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australia-news/2021/apr/12/first-australian-scorecard-of-vehicle-co2-emissions-reveals-best-and-worst-brands | First Australian scorecard of vehicle CO2 emissions reveals best and worst brands | Australia’s peak automotive industry body has released its first “scorecard” of CO2 emissions from cars imported into the country in 2020. The report from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) breaks down average CO2 emissions by carmaker and the number of sales in order to show the difference between average CO2 emissions and the target set under the industry’s voluntary standard. Among the best-performing brands on CO2 emissions were Toyota, Lexus and Jaguar while the worst-performing were luxury brands Lamborghini and Ferrari which massively overshot their voluntary emissions reductions target. FCAI chief Tony Weber said the release formed the “baseline” for a long-term plan by carmakers to compensate for a lack of government action in Australia by voluntarily working to reduce vehicle emissions by 4% a year until 2030. “It’s an ambitious target,” Weber said. “This puts a line in the sand. We put that out for transparency. What we’re doing is saying here is a target in 2030 that we’re going to aim for.” “We have two issues in Australia. We don’t have a [CO2 emissions] target and we have the lowest quality fuel in the OECD. Marry those together and it’s really hard to get the best quality drive-train technology into the market.” Weber said the 10-year timeframe was chosen to give manufacturers a chance to make adjustments over the model cycle of different vehicles. While most car models are built on a five-year cycle, some are produced on a 10-year cycle. The problem was exacerbated as other major economies have set ambitious mandatory targets, which is seeing global carmakers direct cars with newer technologies everywhere else first. “You can’t just change your CO2 output overnight. You can’t just put a new engine in,” he said. “We’re about 1m cars in a 100m market. It’s about directing limited supply of these technologies around the world to markets with targets. Supply will meet demand.” Adjunct Associate Prof Robin Smit from the University of Technology Sydney and director transport energy/emission research said he it was good to see the industry “taking the lead”. “Previous research has shown that new Australian passenger vehicles have not reduced CO2 emission rates as fast as the other major jurisdictions,” Smit said. “It is good to see action from the FCAI with the aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” “There is nothing new about this test though.” Smit said the initiative could be further improved with the adoption of the newer Worldwide Harmonized Light-duty Test Procedure (WLTP) standard that has been used overseas since 2017 to more accurately measure real-world CO2 emissions. The FCAI’s current methodology relies on a legislated test called the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) that was developed in the early 1970s and does not accurately capture real-world emissions. In 2015, the difference between the result obtained in the lab using the NEDC and real-world on-road emissions was as high as 40%. “The NEDC test doesn’t capture real-world emissions, basically,” Smit said. “Purely from a climate change perspective where we want to reduce emissions quickly, it is really important to know the real-world emissions levels. The NEDC test previously used in the EU and that is still used in Australia is increasingly underestimating on-road emissions.” “It is important that we get a handle on real-world emissions reductions.” Another concern was the use of different weight standards for cars, light SUVs and heavy SUVs. Smit said where this occurs it creates a risk that sales of large SUVs will continue to grow and some manufacturers will attempt to reclassify smaller cars as heavy SUVs in order to continue selling underperforming vehicles. In one example from the early 2000s, Chrysler sought to evade fuel efficiency standards that were limiting sales of the popular Dodge Ram pickup by building the PT Cruiser. The vehicle looked like a car but was built on a “truck” platform which had worse fuel economy but was also subject to more lenient regulations that applied to heavy vehicles in the US. Similar problems have also emerged in Europe where weight-dependent standards boosted sales of larger and heavier vehicles – which have increased real-world CO2 emissions. Many of these were then exported to vehicle fleets around the world. “It is clear that other policy measures are needed to complement the voluntary standards and achieve real on-the-road reductions in CO2 emissions from the on-road fleet,” Smit said. | ['australia-news/australia-news', 'business/automotive-industry', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/royce-kurmelovs', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2021-04-12T05:43:01Z | true | EMISSIONS |
news/2015/mar/22/weatherwatch-first-world-war-guns-rain | Weatherwatch: The big guns fire and the rains fall | The weather 100 years ago during the first world war was atrocious. Torrential rains fell for months on end in one of the wettest periods on record, turning the ground on the Western Front into a quagmire. Heavy rains began falling in October 1914 as British troops tried to head off a German advance at Ypres. The region was notorious for flooding and after relentless rains lashed down for weeks on end the First Battle of Ypres came to a halt in November. Conditions deteriorated even further during one of the wettest winters known – “The war that would be over by Christmas” turned into a flood, trenches collapsed and trenchfoot became widespread. And the rains carried on well into 1915. One excerpt from a description of the defence of Givenchy read “The Indian corps attacked at 3.10am on the cold, windy, rainy early morning of 19 December 1914”. In fact, there was a widespread belief that the rains were triggered by the artillery guns on the battlefields, disturbing the atmosphere and unleashing huge rainfalls. This wasn’t a new idea – in 1910, the House of Commons had asked the Admiralty if the fleet could avoid carrying out heavy gun practice during harvest time, to avoid farmers being rained on. The idea gained added credibility during the war, when the big guns could be heard in England as the rains fell down. In 1917, as the artillery bombardments reached a new intensity, rainfall returned to normal levels. But still the public believed gunfire led to rains. The belief in gunfire changing the weather still persists – in China, for example, anti-aircraft guns are fired into clouds to prevent hailstones forming. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/firstworldwar', 'tone/features', 'science/meteorology', 'type/article', 'profile/jeremy-plester', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2015-03-22T21:30:01Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
money/2024/oct/21/we-were-left-out-in-the-cold-over-a-faulty-heat-pump-installation | We were left out in the cold over a faulty heat pump installation | Two years ago I signed a £14,409 contract for a heat pump installation and paid the deposit. Three weeks after the pump was fitted, the company that installed it, Omni Heat and Power, went into liquidation. It had been due to return to repair damage to the pump’s casing, and I had not yet paid the balance. I paid the pump manufacturer Grant Engineering UK to do the repairs and, as I had not received the promised seven-year guarantee from Omni, I decided to purchase an extended warranty from Grant. Within two months, the pump developed a fault and kept switching off, leaving us without heating or hot water. Several technician visits and a £1,000 flushing of the system did not help. Grant Engineering blamed the installation rather than the equipment, and refused to honour the warranty or advise on remedies. It seems heat pump installers and manufacturers are not in an integrated supply chain as for a gas boiler system, and customers with a problem can be left with nowhere to turn if the installer goes bust. GM, Northampton Many householders trying to do their bit to save the planet find themselves cold and out of pocket as the attrition rate of green energy installers, be they in solar panels or heat pumps, is high. Protection can be elusive if they vanish before they have registered an installation. Your SOS, sent in April, set both of us on a six-month odyssey through a blizzard of acronyms to discover how customers, whose installer goes bust before a job is complete, can get redress. First, I contacted Grant Engineering. I got no response. I then tried the heating trade body Oftec, whose logo was emblazoned on Omni’s now defunct website, and which offers a six-year warranty for work carried out by its members. Oftec told me Omni had been registered for oil boilers, but not heat pumps, so you were not covered. It suggested I try MCS Certified, which sets product and installation standards for renewable technologies. Companies who are certified by MCS sign up to a quality assurance scheme. Crucially, however, their certification is removed if they botch work or cease trading. MCS said it couldn’t step in as Omni’s certification was removed after it went into liquidation, but it offered to talk you through options. It told you that, mercifully, Omni had registered your installation just days before it went bust and so you were covered by an insurance policy designed to protect customers with problems when a firm ceases to trade. The relief was short-lived. When you tried to claim through the insurer, you discovered that because Omni had ceased trading before you could pay the final instalment and sign off the fitting, you were ineligible. In the meantime, I contacted the other trade body, the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC), whose logo was displayed by Omni, and which steps in as a last resort via its platinum promise. That’s when things started to move, although as glacially as your failing heat pump. The NICEIC said it would only help once you had tried the insurance route and made a chargeback claim through your credit card issuer under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. You duly made a chargeback claim and, after a six-week wait, were refused. We were now into August, four months after you had initially asked for help, and 19 months after your pump packed up. The NICEIC proved as good as its word. It dispatched a technician who diagnosed dodgy installation and a repair has been booked for the end of this month at no cost to you. You might yet be warm this winter. I advise anyone else in your predicament to contact MCS Certified, which will explain your options and check out accreditations and guarantees before choosing an installer. And now I realise it’s not just authors who are a danger on our roads … Recently, I highlighted the plight of a lecturer in tax and accountancy who was banned by John Lewis Finance from renewing his car insurance because, on the side, he wrote books on both racy subjects. Why, I wanted to know, were authors too dangerous to cover? Fellow author and broadcaster RML believes she has the answer. “I, too, was refused,” she writes, “and the reason, I was told by a broker, is that insurers feared that I might be carrying famous people in my car.” The possibility of a celebrity in the passenger seat can stymie film editors, too, as Londoner CG discovered when he questioned why his renewal had been declined. If famous passengers are too risky, how do celebs stay legally on the road? I’m beginning to see why Taylor Swift had a police escort! Email your.problems@observer.co.uk. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions | ['money/household-bills', 'money/money', 'money/consumer-affairs', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'money/consumer-rights-money', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'environment/heat-pumps', 'money/series/yourproblems', 'profile/annatims', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/cash', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-money'] | environment/energy | ENERGY | 2024-10-21T06:00:07Z | true | ENERGY |
technology/2018/jan/12/ces-2018-voice-controlled-showers-robots-smart-toilets-ai | CES 2018: voice-controlled showers, non-compliant robots and smart toilets | The annual trend-setting tech extravaganza that is CES International in Las Vegas is drawing to a close, having suffered through torrential rain, blackouts and a few uncooperative robots. And it’s clear that your voice is more important than ever. CES 2018 rammed home that big technology thinks voice is the next major evolution in computing. First we had the computer, then the smartphone and now voice assistants. Smart speakers such as Amazon’s popular Echo devices and Google’s Home, which both had a killer Christmas, are just one outlet for the artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant. Google reverse-ferreted from its Google own-brand strategy to follow Amazon’s lead in opening up its Assistant voice system to third-parties. Manufacturers from all ends of the scale, from the high-end Danish firm Bang & Olufsen to the cheap and cheerful Anker, fired out announcements of new smart speakers. Some, such as LG, also launched so called smart displays with Google Assistant – a direct shot at Amazon’s Echo Show smart speaker with a screen. But while Google’s battle strategy for the home was clearly to catch up with Amazon, the market leader’s CES was quite different. Its Alexa voice assistant cropped up in things as diverse as showers, mirrors, light switches, microwave ovens and cars, clearly freed from the confines of speaker-like things – no matter whether or not anyone actually wants a voice-controlled shower. Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, said: “Google, Amazon, Microsoft and others are fighting not only to cement their voice technologies, but also to ensure their assistant platforms are deeply embedded across the full spectrum of consumer electronics to maintain and deepen consumer engagement.” “Based on what we’ve seen so far, there’s no question that Amazon’s Alexa continues to lead the charge when it comes to voice assistant integration.” One place Alexa and Google have notably lost out is Mercedes cars. The German automotive power house unveiled a new “Hey Mercedes” system for voice-control system for its cars, deciding to go it alone in a move Geoff Blaber from CCS Insight called “perplexing”. “Just as most of the industry is recognising the need to integrate technology and improve time to market through collaboration, partnerships and open platforms, Mercedes is deciding to reinvent the wheel with an entirely proprietary approach,” said Blaber. Smart home overload As if voice-enabled everything wasn’t enough, the show floors were filled with a bewildering array of smart home gadgets vying for consumer cash. Smart speakers have reignited interest in the smart home market, acting as a central hub and therefore a gateway drug to smart everything, although mainly lightbulbs until now. Some “smart” things, such as the leak detection devices showcased at CES, appear to make sense, simply by alerting you to issues about your home that might dent the bank account if not dealt with immediately. Others, such as Kohler’s $6,000 Numi smart toilet, not so much. It’s voice-activated, has mood lighting, a heated seat, foot warmer and advanced bidet functionality with air dryer. Lovely. “I pity the poor consumer,” said Wood. “The smart home now has such a bewildering set of choices it is virtually impossible to figure out what is the best solution.” Flying taxis and light-up drones So far so not-so-future, until the drones showed up. Intel set the drone agenda by flying its 18-rotor, two-person Volocopter taxi drone on stage at its opening keynote. It then lit up the famous Bellagio fountains on the Las Vegas strip with 250 of its Shooting Star drones, performing a lightshow coordinated to Kygo’s Stargazing. Where there were drones there were also companies exhibiting anti-drone solutions, from radar tracking and signal jamming to more aggressive tactics, all promising to “bring it down”. Analysts may be sceptical about consumer drones surviving as a mainstream item. But excitement still remains around flying taxis, even though SureFly’s demos of its $200,000 two-person diesel-electric hybrid drone were thwarted by what was reported as “mild drizzle”. Passenger drone flights in the UK might be a while. Computer says no But if CES 2018 was to be remembered for anything, it’ll be for non-compliant robots. LG showed off its Cloi home-helping robot that was meant to act as an interface between you and the mundane things in your life such as the washer dryer or the oven. Sadly, minutes into the live demo Cloi stopped responding to LG’s vice president of marketing David VanderWaal creating an embarrassing one-way conversation as he tried to elicit a response. “The episode proved to be an apt metaphor for a lot of the technology on show at CES this year, particularly in the area of consumer robotics,” said Wood. “It seemed like many of the devices on show weren’t quite ready for primetime.” That even extended to the show itself, which, due to heavy rainfall, suffered a blackout mid-exhibit leaving attendees under emergency lighting for three hours. | ['technology/ces', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/technology', 'technology/drones-non-military', 'technology/smart-homes', 'technology/amazon-alexa', 'technology/google', 'technology/amazon', 'technology/alphabet', 'technology/smart-speaker', 'technology/robots', 'technology/lg', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tone/features', 'profile/samuel-gibbs', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-technology'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2018-01-12T14:16:00Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2005/sep/04/hurricanekatrina.usa1 | Focus: After Katrina | 'President Bush is not a strong leader. There's something wrong with him and it comes from two places. First, a lack of concern for poor people, and certainly poor black people. Second, like his father, he's probably not even aware that these people exist. Even if he knew they existed and even if he were concerned, I'm not sure [he would know] what to do, whom to call. If this hurricane had struck a white, middle-class neighbourhood in the north-east or the south-west, his response would have been a lot stronger and I think he would have had more of those people around him who are supposed to know what to do moving a lot more quickly. If you can call Dick Cheney and say: "We're going to Iraq", and Cheney can say: "I can get Halliburton - for the right amount of money of course" and we can move thousands of troops in there overnight and get them set up so we can wage an offensive thousands of miles away in the desert, you mean to tell me that there aren't people there who could say: "We know how to solve this, Mr President; we'll help you"? The response to 9/11 was strong and immediate and people knew what to do, and the recovery, except for the redevelopment of the property, has been nothing short of miraculous. And now look at this and you can see the stark difference. In New Orleans, there was a criminal lack of preparation. We have known about the weakness of the levee for a long time; we've known that hurricanes would increase in number and intensity for a long time; we knew this hurricane would gain strength after it passed the east coast of Florida and moved across Florida to the west coast and then into the Gulf; we knew that evacuations should have come a lot earlier; we knew that New Orleans is below sea level. The population in those areas most vulnerable is poor and largely black, and race and class are huge issues since the conservative takeover of US politics. The urban policy of this administration is terrible, but this has been going on for a long time, so it's not just this particular Bush. It's the conservative backlash we have witnessed maybe since Nixon, or certainly Reagan. This president is just the stark epitome of it all. Racism had become subtle and amorphous. You'd hear about it in the law suits, you'd see it in the change of the judges, you'd see it in the backlash against affirmative action. It was cloaked under Clarence Thomas and upfront people, puppets like Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, who hide a multitude of sins in the administration, but black people were catching big hell, and poor people were catching big hell. This dramatises it, this lifts it up and says: "See? There were many of us who've been trying to say, this is the reality." The last person who was able to really lift us out of the trickbag of race was Martin Luther King. He said: "Look, poor black people and poor white people, we're all catching hell, so let's get together in this poor people's campaign and march up to our government and say you can no longer fool us by turning us on each other with race." I am shocked and I am not shocked by what is happening now. It is instructive to a lot of people that we really have not been concerned about the poor and certainly about the blacks in this nation. When you look at who is in control of the politics, when you look at who the appeal has been to from the conservatives, you see that whole racial element coming up again. Louisiana is pulling the sheath off the nation.' · Dr Calvin Butts is pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City and president of the Council of Churches of the City of New York. He has led boycotts against several New York institutions for their perceived racist policies and employment discrimination, including a successful campaign against negative billboard advertising in central Harlem. He has received more than 1,000 honours and commendations. | ['us-news/hurricane-katrina', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'world/natural-disasters', 'profile/davidsmith', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/focus'] | us-news/hurricane-katrina | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2005-09-04T00:27:40Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/dec/13/cash-in-your-glass-cheques-the-end-of-the-irn-bru-buy-back-scheme-is-nigh | Cash in your ‘glass cheques’: the end of the Irn Bru buy-back scheme is nigh
| We were tiny treasure hunters, looking in hedges, on waste ground, in abandoned buildings, deep in the woods, or in “lucky middens”. Our gold was empty Irn-Bru bottles, known as “glass cheques” because they could be cashed in for the deposit paid with every purchase. The bounty would often come in the form of a trade with local shops or the ice cream van and we would walk away with bags of sweets, crisps, and maybe a pokey hat (ice-cream cone). But this form of recycling in Scotland is set to come to an end, marking not just a cultural shift but the loss of a potent symbol – the empty ginger bottle – and the traditions that go with it. On the stroke of midnight on Hogmanay this year, the 30p deposit or “buy back” paid on every glass bottle of manufacturer AG Barr’s soft drinks will no longer be refundable. The makers of Irn‑Bru – known as “Scotland’s other national drink” – announced last August that the cash for empties system would be abandoned as it was no longer economical to wash, sterilise and refill the bottles. It was 1905 when the company decided to offer a halfpenny in return for its empty glass bottle – hundreds of empty crates would be taken daily to the factory to be topped back up with the fizzy stuff. For more than a century, kids would spend long summer days “looking for luckies”, and if they were really lucky they might find a shop that would trade in cash instead of goods – thus potentially raising enough money for entry into the swimming baths or the pictures. Kids could be seen raking around, looking for the glass glint that could lead to a packet of crisps, a quarter pound of sweets or even another bottle of ginger. Grannies would save up empties and hand over a present of a shopping bag full of bottles. The custom led to a language of its own. Aside from “glass cheques” and “luckies”, empty bottles were known as “rammies” and “gingies”, there were “elephant’s graveyards” seemingly filled with “hunners of empties” and a collector and trader was thus a “bottle merchant” or “Hector Hector bottle collector”. By 1985, AG Barr was selling 100m glass bottles a year (although the drinks industry had begun to use aluminium cans and plastic bottles by that point) and in 2008 the bounty was raised to 30p. But production is now a 10th of what it was in that heyday and only half of those bottles are returned. The introduction in 2014 of kerbside recycling of glass in Scotland made it more convenient to chuck the bottles in the bin to be collected each week – thus prompting a decline from 65% to 57% in returns for deposits. In the coming days, cupboards will be emptied and scrubland will be scoured across the country because, come Ne’erday, they won’t be taking back gingies anywhere any more. | ['food/softdrinks', 'food/food', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'uk/scotland', 'uk/uk', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/waste', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/environment', 'tone/features', 'news/shortcuts', 'type/article', 'profile/audreygillan', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2015-12-13T17:29:33Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2018/nov/05/specieswatch-beavers-chip-in-to-boost-yorkshire-flood-defences | Specieswatch: beavers chip in to boost Yorkshire flood defences | Beavers are being enlisted by the Forestry Commission to help prevent rivers from flooding. Up to eight microchipped beavers will be introduced to Cropton Forest on the North York Moors in the hope that they will build dams to slow down any surges of water from big rainfalls, helping prevent flooding downstream in places such as Pickering. In another project, beavers were introduced this summer to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire to prevent flooding in the village of Lydbrook, which was badly flooded in November 2012. The rodents build their dams on shallow streams and rivers using small tree trunks, branches, mud and stones. A study recently published by Exeter University found that beavers released at a location in West Devon in 2011 slowed the flow of water, as well as cleaning up polluted water and soil washed off fields further upstream. But there are a lot of myths about beavers. They don’t compete with anglers by eating fish because they are strictly vegetarian, and they don’t devastate their habitats but actually improve wildlife and plant diversity. And beavers are not an alien species to this country – they were native here for thousands of years before being hunted to extinction about 400 years ago for their fur and scent glands. | ['environment/series/specieswatch', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'uk/weather', 'uk-news/yorkshire', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/jeremy-plester', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2018-11-05T21:30:13Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2018/nov/24/brazil-records-worst-annual-deforestation-for-a-decade | Brazil records worst annual deforestation for a decade | Brazil has released its worst annual deforestation figures in a decade amid fears that the situation might worsen when the avowedly anti-environmentalist president-elect Jair Bolsonaro takes power. Between August 2017 and July 2018, 7,900sq kms were deforested, according to preliminary figures from the environment ministry based on satellite monitoring – a 13.7% rise on the previous year and the biggest area of forest cleared since 2008. The area is equivalent to 987,000 football pitches. The news was met by dismay from environmentalists who warned deforestation was likely to become more acute when Bolsonaro becomes president on 1 January. “It is a lot of destroyed forest,” said Marcio Astrini, Greenpeace Brasil’s public policy coordinator. “The situation is very worrying… what is bad will get worse.” The environment ministry said the increase came despite an increase in its budget and in operations carried out by its environment agency Ibama. “We need to increase the mobilisation at all levels of government, of society, and of the productive sector to combat illicit environmental activities,” environment minister Edson Duarte said in a statement. But the government appears to be heading in the other direction. After falling for several years, deforestation began rising again in 2013, the year after leftist president Dilma Rousseff approved a new forest code which gave an amnesty to those deforesting on small properties. Deforestation has risen in four of the six years since then, including in 2016, the year Rousseff was impeached and replaced by her former vice-president Michel Temer. Temer has made further concessions to powerful agribusiness interests in return for support from its congressional representatives – including approving a measure that legalised land that had been squatted in the Amazon, a common deforestation driver. Last year Temer backed down on measures to reduce protection to a national forest called Jamanxim and a protected area called Renca after protests from environmentalists, supermodel Gisele Bündchen and even singer Alicia Keys at the Rock in Rio music festival. Moves like these signalled the Brazilian congress was no longer concerned about deforestation, said Astrini, encouraging deforestation. “We feel in our field work that these deforestation gangs are very confident they will get amnesty or that they are covered,” he said. As more and more of the Amazon is cut down, the world’s greatest forest is now getting close to the “tipping point” – after which experts fear it could disappear. “A moment will arrive in which the accumulation of this deforestation will cause an effect in which the forest will stop being a forest,” Astrini said. “The scientists calculate this is between 20-30%. We are very close to the 20%.” The Climate Observatory (Observatório do Clima) – a non-profit, climate change network – calculated that in 2017, 46% of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions were due to deforestation. It also expects deforestation to worsen once Jair Bolsonaro’s new government begins. He has frequently attacked what he calls the “fines industry” of agencies such as Ibama, and wants to allow mining in protected indigenous reserves – some of the Amazon’s least-destroyed forests – and even considered making the environment ministry part of the agriculture ministry. Bolsonaro has enjoyed support from agribusiness and his minister of agriculture will be headed up by Tereza Cristina, head of its Congress lobby. His foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, has argued that global warming is a Marxist plot. On Friday, his vice-president elect, General Hamilton Mourão, while admitting global warming did exist, told the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper: “Environmentalism is used as an instrument of domination by big economies.” Bolsonaro only backed down on plans to withdraw Brazil from the Paris climate deal because agricultural producers argued the move risked boycotts from European consumers, local media reported. “If the problem is in politics and politicians and their power of decision, they need to be pressured,” Astrini said. | ['environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/environment', 'environment/forests', 'world/brazil', 'world/americas', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/dom-phillips', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-foreign'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-11-24T04:38:52Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
news/datablog/2012/apr/25/graphic-news-infographics | Graphic News: the secret weapon of newsroom infographics | There is a small team of infographic artists producing high spec graphics at high speed. Their work appears in newspapers and on websites around the globe. But if you don't work in the media, the chance is you may never have heard of them. This is Graphic News. Growing up on a diet of Dorling Kindersley books featuring exciting cutaways of submarines and warships, I love complicated graphics. The style of the moment may be for less is more, but me, I love information and I miss those cutaways. The Titanic graphic above is chock full of facts - graphics for people like me, who love to pore. And that's where Graphic News comes in for many news graphics teams. In the rush of the newsroom, the hurry to produce the definitive detailed drawing of that aircraft or to find out how the space shuttle works, Graphic News often operates as a reference, providing editable vectored graphics which can then be turned into house style using Adobe Illustrator. Its graphics are crammed with facts - because each newspaper is looking for something different and will often take or leave what they want from a graphic. It's pure visual journalism, packed with detailed but difficult to get information, such as the shape of every F1 racing car, complete football strips or flags and logos. The agency was started in 1991 by Duncan Mil, a former Sunday Times and Observer graphic journalist, and now has clients in 75 countries. Recently, it's moved onto interactive graphics too - this is their guide to the proposed London cable car. Graphic News obviously charges for its work but has agreed to let us publish its graphics as part of Show and Tell - and we will be selecting the pick. And there's also a whole archive we could explore too. What would you like to see explained? More data Data journalism and data visualisations from the Guardian World government data • Search the world's government data with our gateway Development and aid data • Search the world's global development data with our gateway Can you do something with this data? • Flickr Please post your visualisations and mash-ups on our Flickr group • Contact us at data@guardian.co.uk • Get the A-Z of data • More at the Datastore directory • Follow us on Twitter • Like us on Facebook | ['news/datablog', 'tone/blog', 'data/series/show-and-tell', 'technology/data-visualisation', 'media/data-journalism', 'tone/graphics', 'type/graphic', 'type/article', 'profile/simonrogers'] | technology/data-visualisation | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2012-04-25T11:15:00Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2018/apr/16/scientists-accidentally-create-mutant-enzyme-that-eats-plastic-bottles | Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles | Scientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles – by accident. The breakthrough could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis by enabling for the first time the full recycling of bottles. The new research was spurred by the discovery in 2016 of the first bacterium that had naturally evolved to eat plastic, at a waste dump in Japan. Scientists have now revealed the detailed structure of the crucial enzyme produced by the bug. The international team then tweaked the enzyme to see how it had evolved, but tests showed they had inadvertently made the molecule even better at breaking down the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic used for soft drink bottles. “What actually turned out was we improved the enzyme, which was a bit of a shock,” said Prof John McGeehan, at the University of Portsmouth, UK, who led the research. “It’s great and a real finding.” The mutant enzyme takes a few days to start breaking down the plastic – far faster than the centuries it takes in the oceans. But the researchers are optimistic this can be speeded up even further and become a viable large-scale process. “What we are hoping to do is use this enzyme to turn this plastic back into its original components, so we can literally recycle it back to plastic,” said McGeehan. “It means we won’t need to dig up any more oil and, fundamentally, it should reduce the amount of plastic in the environment.” About 1m plastic bottles are sold each minute around the globe and, with just 14% recycled, many end up in the oceans where they have polluted even the remotest parts, harming marine life and potentially people who eat seafood. “It is incredibly resistant to degradation. Some of those images are horrific,” said McGeehan. “It is one of these wonder materials that has been made a little bit too well.” However, currently even those bottles that are recycled can only be turned into opaque fibres for clothing or carpets. The new enzyme indicates a way to recycle clear plastic bottles back into clear plastic bottles, which could slash the need to produce new plastic. “You are always up against the fact that oil is cheap, so virgin PET is cheap,” said McGeehan. “It is so easy for manufacturers to generate more of that stuff, rather than even try to recycle. But I believe there is a public driver here: perception is changing so much that companies are starting to look at how they can properly recycle these.” The new research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, began by determining the precise structure of the enzyme produced by the Japanese bug. The team used the Diamond Light Source, near Oxford, UK, an intense beam of X-rays that is 10bn times brighter than the sun and can reveal individual atoms. The structure of the enzyme looked very similar to one evolved by many bacteria to break down cutin, a natural polymer used as a protective coating by plants. But when the team manipulated the enzyme to explore this connection, they accidentally improved its ability to eat PET. “It is a modest improvement – 20% better – but that is not the point,” said McGeehan. “It’s incredible because it tells us that the enzyme is not yet optimised. It gives us scope to use all the technology used in other enzyme development for years and years and make a super-fast enzyme.” Industrial enzymes are widely used in, for example, washing powders and biofuel production, They have been made to work up to 1,000 times faster in a few years, the same timescale McGeehan envisages for the plastic-eating enzyme. A patent has been filed on the specific mutant enzyme by the Portsmouth researchers and those from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. One possible improvement being explored is to transplant the mutant enzyme into an “extremophile bacteria” that can survive temperatures above 70C, at which point PET changes from a glassy to a viscous state, making it likely to degrade 10-100 times faster. Earlier work had shown that some fungi can break down PET plastic, which makes up about 20% of global plastic production. But bacteria are far easier to harness for industrial uses. Other types of plastic could be broken down by bacteria currently evolving in the environment, McGeehan said: “People are now searching vigorously for those.” PET sinks in seawater but some scientists have conjectured that plastic-eating bugs might one day be sprayed on the huge plastic garbage patches in the oceans to clean them up. “I think [the new research] is very exciting work, showing there is strong potential to use enzyme technology to help with society’s growing waste problem,” said Oliver Jones, a chemist at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and not part of the research team. “Enzymes are non-toxic, biodegradable and can be produced in large amounts by microorganisms,” he said. “There is still a way to go before you could recycle large amounts of plastic with enzymes, and reducing the amount of plastic produced in the first place might, perhaps, be preferable. [But] this is certainly a step in a positive direction.” Prof Adisa Azapagic, at the University of Manchester in the UK, agreed the enzyme could be useful but added: “A full life-cycle assessment would be needed to ensure the technology does not solve one environmental problem – waste – at the expense of others, including additional greenhouse gas emissions.” •This article was amended on 17 April 2018 to make clear that PET becomes viscous above 70C. Its melting point is above 250C. | ['environment/plastic', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/pollution', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'science/microbiology', 'science/science', 'science/biology', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-04-16T19:00:16Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2017/jan/22/the-eco-guide-to-saving-the-whale | The eco guide to saving the whale | When the whalers of the mid-19th century harpooned the planet’s biggest marine mammals into near-oblivion, at least they took copious notes. These are now being used to better understand ocean science: if you enjoy a bit of historical ecology, you’ll find them at whaling.oldweather.org. I wish whaling was all historical, but right now the Japanese whaler Nisshin Maru is likely to be in hot pursuit of the Southern Ocean’s remaining whales. At least they face opposition from direct action charity Sea Shepherd, which recently launched Ocean Warrior, a new anti-whaling vessel. Commercial whaling was banned in 1986, but two loopholes still allow hunting on the grounds of scientific research (exploited by the Japanese) and indigenous subsistence (exploited by Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands). The first of Japan’s scientific programmes lasted 18 years and killed 6,800 whales without any clear scientific discoveries. In 2014, the international court of justice ruled that their new programme was unlawful, but Japan continues to issue its own permits. So far, so deadlocked. But there’s some hope on the horizon: the toxicity of whale meat means that its market is diminishing. Iceland’s biggest fleet did not hunt this summer due to a lack of market. Also, research scientists are getting very excited about whale faeces. Really. Adult blue whales consume in the region of two tonnes of iron-rich krill a day. This means whale poo is an extraordinary natural fertiliser for the Southern Ocean (known for being problematically anaemic), encouraging the growth of phytoplankton. Without it? Well, let’s just say the stability of this ocean is critical for the climate and the planet as a whole. Save the whale? We need to let the whale save us. The big picture: eyes in the sky Filmmaker Mark Devries is just one eco activist using drone cameras to provide the world with a clearer picture of the ecological fallout of factory farming. Others have shown illegal road clearances and habitat loss. But as the Columbia Journalism Review reports, new US laws are cracking down on this type of drone imagery, which gives an invaluable bird’s-eye view of what really goes on without us being aware. Well dressed: Po-zu feels the force It’s exciting when an alternative fashion brand you’ve championed scores a big success. I’ve waxed lyrical about UK shoe brand Po-zu for many years. As they explain, the pace of fashion is way too fast now: we buy more and more shoes just to throw them away. An average of three pairs of shoes per person is sent to landfill each year. But Po-zu have steadfastly stuck to renewable and natural shoe materials, including coconut and hemp, and have never compromised their ethical production and belief that shoes should have a long lifespan. Well, the launch of a co-brand with Star Wars means that the force is definitely with them. Po-zu will be producing official and obviously ethical replicas of the footwear in the new film. You’ll have to wait until August 2017 to get hold of them, but here’s a sneak preview of the Rey boot. Email Lucy at lucy.siegle@observer.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @lucysiegle | ['environment/series/its-not-easy-being-green', 'environment/series/ask-leo-lucy', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/environment', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'tone/features', 'environment/whales', 'technology/drones-non-military', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'profile/lucysiegle', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/magazine', 'theobserver/magazine/life-and-style', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/observer-magazine'] | environment/cetaceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-01-22T06:00:22Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2022/oct/12/pakistan-floods-impact-years-crops-farms | ‘We have no dry land left’: impact of Pakistan floods to be felt for years | Muhammad Naeem Khoso lost thousands acres of crops when the torrential downpours that devastated Pakistan in July and August turned his land in Jaffarabad into a lake. “I had invested 40 million rupees (£163,042) into different crops, mostly rice,” he said. “I lost almost everything. The floods have ruined and washed away everything.” Khoso said he had never seen so much rain in his life, and that water was coming from everywhere. Now, he added, “I fear for a food crisis in Balochistan and beyond.” Across the province crops, homes and livelihoods were washed away by flood waters. Agriculture is the primary source of income for many in the districts of Jaffarabad, Sohbatpur, Nasirabad and Jhal Magsi yet 70% of crops have been destroyed in the floods. Nationwide, at least 4m acres of crops have been destroyed, part of the economic devastation estimated by the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, at $30bn-$35bn (£27bn-£31.6bn), and while the heavy rainfall which began in July has stopped, many areas in Balochistan and Sindh provinces remain flooded. Children play and swim in fields where green crops of rice should have been swaying in the air, ready for harvest. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has warned the effects of the floods will be felt for years to come with the country “on the verge of a public health disaster”, and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report last week that it expected increased food insecurity. In Sohbatpur district in Balochistan, Mohammed Ali said 500 acres of crops had been washed away. “I lost all my investment of the season but for me more worrying is the new season,” he said. “It is October now and I can’t grow wheat as we have no dry land left. The water is receding in a very slow phase and it seems we can’t grow wheat and other crops.” In the Larkana district of neighbouring Sindh province, Sajid Ali, said more than 70% of his crops were ruined. “People have lost their crops and some have also lost their seeds of wheat, which they had kept for new seasons in their storerooms and factories,” he said. “The land is still under water and we can’t grow anything here for a long while.” Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s climate change minister, said half of the country’s breadbasket had been wiped out in the floods. “Clearly, there will be shocks to the food security of the country. We are not sure how the sowing season will really take place with this much water or damp soil,” she told the Guardian. According to the Atlantic Council the total damage to agriculture amounts to $3.18bn, out of which $1.63bn is from Sindh and $1.04bn from Balochistan. Livestock losses stand at $291m, out of which $125m is from Balochistan and $109m from Sindh. “It will have immediate and medium-term impacts at least on people’s lives,” Rehman said. “We think it’s very important to be seeking food, assistance, food aid and as well as working on pipelining climate-resilient agriculture but that’s a fairly long term.” Both Mohammed Ali in Balochistan and Sajid Ali in Sindh said they had not seen government help and the lack of shelter meant many people, including vital farm labourers, were now homeless. Mohammed Rasool, 50, has been sleeping on the roadside for over a month with more than 250 families in Sohbatpur who worked for a landlord and former minister, Saleem Khan Khosa. Before that Rasool worked for the minister’s uncle, Zahoor Khan Khosa. “I have been a farmer and working for the landlord since I was a child and my entire family works for them,” Rasool said. “We are all on the road. We have nothing to eat and have been living without shelter.” He said that he had seen 2010 floods but this was worse. “This is nothing like what I have seen ever before. Not even a single house has been spared – all have been destroyed,” he said. He added that they had approached the former minister, who told them “God is great and we will find a way”. However, Rasool said he was still waiting for his and God’s help. Sohail Ahmed, 22, who also worked for Khosa, said that he had been working as a farmer like his elders and he could not leave as they were provided shelter and money by the landlord. “We get a small portion of profit, which is nothing, but we have been working for decades and we can’t leave it,” said Ahmed. “There is no other work for us in the green belt. It is just farming.” | ['world/pakistan', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'world/extreme-weather', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/shah-meer-baloch', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-10-12T04:00:23Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
technology/2017/jan/12/selfie-drone-company-shut-down-despite-34m-pre-orders | Selfie drone company shuts down despite $34m pre-orders | Eagerly anticipated “selfie drone” the Lily Camera, which promised to be able to follow owners around and automatically photograph them, has been cancelled by its designers. The drone secured at least $34m of pre-orders since going on sale on the manufacturer’s website in June, but the costs of development continually outpaced the speed with which Lily could raise funds. Lily’s founders, Antoine Balaresque and Henry Bradlow, informed customers that due to failures to secure financing in order to manufacture and ship products, they would be forced to shut down the company and offer refunds to customers. They said: “We have been delighted by the steady advancements in the quality of our product and have received great feedback from our Beta program. At the same time, we have been racing against a clock of ever-diminishing funds.” When the drone was first available for pre-order, it promised class-leading capability for half the final expected cost. Buyers could pay $499 to pre-order the drone, which was to have a 1080p video camera and a 12 megapixel still camera strapped to a drone with a 20-minute battery life. The downside was that the pre-order amount was charged immediately, which the company said “helps us reduce risk”. As well as the basic drone functionality, the Lily distinguished itself with selfie features: owners would have worn a tracking device, which would let the drone follow them around, filming and snapping shots all the while. But none of that came to pass. Balaresque and Bradlow wrote: “We are very sorry and disappointed that we will not be able to deliver your flying camera. We hope our contribution will help pave the way for the exciting future of our industry.” The death of the Lily underscores the risk for consumers in funding pre-release technology. While the Lily did not directly turn to crowdfunding, steering clear of platforms such as Kickstarter in order to raise funds directly through pre-orders, the outcome has been reminiscent of prominent Kickstarter failures such as the Zano drone. Launched in 2015, Zano was a British “nano drone” that raised £2.3m on Kickstarter, then declared bankruptcy before the year was out. Like the Lily, it was sold on its selfie ability: “Taking your selfies to new heights” was one tagline. Unlike the Lily, however, a few Zanos made it out to purchasers – 600 of the 15,000 that were pre-sold – but users reported widespread technical errors. Google’s research sibling X shuts down drones project | ['technology/drones-non-military', 'technology/technology', 'technology/gadgets', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-hern', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-technology'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2017-01-12T15:23:53Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
business/2023/jun/07/england-4700-years-from-building-enough-onshore-windfarms | England ‘4,700 years from building enough onshore windfarms’ | It would take almost 4,700 years for England to build enough onshore windfarms to help meet the UK’s clean energy needs unless the government lifts an effective block on new turbines, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Only 17 small-scale onshore windfarms have been approved in England since 2015 when the government changed planning laws to create a de facto ban on onshore windfarms, according to the thinktank. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, promised to remove the block on onshore wind six months ago but the government has yet to take action to ease the planning restrictions faced by renewable energy developers. Luke Murphy, an associate director at the IPPR, said the ban means England is as far from delivering enough onshore wind to meet the UK’s energy security needs as from “the start of construction of Stonehenge in 2,500BC”. The Guardian reported last month that Ukraine has grown its onshore wind capacity by a hundred times more than England since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. The IPPR’s report found that the English windfarms built onshore in the seven years since the restrictions were introduced have reached a total capacity of only 6.7 megawatts. This is just 0.02% of the onshore wind needed in England based on forecasts provided by National Grid. National Grid’s influential industry forecast report, the Future Energy Scenarios, estimates that onshore wind capacity needs to increase to more than 30 gigawatts across Great Britain by 2030. At the current pace, it would take 4,690 years for England to meet its share of this target, according to the IPPR. The left-leaning thinktank has called on the government to undertake “fundamental planning reform” to England’s planning system to help speed up the rollout of onshore windfarms as well as restore nature and meet the country’s growing housing needs. Maya Singer Hobbs, a senior research fellow at the IPPR and the lead report author, said: “None of the failures of the English system are inevitable. The de facto ban on onshore wind, the lack of coherence in environmental regulations and the lack of good quality housing are all solvable by reforming the system.” John Gummer, the chair of the UK’s Climate Change Committee, the government’s official climate advisers, told ITV News late last year that it would be “very difficult” for the government to reach its net zero targets without loosening the restrictions on onshore wind. James Robottom, the head of onshore wind at Renewable UK, said: “It’s now six months since the prime minister announced measures aimed at lifting the de facto ban on onshore wind in England and we’re still waiting for an effective plan of action.” Campaigners believe a rebellion of backbench Tory MPs threatens to pile pressure on ministers to make only modest tweaks to the planning framework, which would continue to hold back the rollout of English windfarms. Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate change and net zero secretary, said: “For thirteen years, the Conservatives have prioritised backbenchers who oppose popular, cheap clean power above the interests of the British people – and their ludicrous ban on onshore wind is now costing every family £180 a year in higher bills.” “Their refusal to tackle delays in the planning system has robbed Britain from having cleaner, cheaper power and left Britain vulnerable,” Miliband said. Renewable UK, a trade group for the industry, has been approached by “many businesses, farmers and communities” that want to build onshore windfarms in order to cut their energy bills but have been left “frustrated” by the restrictions, Robottom said. “All we’re asking for is for is a level playing field in which onshore wind is treated like any other type of infrastructure as it goes through the planning system, with each application considered on its own merits,” he added. The Labour party has promised to lift the block on onshore wind and vowed to put in place tough new targets to cut planning times for renewable energy projects down “from years to just months”. A government spokesperson said the amount of renewable energy connected to Great Britain’s electricity grid had increased by 500% since 2010 and it had consulted on proposals to speed up planning permission “where there is local support” for onshore wind. | ['business/energy-industry', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'technology/energy', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'business/business', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'business/nationalgrid', 'business/utilities', 'uk-news/england', 'uk/uk', 'politics/thinktanks', 'politics/politics', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2023-06-06T23:01:20Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2014/sep/10/climate-scepticism-still-rife-among-tory-mps-poll | Climate scepticism still rife among Tory MPs – poll | Climate scepticism is still rife among the Tory parliamentary party, according to a new poll of MPs. More than twice as many Conservative MPs as Labour MPs who responded to the poll cast doubt on scientists having “conclusively proved” climate change is caused by humans, despite the world’s most authoritative panel of climate scientists last year saying they were 95% confident that recent global warming is manmade. The news came as Downing Street confirmed that David Cameron would be attending a crucial UN climate summit in New York later this month. Green groups welcomed the news that the prime minister will join other heads of state at a New York meeting hosted by UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, to discuss bolstering international efforts to reach a deal on climate change before a deadline of December 2015. But in the Populus poll of 119 of parliament’s 650 MPs for trade magazine PRWeek, including 57 Tories and 51 Labour MPs, only 17 Tories agreed that it was a scientific fact that climate change is largely caused by humans, compared to 34 Labour politicians. Thirty Conservatives agreed “there is a widespread theory that climate change is largely man-made but this has not yet been conclusively proved”, and another 10 agreed that “man-made climate change is environmentalist propaganda for which there is little or no real evidence.” For Labour, 12 MPs agreed with the former statement, and just one with the latter. Amber Rudd, a Tory MP appointed energy minister in Cameron’s July reshuffle, defended the party’s stance on climate change science, telling the magazine: “Man-made climate change is one of the most serious threats that we face. In 1988 Margaret Thatcher, a scientist herself, put climate change firmly on the political agenda in her speech to the Royal Society when she said: ‘It’s we Conservatives who are not merely friends of the Earth — we are its guardians and trustees for generations to come. No generation has a freehold on this Earth. All we have is a life tenancy — with a full repairing lease. This government intends to meet the terms of that lease in full.’” Michael Howard, the former Conservative party leader and a member of the advisory board for the non-profit Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, welcomed the news that Cameron would attend the New York meeting: “The prime minister is to be commended for continuing a long tradition of Conservative Party leadership on climate change.” Ruth Davis, Greenpeace UK’s political director, said: “This summit is a vital opportunity to inject fresh momentum into global negotiations ahead of a crunch year for action on climate change, so it’s encouraging to see David Cameron is making a priority of it. “But if Britain wants to reclaim its leadership role on climate, the prime minister needs to put his own house in order first. This means scrapping subsidies for coal plants and setting out a clear plan to phase out coal burning by the early 2020s.” Owen Paterson, who was sacked as environment secretary in the same reshuffle, has emerged as one of the Tory party’s most outspoken climate sceptics, previously saying “we should just accept that the climate has been changing for centuries”. Cameron and Labour leader, Ed Miliband, clashed over the issue of climate scepticism in Conservative party ranks in the aftermath of the floods that hit England and Wales in the wettest winter for 250 years. | ['environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'type/article', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'politics/conservatives', 'politics/labour', 'politics/politics', 'politics/polls', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/science', 'science/science-policy', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-vaughan'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2014-09-10T11:53:55Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
uk-news/2022/jan/18/curbs-on-noisy-protests-may-return-to-commons-after-lords-defeat | Curbs on ‘noisy protests’ may return to Commons after Lords defeat | Controversial measures including police powers to stop noisy protests could be brought back to the Commons by the government after a series of late-night defeats in the Lords, the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, has said. Peers rejected a series of measures in the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill that were proposed in response to activist movements such as Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion. The bill will return to the Commons for MPs to decide whether to accept the changes. Proposed powers that were voted down included allowing police officers to stop and search anyone at a protest “without suspicion” for items used to prevent a person being moved, known as “locking-on”. A move that would allow individuals with a history of causing serious disruption to be banned by the courts from attending certain protests was also dismissed, along with a proposal to make it an offence for a person to disrupt the operation of key national infrastructure, including airports and newspaper printers. In a separate defeat, peers backed restricting the imposition of tougher sentences for blocking a highway to major routes and motorways rather than all roads. Asked if any measures would be reintroduced through the Commons, the justice secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’ll look very carefully at all of that, but, yes, absolutely. “In relation to noise, of course we support the right to peaceful and rambunctious protest, but it cannot be allowed to interfere with the lives of the law-abiding majority.” Rejection of the Conservative government’s plans sets the stage for a protracted “ping-pong” parliamentary tussle, whereby legislation passes between the Lords and the Commons until agreement can be reached. Peers were strongly critical of not only the measures, but also the way they had been introduced at such a late stage of the passage of the bill, after it had already gone through the elected house. Earlier, the Lords also defeated other contentious curbs on demonstrations proposed in the legislation, including powers to impose conditions on protests judged to be too noisy. The Labour frontbencher Richard Rosser said the “sweeping, significant and further controversial powers” had not been considered by the Commons and called it an “outrageous way to legislate”. Rosser said: “We cannot support any of these last-minute, rushed and ill-thought-through broad powers… … with the exception of approving the increased sentences for wilfully obstructing motorways and major roads.” The independent crossbencher and prominent QC Alex Carlile, who served previously as independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said: “The dilution of without-suspicion stop and search powers is a menacing and dangerous measure.” Brian Paddick, a Liberal Democrat peer who was a deputy assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan police, said: “If the government is determined to bring in these draconian, anti-democratic laws, reminiscent of cold war eastern bloc police states, they should withdraw them now and introduce them as a separate bill to allow the democratically elected house time to properly consider them.” Lord Paddick added: “The anti-protest measures in the original bill were dreadful. These measures and the way they have been introduced are outrageous.” Stressing the need for the protest measures, the Home Office minister Susan Williams argued they were “vitally important in protecting the country from the highly disruptive tactics employed by a small number of people”. Lady Williams said: “The rights to freedom of speech and assembly are a cornerstone of our democracy and this government will not shrink from defending them. “But a responsible government, one that stands up for the rule of law, must also defend the rights and freedom of the law-abiding majority.” Greenpeace UK’s political campaigner, Megan Randles, said nationwide protests against the bill had played a part in stopping curbs on the right to protest. “It’s so fitting that the many protests staged over the past few days against these outrageous attempts to remove our right to protest played such a key role in defeating the government last night. There couldn’t be a clearer demonstration of why removing these oppressive amendments was so important,” she said. Fatima Ibrahim from the youth movement Green New Deal Rising, which has challenged leading politicians over their record on the climate crisis, said: “It’s good to see some of the worst elements taken out of this bill last night by the Lords. This wouldn’t have happened without people taking to the streets and building pressure through the ‘Kill the Bill’ movement. “But the fight continues and this bill is still full of measures to silence protest and attack marginalised groups like Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. So we won’t stop until we kill this bill.” | ['uk/police', 'uk/uk', 'politics/lords', 'politics/politics', 'world/protest', 'environment/extinction-rebellion', 'politics/dominic-raab', 'environment/insulate-britain', 'politics/houseofcommons', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rajeev-syal', 'profile/matthewtaylor', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/extinction-rebellion | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2022-01-18T12:19:34Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2020/dec/04/global-soils-underpin-life-but-future-looks-bleak-warns-un-report | Global soils underpin life but future looks ‘bleak’, warns UN report | Global soils are the source of all life on land but their future looks “bleak” without action to halt degradation, according to the authors of a UN report. A quarter of all the animal species on Earth live beneath our feet and provide the nutrients for all food. Soils also store as much carbon as all plants above ground and are therefore critical in tackling the climate emergency. But there also are major gaps in knowledge, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) report, which is the first on the global state of biodiversity in soils. The report was compiled by 300 scientists, who describe the worsening state of soils as at least as important as the climate crisis and destruction of the natural world above ground. Crucially, it takes thousands of years for soils to form, meaning urgent protection and restoration of the soils that remain is needed. The scientists describe soils as like the skin of the living world, vital but thin and fragile, and easily damaged by intensive farming, forest destruction, pollution and global heating. “Soil organisms play a crucial role in our everyday life by working to sustain life on Earth,” said Ronald Vargas, of the FAO and the secretary of the Global Soil Partnership. Prof Richard Bardgett, of the University of Manchester, who was a lead author of the report, said: “There is a vast reservoir of biodiversity living in the soil that is out of sight and is generally out of mind. But few things matter more to humans because we rely on the soil to produce food. There’s now pretty strong evidence that a large proportion of the Earth’s surface has been degraded as a result of human activities.” Since the Industrial Revolution, about 135bn tonnes of soil has been lost from farmland, according to Prof Rattan Lal, the 2020 winner of the World Food prize. People should be worried, said Bardgett. “If things carry on as they are, the outlook is bleak, unquestionably. But I think it’s not too late to introduce measures now.” Prof Nico Eisenhauer, of Leipzig University, another lead author of the report, said: “It is a major issue that we are dependent on this thin layer that is sometimes just a couple of centimetres, sometimes several metres, but a very vulnerable, living skin.” Soils simultaneously produce food, store carbon and purify water, he said, so they are “at least as important” as the climate and above-ground biodiversity crises. “If you’re losing the top soil through bad treatment and then erosion, then it takes thousands of years until the soil is produced again.” Microbial species are essential for turning waste into nutrients, but Eisenhauer said an estimated 99% of them had yet to be studied by scientists. He also said that, by number, four out of every five animals on Earth are tiny soil worms called nematodes, yet only a tiny fraction of these species have been recorded. In a foreword to the report, Qu Dongyu, the FAO head, and Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the head of the UN convention on biological diversity, said: “Our wellbeing and the livelihoods of human societies are highly dependent on biodiversity [but while] there is increasing attention on the importance of above-ground biodiversity, less attention is being paid to the biodiversity beneath our feet.” The main causes of damage to soils are intensive agriculture, with excessive use of fertilisers, pesticides and antibiotics killing soil organisms and leaving it prone to erosion. The destruction of forests and natural habitats to create farmland also degrades soil, particularly affecting the symbiotic fungi that are important in helping trees and plants grow. Rising global temperatures, with increasing droughts and wildfires, are another factor, but scientists remain uncertain about how all the different drivers interact. The most important action is to protect existing healthy soils from damage, the scientists said, while degraded soils can be restored by growing a diverse range of plants. Inoculating barren soil with healthy earth may also help it recover. “Certainly there’s hope that we can make soils healthy again,” said Eisenhauer. “I think a lot depends on what we eat. Do we need to eat these massive amounts of cheap meat, for example? Can we rely more on plant-derived calories? I think this is a massive factor.” More than 80% of the world’s farmland is used to raise and feed cattle and other livestock, but these provide only 18% of all calories consumed. In 2014 the FAO’s Maria-Helena Semedo said that if the rate of degradation continued then all of the world’s topsoil could be gone within 60 years, but more recent research suggests a much lower rate of loss. While much remains to be discovered about soil biodiversity and how to help it thrive, Eisenhauer said the new report collating for the first time what is known was important. “Raising awareness is a first critical step, bringing soil more into the public and political discussions. Most of the decisions about, for example, protected areas are not based on soils.” • This article was amended on 14 December 2020 because an earlier version omitted to note that more recent research disputes the findings referred to by the FAO’s Maria-Helena Semedo in 2014. | ['environment/soil', 'environment/farming', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2020-12-04T09:00:55Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/planet-oz/2015/may/15/how-conservatives-lost-the-plot-over-the-rejection-of-bjorn-lomborg | How conservatives lost the plot over the rejection of Bjorn Lomborg | When Australia’s conservative commentariat lose the plot, wow do they really lose it. The spark was the University of Western Australia’s decision to back out of a deal to host a research centre fronted by climate science contrarian Bjørn Lomborg and paid for with $4m of taxpayer cash. First to don the water skis for the shark jump was the education minster, Christopher Pyne, who vowed that he would find a new home for Lomborg’s questionable methodology. “You can be certain it will happen,” said Pyne, before revealing that he had apparently been on the phone to “freedom of speech” and word had come back. “Freedom of speech demands that it does,” declared Pyne (hashtag facepalm). Many in Australia’s stable of conservative thinkers were so incensed by the decision of UWA’s vice chancellor, Paul Johnson, that the only balm to sooth their fiery rage was to quickly over-write 700 words for a Rupert Murdoch newspaper. This was Australia’s very own “Scopes Monkey Trial” … a “disgrace to universities”… a “grotesque betrayal of the tradition of free thought” … a “craven surrender to the mob”. And that was just News Corp’s climate science mangler-in-chief, Andrew Bolt Henry Ergas, a columnist in the Australian, quoted the likes of Aristotle and Daniel Defoe to conclude “that we can speak the truth only when we can say how things really are. If our universities can’t, they don’t deserve to exist.” The university had been “captured by the forces of unreason”, wrote Nick Cater, executive director of the Menzies Research Centre, a think tank officially associated with the Liberal Party. Former Institute of Public Affairs fellow Tim Wilson, now a Human Rights Commissioner, accused the university of engaging in a form of “soft censorship”. The Australian National University academic Will Grant pointed out that indeed universities did engage in soft censorship all the time. “It’s called learning”, wrote Grant. Perhaps the best indicator of the level of collective indignation was how everyone was so blinded by rage they forgot to anoint the episode with the customary ‘gate’ suffix. I mean, what’s not to like about Lomborgate, chaps? Lomborg himself said he had been the victim of “toxic politics, ad hominen attacks and premature judgment” before penning a column in the Murdoch-owned Wall St. Journal. Under the headline “The Honor Of Being Mugged By Climate Sensors”, Lomborg wrote that “opponents of free debate are celebrating”. “A small but loud group of opponents deliberately ignored the Copenhagen Consensus’s endorsement of smart climate policies,” wrote Lomborg. So why did Lomborg’s appointment attract such opposition in the first place? Lomborg does accept that climate change is a problem, but over the years his think tank has placed the issue well down a list of priorities. As I wrote on Planet Oz before UWA made its decision, Lomborg’s methods fail to properly capture the costs of climate change impacts and presume there will be no catastrophic impacts. Yes, Lomborg has emerged in recent months as an advocate for getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies, but he is particularly late to this issue. The likes of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the G20 group have been suggesting this action for at least six years, probably more. Remembering too that Lomborg has been a vocal opponent of renewable energy subsidies for much longer. Lomborg is not an academic, but runs a think tank based in the US where much of its funding is hidden. The extent of his academia is an unpaid adjunct professor position at the Copenhagen Business School, which runs out in May next year. There have been many, many critics of the work Lomborg does outside his Consensus Center think tank, much of which is published in newspaper columns. He has been accused of cherry-picking data and ignoring climate science findings that challenge his own positions. Yet he is a hero among conservatives and many climate science denialists. Lomborg also says the world’s poorest, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, need fossil fuels to drag themselves out of their “energy poverty”. In Brisbane last year, Lomborg cited projections from the IEA that fossil fuels were going to boom in the developing world, but did not mention that the IEA also said that those projections were in line with global warming in Africa of upwards of between three and six degrees. For a more rounded view of why UWA academics were uncomfortable about the Lomborg deal, you just need to watch the videos of the staff meetings between them and UWA VC Johnson. Graham K. Brown, UWA’s professor of international development, also went through Lomborg’s methods in painstaking detail on his blog and found them largely wanting. Brown wrote: “I hope that these posts go some way towards demonstrating that concern over Lomborg’s credentials is not mere ideology but the outcome of serious engagement with his output, on his own terms.” The idea that UWA’s decision is an attack on free speech belies the fact that Lomborg actually gave a speech at the university back in March. Conservatives and climate science deniers desperately want to make a martyr out of Lomborg, claiming he has been the victim of zealotry and a mob of raging climate campaigners. What really happened is that too many academics found Lomborg’s methods wanting and his historic views on climate change to be offensive. At UWA and elsewhere, academics, students and campaigners exercised their academic freedom and their freedom of speech to voice their concerns. The question now is, will any other leading university be willing to take Lomborg on? | ['environment/planet-oz', 'environment/environment', 'environment/series/guardian-environment-blogs', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/blog', 'tone/comment', 'profile/graham-readfearn'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2015-05-15T07:21:07Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
australia-news/2022/oct/19/were-surviving-thats-about-it-regional-nsw-communities-hit-by-flooding-brace-for-more-rainfall | ‘We’re surviving, that’s about it’: regional NSW communities hit by flooding brace for more rainfall | Almost 98% of Kate and Rod Mildner’s 4,400-hectare (10,900-acre) farm is under water. Their house sits on one of the small islands that have formed on the Warren property in the Orana region of New South Wales as flood waters continue to rise. “At the moment our little island is getting very small,” Kate Mildner says. “We’re surviving, that’s about it.” “[The water level has] dropped a couple inches but with this rainfall prediction, that’s really bad news. The whole community is extremely on edge.” They recently bought an Argo, a vehicle that can propel itself through deep water, and are using this to reach cattle – without it, she says they would have had to row a boat and then use quad bikes. “My husband, Rod, got to town today to get some more supplies because we’re likely to be stuck for at least another couple of weeks,” she says. “It took him an hour to go 8km to get down our road in the Argo.” More than 100mm of rainfall is forecast to fall in Warren over the next week – combined with increasing dam releases, it could spell devastation for farmers like the Mildners who live downstream. On Wednesday, the NSW emergency services minister, Steph Cooke, says almost every river system west of the divide is now in flood to some extent. “We are starting to see that rain fall and it will particularly impact our western and our southern communities,” Cooke says. “It doesn’t take much rain to cause those rivers to rise and rise very quickly.” Sign up to receive Guardian Australia’s fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter Mildner says they anticipate flooding as they are downstream of Lake Burrendong, one of the state’s largest inland dams, which almost ran dry during the drought of 2019. “Tomorrow there’s a 100% chance of rain but it’s what happens in the catchment obviously as well, which is the really nasty bit,” she says. Mildner says it is not just farmers who are affected, but the whole community. “There’s a lot of people’s livelihoods that are going out the window,” Milder says. “I’m very tired, and I’m stressed out.” As of Tuesday evening, the NSW State Emergency Service had issued 73 flood warnings, of which 13 were emergency evacuation orders. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a minor to major flood warning for the Macquarie River on Tuesday. The river at Warren is likely to remain above the major flood level (9.00 metres) through to Thursday, with renewed rises possible from Thursday onwards. One hour’s drive south-east of Warren and 7km from the outskirts of Dubbo is Belinda Nugent’s mixed cattle and sheep farm. The farm has always been prone to flooding and to mitigate that risk, they built a levee a few years ago around the house. But when 95mm of rain hit their property on Saturday, enough water came up the hill to their property from another source to fill inside the levee. “We’ve been here 15 years, and this is the worst it has been for us,” Nugent says. A video Nugent filmed while surveying the damage shows a water tank floating through what was once her back yard, but now appears to be a lake. “I’m worried about the next rain,” she says. “I don’t think anything else can get damaged if it floods next week because there’s nothing left to damage… except the house.” On Monday, Mildner says they had to move the cattle across the flood water to another “island” of high ground because they’d eaten all the feed. “One got stuck in a tree for a little bit but we managed to get it out,” she says. “It’s always a bit of a frightening experience seeing cattle trying to swim across a big current like that but they got there, which was good.” At Moulamein in the southern Riverina region of NSW, grower Jeremy Morton says it’s been a long time since they’ve had this level of risk from flooding along the Murray River. “I’m 55, so I’ve seen plenty of floods, but we’re about 25cm below the highest ever recorded,” the chairman of the National Irrigators Council says. “I’ve never seen so many rivers all flooding at the same time with all their storages full. “The really concerning thing is we’ve already got effectively major flooding right now before this water has even turned up, and what we don’t know is how high it’s going to get.” Closer to the Victorian border, Jesse Taylor, a Deniliquin real estate agent, says the community has banded together to help assist with flood preparation for nearby towns such as Echuca and Moama as they brace for a one-in-1000-year flood. “Anywhere along that border is disastrous at the moment,” he says. They’re just buggered and going to battle.” Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter Join the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community | ['australia-news/series/the-rural-network', 'environment/flooding', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'world/extreme-weather', 'science/agriculture', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'campaign/email/the-rural-network', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'australia-news/series/rural-network', 'profile/jordyn-beazley', 'profile/fleur-connick', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/the-rural-network'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-10-19T05:30:16Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
technology/2023/jul/12/elon-musk-tesla-electric-supplier-britain | Elon Musk’s Tesla plans to launch electricity supplier in Britain | Elon Musk’s Tesla is poised to disrupt Britain’s energy market with the launch of a new household supplier. The maker of electric cars, which also runs an energy supply business in the US, plans to begin selling electricity to homes and running “virtual power plants”, according to a recent job listing. The listing for Tesla Electric, which supplies electricity to households that own Tesla products such as cars or batteries, called for a new executive “with a healthy scepticism of the status quo” to manage the company’s entry into the UK market. The advert for a head of operations, which was first reported by the Daily Telegraph, said Tesla Electric would be able to “support the transition of the entire electricity grid to 100% renewables”. It is understood that Tesla may be planning to help customers who own a Tesla Powerwall battery, solar panels or one of its electric vehicles to store electricity when it is cheap, and sell electricity back to the grid when market prices are higher. This can help households avoid peaks in market prices when renewable electricity is in short supply, and help the grid do without fossil fuels by making better use of renewable electricity. Tesla first launched its household supply deals in Texas late last year, and offered drivers who bought its Model 3 car between May and June a year of free, overnight vehicle charging at home when they signed up with Tesla Electric as their retail electricity provider. After the first year, drivers would default to Tesla’s standard overnight charging rate of $1 a day. Tesla took its first step into the British market three years ago by applying to the energy regulator for Great Britain to be an electricity generator. Ofgem granted its licence in June 2020. At the time, industry observers speculated that Tesla might be planning to build large-scale battery storage projects in the UK, after its success building a 100MW storage scheme in less than 100 days in Australia. A generation licence would also allow Tesla to aggregate customers across the country and, in effect, create a virtual power plant. Similar tariffs for households with batteries or solar panels are already available from suppliers including Octopus Energy and Ovo Energy. Earlier this year, Tesla set out a “master plan” to eliminate fossil fuels from the world economy by relying on electrification and smart power storage technologies. Tesla’s report found that a sustainable energy economy was “technically feasible” and would require “less investment and less material extraction” than continuing to support an unsustainable energy economy. The company’s call to revolt against the fossil fuel industry by eliminating fossil fuels through a “hugely and politically difficult” carbon tax would not extend to Musk’s SpaceX venture. | ['technology/tesla', 'technology/elon-musk', 'business/energy-industry', 'business/business', 'uk/uk', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'business/automotive-industry', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2023-07-12T10:22:23Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2012/jan/27/amazon-rainforest-map-biodiversity-detail | Amazon rainforest mapped in unprecedented detail | Five thousand metres above the most biodiverse corner of the Amazon, tropical ecologist Greg Asner and his team see a kaleidoscope of colours among a mass of green. Huddled in a twin-engine Dornier 228 aeroplane called the Carnegie Airborne Observatory, the scientists are capturing multicoloured images of the Peruvian rainforest canopy that verge on the psychedelic. Inside the plane, a machine known as a Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) bounces a laser beam off the forest canopy 400,000 times per second – the result is a three-dimensional map of the forest showing unprecedented detail. In addition, a spectrometre, kept at a temperature of -131C (-204F), measures the biodiversity of the jungle in vivid colours by registering the chemical and optical properties of the forest canopy. The team can scan 360 sq km each hour. "The technology that we have here gives us a first-ever look at the Amazon in its full three-dimensional detail, over very large regions," said Asner, who is conducting the research for the department of Ecology at the Carnegie Institution for Science, based at Stanford University, California. "[It's] the critical information that's missing for managing these systems, for conserving them and for developing policy to better utilise the Amazon basin as a resource, while still protecting what it has in terms of its biological diversity." As well as measuring how the forest ecosystem is responding to the 2010 Amazon drought – the worst ever recorded – the technology accurately monitors deforestation and degradation, and has revealed unexpectedly high levels of biodiversity in high forest on the Andean rim of the Amazon basin. The data could prove critical to the United Nation's Redd (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiative, which will be the biggest future source of funding to protect the planet's tropical forest. The programme is designed to compensate tropical countries for reducing deforestation and forest degradation. "Redd cannot exist without scientifically monitored data on carbon stock," said Asner, who may have invented the most efficient way of measuring it to date. Daniel Nepstad, director and president of the international programme at the Brazil-based Amazon Environmental Research Institute (Ipam), and a leading expert on Redd programmes, described Asner as in "a league of his own in resolving the technical challenges that must be overcome for Redd to realise its potential." Having scanned some of the Peruvian Amazon's most inaccessible places, Asner says the region has one of the "most incredible portfolios of biodiversity". But Asner said his initial research showed a radical increase of illicit alluvial gold mining in Peru's Amazon region of Madre de Dios since it was last mapped in 2009, making it the region's primary cause of deforestation – an area estimated to exceed 100 sq km. • Get the Guardian's environment news on your iPhone with our new app. You can also join us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ | ['environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/forests', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/environment', 'world/brazil', 'world/americas', 'world/world', 'environment/conservation', 'tone/news', 'technology/mapping-technologies', 'technology/technology', 'environment/plants', 'science/science', 'science/zoology', 'culture/maps', 'type/article', 'profile/dan-collyns'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2012-01-27T12:17:58Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
uk/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2012/mar/21/undercover-policemen-went-missing | Undercover policeman went missing | Rob Evans | There is an intriguing story about an undercover officer who "went native" and refused to go back to his police handlers. Can you help us piece together the tale of this one-time police spy ? It seems that the officer was sent to infiltrate a political group and found that he very much enjoyed being with the group - so much so that when his police bosses told him to end his undercover mission with the group, he refused point-blank. It appears that he then quit the police and stayed with the group. We are unsure when this happened but it seems to have been in the 1970s or 1980s. There are indications that the group he spied on was left-wing. We wonder if he has ever revealed his true identity to the circle of activists and friends he stayed with or stayed silent. If you are that person, we would of course very much like to hear from you. We think that you would have an interesting story to tell. The officer was a member of the Metropolitan police's Special Demonstration Squad which was set up in 1968 to spy on political groups. It may be that he was the first undercover officer in that squad to have gone over to the other side in this way. It appears that the case prompted a change in the recruitment practices of the SDS. The new rule was that from then on, members of the squad had to be married. It is unclear when this rule was created, but here Pete Black, a member of the SDS between 1993 and 1997, explains why it was brought in :"They introduced that rule after one officer refused to come out of the field. It turned out he just enjoyed being with his contacts so much that he was willing to give up his police salary and everything that went along with it in order to stay with them. "Now you have to be married on the basis that, if you have something in the real world to come back to, you are less likely to want to remain in role. That's the theory." Black gave this explanation when he told his story in the Observer in 2010. As ever, any information gratefully received. Email paul.lewis@guardian.co.uk or rob.evans@guardian.co.uk * The standfirst on this blog was amended on March 22 2012 | ['uk/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans', 'tone/blog', 'uk/mark-kennedy', 'uk/police', 'uk/ukcrime', 'law/law', 'law/uk-civil-liberties', 'environment/activism', 'world/surveillance', 'uk/metropolitan-police', 'uk/undercover-police-and-policing', 'type/article', 'profile/robevans'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2012-03-21T16:04:45Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2015/jul/06/climate-change-compounding-threats-to-australias-ecosystems-studies-find | Climate change compounding threats to Australia's ecosystems, studies find | Climate change is compounding existing threats to Australia’s forests, wetlands and deserts, with several key landscapes now at risk of total collapse, a landmark series of new studies have found. An assessment of 13 ecosystems across Australia, ranging from the wet tropics of far north Queensland to rare shrubland in Western Australia, found what researchers call a “worrying” climate change impact that adds to existing harm caused by urban development, agriculture and invasive species. The research is the first of its kind to assess Australian ecosystems based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s benchmark Red List criteria which has, until recently, focused on the status of individual animal and plant species rather than whole landscapes. Under the Red List criteria, eight of the studied Australian ecosystems would be classified as “endangered” or “critically endangered”, with just the Lake Eyre wetlands considered in the “least concern” category. Professor David Keith of the University of NSW, who led the international team to expand the Red List to ecosystems, said the Australian study, which he also led, shows that climate change is leaving its imprint on vast swaths of the environment. “The overall picture is one of increasing risk,” he told Guardian Australia. “Climate change is amplifying other threats. It’s the most pervasive threat because it cuts across everything, whereas habitat loss and diseases are specific to individual systems. It’s very worrying.” Changes in the climate – Australia has warmed by nearly 1C over the past 100 years – are having a variety of effects, the research published in Austral Ecology found. A decline in rainfall in south-west Western Australia is threatening incredibly diverse but rare shrublands that require moisture during a crucial window for seedlings during the year. Meanwhile, forests perched on the mountains of Lord Howe Island are drying out because the damp clouds that envelop them are becoming sparser. A separate study of an area of Antarctica shows that sea sponges could lose out to algae if sea ice thins, increasing the amount of sunlight that enters their marine environment. Ecosystems face other threats – for example, the wet tropics have become fragmented due to land clearing for cane sugar farming and other industries. This means that cassowaries, which are crucial to dispersing seeds and maintaining plant diversity, have less space to roam and are increasingly being killed by cars or having their young picked off by predators. “Our ecosystems are become more simple, they are losing species, which reduces these systems’ resilience to change,” Keith said. “In some cases it’s due to changes in land use, such as the clearing of woodland, and in others it’s invasive species, such as water mould, goats, deer, cats and foxes. “Native herbivores are being taken out, which means that ecosystem tasks such as the turning over of soils isn’t being done. This has cascading effects – species that aren’t directly impacted [on] find they can’t persist because they can’t reproduce.” This decline has a direct impact upon humans as well as other affected species, Keith said, citing the Cumberland plain woodland system near Sydney. “This woodland has been extensively cleared for grazing and cropping to the extent that just 10% of its area remains,” he said. “The native mammals have become extinct and there are sustained declines in the bird species. The system is at a point where it’s almost starting to consume itself, it’s collapsing. “Apart from the intrinsic values of nature, urban areas need open spaces to keep populations sane and healthy. That, essentially, is what we are losing. “The rate of decline in Australia is up there among the worst in the world. We need to turn that around. That said, the major threats have been operating for a relatively short time on a global scale, around the last 150 years, so there’s still a lot to work with.” The research comprised of making detailed assessments over the extent of an ecosystem and then analysing the trends of key species within the area. Australia contains more than 5% of the world’s plants and animals, with 87% of them endemic, meaning they aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. However, Australia has one of the worst extinction records in the world, with 50 species vanishing in the past 200 years, including 27 mammal species. Alongside climate change, habitat loss remains a challenge in Australia despite land-clearing laws slowing historical removals. WWF estimates that between 3m hectares and 6m hectares of rainforest and temperate forest, mainly stretching across New South Wales and Queensland, could be lost between 2010 and 2030 on current trends. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/forests', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'australia-news/queensland', 'australia-news/western-australia', 'world/antarctica', 'environment/conservation', 'science/agriculture', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2015-07-06T04:36:06Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
global-development/2024/feb/07/india-port-airport-power-plant-military-project-great-nicobar-island-death-sentence-shompen-indigenous-people-warning | India’s plan for untouched Nicobar isles will be ‘death sentence’ for isolated tribe | Academics from around the world have urged India to cancel a huge construction project on Great Nicobar Island, warning it would be “a death sentence” for the Shompen hunter-gatherer people who live there. The $9bn (£7bn) port project, planned to transform the Indian Ocean island of 8,000 inhabitants into what has been called the “Hong Kong of India”, includes the construction of an international shipping terminal, airport, power plant, military base and industrial park. It will also develop tourism. In an open letter to the Indian president, Droupadi Murmu, published on Wednesday, 39 scholars from from 13 countries have warned: “If the project goes ahead, even in a limited form, we believe it will be a death sentence for the Shompen, tantamount to the international crime of genocide.” Between 100 and 400 Shompen live on Great Nicobar, a thickly forested 900 sq km (350 sq mile) island, about 800 miles east of Chennai in India and only 93 miles north-west of Aceh, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Shompen rely on the rainforest for their existence and have little contact with the outside world. Isolated for so long, the academics believe they could die from disease if they come into contact with outsiders. There is little mention in the government’s plans of what will happen to the Shompen and the Nicobarese people, who also live on the island, other than to state that Indigenous people can be relocated “if required”. The Nicobarese are less isolated than the Shompen and considered less vulnerable. Last year, 70 former government officials and ambassadors wrote to the president saying the project would “virtually destroy the unique ecology of this island and the habitat of vulnerable tribal groups”. The government sees the project as vital for security and defence, given the island’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean, countering China’s growing presence in the region. Great Nicobar, along with the Andaman Islands, is on one of the world’s busiest sea routes. The cabinet is expected to approve the project in the coming months and construction of the port in Galathea Bay could begin before the end of 2024. The port would have the capacity to handle 16m shipping containers a year and could be operational by 2028. The Ministry of Environment has already given approval for 850,000 trees to be felled on the island. Sarbananda Sonowal, minister for ports, shipping and waterways, told Indian media: “This project will be a major landmark in developing India to become a self-assured and self-reliant nation and will support the economic development of the country.” The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, an Indian constitutional body, said it was not consulted about the project, which it said would “adversely impact the lives of the local tribals”, according to media reports. Environmentalists have also expressed concerns about the impact on biodiversity and ecology. Great Nicobar is home to several endemic species, including long-tailed macaques, treeshrews and scops owls. Galathea is a nesting area for leatherback sea turtles. Petitions filed by the Conservation Action Trust, a Mumbai environmental organisation, to the National Green Tribunal, the statutory body that handles environmental disputes, were rejected in April. “The tribunal order said that it would not interfere with the clearances and that any issues and doubts had been taken care of by the ministries,” said Debi Goenka, founder of the trust. Arjun Munda, tribal affairs minister, said: “Each aspect of this project was looked at very seriously by various ministries … the project will be executed with utmost precautions to maintain the sanctity of the place and its people.” Munda added: “There are teams from various ministries who are on the ground just to ensure the success of this project without disturbing its rich biodiversity and its people.” Mark Levene, emeritus fellow in history at Southampton University, a signatory to the letter, said: “We would not write if we were not being entirely realistic about what the consequences of this proposed project would be for the Shompen, however advanced or not the development of the project.” A spokesperson for human rights group Survival International said: “The Shompen are nomadic and have clearly defined territories. Four of their semi-permanent settlements are set to be directly devastated by the project, along with their southern hunting and foraging territories. “The Shompen will undoubtedly try to move away from the area destroyed, but there will be little space for them to go. To avoid a genocide, this deadly mega-project must be scrapped.” The Indian government has been approached for comment. | ['global-development/global-development', 'world/indigenous-peoples', 'world/india', 'world/south-and-central-asia', 'world/world', 'global-development/conservation-and-indigenous-people', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'environment/forests', 'global-development/human-rights', 'business/shipping-industry', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/amrit-dhillon', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-02-07T05:00:05Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2022/oct/03/discovered-in-the-deep-the-sea-cucumber-that-lives-a-jellyfish-life | Discovered in the deep: the sea cucumber that lives a jellyfish life | Wafting through the deep sea is a diaphanous creature that resembles a jellyfish, but is in fact something else entirely. Pelagothuria natatrix, meaning swimming sea cucumber, belongs to a group of animals better known for lying around on the seabed like giant, rubbery worms. This sea cucumber was first named in the late 19th century, but for a long time it was only known from a few battered specimens brought up in scientific trawl nets. “They’re extremely fragile, almost to the point of being sort of intangible,” says Chris Mah, a biologist at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. “The fact that they’re gelatinous makes them extremely difficult to study.” In 2014, Mah sparked what he describes as a rediscovery of the species when he was looking through a database of deep-sea images and spotted an umbrella-like Pelagothuria that was mislabelled as a jellyfish. Until then, he says, only a handful of scientists were familiar with the species. Mah’s sighting encouraged others to look out for them during deep-sea surveys. Three years later, a team of scientists working in the Pacific Ocean got a spectacular view of these gossamer creatures in their natural environment. Working on the research ship Okeanos Explorer, the team watched video footage of Pelagothuria beamed up in real time from a deep-diving robot. During the course of nine dives, between American Samoa and Hawaii, they spotted close to 100 of these swimming sea cucumbers, at depths ranging from 196 to 4,440 metres and often in areas with very low oxygen in the seawater. Mah suggests this could be Pelagothuria’s tactic to avoid predators that are more oxygen-hungry and could easily suffocate. How Pelagothuria survives in these challenging conditions is still a mystery, but it likely has something to do with its jelly body. Many animals living in the deep sea have bodies made mostly of water with a small amount of collagen mixed in. This gelatinous goo requires little energy to make and maintain, and so is ideal for animals living at depths where food is often scarce. Jelly-based animals are also inherently buoyant, so they needn’t waste precious energy and oxygen swimming vigorously to stay afloat; they can just drift around. Out of roughly 1,200 species of sea cucumbers, Pelagothuria is the only one known to spend most of its time swimming. It uses the web encircling its mouth to propel itself through the water column. Several other sea cucumber species are occasional swimmers. “They live on the bottom, but they can swim when they want to,” says Mah. The approach of a predatory starfish can stir a sedentary sea cucumber into action. Even a few brief seconds of awkward swimming can be enough to escape. This could be how Pelagothuria’s ancestors started out, then evolving to be better and better swimmers until they adopted a full-time jellyfish lifestyle. It’s a case of convergent evolution in which distantly related organisms – in this case sea cucumbers and jellyfish – have solved challenges with a similar outcome. “The gelatinous mode of life is definitely something that you see a lot of in midwater animals,” says Mah. “It is such a common adaptation that every organism will have its own story as to how it arrived there.” | ['environment/series/discovered-in-the-deep', 'environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/wildlife', 'science/zoology', 'science/biology', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/helen-scales', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-10-03T05:00:57Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2022/nov/05/tornadoes-texas-arkansas-oklahoma | One dead, dozens injured after tornadoes rip through Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma | At least two people have died and dozens more are injured after tornadoes ravaged parts of Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Several twisters caused property damage and physical injury across the various states on Friday. Tornado warnings had still been in effect as of late Friday in parts of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. An early report from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center found that nine tornadoes formed in Texas, four in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma, CNN reported. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt announced on social media that a 90 year old man was killed near the town of Idabel. A spokesperson for the state’s Department of Emergency Management, said the man’s body was found at his home. More than 60 homes were destroyed and 100 houses “affected” by the fit of extreme weather, officials told local media. “There was total destruction on the south and east sides of Idabel,” a local emergency management coordinator, Steven Carter, said to the Texarkana Gazette. Officials are also working to survey damage in the area, which was rife with reports of downed power lines and other extensive destruction. Elsewhere, an official in Morris County, Texas said in a social media post that one person died as a result of a tornado in the far northeastern Texas County, offering no other details. Injuries were reported across northern Texas, where at least two people were transported to area hospitals in “critical but stable” condition, a statement posted on social media by the Lamar county sheriff’s office confirmed, NBC News reported. Lamar county resident Craig Holcomb spoke to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth on Friday about what he witnessed during the tornado: “I make fun of people, always talking about the train noise, but it sounded just like it … All you could hear was a loud whistle and I saw debris flying everywhere.” Holcomb and his wife were able to shelter in their bathtub. At least 50 homes were also damaged or destroyed in Texas, NBC News reported, with officials promising help from local and state agencies to assist with cleaning up the damage. The destruction followed a line of storms which dropped rain and sporadic hail on the Dallas-Fort Worth area before continuing to push eastward. While springtime usually marks the peak of severe weather season for the region including Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, tornadoes do occasionally develop in October, November, December and even January, said weather service meteorologist Bianca Garcia in Fort Worth. Garcia said such storms are “not very common”. “But it does happen across our region,” she added. Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed reporting | ['world/tornadoes', 'us-news/texas', 'us-news/oklahoma', 'us-news/arkansas', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/extreme-weather', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/gloria-oladipo', 'profile/ramon-antonio-vargas', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | world/tornadoes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-11-05T18:03:02Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
business/2008/dec/09/creditcrunch-carbonfootprints | The bright side: Fill your Thermos with hot tap water and save the planet | Just stop for a minute and think about how much you are doing to save the planet, just by being poor. Now think about how much more you will be doing to save the planet in, say, six months' time. Very soon a large chunk of your carbon footprint will become the problem of the guy you sold your car to. Shops will retain more heat thanks to you not happening by and opening the door. There will be no need to offset that ski trip you won't be going on. Expensive, electricity-hungry appliances won't make it on to your shopping list. Instead you will rediscover simple, wholesome, low-impact pleasures: thick socks, a Thermos full of hot tap water, a few moments spent haggling over the price of a distressed turnip or scavenging along railways lines for kindling. These are the things that make life worth living, or at least they will be. In the meantime the planet will thank you, provided we haven't already reached some sort of tipping point whereby none of our efforts can do anything to prevent a cataclysmic period of warming. But this is not the time to ponder imponderables, unless you're being paid for it. You're doing your bit to curb CO² every time you decide to stay in bed all day, and every time you forego air-freighted, intensively farmed sea bass so you can afford an extra two litres of cider. Take smugness where you can find it - it too will soon be in short supply. Recession-busting tip: A hollow-stemmed plastic wine glass can be adapted into a festive funnel, designed to conduct wine poured by waiters at Christmas parties down a rubber hose and into an expandable plastic bladder concealed beneath your clothing. No one will suspect a thing - they'll just assume you have a drink problem! What's going cheap right now: Tainted pork, office space, USB memory sticks, jelly. | ['business/credit-crunch', 'environment/carbonfootprints', 'environment/environment', 'business/business', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'lifeandstyle/series/bright-side', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'type/article', 'profile/timdowling', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features'] | environment/carbonfootprints | EMISSIONS | 2008-12-09T00:01:00Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2022/jan/14/feed-supplier-to-uk-farm-animals-still-linked-to-amazon-deforestation | Feed supplier to UK farm animals still linked to Amazon deforestation | A major supplier of animal feed is still buying soya and corn from a farm linked to deforestation in the Amazon, despite having pledged to clean up its global supply chains. Cargill, a giant agricultural multinational that sells feed to British chicken farms, buys crops from a farm growing soybeans on deforested land in the Brazilian Amazon. An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Greenpeace Unearthed, Repórter Brasil and Ecostorm uncovered Cargill’s links with the Brazilian supplier farm, Fazenda Conquista. The farm in the Brazilian Amazon was responsible for eight sq km of deforestation since 2013, with multiple forest fires recorded in 2020. Its trading with Cargill includes supplying soya, and the farm has signed a deal to deliver 5,700 tonnes of corn to the company this year. It is not known whether the crops in question were grown on a recently deforested part of the farm. The findings raise questions about Cargill’s due diligence process. The company has pledged not to buy soya beans from land deforested in the Amazon after 2008, and last year committed to moving faster to eliminate “commodity-driven deforestation”. But Cargill has also been repeatedly linked to deforestation. In 2020, the Bureau and Unearthed reported 800 sq km of deforestation and 12,000 fires since 2015 on land used by Cargill soya suppliers in the Cerrado, another protected biome in Brazil. The company exports thousands of tonnes of Brazilian soya to the UK each year for use in animal feed. Campaigners said the findings highlighted the hidden environmental costs of cheap meat. “Meat chickens are the most intensively farmed animals in the UK with over a billion slaughtered each year,” Lindsay Duncan, the campaigns manager at World Animal Protection UK, said. “The growing demand for cheap chicken leads to the growing demand for soy, causing large-scale deforestation and devastating environmental degradation, which destroys the natural habitats of millions of wild animals.” As much as 80% of all soya grown across the world is fed to livestock. The UK imported about 3.5m tonnes of soya beans in 2019, with roughly half of that ending up in chicken feed. About a quarter of the UK’s imported soya comes from Brazil, and the vast majority of that is traded by Cargill. Cargill said: “We are committed to eliminating deforestation from our supply chains in the shortest possible time, and we are accelerating our efforts.” Responding to the findings about Fazenda Conquista, the statement continued: “If fire has been used and has impacted the native forest or any irregularity is confirmed, we will take the appropriate measures.” The state of the land in question before 2013 is disputed: Fazenda Conquista’s management said in a statement that the farm had permission from the local environmental agency to carry out a “controlled burn” on the land because it had originally been deforested in the early 1980s. However, satellite imagery shows that the forest had been regrowing since then, and Brazil’s deforestation monitoring programme flagged the clearing in 2013 as deforestation. The local environment agency, Sema, confirmed it had authorised a burn on the farm in 2012 to clear pasture with some degree of regeneration. But the agency said no licences for full deforestation inside the farm had been authorised, and admitted that although it had lacked high-resolution satellite imagery prior to 2019 to identify real-time deforestation, a recent analysis suggested there had been deforestation within the property. Sema said it would investigate further. In an independent analysis of satellite imagery, the NGO Aidenvironment also deemed the land to have been deforested. This year the farm will be blacklisted under the Soy Moratorium, a voluntary industry agreement that bars the trade in soya beans on Amazon land deforested after 2008. The Working Group for Soya, which oversees the moratorium, said it had identified an area of deforestation that had been sown with soya in the last planting season. A reporter from the Bureau visited the farm this year and saw soya beans growing on the land. Destruction of the Amazon rainforest has serious consequences for the climate, with experts fearing the biome might soon cross a “tipping point” at which it begins to shift from lush rainforest into a drier savannah, releasing large quantities of stored carbon into the atmosphere. According to Brazil’s space agency, Amazon deforestation soared 22% over the 12 months to July last year. Major British food companies have adopted “zero deforestation” certification schemes to tackle the problem but “dirty” soya linked to deforestation continues to enter supply chains. | ['environment/deforestation', 'environment/environment', 'world/brazil', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/forests', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/farm-animals', 'environment/farming', 'world/world', 'world/americas', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/andrew-wasley', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/environmentnews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-01-14T08:00:02Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2022/oct/19/british-columbia-drought-floods-climate-crisis | Severe drought torments British Columbia, a year after devastating floods | Nearly a year ago, flood waters inundated swaths of south-western British Columbia. Mudslides destroyed sections of highways and swollen, turbid rivers washed away houses and bridges. Now, the region has the opposite problem: months of drought have begun to take a toll on what was once dubbed Canada’s “wet coast”. And as unpredictable weather events become a hallmark of a changing climate, experts warn that the two events are linked – and that a culture of overconsumption and poor resource management threaten to further amplify the effects of the current crisis. The impact of the prolonged dry spell was underlined by recent footage showing some 65,000 dead salmon clogging a dried-up creek. More than 200 forest fires are blazing, and scores of heat records have fallen in recent weeks. The province’s energy regulator has already warned the drought will have an impact on its hydroelectric operations. Eight communities have entered a level 5 drought, in which provincial authorities warn that “adverse impacts to socio-economic or ecosystem values” are nearly certain. On Monday, the Sunshine Coast, a community less than 100km (62 miles) north of Vancouver, declared a state of emergency as water supplies dwindled to dangerously low levels. Other regions have seen similarly dismal conditions. In a typical four-month period between July and October, the British Columbia capital, Victoria, typically sees close to 100mm of rain. But since July, only 2mm have fallen on the parched ground. In the Fraser Valley, only 10mm have fallen – far below an average of 220mm. But experts caution the severity of droughts are not just defined by a lack of precipitation. Instead, they say residents need to understand the extensive and complex systems of hydrology – and the impact that human actions have in magnifying the current crisis. “The factors that cause a specific drought are randomly occurring over time. We simply cannot blame the current one on a lack of rain during the last several months,” said Younes Alila, an expert in forest hydrology and professor at the University of British Columbia. “To do so would be a big mistake.” The largest source of water for replenishing the region’s creeks, streams and lakes is not rainfall but the accumulated snowpack in the mountains, Alila said. The snow gradually accumulates through the season and as it eventually melts, it provides a consistent re-supply of water to groundwater aquifers and reservoirs. Whenback-to-back atmospheric rivers – long, narrow bands of water vapour in the atmosphere that extend from the tropics to higher latitudes – passed over south-western British Columbia in November, they dropped an uncharacteristically large volume of rain at high elevations, wiping out portions of the snowpack. “Ten months ago, when we lost 30 to 40cm of snow in 48 hours, that likely exacerbated the effects of droughts we’re seeing now,” he said. As a result, critical ground water recharge was far less than needed. Experts have warned that the duration and severity of atmospheric rivers can be linked to climate crisis and are expected to increase in the coming years. Alila also pointed to a number of other factors, often the result of human action, that have likely worsened the effects of the current drought. Large scale-clear cutting of the province’s forests is among the worst culprits, dramatically altering the landscape of the province. Newer forests, planted to replace what was cut down, consume far more groundwater than tracts of old growth. On the coast where the drought is worse, the problem is magnified: young coniferous trees consume water far more aggressively than their scarcity-adapted counterparts in the province’s interior. With less water available, the transpiration process is reduced, meaning trees release less moisture back into the air. Even the creation of logging roads has a profound impact on groundwater recharge, diverting rainfall away from soil and into ditches that help drain the roads. Those ditches are connected to a network of culverts under the roads that are in turn lined up to existing gullies and channels. The water is eventually pushed out to the ocean, instead of being absorbed by the ground. That recharge is particularly helpful in late summer and early fall months, when rainfall is the lowest. “We’ve come to a point of no return in this province, because of the sheer amount of clear-cut logging they’ve been doing over the last 20 years. The damage is already done,” he said. “The least we can do is recognize the complexity of the processes and how land use can exacerbate the effects of changing climate.” Experts also caution that a culture of overconsumption, aided by a belief by many residents that the country’s water resources are limitless, poses a danger for the future. Zafar Adeel, a professor at Simon Fraser University’s school of sustainable energy engineering, says Canadians often have a “misguided” sense that fresh water is a limitless resource in the country. “People tend not to really understand the consequences of continued excessive water usage,” he said, pointing to a number of lush green lawns in his neighborhood. “Particularly in [coastal] British Columbia, there’s a sense of immunity and this invincibility that we have enough – that we’ll never be out of water.” Adeel also cautions that when the rains eventually come, the harder, clay-like consistency of the parched soil raises the risk of flash floods. “There isn’t much we can really do in the short term when it comes to adaptation … And I don’t really know what the forecasts are for the next couple of months in terms of the amount of rainfall,” he said. “But if we get another atmospheric-river type event, God forbid we encounter that type of situation. I think it would be a lot more damaging than last year.” | ['world/canada', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/drought', 'world/americas', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'environment/water', 'world/extreme-weather', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'tone/features', 'profile/leyland-cecco', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-10-19T09:30:20Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sustainable-business/2016/mar/08/solar-energy-pioneer-monica-oliphant-on-charting-her-own-path-in-science | Solar energy pioneer Monica Oliphant on charting her own path in science | It was 1973 and Monica Oliphant, a recently widowed mother of two, was washing the dishes one night when she first heard about the potential for solar energy. “[It was] at the time of the Arab oil crisis, and I heard on the radio someone saying, if we had solar energy, we wouldn’t have to fight over oil. That was the 70s and I managed to get work in this area. That was tremendously exciting.” While the word “pioneer” gets bandied around a lot, it seems apt when talking to 75-year-old Oliphant. Recently named South Australia’s senior Australian of the year, her long and brilliant career was recognised last year when she was appointed an officer of the Order of Australia for her work in the renewable energy sector as a research scientist, particularly in solar photovoltaics and power generation. It is even more inspiring considering she studied in the male-dominated area of physics in the early 60s, and went on to carved her own path in the energy sector, all while raising a family single-handedly. As a child, Oliphant had a keen interest in astronomy. She remembers joining a group called the moon watch group, which tracked the Sputnik and explorer satellites, and she had a holiday job at Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra. But she realised the sector wasn’t for her; it was “too abstract”. She did enjoy science and maths, and went on to study physics. She was the only female physics graduate at the University of Adelaide. “There weren’t many in the physics areas when I did honours in physics at Adelaide [University]. I was the only female in my group in 1960 but I never felt I was any different to anyone else in class,” she says. At university she met her husband and fellow physicist Michael Oliphant, son of pre-eminent scientist and former South Australian governor Sir Mark Oliphant. She began working in the male-dominated electricity supply sector at the Electricity Trust of South Australia (ETSA), after completing her studies. “People would ask me where I worked and I’d say, and they’d ask, ‘Are you a receptionist?’” Oliphant stopped working for a time to raise children, but then Michael died of cancer in 1971. He was 35. “My husband died a couple of weeks before my second daughter was born. There was a big mortgage so I had to go back to work. I had to survive financially”, she says. “I wanted to be independent, and I had a five-year-old and newborn to support, so I moved back to Adelaide and got part-time work as a research assistant.” She worked in atomic research at the University of Adelaide and later Flinders University. By 1973, she had become fascinated with solar photovoltaics and renewable energy, and she spent 18 years focusing on renewables at ETSA. There was very little formal childcare in the early 70s, even for women who were single parents. “I only worked part-time initially. There wasn’t much childcare available, so I mainly improvised, but being at a university was helpful.” These days she looks at her adult daughters, both working mothers, and sees that there are still challenges for working women. “My two daughters have husbands, they have been able to have access to childcare but they work enormously hard and they are stressed out in their daily living. It’s not easy. I don’t think it’s easy for females to manipulate both a job and home life.” Oliphant’s career flourished, she says, mainly because she was left alone to pursue her own interests. “I reckon I was the employee from hell but I wanted to do these things and if it wasn’t in the work plan, I would say, ‘maybe I can get funding.’ I would do what I wanted, and they let me. Then I would get funding, so they couldn’t stop me. They thought it was easier to let me go and I probably wouldn’t do much harm.” She had no formal mentors. “The people I worked with were always helpful, but I didn’t have anyone in particular to work with, except for the people in the Australian Solar Energy Society.” Oliphant was also president of the International Solar Energy Society from 2008 to 2009 and it remains one of her career highlights. Much of Oliphant’s work would turn out to be ahead of its time including work in the early 1990s with public housing and examining the impact of energy efficiency of low-income families. “Back then the residential sector was regarded as too diverse and small to be looked at. Monitoring household energy use became mainstreamed shortly afterwards. So there was a lot of interesting work done then. It was enjoyable.” Currently an adjunct associate professor with the division of information technology, engineering and the environment at the University of South Australia, Oliphant remains active in the renewable energy sector. She is working on several projects. “One is on community-owned solar – trying to increase penetration within the community. I have [also] just finished ... a feasibility study on the potential to have a UN university on renewable energy and training in China.” That feasibility study took her and a group of international scientists to Malaysia, Russia and China. The team are currently waiting to see if their work is accepted. She is also the patron of the Corena Fund, a not-for-profit citizen group that collectively funds new renewable energy installations. “I’m fairly busy and I’m having an enjoyable time. If you are involved in something that [you] really believe in and you love, it keeps you going.” | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'sustainable-business/series/social-equality', 'environment/environment', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'lifeandstyle/women', 'world/international-womens-day', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'tone/sponsoredfeatures', 'profile/brigiddelaney'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2016-03-07T22:35:18Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2013/apr/22/no-dash-for-gas-west-burton-protest | No Dash for Gas plans return to West Burton power station for protest | The government plans for a "dash for gas" are to come under renewed assault with a protest planned this summer at an EDF power station in Nottingham, the Guardian has learned. The choice of the West Burton site for a fresh wave of protest, which campaigners expect to attract numbers "in the high hundreds", may be controversial because it was targeted last year by 21 activists from the group No Dash for Gas. The activists managed to shut down the gas-fired power station for seven days, but were arrested and then pursued by the owner EDF Energy, which attempted to sue them for £5m in damages. The French-owned company abandoned its lawsuit in the wake of public condemnation, including a petition signed by 64,000 people and support for the activists from prominent figures including Noam Chomsky, Richard Dawkins and Naomi Klein, French-owned EDF. The activists, however, remain under legal injunctions not to return to the West Burton site. EDF is also one of the companies in talks with ministers over a controversial government programme to build a series of nuclear power stations in the UK. The planned summer demonstration at West Burton is modelled on the "climate camp" protests against coal-fired electrical generation that disrupted the operations of power stations at key locations including Drax and Kingsnorth for several years. But it marks the changed focus from coal – the dirtiest fossil fuel – to gas, which has received strong support from the current government. Activists from a variety of organisations are expected, including campaigners from anti-poverty and anti-cuts groups. It is not known whether any of the 21 activists under injunction will attempt to return to the site. But the organisers are confident that there will be many more members of the public taking part in the protest, expected to run from 17-20 August. Kevin Smith of No Dash for Gas said: "Last year 21 people took direct action, but 64,000 more joined No Dash for Gas in their fight against EDF's lawsuit. We'll be calling on these people and others to return to West Burton for a bigger, broader direct action that will push for real solutions to the economic and climate crises." West Burton is the first of more than 20 new gas-fired power stations that are expected to be given the go-ahead by ministers. Gas has been promoted by the chancellor, George Osborne, as a cleaner fuel than coal, but energy experts including the government's own statutory advisors, the Committee on Climate Change, have said that an over-reliance on gas will increase emissions and could lead to large rises in the cost of energy. As North Sea gas supplies have started to deplete, and the UK has turned from an exporter to a net importer of the fuel, volatile gas prices have led to large increases in the price of energy to households and businesses. The government has said gas will be needed to "keep the lights on" as many of the UK's ageing coal-fired and nuclear power stations are taken out of service in the next few years. But green campaigners say the government's support for gas is starving renewable forms of energy of investment. | ['environment/no-dash-for-gas', 'business/gas', 'environment/activism', 'environment/gas', 'environment/environment', 'business/edf', 'business/business', 'business/energy-industry', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/fiona-harvey'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2013-04-22T19:14:48Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
australia-news/2023/sep/28/south-australia-farmer-catches-spotted-quoll-in-first-official-state-sighting-for-130-years | South Australia farmer catches spotted quoll in first official state sighting for 130 years | A South Australian farmer trying to protect his chickens has caught a spotted quoll – a species not recorded in the state for over 130 years. Pao Ling Tsai lost one of his chickens to a predator earlier this week but managed to take some photographs of the animal before it escaped. Unsure of what he had seen, he contacted South Australia’s national parks and wildlife service and they set up a trap. On Thursday morning, they found the spotted-tailed quoll, also known as the tiger quoll, inside. “I expected to find a cat, but I found this endangered animal,” Pao said. The spotted-tailed quoll exists in other parts of the country but has not been seen in South Australia for over 130 years, Limestone Coast ranger Ross Anderson said. “It’s the first official record in that period of time,” he said. “There have been some unofficial sightings but nobody’s actually had an animal photographed, or in their hand, for that length of time. “It’s amazing to have something we thought was extinct turning up at our backdoor.” The spotted quoll is endangered on the mainland and vulnerable in Tasmania. The Australian Conservation Foundation believes there are only around 14,00o left in the wild. “They’re considered extinct here as a result of loss of habitat, predation and competition with things like cats and foxes,” Anderson said. “We can’t be sure where it’s come from. Is it an animal that still exists as a relic population? Is that something that has escaped from captivity? Or is it just a lone animal that’s what a really long way.” The rangers took the quoll to the vet to check it was not microchipped, as some are kept in captivity. It was treated it for mange, before they took some hair for DNA samples. It will be released back into the wild in the surrounding area it is familiar with. Anders said they would use cameras and traps to see if there are other quolls in the area, and locals have been urged to refrain from setting their own traps. | ['australia-news/south-australia', 'environment/wildlife', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/cait-kelly', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-09-28T10:41:45Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2011/mar/25/energetic-approach-green-investment-bank | Letters: More energetic approach needed on green investment bank | If the chancellor wanted to boost growth in the budget he should have given the new green investment bank full borrowing powers now – not in 2015 (Green initiatives, 24 March). Hundreds of billions of investment is needed in the next few years to transform the UK's energy markets, keep the lights on and meet our climate and renewable-energy targets. And the green economy should be a big driver for growth, creating jobs and helping deliver the required deficit reduction. The £3bn the chancellor has pledged is a good start, but it won't be enough on its own. The huge levels of investment a fully fledged bank could have leveraged from day one would have brought jobs and growth to many parts of the country at a time when public sector cuts are biting. From investing in new wave and tidal power systems in Cornwall to insulation for homes in Hull – the ability to borrow and lend right now would have created employment all round the UK. It would also have put UK businesses in a prime position to capitalise on the growing worldwide market for clean energy technology that is clearly destined to be huge. Instead of neutering the bank until 2015 the Treasury should work with the Office for National Statistics to maximise the green investment bank's ability to invest, while minimising its impact on the deficit. Joan Walley MP Chair, Environmental audit committee • It was announced last week, after a fast-track review, that the government's feed in tariff will be cut, cutting the incentives to farmers to build solar farms on their land. Tariffs will be cut from 31p per kWh to 8.5p per kWh of energy fed into the grid. This announcement casts doubt on all non-domestic schemes, and while both domestic and commercial schemes are important, if we are to move Britain towards a low-carbon economy, we need to see more commercial photovoltaics schemes. Many different investors have invested in renewables, and solar in particular, solely on the basis that the FiT income is guaranteed for 25 years. This backtrack has halted many important CO2 saving projects and has undermined the low-carbon industry's confidence about investing in the UK. Jon Abbatt Principal consultant, ADAS • Although we are still in the middle of a nuclear catastrophe in Japan, the government sees fit to hand out a major subsidy to the nuclear industry, in the form of carbon-floor pricing. It is estimated that this will benefit them by around £3bn between now and 2050 for doing absolutely nothing. Couldn't the government think of a way to only give the benefit of carbon-floor pricing in proportion to the carbon saved and not to existing, unsustainable and non-renewable sources such as nuclear power. The "no subsidy for nuclear" promise is another coalition joke. Pete Rowberry No Money for Nuclear | ['environment/green-economy', 'environment/environment', 'tone/letters', 'politics/georgeosborne', 'politics/politics', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/feed-in-tariffs', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/green-investment-bank', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2011-03-25T00:05:08Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2022/jan/28/uk-risks-falling-behind-on-reducing-farm-antibiotics-after-eu-ban | UK risks falling behind on reducing farm antibiotics after EU ban | The reputation of British farming is at risk after its failure to follow the EU in curbing the overuse of antibiotics in healthy animals, say campaigners. Antibiotic use is the main driver of antimicrobial resistance, one of the biggest threats to human and animal health. Reducing its use in farming is seen as critical, with about two-thirds of antibiotics globally given to animals. From today [28 January], a ban on the administration of antibiotics to groups of healthy animals comes into force across the EU. As a result, European farmers will be able to use antibiotics as a preventive measure only in exceptional cases when there is a high risk of infectious disease, and then only with individual animals. UK ministers have previously refused to commit to an outright ban on preventive use – also referred to as “prophylactic use”. The nearest the UK came was in 2018, when farming minister George Eustice told MPs that the UK intended to “implement restrictions on the preventive use”. In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the government’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate said it would set out proposed regulatory changes as part of a public consultation during 2022. It did not respond to queries about whether it would propose a ban. “We are committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals and it remains our intention to strengthen our national law in this area.” The vast majority of farm antibiotics in the UK are used in the pig and poultry sectors, both of which have reported significant reductions, with total antibiotic use across all farm animals falling by 52% between 2014 and 2020. But campaigners say greater reductions could be achieved if preventive group treatments were banned. “British farmers have made good progress in cutting their antibiotic use,” said Cóilín Nunan, from the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, “but antibiotic use in British pigs remains two-and-a-half times higher per animal than in Denmark and the Netherlands. “The government can’t claim to be a world leader when the UK is one of the only countries in western Europe where it will be legal to use antibiotics routinely for preventive mass medication of farm animals.” Richard Griffiths, the chief executive of the British Poultry Council, said the current voluntary approach had put the UK ahead of most EU countries. “We are recognised as a leading proponent of responsible use of antibiotics, so no I do not think there is a danger of us falling behind anyone. “A large part of our success is based on trusting veterinary colleagues to make expert judgments on a case-by-case basis and then pooling what has been learned. Compulsory controls are unnecessary at this point and would be too blunt an instrument for what is an incredibly complex subject,” said Griffiths. Cat McLaughlin, the chair of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (Ruma) Alliance, said there would “always be some instances and conditions that unavoidably require the treatment of groups of animals to help protect their health and welfare. “Ruma believes it is important for vets to have medicines available to tackle disease and ensure animal health and welfare, following the principles of responsible use: as little as possible, but as much as is necessary, at the right time and in the right situations.” 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', 'society/antibiotics', 'environment/farming', 'society/health', 'environment/environment', 'society/society', 'uk/uk', 'environment/farm-animals', 'world/animal-welfare', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/tom-levitt', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2022-01-28T06:30:02Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2018/may/16/south-koreans-more-worried-about-air-pollution-than-kims-nukes | South Koreans more worried about air pollution than Kim's nukes | Living next to an erratic, nuclear-armed North Korea is apparently not the most distressing aspect of life in South Korea, according to a new study. That distinction goes to air pollution, ranked number one in a national survey. The spectre of North Korea’s nuclear programme ranked fifth, after economic stagnation, the South’s ageing population and water pollution. Only natural disasters were of less concern in the study conducted by the government-affiliated Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. The report says South Koreans view environmental problems as more relevant to their lives, compared with threats from the North. North Korea has in the past threatened to turn Seoul into a “sea of fire” and Kim Jong-un’s regime has thousands of pieces of artillery and rockets that can strike the South Korean capital. The survey was conducted in 2017, at a time when Donald Trump and the North Korean leader were openly trading insults and threats of mutual destruction. But South Koreans have lived with their heavily armed, vitriolic neighbour to the north for decades and the vast majority of young people do not view the Kim regime as an imminent threat. The most recent outbreak of violence was in 2010: 50 people were killed when North Korea shelled an island near the border and sank a navy corvette. South Korea has the worst air quality among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of 35 developed economies, followed by Poland and South Africa. Levels of harmful fine particulate matter, which have been found to penetrate deep into the lungs and are associated with cancer and respiratory ailments, are nearly three times World Health Organization guidelines. “I’m directly breathing this toxic, polluted air on my way to work and home every day, knowing that it will cause me all sorts of diseases in the next decade, like lung cancer and inflammation in the brain if we don’t stop it now,” said one office worker in Seoul, according to The Korea Herald. Many in South Korea blame pollution wafting over the border from China but much of it is locally produced, according to experts. | ['world/south-korea', 'environment/air-pollution', 'environment/pollution', 'world/asia-pacific', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'profile/benjamin-haas', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-foreign'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-05-15T23:45:44Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
world/2017/sep/28/donald-trump-waives-jones-act-puerto-rico | Donald Trump waives Jones Act to allow foreign ships to supply Puerto Rico | The White House on Thursday waived an act that was preventing foreign ships from delivering supplies to Puerto Rico, more than a week after Hurricane Maria devastated the US territory. The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a tweet that Donald Trump had authorized the Jones Act to be waived for Puerto Rico at the request of its governor, Ricardo Rosselló. “It will go into effect immediately,” she said. The Jones Act requires goods sent between US ports to be carried on ships built, owned and operated by the US. But lawmakers said it slowed the delivery of much-needed aid to Puerto Rico, where millions of Americans do not have electricity, adequate access to clean drinking water or a reliable fuel supply. The law was suspended in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to help ships reach Florida and Texas, but the president expressed reluctance to do the same for Puerto Rico. “We’re thinking about that,” Trump said on Wednesday. “But we have a lot of shippers and a lot of people that work in the shipping industry that don’t want the Jones Act lifted, and we have a lot of ships out there right now.” The situation in Puerto Rico is dire – few of the hospitals are functioning and about 44% of residents are without clean drinking water, according to the US Department of Defense. There are food shortages and some isolated parts of the territory are still without functioning telecommunications systems. Cash is also running low on the island, where only a few banks are open and lines to withdraw money stretch for hours. Lawmakers, including Senator John McCain of Arizona, had pushed the government to waive the Act. McCain sent a letter to the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, on Tuesday arguing the Jones Act should be suspended for good. “Now, more than ever, it is time to realize the devastating effect of this policy and implement a full repeal of this archaic and burdensome Act,” he said. | ['us-news/puerto-rico', 'world/world', 'us-news/donaldtrump', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/hurricane-maria', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/amanda-holpuch', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | world/hurricane-maria | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-09-28T13:10:21Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
news/2020/feb/10/weatherwatch-saving-avalanche-victims-turkey-avalanche | Weatherwatch: uncovering the facts about avalanche deaths | At least 33 rescue workers were killed after a second avalanche on a mountain road in eastern Turkey last week, hitting teams sent to find people missing after an earlier avalanche. A fully developed avalanche can weigh up to 1m tonnes, and travel at an astonishing 200 miles (322 km) per hour. You might expect the impact from something so big and fast to be instantly fatal, or that being thrown about through rocks and trees at high speed would kill you. This is not always the case. Most victims survive the initial impact due to the cushioning effect of snow. A 2007 study of the recovered bodies of avalanche victims showed that just 5% had died from trauma. Another 9% died from a combination of trauma and asphyxiation. This means that the remainder – about six in seven – died purely of asphyxiation, and could potentially have been saved. While some buried victims suffocate in less than 20 minutes, many survive much longer. One skier was rescued alive and well five hours after being buried by an avalanche in Austria in December. Finding avalanche victims and digging them out as soon as possible saves lives. But the haste necessary for this can all too easily put rescuers in danger. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/avalanches', 'world/turkey', 'world/snow', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/davidhambling', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2020-02-10T21:30:45Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
australia-news/2023/mar/24/more-than-half-nsw-forests-lost-since-1750-and-logging-locking-in-species-extinction-study-finds | More than half NSW forests lost since 1750 and logging ‘locking in’ species extinction, study finds | More than half of the forests and woodland in New South Wales that existed before European invasion are now gone and more than a third of what’s left is degraded, according to new research. Despite the loss of 29m hectares of forest since 1750 – an area larger than New Zealand – continued logging since 2000 had likely affected about 244 threatened species. Many species that depended on forests were now being sucked into “an extinction vortex” because of logging, one of the study’s authors, the University of Queensland’s Prof James Watson, said. During the current state election campaign, neither of the two major parties has released plans to address rates of land clearing. Unlike in Western Australia and Victoria, there are no plans to end native forest logging in the state. The NSW Greens made ending native forest logging a key election issue and included it on a list of points it would pursue if it held the balance of power. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Authors of the research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, said the state was “locking in extinction through legislative inadequacies” because regional forestry agreements were allowing critical habitat to be logged while being exempt from the main federal environmental protection law. A group of 14 scientists from six Australian universities and two conservation groups examined multiple state and federal data sets on the condition of vegetation, together with maps of the known locations of threatened species. About 29m hectares of pre-1750 forest and woodland had been cleared and of the remaining 25m hectares, 9m was degraded. Since 2000, 435,000 hectares had been degraded through logging operations, the study said, affecting 244 threatened species – 104 of which are federally listed as endangered or critically endangered. Long-footed potoroos (endangered), long-nosed potoroos (vulnerable) and southern brown bandicoots (endangered) had the highest proportion of the areas where they live affected by logging. Koalas (endangered), south-eastern glossy black-cockatoo (vulnerable) and the Australian painted snipe (endangered) had the greatest overall area where they live affected by logging. Threatened species were having to cope with the effects of logging on top of threats from land clearing, invasive species, disease, climate change, altered water flows and pollution. The study, which is currently being peer reviewed for a leading conservation journal, said while small impacts each year might seem insignificant “the combined deforestation and degradation of habitat over 250 years can lead to extinction via many small modifications of habitat”. Dr Michelle Ward, a conservation scientist at WWF-Australia who led the study, said: “When you look at these cumulative impacts on threatened species it’s clear to see why Australia has one of the highest extinction rates in the world.” She said it was often claimed that logging had minimal impact, but this didn’t account for the habitat already destroyed. NSW needed to stop logging native forests and move to sourcing wood from plantations, she said. Watson said species that depended on forests had “suffered terribly” from land clearing and fires. “They now remain in small parts of their natural range and for this habitat to be opened up to logging is forcing many of them into an extinction vortex. This study points to a disaster.” He said regional forest agreements – meant to strike a balance between conservation and extraction – had failed to put the effects of logging in the context of all the threats, both current and historical, faced by threatened species. In a statement, the NSW state government’s Forestry Corporation said regional forest agreements were agreed between state and federal governments. Most native forests were permanently protected, the statement said, “and timber harvesting operations take place in only around one per cent of state forests each year, which is around 0.1% of forested land in NSW.” The research had ignored multiple peer-reviewed papers over the past 20 years from government scientists examining threatened species, the statement claimed. Timber was only harvested from regrowth forests, with operations managed “in line with strict conditions developed with the input of expert scientific panels to protect and maintain wildlife habitat, forest flora, water quality and biodiversity across the landscape.” The statement said: “Every operation is carefully planned and ensures large areas are set aside for wildlife habitat, along riparian corridors, to protect environmental features, to maintain seed resources for regeneration and to maintain biodiversity, and all harvested areas are regrown.” The statement added research showed that “best-practice measures in place during timber harvesting are effective in protecting wildlife and habitat,” adding that expert panels at the state’s Natural Resources Commission had said regulated timber harvesting was low-risk. This story was amended on 24 March 2023 to replace the main image, which previously depicted a different animal that was not a long-nosed potoroo. | ['australia-news/nsw-election-2023', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'environment/logging-and-land-clearing', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/new-south-wales-politics', 'environment/forests', 'campaign/email/afternoon-update', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/deforestation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/graham-readfearn', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/logging-and-land-clearing | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-03-23T23:00:03Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/blog/2014/jul/14/8-charts-climate-change-world-more-dangerous | Eight ways climate change is making the world more dangerous | Forget the future. The world already is nearly five times as dangerous and disaster prone as it was in the 1970s, because of the increasing risks brought by climate change, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organisation. The first decade of the 21st century saw 3,496 natural disasters from floods, storms, droughts and heat waves. That was nearly five times as many disasters as the 743 catastrophes reported during the 1970s – and all of those weather events are influenced by climate change. The bottom line: natural disasters are occurring nearly five times as often as they were in the 1970s. But some disasters – such as floods and storms – pose a bigger threat than others. Flooding and storms are also taking a bigger bite out of the economy. But heat waves are an emerging killer. 1) We're going to need a bigger boat – or flood defences Flooding and mega-storms were by far the leading cause of disaster from 2000-2010. About 80% of the 3,496 disasters of the last decade were due to flooding and storms. Seas are rising because of climate change. So are extreme rain storms. There is growing evidence that warming temperatures are increasing the destructive force of hurricanes. 2) Heat waves are the new killer Heat waves didn't even register as a threat in the 1970s. By 2010, they were one of the leading causes of deaths in natural disasters, along with storms. In Russia alone, more than 55,000 people died as a result of heat wave in 2010. 3) Floods are getting more costly Disasters were about 5.5 times more expensive by 2010 than they were in the 1970s, and most of that was because of the rising losses due to floods. The cost of disasters rose to $864bn (£505bn) in the last decade. 4) Nearly all of the 8,835 disasters – about 89% - were due to flooding and storms 5) But storms were by far the bigger threat to life accounting for about 1.45m of the 1.94m global disaster deaths. Drought was the next big killer, mainly because of the horrific toll during the 1980s famine in Africa 6) About half of the $2390.7bn cost of disasters over the last 40 years was due to storms with hurricane Katrina and super storm Sandy, both in the US, accounting for $196.9bn of those damages 7) Droughts in East Africa in the 1970s and 1980s were the deadliest disasters of modern times, killing 600,000 in Ethiopia, Mozambique Somalia, and Sudan. But storms were also a big killer for Bangladesh 8) Hurricanes and other severe storms are taking an increasing toll on the US economy. Five of the costliest global disasters were in the US. All five were caused by storms, caused a total of $294bn in damage | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/world', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'world/tornadoes', 'environment/flooding', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'tone/resource', 'profile/suzannegoldenberg'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-07-14T10:08:26Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2016/jul/29/chernobyl-could-be-reinvented-as-a-solar-farm-says-ukraine | Chernobyl could be reinvented as a solar farm, says Ukraine | The contaminated nuclear wasteland around Chernobyl could be turned into one of the world’s largest solar farms, producing nearly a third of the electricity that the stricken plant generated at its height 30 years ago, according to the Ukrainian government. In a presentation sent to major banks and seen by the Guardian, 6,000 hectares of “idle” land in Chernobyl’s 1,000 square km exclusion zone, which is considered too dangerous for people to live in or farm, could be turned to solar, biogas and heat and power generation. Pressure has been mounting for years to allow industrial development, but no indication is given of where the solar panels would be located. “There has been a change in the perception of the exclusion zone in Ukraine. Thirty years after the Chernobyl tragedy [it] reveals opportunities for development. A special industrial area is to be created in compliance with all rules and regulations of radiation safety within the exclusion zone,” says the presentation. Tens of thousands of people in Ukraine, Belarus and south Russia were evacuated immediately after the 1986 accident from a wide area around the nuclear plant and places where the radioactive plume descended. A few hundred people still live in 11 semi-deserted villages close to Chernobyl. There is “about 6,000 hectares of idle land, some of which can be used for placement of electrical generation facilities, and some for energy crops”, according to the presentation. The Ukrainian government said more than 1,000MW of solar and 400MW of other renewable energy could be generated. The nuclear plant had an installed capacity of around 4,000MW. The advantage of generating renewable power at the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident is that the land is cheap and plentiful, and the sunshine is as strong as in southern Germany. In addition, the grid infrastructure and high-voltage power lines needed to transmit electricity to the national grid remain intact, the presentation added. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) this week indicated it would be prepared to lend money for the renewable energy plan. The EBRD has already provided more than $500m (£379m) to build a large stainless steel “sarcophagus” over the destroyed reactor, which will remain dangerous for thousands of years. “The EBRD may consider participating in the project so long as there are viable investment proposals and all other environmental matters and risks can be addressed to the bank’s satisfaction,” said a spokesman. The move to solar reflects a new energy reality involving plunging renewable energy costs and escalating costs of nuclear power. Hours of sunshine in the Chernobyl area compare favourably with southern Germany, one of the largest solar producers in the world. In a recent interview, Ukraine’s ecology minister said the government was negotiating with two US investment firms and four Canadian energy companies, which have expressed interest in the Chernobyl’s solar potential. Meanwhile in Belarus, just 20 miles from Chernobyl, a 22.3MW solar plant is already under construction in Brahin district, around 20 miles from Chernobyl. The district was one of the most contaminated by Chernobyl’s fallout and the land where the plant is to be built is not suitable for agriculture. | ['environment/solarpower', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'environment/chernobyl-nuclear-disaster', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'world/ukraine', 'world/world', 'world/europe-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/johnvidal', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2016-07-29T10:04:14Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2014/feb/06/tony-abbott-launching-a-full-frontal-attack-on-renewable-energy-industry | Tony Abbott ‘launching a full-frontal attack’ on renewable energy industry | Tony Abbott pretended to support the renewable energy industry before the election but is now “launching a full-frontal attack” according to Labor’s environment spokesman Mark Butler. The Coalition went to the election promising to keep the renewable energy target (RET), which underpins investment in energy sources such as wind and solar. But the prime minister has now taken control of a scheduled review in his own department and says the RET may have outlived its initial purpose and needs to be reassessed because it increases power prices. “The Liberals went to the election saying there was no difference between the parties on renewable energy, but they weren’t being straight with the Australian people because now they are launching a full-frontal attack,” Butler said. Butler said Labor would stick with its opposition to the repeal of the carbon tax when parliament resumes this month, but was now also preparing “to ramp up a community campaign in support of renewable energy”. “We didn’t foresee this battle and it seems the responsible ministers [environment minister] Greg Hunt and [industry minister] Ian Macfarlane aren’t having much of a say either – it’s ideological and driven by people like [the prime minister’s chief business adviser] Maurice Newman.” The renewable energy industry is also becoming increasingly alarmed at signals the government intends to drastically reduce, or even abolish, the target. The Australian solar council has launched a “save solar” campaign because of deep concerns the review will cripple the industry by axing the target, which requires 45,000 gigawatt hours of power to be sourced from renewables by 2020 and provides a subsidy to people installing solar systems. In opposition, the Coalition was highly supportive of the solar industry and critical of constant changes to government incentives. The environment minister, Greg Hunt, jumped out of a plane to support a previous “save our solar” campaign on the grounds that Labor’s decision to means-test the then $8,000 subsidy was putting the industry into “freefall”. And both Hunt and Macfarlane have said the Coalition would keep its election promise to retain an effective RET. Details of the review are expected by the end of the month, with the government struggling to get around the legislative requirement that it be undertaken by the climate change authority, which it intends to abolish but has not yet been able to. Before Christmas, the prime minister said the RET may have outlived its usefulness and become a burden on business and on Thursday repeated his concerns in response to the announcement that Queensland government-owned Stanwell was mothballing its gas-fired Swanbank E power station in October. The decision was driven by the fact that rising gas export prices mean it has become more lucrative to sell the gas than use it to generate electricity, but the company has also complained about the RET in a submission to the government’s energy review. Tony Abbott said last year: “We support sensible use of renewable energy, and as you know it was [the] former Howard government which initially gave us the RET and at the time it was important because we made very little use of renewable energy. “But we have to accept that in the changed circumstances of today, the renewable energy target is causing pretty significant price pressure in the system and we ought to be an affordable energy superpower … cheap energy ought to be one of our comparative advantages.” His chief business adviser, Maurice Newman, has called for the renewable energy target to be scrapped and several Coalition backbenchers are also pushing for it to be axed. Hunt has canvassed compromise options with industry, including changing the existing target that 20% of energy come from renewable sources by 2020, to one requiring 25% from renewable sources by 2025. The plan would overcome the effect of falling electricity demand on the real impact of the RET. Modelling released last week suggested abolishing the RET could cost 2,000 jobs in the solar panel industry. According to the Australian Energy Market Commission, the RET has increased retail electricity prices by 3.5%. | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/coalition', 'politics/labour', 'australia-news/tony-abbott', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'profile/lenore-taylor'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2014-02-06T06:10:02Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2017/apr/23/giant-redwoods-britain-uk-sequoia-specieswatch | Giant redwoods brought to British shores on a tide of Victorian fashion | A wooded ridge overlooking the Ouzel Valley in Bedfordshire has a remarkable set of trees sticking head and shoulders above the rest. Credited with being able to grow into the world’s largest living thing, they can reach a height of 100 metres, nearly three times as high as a mature oak. These trees are known as Wellingtonia, Californian redwood and giant sequoia. Even in Latin they have two names: Sequoiadendron giganteum or Sequoia gigantea. Whatever they are called by people, they are the same species. The Bedfordshire specimens are up to 50 metres tall, ten metres higher than the oaks, beech, sweet chestnut and exotic firs that also grow in this plantation, created in 1844 by a local Quaker, John Dollin Bassett. Their eventual size is uncertain but current progress is half a metre a year. They could double in height. While this group of giant redwoods is probably the largest in Britain, there are hundreds of other specimens at stately homes, botanic gardens and arboretums that are equally as high. All these trees, with their soft, spongy, fire-resistant bark, were planted in the same decade, the result of a craze for growing them in the early Victorian period. Some are already six metres round the trunk at their base. It is possible to buy a packet of these tree seeds for £2 but enthusiasts warn that getting the saplings through the first five years is a challenge even though the British climate is quite close to that the trees enjoyed in 19th century California. The existence of the species was only discovered (at least by European culture) in 1852 when plant hunter William Lobb heard about some vast trees growing in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada range. Knowing the potential market for exceptional trees among gentlemen enthusiasts in England, he set about collecting seeds and specimens. He returned the following year and they sold rapidly. Saplings were planted all over the country including those in Bedfordshire, which Bassett added to his already celebrated collection. Lobb was able to describe to prospective purchasers how he had found about 90 towering trees and reported that one felled tree had measured 300 feet with a diameter of more than 29 feet near its base. A section of this 3,000-year-old tree was displayed in San Francisco. A piano was placed inside its hollowed and carpeted trunk,and an audience of 40 could be seated in comfort. But, in the US and the UK, the race was on to give this newly discovered giant a name. Dr Albert Kellogg, one of the founders of the California Academy of Sciences, who was instrumental in the discovery of the tree, planned to name it the Washingtonia in honour of the nations’s first president. In England, Prof John Lindley of the Horticultural Society of London, unaware of Kellogg’s intentions, opted for the decidedly un-American “Wellingtonia gigantean” to commemorate the recently deceased Duke of Wellington. This was greeted with indignation in America. The dispute raged for years. Ultimately, a scientific name was chosen that was supposed to settle the argument. Sequoiadendron giganteum was to reflect the tree’s botanical link to another giant tree: the coastal or California redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. However, as far as the tree’s other names are concerned, many rivals appear to live on. | ['environment/forests', 'environment/series/specieswatch', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/paulbrown', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-04-23T20:30:22Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2018/oct/31/five-countries-hold-70-of-worlds-last-wildernesses-map-reveals | Five countries hold 70% of world's last wildernesses, map reveals | Just five countries hold 70% of the world’s remaining untouched wilderness areas and urgent international action is needed to protect them, according to new research. Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have for the first time produced a global map that sets out which countries are responsible for nature that is devoid of heavy industrial activity. It comes ahead of the conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Egypt in November where signatory nations are working towards a plan for the protection of biodiversity beyond 2020. Conservationists are calling for a mandated target for wilderness conservation that will preserve the planet’s vulnerable ecosystems. The UQ and WCS study, published in the journal Nature, identifies Australia, the US, Brazil, Russia and Canada as the five countries that hold the vast majority of the world’s remaining wilderness. The data excludes untouched wilderness in Antarctica and on the high seas that is not contained within national borders. The paper comes after the team of scientists produced data in 2016 that charted the planet’s remaining terrestrial wilderness and in 2018 examined which parts of the world’s oceans remained free from the damaging impacts of human activity. They found that more than 77% of land – excluding Antarctica – and 87% of oceans had been modified by human intervention. “Two years ago we did the first analysis of wilderness on land,” lead author James Watson said. “In this new analysis we’ve created a global map and intersected it with national borders to ask: who is responsible?” The researchers say that the planet’s remaining wilderness can be protected “only if it is recognised within international policy frameworks”. They’re calling for an international target that protects 100% of all remaining intact ecosystems. “It’s achievable to have a target of 100%,” Watson said. “All nations need to do is stop industry from going into those places.” He said the five countries responsible for most of the world’s remaining wilderness had to provide leadership and could act to protect these areas through legislation or by offering incentives to businesses that do not erode nature. John Robinson, the executive vice-president for global conservation at WCS, said wilderness would only be secured globally “if these nations take a leadership role”. “Already we have lost so much. We must grasp these opportunities to secure the wilderness before it disappears forever,” he said. | ['environment/biodiversity', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/world', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/deforestation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/lisa-cox', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/endangered-habitats | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-10-31T18:00:38Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/jan/13/uk-waste-management | Muck and money: the UK's waste management is rubbish | Damian Carrington | Muck and money go together. This centuries-old English proverb provides a handy five-word summary of a new report on how the UK deals with its waste - not very well - and how to change that. Let's start with a statistic: the UK dumps about half of its municipal rubbish into landfill sites, while Germany buries just 1% in holes in the ground. The jaw-dropping difference is not just the German love of recycling, it's also that it uses much of the suitable waste to generate power. That's turning muck into brass. In the UK, we are burying money. So today's report from the Institution of Civil Engineers of Civil Engineers usefully plots out how the UK could move to a "circular economy", where waste is seen as a raw material. ICE waste and resource management expert Jonathan Davies, of SKM Enviros, says: "In a world driven by carbon reduction and global competition for resources, it is time for the UK waste industry to evolve from a disposal sector into a 'supply' sector that unlocks the real economic value of materials in a low carbon fashion" The report's main conclusions won't quicken your pulse, but are sensible: • more quality as well as quantity of recycled materials • more investment in recycling and energy-from-waste plants The press conference was a bit sharper, especially in criticising the government. Alan Whitehead, Labour MP and member of several green committees and groups, said the coalition's localism-driven changes to planning were a "real worry" and that he saw "no sign of energy-from-waste being incorporated into policy". Davies added that planning applications for waste facilities were seen as "lengthy, costly and unpredictable". He described the coalition's actions as "unfortunate". There's lots of policy wonkery in the report - you're welcome - but two things caught my eye. The first is how to tackle the idea that anything other than chucking as much as possible into the ground is not in fact an "authoritarian mix of state intrusion and race-fixated social engineering", as the Daily Mail sees it. Reducing council tax bills is a powerful counter-argument, as is allowing residents to share the benefits of better waste management: An obvious example would be the provision of heat for community facilities such as swimming pools sited near combined-heat-and-power plants. Local fears can be dealt with to the satisfaction of all sides, as shown in a parallel context here: Scottish villagers stun developers by demanding extra turbine. The other interesting idea raised was to use the twin towns that most UK conurbations have to show better waste management in other parts of Europe works well. Overcoming the fears of such terrors as the Daily Mail's "slop bucket" is crucial. Davies points out the astonishingly wide gap between the best and worst recyclers in the UK. Staffordshire Moorlands district council tops the pile, with 62% of household waste recycled. Lewisham council is at the bottom*, with a miserable 16%. Do you actually like landfill tips, Lewisham? Bringing the stragglers up to the level of the best would make a huge difference, Davies rightly says. So what are the schemes that work and that people find acceptable? Staffordshire collects using three bins and two types of bag. Lewisham has a recycling blog. *Note: Rock bottom council Ashford uses energy-from-waste instead of landfill. • This article was changed on 13 January to 'Institution of Civil Engineers' instead of 'Institute of Civil Engineers' | ['environment/damian-carrington-blog', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/waste', 'tone/blog', 'environment/environment', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/damiancarrington'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2011-01-13T07:00:00Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
australia-news/2024/jan/23/women-subjected-to-violence-and-sexual-assaults-resulting-in-pregnancies-after-nsw-floods-study-finds | Women subjected to violence and sexual assaults resulting in pregnancies after NSW floods, study finds | Women were subjected to violence and sexual assaults resulting in pregnancies in the immediate aftermath of the northern rivers floods due to a lack of triaging and separation at emergency centres, according to research from the University of Newcastle. The report examining health and wellbeing after the flooding also found women stepped into leadership roles and harnessed social media and community willpower to help Lismore and surrounding areas over the past two years. The lead author and social worker, Associate Prof Wendy Foote, said despite the immediate horrors, it was largely women who led the short- and longer-term recovery efforts where the New South Wales government and emergency agencies failed. “We had the most amazing women who not only filled that space, that void, but they did it in the most professional and inclusive way,” she said. The report co-author Prof Margaret Alston said historically women had undertaken the “burden of labour and the health impacts of disasters” and that had happened in Lismore as well. “That’s not to diminish the efforts of men in these circumstances but can be due to the nurturing or support roles women often take on in response to trauma,” she said. “In this case, the work-load imbalance, threats to self and property and trauma impacts were very gendered. Women undertook the bulk of unpaid work in the immediate response and stayed in support roles for extended periods following the initial emergency.” Women were “prominent in their spontaneous organising” and “women-led organising was both sophisticated and valuable to the community”, the study found. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Despite the success of women’s leadership after the initial flooding, researchers found women had been unsafe in emergency shelters in early 2022. They recommend emergency services establish triaging systems when people first arrive at shelters and provide separate rooms for women and children in evacuation centres to keep them safe. “The support provided through the establishment of evacuation centres was critical to establishing shelter, however, participants described unmanaged risks,” the researchers found. “An absence of triaging to create discrete sections resulted in women and children sharing spaces with domestic violence perpetrators, sex offenders and those withdrawing from addictions. “Participants reported gender-based violence and sexual assaults resulting in pregnancies. The lack of access to pharmacies or contraception and inaccessible abortion services were noted as a problem.” Seven of the 24 study participants reported knowing of sexual assaults that occurred in the shelters. “These experiences were overlaid with the shock and trauma of the flood,” the study found. “Participants in professional roles reported that the evacuation centre was unsafe for their clients, that assaults occurred there and that police were called every night.” It found there had been some improvement when a Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) representative arrived and “brought some order to the chaos”. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said on Tuesday that his government was taking the allegations seriously. “It’s a very disturbing report – it will be fully examined by the NSW government,” he said. “We’re taking it seriously at the highest levels of government. If there’s a criminal justice response [needed] of course that will be launched. We want to make sure that we learn lessons.” The department said it was “very concerned” about the findings of the University of Newcastle’s research. “Women and children deserve to feel safe at all times, but especially in the aftermath of emergencies,” a spokesperson said on Tuesday. “The NSW government will be reviewing these important recommendations and ensuring the safety of women and children is embedded in emergency responses, from rescue to recovery.” NSW police said they had a “24-hour presence at the evacuation centre from the start of March 2022”. The Lismore floods peaked in late February. The force was unable to confirm anecdotal reports of assaults and would not confirm if they had repeatedly been called to the centre before setting up the around-the-clock coverage. The Lismore councillor and executive director of community organisation Resilient Lismore, Elly Bird, said women had been doing the heavy lifting for “many months into years” after the floods. “Women stepped forward, speaking on behalf of their communities, organising to try to get support for their communities. Disasters create opportunities for leadership between there is so much to be done and emergent leadership happens.” Researchers also highlighted the role social media played in helping people before and during the floods and the importance of those networks afterwards, pointing to Resilient Lismore and the Koori Mail. “As the crisis unfolded the role of social media changed and morphed from giving warnings about floods that were coming, to providing information … to the aiding and facilitating resources in the post-emergency period,” the report read. Researchers recommended women, Indigenous Australians and vulnerable people be listened to more during disaster management planning and during crises. • Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html | ['australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'australia-news/health', 'society/rape', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'campaign/email/afternoon-update', 'society/women', 'media/social-media', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/tamsin-rose', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-state-news'] | australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-01-23T06:19:58Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2020/feb/24/we-have-a-chance-to-halt-biodiversity-loss-the-stakes-have-never-been-higher-aoe | We have a chance to halt biodiversity loss. The stakes have never been higher | The year 2020 has been designated a “super year for nature”, when the global community will rededicate itself to halting biodiversity loss with a 10-year action agenda, scheduled for agreement at the conference of the parties to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Kunming in China in October. On 13 January we published an initial “zero” draft of an action framework, which will be considered at negotiations being held in Rome from 24 February. This first draft is based on extensive consultations, advice from governments, scientists, indigenous peoples, NGOs and others, gathered through dozens of meetings and hundreds of written submissions. It was also developed directly in response to the landmark 2019 global assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which warned of a million plant and animal species threatened by extinction. Other elements that helped shape this draft include: A global population of 7.6 billion today, expected to reach 8.6 billion by 2030 and 9.8 billion by 2050, with 68% of us living in urban areas. Recognition of the direct links between climate change and biodiversity loss: we need to address both in order to maintain nature and our wellbeing. We must also be careful not to address climate change in ways that may harm biodiversity and vice versa. To be successful, the new plan needs to engage every element of our societies, going well beyond environmental agencies to whole-government and whole-society approaches. Success will also depend on learning from past experiences, successes and challenges. A fully open and transparent negotiation process is a key characteristic of the CBD: all discussions are open and all drafts are made public. This is a powerful feature and a way to build support and engagement that will be essential at the implementation stage. The proposed framework recognises that action globally, regionally, nationally, and locally is required to transform economic, social and financial systems in order to stabilise biodiversity loss and allow ecosystems to recover. Governments and societies need to determine priorities and allocate financial and other resources, internalise the value of nature, and recognise the cost of inaction. Only then can we achieve the shared vision of “living in harmony with nature by 2050”, agreed by world governments 10 years ago. This plan acknowledges the need to recognise gender equality, women’s empowerment, youth, and the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities. It also recognises that implementation will require the partnership of many organisations – global, national and local, taking a rights-based approach – as well as the principle of intergenerational equity. Achieving our goal requires addressing the five foremost drivers of biodiversity loss: changes in land and sea use; direct exploitation of organisms; climate change; pollution; and invasive alien species. The Rome discussions will be followed by further consultation with scientific and administrative advisers and a second negotiation session in late July in Cali, Colombia, the last meeting before the global community meets in Kunming. The challenge is how we will get to this brighter future from today’s uncertain world. Every government is needed, every organisation, and every citizen. Not only should no one be left behind, everyone should be fully engaged. We need open minds on all sides to a vision of socio-economic development achieved through sustainability, to convince those who can to help those in need, to adjust from an unsustainable paradigm of vested interests to investing in change. There are positive signs from governments, from civil society and from business that the changes needed can be made, as indeed they must. The stakes are high but solutions are within reach. • Basile van Havre and Francis Ogwal co-chair the open-ended working group on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/environment', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-age-of-extinction'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2020-02-24T06:30:13Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sport/2011/oct/26/england-coach-steve-mcnamara-wales | England coach Steve McNamara names unchanged side to face Wales | England have retained the half-back combination of Rangi Chase and Kevin Sinfield for their first match of the Gillette Four Nations series against Wales at Leigh on Saturday, with the coach Steve McNamara naming the same 17 who beat France 32-18 in Avignon. Chase was named man of the match after helping to set up three of England's six tries but the New Zealander, who has qualified on residential grounds after three seasons with Castleford, was critical of his own performance afterwards, and McNamara referred to the team lacking direction. "We are looking for the key partnerships to gel and prosper," McNamara explained in announcing his team at their training base in Loughborough. "It is an opportunity for that group of players to rectify some of the errors we made in the game against France and bring in some consistency. "We have worked on trying to manage the game properly and build sustained pressure on the opposition so we can create momentum and more frequent scoring opportunities. "We feel Wales will be a step up from France and they will be very strong and physical showing great passion. I want the players to concentrate on our game and be the very best we can be to make sure we win the game and get our campaign off to a strong start." Gareth Widdop, the young Yorkshireman who made an impressive switch from full-back to stand-off with Melbourne Storm in the 2011 National Rugby League season, again has to settle for a place on the interchange bench, and the Leeds half-back Danny McGuire is one of the seven players who are excluded for the second week running. | ['sport/england-rugby-league-team', 'sport/four-nations', 'sport/wales-rugby-league-team', 'sport/rugbyleague', 'sport/sport', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/andywilson', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/news'] | sport/wales-rugby-league-team | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2011-10-26T11:57:00Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
business/2004/dec/29/indianoceantsunamidecember2004.travelnews | Travel sector feels impact of tsunami | Shares in insurance and travel companies continued to fall yesterday as the scale of the disaster in the Indian Ocean hit home. Swiss International Air Lines' share price fell 5.2% after the company said it received 60 cancellations on flights to Bangkok between Sunday and the end of the year. Concerns over declining bookings and soaring repatriation costs drove shares in TUI, the German travel company, down 1.4%. As the death toll continued to rise, estimates of reconstruction costs and insurance bills reached billions of dollars. Swiss Re's share price fell 1.1%. Asian markets were mixed, with Sri Lankan stocks tumbling as a result of the country's reliance on tourism. Thai shares rebounded, however, led by gains in construction firms such as Siam Cement. Leading US financial indexes closed at their highest level since mid 2001 on better-than-expected consumer confidence data and a broker's upgrade on Amazon.com. The online company reported its busiest holiday shopping season. The Conference Board's index for consumer confidence in December was 102.3; analysts had expected 94.6. The dollar hit a record low against the euro as confidence grew that central banks would not seek to prevent further devaluation of the US currency. The euro rose to $1.3641 in trading in European markets. Analysts had predicted that the ECB might try to prevent further strengthening of the currency when it hit $1.35 but comments from officials suggest intervention is unlikely. Asian currencies edged higher as concerns over the size of the US current account deficit pushed up the yen. The South Korean won, Taiwan dollar and Singapore dollar all hit three-week highs. The tsunami dragged down other Asian currencies such as the Thai baht and the Indonesian rupiah. | ['business/business', 'world/tsunami2004', 'travel/travel', 'tone/news', 'type/article'] | world/tsunami2004 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2004-12-29T02:51:09Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
business/2010/oct/26/cairnenergy-greenland | Cairn Energy is feeling the chill in Greenland | Depending on your point of view, Cairn Energy is taking unacceptable environmental risks in drilling for oil off the coast of Greenland or is leading the industry's search for hydrocarbons in non-Opec territories. Either way, it hasn't yet found much oil in those cold waters. The results of the drilling to date are: three shots, three misses. Two of the wells found traces of hydrocarbons – just not enough to be produced commercially. Drilling on the third well was suspended as winter closed in. The news was enough to knock 7% off Cairn's share price, hardly a surprise when you consider that drilling a single test hole in Greenland's waters can cost $100m. How many holes will be needed? It's impossible to say, but one assumes that Cairn's shareholders, having backed a highly-regarded management team in this adventure, won't want to stop yet. Cairn's Rajasthan assets were regarded as tiny until they yielded one of the biggest discoveries of recent years. Even so, it is interesting to note that Collins Stewart's analyst thinks the share price is discounting "no value at all" for Greenland. Again, two views are possible. It could be a buying opportunity, as the broker thinks. Or else the market feels that Cairn, after its big hits in Bangladesh and India, is out of luck in Greenland. | ['business/cairnenergy', 'world/greenland', 'business/oil', 'business/energy-industry', 'business/series/viewpointcolumn', 'business/business', 'tone/comment', 'environment/oil', 'type/article', 'profile/nilspratley'] | environment/oil | ENERGY | 2010-10-26T19:30:11Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2022/mar/04/uk-not-prepared-climate-impacts-ipcc-intergovernmental | UK not prepared for climate impacts, warns IPCC expert | The UK “is very much not adapted to climate change and not prepared”, according to a lead author of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The study, published this week and approved by 195 countries, says the worldwide impacts of the climate crisis are more severe than predicted and there is only a narrow chance of securing “a liveable future for all”. In the UK, more flooding from rivers, at the coasts, and from intense downpours in urban areas is one of the biggest impacts, the report says. Sewage works, airports and seaports are among the key infrastructure at risk, along with the impacts of storms on the electricity and communication networks. While winters are getting wetter, summers are becoming drier, and water shortages are on track to increase in England and Wales, the report says, doubling in frequency within decades. Heatwaves are also a rising and deadly threat, with many homes and hospitals unprepared. One in three heat-related deaths in the UK between 1991 and 2018 were caused by global heating, according to a study cited in the report. Global climate impacts will also cause shortages of imported goods and increase their price in the UK, the report says, as well as damaging markets for British exports. The report even warns of financial instability due to economic shocks caused by climate change. “The IPCC report backs up the conclusions of the UK climate change risk assessment (CCRA) published in 2021,” said Prof Richard Betts, at the UK Met Office and a lead author of both the IPCC report and the CCRA. “The key point is that the UK is very much not adapted to climate change and not prepared.” Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser to the UK government, responded to the IPCC report by warning of increasing extreme weather in the UK. He said: “This will strain housing, agriculture, transport and supply chains – little of which was built with such pressure in mind.” He also warned of more wildfires endangering cities near moorland, such as in Manchester and Sheffield. “The challenge is enormous but it can be met,” Vallance said. The IPCC report, which is based on 34,000 scientific studies,says that over the past three decades the UK and Europe have experienced the highest number of river floods in the past 500 years. It says some coastal communities in the UK may have to move inland and that the number of people at risk of annual coastal flooding in the UK would rise from 3.2 million to more than 5 million in a worst-case scenario. “As an island nation, what happens on the coast is a particular issue,” said Mike Morecroft, at Natural England and one of the 234 lead authors of the IPCC report. But he said restoring nature on the coasts, such as the example of the Steart salt marshes in Somerset, could provide better protection than hard defences. Peter Alexander, at the University of Edinburgh and another IPCC author, said climate impacts on farming in the UK and around the world affected people. “We are part of a global food system. We import close to half the food that we consume and, if the rest of the world’s agriculture is being impacted by climate change, then we’re going to effectively import those impacts to the UK, largely through potentially higher food prices,” he said. The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK government’s official advisers, said in June 2021 the government was failing to protect people from the fast-rising risks of the climate crisis, with action to improve resilience not keeping pace with the impacts of global heating. The CCC’s experts said they were frustrated by the “absolutely illogical” lack of sufficient action on adaptation, given that taking action is up to 10 times more cost-effective than not doing so. “We must go much further and faster to truly prepare for the impacts of a warmer world,” the government acknowledged in its legally required assessment of climate risks, published in January. “In the majority of risk areas we need to take more action.” The IPCC report was “stark”, a UK government spokesperson said: “We are working at pace on our national adaptation programme [due in 2023], with robust measures, including £5.2bn to tackle flooding and coastal erosion in the UK.” The IPCC report strongly emphasises that the climate crisis hits the poor, vulnerable and excluded in society the most, and that addressing inequality is an essential part of tackling global heating. “Different segments of the population can be more or less vulnerable, and that applies not just in developing countries but within the UK as well,” said Prof Lindsay Stringer, at the University of York and an IPCC author. The chair of the CCC’s adaptation committee, Julia King, writing with the former chair, John Krebs, said: “Adaptation should be integral to ‘levelling up’ [in the UK]. Poorer households are more severely affected by the health and financial consequences of flooding and other extremes.” “The UK has the capacity and the resources to adapt but the government is simply not doing enough,” they said. “Lack of action now is storing up problems and costs for future generations: they will have to pay for our negligence.” | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/ipcc', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'environment/committee-on-climate-change', 'environment/green-politics', 'politics/politics', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/environmentnews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/committee-on-climate-change | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2022-03-04T09:40:38Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2007/nov/30/bali.climatechange1 | Global business leaders call for climate change pact | The leaders of 150 major global companies today called for a legally binding and comprehensive international deal on climate change. In a communiqué, the businesses said they needed a mandatory agreement on emissions reductions to give them the confidence to invest in low-carbon technology. The statement, led by the Prince of Wales's corporate leaders group on climate change, is being sent to environment ministers and heads of state ahead of UN talks in Bali aimed at beginning negotiations on a post-2012 climate deal. The "Bali communiqué" spells out the companies' belief that: "a sufficiently ambitious, international and comprehensive, legally binding United Nations agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will provide business with the certainty it needs to scale up global investment in low-carbon technologies." It has has been signed by household names such as Tesco, Lloyds TSB, Nike, Sky and Nokia. Companies putting their name to the call for a binding deal also include airlines such as easyJet, BAA and oil giant Shell as well as US and Chinese companies. The business leaders say global targets for emission reductions - which need to be at least 50% by 2050 - should be based on science, not economic considerations. The communiqué also says the companies believe the costs of action to cut carbon emissions is less than the price of inactivity, and that the shift to a low-carbon world will create "significant business opportunities". The initiative has been welcomed by the Prince of Wales, who said in an today that he hopes it will strengthen the resolve of officials gathering in Bali to make the "tough decisions" the world needs. The communiqué also won the backing of Friends of the Earth executive director Tony Juniper, who said it was a significant moment in the fight against climate change. "The shift to a low-carbon economy is not only an environmental imperative but also an unprecedented economic and social opportunity. "Scaling up clean energy systems and using energy more efficiently could not only slash emissions, but help to improve quality of life for billions and create millions of jobs," he said. But he warned the time available to make changes was "strictly limited" and a strong outcome was needed from the UN talks starting next week in Bali. James Smith, the chairman of Shell UK, said: "The message is principally one of support for international leaders that business wants to support what they're doing in efforts on climate change. "It's also that these businesses get it, they see the threat of climate change and they know that action needs to be taken, and that it makes economic sense to tackle climate change. "They know tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy and ignoring it will lead to decline." He said companies wanted to see support for new technology, carbon markets, a price on carbon and regulation and standards on energy and other sectors - with details developed in co-ordination with business once the overall framework had been set by governments. Alain Grisay, the chief executive of F&C Asset Management said his company, which manages investments, believed Sir Nicholas Stern's review on the economics of climate change that inaction would cost more than tackling the problem. "We also believe it is not just about constraints - the good news is one of development of incentives to develop new technologies. "By incentivising companies and people who build technologies to move now, we're going to make these companies more competitive, creating new jobs and new job opportunities," he said. The Bali communiqué is led by the Prince of Wales UK and EU Corporate Leaders Groups, which were developed by the University of Cambridge's Programme for Industry under Charles's business and the environment programme. It is hoped it will send a strong message to those gathering in Bali to begin the process of negotiating what comes after the first phase of the Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012. Read the communiqué here | ['environment/bali', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'environment/environment', 'business/business', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/jessicaaldred'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2007-11-30T15:58:57Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
sport/2023/aug/22/louis-rees-zammit-rugby-world-cup-wales | Rees-Zammit warns World Cup rivals to ‘watch out’ for Wales’ attacking pace | Louis Rees-Zammit has claimed he is even quicker than he was last season and has told the rest of the rugby world to “watch out” for Wales’s blistering collection of wingers and full‑backs. Warren Gatland, whose crash-ball tactics with the British & Irish Lions in 2017 gave birth to the pejorative term “Warrenball”, has selected an extra player in the backfield in his World Cup squad of 33. One of them, Josh Adams, was the tournament’s top tryscorer four years ago and, in Rio Dyer and Rees‑Zammit, Gatland has a pair of hot-stepping youngsters eager to make a mark in their debut World Cup. “This is different,” said a beaming Rees-Zammit, who has toured with the Lions and won 27 caps for his country before turning 23. “I’m buzzing.” Though he would not outright declare himself the fastest in the squad, and swatted away persistent questions with a shy grin, Rees-Zammit did reveal that when in full flight he covers 10.8m a second. For comparison, Usain Bolt averaged 10.44m per second in his record 100m run in 2009 in Berlin, though this was from a standing start. “The numbers show that I’m quicker,” Rees-Zammit said. “We’ve got some very quick players in this team. Rio [Dyer], Josh [Adams], the whole back three. Mason Grady is rapid as well and the nines are quick. We’ve got great pace in this team. “We’ve been working really hard on our attack. I think when we work through the phases it allows us to get into the game a little more. That’s ultimately when we can get our hands on the ball a little more and hopefully show the world what we can do.” Wales have been placed in a tricky group alongside two teams that will look to run the ball from deep. Their opening match against Fiji as well as their third game against Australia could resemble basketball matches with attacks launched from all areas of the pitch. Improved fitness is at the heart of this speed revolution. Gatland promised to transform an ageing side after his return as Wales head coach at the end of last year and he has pushed his players to be bigger, faster and stronger. A training camp in the Swiss Alps was followed by a warm-weather shift in Turkey which a tanned Rees-Zammit described as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done”. “Being fit, you’re able to repeat a lot more,” he said. “In international rugby there is a lot of kicking and being able to repeat sprints and then have one opportunity in the 80th minute, you need to take advantage of it. Hopefully I can keep showing everyone how fast I am.” His inclusion in the squad came as no surprise and yet he still found himself pacing around his lounge on the morning of the announcement. Watching alongside his brother as the moment drew nearer, his mind turned to a childhood dream. “Growing up in Wales you’re always watching the rugby,” he said. “All these World Cups, they come and go without you playing and now you get the chance to be in one. “We’ve got two weeks to go. Everyone wants to be playing in that Fiji game and there’s a lot of competition. It starts tomorrow back in training. Hopefully I can get my name in there.” | ['sport/wales-rugby-union-team', 'sport/rugby-world-cup-2023', 'sport/rugby-world-cup', 'sport/rugby-union', 'campaign/email/the-breakdown', 'sport/sport', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/daniel-gallan', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/wales-rugby-union-team | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2023-08-22T17:00:03Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
technology/2015/may/06/lg-g4-review-one-of-best-phablets-available-impressive-camera | LG G4 review: one of the best phablets available, boasting an impressive camera | LG’s latest flagship mobile phone is designed to meet the high expectations that no-compromise, power users of Android phones have been craving. Fortunately, it manages to meet most of those demands. The successor to one of the best phablets (phone-tablet) of last year, the G3, the G4 boasts a removable back, expandable storage and replaceable battery – the last remaining mainstream Android smartphone manufacturer to do so. Very slightly curved Like most of LG’s other smartphones, the G4’s design is rather understated. A plain black face, thin bezels, a dark chromed plastic edge and a simple plastic back. One version offers a leather back, although that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. LG is not going to win any design awards for the G4’s looks. It also feels a bit cheap in the hand compared with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the iPhone 6 Plus. A very slight curve to the screen is unusual, and is meant to help the phone survive being dropped without smashing the screen. I didn’t put it to the test but, like its banana-shaped brother, the phone feels like it can take a knock or two. The power button and volume buttons are hidden on the back underneath the camera, which I quite like. The screen itself is one of the best ever fitted to a smartphone, with very black blacks, true-to-life colours and a pixel density of 538 pixels per inch making it pin-sharp. For comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 screen has a pixel density of 577ppi and Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus 401ppi. Specifications Screen: 5.5in quad HD (538ppi) “Quantum” display Processor: Six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 RAM: 3GB Storage: 32GB + microSD card slot Operating system: Android 5.1 Lollipop Camera: 16MP rear (F-stop 1.8), 8MP selfie-cam Connectivity: LTE, Wi-Fi ac, BT 4.1, NFC Dimensions: 148.9 x 76.1 x 9.8mm Weight: 155g Two days per charge Looking at the specifications, LG has made a curious choice of processor for the G4. Typically, flagship smartphones use top-of-the-line processors, but the G4 is fitted with Qualcomm’s six-core Snapdragon 808, not the chip company’s most powerful Octacore 810. That could be to do with reported overheating issues in the 810. Either way the G4 is snappy and responsive with no hint of lag or lack of performance. A side-by-side real-world test of the G4 against the Samsung Galaxy S6 showed very little difference in response to loading apps, playing games and navigating through menus. Where the G4 has the edge is in battery life. I easily got two solid days of work out of the G4 on a single charge, with push email all day, many hundreds of push notifications, some streaming music and 20 or so camera snaps. The LG4 lacks built-in wireless charging, requiring an optional case, and charges slower than many of the competition, but then you have to charge it half as much. Simple, fast and tap-happy LG customises the standard Android experience on its smartphones. Typically the system is colourful and full of options for the owner. The changes to G4’s Android are simpler and mostly welcome. For instance, users can customise the arrangement of the standard Android home, back and multi-tasking soft keys or change the typeface and text size. A super-simple interface for “beginners” – LG’s words – is also available. LG’s Smart Bulletin homescreen panel aims to be a Google Now replacement, pulling information from calendars, health tracking apps and the weather. Perhaps LG’s best addition to Android is its KnockOn and KnockCode – double tap to wake or sleep the screen, or tap out a lock code on a black screen to unlock the phone. Both work well and should be standard to Android. Camera The G4’s camera has some of the best low-light performance I have ever tested on a smartphone. It has an F-stop of 1.8 (a measure of the speed of the lens: the lower the number, the brighter the image captured). Most smartphones have camera lenses above two. The iPhone 6 has an F-stop of 2.2. Some, like the Galaxy S6, have F-stops of 1.9. For perspective, the prime lens on my Nikon digital SLR, which I used to take photos of the G4, has an F-stop of 1.8. Numbers aside, the G4 makes dull days and indoor shots look like bright sunlight, with no graining or artefacts. Images are sharp and detailed, colour-accurate and vibrant, while the camera focuses fast. The shallow depth of field is also quite remarkable, creating pleasing bokeh effects. The camera app has a manual mode, which gives users access to white balance, focus, ISO, shutter speed and RAW image files, each adjustable with an easy-to-use slider. The automatic mode does an excellent job of managing most situations, however. The front-facing camera is also one of the best I’ve tried, once you turn off the automatic make-up effect. Price The LG G4 will be available at the end of May, costing around £500 without a mobile phone contract. Verdict The LG G4 is a power-user’s Android smartphone. A removable battery, expandable storage and brilliant camera make up for the cheap design and materials, as every other mainstream manufacturer prefers to spend on the latter. But it doesn’t feel as premium, and isn’t made from metal, although leather options are available. Aesthetics aside, solid performance, two-day battery life and a great 5.5in screen make the G4 one of the most usable and best phablets available. Pros: great screen, brilliant camera, two-day battery, expandable storage, removable battery, KnockCode. Cons: lack of premium materials, plastic back easily scratched, no built-in wireless charging. Other reviews • Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review: curves for pleasure, not function • Samsung Galaxy S6 review: the iPhone killer • LG G Flex 2 review: the second coming of the banana phone • Google Nexus 6 review: big is beautiful, but not manageable • Sony Xperia Z3 review: great battery life and quality camera | ['technology/lg', 'technology/smartphones', 'technology/android', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/mobilephones', 'technology/technology', 'type/article', 'tone/reviews', 'profile/samuel-gibbs'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2015-05-06T05:00:05Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
technology/2008/jun/20/wimbledon.tennis | Wimbledon warms up for a hi-tech tournament | The people who handle the technology at the Wimbledon tennis championships are going to have an uneasy time on Sunday, just a day before this year's tournament starts. A team from the London Fire Brigade will be carrying out a safety inspection of IBM's scoring system. They could, in theory, shut the system down, though the chances are everything will be fine. Equipment is still arriving and it's like spaghetti junction in the basement of Centre Court where the computers are warming up by feeding scores from the qualifying rounds at Roehampton to the Wimbledon website. They are the engine that will underpin many of the interactive elements of the 2008 tournament. Wimbledon has never shied away from technological advances and this year it's pushing further than ever. Inevitably the Wimbledon championships have their own Facebook page, although you shouldn't expect to see any famous tennis players online. "It will be interesting to see how that goes," says Jeff Lucas, chief information officer for the tournament. There will also be blogs from an independent editorial team, he says. "I think the real benefit will be the real-time scores: they're accurate, they're fast and a huge amount of traffic comes from that." The scores will be taken down by hand by someone watching a TV monitor in the bowels of centre court. They have a specially designed keypad with keys marked 'forehand serve', 'backhand serve' and other shots. The keypad has only Player A and Player B, so there's also a post-it note reminding them who the players are. Concentration will have to be intense – the objective is to get the score to the web before it is announced by the umpire, who has to wait for the crowd to quieten down. These scores feed into the website but also into the Slamtracker, which has yet to go live. "You can choose your own country through the interactive draw, and there's an interactive venue map," says Chris Lee, project director for IBM at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. "When you roll your mouse over that, the real-time scoreboard updates, so you can watch your favourite players. We're doing a lot more personalisation this year." The site will use cookies to remember people's preferences. The biggest change for fans watching the matches at the ground – other than the retractable roof on Centre Court – will be the new screens. The displays that last year allowed viewers to see the Hawk-Eye system for tracking whether a ball was in or out have been replaced by larger LEDs. "That's given us the opportunity to integrate the scoreboards, the line adjudication system Hawk-Eye and a lot of other information," says Lucas. You can see the Hawk-Eye display in action in Dubai on YouTube. This means the crowd will for the first time be able to see the same game statistics, player biographies and other information that the TV viewers at home can see. For the second year running it's going to be possible – for a subscription fee – to watch live games from Wimbledon online. This is more for the overseas market, though you can also follow the results on Twitter with the username Wimbledon2008. Last year's is still there, showing the result of the last match: Jamie Murray's mixed doubles win against Jelena Jankovic. When the website first went live over 10 years ago the organisers had web-based interviews with the players: tennis fans would log on and ask questions, while someone at the Wimbledon end relayed the questions and typed the answers. Lucas says this sort of interactivity isn't suitable any more, though at the time it was revolutionary. "We were a bit ahead of our time with that," he says. "Only 60 or 70 people would actually log on." The success of this year's technological offerings depends on the efficiency of the IBM team under Centre Court. Already, explains Bill Jinks, client information technology architect, they're over the first pressure point: the servers arrived from Roland Garros in Paris (IBM handles all of the Grand Slam tournaments) undamaged by customs personnel. Equipment is being unpacked and the location being cleaned and dusted. The arrival of live tennis on the site last year brought an 83% increase in traffic and this year they're expecting even more. If the fire brigade passes them as safe, they're confident this will be the most technologically sophisticated Wimbledon ever. | ['technology/internet', 'technology/digitalvideo', 'technology/facebook', 'technology/technology', 'sport/wimbledon', 'sport/tennis', 'sport/sport', 'uk/uk', 'sport/wimbledon2008', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/guyclapperton'] | technology/digitalvideo | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2008-06-20T11:17:53Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
sport/2022/sep/22/andrew-strauss-ecb-review-urges-counties-not-to-fumble-chance-to-transform-elite-cricket | Strauss faces backlash from counties over plans to cut cricket schedule | Andrew Strauss is facing a battle to push through the reforms proposed in his High Performance Review amid widespread criticism for the idea of reducing the number of games played by first-class counties, a key part of the proposals. The review document, published on Thursday after weeks of speculation, says that “a reduction in the amount of cricket played is essential to ensure quality and intensity”, and claims that 61% of county supporters and 94% of directors of cricket believe there are too many games across the summer. Strauss has proposed reorganising the County Championship into three leagues of six, and also reorganising the T20 Blast, in both cases reducing the number of home games each county would play from seven to five. In order to be adopted the proposed schedule changes require the support of at least 12 of the 18 first-class counties, with a vote to be held after a further period of consultation. But John Stephenson, the interim chair of Essex, described T20 cricket as “our lifeblood” and said that he could not accept any reduction in matches. “The original reason for the review was to improve the performance of our Test team,” Stephenson said. “There are obviously different opinions on all of this but in my opinion reducing the amount of red-ball cricket is not the way to produce better Test cricketers … As it currently stands we would not vote in favour of any reduction in red-ball cricket, and we wouldn’t vote in favour of any reduction in home T20s.” The Sussex chairman, Jon Filby, said: “It has been looked at only through a lens of high performance but we are looking through a financial and commercial lens and through the eyes of our members. In T20 we fill our ground up and we make around £100,000 per match in terms of profit … There has to be a compromise somewhere between what we have now which is unacceptable and what Strauss has proposed which in many ways is equally unacceptable.” After Surrey wrapped up this season’s County Championship title by beating Yorkshire at the Oval their director of cricket, Alec Stewart, said: “If it was just high performance and you forgot the county finances and the members then yes go for it, but it’s bigger than that. We must respect the members who pay their money to come and support and the finances that make it happen.” In a statement Simon Philip, chair of Kent, said that counties must “consider the unintended consequences and possibly irrevocable change to the essential nature of county cricket” the proposals would bring. “Of course anything in our domestic structure is very contentious,” Strauss said. “What I would say is that the status quo is sub-optimal and people want a different solution. That’s what we’re providing. We think it’s a very complete package, but there are going to be elements of it that certain people feel are not in their interest, and we understand that. That’s the reality of the domestic structure – you can’t solve one thing without unsolving another thing.” Most of the 17 proposals in the review can be implemented without county approval. These include a complete overhaul of central contracts, and the transformation of county funding to reward success on the pitch and the development of international players. There will also be a trial of a new County Championship points system to reward teams that both win and post high scores, and experiments with Kookaburra balls to see if they encourage bowlers unable to rely on the more exaggerated swing and seam of the Dukes ball to develop new skills. But Strauss’s proposals have not come in time for the next year’s schedule to be changed, with 2023 set to be a repeat of this year’s widely criticised format – in a statement after the review’s publication, Somerset’s board described it as “unacceptable to the club, its members and the south west’s cricketing public”. “This whole review we’ve been in a race against time, and I think we’ve run out of time on that unfortunately,” Strauss said. “But it’s worth saying that these are important decisions and the last thing people need to feel is time pressure. Sometimes you’ve got to understand that it’s better to walk to the right solution than jump off the edge of a cliff.” | ['sport/cricket', 'sport/ecb', 'sport/andrew-strauss', 'sport/sport', 'campaign/email/the-spin', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/simonburnton', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/ecb | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2022-09-22T15:51:44Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
sustainable-business/bangladesh-factory-collapse-10-things-changed | 10 things that have changed since the Bangladesh factory collapse | On 24 April 2013, 1,200 people died in Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, in the worst single incident in the history of the apparel industry. The collapse was caused by the illegal addition of two floors on what was already likely a substandard building. Often it takes a tragedy to deliver real change. The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York in 1911, for example, transformed the US industrial landscape and resulted in a dramatic improvement in worker safety. Did the unspeakable tragedy at Rana Plaza lead to the change we would hope? Almost one year later, many things have changed for the better: 1. Consumers are now far more aware of issues in the supply chain. Campaign organisations are playing a key role. Social media has shone a spotlight on this problem like never before. 2. More than 150 companies have signed the Accord on Fire and Safety in Bangladesh. This is a legally binding agreement between companies and unions where companies commit to independent inspections and transparent reporting, including developing strong worker-management committees in factories. Brands have committed to working with factories to fix the problems, and where necessary, contributing financially to do so. Meanwhile, 27 US brands have also set up their own non-legally binding industry-led version, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. Thanks to the efforts the accord, the alliance and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 675 factories have been inspected. 3. A number of brands operating in Rana Plaza have paid compensation to the victims, though many still haven't. 4. The US has suspended, pending improvement in workers rights, Bangladesh's preferred status under a trade policy known as the generalised system of preferences, affecting a range of non-garment exports. This is a powerful driver of change. 5. Membership organisations for garment workers, such as the Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity, which had been targeted by the Bangladesh government are now allowed to operate freely. 6. There is an understanding that a different set of skills and technical expertise is required to deal with fire, electrical and structural safety issues. Previously, there was little capacity in these areas. 7. The Bangladesh government has delivered a 77% increase in the minimum wage to $68 per month for garment workers. 8. Bangladeshi factory owners now recognise they face a threat to the "made in Bangladesh" brand if things do not change. 9. Brands are starting to shift from short-term transactions to fewer but more strategic, lengthier partnerships with manufacturers. 10. New investment models are being developed to upgrade factories in Bangladesh and beyond, making them productive, ethical and sustainable while lowering risk. However, many challenges remain. It is still difficult for unions to negotiate collective bargaining agreements. And the auditing and monitoring industry that has failed for years is still the main tool to address labour issues in Bangladesh. Less visible issues such as overtime, unauthorised subcontracting, discrimination and harassment still exist. So should we be optimistic? Yes: millions of low-income workers now have smartphones and access to social media. They are tweeting and posting their experiences on social platforms. Information is now flowing more freely across the industry. We are beginning to know whose clothes are made in what factories, and even the GPS co-ordinates for those factories. Within the next decade, there will be nowhere for unethical companies or suppliers to hide. More importantly, there are now new tools and solutions emerging for those who want to see their industry change. Dr James Gifford is a research fellow at the Initiative for Responsible Investment at Harvard Univeristy and an advisor to Tau Investment Management. Sean Ansett is founder and managing partner of At Stake Advisors. 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', 'tone/blog', 'world/bangladesh', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'sustainable-business/fashion', 'type/article', 'sustainable-business/series/supply-chain', 'global-development/garment-workers'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-04-02T14:12:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2011/nov/02/climate-change-michael-mann-emails | Climate change scientist Michael Mann fends off sceptic group's raid on emails | The climate scientist Michael Mann has successfully fought off an attempt by a pro-industry thinktank to gain access to thousands of private emails. After a day-long court hearing on Tuesday, a judge in Manassas, Virginia, granted Mann's petition to join a lawsuit against the American Tradition Institute, an industry-funded thinktank that promotes scepticism about man-made climate change. In an email, Mann called the decision a "good day" for academic freedom: "I don't think there is any way to view this as anything other than a win for us, and for science more generally." Judge Gaylord Finch also granted a petition from the University of Virginia, Mann's former employer, to revisit its earlier decision to let lawyers for the ATI have access to the emails before they were made public. Scientists had seen the demands for documents and private correspondence as an attempt to intimidate Mann and other climate scientists. Virginia's attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, has also pursued the emails. ATI is pursuing similar legal action against the Nasa scientist James Hansen, according to an investigation of the industry group. The university has already released thousands of Mann's emails but said some correspondence was exempt from ATI's freedom of information requests. Its initial decision to allow ATI's lawyers to review the emails while it determined which would be withheld had been criticised by scientists. Mann, who is now at Pennsylvania State University, has been regularly targeted by climate science doubters because of his work on the "hockey stick graph". His research, demonstrating a recent sharp rise in warming, is one of the most easily understood representations of climate change – and has infuriated those opposing action on global warming. Mann has been repeatedly cleared of any scientific misconduct. But Cuccinelli, and more recently the ATI, launched their own investigations, alleging Mann may have manipulated data to help get government research grants. Cuccinelli lost his case but it is under appeal. The University of Virginia initially agreed to allow lawyers for ATI to review the emails. But on Tuesday its lawyers said they no longer trusted ATI to keep the contents confidential before their release. With Tuesday's ruling, Mann for the first time has a say in the university's decisions about which emails should be released. Rick Piltz, the director of Climate Science Watch, said Mann's lawyers could also be expected to fight more strenuously for his privacy than his former employer. Mann's legal battles do not end with Tuesday's decision. The judge ordered the scientist and the university to come to an agreement with ATI on email access by 20 December or else he would impose one. "I have no illusions that ATI and their industry-funded ilk are going to give up in their efforts to harass me and other climate scientists," Mann wrote. "But this is a very good day for me, for my fellow scientists across the country who might fear that they could be subject to similar intimidation tactics if their work too were perceived as a threat to powerful vested interests, and it's a good day for the publicm, which, after all, depend on the unfettered progress of science for the betterment of modern life." | ['environment/climate-change-scepticism', 'science/science', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/suzannegoldenberg', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international'] | environment/climate-change-scepticism | CLIMATE_DENIAL | 2011-11-02T06:25:34Z | true | CLIMATE_DENIAL |
environment/2019/aug/22/microplastics-in-water-not-harmful-to-humans-says-who-report | Microplastics in water: no proof yet they are harmful, says WHO | Microplastics are increasingly found in drinking water, but there is no evidence so far that this poses a risk to humans, according to a new assessment by the World Health Organization. However, the United Nations body warned against complacency because more research is needed to fully understand how plastic spreads into the environment and works its way through human bodies. There is no universally agreed definition of microplastics but they are generally considered to be smaller than half a millimetre across. Plastic production has grown exponentially in recent decades and is predicted to double again by 2025, said the report, which means more beads and threads are breaking down into minute particles and winding up in water supplies, pipes, cups, throats and bellies. Studies suggest bottled drinking water even contains minuscule elements of the polymers used in the container and cap. This has prompted concerns that humans might be contaminated by the chemicals used in plastics or the pathogens that ride on the particles. More alarming still are suggestions that vital systems could be overwhelmed by the alien matter, conjuring up images of seabirds, fish and other wild animals with their innards choked with plastic waste. These fears are not grounded in science, according to the WHO report, which summarises peer-reviewed research on the subject. Counterintuitively, the report said larger microplastics (those bigger than 150 micrometres – about the diameter of a hair) are of least concern because they pass straight through the human body. Smaller particles could potentially pass through the walls of digestive tracts and get stuck, but researchers believe they are unlikely to accumulate in harmful quantities. Not enough is known about the tiniest nanoplastics (those less than 1 micrometre) to be sure of their impact. “Based on the limited evidence available, chemicals and microbial pathogens associated with microplastics in drinking water pose a low concern for human health. Although there is insufficient information to draw firm conclusions on the toxicity of nanoparticles, no reliable information suggests it is a concern,” the conclusion stated. The authors said routine monitoring of microplastics in drinking water is not recommended because resources would be better spent on removing bacteria and viruses that are a far greater and proven risk. More than 2 billion people lack access to untainted drinking water. “The overall conclusion is that consumers shouldn’t be too worried,” said Bruce Gordon, one of the authors of the study, though he urged more extensive research. “With the data we have, we believe the risk is low, but can’t say conclusively that there won’t be a risk in the future. We aren’t alarmed by any means.” The best response to the problem, he said, was to reduce plastic pollution by phasing out single-use plastics and promoting recycling and the use of alternatives. | ['environment/plastic', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'world/world-health-organization', 'society/health', 'environment/water', 'science/science', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jonathanwatts', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2019-08-21T23:01:21Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2021/may/02/glacial-lakes-threaten-millions-with-floods-as-planet-heats-up | Glacial lakes threaten millions with flooding as planet heats up | An increasing number of people are being threatened by flooding caused by glacial lakes bursting, scientists have warned. As the planet warms and glaciers recede, meltwater accumulates and forms lakes, often as a result of ice or moraine acting as a dam. Since 1990, the volume, area and number of these glacial lakes has increased by 50% globally. When these lakes become too full there is a risk that they may breach or overflow, releasing huge volumes of water and causing catastrophic flooding. Some lakes are more dangerous than others, and more likely to result in what are known as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Stephan Harrison, a professor of climate and environmental change at Exeter University, said: “The ones we’re concerned about are the very steep mountain valleys in the Andes and in the Himalayas, where you have glaciers retreating up into their steep valleys with lots of opportunity for bits of mountainside to fall off into lakes.” The correlation between rising temperatures and glacial lake outburst floods is complicated. While glacial lake formation and growth can be attributed to anthropogenic climate change, the triggers that can cause disastrous flooding are often down to non-climatic factors such as moraine dam geometry, earthquakes, ice or rock avalanches into the lake or extreme rainfall. Adam Emmer, a geographer at the University of Graz in Austria, said: “You need two conditions to generate a disaster – high magnitude GLOF, and exposed population as well as assets in its path. Population expansion along the potential GLOF paths and lack of building development regulations may be even more important driver of GLOF risk, especially in developing countries.” One of the parameters that makes a glacial lake potentially dangerous is the size of downstream population that could be exposed to flooding, and that number can range from few hundreds to hundreds of thousands, as in the case of Huaraz city located downstream of Lake Palcacocha in Peru. However, the many factors at play in an outburst flood make it impossible to estimate how many people might be at risk globally. A 2016 study found there have been at least 1,348 recorded glacial lake outburst floods so far worldwide, of which 24% had some societal impact. More than 12,000 deaths have been attributed to such floods. Central Asia was the most affected region, followed by South America, then the European Alps, Iceland, Scandinavia, north-west America and Greenland. The authors identify South America and central Asia as the regions most likely to experience large numbers of deaths, extreme damage to infrastructure, flooding of farmlands and the destruction of homes and roads. Of the world’s tropical glaciers, 70% are situated in Peruvian Andes, and they are melting rapidly, which has led to several glacial disasters over recent decades. The worst so far was the 1941 glacial lake outburst flood from Lake Palcacocha, which claimed at least 1,800 lives. Subsequently, Peru started working on lake monitoring and implementation of hazard mitigation measures such as draining lakes, strengthening unstable moraine dams with concrete structures and artificial spillways, and installing early warning systems as early as the 1950s. “Peruvian Cordillera Blanca [part of the Andes mountain range] is, in fact, the world’s pioneer region of GLOF mitigation works,” said Emmer. Despite this, “the biggest challenge is yet to come – communicating the risk and risk reduction measures to local communities and making them trust and accept it”, he added. Nepal, which is also highly vulnerable to glacial floods, started taking interest in GLOFs after two serious floods in the 1980s. In 1999, Nepal drained a rapidly expanding lake called Tsho Rolpa near Mount Everest to lower the lake levels, a first in the region. “GLOF has been recognised as a big challenge for Nepal. In the past, there also have been efforts made to reduce the risk from individual lakes and two lakes have already been intervened in [around] the Everest region,” said Arun Shrestha, a climate change specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. According to Shrestha, Nepal has documented records of up to 35 GLOF events, but the true number is probably higher. International communication and cooperation is also critical to preventing deadly floods; a study published last year identified 47 potentially dangerous glacial lakes that could affect Nepal if breached, but only 21 were in Nepal itself. Twenty-five were also identified in China and one in India. “It’s very important that Nepal talks with China and tries to address those issues,” said Shrestha. “Those lakes cannot be ignored, but for that, a bilateral diplomatic effort is required. With climate change, and infrastructure and settlements changing quite rapidly, I think the risk is growing every day.” Despite the rapid recession of glaciers worldwide, the frequency of GLOFs has actually declined globally. Scientists attribute this trend to a lag between climate change and the occurrence of GLOFs. Scientists predict an increase in GLOFs starting in the coming decades and extending well into the early 22nd century. Vulnerable countries with populations and infrastructure at risk of floods are now in a race against time to invest in disaster preparedness to avoid catastrophic outcomes in the event of an outburst flood. | ['environment/series/our-disappearing-glaciers', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'environment/glaciers', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'science/science', 'world/peru', 'world/nepal', 'world/south-and-central-asia', 'environment/poles', 'world/americas', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/neelima-vallangi', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/poles | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-05-02T07:00:25Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
money/2014/feb/18/flood-re-home-insurance-questions-answered | Flood Re home insurance: your questions answered | In the summer of 2013 the government and insurance industry came to an agreement about flood-prone homes, to allow owners of such homes to be able to buy affordable insurance. Under a scheme called Flood Re, annual premiums will be capped and payouts for flood damage will come from a central pool of money. How do I know if my home is affected? The scheme covers 350,000 households which the Environment Agency says are at high risk of flooding. You can use its interactive map to find out if your home is one of them. What does this mean for homeowners on flood plains? Unless your property is in council tax band H then the flood aspect of your buildings insurance will be capped from 2015. The Association of British Insurance says the cap will be £210 a year for properties in bands A and B, rising to £540 a year in band G. The premiums will go in a central fund and be used to pay out claims to any insurer. In theory, some people could see their costs go down once the cap comes. It is important to remember that the cap is only on the flood element of your insurance – if other risk factors change, your premiums could be pushed up by them. Insurers will also pay a levy into the fund equivalent to £10.50 a year on every home insurance policy. Does this mean my premiums will go up? If you are on a flood plain it could, although you have probably already seen premiums rise to reflect the risk. If you are not on a flood plain insurers say the cost of the levy won't be added to policies as homeowners are already paying some of their premium to subsidise other customers at greater risk of flooding. However, the cost of this year's flooding could mean higher premiums for everyone as insurers attempt to cover their bills. What happens to band H council tax payers? They are not covered by the Flood Re scheme so could see premiums rise by a sum above the cap or find that their homes become uninsurable. This could have a knock-on affect on the value of their homes, as mortgage lenders will only offer loans on properties which have buildings insurance. Is anyone else excluded? Yes, homes built since 2009 are not covered – the ABI says this is designed "to avoid incentivising unwise building in flood risk areas". Neither are those owned by buy-to-let landlords or holiday lets. Leasehold properties are also excluded. The British Property Federation says there are 840,000 leasehold properties estimated to be at risk of flooding, 70,000 of which are deemed to be at high risk. What does this mean for tenants? Tenants should still be able to buy contents insurance for rented homes, but if their landlord is unable to get affordable insurance cover they could face problems if their property is ever flooded. Landlord insurance policies offer help towards rehousing costs, which the landlord might not otherwise be able to meet. The Residential Landlords Association says some of its members may decide to pull out of the sector as result. Will the excess on my policy be affected? The excess, which is the amount you have to pay towards the cost of any claim, could be kept down by the scheme. Some householders have reported being forced into taking on large excesses since being flooded. Flood Re should mean that insurers are happier to take on the risk of these properties and won't insist on large excesses when they do. Will I have to stay with the same insurer? No. The current agreement between the government and the industry ties insurers into covering existing customers but does not oblige them to cover anyone else, meaning anyone buying an affected property could struggle, as could those who want to shop around. Flood Re is designed to make it less risky for insurers to take on these customers so should mean people can move around. | ['money/homeinsurance', 'money/insurance', 'money/property', 'money/money', 'business/insurance', 'business/business', 'environment/flooding', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'profile/hilaryosborne'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-02-18T12:01:57Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2024/oct/04/ex-carbon-offsetting-boss-kenneth-newcombe-charged-in-new-york-with-multimillion-dollar | Ex-carbon offsetting boss charged in New York with multimillion-dollar fraud | A former carbon offsetting executive has been charged with fraud by US federal authorities, who allege that he helped to manipulate data from projects in rural Africa and Asia to fraudulently obtain carbon credits worth tens of millions of dollars. Kenneth Newcombe, former CEO of C-Quest Capital LLC and a leading figure in the offsetting industry, was indicted on Wednesday in New York with commodities and wire fraud. Prosecutors alleged he was part of a multi-year scheme that manipulated information on the impact of cooking stove projects in Africa and south-east Asia to make them appear far more successful at reducing emissions than they were in reality, also using the figures to attract investment of more than $100m in C-Quest. From 2007 to December 2023, the 77-year-old was a board member of Verra, the world’s leading certifier of carbon offsets, and he also worked at the World Bank and Goldman Sachs at different times. He faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted of the most serious charges. He denies all allegations against him. A spokesperson for Newcombe told Bloomberg that their client was dying of cancer. “He is confident that if he lives to see a jury hear this case, that jury will reject these false charges and return his good name to him,” the spokesperson said. Cooking stove projects are one of the most popular carbon offsetting schemes, theoretically generating emissions reductions by swapping smoky fuels such as wood, paraffin or kerosene with cleaner alternatives. By changing fuels, they can have major benefits: improving air quality, reducing the amount of time people spend collecting wood and slowing the loss of the world’s forests. But studies have raised widespread concerns about their claimed environmental impact, finding that schemes are overstating their effect by an average of 1,000%. Shell and BP have both invested in C-Quest and are among several leading firms that have bought carbon credits from the firm. Newcombe stepped down as CEO of C-Quest in February this year. In June, the new management of C-Quest announced that they had reported their former CEO to US authorities for his role in allegedly faking emissions data to generate millions of worthless carbon credits. Following the announcement Verra said it was suspending the 27 projects implicated in the allegations and that it would be working with C-Quest to cancel the overissued credits as quickly as possible. Its statement at the time added: “Verra and the voluntary carbon market (VCM) as a whole are built on trust and integrity. We take any accusation of impropriety that undermines that trust very seriously.” On Wednesday, US authorities said they would not be pursuing charges against C-Quest due to its open and timely disclosure of the alleged wrongdoing. Prosecutors also charged Tridip Goswami, former head of C-Quest’s carbon and sustainability accounting team, with fraud. He could not be immediately reached for comment. Former chief operating officer Jason Steele has pleaded guilty to charges and is cooperating with the US government, the announcement said. US attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Kenneth Newcombe and Tridip Goswami, among others, engaged in a multi-year scheme to fraudulently obtain carbon credits by using manipulated and misleading data. They then sold those credits to unsuspecting buyers in the multi-billion-dollar global market for carbon credits.” | ['environment/carbon-offset-projects', 'us-news/us-crime', 'us-news/new-york', 'world/world', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/patrick-greenfield', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-guardian-foundation', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/carbon-offset-projects | EMISSIONS | 2024-10-04T05:00:46Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2024/dec/28/more-than-1300-tiny-snails-reintroduced-to-remote-atlantic-island | More than 1,300 tiny snails reintroduced to remote Atlantic island | More than 1,300 tiny, critically endangered snails have been set free to roam on an island off the coast of Morocco after a breeding programme rescued two obscure species from the brink of extinction. The Desertas Island land snails had not been recorded for more than 100 years and were believed to have disappeared from their natural habitat on the windswept, mountainous island of Deserta Grande, close to Portugal-owned Madeira. Experts at the Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza (IFCN) rediscovered minute populations of two species of the snail, each consisting of fewer than 200 survivors, in conservation expeditions between 2012 and 2017 amid fears that invasive predators might have eaten the pea-sized molluscs into oblivion. The snails were taken to zoos in the UK and France, with 60 flown to Chester zoo, where the conservation science team liaised with experts in Madeira and constructed new homes for them in mini habitat tanks as part of a breeding programme to quickly boost numbers. Dr Gerardo Garcia, Chester zoo’s head of ectotherms, said the future of the species “was in our hands” when the snails first arrived. “It was a huge responsibility to begin caring for them,” he said. “As a zoo conservation community, we knew nothing about them. They’d never been in human care before and we had to start from a blank piece of paper and try to figure out what makes them tick.” Garcia said the snails “really were on the edge of extinction” and he paid tribute to his team of zookeepers who “spent countless hours caring for every individual snail”. The snails have been released into a wild refuge on Bugio, a smaller neighbouring island in the Madeira archipelago that has been off-limits to humans since 1990 to protect its fragile ecosystem, where invasive species like rats, mice and goats have been eradicated. Heather Prince, an invertebrate specialist at Chester zoo, said: “Within a few months we were able to crack the breeding of the Desertas land snails. Crucially, we were then successful in breeding multiple generations. This was key, because it meant we could then bring in the support of other zoos and establish a network, breeding them in the substantial numbers needed to have a chance of saving the species.” Each of the snails reintroduced has been individually marked for monitoring. If successful, many more will be released to bolster numbers. Dinarte Teixeira, a conservation biologist at IFCN, said: “These snails are incredibly precious. The Desertas Islands are the only place in the world where they can be found and so we’re striving to do everything we can to give them the best possible chance for the future. For 100 years we thought they’d gone for ever, but now there’s new hope.” | ['environment/wildlife', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'science/extinct-wildlife', 'world/portugal', 'environment/endangeredspecies', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/mattha-busby', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | science/extinct-wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-12-28T12:15:08Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
news/2016/jun/08/california-drought-slows-land-movement-weatherwatch | California drought slows land movement | Lack of rain in California has had an unexpected consequence: it has slowed down the movement of the land. In some regions hillsides move gradually, perhaps sliding a metre or so every year, but over the past five years the dry conditions have reduced this movement to a snail’s pace. The discovery was made by comparing satellite imagery, aerial photographs and on-the-ground measurements from northern California’s Eel river basin. Initially researchers were puzzled to see that the trees and rocks above the slow-moving landslides in the region had barely moved in recent years. But comparing the land movement data with climate records back as far as 1944 revealed that the slow-down was almost certainly linked to the California drought. In this case rocks and soil have dried out, and there is no longer enough moisture to lubricate the movement of the land. “A question now is how much water will it take, and how long will it take to get water down the depths at the base of these sliding surfaces to reduce the friction and get them to start moving again,” said University of Oregon researcher Joshua Roering, whose findings have been published in Geophysical Research Letters. This summer the team will be collecting more measurements and trying to better understand the plumbing system beneath these slow-moving landslides. Slow landslips are typical in many parts of the world, causing roads to crack, rails to buckle and houses to subside. The new data from California will help scientists better understand these gradual landscape changes, and the impact that climate change is likely to have. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'us-news/california-drought', 'science/geology', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/landslides', 'world/world', 'environment/drought', 'us-news/california', 'us-news/us-weather', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/kate-ravilious', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2016-06-08T20:30:31Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
technology/2021/sep/10/bryan-skipp-obituary | Bryan Skipp obituary | My stepfather, Bryan Skipp, who has died aged 92, was a mining and civil engineer who led a colourful life. Although a communist and long-time member of CND, he worked on many sensitive international nuclear power projects. He was also an expert in soil science, an academic and a bon vivant. Born in Bolton, Lancashire, to Sydney Skipp, a pattern maker, and his wife, Hilda, Bryan attended Bolton boys’ school. His parents, both Methodists, wanted him to go into the ministry but he soon declared himself an atheist. Instead of doing national service, Bryan spent several years as a miner in Cannock, Staffordshire, and then studied mining engineering at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1953. It was an influential time in his life. While at Birmingham, George Derwent Thomson, then a professor there, mentored Bryan into communism. After graduating he went to Paris, where he gained a PhD from the Ecole des Mines. He became a fellow of the Geological Society in 1956, aged 26. Following his PhD, Bryan started a lifetime job at the engineering consultancy Soil Mechanics, part of the Mowlem organisation. He became an international authority on soil science, but was also involved in civil engineering projects, such as power station demolitions. He published more than 70 papers in academic journals and was a visiting lecturer and examiner at Imperial College London, for more than 30 years. In the 1960s Bryan married and divorced. A child of his marriage, Gerrard, died of misadventure aged 14. In 1970 he met my mother, Maria Tsaneva, at an engineering conference in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. They married in 1972 and we all moved to London. I was 15 at the time. Bryan made sure we adapted to the British way of life – Indian cooking, Royal Society of Arts debates, noisy street politics and sailing in his boat, Cyranka. We all became involved with the British-Bulgarian Society and Bryan was a dedicated member. Though lavish and frequent entertainers, Bryan and Maria never had a car and we lived in a small flat in Brixton. He also threw himself into south London life, volunteering at the Angell Road adventure playground, the Gresham Centre youth club and for Lambeth Council for Community Relations. His career flourished while his communist principles never faltered. On occasion, when Bryan was the only person for a job with the relevant skills and expertise, he would loudly proclaim his politics lest someone later point an accusing finger at him for gathering secrets while being a communist and a CND-er. Thus he worked on nuclear power station sitings, nuclear submarine berths and nuclear waste disposal. Bryan retired at the close of 1994 but went on to work as consultant for 15 years. In the late 1990s he was among an international multidisciplinary delegation that surveyed the crumbling original Chernobyl power station “sarcophagus” and advised on the construction of a new protective shell. In the early 2000s he was involved in helping to devise an international standard on earthquake-resistant structures, under the aegis of the British Standards Institution. Maria died in 2015. He is survived by me. | ['technology/engineering', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'education/civilengineering', 'environment/nuclear-waste', 'theguardian/series/otherlives', 'education/imperialcollegelondon', 'type/article', 'tone/obituaries', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/obituaries', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-obituaries'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2021-09-10T16:07:56Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2021/jul/15/move-faster-to-cut-emissions-developing-world-tells-rich-nations | Move faster to cut emissions, developing world tells rich nations | Rich countries must move faster to cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide financial assistance to their less wealthy counterparts to cope with the climate crisis, governments from the developing world have said. Poor nations have been frustrated with the slow progress at the recent G7 leaders’ summit and meetings of the G20 group of major economies. More than 100 developing country governments have joined together in Thursday’s demand for clear action from the rich world before Cop26, the vital UN climate talks to be held in Glasgow in November. Cop26 is the most important meeting on the climate emergency since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015, and is intended to put the world on track to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Sonam P Wangdi of Bhutan, the chair of the least developed countries (LDC) group at Cop26, said: “Despite Covid understandably taking the headlines, climate change has been getting worse over the past year as emissions continue to rise and the lives and livelihoods on the frontline suffer. “We vulnerable countries are not asking for much – just that richer countries, who have caused this problem, take responsibility by cutting their emissions and keeping their promise to help those their emissions have harmed.” Countries responsible for about two-thirds of global emissions have declared long-term targets of reaching net zero emissions by around the middle of this century, but many have not set out clear plans for doing so. Scientists say emissions must halve this decade to stay within 1.5C, beyond which extreme weather will take hold. The LDC group has published five demands, calling for developed countries to bring forward and strengthen their national plans for cutting their emissions this decade; provide $100bn (£73bn) a year in climate finance to the poor world; help poor countries to adapt to the ravages of extreme weather; accept their responsibilities in contributing to loss and damage to poor countries from the impacts of climate breakdown; and bring the Paris agreement into full effect. One of the major sticking points for the Cop26 talks is the rich world’s failure to make good on a promise originally made in 2009 that $100bn a year in climate finance would flow to poor countries by 2020 to help them cut emissions and cope with the impacts of global heating. Tanguy Gahouma-Bekale of Gabon, the chair of the Africa group of negotiators, said: “Developed countries are currently not pulling their weight or keeping their promises on their obligations to provide climate finance. Like any negotiation, you need to have faith that pledges and commitments will be met. In 2009 and 2015, they promised to deliver climate finance by 2020. Yet this is still to be met, and we don’t have a clear plan to achieve it.” As the host of Cop26, the UK has caused particular concern among poor nations by cutting overseas aid by about a third, from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5%, a cut MPs confirmed in a vote this week. Climate experts, senior diplomats and political leaders in the developing world have repeatedly said this sends a poor signal to developing countries, whose backing will be crucial to seal a climate deal at Glasgow ahead of Cop26. Gahouma-Bekale said Cop26 “comes as countries are rebuilding from the Covid pandemic. This is a rare chance to build back better and put the world on course for a safe climate”. The LDC group’s five points are similar to the aims set out by the UK presidency, including strengthening targets on emissions cuts. In setting out their aims three months before the talks begin, however, developing countries are showing thier frustration with the slow pace of negotiations. Mohamed Adow, the director of the thinktank Power Shift Africa, said: “Developing countries see the lack of progress being made by the likes of the G7 and G20 and have fired the starting gun on the negotiations. Considering the lack of leadership we’ve seen from richer countries, it’s good we’re seeing vulnerable nations upping the urgency.” A COP26 spokesperson said: “We have been clear that for COP26 to be a success, the voices of climate vulnerable countries must be heard loud and clear. These objectives align closely with the ambitious goals we have set out for COP26, and which the COP26 President has been pressing in his regular conversations with leaders, decision-makers, civil society and businesses around the world. On each of these issues we are bringing countries together to resolve differences and set the direction for our shared future.” | ['environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/g7', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'environment/green-economy', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/fiona-harvey', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021 | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2021-07-15T05:00:34Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
business/article/2024/jul/09/rise-sewage-pollution-thames-water-ageing-treatment-works | Rise in sewage pollution from Thames Water’s ageing treatment works | Sewage pollution from ageing Thames Water treatment works that have not been upgraded increased last year, causing the company to again fail to meet its legal targets, according to its financial report. Across the Thames Water area, the number of incidents of pollution from treatment works and the pipe network increased to 350, compared with 331 in 2022. The rise was attributed to delays in investment to create more capacity at many of the company’s 400 ageing sewage treatment works. Chris Weston, Thames Water’s chief executive, said the works could not cope with a 40% increase in rainfall and exceptionally high levels of groundwater. Asked why Thames had failed for many years to invest in upgrading treatment works, Weston repeated that the works were “old”. He said: “They require a lot of development, a lot of investment into things like putting in storm tanks. All of that takes time and requires a lot of investment on top of what we have done already.” The company said there had been a “significant increase in sewage treatment works pollutions” in the year, caused by delays to pollution improvement engineering programmes, as well as the installation of more monitoring at works. The need for improvements at the huge treatment works at Mogden in south-west London, and delayed works to increase capacity at treatment works in Witney in Oxfordshire, Chesham in Buckinghamshire, and Fairford in Gloucestershire were given as reasons for the rise in pollution incidents. Campaigners in these areas have raised concerns for many years about pollution into rivers from the treatment works. In March, sewage was pumped into the River Chess from the Chesham treatment works for more than 800 hours over more than a month. Thames Water admitted the works had “a history of prolonged storm discharges”. Weston said: “Pollutions are a massive area of focus for Thames. We deal with over 5bn litres of sewage of waste every day. All of that has to be treated through sewage treatment works. People in Thames Water go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that the network is functioning as it should and do all they can to avoid pollution. “Rain has a huge impact on spills. Our sewage treatment works can only take a certain capacity and we have to protect them. When we get adverse rainfall as we did in February, it is a volume that our treatment works were never designed to cope with.” Thames Water is at the centre of an Ofwat investigation into widespread illegal sewage dumping across its treatment works and faces huge fines. The Environment Agency is conducting a criminal investigation into illegal sewage dumping from its network. In its business plan to 2030, which has been submitted to Ofwat, the company is seeking to be treated differently from all other water companies and face lower fines for polluting rivers, as it attempts to stay afloat. Thames, which has debts of almost £15bn, wants to be allowed to raise bills by 59% to pay for investment in infrastructure, as well as paying out higher dividends to its shareholders. The company has admitted it has been sweating assets for many years and said bills needed to rise to pay for the investment. Ofwat is due to make a draft determination on the business plan on Thursday. Weston said one of the reasons the company was putting forward a plan with significant investment was to tackle its ageing treatment works. Paul de Zylva, a senior sustainability analyst at Friends of the Earth, said: “Water companies have had free licence to line their shareholders’ pockets handsomely for decades while letting our rivers and seas fill with sewage and infrastructure crumble. “It’s staggering that the company is still counting on weak regulation to allow it to survive by pushing its problems on to its customers – asking Ofwat to allow it to increase bills by a shocking 59%. This means bill payers being left to subsidise what little it’s prepared to invest towards fixing the pollution and sewage scandal. The regulator must end this licence for water companies to profit from pollution, while wildlife and our health is put at risk.” James Wallace, CEO of campaign group River Action, said: “There is nothing to cheer as this failing water company, the largest in Europe, continues to desperately prioritise the interests of investors and lenders before the health of rivers and river users. A good first start would be for the government to properly resource the environmental regulators such as the Environment Agency in England to ensure they can police and prosecute polluters.” | ['business/thames-water', 'environment/water', 'business/water-industry', 'environment/pollution', 'uk-news/england', 'uk/london', 'uk-news/buckinghamshire', 'environment/environment-agency', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/sandralaville', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-07-09T08:45:58Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
technology/2021/aug/13/uk-security-chiefs-issue-guidance-after-hackers-target-ministers-on-whatsapp | UK security chiefs issue guidance to ministers over hackers on WhatsApp | Ministers and civil servants conducting “government by WhatsApp” have been at risk of being targeted by hackers, leading to new advice from security chiefs about how to improve their privacy. The cabinet secretary, Simon Case, revealed that the Government Security Group had issued fresh guidance across government in a letter to Labour, which had raised questions about ministers using their personal phones to conduct official business. The shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Angela Rayner, wrote to Case criticising ministers’ use of WhatsApp and private email, which has emerged in relation to Covid contracts being discussed on personal digital devices. The civil service chief said in his reply that the government took security seriously and highlighted the work done to improve it. It is understood the advice was issued in May after high-profile stories about hackers exploiting WhatsApp. “The NCSC [National Cyber Security Centre] and the Government Security Group in the Cabinet Office may also issue guidance in response to specific threats,” he said. “For example, the Government Security Group recently provided advice on how to secure devices using two-factor authentication in response to hackers using fake messages to access WhatsApp.” His comments suggest such authentication was not always used routinely. Hackers are known to have targeted government officials across the globe through WhatsApp. Ministers in Australia, the Netherlands and South Africa have suffered successful attacks on their digital devices. The Guardian’s investigation into a leak about Pegasus software revealed last month that clients of the Israeli-based cyber intelligence firm NSO could in effect take control of a phone, enabling them to extract messages, calls, photos and emails, secretly activate cameras or microphones, and read the contents of encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. The shadow security minister, Conor McGinn, said “conducting official government business via WhatsApp risks exposing potentially critical information to hackers and cybercriminals who seek to harm our country”. He also highlighted Boris Johnson’s poor cybersecurity, after it was revealed last year that the prime minister was still using his personal mobile number that was widely available. Rayner said: “Private WhatsApp messages avoid transparency and scrutiny, and could easily be used to facilitate the waste of taxpayers’ money on contracts for mates of Conservative ministers. “We need a fully independent inquiry into the government contracts that have been handed out over private email and WhatsApp so we can get to the bottom of this scandal. “We need all decisions and communications made during the pandemic to be made available to the public inquiry, including those held in private ministerial WhatsApp messages.” A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the government had sent the guidance to all departmental employees in May. | ['technology/data-computer-security', 'politics/politics', 'technology/technology', 'world/privacy', 'technology/hacking', 'technology/whatsapp', 'media/digital-media', 'media/media', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rowena-mason', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2021-08-13T14:01:07Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2016/jan/18/queensland-installs-australias-first-powerwall-battery-for-solar-trial | Queensland installs Australia's first Powerwall battery for solar trial | A Queensland government-owned power company has installed the country’s first solar battery storage system from Tesla as it begins a year-long trial into how it can reward consumers who cut their reliance on the electricity grid. Energex, which has installed a Tesla Powerwall and another storage system from Californian company Sunverge at its Brisbane training facility, will collect data to work out how to integrate solar batteries into the network with financial incentives for customers. The trial, which will extend monitoring of systems in Energex employees’ homes to those in outside consumers’ in coming months, follows lobbying by the Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, of Tesla executives in the US six months ago. Queensland boasts one of the highest rates of household solar panel systems in the world, although uptake in recent years has been inhibited by a dramatic cut in the rate consumers are paid for power that they return to the grid. The commercial release of the Powerwall this year is widely expected to drive popular take-up of a system that at best would supply about seven hours of nightly power for televisions, air-conditioning and other appliances. However, the cost of solar batteries remains a key barrier for the fledgling industry in Australia. Estimates of time taken to recover an investment in a Powerwall – from about $10,000 for a household already with solar panels to $17,300 for an entirely new system – range from 17 to 26 years. Palaszczuk said Energex’s Powerwall was “the first operational one of its kind in Australia” and meant “the jobs of the future are here”. “This is the first step. It is going to change the way Queensland families will obtain their electricity into the future,” she said. “It will mean a great mix, whether that is from the solar that you have installed on your rooftops with the current mix of what you are getting through the transmission wires.” Energy minister, Mark Bailey, said the trial of solar battery integration would put the state’s energy network owners “ahead of the game and make sure we can get the most out of the Powerwall and other battery storage systems that benefit consumers and also the network and our electricity grid”. “Queensland now has got one of the highest solar [photo voltaic] take-up rates in the world, higher than Hawaii, higher than Germany, higher than California and leading the nation,” he said. “We must manage this transition to clean energy – consumers want it, the public wants it, it benefits everybody and this is a very exciting day.” Terry Effeney, the chief executive of Energex, said information about the effect of solar batteries on peak demand could allow power network operators to defer costly infrastructure investments or reduce generation where possible. Contrary to the idea of consumers being able to quit the grid, Effeney said the 12-month trial would “demonstrate that in fact the best way to use batteries and solar is to integrate them into the grid to deliver the best possible outcome to the customers”. | ['environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'australia-news/queensland', 'australia-news/annastacia-palaszczuk', 'technology/tesla', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/queensland-politics', 'technology/technology', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/joshua-robertson'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2016-01-18T06:57:00Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2011/feb/14/feed-in-tarriff-solar-review | Should I wait for the feed-in tariff review before installing solar? | Ever since the feed-in tariff was introduced last year I have been tempted by the idea of installing PV solar panels on my roof, not least because the returns seem so attractive. But is it worth the financial risk now that the government has announced it is to review the whole scheme? B Yardley, by email Last week, the energy secretary Chris Huhne announced that the government is to launch a comprehensive review of the feed-in tariff scheme (FITs) in the light of concerns that large-scale, 'industrial' solar farms will suck up the majority of the available subsidy when it was only ever really intended for small-scale installations. Unsurprisingly, this has cast further doubts over just how committed the current administration is to the scheme, which was originally introduced with the idea of kick-starting the nation's fledgling renewables industry. It would still appear that the particularly lucrative funding available up to April next year is secure, but there are no guarantees. So, given this new cloud of uncertainty, is it worth taking the financial plunge and stumping up a sizeable investment upfront in the hope that the promised attractive payback over the next 25 years comes good? Of course, some firms are now aggressively advertising the fact that they will bear the installation costs – up to £15,000 for a typical domestic set-up – in return for a share of the tariff they will reap from the use of your roof. Is this enough security to quell your possible fears about the scheme? Curious to know exactly what terms these companies were offering, I recently invited a British Gas representative round to my own home to see what they might propose. My roof was deemed not suitable due the central positioning of my existing thermal solar panels, but the representative did show me the grid they use to calculate the likely savings for a variety of scenarios. These pictures (here and here) were taken with a mobile phone so please excuse the poor quality, but the figures quoted might help to aid those seriously thinking about applying for FITS. (Or, perhaps, a reader wishes to challenges the company's calculations?) This column is an experiment in crowd-sourcing a reader's question, so please let us know your views below (as opposed to emailing them) and I will join in with some of my own thoughts and reactions as the debate progresses. I will also be inviting various interested parties to join the debate too. • Please send your own environment question to ask.leo.and.lucy@guardian.co.uk. Or, alternatively, message me on Twitter @LeoHickman | ['environment/series/ask-leo-lucy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/feed-in-tariffs', 'tone/blog', 'type/article', 'profile/leohickman'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2011-02-14T09:00:00Z | true | ENERGY |
technology/2008/nov/18/yahoo-yahoo | Yang to step down as Yahoo chief | It has been one of the most drawn-out goodbyes in recent history, but last night Yahoo boss Jerry Yang finally gave in to his critics as he announced his decision to step down as the company's chief executive. Months after scuttling a potential $44bn takeover by Microsoft, the 40-year-old confirmed that he would be resigning his post – but only once a suitable successor has been found. The decision brings to an end a long period of speculation over Yang's future at the top of the company he helped found in 1994. In a statement Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock said he was "deeply grateful" to Yang, but would be starting a search for a new leader who could "take the company to the next level". "Jerry and the board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO," Bostock said. Although the timing of the announcement came as a surprise, it had been widely predicted that Yang's tenure was drawing to a close, particularly following severe criticism over his handling of a $44bn takeover bid from Microsoft earlier this year. "Having set Yahoo on a new, more open path, the time is right for me to transition the CEO role and our global talent to a new leader," he said in a statement. "I will continue to focus on global strategy and to do everything I can to help Yahoo realise its full potential." Yang was a surprise choice for the job when he took over 18 months ago, succeeding former Hollywood executive Terry Semel. Although he had helped start the internet company 14 years ago, he did not have experience running a large company and campaigned largely on his passion. Although his dedication and commitment have never been questioned – just a few days ago he told a crowd at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco that he would "run through walls" for Yahoo – his shortcomings were cruelly exposed by events both outside and within his control. Yahoo's share price has been hammered during the financial crisis and profits for the last quarter showed a drastic drop. That news led the company to confirm last month that it planned to shed around 1,500 jobs – cuts that come on top of another 1,000 layoffs in January. Even taking into account the tough economic conditions, Yahoo has suffered more than most, with its stock falling below $10 a share last week – down from highs of $30 earlier this year. But it is the botched negotiations with Microsoft which will linger in the memory and did the most damage to Yang's reputation. After the failure of his drawn-out negotiations with the Seattle software company, many investors felt that Yang had deliberately scuppered the Microsoft deal in order to keep the company independent. Among those fiercely critical of the approach was corporate raider Carl Icahn, who threatened a hostile takeover of the Yahoo board. But although Yang recently insisted that there was "no poison pill" approach to the Microsoft offer, his critics remained vocal, particularly after Yahoo's share price continued to plunge. By the end of his term Yang must have felt like the chief executive's job was a poisoned chalice. Even his attempt to come up with a profitable alternative to the Microsoft deal – a multimillion-dollar advertising agreement with rival Google – failed after Google decided to pull out following an investigation by the US Department of Justice. The decision to step down will come as a painful personal blow to Yang, who founded Yahoo with Stanford friend David Filo in 1994 and has regularly stated his commitment to the site. The 40-year-old billionaire said he had always acted in the company's interests, and planned to retain his former title of "chief Yahoo" and stay heavily involved in decision-making. "I have always sought to do what is best for our franchise," said Yang in a statement. "When the board asked me to become CEO and lead the transformation of the company, I did so because it was important to re-envision the business for a different era." But with Yahoo on the rocks after a tumultuous year, his time at the top was looking increasingly limited. "The company is in desperate need of change, and this is clearly one way to do it," Ross Sandler, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets told Reuters. It is not yet clear who the leading contenders to take over Yang's job are, but Bostock said the board would vet candidates from inside the company and from elsewhere in the business world. | ['technology/yahoo', 'technology/yahoo-takeover', 'technology/internet', 'business/business', 'technology/technology', 'media/digital-media', 'media/mediabusiness', 'media/media', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/bobbiejohnson'] | technology/yahoo-takeover | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2008-11-18T02:01:41Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
sustainable-business/2017/may/04/solar-renewables-energy-thin-film-technology-perovskite-cells | Spray on and printable: what's next for the solar panel market? | Spray on, printable and other new thin film technology looks set to provide a major boost to the global solar market. Currently being developed by researchers and a small number of companies, the new film materials offer the potential of lighter and cheaper manufacturing. With big names including Panasonic, Fujifilm, Statoil ASA and Legal & General Capital now investing in the technology, energy experts expect the first panels to be on sale within five to 10 years. “This field is moving so rapidly that I’m sure in a few years you will start seeing products you can actually hold in your hand,” says Dr Jao van de Lagemaat from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. The most promising of the new film technologies is perovskite cells, named after the 19th century Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski.Unlike silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) cells, perovskite cells are soluble in a variety of solvents so can be easily sprayed on to a surface, similar to inks or paints. That potentially makes the cells much cheaper to manufacture and means that the light-gathering film can be attached to flexible materials, opening up a range of new applications. “You could, in a factory, print these solar cells using a similar process as is used for printing newspapers,” says Van de Lagemaat. “Your solar panels would come out as a roll at the end.” What has really got people excited about perovskites though is the rapid increase in efficiency that materials scientists have achieved with them in the lab. In seven years they have gone from converting 3.8% of the light that falls on them into electricity, to more than 20%. That figure might not sound hugely impressive but consider that traditional silicon-based cells, with their decades of research behind them, only achieve 24% or 25% efficiency in the lab and around 18% in real-world applications. The theoretical maximum is around 33% energy conversion. Although recently touting it as a “gamechanger” for the solar market, Prof Yang Yang at the department of materials science and engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles remains cautious: “We have to face reality. To put them on the rooftop and the power plant requires a significant improvement in the material.” One problem is connected with the material’s inherent advantage – their solubility. That, combined with heat sensitivity, means the cells are not as stable as silicon PV. Instead of lasting for 25 years or more they degrade over a period of months or a few years. That might not matter for short-lived disposable products such as cellphones, but would exclude the technology from the large-scale solar farm market, for example. Researchers are working to improve the material’s inherent stability or come up with coatings that would encapsulate the perovskite, but that may add cost. Another issue is disposal. Perovskites typically contain small amounts of lead – not enough to prevent their development (the lead in a single car battery is apparently enough for hundreds of square metres of perovskite solar cells), but enough to make the search for non-toxic alternatives an active line of research. Oxford PV, a spin-off from researchers at Oxford University, announced two large investments (£8.1m and £8.7m) in late 2016 from investors including Statoil Energy Ventures and Legal & General Capital. The company has also announced it is partnering with an unnamed major global solar manufacturer and intends to bring a product to market by the end of next year. Aside from perovskites, organic PV can also be printed as a thin film on to a flexible substrate. In this case though the light-activated layer, or layers, are made up of conducting organic materials, usually polymers. Like perovskites, organic PV has stability issues and, at around 13%, the efficiencies that scientists have achieved in the lab are not as good. But it does have other advantages. It does not contain toxic elements, for example, and can be engineered to be transparent and coloured. That means it could potentially be retrofitted to buildings as a tinted window coating. Another new approach is so-called quantum dots, which are semiconducting particles that can be coated on to a surface. The technology is further from commercialisation but theoretical work from Van de Lagemaat’s team suggests that, in combination with perovskites, it may be possible to manufacture a panel that is 30% efficient. Leonie Greene, head of external affairs at the UK’s Solar Trade Association, believes the industry in general is adopting a wait-and-see posture. “There are lots of areas of research and we wait to see which can make it out of the lab into commercialisation,” she says. “We shouldn’t forget,” she adds, “that commercially available solar, where conversion efficiencies of over 20% are commonly available, are already providing power cheaper than other sources of power in many parts of the world.” 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/rethinking-business', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'business/panasonic', 'business/legalandgeneralgroup', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/jamesranderson', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-professional-networks'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2017-05-04T07:30:03Z | true | ENERGY |
money/2021/dec/11/homeowner-told-to-remove-solar-panels-but-next-door-has-had-them-for-decade | Homeowner told to remove solar panels – but next door has had them for decade | A south London man has described his incredulity after Merton council ordered him to remove his solar panels – flying in the face of attempts to tackle the climate crisis and in spite of the fact his neighbour has had some on their roof for more than 10 years. In 2019, Merton council declared a climate emergency and said the borough would become net zero by 2050. But that hasn’t stopped council officials ordering Syd Reid, who lives in Wimbledon, remove his panels because his property is in a conservation area. A year ago he put up photovoltaic panels on his south-facing roof at the front of his home in an effort to reduce the property’s carbon footprint without realising he needed planning permission to do so. He had been assured, wrongly, by the installer that he didn’t. “I did a cursory investigation but somehow missed the conservation area rules,” he said. “The main reason I thought I would be fine was that our immediate neighbour has had almost identical south-facing solar panels on their roof for more than 10 years. “What’s happened since has been something out of the dark ages. Someone has complained and the council has ordered them to be taken down. It’s as if the climate crisis isn’t happening.” In 2008, the government removed the need for most people to get planning permission to install photovoltaic solar energy systems but the requirement for permission was retained in conservation areas and for all listed buildings. After Reid received an order from Merton’s planning department instructing him to take the panels down, he submitted an application for retrospective planning, only for this to be rejected. He said he appealed against that decision but this, too, has been turned down. He said the decision is all the more baffling given that the road that he lives on features a mixture of house styles and roof types. Not even the road’s greatest fan would describe it in any way as architecturally extraordinary, or important. “While the panels have been up I have reduced my carbon emissions by over 400kg,” he said. “The whole thing is madness – a combination of nimbyism and inconsistent, out-of-date planning bureaucracy that is failing to recognise the state [in which] we are leaving the planet. This has to be changed. “Our neighbour’s panels have been producing electricity for 10 years without upsetting anyone but mine have to come down. If I wish to maintain my level of carbon emissions reduction I have been advised that the only course of action left is to take my case to the high court.” A spokesperson for Merton council told Guardian Money that while installing solar panels is “generally to be applauded”, the council also has a duty to protect the “character” of the local area. “The standards of design that have to be met will always be higher in conservation areas,” he said. He said two other houses in the road have approved solar panels but on north-facing roofs, rather missing the point that they will produce significantly less power than they would on a south-facing roof. “We don’t want to put residents off installing carbon saving measures,” the spokesperson said. “Our planning officers are here to work with them to achieve developments that are compliant with our planning policy. There are other options which might have less of a visual impact, such as low-profile PVs or the use of solar tiles.” Meanwhile, it now looks likely that Reid’s neighbour could be forced to remove their panels, too. “We have not looked into this yet as no formal complaint was raised. However, our officers will now look to inspect and regularise those solar panels,” the Merton spokesperson said. | ['money/energy', 'money/household-bills', 'money/consumer-affairs', 'money/money', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/milesbrignall', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/money', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-money'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2021-12-11T08:00:05Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2023/sep/21/europe-is-beating-its-addiction-to-plastics-why-is-the-us-so-far-behind | Europe is beating its addiction to plastics. Why is the US so far behind? | Though I grew up in the United States, I’ve spent the majority of my adult life in France – which means that every trip “back” across the Atlantic has become a moment of curiosity and culture shock. Most recently, the shock was over the sheer prevalence of plastics in American daily life. In Paris, and elsewhere in Europe, plastics are clearly on their way out and paper is in. The standard takeaway cup in coffee shops, juice bars and cafes serving hipster smoothies is paper, and when there is a straw, it’s paper as well (or some other biodegradable non-plastic material). Delivery food orders arrive in paper cartons –some with a chic design touch that plastic could never replicate, unspooling like origami flowers to reveal the food within – in paper bags. Utensils, when requested, are wooden and wrapped in paper. And in grocery stores, bulk sections for pasta, nuts, dried fruit, cereals, rice and legumes are normal, as is putting those things (or your fruit and vegetables) in paper bags. Fast food chains such as Pret A Manger, which has opened in at least six European countries outside the UK, Exki, which has branches throughout the Benelux countries and France, and even McDonald’s and Burger King serve food consumed on location in glass or other types of reusable packaging. Extended producer responsibility schemes (which hold companies to account for recapturing the packaging they produce) mean that plastic bottle caps no longer fully detach, increasing the likelihood that they too end up recycled. Setting foot in the US, on the other hand, felt like stepping out of a time machine – and not in the right direction. Even in progressive spaces, plastics reigned supreme. At a coffee shop in New York City’s East Village with an LGBTQ+ flag, gender-inclusive bathrooms and Black Lives Matter signs, my iced coffee came in a plastic cup with a plastic straw. In Cleveland, where my parents live, the same story: plastic containers, plastic-wrapped plastic utensils, plastic cups, plastic straws in their plastic packages, and in grocery stores, plastic bags for produce, which were then automatically double-bagged in plastic at checkout counters. Is it the transatlantic difference in ecological awareness or the pull of different cultural norms? After all, the US is the country that pioneered the disposable, fast-food society in the 1950s, and then exported it elsewhere. France leaned heavily into fast food (in fact, it has one of the world’s highest numbers of McDonald’s per capita) but shows that a society converted to single-use “convenience” can adjust when political and legislative change demands it. Too much focus on virtuous individual behaviour is clearly misplaced. It distracts from industry and lets polluting corporations and governments outsource responsibility for systemic change at scale. And systemic change at scale is exactly what the EU’s 2021 ban on single-use plastics is in the process of achieving, by intervening at the producer level in a way that has had a visible domestic – and international – effect. Back in Europe, the message was hammered home by an visit to Lisbon’s Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT), which recently hosted an exhibition on plastics. “The industry was quite shaken up by the EU directive on plastics,” says Anniina Koivu, a materials and design professor at Lausanne’s Ecal and the curator of Plastic: Remaking Our World. She told me that the legislation has accelerated interest from companies in design alternatives to plastics, and in funding available for scaling promising prototypes – such as one student’s redesign of medical garments and another student’s fully biodegradable nappy design. In part, that’s because the EU directive included criteria for ecological packaging designs and EPR requirements, along with its more visible component: a ban on single-use items such as cigarette butts, straws, bottle caps, cutlery, wet wipes, food containers and some types of fishing gear. An EU impact assessment of the directive found that a ban on some items coupled with increased EPR regulations, changes in product design and incentives for fishers to return used items could reduce single-use plastic waste in the marine environment by 50%. Another result is that plastic waste recycling capacity in the EU has increased by over 13%, which is particularly crucial after China, previously a key destination for global waste products, stopped taking recyclables from abroad in 2017. (In Europe, 30% of plastic waste is recycled, while in China the figure is about 17% and in the US just 5%.) Global environmental focus is – rightly – on carbon emissions, but the crisis is dual and interlinked, involving both climate change and biodiversity loss. Sometimes the emissions calculations (what emits more CO2, plastics or their alternatives?) can be complex and even irresolvable. But plastics are intensely destructive to biodiversity – particularly to fragile marine ecosystems that are already under pressure from rising temperatures. This is a worldwide issue, not just a European one: Asia produces just over half of the world’s plastics and is at the centre of marine plastic pollution. But in addressing its own contribution to the problem, the EU can use its market power to exert a mix of coercion and influence on global companies and its trading partners. For example, despite Brexit, next month England is extending its single-use plastics ban. Perhaps even in the US, throwaway culture can be chucked in the recycling bin for good. Alexander Hurst is a France-based writer and an adjunct lecturer at Sciences Po, the Paris Institute of Political Studies | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/plastic', 'world/europe-news', 'campaign/email/this-is-europe', 'environment/environment', 'world/eu', 'world/world', 'environment/recycling', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/alexander-hurst', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-europe-project', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/plastic | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2023-09-21T05:00:39Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
sustainable-business/leadership-individual-business-school-ideas | Leadership isn't an individual act; it's an ensemble performance | Leaders may be in charge but they are not always in control. Those leading complex organisations need a high tolerance of uncertainty and ambiguity; the capacity for reflexivity, enabling them to notice how they and others are being caught up in the game of organisational life; the ability to recognise patterns of activity between them and their colleagues and more broadly in the organisation; and political savvy as well as knowing how to negotiate, persuade and form alliances. This is a highly social understanding of leadership which turns on the idea that leading arises in an ensemble performance. Leaders can only lead in participation with others being led. This raises the question about what kind of education or development is needed to produce leaders better able to cope in today's highly complex environments. Many business schools, training institutions and consultancies offer educational or development programmes which still cleave to the highly individualised understanding of leadership. This isn't surprising because, to an extent, that's what people expect. The idea of the heroic leader is widespread and co-created, and is a phenomenon to which many business schools feel the need to respond. Orthodox courses usually place great emphasis on the transformational or visionary qualities of individual leaders, partly in response to popular expectations – discussions about leadership on MBA courses where I teach will always eventually call on Steve Jobs or Richard Branson as examples to follow. What would Steve or Richard do? Or there is an assumption that a leader can adopt a particular leadership style to fit the circumstances in which they find themselves, which is consistent with and amplified by the popular interest in personal make-overs. This way of thinking immediately puts the leader in control of the project of the self and how a person can present to other people, instead of assuming that leaders are as much acted upon as acting; the context defines them as much as they define the context. Leaders may have little choice over which leadership style to adopt since, as Mike Tyson once observed, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Leadership programmes adopting a more social orientation, such as the ones I have been involved in at the University of Hertfordshire and recently in the NHS, are run experientially and encourage discussion about the kinds of problems and dilemmas that people are actually experiencing at work. This takes the focus away from idealised models of what they should be doing, and concentrates instead on what they are already doing. The idea is to make their current practice more visible to them in order for them to gain a bit more awareness of the game they are caught up in, and so create the possibility of gaining more control. So what do we find ourselves talking about on these programmes? Participants often develop the ability to notice and talk about power and how it is exercised. Our starting point is that power is neither good nor bad, and it can be both. Organisational life would be impossible unless leaders and managers exercised power. So how are they doing so, and to what end, and how do others respond? Who's in and who's out, and why? Secondly, we notice how everyday organisational life provokes strong feelings in us, and in our colleagues. Affect is not something to cover over, as the opposite of professionalism, but can be a helpful guide to what is going on for us, and for other people. Learning to be more detached about our involvement can be the start of tolerating uncertainty. And finally, in having to tell our stories we have to form them, putting a shape to what's going on for us that we might not yet have made sense of until we begin to say it out loud. When we are obliged to give an account to other people we have to structure experience which may have seemed confused to us before. In articulating this we can then notice the degree to which our experience resonates with other people's: patterns begin to emerge about what's going on in our organisations as a result of our talking about it. In this kind of programme leading is considered to be in good part about noticing, thinking, feeling and above all talking about what we are noticing, thinking and feeling. The more confidently we can do this ourselves, the more we might be helpful to others. Chris Mowles is professor of complexity and management at Hertfordshire Business School. He is director of the doctor of management programme and author of Rethinking Management: Radical Insights from the Complexity Sciences Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/leadership', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'guardian-professional/sustainability', 'tone/comment', 'business/business', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'business/corporate-governance', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'type/article'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-03-17T17:08:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2018/oct/31/five-countries-hold-70-of-worlds-last-wildernesses-map-reveals | Five countries hold 70% of world's last wildernesses, map reveals | Just five countries hold 70% of the world’s remaining untouched wilderness areas and urgent international action is needed to protect them, according to new research. Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have for the first time produced a global map that sets out which countries are responsible for nature that is devoid of heavy industrial activity. It comes ahead of the conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Egypt in November where signatory nations are working towards a plan for the protection of biodiversity beyond 2020. Conservationists are calling for a mandated target for wilderness conservation that will preserve the planet’s vulnerable ecosystems. The UQ and WCS study, published in the journal Nature, identifies Australia, the US, Brazil, Russia and Canada as the five countries that hold the vast majority of the world’s remaining wilderness. The data excludes untouched wilderness in Antarctica and on the high seas that is not contained within national borders. The paper comes after the team of scientists produced data in 2016 that charted the planet’s remaining terrestrial wilderness and in 2018 examined which parts of the world’s oceans remained free from the damaging impacts of human activity. They found that more than 77% of land – excluding Antarctica – and 87% of oceans had been modified by human intervention. “Two years ago we did the first analysis of wilderness on land,” lead author James Watson said. “In this new analysis we’ve created a global map and intersected it with national borders to ask: who is responsible?” The researchers say that the planet’s remaining wilderness can be protected “only if it is recognised within international policy frameworks”. They’re calling for an international target that protects 100% of all remaining intact ecosystems. “It’s achievable to have a target of 100%,” Watson said. “All nations need to do is stop industry from going into those places.” He said the five countries responsible for most of the world’s remaining wilderness had to provide leadership and could act to protect these areas through legislation or by offering incentives to businesses that do not erode nature. John Robinson, the executive vice-president for global conservation at WCS, said wilderness would only be secured globally “if these nations take a leadership role”. “Already we have lost so much. We must grasp these opportunities to secure the wilderness before it disappears forever,” he said. | ['environment/biodiversity', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/world', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/deforestation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/lisa-cox', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-10-31T18:00:38Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
news/2010/nov/10/pollutionwatch-autumn | Pollutionwatch: No Autumn respite | Autumn is generally a good time for air pollution. The sun is not strong enough to produce the smogs of summer and the nights are not cold enough to cause prolonged temperature inversions that can trap air pollution in our cities. However, October was not pollution free. On 6 October air pollution from nearby steelworks caused high levels of airborne particles in Port Talbot, south Wales, and air pollution from steelworks also affected Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, on 9 October. Controlling pollution from steelworks has proved difficult, since emissions from furnace chimneys can be controlled, but dust from the processing and storage of ore and slag is harder to contain. Air pollution from the Port Talbot steelworks will be the subject of an independent investigation by a government advisory group later this year. On 8, 9 and 10 October, pollution from continental Europe combined with pollution from London to cause high levels of airborne particles in Streatham, south London, and moderate levels of airborne particles beside many main roads within the M25. In the middle of the month, high nitrogen dioxide levels were measured in the centre of Glasgow on four successive days, causing a breach of European Union limits for the year. This was probably caused by a generator for a market next to the monitoring site and was not representative of public exposure to air pollution across the city. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'uk/weather', 'type/article'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2010-11-10T00:05:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2018/apr/27/the-hills-are-alive-with-the-signs-of-plastic-even-swiss-mountains-are-polluted | The hills are alive with the signs of plastic: even Swiss mountains are polluted | Microplastic pollution contaminates soil across Switzerland, even in remote mountains, new research reveals. The scientists said the problem could be worse in other nations with poorer waste management and that research was urgently needed to see if microplastics get into food. In the first major study of microplastics in soil, the researchers analysed soil samples from 29 river flood plains in nature reserves across Switzerland. They found microplastics, fragments under 5mm in size, in 90% of the soils. The scientists believe the particles are carried across the country by the wind. Research on microplastic pollution to date has largely concentrated on the oceans, in which it is found across the globe, including the Arctic. The particles have been shown to harm marine life and can absorb toxins from the water. Record levels of microplastics were revealed in rivers by research released in March and last year tap water around the world was found to contain plastic fibres. Other studies have found microplastics in bottled water, which prompted the World Health Organization to launch a review, as well as in beer, honey and salt. However, almost no research has yet been done on whether the particles end up being widely consumed by people and whether they are harmful. Michael Scheurer and Moritz Bigalke at the Geographical Institute of the University of Bern, conducted the new research, which is published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. “These findings are alarming,” Scheurer said. “For example, new studies indicate that microplastics in the soil can be harmful to and even kill earthworms in the soil.” Microplastics were found even in remote mountain regions that can only be reached by foot. “We were really surprised,” said Bigalke. “All the areas were in national parks. We thought we might find one or two plastic particles, but we found a lot.” Between 70-80% of the particles found were smaller than 0.5mm and the researchers said they are most likely to be blown across the country. “We think it has to be transported by the wind,” said Bigalke. “There is no other explanation – there are no settlements there [in the mountains], no tourism.” Almost 100% of the plastic used in Switzerland is either recycled or incinerated, the highest rate in Europe. In places where waste management is poorer and more plastic enters the environment, soil contamination could be higher, Bigalke said: “The problem could be even worse in other countries.” “There is a need for research into the question of how microplastics affect food production, and whether it can get into the food chain,” he said. Microplastic contamination in agricultural soils could be even worse, said Bigalke. They are known to be present in the sewage sludge produced at water treatment plants and this sludge is sometimes used as fertiliser on fields. Another new study found microplastics in fertiliser produced from food and garden waste. Bigalke said it was estimated that the application of sewage sludge to arable land alone could transport more could microplastics into the soil than that entering the world’s oceans. One of the very few studies into microplastics in food examined backyard chickens in Mexico. The researchers found 57 particles per gramme in the gizzards of the chickens. “Chicken gizzard is a specialty in the Mexican kitchen and the intake of the present plastics form a strong risk for human health,” the scientists said. | ['environment/plastic', 'environment/soil', 'environment/pollution', 'society/health', 'environment/environment', 'society/society', 'world/switzerland', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-04-27T12:16:29Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
football/2006/jun/29/worldcup2006.sport18 | Why press and team need marriage guidance | It's an old verity in the England football team's relations with the media that where some people see success, others see a chaos of long balls and a hopelessly overpromoted weirdo failing to arouse the same ardour in his players that he might in an FA accounts secretary. On the evidence of England's current World Cup campaign, these others are the journalists. One never likes to overstate the case, of course, but casting an eye over the sports pages during the past few days, there is the vaguest sense that the good burghers of Fleet Street have been ever so slightly uninspired by England's performances. Standing in apparently stark contrast to them are the supporters who are often able, in this splendidly modern age, to post comments beneath these articles the second they appear on newspaper websites. The general tenor of their argument is that the media's wretched Cassandras should stop seeing clouds around silver linings, get behind the team, and realise how deeply grateful they should be for having had the chance to watch Frank Lampard have a shocker live as opposed to on a beer-flecked screen in their local. I suspect it's important not to get too worked up on either side, but given it's a little late for that now, let's acknowledge that it wouldn't feel like this stage of an England World cup campaign if there wasn't a distinct sense that clear blue water had opened up between the players and the media. It was ever thus. It starts off with the wonderfully optimistic romanticisation of the squad, as they are pedestal-mounted during a rose-tinted string of gentle friendlies, before players and pack commit to throwing their lots in together. Then comes the honeymoon period, in the instance of Germany 2006 characterised by the relatively peaceful co-habitation of journalists and the team's families at the Brenner's Park hotel in their Baden-Baden base camp. Fairly swiftly after that, disillusionment sets in, grievances are aired, then accusations begin to be levelled, and before long you have descended into incessant recriminatory bickering. Still, at least you haven't had to fork out for rings. Were there an England camp branch of Relate, they would have noted a danger sign a few days ago when in the course of a press conference Wayne Rooney referred to his inquisitors as "you people". Whilst this isn't yet the equivalent of a bitter argument over whose Joni Mitchell CD it originally was, it certainly suggests there is a sharpening edge to proceedings. Until Saturday at least, World Cup victory is still a technical possibility, and the securing of it will very likely force Sven to be hailed as a tactical genius and prompt the immediate establishment of an Academy of Footballing Excellence, where seven year old boys will be taught to punt the ball 60 yards to whomever of their number plays most like Rooney. Until then, it's fair to say that Eriksson seems less preoccupied with his legacy than Tony Blair, and thus will probably take Jose Mourinho's verdict that the England team requires "profound rebuilding" with the same inscrutable shrug that has characterised his handling of criticism. He may even be grateful for Deco's hilarious intervention on Tuesday, in which the Portuguese midfielder suggested that the English public "expect too much" of Eriksson and his side. Had this been made in the context of the Premiership, we would be bound by convention to classify it as "mind games". Still, in the interests of finding a silver lining, it could be worse. In 1990, after relations between the England side and the press had soured for kiss-and-tell related reasons, reporters chasing the team bus in the hope of a quote were spat on by Gazza, among others. Not that this froideur between players and journalists is solely an English affliction. Gilberto Silva has been complaining that the Brazilians can't catch a break from their press. At the 1982 World Cup, when two Italian players were spotted laughing at reporters from a hotel window, sections of their media took the opportunity to suggest they were having an affair, which in turn caused the entire squad to boycott the press for the remainder of the tournament. As a final bright side to matters in Germany, there are reports John Terry has been approached by Eriksson to deliver a rousing motivational speech to players in the dressing room before the Portugal game, perhaps in the manner of Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross. So, as long as Wayne Rooney gets the good leads on Saturday, doubtless everything will be absolutely fine. | ['football/worldcup2006', 'football/football', 'sport/sport', 'media/pressandpublishing', 'media/media', 'tone/comment', 'media/worldcupthemedia', 'football/worldcup2006blog', 'football/world-cup-football', 'type/article', 'profile/marinahyde', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/gdnsport3'] | media/worldcupthemedia | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2006-06-29T07:00:46Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
australia-news/2017/may/16/large-scale-solar-industry-takes-off-12-new-plants-finance | Large-scale solar industry takes off as 12 new plants secure finance | Australia’s large-scale solar industry now appears to be on solid ground, with all 12 plants recently awarded grant funding by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency reaching “financial close” this month. That means they are fully financed and have locked in engineering, construction and grid connection agreements, as well as council and environmental approvals. Construction has already begun at nine of the 12 Arena-funded plants, and the others three are a done deal, with the NSW White Rock solar farm the final project to reach financial close last week. Arena’s chief executive, Ivor Frischknecht, said there were at least six more plants being developed in Australia without grant funding, suggesting the grant program had succeeded in establishing a self-sustaining industry. When completed, the 12 power plants will provide enough electricity to power 150,000 homes, and account for 10% of the new capacity needed to meet Australia’s 2020 renewable energy target. In earlier grant rounds, before Arena’s existence, some projects were never completed and others took years to reach financial close after being awarded grants. All 12 of the recent projects reached financial close in months, and all with record low levels of grant funding. “This competitive round is the perfect demonstration of how Arena is accelerating Australia’s shift to a low emission, renewable energy future,” Frischknecht said. “From zero to more than 20 plants in five years, Australia’s large-scale solar industry has grown at a tremendous pace thanks to concerted efforts by Arena and the CEFC [Clean Energy Finance Corporation].” As reported in September, the 12 plants received a total of $92m in grants, which sparked more than $1bn in private investment. By expanding the industry, Arena has reduced the amount of grant funding needed to get large-scale solar projects off the ground from $1.60 per watt three years ago to just 28c per watt. At least six projects at advanced stages of development have received no grant funding. Arena said the total cost of the projects had been reduced by 40% in that time. It helps reduce costs for the industry as a whole by securing “knowledge sharing agreements” with the projects it funds. Frischknecht said planning, developing and financing large-scale solar projects was a complex task involving many different parties, and it was important to allow new projects to learn from earlier ones. One company that received funding for a plant leveraged the money to also develop two more. Arena then secured knowledge-sharing agreements for all three plants, despite only funding one. “This invaluable knowledge from 14 solar farms in total will further accelerate the growth of our large-scale solar industry,” Frischknecht said. When Arena announced the recipients of the grants in September, the Coalition government was trying to pass a bill cutting its funding by $1.3bn. In a deal with Labor, the cut was reduced to $500m. The minister for the environment and energy, Josh Frydenberg, said in a statement: “The support for these projects has fast-tracked large-scale solar in Australia and is part of the Turnbull government’s technology neutral approach to affordable and reliable energy as we transition to a lower emissions future. “The projects will provide benefit for local communities by providing opportunities for direct employment during the construction phase, and indirectly through local service providers.” | ['australia-news/energy-australia', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/solarpower', 'australia-news/josh-frydenberg', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michael-slezak', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2017-05-16T02:28:23Z | true | ENERGY |
business/2020/jun/30/shell-cut-value-of-assets-coronavirus-oil-price-covid-19 | Shell to cut £18bn from value of assets amid coronavirus crisis | Shell has warned it will slash up to $22bn (£18bn) from the value of its oil and gas assets as it counts the cost of falling fossil fuel prices during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Anglo-Dutch oil major expects the collapse in oil demand during the coronavirus crisis to drag on global oil prices for at least three years, wiping billions from the value of its fossil fuel reserves and casting doubt on whether new discoveries will be developed. In a market update on Tuesday, the oil company said it had cut its oil price forecasts and would probably need to take a post-tax impairment charge of between $15bn and $22bn on its global oil and gas assets spanning Australia, Brazil and North America. Shell expects Brent crude prices to average about $35 a barrel for the rest of 2020, before rising to $40 next year and $50 by 2022. The forecasts are sharply below the oil prices expected by Shell only three months ago, which averaged about $60 a barrel for each year to 2022. Brent crude prices were trading at $41.47 a barrel on Tuesday morning. Shell’s decision to cut the value of its global portfolio comes just weeks after rival BP announced it would reduce the value of its own assets by $17.5bn, its largest writedown in a decade, after cutting its own 30-year energy price forecasts by a third. Shell expects its gas business to take the heaviest financial toll, less than four years after becoming one of the world’s largest players in the liquified natural gas market following its $53bn acquisition of BG Group. The value of its integrated gas business, the bulk of which is based in Australia, will take a financial hit of between $8bn to $9bn. Its oil refinery assets are likely to face a charge of between $3bn to $7bn while the value of its “upstream” exploration and production assets fall by $4bn to $6bn, largely due to its Brazilian and North American shale business. Nicholas Hyett, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the multibillion dollar downgrades to Shell’s portfolio were not “overly surprising” following the severe slump in global oil prices. “Oil prices are lower, and expected to stay low for some time. As a result, the value of the oil Shell is set to pump in future is lower and the accountants have got the red pens out to mark down the value of Shell’s reserves,” he said. “The real question is whether Shell’s fairly downbeat expectations are downbeat enough.” Hyett added. “Oil prices have spent a large part of the last five years under $60 a barrel and while the collapse of several large US shale names might reduce global supply, the outlook for demand is hardly robust.” Shell’s update sent its shares down 2% to £13.10 on Tuesday morning, making it one of the the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100. The company has lost about 40% of its market value since the start of the year, and cut its shareholder payouts for the year by two-thirds in Shell’s first dividend cut since the second world war. Shell told investors it plans to cut spending by $9bn to weather the collapse in oil market prices in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Global fuel demand has plunged to 25-year lows during the pandemic, as steps to fight the disease have grounded planes, cut vehicle usage and curbed economic activity. | ['business/royaldutchshell', 'business/oil', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'business/business', 'uk/uk', 'world/world', 'world/coronavirus-outbreak', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'profile/kalyeena-makortoff', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2020-06-30T13:22:45Z | true | EMISSIONS |
news/2019/oct/16/weatherwatch-how-frontal-systems-work | Weatherwatch: how frontal systems work | The British Isles are often at the mercy of the jet stream, which roars across the Atlantic bringing with it, in the form of frontal systems, the country’s often wet and changeable weather. Frontal systems form due to the clash of opposing warm and cold air masses. The boundary of where the air mass transitions from cold to or warm, and vice versa, is known as either a cold front or a warm front. There are three types of fronts – warm, cold and occluded. As the name suggests, a warm front marks the boundary of an advancing warmer air mass, usually the tropical maritime air that originates from the subtropical Atlantic, while a cold front marks the boundary of a cold air mass. An occluded front is where the cold air mass associated with the cold front catches up with the warm front and the warm air is forced aloft. In more continental regions of the world, the passage of a frontal system can bring sudden extreme changes. Last week Denver, Colorado, saw temperatures reaching a balmy 27C. Less than 24 hours later, however, following the clearance of a cold front temperatures plummeted to -7C with heavy snowfall. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'uk/weather', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2019-10-16T20:30:29Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2004/apr/08/brazil.conservationandendangeredspecies | Amazon hit by increase in felling | The rate of deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rose by 2.1% last year as farmers encroached on the world's largest jungle, the government said yesterday. Figures from Brazil's environment ministry showed deforestation in the Amazon jumped to 9,170 square miles in 2003, from 8,983 square miles in 2002. The 2002 data was recalculated, it said. The highest level of destruction was in 1995, when 11,229 square miles were destroyed. Brazil last month unveiled plans to halt the destruction, amid criticism that the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had failed to move quickly enough. Environmentalists fear the destruction of the Amazon, an area of continuous tropical forest larger than western Europe, since it is home to up to 30% of the planet's species and is a source of medicines. "The government needs to immediately create conservation programmes tripling the area protected," said Denis Hamu, secretary general of the World Wildlife Foundation, in Brazil. | ['environment/environment', 'world/brazil', 'environment/conservation', 'world/world', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'world/americas', 'type/article'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2004-04-08T01:13:59Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sustainable-business/honest-trace-produce-food-chains | It's time to be honest about how we trace produce through our food chains | Would you believe a company's sustainability or welfare claim if it could not even show you where the product was grown? I suspect not. That may be one reason why, according to new research (pdf), more than 50% of consumers suspect that companies use false environmental claims as a pretext for charging higher prices. Traceability is one of the major challenges facing the food industry because it relates to consumer trust. What seems to be a simple solution to consumer questions – "surely you can just put a pin on the map to show me where this was produced" – is actually quite complex for many products. Wedged between rising expectations of consumers and mushrooming volumes of data, manufacturers are facing a perfect storm made all the worse because consumers have been given a misleadingly simple view through advertising of how food gets from farm to fork. The answer, as always, is to be more open about how the challenge of tracing product origin relates to questions around sustainability, ethical sourcing and quality. To grasp the complexity it is helpful for consumers to understand the different approaches to traceability used by sustainability labels around the world. 1. Identity preservation Identity preservation is the most robust form of traceability, where the material from a specific farm or production area is kept fully separated right along the supply chain. Such systems are practical for discrete products, such as animal carcasses, fruit and vegetable consignments, or products that are processed and packed on or near to farms. This is the only form of supply chain management that allows full traceability of material from retail back to individual farms. We have to be honest about that. 2. Segregated supply chains For certified materials – where materials from different farms may be bulked together for ease of transport, storage or processing – segregated supply chains can keep these products physically separate from non-certified materials. This is a common form of arrangement in parts of the world where groups of farmers are certified (coffee, cocoa and tea, for example) but where it would be difficult to keep individual farm outputs separated because of the need for large-scale processing. In this supply arrangement it is only possible to pin down the supply to a broad area, rather than an individual farm. 3. Mass balance systems For some commodities, the physical infrastructure for separating certified from non-certified materials is simply not available. This is the message that it is so important for consumers to understand. This often happens when processing is done at large scale, such as pulp mills, sugar refineries and bulk transportation. In this case "sustainable volumes" are booked into and out of a system on a mass balance basis. The physical material delivered to the consumer may not have originated from a certified production area. Supply chains using mass balance systems cannot really trace materials to source in a detailed way, but depending on the degree of aggregation it may be possible to provide some information about the region or country of origin. 4. Tradable certificates Some certification schemes operate a further level of sophistication. In markets where materials are highly mobile, processed and commoditised, a digital certificate of sustainable material may be issued at the farm gate and applied to any material at the end of the supply chain, where it is redeemed and taken out of circulation. A tradable certificate system can, in theory, ensure that the total volume of certified material is exactly what it should be. But the physical material that is purchased as certified may well not have come from certified sources and the traceability of the physical product is limited. These answers may raise more questions than they resolve, and may prove unsatisfactory to the customer used to simplistic messages about provenance. Richard Tipper is chair Ecometrica, a provider of geospatial environmental information. The supply chain hub is funded by the Fairtrade Foundation. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled as advertising features. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox. | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'world/food-safety', 'business/fooddrinks', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'tone/blog', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'business/business', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'type/article', 'sustainable-business/series/supply-chain'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-06-11T16:00:00Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
commentisfree/2011/jun/11/drought-weather-government-respond | Drought: Not a drop to share | Editorial | It never rains but it pours, except in England this spring, which, regardless of showers forecast for this weekend, has been extraordinarily dry. Yesterday officials confirmed what parched brown lawns have already made obvious. Eastern parts of England and the Midlands in particular are experiencing a drought. The driest spring for 20 years – with rainfall across the country only 45% of the long-term average between March and the end of May – has triggered the bureaucracy of water management, which might lead to hosepipe bans and even rationing. Already farmers in some of the UK's most productive land face restrictions on how much they can take to irrigate their crops. Not yet, though. For now, reservoir levels are healthy, even if river levels are not. Much effort has gone into plugging leaks and providing additional supplies. Water companies have been required by the Climate Change Act to plan for shortages, and a wet summer could wash away the problem (though that won't help farmers with crops). But the shortage is also a reminder that Britain is both a densely populated and in places unexpectedly dry country. Sydney's annual rainfall is double London's. There is less water per capita in some southern parts of England than in some Mediterranean countries. Climate change is expected to make the situation worse, with less predictable rainfall, more frequent droughts and damaging floods. No government can control the weather, but it can shape the way we respond to it. The Environment Agency is rightly sceptical of expensive technical fixes such as energy-intensive desalination. Every drought is followed by calls for a national water grid, but pumping water around the country would be inefficient. The answer must be to better manage the water we have already, especially by reducing leaks and encouraging more sensible use. The challenge facing Britain is smaller, but similar, to the one being tackled in many countries. On Thursday the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation warned that climate change would bring more droughts and reduce food production. Water from glaciers supports 40% of the world's irrigation, but as they melt so do consistent supplies. Crops can be adapted to require less water, but consumers are hungry for imports from sunnier and drier parts of the world. The current drought has been caused by short-term weather, not long-term climate: but though Britain is mostly spared extreme conditions it cannot ignore the consequences of climate change. Look out of the window today and it may be raining. But grey skies are no guarantee that there will always be water to come out of the tap. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/drought', 'environment/water', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'tone/editorials', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/editorialsandreply'] | environment/drought | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2011-06-10T23:01:42Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2008/aug/20/carbonfootprints.carbonemissions | Japan to launch carbon footprint labelling scheme | Japan is to carry carbon footprint labels on food packaging and other products in an ambitious scheme to persuade companies and consumers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The labels, to appear on dozens of items including food and drink, detergents and electrical appliances from next spring, will go further than similar labels already in use elsewhere. They will provide detailed breakdowns of each product's carbon footprint under a government-approved calculation and labeling system now being discussed by the trade ministry and around 30 firms. The labels will show how much carbon dioxide is emitted during the manufacture, distribution and disposal of each product, the ministry said. The Japanese campaign is loosely modeled on a British pilot scheme involving Tesco and several other firms, though that scheme has yet to gain official approval. Furthermore, the trade ministry's Takuma Inamura told the Guardian: "We believe our labeling will be even more detailed, to allow consumers to make the best possible choice." Officials decided to draw up a uniform method of labeling carbon emissions to allay fears among some firms that their competitors may use in-house calculations to produce the lowest possible emissions data. "Unless all of the companies use the same method, there's little point to the exercise," Inamura said. To promote the scheme, the ministry has released details of the carbon footprint left by a packet of crisps. A single bag emits 75 grams of carbon dioxide, 44% of which comes from growing potatoes, with another 30% emitted during the production stage. The packaging accounts for a further 15%, while the delivery and disposal of the bag account for 9% and 2%, respectively. About 30 companies will display their labeled items at an eco-products fair in Tokyo in December, and the first batches are expected to appear in shops at the beginning of April 2009. Sapporo, a leading Japanese brewery, has already said it will carry the labels on cans of its popular Black Label beer. Shoppers will be told how much CO2 is emitted by the machinery used to plant barley and hops, during production and transportation, and when the empty can is recycled. Although the labeling scheme is voluntary, few firms want to be seen to be lagging behind rivals in the rush to corner the growing market in eco-friendly products. The supermarket firm Aeon, as well as the convenience store chains Lawson and Seven-Eleven and the electronics maker Matsushita are among the firms taking part. As host of the groundbreaking Kyoto conference on greenhouse gas emissions in 1997, Japan is under mounting pressure to use it technological prowess and educated consumer base to promote a low-carbon society. But it has so far struggled to reach its Kyoto protocol commitment to slash CO2 emissions by 6% below 1990 levels by 2012. In July, the government vowed to reduce total carbon emissions by up to 80% by 2050 with the prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, calling on consumers to lead a global "CO2 reduction revolution". Under Fukuda's Cool Earth Initiative, Japan believes it can lower emissions from current levels by 14% by 2020, although UN scientists say cuts as high as 40% will be needed to avoid environmental catastrophe. Later this year Japanese firms will experiment with a carbon trading system modeled on the one used by the European Union. The government plans to put carbon-capture technology - the storage of CO2 emitted by power plants and factories - in place by 2020. But it remains to be seen whether consumers can be persuaded to consider a product's carbon footprint as well as its price tag. In a recent survey almost 80% of shoppers said they would be willing to spend no more than an extra 2,000 yen (£10) a month on energy-saving vehicles and other eco-friendly products. "Most people don't know what the term carbon footprint really means," Inamura said. "But we hope this will be a launch pad for other companies to take part and increase public awareness." · This article was amended on Thursday August 21 2008. We referred to Japan struggling to reach its Kyoto protocol commitment by 1012 - of course we meant 2012. This has been corrected. | ['environment/carbonfootprints', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/world', 'world/japan', 'environment/environment', 'world/asia-pacific', 'type/article', 'profile/justinmccurry'] | environment/carbonfootprints | EMISSIONS | 2008-08-20T12:59:10Z | true | EMISSIONS |
world/2021/oct/12/bolsonaro-must-be-held-criminally-responsible-for-assault-on-the-amazon-say-activists | Bolsonaro must be held criminally responsible for assault on the Amazon, say activists | The Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro must be held criminally responsible for a “ruthless” assault on the Amazon that has exacerbated the climate emergency and imperilled humanity’s very survival, activists have argued in a petition to the international criminal court. In a submission to The Hague-based tribunal on Tuesday, legal and scientific experts said the “mass deforestation” unfolding under the rightwing nationalist posed a clear and present danger to Brazil, and to the world. “There is a substantial body of evidence demonstrating the commission of ongoing crimes against humanity within Brazil which requires immediate investigation and prosecution,” the 284-page petition said, pointing to soaring Amazon devastation under Bolsonaro. “However, the impact … extends far beyond the widespread, ongoing loss of life and deep suffering inflicted upon local communities. State-of-the-art climate science demonstrates that consequent fatalities, devastation and insecurity will occur on a far greater scale regionally and globally, long into the future, through the attributable links between the rapid acceleration in deforestation, its contribution to climate change, and the frequency and intensification of extreme weather events,” it went on. “Given the multilateral breadth and depth of its impact, the nature of the attack … constitutes criminality of the very highest order,” the plaintiffs said, adding: “The ICC now has the opportunity – indeed the ICC has the duty – to act.” Bolsonaro, a former paratrooper who has presided over what critics call a historic onslaught against the Amazon and its indigenous inhabitants, has been the subject of three previous ICC complaints since he took office in early 2019. In August, campaigners asked the court to investigate Brazil’s president for the alleged genocide of its indigenous people, partly as a result of Bolsonaro’s anti-scientific response to the Covid pandemic. “He needs to pay for all the violence and destruction he is leading,” the indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara said at the time. Johannes Wesemann, the founder of AllRise, the Vienna-based environmental litigation group behind the latest ICC complaint – the fourth against Brazil’s president – said it sought to add an international dimension to Bolsonaro’s alleged offences by exposing their impact on global heating. Wesemann said: “The government under Bolsonaro directly and indirectly facilitates and thus accelerates the destruction of the Brazilian Amazon. This obviously in turn leads to deliberate and uncontrolled environmental destruction of the ecosystem with catastrophic consequences at a local level … but also with a serious consequence on a global scale.” “Today, we know emissions attributed to the Bolsonaro administration will cause over 180,000 deaths globally until 2100,” Wesemann said, citing a submission from climatologists including Dr Friederike Otto, one of the lead authors of the recent IPCC report on the climate emergency. “Our sole purpose … is to ensure that state, private sector and political actors such as Jair Bolsonaro, and past and present members of his government, who intentionally enable such destruction are held legally accountable,” Wesemann said, noting how mass deforestation had a “serious and scientifically proven impact on the global climate – and thus on our long-term survival.” The Brazilian presidency did not respond to a request for comment on the accusations against Bolsonaro. In recent months Brazil’s government has launched a crackdown on environmental criminals in the Amazon, which critics suspect is designed to convince the international community it is cleaning up its environmental act ahead of the Cop26 climate summit. Last week Bolsonaro’s recently appointed environment minister, Joaquim Leite, told reporters their country wanted to use the Glasgow meeting to show the world Brazil could be “part of the solution” to the climate crisis and was committed to cutting emissions. But environmentalists are unconvinced by the pre-Cop rhetorical softening. “What’s the solution?,” Suely Araújo, the former head of Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama, asked in a recent interview. “Change the president.” | ['world/brazil', 'world/jair-bolsonaro', 'world/americas', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/environment', 'environment/deforestation', 'world/world', 'law/international-criminal-court', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/tomphillips', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/amazon-rainforest | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-10-12T06:00:09Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
us-news/2024/oct/11/florida-hurricane-milton-helene-flood-insurance | Hurricanes refocus attention to scarcity of flood insurance in high-risk Florida | Many of the million-dollar houses lining South Dundee Street in Tampa’s Sunset Park Isles neighborhood appeared to be hosting one huge outdoor garage sale this week. Piles of chairs, tables, mattresses, bookshelves, chests of drawers, sofas and other household items sat unattended in the gathering dusk on Thursday evening – but these articles bore no price tags. They had been irreparably damaged by the massive storm surge that engulfed much of south Tampa in late September when Hurricane Helene barreled past the Tampa/St Petersburg metropolitan area, and their owners had stockpiled the discarded furniture for retrieval by sanitation workers. The double whammy that Hurricanes Helene and Milton inflicted on Florida’s Gulf coast in a span of 14 days has affected Floridians from all walks of life, and hundreds of thousands now face a costly task of repair and reconstruction. The aftermath of the storms has also refocused attention on the relatively low percentage of people who are covered by flood insurance in the event of such extreme weather events – and whether local and state government officials are doing enough to encourage homeowners to acquire such protection. “No one in Florida lives more than 70 miles from a coast, but because many people aren’t technically required to have flood insurance, they don’t purchase it,” said Jeff Brandes, a St Petersburg businessman and founder of the non-profit Florida Policy Project, which conducts research on the crises the state is facing on issues such as housing, property insurance and criminal justice reform. “We should provide every incentive to people to obtain flood insurance.” An estimated 35% of homes in Florida’s high-risk flood zones are covered by insurance policies issued by private and government-sponsored carriers, according to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). Brandes says the corresponding figure for the entire state is closer to one in five residences. A former state senator, Brandes introduced legislation in 2015 to promote the growth of the private flood insurance market in Florida as an alternative to the Fema-administered National Flood Insurance Protection (NFIP) program. The law has produced some impressive results to date, with the Sunshine state having five times more privately issued flood insurance policies than the neighboring state of Georgia, according to the Bloomberg financial news agency. One recent flood victim concurs with Brandes. Steve Mastro has lived on South Dundee Street for 20 years, and storm surge from last year’s Hurricane Idalia claimed his wife’s Cadillac Escalade sports utility vehicle (SUV). Helene doubled the toll last month, destroying his Porsche Macan SUV as well as the replacement Escalade he purchased for his spouse. The 57-year-old automobile dealer is fortunate: he took out an affordable, government-issued NFIP insurance policy when the Mastros bought their two-story house in 2004 and will be compensated for his latest losses. But he worries about younger millennial couples who can’t pay the five-figure flood insurance premiums that private carriers often charge. “There should be some kind of fund that would allow people to pay into [and obtain coverage],” says the Syracuse, New York, native. “Flood insurance in Florida ought to be subsidized for people who really need it.” But the current state of the insurance industry in the wake of the twin hurricanes isn’t exactly auspicious. Just hours before Milton made landfall near Sarasota on Wednesday evening, the ratings agency AM Best warned that the hurricane “poses a significant threat to the Florida property insurance market”, in part because furniture and other debris left outside homes after Helene could become dangerous airborne projectiles. That view was echoed by another industry analysis agency one day later. Fitch Ratings asserted that losses stemming from Milton, which it estimated to be in the range of between $30bn and $50bn, will “weaken further” the already “precarious position” of the Florida insurance market. State government officials have sought to downplay the magnitude of the damage wrought by Milton, and those pessimistic assessments drew an angry rebuke from Ron DeSantis. “How the hell would a Wall Street analyst be able to know?” fumed the Republican state governor at a press conference. “Give me a break on some of this stuff.” The countdown to the arrival of Milton this week was highlighted by aerial footage of the bumper-to-bumper exodus of motorists scrambling to get out of harm’s way. Spooked by the rising death toll of Helene that eventually surpassed the 200-fatality threshold, large numbers of Gulf coast residents chose to heed the strident warnings of local and state government officials urging them to evacuate as soon as possible. Some of those folks had ignored similar admonitions in 2022 when Hurricane Ian shattered hundreds of dwellings in and around the city of Fort Myers, while others also remained in place for Helene. Not so with Milton. “It was partly the officials in Manatee county and [the state capital of] Tallahassee saying this is really bad, and they didn’t mince any words,” said Kris Guillou, a retired automotive designer and engineer who left for the Atlanta suburb of Decatur last Tuesday. “I don’t wish I would have stayed. I was in a shelter for Ian all night long, and the sound and the howling all night long were unnerving.” That came as welcome news to local emergency management experts. Elizabeth Dunn, the director of Hillsborough county’s community emergency response team, had been dismayed by the complacency that so many residents in Tampa and environs displayed in the face of recent hurricanes that had menaced but never actually struck the Gulf coast’s most populous region. This time, millions got the message loud and clear. “I’m encouraged that people took this threat more seriously because it was headed straight for us,” said Dunn, who is an instructor in the school of public health of the University of South Florida. “This put everybody on a state of high alert, and we saw a lot more people evacuate than was the case with Ian and Helene.” | ['us-news/hurricane-milton', 'us-news/florida', 'us-news/us-news', 'money/homeinsurance', 'us-news/us-weather', 'us-news/hurricane-helene', 'world/hurricanes', 'environment/flooding', 'world/extreme-weather', 'us-news/tampa', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/joseph-contreras', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | us-news/hurricane-milton | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-10-11T17:01:50Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2009/aug/25/climate-camp-protest | Q&A: Climate Camp | What is Climate Camp? Climate Camp is a movement that organises temporary camps for environmental protesters. Its website describes it as "a place for anyone who wants to take action on climate change; for anyone who's fed up with empty government rhetoric and corporate spin; for anyone who's worried that the small steps they're taking aren't enough". At the camps it is possible to learn more about sustainable living and the legal rights of protesters. Camps often culminate in a day of mass action at a climate change target. How did it start? It began in August 2006 with a demonstration at Drax coal-fired power station in West Yorkshire – the largest CO2 emitter in the UK. In 2007, Climate Camp targeted Heathrow airport to protest about the building of a third runway. In 2008, it moved to Kingsnorth power station in Kent where E.ON plans to build a new coal-fired power station. At the G20 protests on 1 April Climate Campers protested outside the European Climate Exchange, where carbon trading is carried out. Has it moved out of England? Yes. This year there were Climate Camps in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. How are the camps organised? Everyone at the camps in a volunteer and there is no hierarchical structure. All decisions are taken by consensus. At previous camps, journalists have been banned, except when being taken on a guided tour. What about this year's Climate Camp in London? The camp will run from 26 August to 2 September at a secret location. Organisers say the camp will allow people to meet and discuss climate change, learn how to build a wind turbine and live more sustainably and undergo training for direct action. If I want to join in how do I know where to go? Campers will "swoop" from 7 locations at noon on Wednesday 26 August – under Waterloo Bridge; outside BP headquarters in St James's Square; Bank of England, Threadneedle Street; Stratford Tube; Rio Tinto offices, Aldermanbury Square; and Stockwell Tube. The organisers say that these sites will not be the target of direct action on the swoop day but Threadneedle Street and Stockwell Tube station were chosen in honour of Ian Tomlinson (who died after being struck by a police officer in the G20 protests in April) and Jean Charles de Menezes (who was shot by police who mistakenly believed he was a suicide bomber). At noon, text messages will be sent to people at those locations revealing where to go to set up the main camp. How will the police react? Police have told representatives of Climate Camp that they will use different tactics to those deployed at the G20 protests. They have described it as more of a "community-style" policing operation and said they would limit the use of stop-and-search of protesters and surveillance units. Climate Camp has responded with a YouTube letter to police in which the voiceover says: "Judging from past experience the best thing the police could do to ensure the health and safety of Climate Camp in 2009 would be to stay as far away from it as possible." | ['environment/climate-camp', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/activism', 'world/protest', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'uk/police', 'politics/politics', 'tone/resource', 'type/article', 'profile/jamesranderson'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2009-08-25T12:29:50Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
environment/2008/jun/10/carbonemissions | Explainer: Global carbon reduction targets | From supermarkets and oil companies to individuals, nations and continents, people are talking about reducing their carbon footprints. Statistics, targets and goals abound. But what do the aims such as the 80% cut by 2050 suggested in Britain's climate watchdog? How does your country's pledge measure up? And just how many parts per million carbon dioxide are too many? Here, we explain how such climate goals are set, and why they may not be enough. Carbon levels The level of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is measured in parts per million (ppm) in a given volume of air. The figure was about 280ppm before the industrial revolution and has been creeping up since. The latest reading was 387ppm, and the figure is rising at about 2ppm each year as emissions continue unabated. But carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas: methane, nitrous oxide and numerous others also trap heat as they accumulate in the atmosphere, and must be included in calculations. To do this, scientists group them together, work out how much heat they trap, and calculate the amount of carbon dioxide that would be needed to cause a similar effect. The two figures are then added together, and called carbon dioxide equivalent - CO2[e]. The extra load from the other greenhouse gases bumps up the pure carbon dioxide concentration by up to a fifth. So, roughly, 400ppm CO2 = 450ppm CO2[e] and 550ppm CO2 = 650ppm CO2[e]. In predicting the likely temperature rise under a given emissions scenario, the all-inclusive CO2[e] figure is the important one, though this is not always made clear. Stabilisation goals In 1996, the European Union said the world should limit the global temperature rise to 2C above preindustrial levels, and that this meant limiting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 550ppm CO2[e]. In reality, the relationship between carbon dioxide levels and eventual temperature rise is less precise. Scientists now talk only about likely ranges. The 2006 Stern Review said that 550ppm CO2[e] would drive temperatures up by between 1.5 and 4.5C, with a median rise of 3C. It said the world should aim for a stabilisation goal of between 450 and 550ppm CO2[e]. The lower end of that range (450ppm CO2[e]) is now commonly associated with a 2C rise, and the upper end (550ppm CO2[e]) with a 3C rise. In fact, scientists say that at 450ppm CO2[e] there is still a 50% chance that the 2C target will be exceeded. Jim Hansen, Nasa's top climate scientist, says that even a 2C rise may not avoid dangerous large scale impacts such as melting of ice sheets, and says world CO2 should not be allowed to remain above 350ppm CO2, significantly below its current level – that means removing CO2 from the atmosphere and burying it. Targets and timetables The world has not yet set a global goal to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but 450ppm CO2[e] is often used as an example. In 2007, the G8 group of nations converted this target to a 50% cut in world emissions by 2050. As any new climate deal is likely to permit developing countries to continue increasing their emissions for the foreseeable future, the bulk of this burden will fall on rich countries such as the US and Britain. Britain's share of the load could be as much as a 95% cut of national emissions by 2050. In anticipation of such a demand on them, several countries including Britain have unilaterally pledged to cut their emissions. Several have also set interim targets, such as the EU's pledge to reduce emissions 20% by 2020, rising to 30% if enough countries follow its lead. Cities, companies and states have also set targets. Here is a selection: Moving the goalposts? Some scientists have criticised climate targets as based on "anecdotal rather than systematic" information. Others point out that they can fail to include all sources of emissions. Britain's original climate change bill, for example, failed to include pollution from aviation and shipping, though its climate watchdog now recommends they are included. David King, former chief scientific adviser to the government, has said it is critical that official targets are "seen to be achievable". This has led to a stand-off between both campaigners and scientists who complain that domestic targets are not ambitious enough, and politicians who fear setting unrealistic goals. Some scientists are even saying that the G8's global goal of 50% reductions by 2050 - already very difficult to achieve - is not enough. In May, experts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the G8 goal "will not avoid global impacts". They said the target should be tightened to a 80% cut in world emissions by 2050. Many observers believe radical political leadership is essential if such severe cuts are to be achieved, with the summit taking place in Copenhagen in December 2009 seen as a pivotal moment. The scale of the task was highlighted this month by the UK Met Office, which warned that global greenhouse gas emissions would have to start falling by 3% from 2010 to stand a chance of limiting warming to 2C. Global emissions are currently rising. | ['environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/carbonfootprints', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'profile/davidadam'] | environment/carbonfootprints | EMISSIONS | 2008-10-07T09:11:00Z | true | EMISSIONS |
world/2005/sep/03/hurricanekatrina.usa2 | Bush seen as doing too little, too late | The fallout from the Gulf coast disaster could take a heavy political toll on President George Bush, who has been accused by some of fiddling while New Orleans drowns. His already plummeting popularity rating is likely to take another big hit, according to experts who say the public largely see his response to the tragedy as several days too late, inadequate and insincere. Visiting the storm-wrecked town of Biloxi, Mississippi, Mr Bush hugged a sobbing survivor. The woman, Bronwynne Bassier, 23, clutched a plastic bag containing all she had rescued from her wrecked home. "We're going to get you some help," Mr Bush said. "Hang in there. Help is on the way." Later on the tour, Mr Bush was asked if the US could continue spending billions of dollars in the war in Iraq amid the hurricane crisis. He replied: "We've got plenty of resources to do both. We'll secure our country from the terrorists and we'll rebuild this area. We've got what it takes to do more than one thing." But even as the rescue operation continues, anger is growing that the administration's focus on the war in Iraq diminished its ability to respond adequately to a growing crisis at home. "There's no doubt it has already led people to further question the president's involvement in Iraq," said William Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama. "If we didn't have so many resources there, we might have been able to respond to the tragedy here at home more quickly." Public dissent over Mr Bush's reaction is reflected in newspaper editorials, radio talk shows and weblogs. The New York Times described the president's first public comments on the tragedy on Wednesday, two days after the storm hit, as "one of the worst speeches of his career". Its columnist Paul Krugman wrote: "America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can't-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job. And while it makes those excuses, Americans are dying." Amanda Lang, a retired US army officer and political commentator writing on the Opednews.com weblog, attacked the president for staying on vacation at his Crawford ranch for three days before returning to Washington. "He treats his own citizens with the same contempt and callousness as he does the Iraqi civilians, as 'collateral damage'," Professor Lang said. Referring to Mr Bush's address to citizens of the Gulf coast, she added: "His heart and prayers may have been there, but his ass sure wasn't." Those directly involved in the tragedy have also spoken out. Ray Nagin, the New Orleans mayor, reflected the anger of his stranded citizens when he told a local radio station: "We had an incredible crisis here and his flying over in Air Force One does not do it justice. They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn - excuse my French, everybody in America, but I am pissed [off]." Prof Stewart said Mr Bush's early handling of the situation was definitely "not a plus" but that he was always going to receive criticism regardless of his actions. "It is easy to say in retrospect that he should have done such and such but, because of the scale of the problems, any administration would have been underprepared." Political enemies wasted little time in weighing in. President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, a long-time critic who refers to Mr Bush as Mr Danger, said: "That man, the king of vacations, said nothing but 'you have to flee', and did not say how. It's cowboy mentality." With a war in the Middle East, economic difficulties at home, including soaring petrol prices, and now the nation's largest natural disaster to deal with, Mr Bush is facing his biggest challenge since the 2001 terrorist attacks. "This is a supreme test of Bush's leadership at a time when resources are thin and his approval ratings are perilously low," poll expert John Zogby told Reuters. "The president is going to have to do a lot more than a 25-minute flyover." | ['world/world', 'us-news/hurricane-katrina', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'world/natural-disasters', 'profile/richardluscombe'] | us-news/hurricane-katrina | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2005-09-03T12:38:28Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sport/2024/mar/14/first-professional-rugby-union-player-cte-billy-guyton | First professional rugby union player confirmed to have died with CTE | The first confirmed diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a fully professional rugby union player has been made in New Zealand. Billy Guyton, who represented the Māori All Blacks, played scrum-half in Super Rugby for the Blues and had stints with the Hurricanes and Crusaders, died in May at the age of 33. Guyton’s brain was donated to the brain bank at the University of Auckland. On Monday, his family received a summary of the results, the first item of which details “changes consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy”. The diagnosis was confirmed by Associate Professor Michael Buckland, founder and director of the Australian Sports Brain Bank, as stage 2 CTE, which sits between mild (stage 1) and severe (stage 4) in the strata of this degenerative disease. The co-director of the Auckland brain bank, Prof Maurice Curtis, told RNZ: “The diagnosis of a young person with CTE is significant as it indicates how early in life the brain has been affected by head knocks.” The only known cause of CTE is traumatic brain injury, be it from one catastrophic incident such as a car crash, or through repeated blows to the brain over several years, as in a collision sport. Length of time in such a sport is the most powerful association with CTE, but Guyton suffered from multiple concussions and took the decision to retire because of the symptoms he was experiencing in 2018 at the age of 28. The summary of the report, seen by the Guardian, also describes the condition of cavum septum pellucidum, a fissure in the middle of the brain associated with traumatic brain injury, and age-related tau deposits, which are not diagnostic of CTE, although often associated, but irregular in a young brain. “We share the family’s concern at his diagnosis,” said New Zealand Rugby. “Any time the rugby community loses a member, especially someone as young and talented as Billy, it is felt deeply.” NZR is concerned about the possibility that repeated head impacts during participation in rugby may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases in later life.” CTE can currently be diagnosed only postmortem, although science is moving closer to a diagnostic method for the living. Dozens of former professional rugby players, including the England World Cup winner Steve Thompson, the Wales international Alix Popham and the All Black Carl Hayman, have been diagnosed with suspected CTE. They have joined hundreds of other former players in taking action against the governing bodies of World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union, claiming they were neither looked after properly during their playing days nor informed of what was known about the links between repeated head injury and CTE. Guyton never played rugby professionally in England or Wales, so his family is not eligible to join the action for now. Reports in New Zealand said Guyton is suspected to have taken his own life. His death was referred to the coroner at the time. “All who care about collision sports have to accept we will witness over the next few decades many more players dying prematurely from their neurodegeneration,” said Richard Boardman of Rylands Garth, who is representing the players in their lawsuit. “Many more will be found to have, postmortem, CTE. There is an urgent need for these sports to limit the amount of contact players are sustaining over 30-game, 11-month seasons. Playing elite rugby is as dangerous for the brain as ever.” • In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org | ['sport/rugby-union', 'sport/sport', 'sport/concussion-in-sport', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michaelaylwin', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/sport', 'theguardian/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/concussion-in-sport | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2024-03-14T14:12:11Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
business/2009/mar/21/g20-summit-protesters | Police try to forestall 'innovative' G20 summit protesters | Police are facing two days of unprecedented protest by a collaboration of "innovative and clever" direct action groups during the G20 summit in London, a senior officer said yesterday. All leave has been cancelled in the Metropolitan police and extra officers are being drafted in from forces across the country to help the capital's force during a week that will see the first visit to London by Barack Obama, the arrival of 39 other delegations from across the world and some of the best organised environmental and anarchist groups combining to try to bring the capital to a standstill. Senior police are meeting next week to attempt to predict what the protesters are planning on 1 and 2 April when world leaders descend on London for the summit. But they know hundreds of anarchist, anti-globalisation, anti-war and environmental protest groups are forming alliances to storm buildings, seal off roads, set up impromptu climate camps and launch inflatable dinghies in an attempt to breach the summit security at the Excel centre in Docklands via the river Thames. More than 2,500 officers will flood the capital to counter the threat of violent protests in an operation costing £7.2m. Commander Bob Broadhurst, who is responsible for the operation, said police will be stretched to the limit as high-profile events coincide. Dozens of leading world figures, including Obama, will begin to arrive on Tuesday 31 March. The next day campaigners will focus on institutions in the Square Mile in a series of annual April Fool's Day anti-globalisation and climate change demonstrations. As the G20 summit begins on 2 April, the spotlight will shift to the Excel conference centre in Docklands. In the same week the president of Mexico will conduct a state visit, England will play Slovakia and Ukraine at Wembley and the Varsity boat race will take place. Broadhurst said officers from six forces would be involved in the security operation. "These are innovative people and we must be innovative as well. It will be an exciting couple of days, to say the least." Protesters are likely to target London's financial district, including the Bank of England, and police fear the sharp economic downturn may raise the stakes. One of the highest-profile protests will be an impromptu 24-hour climate camp campaigners hope to bring to the Bishopsgate and Threadneedle Street area. Police are also expecting action to block streets, attempts to infiltrate businesses and demonstrations heading in several directions at once. Up to 40 armed convoys will ferry political figures and diplomats between meetings including the G20 summit and receptions at Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. • This article was amended on Tuesday 24 March 2009. The TUC is not organising a jobs rally in Trafalgar Square for the same week as the G20 summit in London, as we said above. The Put People First campaign group, which involves the TUC and 120 other organisations, will hold a march and rally in Hyde Park on March 28. This has been amended. | ['world/g20', 'world/protest', 'environment/activism', 'uk/police', 'politics/economy', 'business/economics', 'business/global-economy', 'politics/foreignpolicy', 'environment/environment', 'politics/politics', 'business/business', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'profile/sandralaville', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews'] | environment/activism | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2009-03-21T00:01:00Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
world/2018/sep/30/bodies-everywhere-indonesia-rescue-efforts-focus-on-palu | 'Bodies everywhere': Indonesia rescue efforts focus on Palu | On Friday evening, Palu’s Talise beach had been heaving with people, gathered joyfully for the opening of the city’s Nomini music festival. But by Saturday morning, in the devastating aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Sulawesi, the beach was strewn with bodies. Corpses could be seen floating in the sea. “Along the Palu coast, houses were swept away by the tsunami, including my house in Tondo, lost completely to the tsunami. Bodies are everywhere,” said Ical, a local journalist. The full extent of the damage done by the 7.5-magnitude earthquake, the subsequent tsunami and 170 aftershocks, is still unknown. The city of Palu, which was the focal point of most rescue efforts on Sunday, was strewn with debris but a lack of heavy equipment obstructed efforts to find survivors in the rubble, with rescuers just using their hands. The city is built around a narrow bay which it is believed may have intensified the force of the tsunami waters as they hit. Visible among the wreckage was a bridge broken in half, a mosque submerged in water, its turret and dome collapsed inwards, and a shopping mall reduced to a crumpled wreck. “It is believed there are still people trapped in the mall,” said a reporter from the Indonesian news outlet MetroTV. “I can smell the very strong odour of decaying bodies.” Rescuers spent the day attempting to rescue survivors who were heard screaming from the wreckage of Palu’s collapsed eight-storey Roa Roa hotel. Six people were pulled out alive but dozens are still trapped. “There are 50 people under the rubble of the building. Heavy equipment is needed for evacuation,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for the BNBP disaster agency. Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search and rescue team, said that heavy equipment was on the way. “We are trying our best. Time is so important here to save people,” he added. Most bodies recovered in Palu were brought to a police hospital, where they began stacking up quickly, and by midday on Sunday, 320 corpses were laid out in the courtyard under the baking sun. People desperately looking for relatives walked among the bodies, trying to identify faces. Among them was Baharuddin, who was searching for his son. “I have one child, he’s missing,” he said. “I last spoke to him before he went to school in the morning.” Sutopo said once identified, the bodies would be buried in mass graves immediately to stop the spread of disease, but would be “buried properly” later. The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, arrived in Palu on Sunday to inspect the damage. “There are many challenges,” Jokowi said to reporters. “We have to do many things soon, but conditions do not allow us to do so.” While the death toll sits at 832, this barely accounts for the worst hit area, the city of Donggala, where 300,000 people live and rescue teams are still struggling to reach. Rafiq Anshori, a spokesperson for the Red Cross on the ground in Palu, said he and his team had spent the day collecting bodies from the beach and outside buildings. He described the scenes the Red Cross team were encountering as “much worse than the earthquake in Lombok” – referring to the recent earthquake on the Indonesian island – and said most roads were cracked, making access difficult. He estimated around 60% of buildings in Palu were destroyed. Tens of thousands of residents who escaped were in temporary shelters, many desperately trying to locate friends and relatives. “The ground rose up like a spine and suddenly fell,” said Palu resident Nur Indah through tears. “Many people were trapped and buried under collapsed houses. I could do nothing to help. In the evening, some of them turned on their cellphones just to give a sign that they were there. But the lights were off later and the next day.” Over 500 people have been injured and many taken to makeshift outdoor clinics, as hospitals were unable to cope under the increasing pressure. Sitting outside the army hospital, Dwi Haris said he had only been in Palu for a wedding. Tears filled his eyes as he recounted feeling the violent earthquake shake the fifth-floor hotel room he shared with his wife and daughter. “There was no time to save ourselves. I was squeezed into the ruins of the wall, I think,” said Haris, who had suffered a broken back and shoulder. “I heard my wife cry for help, but then silence. I don’t know what happened to her and my child. I hope they are safe.” | ['world/indonesia', 'world/earthquakes', 'world/tsunamis', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'world/indonesia-tsunami', 'profile/hannah-ellis-petersen', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-foreign'] | world/indonesia-tsunami | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2018-09-30T12:23:51Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
australia-news/2017/feb/07/indigenous-owners-threaten-legal-action-unless-adani-abandons-land-access-deal | Indigenous owners threaten legal action unless Adani abandons land access deal | Traditional owners opposed to Adani’s Carmichael mine have threatened fresh court action unless the company abandons a contentious land access deal that has been thrown into doubt by a landmark federal court case in Western Australia. Adani’s bid to register an Indigenous land use agreement (ILUA) with the Wangan and Jagalingou people – a crucial step towards building Australia’s largest coalmine in central Queensland – was due to be decided on Friday by the national Native Title Tribunal. But lawyers for five W&J representatives who opposed the deal wrote to Adani demanding it withdraw its application by 14 February. Should Adani refuse, the W&J opponents would file a new federal court application to have it struck out, they said. The federal court ruled last Thursday that an ILUA concerning the Noongar people of south-west WA was invalid because not all their native title applicant group had signed it. The W&J agreement with Adani was signed a year ago by seven of its 12 applicant members. Guardian Australia has revealed the seven pro-Adani representatives pocketed discreet payments while resurrecting talks with the miner, whose previous overtures for an ILUA had twice been rejected by the W&J. The current deal comes with a proposed upfront windfall of $550,000, down from $1.5m the miner allegedly offered in 2014. The land use deal is crucial for Adani. Without it, the Queensland government would need to forcibly acquire the proposed mine site and extinguish W&J native title rights. This would throw further doubt on Adani’s ability to attract finance, given many international banks have pledged not to back resources projects that don’t have Indigenous traditional owner support, according to energy analyst Tim Buckley. “Consent of Indigenous owners in Australia is critical to the proposed project proceeding and the securing of finance,” he said. A key W&J opponent of the Adani mine, Adrian Burragubba, said the group would “defeat this company’s attempts to divide and conquer us and continue our legal battles to remove the leases issued by the Queensland government”. “We make it plain to the Queensland and federal governments that we will not surrender our ancestral homelands for Adani’s mine of mass destruction,” he said. The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has appealed to the federal government to examine changes to native title laws to deal with the Noongar precedent. “It is imperative that this issue be addressed as soon as possible, given my government’s determination to see the Adani project proceed,” Palaszczuk told the Townsville Bulletin. The prospect of either federal legislative changes or a high court challenge by the WA government to the federal court ruling has prompted a Noongar representative to flag their own high court action in response. Mervyn Eades, who was involved in the WA court action, vowed there would be a high court challenge if there was a “an attempt by government to change the native title law again to suit their interests and disregard our people’s interests”. “If they feel the law got it wrong then they should take their appeal to the high court, but they do not want to do this because they know all too well that the high court will uphold the federal court ruling,” Eades said. “So instead they want to change their own rule book.” Either legislative changes or high court action would mean further delays for Adani, which has already pushed back its original deadline for producing coal from the central Queensland mine from 2014 to 2020. The letter from lawyers for the anti-Adani group in the W&J on Tuesday said the ruling on the Noongar was “now authority for the proposition that all persons” in a native title applicant must sign an ILUA to make it valid. It noted an objection to the Adani ILUA that they previously filed made this argument. The lawyers claimed material filed with the tribunal showed the meeting which claimed to authorise the ILUA was “a sham and, at the instigation of [Adani], was attended by persons who overwhelmingly were not members of and have never previously asserted to be Wangan and Jagalingou people or to have native title rights in the ILUA area”. The W&J opponents to the ILUA have also told Adani the company was unable to apply to register the deal as that also required agreement from all members of the applicant group. They would seek that Adani pay their legal costs if they were forced to take federal court action on the ILUA, their lawyers said. They did “not accept that their native title should be extinguished by the ILUA and have serious concerns regarding the devastation that the Carmichael project will bring to their culture and the environment”, their letter said. They did not believe that Adani “openly disclosed the financial risks associated with the Carmichael project”, it said. “They are concerned that the employment opportunities for Indigenous people are illusionary and the contracting proposals are not economically viable.” Their previous objection filed with the tribunal states that their refusal to sign “cannot be portrayed as an action designed to hold out against the wishes of the claim group of the native title claim”. “It has been sanctioned by a sizeable section of the claim group at two authorisation meeting[s].” An Adani spokesman said the company was “considering the federal court judgment which related to another project and surprised many people’s understanding of how the law operated to date”. He said it was “worth noting” that in the case of Adani’s ILUA with the W&J, an “authorisation meeting voted 294-1 to proceed”. “It is important that these laws operate to meet the aspirations of the majority of native title holders and can’t be used by minority elements to simply disrupt projects,” he said. | ['australia-news/wangan-and-jagalingou', 'australia-news/indigenous-australians', 'environment/carmichael-coalmine', 'business/adani-group', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/queensland', 'environment/environment', 'law/law-australia', 'environment/coal', 'australia-news/western-australia', 'business/mining', 'environment/mining', 'australia-news/queensland-politics', 'australia-news/annastacia-palaszczuk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/joshua-robertson', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2017-02-07T04:52:45Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/article/2024/jul/25/ulez-expansion-led-to-significant-drop-in-air-pollutants-in-london-report-finds | Ulez expansion led to significant drop in air pollutants in London, report finds | Levels of harmful air pollutants have dropped significantly since the ultra-low emission zone was enlarged to cover Greater London last year, according to a report from city hall. Analysis covering the first six months since the Ulez expansion found that total emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from cars across London were 13% lower than projected had the scheme remained confined to inner London, while NOx from vans was 7% lower. Levels of particulate pollution in the form of PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars in outer London are an estimated 22% lower than without the expansion. The total change was equivalent to removing 200,000 cars from the road for one year, the report said. London’s air quality was continuing to improve at a faster rate than the rest of England, with the capital’s pollution rapidly approaching levels seen across the country, it found. Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, extended Ulez from the inner London boroughs across the whole of London in August 2023. The move was bitterly opposed by many in outer London with a number of Conservative-led councils taking legal action. The most polluting cars must normally pay a £12.50 charge each day they are driven in the capital. Only a minority of cars on the road are affected, with most petrol cars under 19 years old and diesel cars under nine years old exempt. The proportion of non-compliant vehicles entering the expanded Ulez halved to less than 4% in February, compared with more than 8% detected on London’s roads last June. About 90,000 fewer non-compliant vehicles were detected daily on average each day in the zone. City hall said the improvements in air quality had exceeded the targets it had set in its consultation before the policy was implemented last year. Khan said: “Today’s report shows that the Ulez is working even better than expected. The expansion to outer London is already having a significant effect – driving down levels of pollution, taking old polluting cars off our roads and bringing cleaner air to millions more Londoners. “We are now set to get London’s air to within legal limits by 2025, 184 years earlier than previously projected.” Christina Calderato, the director of strategy at TfL, said the expansion had cut 424 tonnes of NOx emissions in six months. She said: “We know that toxic air is associated with increased risks of asthma, cancer and dementia, and that it disproportionately affects poorer Londoners and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. “With the greatest number of deaths attributable to air pollution occurring in outer London, it’s great to see these results since the Ulez was introduced London-wide.” Actual levels of NOx from cars in London have fallen by 23% year on year. About nine million people live in the area now covered by Ulez. A scrappage scheme has disbursed £184m to more than 53,000 approved applications, with about 250 vehicles sent to Ukraine instead of being scrapped. Overall traffic levels have not changed, bar usual seasonal variations, according to the report. Silviya Barrett, the policy director at Campaign for Better Transport, said: To further improve the capital’s air quality and reduce congestion, we now need to see fewer vehicles on the roads with ongoing investment in public transport and walking and cycling to help reduce the need to drive.” | ['environment/low-emission-zones', 'environment/air-pollution', 'politics/transport', 'uk/london', 'politics/sadiq-khan', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'business/business', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/gwyntopham', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-07-25T04:00:37Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
commentisfree/article/2024/may/15/1-5-degree-global-heating-target-climate-action | The 1.5C global heating target was always a dream, but its demise doesn't signal doom for climate action | Bill McKibben | I remember the first time I heard the 1.5C target. It was in a room at the Copenhagen climate talks in 2009. With the expectation of a binding agreement slipping away and negotiations failing, some of us activists joined delegates from vulnerable African and island nations in chanting “1.5 to stay alive”. It was a frank recognition that the 2C goal the climate diplomats were endlessly talking about – though not pursuing – was insufficient to deal with the increasingly clear realities of climate science. Since then, three things have happened. One, the global community more or less pledged to aim for that 1.5C target, in the preamble to the 2015 Paris climate accords. It was largely an effort to appease the small island states, added at the last minute. At the time, it wasn’t clear what a big impact it would have. Two, quite to the surprise of the negotiators who stuck it in, it became the central result of the Paris talks. This new target made the crisis seem almost as urgent as it really is: instead of talking about 2050, scientists made it clear we’d have to cut emissions in half by 2030 to have a chance of meeting the new goal. All of a sudden companies and countries were being forced to at least articulate 1.5-compliant goals: nothing has turned up the dial on climate action like this number. Three, despite the increased pressure, and a target that was widely communicated and understood, we didn’t act fast enough. The pandemic came at just the wrong moment, knocking the climate movement out of the streets and giving the fossil-fuel industry time to recover its footing; leadership of critical states during what you could call the Trump, Putin, Bolsonaro and Modi years killed some of the Paris momentum; and only now are we beginning to install solar, wind and batteries at anything like the required pace. So now we’ve gone past the 1.5C mark for at least a year, and as the recent Guardian survey of climate scientists makes clear, almost none of them think we will stay below that number long term. All of which is to say, the target was very useful, and at the same time we’re not going to meet it. But the odds have always been we wouldn’t; striving to do so was like trying to slam on the brakes. We didn’t mash the pedal fast enough, and so we’re going to have an accident – indeed, we are having them all the time in the form of increasing climate-fuelled disasters. But thanks to the goal those activists set, we at least reduced our speed somewhat. How bad things will get depends on the actions not of scientists, but on those who control our governments and economies, and on those of us who can push them. The researchers in the Guardian survey were mostly bleak: we’re likely to end up at 3C, many of them said. But it’s important to read their words carefully. For instance, Ruth Cerezo-Mota, a Mexican climate modeller, said: “I think 3C is being hopeful and conservative. 1.5C is already bad, but I don’t think there is any way we are going to stick to that. There is not any clear sign from any government that we are actually going to stay under 1.5C.” Her prediction rests not on climate science but on political science. She is entirely correct that governments are not making the right moves yet, and there’s good reason to fear they won’t. But of course that’s not inevitable – unlike physics, politics is at least theoretically malleable. If scientists could control the outcome, we’d be fine, but they probably aren’t the best people to ask about what’s going to happen politically: that’s like polling dietitians to find out how much I’ll weigh in a decade. Truth be told, the chances of politicians acting swiftly are probably better than they have been in the past. Not because of new scientific findings, but because solar, wind and batteries have become so cheap so fast that the amount of pain involved in the transition to clean energy is far less than it would have been a decade ago. We could actually do this. The remaining political pain is what politicians would suffer from standing up to an increasingly desperate fossil-fuel industry – the CEOs, say, who met with Donald Trump last month, to plot how they might together take down Joe Biden. So the job of activists is to make sure that there’s at least as much pain for politicians if they take that route – and real reward if they do the right thing. The precise number we’re aiming for matters less at this point than the time frame: what 1.5C taught the policymakers was that they can’t do their usual dithering. This is an emergency – and the sense of emergency hasn’t faded with the passing of a target. The news from the atmosphere and the ocean is very, very grim. The news from the engineers is promising. We don’t yet know how it will play out, just that we still have some power to decide. But only – and this is the most important message the scientists have to offer – if we act with great speed. If we don’t, the deal is done. Bill McKibben is the founder of Third Act, which organizes people over 60 for action on climate and democracy | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/mckibben-bill', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2024-05-15T12:06:56Z | true | EMISSIONS |
travel/2001/mar/19/netjetters2000sam.netjetters | Week 16: Victoria Falls to Livingstone | Opening my eyes I found myself struggling underwater. I kicked for the surface but my head banged against something soft. Looking up I could see what looked like rows of yellow tubes - I realised that I was under the inflatable raft. I pushed myself sideways and came up spluttering. Someone grabbed my lifejacket and hauled me back into the raft just as we smashed into another wave. This was my introduction to white water rafting on the Zambezi. We had put in at rapid number 11, just below Victoria Falls. The river was at full flood and the high water meant the upstream rapids were too dangerous: if you went overboard there, you might get sucked into a whirlpool. In fact, there were only a few days left before they were going to have to close the river for the season. I was in a raft with four Dutch guys and our guide. Tamiba was a huge, powerful lad who steered at the back using two long oars. We paddled down the first few rapids smoothly enough and I was beginning to think it was quite easy - when my world turned upside down. Shooting over rapid 16 we hit a wall of water. One of the Dutchmen was plucked out. All we could do was hang on for dear life. The raft was flipped up on its end and I went flying through the air. Bodies barrelled into me, and that's when I found myself underwater and under the raft. Safely back inside and with a bellyful of the Zambezi, I realized we had lost half the crew. The guy who fell out first was miles away clinging onto one of the rescue canoes that paddled with us. After picking him and the others up, we headed off again. I went in twice more before we reached the shore and started the long climb out of the gorge. Despite all the safety precautions, I really did feel I had put my life in danger. It was an immensely exhilarating experience, but not one I'll be quick to repeat. The town of Victoria Falls is pretty commercial. It's a bit like an African version of New Zealand's Queenstown: lots of operators offering all sorts of adrenalin activities. The only difference is that you are constantly hassled by money changers, curio sellers and drug dealers. The fact that there are very few tourists in Zimbabwe at the moment means I get these guys' undivided attention. And boy, are they persistent. In Bulawayo I had perfected a response of "No thank you, my friend," said in my deepest, most authoritative voice. This was supposed to indicate that I was an experienced traveller who was not to be messed, with and that in my case, "no" meant no. It didn't wash with this lot. As far as they were concerned, "no" meant "If I wave my wooden mask/animal/stick in your face and shout at you for long enough, then maybe you'll buy it." So I crossed the river and the border and travelled to Livingstone in Zambia for a few days. Everyone calls Zambia the real Africa, and Livingstone was much more like a normal working community. The wide streets were full of people milling about, everyone seemed friendly, and lots of people smiled and said hello to me. Reading the local newspaper (more of a monthly parish newsletter), I discovered that there had been a cholera outbreak here three weeks back. I also noted that Mr Mugati had been fined for slaughtering his goat in the street rather than in his shop. There were a lot more backpackers here, and the hostel I stayed in was almost full. People are obviously avoiding Zimbabwe and travelling up and down Africa through Zambia instead. I wandered around the National Museum, which had some interesting David Livingstone memorabilia, including his first-aid kit and some of his letters home. I also went on a game drive round the local park. This wasn't exactly a wilderness experience, as it was only a few miles from town, but I did see white rhino, zebra and warthogs. We were taken round by Don, an ancient English hippy who had bought a truck in Portugal and driven down through Africa in the seventies. Don certainly knew how to find the wildlife, but it was his driving I was more worried about. Stopping ten metres from a grazing rhino, he asked us to shout out if it charged the landrover. "Now where's reverse on this thing," he said. I had planned on travelling overland from Zimbabwe up through Mozambique to Malawi. However, I was told that the recent terrible flooding in Mozambique had washed away the bridges and the buses weren't running. Obviously I was sorry for the poor people who were stuck in the middle of this disaster, but on a more selfish level this was a bit of a blow as it meant I would have to fly from Harare at great expense. Then, after buying the ticket, I kicked myself when I realized I could have gone overland through Zambia for about half the price. Mind you, it's probably just as well I didn't since, if I had, you wouldn't be reading this. When I was there, the email service was down across the whole country. Someone had rung up to find out what was wrong, and had been told that the satellite was broken and it would take a couple of weeks to fix. I had a vision of pot-smoking Zambian spacemen staring at the satellite and shaking their heads sorrowfully. See you by the shores of Lake Malawi. | ['travel/netjetters2000sam', 'travel/netjetters', 'travel/travel', 'travel/netjettersblog', 'type/article'] | travel/netjetters2000sam | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2001-03-19T19:06:21Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2021/may/20/community-reusable-cup-scheme-unites-hampshire-village | Community reusable cup scheme unites Hampshire village | A Hampshire village has launched a scheme to replace all disposable cups in their village with a reusable mug that will be free for users with a simple £1 deposit. The Overton cup will be available in all the shops and cafes along Overton’s high street, including the greengrocer, “who does a lovely soup from his leftover vegetables”, according to Alison Zarecky, chair of Sustainable Overton. Customers pay their deposit (plus another £1 if they want a lid, which are non-returnable) and then return the cup once it’s been used to any deposit point in the village. As of last year, the UK was using about 2.5bn disposable cups a year, with a 2017 government report concluding that only one in 400 was being recycled. Reusable coffee cups were becoming more common, but with the risk unclear during the pandemic, many coffee outlets stopped accepting them. However, many health experts now believe that reusables are low risk. But the Overton cup is just one of a number of initiatives being put into practice in the village. “The parish council declared a climate emergency in 2019,” said Zarecky. “And then we called for volunteers, and set up Sustainable Overton, and so many people came forward. It was really quite wonderful.” They began thinking about what they could do, and established links with other groups around the country. They have set up a nappy library, thanks to a grant from Hampshire county council, and are establishing a community energy project. They also have a plastics team, and have trained up “energy champions” to help people to green their homes, including a thermal camera hire service so users can work out where their house is leaking energy. “We’ve learned a lot from what other places have done,” says Zarecky. The cup scheme was inspired by a similar idea in Shrewsbury a couple of years ago, while Ashton Hayes in Cheshire, which has been working on a carbon neutral community since 2006, was “inspirational”. But there were also questions that they could not immediately find answers to, and so they have produced toolkits for setting up a climate group. “It’s been a massive learning curve.” The next step? To encourage more villages and towns to set up their own community energy groups. “In Hampshire we only generate about 1.8% of our own energy,” says Zarecky. “There’s a lot of roof space here.” Even though they were unable to meet in person during the pandemic, more people have volunteered for the group in the last year than ever. “I think we know this is important and we want to do something meaningful about it.” | ['environment/recycling', 'environment/ethical-living', 'society/communities', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'environment/waste', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/bibivanderzee', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2021-05-20T12:23:00Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2020/mar/11/polar-ice-caps-melting-six-times-faster-than-in-1990s | Polar ice caps melting six times faster than in 1990s | The polar ice caps are melting six times faster than in the 1990s, according to the most complete analysis to date. The ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica is tracking the worst-case climate warming scenario set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientists say. Without rapid cuts to carbon emissions the analysis indicates there could be a rise in sea levels that would leave 400 million people exposed to coastal flooding each year by the end of the century. Rising sea levels are the one of the most damaging long-term impacts of the climate crisis, and the contribution of Greenland and Antarctica is accelerating. The new analysis updates and combines recent studies of the ice masses and predicts that 2019 will prove to have been a record-breaking year when the most recent data is processed. The previous peak year for Greenland and Antarctic ice melting was 2010, after a natural climate cycle led to a run of very hot summers. But the Arctic heatwave of 2019 means it is nearly certain that more ice was lost last year. The average annual loss of ice from Greenland and Antarctica in the 2010s was 475bn tonnes – six times greater than the 81bn tonnes a year lost in the 1990s. In total the two ice caps lost 6.4tn tonnes of ice from 1992 to 2017, with melting in Greenland responsible for 60% of that figure. The IPCC’s most recent mid-range prediction for global sea level rise in 2100 is 53cm. But the new analysis suggests that if current trends continue the oceans will rise by an additional 17cm. “Every centimetre of sea level rise leads to coastal flooding and coastal erosion, disrupting people’s lives around the planet,” said Prof Andrew Shepherd, of the University of Leeds. He said the extra 17cm would mean the number of exposed to coastal flooding each year rising from 360 million to 400 million. “These are not unlikely events with small impacts,” he said. “They are already under way and will be devastating for coastal communities.” Erik Ivins, of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in California, who led the assessment with Shepherd, said the lost ice was a clear sign of global heating. “The satellite measurements provide prima facie, rather irrefutable, evidence,” he said. Almost all the ice loss from Antarctica and half of that from Greenland arose from warming oceans melting the glaciers that flow from the ice caps. This causes glacial flow to speed up, dumping more icebergs into the ocean. The remainder of Greenland’s ice losses are caused by hotter air temperatures that melt the surface of the ice sheet. The combined analysis was carried out by a team of 89 scientists from 50 international organisations, who combined the findings of 26 ice surveys. It included data from 11 satellite missions that tracked the ice sheets’ changing volume, speed of flow and mass. About a third of the total sea level rise now comes from Greenland and Antarctic ice loss. Just under half comes from the thermal expansion of warming ocean water and a fifth from other smaller glaciers. But the latter sources are not accelerating, unlike in Greenland and Antarctica. Shepherd said the ice caps had been slow to respond to human-caused global heating. Greenland and especially Antarctica were quite stable at the start of the 1990s despite decades of a warming climate. Shepherd said it took about 30 years for the ice caps to react. Now that they had a further 30 years of melting was inevitable, even if emissions were halted today. Nonetheless, he said, urgent carbon emissions cuts were vital. “We can offset some of that [sea level rise] if we stop heating the planet.” The IPCC is in the process of producing a new global climate report and its lead author, Prof Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir, of the University of Iceland, said: “The reconciled estimate of Greenland and Antarctic ice loss is timely.” She said she also saw increased losses from Iceland’s ice caps last year. “Summer 2019 was very warm in this region.” | ['environment/sea-level', 'environment/glaciers', 'environment/poles', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/greenland', 'world/antarctica', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/poles | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2020-03-11T16:00:06Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2024/apr/03/astrid-schomaker-new-chief-un-convention-biological-diversity-cbd-eu-cop16 | UN names veteran EU official Astrid Schomaker as new biodiversity chief | The next UN biodiversity chief will be Astrid Schomaker, an EU civil servant who will be entrusted with helping the world confront the ongoing catastrophic loss of nature. Schomaker has been a career official with the EU commission for 30 years. A surprise appointment, she will be tasked with corralling governments to make good on their commitments to protect life on Earth – something they have not done in more than 30 years since the UN biodiversity convention was created. The German official is expected to take charge of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) this year, ahead of the Cop16 summit in Cali, Colombia, where governments will gather for the first time since setting this decade’s biodiversity targets. In December 2022, every state apart from the US and Vatican reached a deal at the Cop15 summit in Montreal to halt the destruction of the Earth’s ecosystems, agreeing on 23 targets including protecting 30% of Earth for nature, phasing out or reforming $500bn (£400bn) of environmentally harmful subsidies, and restoring 30% of the planet’s degraded ecosystems. But the measures have faced a strong backlash, despite scientific warnings that the biodiversity crisis could drive a million species to extinction and endanger human civilisations. This year, for example, the EU dropped plans to halve the use of pesticides after farmers across Europe protested against new EU proposals on emissions, use of chemicals and nutrient runoff. Schomaker’s appointment was announced by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, on Tuesday after an extensive interview process. She replaces the former UN biodiversity chief Elizabeth Maruma Mrema more than a year after Mrema left the post, which has been filled by the acting chief, David Cooper. Guterres praised Schomaker, who has also led the European Commission’s divisions for marine and freshwater issues, for her experience in international negotiations and knowledge of global environmental issues. Ariel Brunner, director of BirdLife Europe, said Schomaker would need to help convince the rest of the world that the EU remained credible on international issues. “I congratulate Astrid for the appointment and wish her luck in convincing national governments that biodiversity is a matter of national survival. The EU has always been the driving force behind the CBD, but at the moment it is defaulting on most of its commitments,” he said. “Astrid will need to convince the rest of the world that the EU is still a credible partner – and convince the EU to actually be one,” he said. Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features | ['environment/series/the-age-of-extinction', 'environment/biodiversity', 'global-development/global-development', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/environment', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/world', 'environment/cop15', 'world/antonio-guterres', 'world/european-commission', 'world/eu', 'world/europe-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/patrick-greenfield', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-age-of-extinction'] | environment/series/the-age-of-extinction | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-04-03T16:53:26Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
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