in other words, they should be made through legislation. On Monday, Fierravanti-Wells said the standing committee for the scrutiny of delegated legislation was a technical committee that assessed regulations against “a set of scrutiny principles”, and the disallowance motion followed a “unanimous and bipartisan recommendation of the committee” last year. The disallowance went through two days after Fierravanti-Wells was demoted to an unwinnable position on the NSW Coalition senate ticket. The government last year defended the proposed change, saying it would bring “a portfolio of technologies to commercial parity with higher-emitting alternatives so we can reduce emissions across every sector of the economy, while protecting industries and jobs, and creating new ones”. On Monday, a spokesperson for Taylor said it had not changed its position. “The government has withheld calling a division out of respect for the condolence motion for senator Kitching,” they said. “The government remains committed to the regulation and the role it plays in supporting the deployment of low-emissions technology. Expanding Arena’s remit has wide industry support.” Industry group the Smart Energy Council welcomed the disallowance. It said it had planned to launch legal action against the change if it was not disallowed in the Senate. “This is absolutely fantastic news that government money won’t be going to fossil fuel projects,” its chief executive, John Grimes, said. Officials told Senate estimates last year the government had drafted legislation to change Arena, but the minister opted to use regulation instead. Bowen told parliament he believed the government may not have introduced the drafted bill because it was concerned Coalition MPs would attempt to amend it to allow Arena to fund coal projects – as the then backbencher, now deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce did with legislation to change the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. | ['australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/angus-taylor', 'world/chris-bowen', 'australia-news/adam-bandt', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/coalition', 'australia-news/liberal-party', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/australian-greens', 'environment/environment', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-morton', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2022-03-28T07:03:46Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2009/jun/12/ed-miliband-music-festival | Ed Miliband takes climate change message to Isle of Wight festival | The first major pop festival of the summer opens today with a climate change message playing alongside music ranging from The Prodigy to Neil Young. More than 50,000 music lovers will head over to the Isle of Wight for the legendary event, which has previously hosted acts such as Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, and will this year feature video screens showing Ed Miliband, energy and climate change minister, calling on individuals to back a new government climate campaign. As well as publicising the government's upcoming Act on Copenhagen website ahead of post-Kyoto climate talks in Copenhagen in December, the festival has introduced a number of environment initiatives. The festival organisers' range of green measures include a greater use of renewable energy, guided bike rides off the festival site and round the island and encouraging festival-goers to travel to the event via car-sharing services. Money will also be raised for a local Give Bees a Chance campaign, which is raising funds for research into bee habitats on the Isle of Wight and predicting climate change's long-term affects on the island's honeybees. Miliband said: "Congratulations to the Isle of Wight festival for going green and helping to spread the message on cutting carbon. The UK government is working hard to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions, and we'll be heading to Copenhagen in December determined to achieve an historic international deal to tackle climate change." John Giddings, Isle of Wight festival promoter, said: "The collaboration with the Department of Energy and Climate Change allows us to promote the importance of reducing emissions on a much bigger scale which will hopefully send a strong message that by working together towards a common goal we can make a huge difference to the future of our planet." The government-festival collaboration sees a video message from Miliband broadcast on the main stage throughout the three day event, encouraging festival-goers to visit the yet-to-be-launched ActOnCopenhagen.decc.gov.uk, which will provide resources on the UN climate talks taking place in Copenhagen this December. The site will launch on 26 June. Earlier this week at climate negotiations in Bonn for the Copenhagen summit, developing countries called for a global airline levy to raise £6.25bn to help poorer countries adapt to climate change. As well as government ministers via video screens, acts taking to the stage this weekend include Stereophonics, Razorlight, Pixies, Maxïmo Park, Basement Jaxx and several bands from the 1980s including The Human League, Ultravox, Simple Minds and Bananarama. The event, held at Seaclose Park, Newport, will be the eighth year since the festival was reincarnated in 2002. Other festivals taking place this summer with an environmental theme include The Big Green Gathering in Somerset and Croissant Neuf in Monmoutshire. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'politics/edmiliband', 'music/music', 'environment/environment', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'environment/green-politics', 'music/isle-of-wight-festival', 'type/article', 'profile/adam-vaughan'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2009-06-12T09:41:33Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
commentisfree/2023/jun/02/scotland-glass-bottle-deposit-politicians-devolution | Scotland’s glass bottle deposit plan is being kicked down the road by warring politicians | Kat Jones | The latest constitutional crisis between the Scottish parliament and Westminster isn’t over an independence referendum or the high affairs of state. It’s about whether Scotland can recycle glass bottles more effectively. Last week, the UK government told Scottish ministers they couldn’t include glass bottles in their long-planned deposit return scheme. Doing so would violate the Internal Market Act, they said, which dictates that any condition devolved administrations wish to place on the sale of goods or services needs central government approval – part of Westminster’s post-Brexit reshaping of the way the UK works. But when the act was being debated, ministers were confident that the deposit return scheme would be fully compliant. And yet this week we heard that cans and plastic bottles could be included, but glass bottles could not. So what changed? The deposit return system was originally backed by all five parties at Holyrood in 2019. Now, it’s mired in controversy. It has become a political football, on the agenda for meetings between the first minister and the prime minister, and the key issue in the SNP leadership race. Business voices are increasing efforts to block it, while the environmental movement is desperately trying to keep it on track. It is an example of how a popular and pragmatic environmental policy – the kind of thing everyone should be able to agree on if we are to do anything to address the many ecological crises we face – can be derailed by politics. Deposit schemes are a simple idea, used in more than 50 other places around the world, and were seen across the UK in the 70s and 80s. A small, fully refundable deposit is charged on every drinks can and bottle – in Scotland’s case 20p. That small financial incentive would get 90% or more of the cans and bottles sold back into the system, off our streets, out of our countryside and out of our seas. And they’re all available for higher-quality recycling, cutting emissions and reducing demand for virgin materials. Given how ineffective our current recycling schemes are – the recycling rate for cans and bottles in Scotland is between 49% and 59% – deposit schemes are a tried and tested solution. Almost two decades ago, the Scottish parliament was first petitioned to bring in deposit return by two primary school pupils. One of their dogs had been injured by broken glass. Those former pupils are now nearly 30, a fact that often comes to mind when people say this policy has been rushed. In 2015, APRS launched our campaign for deposit return, with support from a network of community groups, environmental campaigners and responsible businesses. Two years later, the then first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced that deposits would come to Scotland, and in 2019 the regulations were approved, alongside a start date of April 2021. That’s when the problems began. Industry lobbying pushed it back to July 2022, then August 2023. Then, to some surprise, Westminster announced in January that England would get essentially the same system, minus glass (despite the 2019 Conservative manifesto promising a glass return scheme). Ministers have been vague on the reasons behind their exclusion of glass, but alluded to industry pressures. The UK’s own analysis of the scheme proposals showed the net benefits without glass would be about £3.6bn for the English system, but with glass in that would rise to about £5.9bn. Westminster then turned its attentions to Scotland’s scheme. Alister Jack, the secretary of state for Scotland, intervened in the ongoing process of granting an internal market exclusion. Despite the best efforts of other UK departments, he got his way on glass, excluding it from Scotland’s scheme. This is where the issue ceased to be about pragmatic environmental solutions, and became a fight over Scotland’s right to shape its own policy. All this has come at the expense of the environment – glass is the most carbon-intensive of the materials in the scope of the scheme. Micromanaging Scotland’s deposit return system has undermined its devolution settlement. It has created uncertainty for business and eroded trust, and the collateral damage appears to be the right for the devolved nations to bring in even minor improvements via environmental legislation. Any measure that affects goods or services sold in Scotland (or Wales) now faces an effective unilateral veto. This is, of course, a key area of environmental policy. Elsewhere, we have seen wider measures blocked using the very legislation that established the Scottish parliament. The prospects for change through devolution are gradually being closed down, which should concern people, whatever their views on independence. As an example, it’s hard to see Westminster agreeing to the Scottish government’s policy to end the sale of internal combustion engines by 2032. But there appear to be few limits to what can be blocked – irrespective of how far down the road we may be. It’s hard not to feel a wave of existential despair watching a well-tested and proven environmental policy such as this become fodder for myths, political U-turns and intense industry lobbying. If we cannot bring in the European gold standard for recycling, it’s hard to see how we can make what the IPCC calls the “rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” required to keep our planet habitable for the long term. Dr Kat Jones is the director of APRS (Action to Protect Rural Scotland) | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'politics/scotland', 'uk/scotland', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/waste', 'environment/ethical-living', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'politics/devolution', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/kat-jones', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-06-02T09:00:11Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2014/sep/21/climate-change-rallies-held-across-australia | Climate change rallies held across Australia urge Tony Abbott to act now | Tens of thousands of people have attended climate change rallies across Australia, in the first leg of a global wave of protests calling for tougher action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the UN climate summit in New York next week. The main People’s Climate March rally was held in Melbourne on Sunday, with Victoria police estimating at least 10,000 attended. Organisers put the figure closer to 20,000, with families, young people and the elderly making the most of the sunshine to urge the prime minister, Tony Abbott, to do more to tackle climate change. There were also marches in Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Darwin. The rallies, along with gatherings in cities across south-east Asia and Europe, are a prelude to what is expected to be a 100,000-strong climate march in New York. Protesters at the Australian rallies, organised by 350.org and activist group GetUp, denounced the Coalition government’s axing of the carbon price. There was also vocal support for the renewable energy target, currently under review, and the protection of ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. A one-day summit will be held by the UN next week to galvanise political support for a new international treaty to cut greenhouses gases beyond 2020. The final stages of the agreement will be hammered out at a UN meeting in Paris in 2015. Leaders from more than 120 countries will attend the summit, although this number does not include Abbott, who will be in New York the following day for a UN meeting on security issues. The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, will represent Australia at the climate conference, although she will reportedly not reveal what Australia’s emissions reduction target beyond 2020 will be. Australia currently has a goal of a 5% cut in emissions by 2020, based on 2000 levels. Mark Butler, Labor’s environment spokesman, told journalists before the Melbourne climate rally that Abbott should have attended the UN climate meeting. But Butler would not specify what Labor’s position was on post-2020 emissions cuts. “Both major parties had strong commitments to carbon pollution reduction based on a range of conditions,” he said. “It’s not clear whether those conditions have been satisfied. We haven’t got a position [on post-2020] yet. That’s the serious work Australia should be doing now, but instead the Abbott government is busy dismantling the good work we’ve done to date.” Greens leader Christine Milne told the rally Australia should be net carbon zero by 2050, adding: “The reign of fossil fuels is over. What we now have to do is end the reign of the fossil fools who keep it going. “We want no more delays. Climate change is real, it is accelerating, we are on a trajectory for four degrees of warming which is an unlivable planet and we won’t stand for it. That is what we have to convey to Tony Abbott and leaders around the world.” The Melbourne rally was brimming with personal antipathy towards Abbott, with a giant puppet of the prime minister paraded throughout the crowd and verbally abused. One placard depicted Abbott as a wolf. But the mood was generally good-natured, and perhaps even a little downbeat compared to a previous climate rally in November, which took place before the carbon price was repealed. Chants of “What do we want? Climate action. When do we want it?” were met with the odd call of “10 years ago” rather than the planned “now.” It felt like a crowd weary of fighting this battle. Melbourne woman Victoria Marshall-Cerins was there with her daughter Anna. “I’m deeply concerned about my children’s future, they are the ones who will have to clean it up,” she told Guardian Australia. “Australia is now dragging its heels. From one of the world’s leaders, we’re now going backwards. We’re embarrassing.” Marshall-Cerins said she didn’t like to talk about the ramifications of climate change in front of Anna. “She gets quite anxious,” she said. “It’s hard to articulate in front of her. It’s the single greatest threat to our way of life since the 1940s.” Jeremy Lawrence, who had donned a papier-mâché shark as a hat, said he was marching as an “economic rationalist and libertarian”. “We have a lot of old coal-fired power stations ending their useful life,” he told Guardian Australia. “They have to be phased out in a rational way. “The cheapest way of supplying electricity to the whole of the country is distributed solar. I just don’t understand what the problem is for the Liberal party, which is meant to be the economic rationalist party, to support that.” The Climate Institute said it hoped to see Australia’s timeline for setting post-2020 emissions reduction goals in New York. “We will be looking for a recommitment to the international goal of avoiding 2C warming and an independent, transparent process and timeline for new post-2020 targets, which Australia is due to indicate to other countries next year,” said John Connor, chief executive of the Climate Institute. “Now is the time for Australia to come clean on its commitments. Is the government going to be fair dinkum about these climate negotiations, or will they be playing poker with the planet’s wellbeing?” This article was amended on 22 September 2014. The original said Christine Milne told the rally Australia should be net carbon zero by 2020. This has been corrected. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/tony-abbott', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/coalition', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'environment/activism', 'world/protest', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/world', 'world/unitednations', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2014-09-21T06:34:30Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2018/jun/07/sexy-plants-on-track-to-replace-harmful-pesticides-to-protect-crops | ‘Sexy plants’ on track to replace harmful pesticides to protect crops | “Sexy plants” are on the way to replacing many harmful pesticides, scientists say, by producing the sex pheromones of insects which then frustrate pests’ attempts to mate. Scientists have already genetically engineered a plant to produce the sex pheromones of moths and are now optimising that, as well as working on new pheromones such as those of the mealybugs that plague citrus growers. Sex pheromones are already used to protect some higher-value crops, such as tomatoes and berries. But the complex molecules are currently produced by chemical synthesis, which is expensive. The new work uses a plant as a bio-factory, powered by the sun. Other researchers are also working on brewing sex pheromones using genetically modified yeast, a process already widely used to make, for example, insulin for diabetic patients. Existing pesticides often harm both pests and beneficial insects, such as bees. Some are now pervasive in the environment around the world and are partly to blame for crashing insect populations. The world’s most widely used insecticides, neonicotinoids, were banned from outdoor use by the European Union in April. In contrast, pheromones are specific to each species and, being used in tiny amounts in fields, do not contaminate the wider area. “For many species, pheromone manufacturing is difficult and expensive,” said Nicola Patron, at the Earlham Institute, UK, which has received three years of European funding for the new project, along with scientists in Spain, Germany and Slovenia. “Bioengineering can provide viable alternatives to manufacturing, expanding the use of pheromones that will be much kinder to our environment.” A pilot project called SexyPlant created a genetically modified tobacco plant that produces and releases the sex pheromones of the cotton bollworm and navel orangeworm, both larvae of moths. This is now being improved to give bigger yields. The same plant has already been engineered by others to produce ebola antibodies and polio vaccine. In the new work, the pheromone will first be harvested from the plant and put in traps or dispensers to prevent pests mating. But in future, plants producing the pheromones could be planted alongside the crops they protect. This will prevent females finding mates and laying their eggs on crops, which the larvae then destroy, but will not affect the insects away from the field. Patron and her colleagues are also isolating pheromones from citrus mealybugs, chosen because they are particularly complex molecules. “If we can do these, we can probably do most things,” said Patron. She said crop plants were not themselves being engineered to produce pheromones, so no GM material would be in the final produce. Pheromones harvested from the plants could be used in fields quite soon, but putting pheromone-producing plants in fields is 10-15 years away, Patron said, because of the long regulatory process for GM plants. Other scientists, at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), are exploring using engineered yeast cells to produce pheromones. “We aim to produce pheromones by fermentation and it will make the pheromones affordable for the protection of row crops, like maize and soybean,” said Irina Borodina at DTU. One of the pests her group is targeting is the fall armyworm, which poses a major threat to food security in Africa and elsewhere. “African farmers have tried to treat this pest with insecticides, but it has become resistant,” said Borodina. “So there is an urgent need for a solution because otherwise people will starve.” Different approaches are welcomed by Patron, whose group is also exploring the potential of fungi to produce pheromones: “At this stage of biomanufacturing, there is not one perfect solution and it definitely makes sense we try it across different types of organisms and see what is going to work.” Chris Hartfield, at the National Farmers’ Union in England, said: “Looking for alternative ways of effectively controlling the many crop pests farmers face is at the heart of the integrated pest management approach taken by farmers and growers. Using pheromones and other biopesticides, where available, is an important part of that approach. “Farmers are in the job of producing safe, traceable and affordable food, so the critical thing for them is to have an effective crop protection toolbox available to combat pests today,” he said. “If they lose a pesticide from that toolbox, food production could be severely impacted if the effective alternative is several years away at the end of a research project.” | ['environment/pesticides', 'environment/farming', 'world/world', 'environment/gm', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-06-07T05:30:33Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
science/political-science/2015/mar/16/climate-politics-does-the-ipcc-have-a-future | Climate Politics: Does the IPCC Have a Future? | With the upcoming Paris climate negotiations in December this year (COP21) and the decisions beginning to be made about the next (6th) IPCC Assessment, both international climate policy and climate science are at a crossroads. I believe the IPCC must continue to offer scientifically rigorous, yet policy-neutral, assessments of climate change knowledge. That is why I am standing for election as the next IPCC Chair and I explain my reasons below. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the main organization informing policy-makers about the state of climate change science. Now that the human influence on the climate system has been deemed ‘clear’ by IPCC and that a long-term goal has been agreed (reduce emissions so that global mean warming would stay below 2°C, or possibly 1.5°C, above the pre-industrial level), humanity knows it must stop ignoring the ‘inconvenient truth’ of climate change. The debate has shifted from a scientific one 40 years ago to a very political one today, involving economic interests, geopolitics, different priorities given to environment or development, and a clash between short-term and long-term visions. The IPCC mandate is to assess, in the most rigorous, inclusive, and transparent way, the ‘scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation’. Does a body such as IPCC still serve a purpose in this context? Yes. I am convinced that IPCC has an essential mandate, more important than ever. For 20 years, the world has tried to finesse the scientific evidence of climate change. Precious time has been lost to engage in sufficiently ambitious mitigation and adaptation policies under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The room for manoeuver is very limited to avoid the ‘severe, pervasive, and irreversible impacts’ that the IPCC has warned about in its last Report. Adaptation has the potential to reduce some risks. But it cannot reduce all of them, especially if the international climate stabilization targets, which require net global emissions reduced to zero well before the end of this century, are not met. When manoeuvring a vehicle in limited space, one must be very well informed about both the surrounding risks and the available options. This is what the IPCC must do, and continue to do, in a scientifically rigorous, but policy-neutral, way: assess the risks, the options and the processes for reaching decisions. But the IPCC must do so in an even more inclusive manner than in the past, involving more scientists from developing countries in particular. It must encourage all authors to work better across disciplinary boundaries. The next assessment by the IPCC must ensure the best team spirit, with a sense of accountability and ownership that is shared by all. For the IPCC to be relevant, it must also continue to improve its communication with policymakers and with the public. This is an area I am proud to have contributed to as Vice-chair in charge of designing the implementation plan for the IPCC Communication strategy. The IPCC products need to be more accessible, more readable, and translated into different languages faster. The IPCC should make more effort to reach out to different audiences, seek greater transparency in how it works and show more responsiveness on social media. It should consider new partnerships with other organisations to address specific audiences. To make sure all of this happens during the next assessment cycle, the IPCC needs a strong leader, a team builder, who dedicates herself or himself full time as IPCC Chair (see my platform). Having worked as a climate scientist for the last 35 years, I am lucky that my University will allow me to take that unpaid full-time position if I am elected, and continue to pay my salary. I shall be speaking about the future of the IPCC at King’s College London, at 6.30pm on Thursday, March 26th. I look forward to meeting the UK scientific community and stakeholders at this event and to listening to their comments and suggestions about the future of IPCC. Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Candidate IPCC Chair (Vice-Chair for now), Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium (@JPvanYpersele) | ['science/political-science', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/ipcc', 'science/science', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/cop-21-un-climate-change-conference-paris', 'type/article'] | environment/ipcc | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-03-16T11:08:13Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
news/2010/nov/18/weatherwatch-waxwing | Weatherwatch: The unpredictable waxwing | Of all the birds that visit us each winter, waxwings are surely the most sought after. Partly this is the result of their appearance: that delicate, soft, buffish-brown plumage, with the little crest of wispy feathers on top of the crown; their plump outlines as they flock together on a winter's day; and most of all, the blobs of red on their wingtips, so like old-fashioned sealing-wax, that give the birds their name. But the waxwing's aura also derives from its unpredictability: in some years there may be tens of thousands, in other years hardly any. The waxwing is an irruptive species, rather than a truly migratory one: a wanderer, rather than a regular visitor. When waxwings do come in plentiful numbers, from their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and western Siberia, it is often taken to be an indication of a hard winter to come. Just as with ducks, geese and swans that winter here, both ancient folklore and modern media promote the same, erroneous belief that the birds have fled southwards in order to avoid hard weather. So, the argument goes, snow and ice are on the way. It's a nice theory, spoilt by one little fact. Waxwing irruptions are not related to the weather at all, but to a combination of breeding success and food shortages. If a good nesting season is followed by a shortage of berries, the waxwings will come in their thousands; if breeding success has been poor, and berries are plentiful, they will not. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'environment/environment', 'uk/weather', 'type/article', 'environment/birds', 'profile/stephenmoss1'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2010-11-18T00:05:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2013/nov/19/pilots-death-fire-service-to-investigate-claims-of-intimidation | Pilot’s death: NSW rural fire service to investigate claims of intimidation | The NSW rural fire service (RFS) has launched an immediate investigation into allegations made by senator Bill Heffernan that a pilot was taunted for being apprehensive about flying shortly before his plane crashed. David Black was waterbombing a fire on the NSW south coast on 24 October when the fixed-wing aircraft he was flying crashed. The 43-year-old pilot, who was not an RFS contractor but was contracted to assist in the firefighting, was killed. Witnesses reported seeing a wing fall off the plane shortly before it plunged to the ground. The crash sparked another blaze – one of many burning during what was the state’s worst fire crisis in decades. Heffernan told a Senate hearing into operations of the civil aviation safety authority (Casa) that he’d been informed Black was taunted by RFS firefighters for expressing concern about the dangerous flying conditions. "I'm disgusted as I'm informed that on that day it was pretty rugged weather and ... [pilots] were taunted by the rural fire service because these guys didn't particularly want to fly," said Heffernan. Casa head John McCormick said pilots were contracted by the bushfire service during waterbombing. "We do rely on the expertise of the people who are involved with the firefighting ... I think it's terrible if they gave him intimidation to fly," McCormick said. The NSW rural fire service told Guardian Australia in a statement that it had no information related to the allegations. However “given the serious nature of the allegations the NSW RFS has launched an immediate investigation into the matter and will be in a position to make a statement once we are in possession of all the facts”. Black was the director and chief pilot of an agricultural company. He left a wife and three children. His family was presented with the RFS commissioner’s commendation for service. "While David was not a member of the NSW RFS he was a part of the NSW RFS family," Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said shortly after Black’s death. "David's death was tragic and has affected the RFS family deeply. "David will forever be remembered by the NSW rural fire service not only as a successful businessman and an accomplished pilot, but also as a well respected member of the firefighting community who lost his life while serving and protecting others.” The Australian transport safety bureau is investigating the crash. Senator Heffernan has been contacted for comment. | ['world/plane-crashes', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'world/wildfires', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/helen-davidson'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2013-11-19T05:36:12Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2014/jul/01/greenpeace-lego-shell-partnership-toys-oil-arctic | Greenpeace urges Lego to end Shell partnership | Lego is putting sales above its commitment to the environment by partnering with Shell, according to Greenpeace, which is launching a global campaign to force the world’s biggest toymaker to end a deal that puts the oil company’s logo on the famous bricks. On Tuesday the environmental group will target the Danish company, which has distributed more than 16m Shell-branded toys via petrol stations in 26 countries, hoping to pressure it through “creative action” and mobilising the 5 million “Arctic supporters” it has signed up online. Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, the president and chief executive of Lego, which reported record profits earlier this year, has said: “as we expand globally, we are determined to leave a positive impact on society, and the planet that our children will inherit”. Greenpeace claims that Shell, which has suffered repeated delays in its attempts to drill in Arctic waters off Alaska, is putting the polar region’s unique marine environment at risk and exacerbating global warming. Ian Duff, Greenpeace’s Arctic campaign team leader, said: “Climate change is an incredible threat facing all children around the world, but Shell is trying to hijack the magic of Lego to hide its role. It is using Lego to clean up its image and divert attention from its dangerous plans to raid the pristine Arctic for oil. And it’s exploiting kids’ love of their toys to build lifelong loyalty it doesn’t deserve. It’s time for Lego to finally pull the plug on this deal.” Iris Worldwide, the advertising agency behind the 2012-14 partnership between Lego, Shell and Ferrari, estimated the deal’s PR value at $116m (£68m). A Shell spokesman said it had been “a very successful and productive relationship”. Lego and Shell would not comment on whether a new post-2014 deal was under discussion. Lego has trumpeted its environmental credentials, recycling 90% of its waste and making its operations nearly one-third more energy efficient over five years. It has pledged to produce more renewable energy than the energy it uses by 2020, and is exploring an alternative raw material – currently crude oil – for its bricks. Asked if its partnership with Shell was at odds with its CEO’s promise to leave a positive impact on the planet, a spokesman said: “We expect and are confident that Shell lives up to the legislation wherever they operate, including the Arctic, but we can only refer to Shell for comments on where and how Shell operates. We consider our biggest contribution in leaving a positive impact to be through inspiring and developing children as they experience the joy and learning opportunity that creative play provides.” Lego’s partnership with Shell dates back to the 1960s, and ran into the 1990s with Shell-branded Lego sets, before the toymaker switched to a fictional oil company called Octan, which went on to feature as the corporation headed by the villain President Business in The Lego Movie. Shell has suffered a series of setbacks in its attempts to drill for oil in the Arctic, with its Kulluk oil rig running aground off Sitkalidak Island, Alaska, in January 2013. The US Coast Guard later accused Shell of partly ignoring safety warnings over bad weather to avoid Alaskan taxes. In January, the company shelved its plans to drill this year and said the exploration drive was “under review.” Greenpeace promised thousands of its activists would take part in the campaign on six continents. It is currently running adverts in Danish newspapers calling on Lego to end the deal. | ['environment/greenpeace', 'environment/activism', 'environment/environment', 'business/royaldutchshell', 'business/oil', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'business/business', 'lifeandstyle/lego', 'lifeandstyle/toys', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'world/protest', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/adam-vaughan'] | environment/greenpeace | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2014-07-01T06:00:14Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2023/nov/28/north-carolina-pfas-pollution-united-nations-chemours-plant | UN human rights experts express alarm over PFAS pollution in North Carolina | A new investigation by human rights experts appointed by the United Nations has expressed alarm at evidence of pollution from a North Carolina PFAS manufacturing plant, describing it as “alleged human rights violations and abuses against residents”. The ongoing PFAS crisis in North Carolina has been linked to a Fayetteville Works plant operated by Chemours, a chemical giant that was spun off from DuPont in 2015. Many public health officials and residents suspect the “forever chemical” pollution is behind widespread health problems in the region. The United Nations human rights council has released publicly the allegation letters its experts sent to Chemours and four other parties alleged to play a role in the problem. The letters were signed by five UN special rapporteurs, who are independent experts appointed by the council, who said they were acting after information had come to their attention. The letter to Chemours cited extensive evidence that the plant has contaminated the air, soil, water and food supply in south-east North Carolina, and regulators have failed to rein in the pollution. It also charged “purposeful suppression and concealment” of the PFAS dangers by DuPont and Chemours. “We are especially concerned about DuPont and Chemours’ apparent disregard for the wellbeing of community members, who have been denied access to clean and safe water for decades,” the UN experts wrote in a letter to Chemours. They asked for a response to their observations, which the letter explains are shared in cases or over policies which are considered “not to be fully compatible with international human rights standards”. In a response to the allegations, Chemours said the UN letter was full of “mischaracterizations” and touted its recent efforts to reduce pollution levels. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 14,000 chemicals often used to make products resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they are virtually indestructible, and are linked to cancer, liver problems, thyroid issues, birth defects, kidney disease, decreased immunity and other serious health problems. The commission’s investigation is its first into a US environmental crisis. A citizens group working with the University of California Berkeley Environmental Law Clinic in April filed a communication with the UN that requested the body’s intervention, and redress from the violations. Residents say they have been denied the right to clean water, bodily integrity, information, an effective remedy, and a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. A special rapporteur fact-checked the allegations in the communication, then issued five allegation letters to those it claims bear some responsibility for the crisis. That includes Chemours and DuPont. It also criticized the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for allegedly failing to protect residents, chemical producer Corteva, and the Netherlands government, which is allowing PFAS waste to be shipped to Fayetteville. Among other allegations, the UN notes Chemours has discharged dozens of toxic chemicals into the Cape Fear River, which has contaminated drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people. Some live as much as 100 miles downstream from Fayetteville Works. The plant spit PFAS waste into the air unabated until 2019, the report alleges, which further contaminated drinking water sources once the chemicals landed on the ground and percolated into groundwater. The UN letter also noted research that detected Chemours’ chemicals in fish and crops, as well as 97% of blood samples tested in the region. It charges that DuPont and Chemours knew of the dangers, but hid them from residents and its own workers. The letter cited evidence of the companies withholding toxicity data and the volumes of pollution emitted from the plant, and charged Chemours only took meaningful action after it was court-ordered to do so. “Even as DuPont and Chemours had information about the toxic impacts of PFAS on human health, the companies continued to spread disinformation about PFAS,” the letter stated. In its response, Chemours wrote that it “has taken a broad and unprecedented set of actions, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, to eliminate almost all PFAS discharges from Fayetteville Works”. Corteva and the Netherlands also responded to the letters; DuPont and the EPA have not yet responded. The UN does not formally make a final judgment on whether the US, Chemours and other letter recipients are violating human rights. The UN still may issue a public press statement, said Claudia Polsky, director of the University of California Berkeley Environmental Law Clinic. Regardless, the investigation puts an enormous amount of pressure on regulators to act, she added. The EPA recently paused the shipments of PFAS waste from the Netherlands to Fayetteville, and the North Carolina department of environmental quality is considering a Chemours proposal to expand PFAS production at the plant. “This will increase the temperature around that issue,” Polsky said. | ['environment/pfas', 'environment/pollution', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/environment', 'campaign/email/us-morning-newsletter', 'us-news/northcarolina', 'world/unitednations', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/tom-perkins', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-11-28T11:00:09Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2021/nov/25/ella-adoo-kissi-debrah-artworks-air-pollution-death-london-girl | Artworks to highlight air pollution’s role in death of London girl | Public artwork that pays homage to Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, whose exposure to air pollution contributed to her death at the age of nine, will go on display close to her south London home next year. Breathe: 2022 by Dryden Goodwin will appear at sites close to the South Circular road, which runs within 25 metres of the house where Ella lived. The artwork – a centrepiece of events marking Lewisham’s year as London borough of culture – revisits Goodwin’s 2012 creation Breathe, which depicted his five-year-old son inhaling and exhaling. Goodwin will draw a handful of local environmental activists, including Ella’s mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah. Sequences of still images will appear to be animated as people walk or drive by them, giving the appearance of the subjects labouring to breathe. “I’m interested in the way air sustains the body, but can also corrupt the body,” said Goodwin, who is working with Network Rail and Transport for London to identify suitable sites for the installations. The Lewisham-based artist, who is collaborating with the art and science charity Invisible Dust, said Ella’s death had “heightened consciousness of the environmental crisis” in the area. Ella died after an asthma attack in 2013. Last year, in a landmark judgment, a coroner found “exposure to excessive air pollution” had contributed to her death, adding that “the whole of Ella’s life was lived in close proximity to highly polluting roads”. Since her daughter’s death, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah has campaigned to raise awareness of air pollution. Breathe, which was positioned on an 8-metre-high screen on St Thomas’ hospital facing the Houses of Parliament, incorporated more than 1,300 drawings of Goodwin’s five-year-old son. Now a teenager who has grown up in Lewisham, he will also feature in Breathe 2022. The artwork is part of an extensive programme that will mark Lewisham’s year as London borough of culture. They include a mass performance of dance by 200 local performers highlighting the positive impact of migration in the area and a celebration of Lewisham’s musical heritage, including pop, grime, afrobeat, jazz, global, classical and punk, and featuring Dave Okumu and Linton Kwesi Johnson. • This article was amended on 26 November 2021 to include reference to Invisible Dust, the charity with which Dryden Goodwin is collaborating. | ['environment/air-pollution', 'uk/london', 'artanddesign/art', 'uk/uk', 'artanddesign/artanddesign', 'culture/culture', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/harrietsherwood', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2021-11-25T17:02:05Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
business/2018/apr/16/lightweight-pr-greenwash-bp-low-carbon-plan-dismissed-environmentalists | 'Lightweight PR and greenwash' – BP's low-carbon plan dismissed | Environmental leaders have dismissed BP’s new low-carbon strategy as “greenwash” and a lightweight response to climate change and the energy market’s rapid switch to renewables. In a strategy published on Monday, BP said there would be no increase in its carbon footprint over the next seven years because it will cut emissions from its oil and gas rigs, and offset the rest. The UK oil firm said it would achieve a saving of 3.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2025. That is equal to about 7% of its current operational emissions. However, it still has no target for its biggest contribution to global warming, which is the burning of its main products, oil and gas, unlike rivals such as Shell. Tom Burke, the chairman of environmental thinktank E3G and a former BP adviser, said: “Who cares about operational emissions? The problem is they have nothing to say on their product. This is a 20th century response to a 21st century problem.” The former UK government adviser characterised the plan as “lightweight PR” and “greenwash”. He said BP had “wasted 20 years” since the former chief executive John Browne tried to reinvent the firm as Beyond Petroleum in 2000. The criticism was echoed by Carbon Tracker, a thinktank that has analysed the risk of big oil being left with stranded assets by action on climate change, a danger that the Bank of England has also warned of. “Improvements in BP’s operational emissions, while welcome, are too small to move the needle to prevent runaway climate change or reduce BP’s exposure to carbon risk,” Luke Sussams, the senior researcher at Carbon Tracker, said. Bob Dudley, BP’s chief executive since 2010, said the company had ventured into clean energy too early last time. “Some of our investments worked out – others did not. We were early but I don’t think we were wrong because we learned valuable lessons along the way,” he said. Due to the $65bn bill the company faced in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, it was only recently that it had been able to afford to move more into greener energy, he said. “I think it’s only been the last year or so that financially can we go into it deeper,” he said. He said the company’s low-carbon plan rests on cutting its own emissions, helping customers cut theirs and growing green energy businesses. Lord Browne, who led BP between 1995 and 2007, said the strategy was a “great reset for BP” and because of Deepwater Horizon it was understandable that clean energy had not been a recent focus for the firm. “There’s only so many things you can focus on at once at a company,” he said. As part of its emissions target, BP pledged to hold leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, to today’s levels, even as it targets more “leaky” production, such as shale in the US. The group spends about $500m (£351m) on biofuels, wind and solar power, about 3% of its annual $15bn-$16bn capital expenditure. Those low-carbon business units have the “potential to make a real contribution to our future,” according to the strategy. The company hinted that it plans to make further moves into electric vehicle infrastructure, such as rapid charging points. | ['business/bp', 'business/energy-industry', 'business/business', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'business/oil', 'business/commodities', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-vaughan', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2018-04-16T13:20:45Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2023/may/26/country-diary-a-cloud-of-male-flies-drifts-by-while-the-females-bask-below | Country diary: A cloud of male flies drifts by, while the females bask below | Claire Stares | I was digging in a planter this week, attempting to winkle out the roots of a particularly stubborn clump of self-sown grass, when a large, black fly crawled sleepily out of the compost. Dipterous (fly) fauna can be difficult to identify, but this individual was one of our most recognisable species of true flies, the St Mark’s fly (Bibio marci), so named as the first sightings often occur around 25 April – the feast day of St Mark. Though I saw them on the wing last May, it was a surprise to discover that they were breeding in my garden. Once they hatch, the larvae require humid conditions and feed on decomposing organic matter, so damp grassland, woodland edges and riverbanks tend to be their favoured habitat. The fly was around a centimetre in length, with a slender body and elongated, translucent wings. As it shuffled into the sunlight, its thorax and legs shone like polished jet. Its head was dominated by large, bulbous eyes – a male. A horizontal groove divides the male’s eyes into two parts, each with an independent connection to the brain. The lower eye keeps track of the fly’s position in relation to the ground, while the upper part is ever-alert for an eligible female – advantageous when your sole purpose is to procreate but you only have a life expectancy of about a week. By contrast, females have narrower heads with much smaller eyes. There was movement beneath the surface of the compost as another individual emerged. A few moments later, male flies started streaming out of their subterranean cell, clambering over my gloved hands as they oriented themselves before taking flight. The larger, smoky-winged females surfaced a few days later, their emergence initiating a mating swarm. A cloud of males languidly drifted up and down along the fence line, their gangly hind legs dangling down like aircraft escape chutes. The females were basking on the vegetation below, some feeding on May blossom nectar – a habit that inspired the species’ alternative name of hawthorn fly. The lascivious males spiralled down, many blundering into me as they tried to attract the attention of a potential mate. • Country diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/insects', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/claire-stares', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-05-26T04:30:24Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sport/blog/2023/oct/14/dan-biggar-the-battered-welsh-dragon-has-flame-extinguished-by-argentina | Dan Biggar, the battered Welsh dragon, has flame extinguished by Argentina | Andy Bull | Night time, Saturday 18 March, and Wales are gathered in the away changing room at the Stade de France. They have just lost to France 41-28, and are tired and hurting. It’s their fourth defeat in five games. Warren Gatland is talking. Privately, Gatland has been wondering if it was a mistake to take this job on again. But it is too late now. They only have five months and 21 days before the World Cup. “It is going to be tough,” Gatland tells them. “Probably the toughest thing you have ever done. If you’re not willing to work, if you’re not willing to give everything, let me know, and I won’t pick you.” Silence, of course, no one talks. But some of the older players have heard Gatland give this speech before, or others just like it. The oldest know it by heart. It’s not so very different to the one he delivered when he first took over back in 2008, the year Dan Biggar made his debut. And it’s precisely because Biggar, George North, Taulupe Faletau, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb and Alun Wyn Jones have heard Gatland say it all before that they know just how serious he is. In the end, Jones won’t make it. Neither will Webb or Tipuric. In the following weeks all three will, in a quiet moment, have that talk with Gatland. Some know they don’t have it in them, others find he’s decided it for them. Biggar, North, and Faletau press on though, through five months of hell, training camps in Turkey, and Switzerland – “brutal” says the assistant coach Neil Jenkins – and then three warm-up games, four pool matches, minds, all the time, fixed on this, the first match of the knockout rounds. North’s played in three quarter-finals under Gatland, Biggar in two. They want one more shot at it. The five months were as hard as Gatland promised, especially the pool stages. Wales hadn’t just made more tackles than any other team to reach the quarter finals, they had done it by an order of magnitude, 42 more on average per match than anyone else. Faletau has gone, with a broken arm. But Biggar made it, knee strapped in black bandages, chest wrapped too, underneath his red shirt, to hold together the injury he suffered playing against Australia. Any other week, you could wager Biggar wouldn’t be playing. But they need him. Gareth Anscombe has gone in the groin, and the only other fly half, Sam Costelow, is still learning how to work a razor. And Biggar wants to be here as much as any of them, maybe more. He has already decided he is retiring after this tournament. It turns out to be his 112th and last Test. Biggar never had the sharpest pass, or the quickest feet or the keenest eye for a break. He can’t step like Phil Bennett, or cut a line like Barry John and, even in his own era, he didn’t have the guile of Stephen Jones, or the wit of James Hook or even the skill of Anscombe. He stands deep, passes short, and kicks often. But Biggar is Gatland’s man, the epitome of the way he likes his team to play. No one has worked harder or given more, no one is tougher or more demanding on himself, and on his teammates. Wales didn’t lose this match because Biggar went off limping (naturally) with five minutes to play. But once he had gone you knew, somehow, that their best chance of winning it had too. Wales were two points down at the time, and one shot at goal away from a lead, one shot you would have backed Biggar to make. And it is a cruel truth that once he was gone Costelow made the mistake that put Argentina nine points up, when he threw a pass to Tomos Williams that was picked off by Nicolás Sánchez, who saw the move coming, and snaffled it like it was the last roast potato in the bowl. Biggar had led Wales through those 75 minutes. He did so much organising, so much talking, to the men either side and to the referee, that you almost forgot it was Jac Morgan who was captaining the team. He was there in the backfield, catching everything, there racing after his own up-and-unders, leaping into the air to contest them with the Argentinian back three. He was even there in support in midfield, following Gareth Davies’s break, to score Wales’s opening try. He screamed and slapped the hoardings afterwards. It was Biggar who made the tryline tackle that brought down Matías Moroni when he threatened to score just before half-time, Biggar who got back to his feet and started screaming at the men outside him for leaving him so exposed. It was Biggar who was left down on his knees, gasping in pain while the medic crouched over him, after he had broken another wave of Argentinian play by stopping Santiago Chocobares and ripping the ball off him. It was Biggar who ran out of the midfield and threw himself into defending the maul as Argentina rolled towards the try-line with 10 minutes to play, Biggar who was there when the referee ruled the ball had been held up. It was Biggar, who screamed and cursed and kicked and tackled and ran and leapt and bled, and it was Biggar, afterwards, who was first to go and shake hands with the Argentinian team. He had given exactly what Gatland asked, and exactly what he always has. Everything. | ['sport/rugby-world-cup-2023', 'sport/blog', 'sport/rugby-world-cup', 'sport/rugby-union', 'sport/sport', 'campaign/email/the-breakdown', 'sport/wales-rugby-union-team', 'sport/argentina-rugby-union-team', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/andybull', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/sport', 'theobserver/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/wales-rugby-union-team | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2023-10-14T20:09:54Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
sustainable-business/2017/jun/19/belgium-palm-oil-nutella-ferrero-delhaize-court-battle-environmental-health-claims | Nutella maker wins court battle over rival's 'illegal' palm oil claims | A Belgian court has ruled that advertising claims about the health and environmental benefits of a palm oil-free “Choco” spread were illegal, in a case brought against the supermarket chain Delhaize by Ferrero, which manufactures Nutella. Delhaize has been ordered not to repeat any claims about its Choco spread being better for the planet or your health, on pain of a €25,000 (£22,000) fine for each repetition.Ferrero argued that the Delhaize campaign unfairly damaged its iconic Nutella brand, which was placed next to the Choco spread on the supermarket’s shelves. Delhaize, which had won an earlier court case on the issue, told the Guardian it was considering further legal actions but would not appeal the verdict. At issue is a short-lived Delhaize advertising campaign in 2013, which claimed that the Belgian outlet’s best-selling Choco spread was better for the planet and for consumer health because it contained no palm oil. Ferrero argued this implied that firms which used sustainable practices for buying palm oil within existing supply chains were ethically inferior. Greenpeace, which in 2015 rated (pdf) Ferrero one of the best of 14 global manufacturers with “no deforestation” policies, said the case had turned into a battle of sales strategies. “Ferrero is definitely one of the companies doing its best to implement sustainable commitments,” said An Lambrechts, a Greenpeace Belgium spokeswoman. “This case is more about marketing ploys and market shares and less about who has the best initiative on palm oil.” Ferrero’s use of palm oil was pushed into the spotlight in 2015 after then-French environment minister Ségolène Royal called for a consumer boycott of Nutella over deforestation concerns. Royal subsequently backed down from the call, offering the confectionery titan “a thousand apologies”. Multiple studies (pdf) have drawn causal links between the growth of palm oil plantations in south-east Asia and deforestation but the court ruled that Delhaize’s claims were unverifiable. Ferrero has a robust palm oil charter and says it can trace almost all of its palm oil to sustainable sources. The company came top of a WWF sustainability league table of 137 palm oil buyers last year. It is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and the Palm Oil Innovation Group. “The court sustained Ferrero’s arguments that it is illegal to claim that a product without palm oil is de facto better for environment and has better nutritional qualities than one containing palm oil,” a spokesman for Ferrero said. “Ferrero has taken admirable steps to reduce the impact of palm oil within its supply chain,” said Glenn Hurowitz, the CEO of Mighty, which campaigns against deforestation caused by palm oil. “But it is as yet impossible to delink one company’s supplies from the broader, continued deforestation of the palm oil industry as a whole.” A separate argument by Ferrero that Delhaize not be allowed to call their spread “Choco” – because it contains no chocolate – was thrown out by the court. For its part, Delhaize said Choco was still being manufactured with sunflower oil, cocoa butter and coconut oil – and packaged as palm oil-free. “We have not seen any impact on [Choco] sales. On the contrary,” said the firm’s communications director Roel Dekelver. “Despite this judgement, we will continue to propose and present innovative and inspirational products to customers that answer their different needs. This won’t hold us back.” The Belgian supermarket, which merged with Ahold to create a €40bn retail empire last year, had also alleged health benefits from palm-oil free produce, citing “potential health concerns” from palm oil in an assessment by the European Food Safety Authority. However, this assessment also applied to other vegetable oils and products, and the analysis is currently being reassessed. Ian Barber, the communications director of the Advertising Association, said that the first rule of advertising was: “If you can’t back up the claim, you can’t make it”. “I’d imagine the strategy open to Delhaize now is just to advertise that they’re palm oil-free and leave world to make up its mind if that’s a good or a bad thing,” he said. Sign up to be a Guardian Sustainable Business member and get more stories like this direct to your inbox every week. You can also follow us on Twitter. | ['sustainable-business/series/palm-oil-debate', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'environment/palm-oil', 'business/fooddrinks', 'business/business', 'environment/environment', 'environment/greenpeace', 'business/supermarkets', 'business/retail', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/arthurneslen', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-professional-networks'] | environment/greenpeace | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2017-06-19T12:05:59Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
world/2008/apr/08/iran.nuclearpower | Iran expands nuclear plant | Iran has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, announced on state television today. Centrifuges are machines used to enrich uranium, either to a low level to produce nuclear fuel or to a high level for use in a weapon. Iran already has about 3,000 centrifuges at Natanz and news of the expansion will be seen as a further snub to the US and its allies, who allege the country's uranium enrichment programme is a cover for building nuclear weapons. It is not clear what kind of centrifuges are being installed in Natanz. More advanced centrifuges can enrich uranium at a much faster rate. Iran says it needs to boost its domestic energy supply and is simply exercising its right to enrich fuel for nuclear power under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty. The UN security council imposed a third round of sanctions, targeting the nuclear and military sectors, on Iran last month. | ['world/iran', 'environment/energy', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'world/middleeast', 'type/article'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2008-04-08T09:54:29Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2003/oct/27/usa | California wildfires kill 13 | Wildfires fed by hot winds continued to devour entire neighbourhoods in southern California today, choking the skies with ash in the state's deadliest wildfire tragedy in more than a decade. The fires have claimed 13 lives since Saturday. At least six separate major wildfires, scattered from near the Mexican border to the suburbs north of Los Angeles, were burning today. They have destroying 800 homes and left behind vast swathes of charred wasteland. In all, the fires have consumed about 120,000 hectares (470 sq miles). In many parts of the region, the fires kept growing despite the frantic efforts of more than 7,000 firefighters. The blazes triggered a harrowing flight to safety yesterday for hundreds of residents, who had little time to collect cherished possessions before escaping. "I was grabbing wet towels. Fire was at our feet. It was blazing over our heads and burning everywhere," said Lisza Pontes, 43, recounting her escape yesterday morning from a fire in San Diego County. She and her family, awakened at 3.45am, made a mad dash from their home to their car and, as they drove away, saw a neighbour's trailer home explode in flames. The death toll is the worst since the 1991 fire in the Oakland hills of Alameda County that killed 25 and destroyed more than 3,200 homes and apartments. Million-dollar homes evaporated almost as fast as canyon brush in San Diego's affluent Scripps Ranch area, where charred eucalyptus trees blocked the roads. About 30,000 homes remained in danger. A state of emergency was declared in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties as the fires closed major highways and roads, and disrupted air travel nation wide. Nine people were killed by the so-called Cedar fire in San Diego County, the state's largest blaze at approximately 40,000 hectares. The victims included two people who died inside their car as they apparently tried to escape the flames, which some witnesses said moved so fast they didn't get any warning. The Cedar fire, which has destroyed about 260 homes, broke out on Saturday near the mountain town of Julian when a lost hunter set off a signal fire, authorities said. The hunter was detained and may face charges. Another fire near San Diego that started yesterday killed two people and destroyed 57 homes while burning about 6,000 hectares, authorities said. It also prompted evacuations in north-eastern Escondido. Around the congested suburbs of San Bernardino, a city of about 200,000 some 50 miles east of Los Angeles, one flank of a nearly 32,000 hectare fire burned through four towns while the other flank destroyed more than 450 homes. Two men collapsed and died, one as he was evacuating his canyon home and the other as he watched his house burn, the county coroner said. Authorities announced they were seeking two men for investigation of arson and possibly murder in connection with the fire, which ravaged foothill neighbourhoods of San Bernardino and threatened mountain homes. One man was seen on Saturday morning throwing something into roadside brush that caught fire, then he and a companion fled in a van, officials said. The hot, dry winds that have been fanning the flames were expected to subside today before picking up later in the week in the San Bernardino area, the national weather service said. | ['us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'world/wildfires', 'type/article'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2003-10-27T17:24:16Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2015/aug/25/canning-byelection-solar-industry-urges-voters-to-reject-liberals-war-on-solar | Canning byelection: solar industry urges voters to reject Liberals 'war on solar' | The solar industry is letterboxing all electors in the crucial West Australian Canning byelection urging them to vote against the Liberal party on 19 September in response to the Abbott government’s “war on solar”. The Solar Council leaflet states: “Installing solar helps Western Australians cut a typical power bill by up to 65%. The federal government is targeting solar by slashing the renewable energy target. We will support any political party with a good solar policy.” It advocates a vote against the Liberals and for either Labor, the Greens or the Palmer United party. The council has invited all party leaders and candidates to a public forum on 13 September – a week before the byelection that could affect Tony Abbott’s hold on the Liberal leadership – to explain their solar policies. The byelection was prompted by the death of Liberal MP Don Randall, who held the seat by a healthy margin of almost 12%, but recent polls show a swing of 10% against the Liberals, taking their two-party-preferred lead to a much narrower 51%-49%. The council’s chief executive, John Grimes, said his organisation was advocating a vote against the Liberals because “it is precisely people like the householders of Canning who will be hurt if the Liberal party is allowed to fully implement their anti-solar agenda”. “This government commissioned the Warburton review which advocated the closure of the small-scale renewable energy target, which supports rooftop solar, and it has tried to ban the Clean Energy Finance Corporation [CEFC] from investing in rooftop solar projects,” Grimes said. Almost half the houses in Canning have either rooftop solar or solar hot water, according to official figures, and the electorate has the 12th highest solar uptake in the country, according to calculations by the RenewEconomy website. The deal eventually struck between the government and the Labor opposition left the small-scale solar scheme untouched, but Grimes said the council’s campaign was based on the government’s clear “intentions”. “If this government were to get its way it would do whatever it took to close the solar industry altogether,” he said. Faced with another Newspoll showing the Coalition facing a decisive electoral defeat, with just 46% of the two-party-preferred vote, Abbott said on Tuesday Canning would be the “real” test of his government’s popularity. “The Canning byelection is obviously real in the sense that other indicators aren’t,” he told reporters on Thursday Island, where he is based during his annual week living in a remote Indigenous community. The Liberal candidate for Canning is a former SAS officer, Andrew Hastie, up against a local lawyer, Matt Keogh, for Labor. The Greens candidate is small business owner and university lecturer, Vanessa Rauland. The Palmer United party is running the managing director of Palmer’s Mineralogy resources company, Vimal Sharma. The solar council is planning a nationwide marginal seats campaign at the next election. The government has directed the CEFC – which it unsuccessfully tried to abolish – to stop investments in rooftop solar, but changes to the investment mandate remain under legal uncertainty. | ['environment/solarpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'australia-news/western-australia', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/tony-abbott', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/australian-greens', 'australia-news/palmer-united-party', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/lenore-taylor'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2015-08-25T06:24:23Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2022/feb/10/the-guardian-view-on-windfall-taxes-an-idea-whose-time-has-come-again | The Guardian view on windfall taxes: an idea whose time has come again | Editorial | Windfall taxes are nothing new. Margaret Thatcher’s government was one of the most notable users of the tactic – with one-off levies on banks and oil companies for making excess gains in the early 1980s. Perhaps the fact that such duties find favour with the public surprises some who think economic populism is passé. But with gas prices trebling and the bosses of fossil fuel companies proclaiming “cash machine” profits, surely Labour’s Ed Miliband is right to call for a one-off increase in corporation tax on North Sea producers to fund lower bills for consumers. Big oil’s claim that it is paying its fair share to the Treasury is not credible, given that handouts from the state have often actually exceeded the tax take that the industry generates. Between 2018 and 2020, Shell and BP, which together produce more than 1.7bn tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, paid no corporation tax or production levies on North Sea oil operations and claimed tax reliefs of nearly £400m. Such firms say cash is needed to transition away from fossil fuels. Yet since 2016, BP has spent just $3bn (£2.2bn) on clean energy investment, against a whopping $84bn on oil and gas exploration and development. Some critics of windfall taxes argue that reducing profits would hurt pensioners whose payouts depend on dividends from big businesses. Mathew Lawrence of the Common Wealth thinktank says this is no longer true. He points out that the proportion of UK shares directly held by UK pension funds fell from almost one in three in 1990 to fewer than one in 25 by 2018. A windfall tax is not part of Rishi Sunak’s plans, but he could embrace it before his spring statement on 23 March. Unfortunately, the chancellor seems more intent on currying favour with climate sceptic Tory MPs. Reports say Mr Sunak is pushing for more North Sea oil and gas fields to be given the green light. Producing more hydrocarbons at home doesn’t increase our domestic energy security because the product is exported to international markets. One answer would be to nationalise production – but Tory MPs are unlikely to welcome such a policy. Britons are alarmed by global heating. Yet Conservative politicians jockeying to take over from Boris Johnson have a different electorate in mind: the elderly, rightwing Tory membership. Mr Johnson’s would-be successors should not sacrifice net zero targets meant to stave off planetary collapse for personal advancement. Many people appear to think companies are using the energy crunch to charge exorbitant prices and gouge earnings. To protect consumers, politicians should crack down on profiteers. To protect the planet, they should transition the economy away from carbon-based energy in favour of green substitutes. Both policies could be combined if firms were forced to pay for frying the planet. But there will be an electoral price for doing nothing. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'money/tax', 'politics/taxandspending', 'money/money', 'politics/politics', 'environment/energy', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'business/bp', 'business/royaldutchshell', 'type/article', 'tone/editorials', 'tone/comment', 'profile/editorial', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2022-02-10T18:50:15Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2022/jan/30/observer-view-britains-energy-crisis | The Observer view on Britain’s energy crisis | Observer editorial | Energy is vital to our daily lives. We need reliable supplies to heat our homes, to cook, to keep our food fresh, to power our transport systems, to illuminate our cities and to stay in communication with each other. Ensuring there are no significant disruptions to that provision is one of the most important tasks that a government must perform on behalf of its citizens. In recent months, it has become clear that serious strains are now being placed on energy security in the United Kingdom, however. Spiralling gas costs are causing considerable financial difficulties for thousands of households. At the same time, electricity supplies are now threatened because most of the UK’s ageing nuclear reactors, which currently provide 20% of our electricity, face closure in the next few years with little prospect, at present, of new atomic power plants being ready to fill the gap in lost output. On top of these issues, an urgent overhaul of our use of fossil fuels is required if the country is to have any chance of reaching its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, a promise made by the government as part of its commitment to tackle climate change and to help halt the dangerous warming of our planet. At present, roughly half our electricity is generated by burning natural gas in power plants. About half of that comes to our shores from North Sea rigs whose overall output is dwindling as gas fields reach the end of their lives. The rest of our gas is imported from other nations; most of it is shipped from Qatar or the US or piped from Norway. Very little is imported from Russia, it should be noted. In addition, gas plays a dominant role in heating our homes, a reliance that cannot last for much longer if we are to meet our climate change obligations. In short, we need, as a matter of priority, to replace gas with electricity generated in a safe, renewable, environmentally friendly manner. The nation can achieve this goal in two ways: it can import more electricity from mainland Europe (around 6% of our power already comes via inter-connectors to France, the Netherlands and Ireland) or it can find alternative sources within the UK. The latter path is very much the preferable one, both in terms of establishing security for our energy supply while also ensuring this power is generated in a manner consistent with our carbon emission aspirations. Energy security and fighting climate change are inextricably linked, in other words. This transformation needs to be done as a matter of urgency, however, a point that appears to have escaped ministers whose attempts to reshape power use in the UK have already started to unravel. Consider the government’s green homes grant scheme for England. Hailed by Boris Johnson as a key plank in his green industrial revolution by helping the public make their homes more energy-efficient and less reliant on fossil fuel heating, it targeted a total of 600,000 homes for improvement. In the end, however, only 47,500 were upgraded. As Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the public accounts committee, put it last year: “This scheme was a slam dunk fail.” Such setbacks are alarming and underline the urgent need for ministers to provide the nation with a cogent, detailed set of proposals for generating power securely and sustainably while minimising energy waste. Several key issues need to be addressed to achieve these goals. The first is the creation of a system of smart grids. These local networks would distribute power generated from renewable energy sources to supplement mains supplies and reduce electricity bills. Establishing such a system should be seen as a priority for they offer the prospect of making maximum use of power generated within our shores at low cost. Properly insulating buildings would have a similar effect. Despite Johnson’s green homes initiative failure, efforts to make homes and workplaces more energy-efficient should be redoubled. It will not be possible to fit every house in Britain with a heat pump or solar panels. Nevertheless, making more houses and offices greener today will have critical impacts in coming years. Providing power when weather is gloomy and winds are non-existent is also key. At present, nuclear and gas-power plants provide that electricity. The disappearance of the latter over the coming decade will put more pressure on the UK to develop an efficient atomic power programme. Currently, our nuclear plans look piecemeal and unimpressive, despite last week’s announcement of a £100m investment to help develop the Sizewell C power station in Suffolk. Further research is also needed to find new, efficient ways to store energy, so power from renewable sources can be stored for those gloomy, windless days. We also need to find ways to capture and store carbon dioxide from old power plants and so extend their lives. Such developments will be crucial in providing the nation with a full range of options for generating its own power securely and cleanly. The alternative is to sit back and allow these issues to be resolved beyond our shores. In a world where energy will become ever more critical to national survival, that is not an option to be countenanced. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'tone/editorials', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/energy-storage', 'environment/energyefficiency', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'money/household-bills', 'type/article', 'profile/observer-editorials', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/comment', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/observer-comment'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2022-01-30T06:00:13Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2010/dec/14/south-korea-army-chief-quits | South Korean army chief quits as scale of North's nuclear ambition emerges | The chief of the South Korean army resigned today, two weeks after the defence minister was replaced amid sharp criticism of the country's response to North Korea's attack on Yeonpyeong island. General Hwang Eui-don's resignation came as South Korean intelligence officials warned that North Korea has been secretly enriching uranium at as many as four undisclosed locations, potentially giving it access to a new source of fissile material for nuclear weapons. The enrichment plants are in addition to a similar facility at the regime's main nuclear facility in Yongbyon, revealed last month, following a visit by the US scientist Siegfried Hecker. North Korean officials claimed that the Yongbyon plant had more than 1,000 working centrifuges, but insisted they were intended for power generation and not for the production of weapons-grade uranium. "The business of peacefully developing nuclear energy and using it is happening in our country, in line with the international trend," the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of North Korea's ruling party, said today. "Peaceful nuclear activity is a sovereign right of all nations." Hwang is said to have resigned over his involvement in a property investment deal, but his departure will be seen as a further blow to the country's military so soon after the Yeonpyeong attack, which killed two soldiers and two civilians. Kim Tae-young resigned as defence minister to take responsibility for what many South Koreans believed was a weak response to the 23 November attack, the first targeting civilians since the 1950-53 Korean war. The South fired artillery rounds in response but did not order air strikes. It has since vowed to retaliate with much greater force to any further provocations by Pyongyang. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Hwang, who only took up the post in June, was under pressure over profits from the property deal. "General Hwang offered to retire following media reports about his property investment, because he judged it was inappropriate for him to stay in the post at a time when he has to lead reform of the army," Yonhap quoted a defence ministry official as saying. His resignation comes on the eve of South Korea's biggest civil defence drill for years. Fighter jets will fly around the country and people will run to thousands of underground shelters as part of a simulation of a North Korean air attack. News that the North's uranium enrichment programme may be more widespread than previously thought could add to fears that the regime is seeking to augment its plutonium stockpile. "The uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon that the North disclosed to US scientist Siegfried Hecker is not among the three or four South Korea and the US have established to be in existence," the intelligence official was quoted as saying in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper. "We have established that the uranium enrichment tests that the North has been conducting for some time are at separate locations." The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, yesterday voiced "deep concern" about the uranium enrichment programme in a meeting with his North Korean counterpart, Pak Ui-chun. Lavrov urged Pyongyang to comply with UN security council resolutions banning uranium enrichment and called for a quick resumption of six-party talks on its nuclear programme. Aside from Russia and the two Koreas, the stalled talks involve the US, China and Japan. The failure to resume multiparty negotiations sparked a new regional diplomatic push that will continue in the coming days. South Korea's nuclear envoy was due to meet his Russian counterpart to discuss the shelling and uranium enrichment, while the governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, will begin a four-day, private visit to North Korea on Thursday. | ['world/south-korea', 'world/north-korea', 'world/nuclear-weapons', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'world/asia-pacific', 'type/article', 'profile/justinmccurry'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2010-12-14T07:57:37Z | true | ENERGY |
tv-and-radio/2023/jul/26/after-the-bite-shark-documentary-hbo | ‘Like a real-life Jaws’: the shark documentary upending expectations | Despite its potentially sensational subject matter, the HBO documentary After the Bite is not an official part of Shark Week. It’s a thoughtful and multifaceted documentary covering the proliferation of sharks off the Massachusetts coast, and the specific aftermath of a tragic 2018 shark-bite death that shocked and rattled a Cape Cod beach town. Director Ivy Meeropol is aware that her movie has been positioned as (quite literally) Shark Week adjacent. “It’s kind of like a bait and switch,” she admitted. “I’m drawing people in who just are interested in sharks … and maybe they’ll get swept up in the story and find themselves thinking, wow, there’s something a lot scarier than sharks.” Even as broader issues like us-versus-them resistance to science and climate crisis loom in the background, the movie doesn’t indulge in scaremongering. Instead, it performs a delicate balancing act, acknowledging that there have been more sharks closer to Cape Cod shores in recent years while not giving in to the kind of panic that has informed public perception of sharks since Jaws became an all-time smash hit. It’s tricky business, talking about real-life shark dangers after years of exaggeration and stigmatization so great that Peter Benchley, author of the original Jaws novel, was moved to become an active ocean conservationist. How do you address increased danger without demonizing animals that are just acting on instinct? Meeropol has had plenty of practice addressing complex issues. Her previous documentaries are steeped in the complications of politics and social issues, often with a personal angle: Heir to an Execution explored her connection to her grandparents, the convicted and executed spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, while Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn investigated the notorious prosecutor in the Rosenbergs’ trial. The subject of sharks might seem far less complicated to some viewers, given their presence at the center of countless straightforward nature docs. But Meeropol is more interested in the broader environment the sharks unwittingly enter into. “I’m not a nature documentarian and I don’t want to try to present myself as an expert in the ocean,” she noted. “I became really interested in the way the community was reacting. This is like a real-life Jaws.” She’s aware of the way fictional shark narratives loom over real-life considerations of animals, including a shot of Cape Cod folks watching Jaws at a drive-in and adding some visual nods to that Spielberg classic throughout her film. “I saw Jaws at too young an age, like a lot of people, where I’d be scared to swim in a pond when I was a kid, because there might be something under there.” After the Bite winds up reflecting both Meeropol’s expectations and her experiences: “I thought I was going to be scared, but I was absolutely in awe,” she said of her shark-spotting during filming. In one late-movie sequence following scientists locating the corpse of a humpback whale floating in the ocean, there’s a gorgeous sustained shot where a shark appears to materialize before our eyes as it slowly becomes more visible to the camera that’s been trained on it. (At first, Meeropol said, the crew thought it must be two sharks; it turned out to be a single 17-footer.) In a movie like The Shallows or Open Water, it would be a moment of pure terror; After the Bite recognizes the natural beauty of this creature. Naturally, not everyone in the movie reacts with the same awe. After the Bite surveys various reactions to the shark presence: the practicalities of lifeguards updating their methods to warn swimmers when necessary; the efforts of scientists to track and understand shark behavior without upsetting their ecosystem; and the locals who repeatedly express their concerns that conservationists will neglect humans’ place in that ecosystem. Though the doc itself doesn’t underline the point, Meeropol sees echoes of the Trump era in these seemingly reasonable questions raised by those who blame an excess seal population for the shark uptick: “They’re upset about scientists who focus on sharks and seal conservation, and there’s this painful cry of ‘What about us? Don’t we matter?’ There are a lot of people out there who feel that way – who don’t trust scientists, who are upset that their way of life is being threatened and we have to grapple with that.” It’s hard not to think of climate crisis, in the face of both the humans’ defensiveness and, frankly, any major environmental shift. On this topic, too, Meeropol and her film are careful and exacting. “When I started making the film,” she said, “I assumed there would be a very strong climate change link to why the sharks are there. And I find it fascinating that the shark scientists will not say that, because they don’t know enough. Because scientists are very careful, despite what people think about them!” After the Bite doesn’t much resemble the type of thriller that has made sharks the rare animal to get their own subgenre of movies (only dogs seem to have more big-name films to their name), but it does share one thing in common with more sensational encounters between humans and sharks: it focuses intently on how the humans react. That’s ultimately what the documentary’s various points of view come together to illustrate: different ways we as a people might deal with the kinds of environmental changes that we’ll be facing for years to come. Unlike a traditional shark thriller, attempting to vanquish the enemy (whether it’s designated as seals, sharks or scientists) doesn’t seem tenable. “We’re trying,” Meeropol said, “to get to a point where we can coexist.” After the Bite premieres on HBO on 26 July and in the UK at a later date | ['tv-and-radio/documentary', 'environment/sharks', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/environment', 'environment/marine-life', 'culture/television', 'culture/culture', 'tv-and-radio/tv-and-radio', 'tv-and-radio/factual-tv', 'tv-and-radio/us-television', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/jesse-hassenger', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-arts-and-culture'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-07-26T14:14:08Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2022/aug/02/warren-entsch-may-support-labors-climate-target-if-he-can-be-shown-its-not-a-brain-fart | Warren Entsch may support Labor’s climate target if he can be shown it’s not a ‘brain fart’ | The veteran Liberal MP Warren Entsch says he is open-minded about Labor’s bill to enshrine a 43% emissions reduction target if he can be convinced the Albanese government has a concrete plan to achieve the cut without driving up power prices. Ahead of the first substantive Coalition party room meeting of the 47th parliament on Tuesday, Entsch told Guardian Australia he was seeking advice on the bill and might lend support if there was evidence to suggest the number wasn’t a “brain fart”. “I have an open mind on the bill,” Entsch said. “I’m not concerned about the number, I just want to be convinced there’s an absolute pathway to do it.” Debate on Labor’s climate targets legislation is expected to begin on Wednesday in the House of Representatives, and discussions are continuing between the climate change minister Chris Bowen and the Greens leader Adam Bandt. There are a spectrum of views inside the Greens about whether or not to support Labor’s proposal. The Greens party room will meet again on Tuesday before an appearance by Bandt at the National Press Club on Wednesday. Labor has the numbers to pass the legislation in the lower house but will need the support of the Greens and one crossbencher in the Senate. Peter Dutton has already locked the Coalition into opposing Labor’s legislation – which some colleagues view as a controversial captain’s call given the electoral rout in the Liberal party’s progressive metropolitan heartland on 21 May. The Liberal leader’s decision to double down on the climate wars forces Labor to court parliamentary support from the Greens to pass legislation that will enshrine the 2030 and 2050 targets. Labor’s legislation was discussed by the shadow cabinet on Monday night. While the Liberals have locked in behind Dutton to oppose the package, the Tasmanian Liberal Bridget Archer has signalled on a number of occasions she could cross the floor and support the new legislation in the lower house. But while confirming he had an open mind, Entsch, who holds a north Queensland electorate adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef, said given surging inflation the government needed to tread carefully to ensure the target did not become an “impost on the community”. Liberal MPs did not expect the issue to boil over in Tuesday’s party room meeting, with widespread acceptance that the opposition would vote against the bill, despite several Liberal MPs expressing support for the legislation. The few moderate voices on Dutton’s frontbench are unlikely to oppose the leader’s publicly stated position. There are more conservatives in Dutton’s executive than moderates, and the cabinet solidarity that applies in government also binds the shadow cabinet. Moderate MPs are instead looking to the party’s medium-term emission reduction targets for 2030 and 2035, and are hopeful that they will be able to secure more ambitious targets before the election due in 2025. The deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, told Guardian Australia in June the Coalition was correct to oppose Labor’s 43% target, but had an opportunity over the coming term to reassess its policy stance. “I’m comfortable with our position, but I also accept over the next few years as we get the results of the campaign review and get an opportunity to talk to people, we have the opportunity to introduce new policy,” Ley said. Dutton flips on fuel excise The jockeying comes as the Liberals attempt to increase political pressure on the Albanese government over rising consumer prices. In parliamentary question time on Monday, the opposition backflipped on a decision it made in government to make a cut in fuel excise temporary. The Morrison government cut fuel excise in the March budget as one of its cost of living relief measures. Scott Morrison and then treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that cut would end in September because continuing that measure in perpetuity was not fiscally responsible. But Dutton abruptly switched positions this week, asking the government whether or not it planned to “compound the pressure on household budgets by not extending the fuel excise relief?” It was accompanied by questions about whether or not the government stood by pre-election modelling of its climate policy that pointed to cheaper power prices during the transition to renewables. Anthony Albanese accused Dutton of hypocrisy. “I point to the fact that [Dutton] was in the cabinet that put together the budget,” the prime minister said. “It had the end date for the measure he talks about”. The government also blasted the Coalition for delaying an important electricity pricing update until after the election, which left Australian voters in the dark about looming increases in their power bills. Thus far, Labor has signalled it will end the fuel excise cut in September as scheduled. | ['australia-news/energy-australia', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/warren-entsch', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/peter-dutton', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/anthony-albanese', 'australia-news/liberal-party', 'australia-news/coalition', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/katharine-murphy', 'profile/sarah-martin', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2022-08-01T17:30:29Z | true | ENERGY |
music/2018/feb/19/glastonbury-festival-ban-plastic-bottles-2019-emily-eavis | Glastonbury festival set to ban plastic bottles in 2019 | Glastonbury festival is to implement a site-wide ban on plastic bottles when it returns in 2019. “It’s an enormous project; it’s taking a lot of time to tackle with all the different people we work with,” organiser Emily Eavis told BBC 6 Music. In 2014, Glastonbury introduced environmentally friendly stainless steel bottles and water kiosks for the cost-free refill of any kind of receptacle, followed in 2016 by stainless steel pint cups designed to be “non-aerodynamic, to minimise injuries from throwing”. Use of these containers was optional. Glastonbury organisers have previously estimated that 1m plastic bottles are used during the event. In 2016, the festival implemented its “Love the farm ... leave no trace” initiative, asking punters to share transport to the festival, limit litter, recycle, refill water bottles and not to abandon their tents or urinate on the land. However, that year’s cleanup was thought to be one of the worst in its history, lasting more than two weeks after the end of the event. There is no Glastonbury festival this year, with the festival taking one of its regular “fallow years”. The event returns in 2019, and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020. Glastonbury is a long-term supporter of Oxfam. In the wake of recent allegations of sexual misconduct by employees in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, Eavis said the festival would continue to support the charity. “Like everyone else, we’ve been horrified at the reports in the news,” she wrote in a statement posted on the festival’s website. “Oxfam assure us they are continuing to take action to ensure a vigorous safeguarding plan for the future. But let us not forget that abuse of power is a wider issue in society.” Last year the Guardian spearheaded a campaign against plastic waste when it revealed that a million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute, creating an environmental crisis some campaigners predict will become as serious as climate change. | ['music/glastonbury', 'music/music', 'music/music-festivals', 'culture/festivals', 'culture/culture', 'music/emily-eavis', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/plastic', 'environment/water', 'environment/environment', 'environment/waste', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/laura-snapes', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-culture'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-02-19T09:53:53Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2011/jun/02/biodiversity-loss-attention | Biodiversity loss does not get the attention this problem deserves | David King | As we know only too well, the impact of humanity on the planet is in danger of sacrificing the very ecosystems that provide the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the biological diversity for sustaining life. Failure to make changes will provide a planet which can no longer support our civilisation. Rapid change is required in order to address the fresh challenges posed to humans in the 21st century. There remains widespread inertia when it comes to finding sustainable solutions for the future. There are limited resources available to a growing population, even with regard to the continuing supply of such basic resources such as water, food and energy. A shared practical understanding of alternative outcomes is the essential foundation of a collective commitment to action. The extent to which climate change will adversely affect us all and the way we, our children and grandchildren will live cannot be underestimated, and this is of course why urgent action is needed to ensure that average global temperatures do not rise by up to 6C by the end of this century, as current estimates suggest. The majority of governments and businesses now realise action is needed and that it must come soon. It has been 18 months since the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties meeting in Copenhagen and almost six months since the 16th in Cancún. No global agreement on actions has yet emerged, but actually we have made great strides, based on the best scientific research. The loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services is a worldwide problem that is not under control nor perhaps is it an area that is getting the attention it deserves. While progress has been made in raising awareness and mobilising for action – including new goals, valuation tools, and action strategies on a global scale – we have yet to solve the systemic causes that continue to thwart meaningful, measurable change. The raised awareness on biodiversity and remaining challenges after the Nagoya biodiversity commitments of 2010 will serve as the starting point for the World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment 2011 which takes place at the end of June at Merton College in Oxford. Providing solutions for the future while at the same time protecting the future is paramount and I am delighted that the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment is working with the Guardian in launching a display of photographs from readers that capture the greatest moments of nature and biodiversity. • Share your photos that demonstrate "what you most value about nature" on our Flickr group throughout June – we'll feature the best in a unique exhibition at the World Forum on Enterprise and Environment 2011, as well as on theguardian.com, and maybe the print edition of the Guardian too | ['environment/world-forum-on-enterprise-and-the-environment', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'tone/comment', 'type/article', 'profile/david-king'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2011-06-02T07:00:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2013/aug/23/australian-floods-global-sea-level | Australian floods of 2010 and 2011 caused global sea level to drop | Rain - in effect, evaporated ocean - fell in such colossal quantities during the Australian floods in 2010 and 2011 that the world's sea levels actually dropped by as much as 7mm. Rainwater normally runs swiftly off continental mountain ranges, pours down rivers, collects in aquifers and lakes and then winds across floodplains into the sea. But Australia, as any Australian will proudly claim, is different. Rain that falls in the outback of the largest island - also the smallest continent - tends to dribble away into inland waterways and seemingly get lost, without ever making it to the coast, or to collect in shallow inland seas and stay there till it evaporates. "It is a beautiful illustration of how complicated our climate system is", says John Fasullo, of the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research. "The smallest continent in the world can affect sea level worldwide. Its influence is so strong that it can temporarily overcome the background trend of rising sea levels that we see with climate change." Fasullo and colleagues outline the drama of the vanishing sea levels in Geophysical Research Letters. Although there are daily, seasonal and annual variations, sea levels worldwide have been creeping up by 3mm a year on average, as a consequence of ocean warming and glacial melting. But in 2010, sea levels mysteriously began to drop by 7mm, and stayed lower than expected for 18 months. This really was unexpected: global average temperatures had not dropped, greenhouse emissions had continued to increase, glaciers had continued to melt. No simple business. But surface waters in the eastern Pacific were affected by a cyclic cooling phenomenon called La Niña: this coincided with two other climatic phenomena known to the weathermen as the Southern Annular Mode and the Indian Ocean Dipole. The resulting cocktail of atmospheric energy combined to gather awesome quantities of water in the atmosphere and then dump it over Australia: in all, 300mm above the normal rate. This water notoriously hit Queensland first in December 2010 and three quarters of the Australian state was declared a disaster zone. But then the water got caught up in what the authors called "Australia's expansive arheic and endorheic basins". This is another way of saying the water stayed on land, trapped in salt lakes, to evaporate slowly. Meanwhile, with all that water soaked up in the arid landscape, the sea levels actually began to fall, unexpectedly, and to stay low before once more resuming their ominous and potentially destructive rise. Australia is now hit by drought, and ocean levels now seem to be rising even faster, at 10mm a year. The scientists pieced together the chain of events by studying data from satellites called Grace, that measure changes in the Earth's gravity, floating monitors called Argo that measure ocean temperature and salinity, and satellite altimeters that constantly measure changes in sea level. Such research is a reminder once again that climate research is a complicated business, and that Australia, once again, is a most unusual place. "No other continent has this combination of atmospheric set-up and topography", says Fasullo. "Only in Australia could the atmosphere carry such heavy tropical rains to such a large area, only to have those rains fail to make their way to the ocean." | ['environment/series/guardian-environment-network', 'environment/sea-level', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'environment/oceans', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'world/world', 'environment/flooding', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/timradford'] | environment/sea-level | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2013-08-23T10:38:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
business/2010/jun/04/bp-shares-rise-oil-spill-cap | BP shares top risers as engineers assess latest oil spill operation | BP has managed to place a cap on the shattered end of the deepwater wellhead in the Gulf of Mexico but it will be several hours until engineers will know how successful this latest attempt to halt the worst oil spill in US history has been. The oil giant is hoping for some good news as president Barack Obama is due in the region later today on his third visit since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, having postponed his scheduled trip to Australia and Indonesia for the second time in as many months. News that BP engineers have successfully manoeuvred a cap into position comes as the oil giant's embattled chief executive Tony Hayward prepares to update investors on the potential financial impact of the disaster this afternoon. He is expected to ignore calls from Washington to put the firm's payments to shareholders on hold while the full cost of the oil spill is calculated and pledge to retain the company's dividends payments, worth more than $10bn (£6.8bn). Senators Charles Schumer and Ron Wyden sent a letter to Hayward earlier this week demanding that payments to investors be halted during the clean-up. The White House has already sent a preliminary bill for $69m to BP and "other responsible parties" but that is likely to be a very small fraction of the final cost. Temporary fix Overnight the US coastguard gave an update on moves to stem the flow of oil into the sea. "The placement of the containment cap is another positive development in BP's most recent attempt to contain the leak, however, it will be some time before we can confirm that this method will work and to what extent it will mitigate the release of oil into the environment," said Admiral Thad Allen. "Even if successful, this is only a temporary and partial fix and we must continue our aggressive response operations at the source, on the surface and along the Gulf's precious coastline." The placement of the cap follows work on Thursday which saw BP's robot submarines cut away the well pipe after two days of trying. BP hopes to be able to use the cap to siphon off some of the escaping oil and pump it into collection ships on the surface 1.6km above the shattered well. Oil experts have warned, though, that the cap will not be able to capture all the oil gushing from the shattered well. Hayward said that the next 12 to 24 hours will determine whether the capping operation will succeed. "It's an important milestone," he said at a briefing in Houston overnight. "This is simply the beginning." Speaking to US TV networks today, chief operating officer Doug Suttles said he hoped that the cap could capture at least 90% of the oil. But BP does not expect to completely halt the escape of 19,000 barrels of oil a day until August, when it hopes to have completed two relief wells. Shares in BP rose as much as 4% today to 450p, making it the biggest riser on the FTSE 100. Obama telephoned Australia's prime minister Kevin Rudd and Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to express his "deep regret" over the cancellation of his trip, during which he would have addressed a joint sitting of the Australian parliament. Obama first planned to visit the region in March, but had to cancel to help push his healthcare bill through Congress. | ['business/bp', 'environment/bp-oil-spill', 'business/oil', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'environment/oil-spills', 'environment/oil', 'business/business', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'us-news/barack-obama', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'world/indonesia', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'world/asia-pacific', 'type/article', 'profile/richardwray', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2010-06-04T12:07:00Z | true | ENERGY |
society/2009/feb/16/corby-birth-defects-case | Families suing Corby council say industrial clearance caused birth defects | Eighteen families who claim their children suffered birth defects after being exposed to an "atmospheric soup of toxic materials" from an industrial site in Corby appeared in court today seeking multi-million pound damages. The families claim that toxic waste from reclamation works at a former British Steel plant in Northamptonshire between 1985 and 1997 led to deformed hands and feet in 18 children who are now aged between nine and 22. The families have accused Corby council of negligence. The work, which involved removing waste, steel dust and slag to a quarry north of the site, was carried out when the plant was shut down in 1982. The area was then designated an enterprise zone and redeveloped. Representing the children, David Wilby QC told a packed high court: "These young people have serious disabilities; some of them have missing or undeveloped fingers or no fingers at all, and three have deformities of their feet. These are lifelong deformities which have had, and will have, a tremendous impact, not only upon the children themselves in their everyday lives and employment opportunities, but also in respect of the families who have lovingly brought them up to date, and have all the difficulties which inevitably go with children in these circumstances, such as hospital visits and other anxieties." Wilby told the court that the children's disabilities were caused by their mothers ingesting or inhaling toxic substances from the "gargantuan" redevelopment works and that one expert had described particles over the town as an "atmospheric soup of toxic materials". He said the dangerous materials, which originally would have stayed on site, were released into the air while being moved to other sites. Although Wilby said the council thought it was acting in the interests of Corby's residents in clearing the site, he suggested it had financial motives. "I hope it's not too unkind to suggest that, if one reads the papers, particularly the minutes of various council meetings, their motive – to a very considerable degree – was money," he said. "They looked to the government and to the redevelopment organisations for the funds to redevelop the sites. They used that money to pay local contractors and the reality was that many of the contracts were awarded to friends or former work colleagues of members of the council." Chris Mallender, the chief executive of the council, has said it investigated the claims and found no link between the clearance of the site and the birth defects. "We have a great deal of sympathy with every child involved in the litigation as well as with their families. However, for the past five years we have thoroughly investigated every aspect of the claims they are making and we know that there is no link between the reclamation work that was carried out in Corby, over a period of 20 years, and these children's birth defects." The council would call expert witnesses who would give evidence on toxicology, epidemiology, waste management, air pollution and the medical case, Mallender said. The judge, Mr Justice Akenhead, will decide whether the council failed in its duty of care during the reclamation work, whether any airborne pollution could have caused the defects, and if so, whether the damage was foreseeable. The case is expected to last 10 weeks. | ['society/localgovernment', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/waste', 'law/law', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'society/society', 'tone/news', 'society/health', 'society/children', 'type/article', 'profile/joadetunji'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2009-02-16T16:47:06Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
technology/2021/apr/08/facebook-2019-breach-users | Facebook will not notify more than 530m users exposed in 2019 breach | Facebook has not notified the more-than 530m users whose details were exposed on a hacker forum in 2019 and has no plans to do so, according to company representatives. Business Insider reported last week that phone numbers and other details from Facebook user profiles were available in a public database. The social media company acknowledged in a blogpost on Tuesday that “malicious actors” had obtained the data prior to September 2019 by “scraping” profiles using a vulnerability in the platform’s tool for syncing contacts. Facebook has said it plugged the hole after identifying the problem at the time. But a Facebook spokesperson said on Wednesday that the company would not be notifying users affected by the hack and that it was not confident it had full visibility on which users would need to be alerted. He said the company also took into account that users could not fix the issue and that the hacked data was publicly available. The scraped information did not include financial information, health information or passwords, Facebook said. However, the collated data could provide valuable information for hacks or other abuses, according to experts. Much of the stolen data – including phone numbers and birth dates – is not often changed or in some cases impossible to change. That means those details are still likely attached to active users, said Ivan Righi, a cyber threat intelligence analyst at San Francisco-based digital security firm Digital Shadows. “Cybercriminals can use information such as phone numbers, emails and full names to launch targeted social engineering attacks,” he said. “As most users are still working from home due to the pandemic, these attacks could be effective if personalized to target victims, like sending text messages impersonating companies or banks to users.” Facebook, which has long been under scrutiny over how it handles user privacy, in 2019 reached a landmark settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission over its investigation into allegations the company misused user data. That settlement requires Facebook to report details about unauthorized access to data on 500 or more users within 30 days of confirming an incident. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, the European Union’s lead regulator for Facebook, said on Tuesday it had contacted the company about the data leak. It said it received “no proactive communication from Facebook” but was now in contact. The Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on the company’s conversations with regulators but said it was in contact to answer their questions. The breach revealed last week renews security and privacy concerns stemming from Facebook’s dominance in the tech industry, as the social media giant frequently refuses to “open its walled garden or permit accountability research into its policies”, said Cory Doctorow of digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Reuters contributed to this report | ['technology/facebook', 'technology/hacking', 'technology/technology', 'media/socialnetworking', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/kari-paul', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2021-04-08T18:47:30Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
commentisfree/2015/feb/03/why-was-newman-was-handing-out-billions-to-an-indian-coal-mining-company-that-didnt-need-it | Why was Newman handing out billions to an Indian coal mining company that didn't need it? | Richard Denniss | The Newman government was handing an Indian billionaire billions of dollars of taxpayer money for literally – literally – no reason. During the recent state election, both the LNP and Labor in Queensland broadly supported the Carmichael coal project by Indian mining giant Adani. The key difference was whether they were expecting the taxpayer to support it as well. Adani’s statement that it doesn’t need taxpayer assistance to get its enormous, controversial 60 year Carmichael coal project off the ground should have Queenslanders scratching their heads as to why it was being offered in the first place. Adani was offered $450m from the Newman government to help fund a rail project to deliver coal from its mine to its export port. On top of this, the LNP then offered to waive its right to collect, on behalf of the public, potentially billions of dollars in royalties for the start of the mine’s life, as an incentive to get the project off the ground. But after the LNP’s loss on Saturday, Adani have wasted no time coming out and reassuring Queenslanders that, never fear, the project will go ahead with or without Newman’s generous incentives to proceed. Hold the phones. Weren’t those incentives designed to secure a project that wasn’t able to go ahead without them? To say the least, the revelation casts light on the LNP’s very strange negotiating tactics. If you’re selling a car and the buyer says they’ll take it for what you’re asking, that’s normally the end of the deal. You don’t typically continue to haggle down your own price after the buyer’s already told you they’ll pay more. Mining and accountability were two key issues in the Queensland election. Alan Jones’s spectacular sustained attack on the Newman government over what he perceived to be a clear breach of a pre-election commitment cast renewed doubt on where the loyalties of the LNP government lay. The perception existed well before Jones’s tirade, of course. But, only days after Jones’s allegations around a Newman backflip on a controversial approval for the Acland coal mine broke, the LNP became the only party competing the state election to refuse to sign on to corruption expert Tony Fitzgerald’s four principles of government accountability and transparency. The Fitzgerald Principles, which called for any government to act in the interests of its citizens and to not allow any individual or corporation undue influence into policymaking, should not have been controversial. The LNP ignored its recommendations and pressed on like no issue existed. Plainly, as Saturday’s result shows, it did. Queensland Treasury has implored its governments in recent times to reconsider throwing public funds at mining projects like they’re going out of fashion (and judging by the coal price at the moment, it looks like they are). It recently made the point that seems to be common sense. Writing to the Commonwealth Grants Commission, Queensland Treasury warned of “a real opportunity cost in undertaking the initial capital expenditure (associated with mining infrastructure). Governments face budget constraints and spending on mining-related infrastructure means less infrastructure spending in other areas, including social infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.” Typically, whenever a government throws taxpayer money behind a project, the largesse is defended by telling everybody we’ll earn it back in time. Queensland Treasury, the ones charged with checking to see if that money is actually earned back, showed that argument is bankrupt. “There are also risks associated with expenditure on infrastructure that must be borne by government”, they write. “The continuation of the mining boom is not guaranteed.” The money the Newman government was dangling in front of Adani to encourage it to make a decision it had already made was ridiculous as much as it was irresponsible. Billions of dollars more funding to go straight into an Indian mining company’s profits comes at the expense of billions of dollars of hospitals and schools. Adani’s latest statement shows that money should never have been offered in the first place. It also shows the voters of Queensland had every right to be concerned about transparency and accountability in government decision making. What’s so disappointing is that only now do we find out that Adani, who was happy to accept the money being offered, never needed it in the first place. Rent seeking is alive and well. Future governments should take note. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/queensland', 'australia-news/queensland-politics', 'environment/coal', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/richard-denniss'] | environment/coal | ENERGY | 2015-02-03T01:00:02Z | true | ENERGY |
business/2011/mar/14/japan-disaster-lng-gas-uk | Japan's nuclear crisis could force up LNG prices for years | Energy experts have warned that UK energy bills could increase after the Japan earthquake triggered an increase in natural gas prices. The cost of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which accounted for nearly a third of Britain's gas supply last winter, has risen sharply since Friday's disaster knocked out 11 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors. The price for a summer delivery of LNG to the UK rose by 6.4% per therm on Monday, with a winter delivery climbing by 5.8%. Adam Forsyth, analyst at Matrix Group, said: "If the price rises and is consistently at a high level then it has to come through to people's gas bills eventually." Forsyth added that LNG cargo ships can be diverted away from their original destinations at short notice and that appears to have been the case with Japan, which has requested extra shipments in the wake of last week's disaster to cover the shortfall in nuclear-generated electricity. In an ominous precedent for UK homeowners, Forsyth said a smaller earthquake that hit the Niigata region of Japan in 2007 and shut down the world's largest nuclear power plant helped cause a gas price spike that lasted several years. Japan is the world's largest importer of LNG. However, analysts at Inenco, an energy consultancy, said rolling power blackouts in Japan are lowering energy demands. "The potential need to source LNG to compensate for loss of nuclear output could be mitigated by lower demand levels as the country's infrastructure begins to be rebuilt," said Inenco. Nonetheless, the nuclear industry plays an important role in Japan, supplying 30% of the country's electricity. The quake could have a long-term effect on nuclear energy and demand for greener fuels such as LNG, with Senator Joe Lieberman, who chairs the US Senate's homeland security panel, urging the United States to "put the brakes on" new nuclear power plants until the impact of explosions at the Fukushima plant became clear. Analysts speculated that solar and wind-energy projects will be long-term beneficiaries from the Fukushima incidents. High energy prices and the recent harsh winter have already pushed UK gas prices to record levels. Household gas bills for December were the highest to date at an average of £227 as the cold weather added about £44 to each bill. Even before the impact of severe weather, the charity National Energy Action had estimated that more than one in five households were in fuel poverty – defined as a household that spends more than a 10th of its disposable income on energy bills. Shares in British Gas rose 3.7% to £15.14 yesterday. | ['business/energy-industry', 'business/business', 'money/energy', 'money/consumer-affairs', 'money/household-bills', 'money/money', 'business/gas', 'business/commodities', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/environment', 'world/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'environment/fukushima', 'type/article', 'profile/danmilmo', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2011-03-14T18:56:53Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/blog/2015/dec/30/simon-barnes-prophet-and-loss-charles-rothschild-legacy-britains-wild-places | We must honour Charles Rothschild's legacy by loving Britain's wild places | Simon Barnes | Towards the end of the project exploring the legacy left by Charles Rothschild, I had a sudden memory. It was of the Doctor Who episode in which Van Gogh gets a ride in the Tardis and is shown how, a century and more after his desperate death, he is admired as one of the greatest and most beloved of all artists. And I longed to do the same for Charles Rothschild, another man who knew despair, another man who took his own life, another man out of his time. Not to show him that he is now greatly admired, for that would mean very little to him. No: to show him that his work lives on - and is most profoundly loved. Rothschild founded the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves and a century ago, he came up with a list of 284 sites that were “worthy of preservation”. He was one of the first people to realise that we were destroying the wild world and that unless we did something about it we would lose the lot. Back then most people believed that nature was a bottomless well: plenty more where that came from. Rothschild saw further than most: perhaps because his love for wild places was deeper than most. We are now bringing up the most nature-deprived generation in modern history and the first with a lower life-expectation than its parents. Not a coincidence. I went to Harlestone Heath and saw a once-lovely place that was now a conifer plantation, a golf course and a housing estate; the special has been swapped for the commonplace. I went to Hartslock Wood, a fragment of its former self after reckless agricultural change. I also saw places that were safe and lovely as ever. Orford Ness was once used to test atom bombs, but it still has shore-nesting birds and a recklessly brave single flora that lives on where no life ought to be possible. Kynance Cove, crisscrossed by a thousand bathers, still has a heather found nowhere else in Britain. Then I had another Tardis idea. I wished I could take Rothschild forward in time, to Woodwalton Fen in 2116. He bought the place himself and built a lodge there for wild weekends. The Fen is still OK: but in 100 years it will lie at the heart of the Great Fen Project, which is recreating 14 square miles of the lost wet wilderness of England. Surely Rothschild never dared dream of such a thing. The Society for the Preservation of Nature Reserves is now the Wildlife Trusts, the umbrella body for all the county wildlife trusts. Between them they manage 2,300 reserves across the country, places that range from the merely marvellous to the unspeakably wonderful. Bass Rock is on the Rothschild’s list: a great volcanic plug that stands just offshore in the Firth of Forth and is home to 150,000 gannets, each with wings as wide as a man is tall. They fly like angels and a trip there is like entering the castle of heaven. I did so on a tourist boat, accompanied by babes in arms, toddlers, a tangerine-coloured spaniel and scarcely a pair of binoculars on board: yet the boat was packed with people agog to see one of the great wonders of Britain. Nature is not for the buff, for the specialist, for the know-all: it’s for us all, something we all need and something we all, in our different ways, seek. We’ve lost too much: but we still have marvels, and thank Rothschild for that. We honour him best by loving the wild places that remain. • Simon Barnes writes about wildlife and his new book The Sacred Combe is out in January. Prophet and Loss is written by Simon Barnes and illustrated by Nik Pollard. You can download a digital version of Prophet and Loss for £1 from Amazon. A PDF is available on the Wildlife Trusts’ website for anyone without an e-reader. | ['environment/blog', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/blog'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-12-30T13:00:07Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
us-news/2024/feb/12/we-should-work-with-nature-not-against-it-in-managing-los-angeles-river-flows | We should work with nature, not against it, in managing the Los Angeles River’s flows | Letter | Your article about the Los Angeles River playing an important role in reducing flood risk in the LA region during times of heavy rain was accurate (Yes, the Los Angeles River is dramatically full. But it’s just ‘doing its job’, 6 February). But the decision to line the LA River – and many of its tributary creeks and streams – with concrete to control flood risk was a 20th-century engineered approach to how urban areas should coexist with the whims of nature. In the 21st century, we know there are better ways to address concerns about both water quality and flood risk in ways that promote greater resilience and equity. Rather than sending billions of gallons of water – an increasingly precious resource in drought-prone southern California – directly out to sea when storms hit, we should lean into nature-based solutions that provide multiple benefits while managing storm-water flows. For example, there may be opportunities to invest in large-scale water-supply capture infrastructure in strategic areas in the Los Angeles River watershed. Such projects could provide the same level of flood protection provided by a concrete-lined river while allowing captured water to recharge our local groundwater basins as nature intended. We can also add green spaces along the river channel that could serve as flood plains during times of high water while also providing critical urban habitat for wildlife, recreational opportunities for park-poor communities, and critical shade for Angelenos to enjoy in the heat of the summer. Several of these types of projects are already being built. It’s up to our leaders to embrace the vision of working with nature, rather than against it, if we hope to reap all the benefits that the Los Angeles River has to offer. Bruce Reznik Executive director, Los Angeles Waterkeeper | ['us-news/california', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/rivers', 'us-news/los-angeles', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/letters', 'us-news/west-coast', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-02-12T18:28:16Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2015/sep/22/saving-malawis-national-tree-mulanje-cedar | Planting to save Malawi's national tree | Malawi’s critically endangered national tree, the Mulanje cedars, are a minuscule, dwindling fraction of the world’s 3tn trees. These rare trees grow atop a single imposing granite massif, Mount Mulanje, where illegal loggers are axing them to extinction. The Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) aims to reverse the cedar’s decline. With funding from international donors, it has provided forest guards, boosted tourism and organised an unprecedented tree-planting campaign. Rumoured to be the inspiration for Tolkien’s Lonely Mountain, Mount Mulanje, with its perpetual cloud cover, has a mystical ambience. Its namesake tree, grows to 50 metres, has pleasantly fragrant pale red wood and its sap is poisonous to insects and repels fungus and rot. These qualities make the trees rare and precious, commanding a hefty timber price. For over a century, the wood has been used heavily in construction, woodworking and Lake Malawi’s boat industry. Colonial British rule over Nyasaland brought commercial exploitation of the cedars from 1898 to 1955, but it also established Mulanje Mountain forest reserve. Today, protection of the reserve falls to Malawi’s pitifully underfunded, understaffed and corrupt forestry department, still reeling after the so-called “cashgate” scandal dried up funding. Illegal logging is rampant. Minions of tree-poaching kingpins stream down the mountain with impunity, barefoot and balancing 10ft, hand-hewn beams of precious timber on their heads. They haul the heavy contraband over treacherous terrain for 600 kwacha per day (70p). Freshly-cut stumps scar the plateau like a pox. “Half the mountain is completely logged. Cedar forests remain on the eastern side only,” said Dr Tembo Chanyenga of the Forest Research Institute of Malawi. Yet even there, upwards of 40% of standing cedars are dead. Two areas that had large stands of cedar in 2004 have since been picked clean. Natural regeneration is rare due to high seedling mortality, limited seeds and fire. When Chanyenga surveyed the mountain in 2013, he found just seven seedlings that had matured into saplings. “Natural regeneration is too low to maintain a cedar population on the mountain. Artificial regeneration is the only viable option,” he said. MMCT’s David Nangoma said: “Stands of Mulanje cedar now cover less than 5 sq km. Under IUCN’s Save our Species project, our objective is to plant 1.2m seedlings and more over four years. So far, the planting is behind schedule due to January’s torrential rains and interference from the ‘concerned citizens’,” a threatening, disruptive political faction demanding the mountain’s resources be given to them. The group claimed MMCT was logging Mulanje cedar for profit when the trust embarked on a costly removal of invasive Mexican pine last year. Although previous replanting attempts failed, MMCT has hit upon an improved method. Chanyenga said: “In the past, foresters planted seedlings that were too small and used bare-rooted instead of potted seedlings. Mortality rates were high because soils dry up quickly on Mulanje.” MMCT has built and staffed 13 nurseries on the mountain to produce the required seedlings, but seed rarity is also a problem. Cones take two years to mature, and production varies. Nangoma cautioned: “The cedar seedbank in the forestry research facility has run out of seed to supply Mulanje plantings. That bank must be replenished and even more seed must be banked, for example, at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, considering the rate at which cedar stands are disappearing on Mulanje.” | ['environment/deforestation', 'world/malawi', 'environment/forests', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'environment/environment', 'environment/biodiversity', 'world/world', 'world/africa', 'type/article', 'tone/features'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-09-22T11:07:54Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2018/jul/30/anti-fracking-activists-falsely-accused-grooming-boy-14 | Anti-fracking activists falsely accused of 'grooming' boy, 14 | The authors of a report investigating extremism in Greater Manchester after the bombing at Manchester Arena falsely suggested that anti-fracking activists “groomed” a 14-year-old boy featured in a case study, the Guardian understands. The 124-page report by the Greater Manchester preventing hateful extremism and promoting social cohesion commission included the story of a teenager referred to Channel, part of the government’s anti-extremist Prevent programme. Calling him Aaron, the report described him as an A* pupil who “was referred to the Channel programme by his school due to concerns about his extreme beliefs in relation to the environment, specifically issues around fracking”. It said he was targeted by local activists after signing an online petition, and that these approaches “became progressively more aggressive to the point where Aaron was on the periphery of engaging in criminal behaviour and frequently reported to the police as missing by his parents”. But according to Greater Manchester police, the boy in question was never involved in the anti-fracking movement. He had been targeted by an entirely different group of activists, the force said. The detail was then changed without their knowledge, ostensibly to protect his real identity. Rishi Shori, the chair of the commission, said: “The report contains a number of case studies where some details have been changed to protect the identities of those involved. This is standard practice where sensitive information is being used in a report. “However, in one of these case studies – case study J – a factual detail has been altered which should not have been. The case study mistakenly said that concerns were raised around fracking. They were actually raised around a form of environmental extremism – but it had nothing to do with fracking. “Although this change was made with the good intention of protecting the individual’s identity, ultimately it was the wrong thing to do. We apologise for this error. Because of a genuine fear that this vulnerable child could be identified, we cannot give more specific details about the type of extremism.” Jenny Jones, the Green peer, initially said it was “incredibly alarming to see anti-fracking activism categorised by police in the same way as extremism”, and expressed her scepticism about the report’s veracity. Informed of the fact that anti-fracking activists had never been involved with the boy, Lady Jones said: “To potentially drag the name of fracking activists through the mud like this is totally unacceptable. We should not stand by and watch while environmental campaigners are discredited in this way. “Disguising the identity of a vulnerable young person and ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place is of course very important, but we must also make sure we are not wrongly implicating activists in this fashion.” It was a “dreadful error”, an official at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said on Monday, adding that the report would be corrected as soon as possible. The GMCA accepted the disclaimer included in the report did not cover the alteration of such an important piece of information. It said: “All case studies used in this report are based on genuine case examples from Greater Manchester. Some details may have been changed in order to protect the identity(ies) of the person(s) involved.” Tina Louise Rothery – one of the Lancashire Nanas, a collective of mothers and grandmothers fighting against fracking at Preston New Road near Blackpool – described the falsehood as “absolutely appalling”. She said: “Our movement is 70% women over 50. As a grandmother fighting to protect the future for my grandchild I wouldn’t be anywhere near it if there was even a hint of extremism.” She added: “The only dangerous thing we do for our cause is to lock ourselves together and lie in front of trucks coming to the fracking site, which makes us vulnerable, not extreme. This is appalling. It’s dark PR.” The report was published at noon on Monday. It was commissioned by Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, after the 22 May attack last year. The authors, who included Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor for the north-west, were tasked with considering “how to tackle hateful extremism, social exclusion and radicalisation across Greater Manchester”. The case study claimed the boy was saved after the police sent an “abduction notice” to the main protagonist of the social media lobbying. Such notices prohibit an individual from making contact with a named child and a breach is a criminal offence. The report suggested the lesson from Aaron’s case was that “learning from other crime types such as child sexual exploitation should be translated into other arenas”. | ['world/activism', 'uk/greater-manchester', 'world/protest', 'environment/fracking', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/helenpidd', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/fracking | ENERGY | 2018-07-30T17:59:23Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2018/aug/01/world-weatherwatch-flooded-japan-battered-again-by-typhoon-jongdari | World weatherwatch: Flooded Japan battered again by Typhoon Jongdari | Following a summer of severe weather, Typhoon Jongdari is the latest storm system to batter those regions of Japan already devastated by flooding. Winds in excess of 100mph (160km/h) and torrential rain made landfall in Mie Prefecture, Honshu, during the early hours of Sunday morning, local time. Tens of thousands of people had already been ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm, but it was reported that dozens were injured. Large waves on the coast caused landslides and damaged roads, while some vehicles were swept away. On the other side of the Pacific, unprecedented wildfires continued to wreak havoc in California. One fire in the northern parts of the state killed five people and forced the evacuation of more than 30,000. Weather conditions remained very dry and gusty winds allowed fires to spread rapidly. Droughts are affecting many parts of the world, from the US and Canada to north-west Europe. Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, have been enduring drought since February and some water supplies are down to a third of their normal levels. The threat of a developing El Niño – a weather pattern that can enhance drought in eastern Australia – is now a serious cause for concern. | ['environment/flooding', 'world/wildfires', 'environment/drought', 'weather/japan', 'us-news/california', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australia-weather', 'news/series/weatherwatch', 'news/series/world-weatherwatch', 'science/meteorology', 'weather/index/asia', 'environment/environment', 'world/natural-disasters', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/brendan-jones', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2018-08-01T20:30:06Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
commentisfree/article/2024/may/09/the-guardian-view-on-britains-dirty-waterways-a-failure-of-industry-and-regulation | The Guardian view on Britain’s dirty waterways: a failure of industry and regulation | Editorial | A steady stream of stories about the shockingly poor state of Britain’s waterways has turned into a flood. In March, news that competitors in the Boat Race had been warned to stay out of the Thames due to sewage pollution travelled round the world. That the water industry is dysfunctional, and for years has enriched shareholders and executives at the expense of customers, is broadly recognised by the public. Anglers, surfers and swimmers have joined with environmentalists and the former pop star Feargal Sharkey to demand improvements. Polling last year suggested more than half of voters would take the government’s handling of sewage into account when deciding how to vote. The latest warnings about the situation from Dame Glenys Stacey, the environment watchdog, are thus not surprising. But her data and analysis still have the power to shock. Under the worst-case assessment from the Office for Environmental Protection, just 21% of England’s rivers and other bodies of water will be in a good ecological state by the target date of 2027 – in contravention of the Environment Act. While the Environment Agency estimates that a comprehensive clean-up will cost £51bn, just 12% of this funding is confirmed. Given that March’s figures for sewage discharges were the worst ever, Dame Glenys’s complaints about operators’ lack of transparency are particularly concerning. If people don’t know what is going on, it becomes even harder to do anything about it. Greater efficiency, driven by competition, was the false promise of water industry privatisation. Instead, vast profits have been extracted by owners, including the Chinese state, Qatar Investment Authority and private equity firms. Short-term financial benefits for shareholders, generated in large part by debt, have taken precedence over investment. The public interest in clean, abundant water has been placed second to the acquisition of wealth. Just as concerning as the conduct of the industry are repeated failures of enforcement and regulation. In 2021 Southern Water was fined a record £90m for breaches. The Environment Agency’s largest-ever criminal investigation into more than 2,000 water treatment works is ongoing. But cuts have limited its capability to investigate, while Ofwat allowed water companies to become heavily financialised, opaque in structure and loaded with debt. Meanwhile, European standards incorporated into domestic law when the UK left the EU have been diluted with the postponement of water quality tests. At a time when the bloc is imposing new responsibilities on polluters, this is all the more dismaying. What makes all this even worse is the wider context of an accelerating climate and nature crisis. Water bosses have sought to blame heavy rainfall for the overuse of sewage outflows. Yet changing weather was predicted by scientists, and the threats to wildlife from global heating make the conservation of ecosystems such as rivers all the more urgent. While the Liberal Democrats have proposed turning Thames Water into a public benefit company, Labour’s plans for it and the wider industry remain inchoate. Ofwat is in the process of deciding whether to let water companies charge customers for new infrastructure, and under what conditions. Rightly, Dame Glenys highlights the role of local as well as national leadership. Civil society groups should keep doing what they have been doing. Water is far too important an issue to be kicked down the road – or flushed into the sewer. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/water', 'environment/environment', 'business/thames-water', 'business/water-industry', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/rivers', 'environment/environment-agency', 'type/article', 'tone/editorials', 'tone/comment', 'profile/editorial', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-05-09T17:38:08Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
commentisfree/2021/may/02/the-guardian-view-on-german-politics-is-green-the-new-normal | The Guardian view on German politics: is green the new normal? | Editorial | These are heady days to be a German Green. Last month, Die Grünen chose 40-year-old Annalena Baerbock as their candidate for chancellor in September’s federal election. Since then there has been a huge influx of new members excited by the prospect of what is shaping up to be a generational shift in the country’s politics. According to the latest polls, the party is either fighting for first place with or is ahead of the Christian Democratic Union, which is mired in Covid-related difficulties, including a corruption scandal and dissatisfaction at the slow rollout of the vaccination programme. There have been green awakenings in the past which proved ephemeral. In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster 10 years ago, the party enjoyed a historic surge in support, only to slump disappointingly at the 2013 election. This time feels significantly different. The Greens already form part of coalition governments in 11 of Germany’s 16 states. Their poll ratings have comfortably eclipsed those of the centre-left Social Democrats over the past 12 months, and a pragmatic leadership has been careful to court the political mainstream on foreign policy issues such as commitment to Nato. One striking survey for a German business magazine found that more company executives preferred the idea of Ms Baerbock as the next chancellor to the 60-year-old Armin Laschet, the somewhat lacklustre CDU candidate. It seems very likely, then, that the next German federal government will have an important Green component, and it may even be Green-led. The timing would make this a continental game-changer. Germany’s Greens have the potential to become the leading force in a rehabilitation of progressive politics in Europe, where centre-left parties have struggled to unite older blue-collar voters with younger generations who have grown up in the post-industrial era. The Greens would commit Germany to a 70% reduction in domestic carbon emissions by 2030, up from the existing target of 55%. Such an upping of the ante, placing Germany in line with the Paris agreement goal of limiting global heating by 1.5C, is a gamble. The level of disruption would be considerable; according to some estimates, the accelerated drive to electric vehicles and growing automation will mean job losses. The areas most affected are likely to be German equivalents of the economically depressed regions that launched the French gilets jaunes protest movement. To promote a fair transition to a green economy, Ms Baerbock and her colleagues have promised a $500bn public spending programme and said they would abandon the so-called debt brake, a constitutional limit on government borrowing. A 50% boost to welfare payments would also be on the cards, along with a wealth tax. This is highly ambitious stuff in a nation as fiscally conservative as Germany. But convincing electorates and markets that it can be done – and funding the meaningful regeneration of post-industrial regions - is the pivotal task now facing all progressive parties. The launch of Joe Biden’s $2.25tn green jobs plan sets a precedent that cash can be spent. In 2011, as Die Grünen leapt ahead in the polls, one magazine suggested that “green is the new black”, a play on the colour traditionally associated with the CDU. This time round, as the climate emergency sets the mainstream parameters of politics, the party’s supporters hope that, out of necessity, green can become the new normal. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/green-politics', 'world/germany', 'world/europe-news', 'environment/environment', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'tone/editorials', 'tone/comment', 'profile/editorial', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/opinion', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2021-05-02T17:25:38Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
voluntary-sector-network/2017/jun/15/pollution-emissions-idling-engines-volunteers-london-clean-air-day | Anti-emissions squads: the volunteers cleaning up London's streets | Wednesday morning, my clean air partner and I approach a coach unloading children outside the Barbican Centre in London. The driver is helping to marshal the kids across the pavement and has left his engine on while parked. We introduce ourselves as volunteer air quality wardens and ask him to turn it off. He immediately agrees, cuts the ignition and joins us for a chat. We hand over an air freshener as a thank you, with the message “you are the key to cleaner air”. Next up is a lorry delivering scaffolding, parked up and engine off. We thank the driver and hand over another air freshener. Over the course of the morning we talk to around 30 drivers. All but the odd one turn their engines off straight away and promise to do so every time in the future. In the last year only one driver has refused to turn off; no one has been abusive. It is illegal to leave an engine idling and the City of London Corporation can issue fixed penalty notices to drivers who continue to run their engines while parked, but campaigns are much more effective at changing behaviour in the long term. More effective still is to use volunteers like me, who live or work locally. The corporation began using local volunteers in 2013, with a year-long air quality monitoring programme. More than 100 residents in the Barbican estate recorded nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particle levels on their balconies, and on walks to work, school or the shops. Our research showed that in many streets nitrogen dioxide levels breached EU limits. Beech Street, just across from the Barbican, was one of the worst in the capital, with NO2 levels more than double the annual mean limit. London as a whole breached its annual air pollution limits just five days into 2017. This is nothing short of a public health emergency. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are extremely damaging to our health, and idling engines emit unnecessary pollutants. If a vehicle is idling it can produce up to twice as much exhaust emissions as when it is moving. The vehicle idling action programme aims to reduce Londoners’ exposure to these emissions by getting drivers to turn off their engines when parked. The corporation has been running the campaign locally since 2015, and last year action days were rolled out across 14 additional boroughs with the support of the Mayor’s air quality fund. Volunteers are given a couple of hours training on how to approach drivers in a friendly and non-confrontational way. We are then sent outside schools and hospitals, in residential areas and on roads known for engine idling. Each volunteer works with a partner: one person engages the driver, the other records what happens – whether the driver turned their engine off when asked or whether it was already switched off; what type of vehicle they were driving; where it was parked. We’ve found that drivers are far more likely to engage with volunteers who live or work in the local area than with a uniformed traffic enforcement officer. Many drivers don’t realise they are parked close to a nursery or primary school or a hospital, and that just turning their engine off can have a transformative impact. A couple of minutes chatting with a volunteer may reveal that the driver has a child with asthma, or a family member with respiratory problems. Empathy and personal experience help raise awareness and result in lasting change in behaviour and attitudes. In 2016 the local authority created a low emission neighbourhood (LEN) in the Barbican and Golden Lane area, leading to a raft of measures to improve traffic management and encourage the use of electric vehicles. Volunteers who live or work in the LEN have also taken the initiative to create several pop up clean air gardens, with air quality enhancing species. We also shared our air quality results with local businesses, who signed up to an air quality pledge to reduce their emissions. Support comes from some surprising sources: a black cab driver on a break (engine off), who is counting the weeks before he can buy an electric taxi; a coach driver who tells us that head office will message him to turn off his engine if it runs for more than a few minutes; a group of construction workers giving us the thumbs-up after an eye-opening discussion about pollution levels outside their site. We are changing long term behaviour, not just getting drivers to switch off when caught in the act. Thursday 15 June is National Clean Air Day Sarah Hudson is a resident of the City of London and a volunteer clean air warden Talk to us on Twitter via @Gdnvoluntary and join our community for your free fortnightly Guardian Voluntary Sector newsletter, with analysis and opinion sent direct to you on the first and third Thursday of the month. | ['voluntary-sector-network/voluntary-sector-network', 'voluntary-sector-network/volunteering', 'voluntary-sector-network/community-action', 'society/volunteering', 'society/voluntarysector', 'society/society', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'uk/london', 'cities/cities', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'environment/air-pollution', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-professional-networks'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-06-15T06:41:32Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2010/mar/23/green-claims | Green advertising rules are made to be broken | Fred Pearce | From this week, we have a new checklist of dodgy green claims that advertisers should avoid. The list comes from the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). They are only guidelines and they won't save the planet. But, in keeping with its own strictures on greenwash, at least the department doesn't pretend that they will. Among the biggest bugbears revealed in the consultation document – the draft ppdate guidance on green claims - are general, untestable claims like products being "eco-" or "environmentally friendly". Such tags have been applied to everything from a hotel that serves local food but floodlights its car park all night, to electronic goods that do no more than comply with the law on recycling. Defra says green claims should be "clear, accurate, relevant and verifiable". That's a good checklist for people who want to comply, but hardly a legal rottweiler to combat cynical greenwash. It is good to see mention of "labels, symbols and pictures", which can often be more effective at suggesting greenness than mere words. Famously, Shell got into trouble a year ago with the Advertising Standards Authority (an industry watchdog unconnected to government) for depicting power station chimneys with flowers growing out of them. Big companies can always drive a coach and horses through the rules, greening their corporate image by mixing a couple of heavily marketed green products into a range of many more thoroughly un-green products. Again, oil companies are notorious. This column has returned several times to the greenwash strategies of BP and Shell, plastering the country with posters and double-page adverts extolling their involvement in green energy, which in truth makes up a tiny (and recently diminishing) part of their investment. Green claim guidelines don't touch that kind of thing. Another problem is what is meant by the "product". Take bottled water. The product itself is no more and no less green than water out of a tap. If the bottle itself has some green credentials (and many do) then hey, you have environmentally friendly water. Shame about the huge carbon footprint involved in trucking it from France or wherever. But that is somebody else's responsibility. The consultation document is full of evidence of Defra's frailty. When it comes to laying down the law, it doesn't. "There is no mandatory requirement for companies to provide information about environmental credentials of their products," it says. And "Defra does not have an enforcement role in relation to self-declared claims." That's a problem. A year ago this week, the House of Commons environmental audit committee chastised the government on just this issue. It called for a system of legally enforceable environmental labelling for consumer products, with the government as watchdog. "The government has a role to play in policing the use of environmental labels and intervening directly to remove those found to be inaccurate or misleading," the report said. There are agreed energy efficiency standards for many white goods. Cars in the European Union have to undergo a standard test to show how many grams of carbon dioxide they emit for every kilometre driven. But most products have no such industry standards. Committee member Colin Challen said at the time: "The government has to act to deal with the problem of greenwash." A year on, consultation on a guidance note for voluntary action by companies doesn't really cover it. I don't blame the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, too much though. This is an issue that falls uneasily between his band of greenies, whose main job is to look after the countryside, and the techies at the business department whose job, under Lord Mandelson, is to drive forward British business. Mandelson talks the green talk sometimes these days. But he certainly hasn't got the message of Defra's guidelines on green claims. One of the hypothetical examples of "poor practice" cited by Defra this week is a car manufacturer that improves the fuel performance or carbon emissions of its latest model, and then makes generalised claims for their being "environmentally friendly", without looking, for instance, at the environmental footprint of the cars' manufacture. But somebody should tell Mandelson about this. Just last week he was hailing the announcement by Nissan in Sunderland that it is to build a new electric car there. It would be "eco-friendly" and "zero-emission", said Nissan. The business department called it "green" and said it would "make the UK a world-leader in ultra-low-carbon vehicles". Memo to Mandelson: I suspect neither you nor Nissan can justify these statements under Defra's rules. Electric cars are not eco-friendly or low-carbon or green or anything else until the electricity they run on is generated in a low-carbon way. Please try to avoid generalised green claims and stick to being "accurate, clear, specific and unambiguous." Would you buy a used green car from Peter Mandelson? Come the UK general election campaign in a few weeks we can be sure that political parties will be breaking every guideline in Defra's rule book. This column will be keeping a check. | ['environment/series/greenwash', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'environment/environment', 'business/business', 'tone/comment', 'media/advertising', 'media/media', 'type/article', 'profile/fredpearce'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2010-03-23T07:30:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2016/apr/22/coral-bleaching-spreads-from-great-barrier-reef-to-western-australia | Coral bleaching spreads from Great Barrier Reef to Western Australia | The global coral bleaching event devastating the Great Barrier Reef has spread to reefs in Western Australia, where the federal government halted the implementation of marine parks, which would help the reefs recover. In light of worsening bleaching, the Greens have called on the government to urgently implement the marine reserves, which were created in 2012, but were effectively abandoned by the Coalition when elected. Greens senator Rachel Siewert put on notice a motion calling on the government to “make the marine parks operational without further delay” and to “commit adequate funding for management, buyout and education”. Bleaching has been recorded at reefs between Darwin and Broome, as well as Browse Island. Other reports emerging from Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims) surveys have revealed bleaching at sites along the Kimberley coast, and further off-shore at Christmas Island, Cocos Island and Seringapatam Reef. The latest reports show that between 60% and 90% of coral at the renowned and isolated Scott Reef have been bleached in water as deep as 15m. Scientists there say widespread coral death has been seen already. Karen Miller, a program leader and researcher at Aims said the bleaching at Scott reef is the worst they have ever seen, even worse than the severe bleaching that smashed the reef in 1998. Miller said the worst bleaching in the region is expected from April, and repeated expeditions to the sites over the coming weeks and months could reveal worse bleaching. She said climate change is a worry for the future of these reefs. “If these bleaching events happen more regularly, the reefs won’t have the time to recover between the bleaching events – and that will affect the persistence of the reef.” Scientists have demonstrated that marine reserves, where fishing and other disruptive activities are banned or limited, helps reefs recover from damage, including from bleaching. In 2012, the Labor government announced a network of marine reserves that extended around the country, following a decade of work that began in 1999 under the Howard government. When the Abbott government was elected, a review of the management plans was announced, putting on hold all the protections the marine reserves would create. “When elected, the government effectively abandoned our comprehensive world leading system of marine parks so they could undergo review, since then those parks have been just become lines on the map,” said Siewert. “I have been worried for some time that coral bleaching would also be occurring off the coast of WA and now unfortunately we are starting to see the evidence of this bleaching,” she said. “I’m deeply concerned that we might have bleaching similar to the scale of that occurring on the Great Barrier Reef. “Greg Hunt needs to wake up to what is happening to our precious coral reefs around Australia, on the Great Barrier Reef and in the West,” Siewert said. Asked to respond to the issue, a spokeswoman for federal environment minister Greg Hunt said the reserves proclaimed in 2012 “remain in place”. In relation to the review that has halted the associated protections, she said: “We are carefully considering the zoning and other recommendations of the Commonwealth Marine Reserves Review.” | ['environment/great-barrier-reef', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australian-greens', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/western-australia', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michael-slezak', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/great-barrier-reef | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-04-22T02:45:54Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
business/2008/apr/29/oil.energy | Disruption powers oil price to record high | Oil set another record yesterday, climbing to within a whisker of $120 a barrel as traders fretted about the closure of the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland and disruptions to crude output in Nigeria. It even shrugged off a rally in the dollar, in which oil is priced. The slide in the dollar in recent years has been a significant reason for the rising value of crude as producers demand greater compensation for the falling greenback. The price of a barrel of US light crude rose by $1.50 a barrel to as high as $119.93 during trading, but later dipped slightly as dealers took profits. London Brent crude was up 71 cents to $117.05. The president of oil producers' cartel Opec, Chakib Khelil, blamed dollar weakness for the high prices and said he could not rule out a rise to $200 a barrel, about £100. "Without geopolitical problems and the fall in the dollar, the prices of oil would not be at this level," he was quoted as saying in the Algerian daily El Moudjahid. Oil prices are up almost a quarter since the start of the year and have risen sixfold in the past six years. Some analysts predict further rises, spelling more pain for motorists but making alternative forms of energy relatively cheaper. Rising oil prices have been an important factor pushing up inflation rates in many countries. Petrol pump prices have repeatedly set records and look like breaking through £5 a gallon across Britain, a level already reached in many parts of the country. Petrolprices.com said the average price of fuel rose for a 15th consecutive day yesterday to a record 109.8p a litre for petrol - £5.15 a gallon - and 119.8p a litre for diesel. Prices are up 10% this year. Petrolprices.com founder Brendan McLoughlin predicts prices could reach £1.50 a litre by the late summer. Yesterday, crude prices were lifted by news that ExxonMobil had shut all of its Nigerian oil production of about 800,000 barrels a day since last week as a result of a strike and attacks by rebels. Crude prices have been underpinned for years by supply problems around the world, with the global economy enjoying its best growth period for three decades, pushing up demand, especially from countries such as China and India. Experts question whether there is enough oil in the ground and whether output may be at a peak and about to decline, but Opec refuses to pump more, blaming western "speculators" for price rises. Markets were on tenterhooks yesterday as to whether the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, would cut interest rates on Wednesday - after a mid-March reduction from 3% to 2.25% - to bolster the flagging US economy. If it does, that is expected to further undermine the dollar and lift oil prices again. "The Federal Reserve will have a chance to bolster the dollar if it decides to hold the line on further rate increases," said Edward Meir, analyst at MF Global. "Both developments could induce a correction in energy prices later in the week, but for now the trend appears higher still." | ['business/oil', 'business/business', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/oil', 'type/article', 'profile/ashleyseager', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2008-04-28T23:04:04Z | true | ENERGY |
sport/2009/mar/05/simon-taufel-steve-davis-umpires-sri-lanka-cricket-team-attack | Sri Lanka cricket team attack: 'We were isolated' by Pakistani security, say angry Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis | The Australian umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis say that they were not given the same level of security as the Sri Lankan playing staff in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Lahore on Tuesday. The man driving the match officials' bus was shot and killed and they were stuck on their bus while the gunmen were still firing. The umpires empathise with the playing staff but are angry that they had been "isolated" at the scene while the players' bus got away to safety. Davis and Taufel, who were travelling behind the Sri Lankans along with match referee Chris Broad, escaped unscathed from the attack but local umpire Ahsan Raza was taken to hospital after being hit by a bullet in his stomach while seven Sri Lankan players were injured and six policemen were killed. "You tell me why no one was caught, you tell me why supposedly 25 armed commandos were in our convoy and when the team bus got going again we were left on our own," Taufel said at Sydney Airport. "I don't have the answer to these questions, what I can tell you this morning is that we were isolated, we were left alone, we were unaccounted for, we were not given the same security and the same attention as the playing staff were. "Yes I feel for the Sri Lankan players, no question, but all I ask for is a bit of balance. Their bus was in a situation like ours was where we were defenceless, helpless and left on our own." "We were left with no one around," Davis added. "The Sri Lankan bus drove off and all strength to them. But our driver had been shot dead and we were just stuck in the roundabout and were being pelted with bullets and whatever else they were throwing at us and there was no other security around. "Even when their bus got back to the stadium no one came to get us, I couldn't understand it. There's a lot of questions to be answered. "I just think that maybe all the necessary precautions weren't taken and when it came to the crunch it was found wanting so that was very disappointing and frankly very life-threatening. "It was only afterwards that we realised, when we saw footage, and learnt from people, we were the only ones left there amongst all that carnage which was pretty disappointing. And then we started feeling a bit angry to be honest." | ['sport/cricket', 'world/sri-lanka-cricket-team-attack', 'sport/sri-lanka-cricket-team', 'sport/sport', 'tone/news', 'type/article'] | world/sri-lanka-cricket-team-attack | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2009-03-05T08:40:00Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2023/sep/22/orphans-children-derna-libya-floods | ‘The least we can do is care for their children’: Libyans rally to protect Derna’s orphans | People in western Libya have rallied round to provide care and breastmilk for young children orphaned by the devastating floods that hit the coastal city of Derna on 10 September. Hundreds of traumatised babies and young children are thought to have lost their parents in Derna, where whole neighbourhoods were wiped out after two dams broke. “Infant children do not wish to use artificial feeding bottles, which forced us to search for breastfeeding mothers,” said Mona Alashi, a volunteer. Nawal Alghazal, a 62-year-old resident of Benghazi, has started a campaign to collect breastmilk from women already breastfeeding their own children and distribute it to children whose mothers are dead or missing. “The least we can do for our country and the people in Derna is to take care of their children,” said Alghazal, who has taken 70 young children into her care since the disaster. Another woman, Marwa Abdelrazzaq, said she was willing to take in a Derna orphan and promised to provide the same care and attention as she does for her own daughter. According to Unicef, children who lose their parents or are separated from their families are more vulnerable to dangers such as violence and exploitation. Noura Eljerbi, a Libyan journalist, nevertheless cautioned against rushing to relocate children before the paperwork was completed to classify them as orphans, which would increase the likelihood of them being matched with relatives. Eljerbi estimated that about 400 children separated from their families in Derna are now living in two schools converted into shelters. Every day, desperate people come by the schools searching for missing relatives. In theory the ministry of social affairs is responsible for caring for orphaned children in the first instance and arranging their long-term care with foster families, but after years of political fracturing and violence, trust in institutions of the state is low. Abdelnabi Abu Araba, a civil activist, said he had received nearly a thousand offers of foster care through his Facebook page and phone contacts. While praising the empathy of his fellow citizens, he also expressed concern that some would-be fosterers were offering to help on impulse after being moved by the horrific scale of the flooding disaster. Abu Araba emphasised that the ability to provide financial support was not the sole criterion for becoming a foster carer, and that a person’s social situation and behaviour should also be assessed. He noted that the social affairs ministry would normally conduct a wide survey of a prospective fosterer before coming to a decision. The floods in Derna inundated as much as a quarter of the city, officials have said. Thousands of people were killed, with many dead still under the rubble or at sea, according to search teams. Government officials and aid agencies have given varied death tolls ranging from about 4,000 to more than 11,000. More than 43,000 people have been displaced in the area, including 30,000 in Derna, according to the UN’s migration agency. Many people have moved to other cities across Libya, hosted by local communities or sheltered in schools. Local authorities said they have isolated the worst-damaged part of Derna amid growing concerns about waterborne diseases. Health authorities have launched a vaccination campaign that initially targeted search and rescue teams along with children in Derna and other affected areas. On Monday hundreds of angry protesters gathered outside the main mosque in Derna, where they castigated the political class that has controlled Libya since the dictator Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a Nato-supported uprising in 2011. Bushra Kareem, a 37-year-old volunteer, is working to identify children who have made it out of Derna with and without their families and provide psychological support to help them integrate into schools before the academic year starts. Kareem said that even if children managed to make sense of what has happened to them, reality could become blurred with their imagination, making them susceptible to “severe disturbances” involving fear, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms. Several social media pages have shared heartbreaking accounts by children recounting the moment when they were swept away by the flood waters. Kareem said she was encouraging parents to seek the assistance of volunteer psychological support professionals for children and ensure that these children receive psychological support, either individually or in group sessions with other children. | ['world/libya-flood-2023', 'world/libya', 'environment/flooding', 'world/middleeast', 'world/natural--disasters', 'world/extreme-weather', 'world/africa', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | world/libya-flood-2023 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2023-09-22T04:00:08Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2009/jul/08/texas-tycoon-scraps-giant-windfarm | Texas entrepreneur scraps windfarm scheme | The billionaire energy tycoon T Boone Pickens has scrapped a $10bn (£6.3bn) plan to build the world's largest windfarm in the panhandle of Texas, dealing a setback to a broader effort to wean the US off its dependence on foreign oil. Pickens blamed technical problems in transporting power between the proposed site of the system, which was to be in agricultural land hundreds of miles north-west of Dallas, and major population centres. The demise of the project leaves Pickens, 81, with a challenge in dealing with an initial load of 687 giant wind turbines, already on order from General Electric and due for delivery from 2011. He hopes to build a series of smaller power generation farms instead of a single enormous one. "My garage won't hold them," said Pickens. "They've got to go someplace." Pickens, who built his fortune in the oil and gas industry, has spent the last year vigorously promoting a self-proclaimed "Pickens plan" which aims to make the US independent of foreign sources of oil by switching to domestic natural gas and wind generation. He has bankrolled television commercials advocating the idea and has lobbied lawmakers in Washington. The colossal wind farm, which Pickens described to the Guardian last year as "mind boggling", was to have been a centrepiece of the plan. By 2014, it was supposed to have a capacity of 4,000 megawatts of energy derived from 2,700 turbines on 200,000 acres of land – enough to power a million homes. He told the Dallas Morning News this week that construction of a transmission line to the site had proven difficult: "It was a little more complicated than we thought." Instead, his company, Mesa Power, is looking at six possible sites across the US Midwest and south-west, as locations for three to four windfarms of about 150 turbines each. "I don't think the first place we build, though, is where we thought we would build because we don't have the transmission," said Pickens. Barack Obama met Pickens during the election campaign last year, saying he was keen to discuss an "intelligent energy policy", despite the billionaire's record of supporting Republican politicians. In 2004, Pickens bankrolled a series of controversial spots known as "swift boat" advertisements which attacked the war record of Democratic contender John Kerry. Pickens' argument for wind is largely on financial, rather than environmental, grounds. He points out that the US imports 65% of its oil which, he says, is both an economic and a security threat. He told Congress that $10 trillion would leave the country to buy foreign oil over the next decade. In March, Pickens was awarded the honour of "Texan of the year" by the state's Republican governor, Rick Perry, who said the Pickens plan could "change the world forever". | ['environment/windpower', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'us-news/us-news', 'business/oil', 'environment/oil', 'tone/news', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'us-news/texas', 'type/article', 'profile/andrewclark'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2009-07-08T00:58:44Z | true | ENERGY |
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