id stringlengths 16 182 | title stringlengths 6 152 | body stringlengths 284 6.92k | tags stringlengths 50 917 | extracted_from_tag stringclasses 177 values | category stringclasses 10 values | date stringdate 1998-09-29 21:43:09 2024-12-31 13:00:45 | use bool 1 class | label stringclasses 10 values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
environment/2018/mar/20/survey-reveals-which-easter-eggs-use-the-most-packaging | Survey reveals which Easter eggs use the most packaging | Packaging alone accounts for up to a quarter, on average, of the total weight of the most popular Easter eggs on sale on the High Street, new research by a consumer group has revealed. The worst offender in the top 10 best-selling branded eggs analysed by Which? was Thorntons’ Classic Large Egg, where the cardboard box and plastic make up more than a third (36.4%) of the product’s weight. Which? compared the eggs by weighing their packaging as well as chocolate contents to find out the proportion of cardboard, plastic and foil in each – as well as assessing their recyclability. The second-worst was Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Egg that has a packaging weight percentage of 28.1%, while Mars’s Milk Chocolate Easter Egg and Chocolate Bar and Cadbury’s Creme Giant Egg both weighed in at just above the 25% average at 25.5% and 25.1% respectively. For many years chocolate eggs made headlines for the volume of packaging which ended up in landfill at Easter, with manufacturers and retailers criticised for not doing more to reduce it and make it more recyclable. But Which? said industry improvements in both areas had now paid off, with almost all of the packaging from the eggs in this study recyclable. The only elements that could not be recycled were chocolate bar wrappers and plastic windows. “The UK produces around 11.5m tonnes of packaging waste every year, and much of this comes from food and drink packaging,” said Nikki Stopford, director of research at Which? “It’s great to see that some manufacturers have taken on board concerns about excessive packaging and that chocolate lovers can enjoy their eggs without too much compromise.” The Which? survey found that Cadbury’s Twirl Large Easter Egg had the least packaging of the 10, accounting for just 18.8 % of the total weight. It is packed almost entirely in cardboard meaning that most of it can be recycled. Only the two chocolate bar wrappers in the package, together weighing less than a gram, can’t go in the recycling bin. “From plastic to cardboard, the bulk can be collected by recycling workers as part of the kerbside collection service,” the survey said. The plastic that comes with Easter eggs is usually PET 1, the same type of plastic that bottles are made of and easily recycled by 99% of local authorities. Foil is also recyclable; Recycle Now, the national recycling campaign for England, recommends cleaning it and scrunching it into a ball. A Thorntons spokesperson said: “At Thorntons, the packaging we use is carefully designed to maintain the freshness and quality that is the hallmark of our products. All of the packaging used in the Thorntons Classic Collection Easter egg is recyclable, with the exception of the small plastic window film on the carton which contains the Classic collection chocolates. In addition to being recyclable, the fitment that protects the egg is itself made from 50% recycled plastic. Full details of the recyclability are clearly stated on pack. As a company, we are strongly committed to environmental responsibility and we are always looking for innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of our packaging.” | ['environment/recycling', 'environment/waste', 'business/packaging', 'environment/environment', 'environment/ethical-living', 'lifeandstyle/easter', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'business/business', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rebeccasmithers', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/recycling | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-03-20T07:01:34Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
sport/2024/feb/11/england-wales-steve-borthwick-six-nations-rugby-union | England scrap shows Borthwick has a way to go to in ambitious rebuild | Andy Bull | The forecast was for rain during the game on Saturday. The two coaches had kept one eye on the weather apps all week, Warren Gatland had already had to cancel Wales’ outdoor training because the conditions were so miserable in the run-up, and they had tailored their plans to suit. So had the 80,000 crowd, who had come in boots, coats, and caps, carrying brollies, everyone expecting another heavy grey wet day, and a hard-going game, what they got, instead, was the first fine afternoon of February, and, what was in its way, a regular helter-skelter set-to of a match. It started under a glorious sunset, which lit the west stand of the old ground brilliant pink. For an hour, it felt like it might have been an omen. Red sky at night, Gatland’s delight. He had warned the Welsh weren’t intimidated by the prospect of playing here, and his team were as good as his word. Wales tore up Twickenham for an hour, and even though England scraped by with a win, the truth is their latest game here turned out their shakiest since their last, when they lost to Fiji by eight points in August. It has been a long six months since, and they have put together a run of seven wins in eight away from home, in Marseille, Nice, Lille, Paris, and Rome, with the solitary loss that 16-15 defeat to South Africa in the World Cup semi-final. That run of results was based on a stripped-back, pragmatic, style of play that suited the circumstances, and the short time head coach Steve Borthwick had to work in. Now that the tournament’s behind them, Borthwick is trying to build something a little more ambitious. Which is good, and right. Only watching his team here, it felt clear they’ve a way to go yet before they’re close to perfecting it. They say a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, but you do wonder if it is supposed to be a backwards one. England’s new blitz defence, in particular, is clearly taking a lot of getting used to. It’s the work of their new defence coach, Felix Jones, who joined them from South Africa in the winter. Jones explained in the match programme that “what most defences are chasing is an increase in putting opposition skill sets under pressure”. England, on the other hand, seemed to be giving the Welsh a chance to show theirs off. Seeing it in action was a bit like watching a fire brigade take turns to try to put out a blaze by rushing up to smother it with a damp flannel. The tacklers would come hurtling up out of the line, and often as not the Welsh would simply ship the ball on and the next man along would slip into the gap the tackler had left in the line behind them. So far England have conceded more tries in the opening two matches of this championship than they did in all four they played in the pool stages of the World Cup. They have some resilience though. You could see that in their try in the first half, when they managed to score off an attacking scrum even though they had two forwards in the sin-bin. Ollie Chessum had been sent there for a high tackle on Keiron Assiratti, and Ethan Roots joined him five minutes later after he collapsed a maul in the run-up to Wales’ opening try. It was a hell of an effort given that they were packing down with seven men, and one of them was Tommy Freeman. They held steady long enough for Ben Earl to pick up the ball and charge over the tryline. It was just a shame that George Ford failed to get his conversion away afterwards. The Welsh defence set off sprinting when Ford shuffled a couple of inches to his left, and he stood there dumbstruck as they hacked the ball away off his tee for him. It sort of summed up their performance, which was ever so earnest, and full of effort, but lacking a little wit. This time, though, effort was enough. England pulled themselves back into the match over the course of the second half, and scored, in the end, after they spread the ball wide to Fraser Dingwall. Along with a couple of penalties, it was enough to give them a skinny two-point victory. The margin made it an entertaining old game in its way. And it’s true, too, that England carried the crowd along with them. The atmosphere at the ground was better than it had been in a long while, and the fans sang throughout, but still, you sense England need to get better, and fast, if they’re going to beat any of the three teams waiting ahead of them in the championship. | ['sport/six-nations-2024', 'sport/england-rugby-union-team', 'sport/sixnations', 'sport/rugby-union', 'sport/sport', 'campaign/email/the-breakdown', 'sport/wales-rugby-union-team', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/andybull', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/sport', 'theobserver/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/wales-rugby-union-team | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2024-02-11T08:00:08Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2006/jul/05/science.ruralaffairs | Sea change turns farmland into marsh | John White remembers vividly the night in February 1953 when he woke to find water lapping at the second floor of his parents' house. He was eight years old. "I had to climb into a rowing boat from my bedroom window," he said. Mr White, a farmer, who has lived almost all his life on Wallasea island on the Essex coast near Southend, was nearly killed that night when the sea wall protecting the island breached. Yesterday Wallasea again surrendered some of its land to the sea, but this time the dismantling of the protective wall was deliberate, to create Europe's largest artificially constructed marine wetland area. An area the size of 110 football pitches that was once farmland is now part of the Crouch estuary. The project, which has created a wetland of interconnected creeks, islands, tidal mudflats and salt marshes, has a long and complex history. In 1993, the Medway, Stour and Orwell estuaries were designated special protection areas under the European wild birds directive. Despite this, the government allowed development at two port sites which destroyed vital inter-tidal habitats for wading birds. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds took the government to the European court and won, forcing ministers to pay for a replacement for the lost habitat or face hefty fines. The substitute at Wallasea will be the largest man-made tidal wetland in Europe. Mark Dixon, who is managing the project for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said the site had been chosen with more than the birds in mind. The old sea wall was in need of large-scale repairs anyway, so the mudflats and salt marshes ahead of the new set-back wall have been designed to improve the island's defence against the sea. "They are rare habitats. They look nice. They are good for birds. They are good for fish. And they are just great at stopping storm waves," he said. He likens sea defences to stopping a lorry whose brakes have failed. "Either you build a brick wall and the lorry will slam into it and stop - but that wall will keep falling down. Or you can build a gradual slope and that lorry will stop time and time again. The mudflat and saltmarsh is that gradual slope." The project has cost Defra about £7.5m including purchase of the land. It will be completed nearly six months ahead of schedule and more than £1m under budget. Flooding the site involved a race against the tidal clock yesterday as diggers and earth-moving trucks rushed to eat through the old sea wall in three places. The largest breach is 210 metres long, and the operation had to be finished during low tide. This is the last phase of a two-year effort to design and build the habitat behind the breaches. There are pools and creeks that will act as nurseries for young fish, mudflats to provide food for wading birds, islands for nesting birds, and, in front of the new sea wall, a 20 metre wide stretch of salt marsh. | ['environment/environment', 'science/science', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'environment/conservation', 'uk/uk', 'environment/sea-level', 'type/article', 'profile/jamesranderson', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews2'] | environment/sea-level | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2006-07-05T09:48:04Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
business/2006/aug/23/nuclearindustry.uknews | BNFL looks to avoid political row with subsidiary break-up | The board of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd (BNFL) is trying to keep government privatisation plans on track by proposing to break up its British Nuclear Group subsidiary and sell off parts of that business. But the sale of the wider BNG company would be postponed until a new clean-up contract can be finalised for the key Sellafield site, which it manages for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. A special board meeting yesterday agreed that BNFL should ask for government approval to proceed immediately with the sale of BNG's project services unit and its third share in the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston. "The sale of the remainder of British Nuclear Group and the associated competition for the Sellafield and reactor sites will continue to be discussed with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and a joint approach developed and agreed quickly," the company said in a statement. BNG's project services unit employs about 600 staff and has won decommissioning contracts in Britain, Russia and Bulgaria. AWE holds a contract from the Ministry of Defence to operate the Aldermaston weapons research site and is jointly owned by BNG with the private firms Serco and Lockheed Martin. Both businesses could easily be sold to smaller, possibly UK-based operators, BNFL believes. This would also ease political concerns that a larger BNG would end up under the control of a major US corporation such as Bechtel or Fluor. | ['business/business', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'uk/uk', 'politics/privatisation', 'type/article', 'profile/terrymacalister'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2006-08-23T00:06:03Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2022/aug/09/spyware-canada-threat-democracy-human-rights | Spyware is huge threat to global human rights and democracy, expert warns | The mercenary spyware industry represents “one of the greatest contemporary threats to civil society, human rights and democracy”, a leading cybersecurity expert warns, as countries grapple with the unregulated spread of powerful and invasive surveillance tools. Ron Deibert, a political science professor at the university of Toronto and head of Citizen Lab, will testify in front of a Canadian parliamentary committee on Tuesday afternoon about the growing threat he and others believe the technology poses to citizens and democracies. In prepared remarks shared with the Guardian ahead of his testimony to a Canadian parliamentary committee, Deibert cautioned that the software used by law enforcement agencies and autocratic regimes was akin to a “wiretap on steroids”, with little formal oversight. In June, Canada’s federal police agency admitted it uses powerful spyware technology. The tools, which have been used on at least 10 investigations between 2018 and 2020, give the police access to text messages, email, photos, videos, audio files, calendar entries and financial records. The software can also remotely turn on the camera and microphone of a suspect’s phone or laptop. Civil rights groups condemned the police use of the technology as “profoundly dangerous” and the disclosure prompted the House of Commons ethics and privacy committee to call for summer study of the issue. Deibert has previously briefed senior government officials in Canada and other democracies about the risks posed by the technology and the need for safeguards to regulate its use. Last year, a collaborative investigation between the Guardian and other major international outlets, called the Pegasus project, revealed that spyware licensed by the Israeli firm NSO Group had been used to hack smartphones belonging to journalists, lawyers and human rights activists. On Monday, the RCMP told the committee it has never used the Pegasus software. The brazen targeting of activists and journalists, as well as the unanswered questions about possible national security risks, have prompted some governments to begin curtailing the spread of the technology. In 2021 the commerce department in the United States announced it had placed mercenary spyware companies like NSO on the country’s Entity List, effectively blacklisting them for their “malicious cyber activities” amid growing concern from US officials that the software posed a grave risk to national security. In contrast, Canadian authorities have shown little appetite to take similar action, said Deibert, who has briefed senior Canadian officials within successive governments. “Despite the nuclear-level capabilities of such spyware, it is remarkable that there has been zero public debate in Canada prior to the RCMP’s (or other [law enforcement] agencies) use of this type of technology,” he wrote in his notes. Deibert, who will speak at 3pm EST, is expected to make a series of recommendations, including regulatory penalties on firms that are known to facilitate human rights abuses abroad, lifetime bans from working with mercenary spyware firms for former employees of Canadian intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and developing clear procurement guidelines. The hearings are scheduled to last two days. On Monday, public safety minister Marco Mendicino defended the use of the spyware. “There are stringent requirements in the Criminal Code that require accountability, including what facts the RCMP will be relying on prior to judicial authorization of this sort of technique. There are other safeguards that ensure that only designated agents put those applications to the court,” he told parliament. | ['world/canada', 'world/world', 'world/americas', 'technology/hacking', 'technology/data-computer-security', 'technology/technology', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/leyland-cecco', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2022-08-09T12:16:49Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
society/2019/jan/13/gout-gags-are-not-funny-for-sufferers | Gout gags are not funny for sufferers | Brief letters | In his review of Michael Peppiatt’s The Existential Englishman: Paris Among the Artists (Review, 12 January), Steven Poole states that “an Englishman ought to know that Cambridge does not have quadrangles (they are courts)”. I didn’t know that. But then perhaps I’m not the type of Englishman Steven Poole has in mind. Michael Coverson Nottingham • When I was nursing in Manchester in 1956, we successfully treated a patient with severe osteomyelitis with maggots, revealing a nice white femur (Maggots to be sent as aid to help heal Syrians’ war wounds, 11 January). He was soon walking with crutches and discharged home. Enid Braddock Horbury, West Yorkshire • I have had gout in the past 12 months and believe me there is absolutely nothing funny about it (Pass notes, G2, 7 January). It is excruciatingly painful. Who thinks it amusing to mock gout sufferers? Dr Angela Gunning Guildford, Surrey • Well done on your new compostable wrap. No longer need I be troubled about unwrapping my plastic-enveloped Guardian. Your recyclable wrapper will now serve double duty in containing my food waste. Congratulations and thanks. Phil Hoby Hayes, London • There used to be a saying at the BBC (Letters, 11 and 12 January): the producer says the glass is half full; the engineer says it is half empty; the accountant says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. John Prescott Thomas Bristol • With my glass almost full, I am aiming for longevity (Letters, 11 January) by writing regularly to the Guardian and doing its sudoku and crosswords. Elizabeth Dunnett (a mere 80) Malvern, Worcestershire • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters • Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition | ['society/health', 'society/nhs', 'books/books', 'culture/culture', 'lifeandstyle/health-and-wellbeing', 'society/society', 'uk-news/cambridge', 'world/syria', 'environment/recycling', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/waste', 'environment/environment', 'society/mental-health', 'media/bbc', 'uk/uk', 'commentisfree/series/brief-letters', 'tone/letters', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2019-01-13T17:51:33Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
science/2017/dec/28/world-weatherwatch-erie-record-snowfall-pennsylvania | World weatherwatch: Record snowfall hits city of Erie, Pennsylvania on Christmas Day | The magic of a picture-perfect white Christmas is something many long for year after year. Erie, Pennsylvania was the place to be this year, where a whopping 86cm (34in) of snow fell on Christmas Day. This 24-hour snowfall shattered the previous Christmas record (20cm) and even broke the all-time snowiest day in the city’s history (51cm) on 22 November 1956. Officials declared a state of emergency and the incessant snow delivered a further 62cm on Boxing Day, bringing the final total to a massive 149cm. This staggering event was all thanks to “lake effect snow”. This phenomenon needs cold air to flow over relatively warm water (in this case Lake Erie), creating bands of snow showers that continually feed over the same location for an extended period of time. Typhoon Tembin threatened Vietnam but the country was relieved after the storm passed on a less harmful track just to the south of the country. The typhoon dissipated on Boxing Day in the Gulf of Thailand after reaching peak intensity on Christmas Eve just west of the Philippines. Almost 1 million people were prepared for evacuation, of whom 70,000 were forced to move away from low-lying areas. At least 250 people have been killed as Tembin ripped through the Philippines and more than 100 are still missing. The typhoon brought large rain totals and many bridges and roads were destroyed by landslides. Hundreds of residents in north-western Australia lost power after tropical cyclone Hilda tracked along the Kimberley coast on Tuesday and Wednesday. Strong winds of 60mph have brought down trees and more than 15cm of rain poured down on the Dampier Peninsula, north of Broome in Western Australia. This is the third tropical cyclone to form in the Australian region’s cyclone season. The season officially started on 1 November and will finish on 30 April. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'science/meteorology', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/vietnam', 'world/philippines', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/winter', 'world/hurricanes', 'world/landslides', 'news/series/world-weatherwatch', 'lifeandstyle/christmas', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-12-28T21:30:12Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
lifeandstyle/2020/oct/11/from-the-archive-1960s-london-prepares-for-a-flooded-capital | From the archive: 1960s London prepares for a flooded capital | There was some brazenly fake news on the cover of the Observer Magazine of 19 November 1967 with the headline, ‘Thames tidal wave swamps London’. Turns out this was a mock front page to give an idea of ‘what might happen if the tides and weather combine to overcome London’s vulnerable flood defences’. There had been warnings. In 1928, people in basement flats in Westminster and Hammersmith were drowned in their beds. The North Sea flood of 1953 caused the deaths of 300 people along the east coast of England. The Waverley Committee recommended a ‘structure across the Thames’ in 1954, but this was ‘swiftly eliminated’ in favour of a ‘retractable barrier’. But in 1967 ‘not a single brick has so far been laid’. (Thames Barrier construction began in 1974.) The feature showed how Westminster and Whitehall would be quickly knocked out if there were serious flooding of the Thames. When the Observer Magazine checked, hardly any of the 22 government buildings had a plan of action. A spokesman for the MoD old war office building said he was ‘quite sure that the problem of flooding would not arise’. Perhaps they were later involved in pandemic planning. London was sinking by about 13in a century and was up to 15ft lower than in Roman times. ‘A complicated drill exists for alert, evacuation and rescue of those engulfed,’ the article claimed. For warning the public: ‘Loudspeaker cars begin patrolling after the first warning from Southend.’ Tube flood prevention was rather old school: ‘Ordinary staff gauge danger by looking over the Embankment.’ It also warned that the Nasa computers at Electra House could be hit, ‘which could delay the manned moonflight programme’. The irony is that the idea of sending people to the moon in the 1960s was far more realistic than Operation Moonshot 2020. | ['lifeandstyle/series/from-the-observer-archive', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/chris-hall', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/magazine', 'theobserver/magazine/life-and-style', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/observer-magazine'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2020-10-11T05:00:04Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
us-news/2021/aug/10/un-climate-report-joe-biden-us-response | UN climate report raises pressure on Biden to seize a rare moment | A stark UN report on how humanity has caused unprecedented, and in some cases “irreversible”, changes to the world’s climate has heaped further pressure on Joe Biden to deliver upon what may be his sole chance to pass significant legislation to confront the climate crisis and break a decade of American political inertia. The US president said the release on Monday of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report showed that “we can’t wait to tackle the climate crisis. The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. And the cost of inaction keeps mounting.” The IPCC report, developed over the past eight years by scientists who combed over more than 14,000 studies, shows that the US, like the rest of the world, is running out of time to avoid disastrous climate impacts, with a critical global heating threshold of 1.5C to be breached far earlier than previously expected, potentially within a decade. “This is not a future problem, it’s a problem now. I’m literally seeing climate change out of my window, climate change is in my lungs,” said Linda Mearns, an IPCC report co-author located in Boulder, Colorado, which has been baked in extreme heat and wildfire smoke in recent weeks. Mearns, who has been involved in IPCC reports since 1990, said the latest iteration was “very through and disturbing” and demanded a strong response. “I’m not sure what will be required for people to get it, but my hope is that it will galvanize everyone in Glasgow to meet their agreements,” she added in reference to UN climate talks between world leaders in October. Much of that global action will hinge upon the response mustered by the US, the world’s second-largest carbon emitter. Biden’s narrow window of opportunity to drastically cut emissions is dependent upon the contents of a $3.5tn bill that Democrats hope to pass before midterm elections next year, when the party may well lose control of Congress. “Congress didn’t pass a climate bill in 2009 and it’s taken over a decade to get us back to serious climate legislation,” said Leah Stokes, a climate policy expert at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “This summer is the best chance we have ever had to pass a big climate bill. This is it. President Biden is poised to become the climate president we need. But there are no more decades left to waste.” Stokes said she was “very optimistic” the reconciliation bill would include two critical climate measures to help the US slash its emissions in half this decade – a scheme to help utilities to phase out fossil fuels from the electricity grid and tax credits to encourage renewable energy and electric cars. The measures will need the support of all Senate Democrats, including Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who have expressed doubts over the scope of the bill. Republicans, who have long allied with the fossil fuel industry to oppose any significant action to avert the climate emergency, are uniformly opposed to the bill. “If senators truly followed the science in this report, we’d have 100 votes for climate action,” said Ed Markey, a Democratic senator who help craft the Green New Deal proposal with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Markey said the IPCC report “must be the final warning to the world that time has run out to save the planet from dangerous and irreversible climate change”. Climate campaigners have urged Biden to do more to match his rhetoric, pointing out that the IPCC report highlights the sharp increase in methane, a potent greenhouse gas produced from oil and gas drilling, as well as from animal agriculture. The federal government is mulling new restrictions on methane, although new leases for drilling are still being issued. “This latest IPCC report must be a wake up call for Biden and Congress that the half measures they’ve proposed are not nearly enough to end the climate crisis,” said Varshini Prakash, executive director of Sunrise Movement, who said she had woken up “enraged” at the IPCC’s findings. “Our politicians shouldn’t need a report to tell them how bad things are. We’re already living it.” Scientists, too, have called for their repeated warnings over the climate crisis, so often eclipsed by political intransigence or falsehoods spread by the fossil fuel industry, to finally be heeded by US lawmakers. “There’s really one key message that emerges from this report: we are out of time,” said Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Georgia Tech. Several climate impacts are now locked in even if planet-heating emissions are severely cut, including global sea level rise of at least a foot and a half by the end of the century, imperiling coastal American cities already struggling with increasing flooding. The increase could even balloon to 7ft if the Antarctic ice sheet collapses more quickly than expected. The US west is now racked by prolonged drought, extraordinary record-breaking heat and enormous wildfires and the IPCC report warns all of these phenomena will get worse, with dangerous heatwaves that once would have occurred every 50 years already becoming more common and expected once every five years at 1.5C of warming. “The continued dithering is no longer about the lack of scientific evidence, but rather directly tied to a lack of political will and the overwhelming influence of the fossil fuel industry,” said Kristina Dahl, senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “The scientists keep showing up time and time again. Now it’s time for policymakers to do the same.” | ['us-news/joebiden', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/ipcc', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/oliver-milman', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/ipcc | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2021-08-10T06:00:12Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
society/2018/feb/28/catastrophe-looms-if-we-fail-to-tackle-diabetes | Catastrophe looms if we fail to tackle diabetes | Letters | The crisis in diabetes (Health alert as diabetes cases double to 3.7m, 27 February) is only going to get worse. The system desperately needs a robust and uncompromising attack on the causes of type 2 diabetes and resolute support for those with type 1. We need to actively seek out the half a million Britons who have type 2 diabetes and are unaware of it. For them early diagnoses is vital. There should be regular testing, not just in GPs’ surgeries but in high street pharmacies as well. Once diagnosed, patients should be supported every step of the way. Structured education programmes need to be improved and their reach expanded. As someone with type 2 diabetes, I have never received this education as I was only aware of their existence 12 months after diagnosis. It is never too late to enrol on a programme such as Desmond. We need to be offered lifestyle advice, not just pills. The creation of the 2016 diabetes transformation fund and similar initiatives will not achieve their objectives unless clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are held accountable for how they spend the money. This is not happening. FreeStyle Libre is one of the examples of innovative technology used to help those with diabetes. It is essential that innovative technologies are made accessible for all to ensure they can manage their own condition. If these problems are not addressed and solutions are not put in place immediately the diabetes tsunami will overwhelm and bankrupt the NHS. What is worse is that more people will die from diabetes complications and even more will lose their limbs to amputation. Keith Vaz MP Chair, APPG for Diabetes • I fail to understand in what sense recently released diabetes data is “actually good news”. My elderly neighbour died from heart failure, after several years of kidney dialysis and ulcerated feet, all resulting from late onset type 2 diabetes. Many people struggle to control their diabetes and it is believed that many more thousands of cases are undiagnosed. Think of the costs involved for the NHS in managing millions more people developing this dreadful disease. Professor Hattersley appears to imply that as life expectancy goes up more people will develop diabetes. However, many would argue that being overweight is the main cause of type 2 diabetes, not increasing age per se, and that a much bigger factor in older people developing the disease is that over 75 % of people over 65 are now overweight or obese. It was recently reported that the millennial generation are set to become the fattest UK generation ever; the implications are alarming. Any responsible discussion of this looming catastrophe should surely also report that it is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes with dietary means (very low carbohydrate) as thousands of people have already done. Meanwhile, we wait for an effective obesity strategy. Sue Morgan Winchester • Diabetes UK’s analysis, which “appears to show that the number of [diabetes] diagnoses has shot up since 1998”, correlates with the increased exposure to toxic air pollution after the 1992 EC waste oils directive, which allowed hazardous waste mixes to be burned as fuel and which was followed by a flattening of the infant mortality graph for England and Wales and a sudden rise in the percentage of low birthweight babies (ONS data). The locations with high rates of diabetes in the above article are also areas with high rates of infant mortality, which, like type 2 diabetes, is known to be caused by air pollution. My research into the link between exposure to incinerator emissions and higher infant death rates at electoral ward level (2003-2005 ONS data) was reported in the Harrow Observer on 3 May 2007. The former Health Protection Agency’s promised study into a link between incinerator emissions and higher infant death rates remains unpublished nearly seven years after first being reported in May 2011. Michael Ryan Shrewsbury, Shropshire • Maybe you could signpost some diabetic-friendly recipes in your food sections as well as the lifestyle-choice vegan recipes provided. Ruth Lewis Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters | ['society/diabetes', 'society/health', 'society/society', 'uk/uk', 'society/obesity', 'food/food', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'society/nhs', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'tone/letters', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2018-02-28T17:09:33Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
world/2017/oct/20/hurricanes-and-earthquakes-will-cost-insurance-industry-72bn | Hurricanes and earthquakes will cost insurance industry £72bn | Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, along with two recent earthquakes in Mexico, will cost the insurance industry $95bn (£72bn), according to estimates released on Friday. Swiss Re, one of the world’s biggest reinsurance companies, made the estimate as it admitted its own bill for the natural disasters would be around $3.6bn. Reinsurance companies such as Swiss Re stand behind insurance companies and help to cushion the blow of claims from their customers. Swiss Re warned that the “estimates are subject to a higher than usual degree of uncertainty” and could need to be adjusted as claims come in. Christian Mumenthaler, Swiss Re’s chief executive, said: “The most recent natural catastrophes have been extremely powerful and we extend our sympathies to all those affected by these events.” Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in August, causing flood damage and leading to more than 80 people being reported killed in the state. Hurricane Irma caused devastation across the Caribbean in September before hitting Florida and Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico. Earthquakes hit Mexico last month, one of which was the most powerful the country had suffered in 32 years and killed at least 90 people. Swiss Re did not provide information about the bill it faced for payouts caused by damage from the hurricanes but put the cost of Mexican quakes at $175m, indicating the bulk of its costs were caused by the hurricanes. Other estimates have been made for the cost of the hurricanes. Hiscox, an insurer on the Lloyd’s of London insurance market, has put the cost of the insured damage of Harvey and Irma at $50bn. At the time Bronek Masojada, chief executive of Hiscox, said the claims would make 2017 one of the worst years for natural disasters. But he indicated that the cost to the insurance industry would be reduced by the fact that only one in six Houston homeowners were covered. The economic cost – which includes damage which is not covered by insurance policies – has been estimated at $300bn. | ['business/business', 'world/hurricanes', 'business/insurance', 'world/mexico', 'world/americas', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/world', 'business/hiscox', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jilltreanor', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-10-20T18:47:37Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2021/aug/05/climate-crisis-scientists-spot-warning-signs-of-gulf-stream-collapse | Climate crisis: Scientists spot warning signs of Gulf Stream collapse | Climate scientists have detected warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, one of the planet’s main potential tipping points. The research found “an almost complete loss of stability over the last century” of the currents that researchers call the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The currents are already at their slowest point in at least 1,600 years, but the new analysis shows they may be nearing a shutdown. Such an event would have catastrophic consequences around the world, severely disrupting the rains that billions of people depend on for food in India, South America and West Africa; increasing storms and lowering temperatures in Europe; and pushing up the sea level off eastern North America. It would also further endanger the Amazon rainforest and Antarctic ice sheets. The complexity of the AMOC system and uncertainty over levels of future global heating make it impossible to forecast the date of any collapse for now. It could be within a decade or two, or several centuries away. But the colossal impact it would have means it must never be allowed to happen, the scientists said. “The signs of destabilisation being visible already is something that I wouldn’t have expected and that I find scary,” said Niklas Boers, from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, who did the research. “It’s something you just can’t [allow to] happen.” It is not known what level of CO2 would trigger an AMOC collapse, he said. “So the only thing to do is keep emissions as low as possible. The likelihood of this extremely high-impact event happening increases with every gram of CO2 that we put into the atmosphere”. Scientists are increasingly concerned about tipping points – large, fast and irreversible changes to the climate. Boers and his colleagues reported in May that a significant part of the Greenland ice sheet is on the brink, threatening a big rise in global sea level. Others have shown recently that the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more CO2 than it absorbs, and that the 2020 Siberian heatwave led to worrying releases of methane. The world may already have crossed a series of tipping points, according to a 2019 analysis, resulting in “an existential threat to civilisation”. A major report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due on Monday, is expected to set out the worsening state of the climate crisis. Boer’s research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, is titled “Observation-based early-warning signals for a collapse of the AMOC”. Ice-core and other data from the last 100,000 years show the AMOC has two states: a fast, strong one, as seen over recent millennia, and a slow, weak one. The data shows rising temperatures can make the AMOC switch abruptly between states over one to five decades. The AMOC is driven by dense, salty seawater sinking into the Arctic ocean, but the melting of freshwater from Greenland’s ice sheet is slowing the process down earlier than climate models suggested. Boers used the analogy of a chair to explain how changes in ocean temperature and salinity can reveal the AMOC’s instability. Pushing a chair alters its position, but does not affect its stability if all four legs remain on the floor. Tilting the chair changes both its position and stability. Eight independently measured datasets of temperature and salinity going back as far as 150 years enabled Boers to show that global heating is indeed increasing the instability of the currents, not just changing their flow pattern. The analysis concluded: “This decline [of the AMOC in recent decades] may be associated with an almost complete loss of stability over the course of the last century, and the AMOC could be close to a critical transition to its weak circulation mode.” Levke Caesar, at Maynooth University in Ireland, who was not involved in the research, said: “The study method cannot give us an exact timing of a possible collapse, but the analysis presents evidence that the AMOC has already lost stability, which I take as a warning that we might be closer to an AMOC tipping than we think.” David Thornalley, at University College London in the UK, whose work showed the AMOC is at its weakest point in 1,600 years, said: “These signs of decreasing stability are concerning. But we still don’t know if a collapse will occur, or how close we might be to it.” | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/poles', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/topstories', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/poles | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-08-05T15:08:20Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
food/shortcuts/2020/feb/10/calves-and-cries-of-anguish-why-joaquin-phoenix-decried-the-dairy-industry | Calves and ‘cries of anguish’: why Joaquin Phoenix decried the dairy industry | The dairy industry used to get a free pass, even from many animal rights campaigners. But with the mainstream emergence of veganism, more people are becoming aware of practices that are normal in milk production. Now, they are even talking about it at the Oscars. In his acceptance speech for the best actor award, Joaquin Phoenix spoke of our “egocentric world view” and how we “plunder” the natural world for its resources. Turning to dairy, he said: “We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakeable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.” The reality of dairy farming can be shocking for people who have always assumed milking a cow is harmless. From the age of 15 months, female cows are artificially inseminated with semen drawn mechanically from a bull. Once born, the calf will usually be taken away within 36 hours. This is so farmers can take the milk the mothers are making. Experts say that a strong bond is formed quickly after birth and the separation is traumatising for both cow and calf. If the calf is male, he will be considered a byproduct and either killed immediately or sold on to be raised as veal, which postpones his death for a few months. If it’s female, she will follow her mother in the cycle of forced pregnancies until she is too old to carry on, after which she will be killed. The rise of veganism is hitting dairy bosses hard. Sales of plant-based milks are soaring. Last year it was revealed that almost a quarter of Britons are consuming non-dairy milk alternatives. Meanwhile, the average person’s milk consumption in the UK has fallen by 50% since the 50s. Phoenix linked the oppression of animals with the oppression of humans. The “cries of anguish” from mother cows are finally being heard. | ['food/milk--drink-', 'news/shortcuts', 'film/joaquin-phoenix', 'food/food', 'environment/farming', 'environment/environment', 'lifeandstyle/veganism', 'lifeandstyle/lifeandstyle', 'food/vegan', 'food/dairy-free', 'environment/farm-animals', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/chasnewkeyburden', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/features', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-g2-features'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2020-02-10T16:26:35Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2016/aug/25/queensland-solar-projects-that-could-create-2600-jobs-at-risk-in-federal-cuts | Queensland solar projects that could create 2,600 jobs at risk in federal cuts | Thousands of jobs could be created in Queensland if 10 large-scale solar projects were to receive funding, according to analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation. The projects, earmarked for funding by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena), would create around 2,695 jobs according to the study. The figure compared favourably with the 1,400 jobs which the Indian conglomerate Adani estimates its $16bn Carmichael coalmine would bring to the state if it obtains approval for the controversial project, the study claimed. However, the findings comes as Arena faces defunding by the federal government, placing the projects in jeopardy. Parliament is preparing to debate an omnibus bill introduced by the Turnbull government to push through budget savings that include a $1bn cut to Arena. It would leave Arena with about $300m left to spend, including $100m earmarked for major solar projects, which would have a combined capacity of 200MW. Arena has narrowed down a shortlist of 20 large-scale solar projects it might fund, including 10 projects in Queensland. It was likely to end up funding between three and five such projects. ACF estimated these projects could create about 6.35 jobs per megawatt of capacity, and concluded that the 10 Queensland projects would together create 2,695 jobs. “The Turnbull government proposal to cut Arena’s budget and remove its grant making function would stifle innovative clean energy projects and jobs,” said Kelly O’Shanassy, chief executive of ACF. She said the majority of the 10 projects being considered by Arena might never get built if the cuts went through. “In contrast, Adani’s proposed Carmichael coalmine would employ an estimated 1,400 people while creating 4.7bn tonnes of climate pollution over the mine’s lifetime and threatening the 70,000 jobs that rely on a healthy Great Barrier Reef,” she said. In March the government announced the cut to Arena, which would essentially defund the agency. But it combined the announcement with the revelation it was no longer seeking to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), and it was taking some CEFC money, and using it to create a new Clean Energy Innovation Fund. Environmental groups praised the government for its decision to retain the CEFC, but most were relatively muted about their concerns about the Arena cuts. Mark Butler, shadow climate and energy minister – and then shadow environment minster – said shortly after that the party was not willing to fight to save the agency if environment groups weren’t going to support it. “I don’t really understand why Labor interpreted it that way,” O’Shanassy said. “There’s a lot of spin going on in climate change and renewable energy in Australia.” When the Coalition announced the move, ACF sent out a press release that welcomed the decision to keep the CEFC, and said it was disappointed by the cut to Arena, which “potentially undermines Arena’s role”. “The facts are you need to fund renewable energy and shift government funding away from polluting energy like coal. And the environment movement has been supporting that for many many years. And any serious politician in the 21st century should be serious about shifting money to the future and the future is renewables.” ACF is waiting for a verdict in its federal court challenge to the federal government’s approval of the Carmichael mine. In court case ACF argued the minister’s approval was inconsistent with the Australian government’s international obligations to protect the world heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. The minister argued that there was no definite link between the emissions from the mine and an increase in global temperatures. | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/solarpower', 'australia-news/queensland', 'environment/energy', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michael-slezak', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2016-08-24T20:09:43Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2020/jan/13/just-one-new-onshore-windfarm-started-up-in-uk-in-2019 | Just one new onshore windfarm started under current UK policies in 2019 | The government’s current energy policies have led to a sharp decline in the number of new onshore windfarms, raising fears that the UK may fall short of the renewable energy it needs to generate to meet its climate targets. Industry data shows the rollout of new onshore windfarms fell dramatically after the government scrapped subsidy schemes four years ago. According to official data from the Renewable UK trade association, 23 new onshore windfarms began generating clean electricity for the UK last year, but all but one of them had secured support from subsidy schemes before they were closed. Last year’s total was a fraction of the 2014 peak when more than 400 new onshore wind projects began generating clean power for the first time. The 2019 figures are also well below the average set over the last decade of 208 new projects a year. Renewable UK warned that the UK risked falling short of its aim of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 as the pipeline of projects that clinched support before the schemes were closed begins to run dry. Rebecca Williams, a director at Renewable UK, said the figures showed that the government’s current approach was falling short on the clean electricity needed to meet the UK’s legally binding climate targets. “This is a flashing red warning light on our net zero dashboard and we urgently need a new strategy from government,” she said. The findings are likely to increase pressure on the government to reverse the block on government support for new onshore windfarms, put in place by the former Tory prime minister David Cameron in 2016. The current energy policy blocks onshore wind developers from competing for support contracts, and has caused the rollout of new onshore wind capacity to fall to 629 megawatts (MW) last year, or a quarter of the onshore wind growth recorded two years ago. The government’s official climate adviser, the Committee on Climate Change, has suggested that the UK’s onshore wind capacity should increase by almost threefold in the next 15 years to meet climate goals at low cost. This would require the UK to grow its onshore wind capacity from 13,000 MW now to 35,000 MW by 2035, or an average of more that 1,400MW a year. The sole addition to the UK’s fleet of onshore wind farms under the government’s current energy policy last year – the Withernwick II project, in the East Riding of Yorkshire – has a capacity of 8MW, with just four turbines. “Onshore wind is one of the cheapest low carbon technologies in the UK, quick to build, and it’s hugely popular as the government’s own opinion polls show 78% of people support it,” Williams said. “As ministers get down to work at the start of a new decade, we need to see new policies which support the full range of clean power sources to transform our energy system.” ScottishPower, a major developer of renewable energy, has started planning for a major expansion of onshore windfarm projects across Scotland in anticipation of a government U-turn on support for wind power projects. Lindsay McQuade, the chief executive of ScottishPower Renewables, told the Guardian late last year that “if the commitment of net zero is to be a reality, I expect to see support from government to match it”. | ['environment/windpower', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'uk/uk', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'business/business', 'politics/politics', 'politics/conservatives', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2020-01-13T15:07:14Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2009/feb/19/stansted-second-runway-passenger-demand | Falling passenger numbers delay Stansted expansion | BAA has admitted that the opening of a second runway at Stansted airport will be delayed by two years because there are not enough passengers to meet demand. Amid warnings from green campaigners that the admission undermines the case for expansion, Britain's third largest airport will instead open a new runway in 2017 if it secures planning permission at a public inquiry due to start in April. The airport's owner, BAA, said the economic downturn had affected passenger demand and made it less likely that expansion will be needed by the original opening date of 2015. The extra runway would allow annual passenger numbers at the Essex airport to increase from 22.3 million to 35 million. However, fewer travellers are using Stansted, as Ryanair and easyJet, the airport's largest customers, scale back operations. "We will not be hitting the 35 million in 2015 that we had expected. That is due to the downturn in the economy that is affecting aviation," said a BAA spokesman. However, BAA added that it still expected long-term demand to reach 68 million passengers – on a par with Heathrow – by 2030. The short-term trend is in the other direction, with passenger numbers dropping 6% last year, one year after demand grew by just 0.3%. Anti-expansion campaigners said the postponement underlined the paucity of BAA's case for building a second runway, which was sanctioned by ministers in 2003. "The case is weakening because demand continues to fall at Stansted. None of us believe BAA forecasts any more, and the likelihood of the second runway being built is diminishing further and further," said Carol Barbone, campaign director at the Stop Stansted Expansion group. The 2003 government white paper that underpinned the case for a new runway stated that the second landing strip should be launched by 2012. However, that deadline has slipped steadily in the face of concerted local opposition and forecast revisions. The Conservatives have pledged to block a second runway at Stansted and are exploring legal options to overturn planning permission if it is awarded by the inquiry. The Conservatives have warned contractors not to sign any deals to start construction work on the site. However, legal experts have warned that overturning a positive inquiry verdict could saddle a Tory government with a multibillion-pound compensation bill, because it would have to reimburse BAA for lost profits. Next week campaigners from Stop Stansted Expansion will launch a high court challenge against the government's recent decision to approve BAA's application for an additional 10 million passengers a year at the airport. | ['environment/travel-and-transport', 'business/theairlineindustry', 'business/baa', 'business/business', 'travel/travel', 'uk/uk', 'environment/green-politics', 'politics/politics', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'uk/transport', 'type/article', 'profile/danmilmo'] | environment/green-politics | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2009-02-19T15:14:31Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
news/2017/nov/16/weatherwatch-la-nina-strikes-out-on-its-forceful-voyage-round-the-globe | Weatherwatch: La Niña strikes out on its forceful voyage round the globe | A gigantic blob has surfaced in the Pacific, a monster of unusually cool water stretching out from South America across the equator. This is La Niña and it could send the world’s weather haywire over the next few months. Its impact could even be felt in Britain. Seven years ago one of the most powerful La Niñas on record led to catastrophic floods in Queensland, Colombia, southern Africa, and Pakistan, as well as drought in east Africa and the Amazon. There were record snowfalls followed by spring floods in the US. In the UK there was a corresponding savage freeze. November 2010 began mild, then turned unbelievably cold towards the end of the month, with Northern Ireland and Wales breaking their lowest temperature records for November. The following month was worse, the coldest December for more than 100 years, and one of the coldest of any month on record – Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands registered a low of -21.3C. The UK turned into a magical winter wonderland of ice crystals – trees, fences and blades of grass looked as if they had been sprayed with icing sugar, glittering and sparkling in the winter sunshine. This was a thick frost called rime, a classic hallmark of incredibly cold weather. Basing winter predictions in Europe on the strength of La Niña is a dangerous game to play, of course, as there are often other competing global weather phenomena which can throw a spanner in the works. But there is undoubtedly a link between La Niña and colder than average northern hemisphere winters. This time around this new phase of La Niña is expected to be much weaker than was the case in 2010-11. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'environment/oceans', 'science/meteorology', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/winter', 'world/snow', 'uk/weather', 'uk/scotland', 'weather/index/australasia', 'weather/index/africa', 'weather/index/southamerica', 'weather/pakistan', 'us-news/us-weather', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/jeremy-plester', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-11-16T21:30:06Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
politics/2019/apr/04/northern-ireland-faces-prospect-of-no-deal-brexit-milk-lake | Northern Ireland faces prospect of no-deal Brexit ‘milk lake’ | Northern Ireland is facing a Brexit “milk lake” in the event of a no-deal departure, it has emerged. A senior EU official has confirmed that if the UK crashes out of the bloc in nine days, controls will have to be in place on day one for milk and other animal products coming from Northern Ireland. It means farmers who currently sell their milk to cheese and butter producers south of the border may be told they can no longer do so because the EU will not accept creamery tanks containing “mixed” EU and third-country milk. Dairy farmers are also facing a second potential killer to their business in the form of a 19p EU tariff. This could almost double the cost of their milk to food producers in the Irish Republic, who currently pay them about 26p per litre of milk, farming leaders said. “If there is no deal next week, it won’t be good whichever way you look at it,” said Mike Johnston, the Northern Ireland director of Dairy UK. The EU’s controls on milk stem from its need to protect the single market and ensure no third-country products slip in over the porous Irish border. It would mean Northern Ireland milk would have to be separated from Irish milk from day one, spelling an end to the routine practice of cross-border collections, an EU source said. “At the moment tanks collecting milk from farms could cross the border seven or eight times. “If there is no deal it is going to be hard to continue collecting milk in the north. Tanks mixing sources of milk will not be allowed. “From the commission’s point of view all of the necessary controls have to be in place from day one,” the source said. If such routine collections were to end, Northern Ireland would be left with a surplus of milk, reminiscent of the wine lakes and butter mountains of the EU’s past. Currently about 30% of milk from across Northern Ireland, some 700m-800m litres, crosses the border to buyers in the Irish Republic for cheese, butter and dried milk production. Johnston said: “Farmers are very, very concerned.” Separately it emerged that the UK would be subjected to a de facto ban on exports of animals, meat and food products. EU officials said on Thursday that the UK had not yet passed the necessary statutory instruments that would make it “an authorised third country” allowed to export animals and food into the bloc. “We are still waiting for the UK to pass the necessary laws to reassure us that the standards they will have post-Brexit will be sufficient,” an EU official said. “Until these products are listed there is absolutely no live animal that can come anywhere close to a border and the same for the products.” The National Farmers Union has previously warned that this would lead to a de facto ban on exports for six months. EU food and animal standards were overhauled after the BSE crisis that officials are quick to recall originated in the UK. An EU expert committee could make a decision next week, if British laws have been passed. The EU’s biggest no-deal problem is squaring the circle of the Irish border, avoiding border infrastructure to preserve peace, while ensuring checks take place to stop illegal goods arriving in the European single market. An official insisted Irish border plans would be ready, while not revealing where checks would take place. “Will the plans be ready? Yes they will and this is exactly why we are working so intensively with the Irish authorities.” The Irish government has consistently said it will not have checks on the border in the event of no deal but has not revealed any contingency plans for mandatory EU checks. One EU source said live animals could be certified for customs checks at abattoirs or meat packing plants in the republic. This would mean sheep from Fermanagh could continue to be exported for slaughter 100 miles south of the border in abattoirs in Kildare. However, there are concerns that the sanitary and phyto-sanitary checks that are normally mandatory on the border could not be done so far away because of the risk of disease contagion. There is also concern in the EU that there is currently only one border inspection post in Ireland where SPS checks are currently done and it is located at Dublin Port, miles away from the border. Johnston said there was a “degree of clarity” on how the British government would treat animals and food crossing the border into the north when they announced there would be no checks or tariffs applied, but “not the other way around”. Farmers are carrying on as normal, he said, but the lack of discussion on no-deal planning “has heightened awareness of the full impact of no deal”. A spokesman for the Irish Revenue Commissioners said its “over-arching approach is to carry out the required customs controls to the greatest extent possible at the traders’ premises, away from the ports and airports”. He added that Revenue was “strongly focused on facilitating the efficient and timely movement of goods in compliance with customs controls, post Brexit” and would “continue to work to support trade and businesses in order to maintain high levels of voluntary compliance”. | ['politics/eu-referendum', 'environment/farming', 'uk/northernireland', 'world/ireland', 'world/eu', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/lisaocarroll', 'profile/jennifer-rankin', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-04-04T15:06:56Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2020/jan/27/one-in-19-deaths-uk-cities-air-pollution | Urban populations in south-east at greatest risk from air pollution | More than one in 19 deaths in Britain’s largest towns and cities are linked to air pollution – with people living in urban areas in south-east England more likely to die from exposure to toxic air, according to a new study. London, Slough, Chatham, Luton and Portsmouth had the highest proportion of deaths attributable to pollution the study found, with around one in 16 in 2017 caused by high levels of harmful particulates in the atmosphere. By contrast, places such as Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Blackpool attributed one in 30 deaths to air pollution, highlighting what the study’s authors, the Centre for Cities thinktank, called a “south-north” divide in air quality. Although air pollution was a problem in most big cities and urban areas of the UK, it was especially heavily concentrated in the south-east, including places like Southampton, Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, Basildon and Northampton. Air pollution was the UK’s largest environmental risk to public health, it said, producing the equivalent of 40,000 deaths a year nationally. It urged the government to introduce stricter legal guidelines on particulate matter emissions to help tackle the problem. It also urged local authorities to raise their game on cutting air pollution. Practical local policies aimed at cutting pollution were slow or absent, in contrast to the enthusiasm with which many councils have made political declarations of climate emergency. “Politicians often talk tough on addressing air pollution but we need to see more action. Cities should be at the centre of the fight against toxic air and councils should take the steps needed, including charging people to drive in city centres and banning wood-burning stoves,” said Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities. He urged more councils to follow London’s lead in creating a Ultra-Low Emission Zone, which from last April has charged motorists who drive older, polluting cars and vans in the centre of the capital. The city had already succeed in reducing air pollution as a result, he said. The report also found: In 19 cities and towns – all but one in the south-east of England – monitored pollution levels around every single A-road and motorway exceeded World Health Organization guidelines, potentially exposing 14 million people to pollution. In Bournemouth, air quality levels scored four out of 10 or above – the level at which adults and children with heart and lung problems are affected – on 62 days in 2018, the highest in the UK, followed by London (56 days) and Southampton (52). Particulate matter is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air including dust, ash, sea spray, soot, and material produced by the application of car brake pads and the use of coal fires and wood-burning stoves. Not all is locally generated – in south England some is blown in from continental Europe. Responding to the report Zak Bond, policy and public affairs officer at the British Lung Foundation, said: “Whilst it’s shocking that more than one in 19 deaths in UK towns and cities can be linked to air pollution, it doesn’t tell the full story in terms of the millions of people whose lives are affected on a daily basis. “Breathing in toxic air is bad for everyone and can lead to a wide range of health conditions including lung disease, stroke and cancer.” Cllr David Renard, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, said: “These disturbing findings show we face an air pollution emergency.” Pawda Tjoa, senior policy researcher at the New Local Government Network thinktank, said councils were determined to improve air quality but most felt they lacked the power and money to meaningfully tackle the issue. | ['environment/air-pollution', 'society/health', 'society/society', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/patrickbutler', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-01-27T00:01:36Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
commentisfree/2021/aug/11/climate-action-bargain-britain-net-zero | Once you understand the terrible cost of doing nothing, climate action is a bargain | Damian Carrington | Ruinous, eye-watering, crippling, stratospheric, massive. That’s the cost to the UK of beating the climate crisis, according to those who portray getting to net zero emissions as economic suicide that is being thrust on an unwilling population by posh eco-fundamentalists and zealots. This is not just wrong, it is the exact opposite of reality. The delusions come from those with histories of climate change scepticism and could be dismissed as the latest mutant variant thrown up by the death throes of denial. But they are having a real-world impact, slowing action at the precise moment acceleration is needed. So how did we get here? In 2019, the then chancellor, Phillip Hammond, wrote a letter to the prime minister claiming the cost of the UK getting to net zero would exceed £1tn. Then, in July of this year, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated the investment needed for net zero by 2050 was £1.4tn. These figures are the source of the hot air. But this is only one side of the balance sheet. The other, conveniently ignored by the critics, carries huge cost savings due to more efficient vehicles and buildings, and the economic boost of many thousands of good jobs in the green industries that will be the growth story of the 21st century. And that’s just the start. Getting to net zero avoids the terrible costs and suffering that unrestrained global heating is beginning to wreak on the world, as starkly laid out in the week’s IPCC report. Cutting fossil fuel burning also brings benefits such as slashed air pollution, which still kills about 40,000 people a year in the UK. Let’s put some of that into numbers. Once the fuel efficiency savings are included, the OBR’s cost estimate falls by about 75%, to 0.4% of GDP a year. The OBR also said delaying decisive climate action by a decade could double the cost to the government. Chris Stark, head of the government’s advisers, the Climate Change Committee, estimates that the cost of getting to net zero by 2050 would mean a mere four-month delay in economic growth over 30 years, even without considering the wider benefits to society. Given the alternative – climate chaos – Stark says: “I would argue we can’t afford not to do net zero.” Swiss Re, the insurance giant whose business is risk, agrees. It calculates a 10% loss of global GDP by 2050 without further climate action now, similar to other recent analyses. Another study suggests that breaking the 1.5C temperature limit outlined in the Paris agreement will cost far more than acting to hold temperatures down, even if rich nations have to pay for action in poorer nations. Basically, climate action is a bargain. In the face of this, why do some still make hysterical claims of ruinous costs? The first reason is blinkered nationalism – the UK’s emissions are just 1% of the globe’s, they say. The problem here is that the UK is holding the vital Cop26 climate summit in November – why should anyone act to save the world if the host is not? Failing to act would also cede competitive advantage in green industries to other nations: kiss goodbye to “Global Britain”. The second reason for the hysterical claims is rooted in inane free-market ideology. It is true that there are upfront costs for green technology. Electric cars cost more to buy for now, but are already cheaper to own overall. The solution here, proposed as much by centre-right voices as the left, is ensuring the less well-off get the help they need, such as subsidised electric vehicles or payments funded by carbon taxes levied on the high consumption of the wealthy. To those further to the right, such state redistribution is anathema, which may be why none of those complaining of the costs of net zero seem able to come up with any alternative plans. They claim to be concerned about struggling families, but as Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Environment Network, says: “If we were to pursue the alternative approach of not mitigating climate change, unfairnesses in society would be exacerbated. Low-income households, for example, are disproportionately exposed to flood risk.” The cries of “crippling net zero costs” may be laughable, but they are causing damage, and not just because they are helping delay cuts to carbon emissions. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is dragging his feet over urgently needed green policies, such as the plan to phase out gas boilers, at just the moment when the UK needs to be leading the way ahead of Cop26. A reckoning is coming. The Treasury must publish its review of the costs of the net zero transition in the coming months, which is said to be being redrafted after a first attempt that was considered overly pessimistic in its high projected costs. If the final report accepts the compelling logic that climate action is both vital and affordable, the UK may yet lead Cop26 to the successful outcome the world desperately needs. If not, the cynics – those who know “the price of everything and the value of nothing” – will have won, and the world will continue to burn. Damian Carrington is the Guardian’s environment editor | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'business/business', 'science/science', 'environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021', 'politics/conservatives', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/cop26-glasgow-climate-change-conference-2021 | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2021-08-11T06:00:41Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2024/oct/30/country-diary-loch-and-landfill-cheek-by-jowl | Country diary: Loch and landfill, cheek by jowl | Kirsteen Bell | My steps are slow across the moor, while my collie leaps away through long coppery grass. Her white-tipped tail is a periscope catching the evening light. Rowans straggle along the fenceline beside me, wind-broken and grey. If the dog wasn’t here, I might jump the fence to walk the track cut into the undulating surface by diggers, but I can’t risk her straying into the landfill. Instead, I try to follow deer trails. I tip around tussocks and boot-sucking moss towards the lochan. I say lochan – it’s a teardrop really. A mere moment where the turf gives way to water, just enough to satisfy the still patience of a heron. It was once part of our common grazings, a source of fresh water for cattle from the crofts below. Now, ironically, it is enclosed by a livestock fence. Posts hammered into peat and strung taut with wire mark out the apportionment into which the landfill has spread. Seeing the first glint of water always feels like a reward. Swollen by rain, it tumbles out through a hidden culvert and down the steps of the moorland. Where once it would have traversed only glacial hummocks and underground streams to reach the sea loch, today it flows straight towards a vast heap of rubbish covered lightly in soil and dusted white with hoards of gulls. On the opposite shore, a hulking metal structure sits quietly in the gloom, oddly boat-shaped in among piles of grit and gravel. As dusk deepens, the surrounding mountains gather the machine bulk into themselves. Rutting stags bellow through the dark. Heard from our house, they could almost be cows lowing on the hill again, but up here, channelled through the mountains, they sound prehistoric. Sweeping in over their bass comes the chorus, seesaw squawks from greylag geese that arrow in over the dump sheds and crooked orange digger arms. The flock turns once in the air before descending on to the wee lochan, necks stretched forward as they streak into the water, shadows on silver and rust stuttering gently to a drifting stop. Like the deer that can step over the fence to drink, this lochan is to the geese as it has always been: a small shelter against the night. • Country diary is on Twitter/X at @gdncountrydiary • Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at guardianbookshop.com and get a 15% discount | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'uk/scotland', 'environment/wildlife', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/kirsteen-bell', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-10-30T05:30:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2021/jun/01/from-a-forest-in-papua-new-guinea-to-a-floor-in-sydney-how-china-is-getting-rich-off-pacific-timber | From a forest in Papua New Guinea to a floor in Sydney: how China is getting rich off Pacific timber | An illegally logged tree, felled in the diminishing forests of Papua New Guinea, may well end up becoming floorboards in a Sydney living room, or a bookcase in a home in Seattle. Illegal logging contributes between 15% and 30% of the global wood trade, according to Interpol. China is a major buyer of the world’s illegal timber, according to environmental groups, especially from Pacific nations like PNG and Solomon Islands, which are implicated in illegal or unsustainable logging. The path of this timber, from Pacific forests to western homes via carrier ships and Chinese factories is a murky one. But – according to shipping and customs data, and the findings of a two-year investigation by the international NGO Global Witness – it looks something like this: Once the logs are felled, in, say the Pomio district of East New Britain province, they are put on to a large bulk carrier ship, possibly registered to Panama, where they spend about 14 days on the open sea before arriving in China. More than 90% of wood exports from PNG, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu end up in China. The timber travels another couple of hundred kilometres up the Yangtze River, past the financial centre of Shanghai, and the vessel pulls in where the river widens and starts to curve at Zhangjiagang, a vast commercial import zone which receives 75% of China’s log imports. Public information about who owns the wood on the ships is difficult to find. Global Witness’s 2016 investigation found that 15 companies were responsible for about 85% of the PNG log imports, although some were acting as agents for other companies. Much of PNG’s exported timber – worth more than US$620m in 2019 – comes from special agricultural business leases, the controversial land leases which were declared illegal in 2016 but mostly continued to operate regardless. Many of the Chinese companies buy from a Malaysian-owned SABL operation in PNG, and ship the wood directly to their processing plant or distributors. Others might go through buying agents stationed at the port, or, like the major timber company Ningbo Jianfa, advertise their product on Chinese social media. As far as some Chinese buyers are concerned, the fact that timber logs are able to leave PNG is proof enough that the trade is legal. “They must have granted a certificate to be able to cut down wood in those countries, I think,” Zhuo Weiyong, a manager at a major Chinese timber company, tells the Guardian. “What we imported is all legal, we usually buy the timber from Malaysians in PNG and Solomon Islands. About the situation of [illegal logging] – I don’t know much about it.” Up until this point of the import process, the source of the wood is still identifiable, with information including species or the ID number of the logging area spraypainted or on barcoded tags attached to the end of logs. But when they are sent to a processing factory, maybe at China’s largest solid wood flooring manufacturing hub in Nanxun, a two-day canal trip away on a crowded barge, the trail goes cold. Crane-lifted off the barge and on to a flatbed truck, the logs go to a factory where the rough ends are sliced off and the products are mixed together to be sliced into indistinguishable planks for flooring manufacturers or to makers of plywood or veneers. Some are then exported to other countries, including the US or Australia (which received more than $460m in wood exports from China in 2019), while most is sold domestically for product manufacturing or construction, including tourist sites and the building of replica ancient temples. In its investigation, Global Witness identified seven companies exporting flooring to the US, potentially made from illegally harvested PNG timber, in breach of US law. It contacted 10 US companies selling taun wood products, including the homewares giant Home Depot, which told the organisation it had already discontinued some lines, but asked to collaborate on expanding its sustainable purchasing policies. Its supplier, Home Legend, told Global Witness it had decided to stop buying flooring made with PNG and Solomon Islands wood, “due to the risks associated with sourcing from these countries”. Where other countries have laws in place preventing the purchase of illegally harvested timber, China doesn’t yet. The country is trying to close the loopholes for illegal timber suppliers. In 2019 the National People’s Congress approved revisions to the forestry law, to stipulate “no organisation or individual may purchase, process, and transport woods in full awareness of their illegal origins such as illegal felling or wanton deforestation”, although it’s not clear that it applies to imports. Legal analysts have said it could be a “game changer” if it’s applied as such and properly enforced. “It will depend on the level of political support they’ll have in terms of ensuring that it’s effectively implemented,” said Allison Hoare, a senior research fellow at Chatham House in London. Based on conversations with suppliers, wholesalers and retailers, there appears to still be low awareness along the supply chain of where their wood came from, suggesting a high risk that companies in countries with established regulations are still receiving illegally harvested wood as end products. And Global Witness’s Beibei Yin says it isn’t aware of the law being used against any importers since it came into effect in July. “In our view, it will be very hard if not impossible to use this revised law for sanctioning illegal imports, especially due to the requirements to prove that companies are knowingly engaged in this,” she says. The supply chain process suggests that the only point authorities can effectively enforce the “full awareness” is at the point of import, Yin says: “If the importers carry out due diligence and stay away from illegal or high risk wood, then companies downstream would be at much less risk.” China’s foreign ministry did not respond to the Guardian’s requests for comment. | ['world/series/pacific-plunder', 'world/series/the-pacific-project', 'environment/logging-and-land-clearing', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'environment/forests', 'world/papua-new-guinea', 'world/solomonislands', 'world/china', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/pacific-islands', 'business/internationaltrade', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'us-news/us-news', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/helen-davidson', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/pacific-news'] | environment/logging-and-land-clearing | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-05-31T20:00:32Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2016/mar/25/three-quarters-of-uk-children-spend-less-time-outdoors-than-prison-inmates-survey | Three-quarters of UK children spend less time outdoors than prison inmates – survey | Three-quarters of UK children spend less time outside than prison inmates, according to a new survey revealing the extent to which time playing in parks, wood and fields has shrunk. A fifth of the children did not play outside at all on an average day, the poll found. Experts warn that active play is essential to the health and development of children, but that parents’ fears, lack of green spaces and the lure of digital technology is leading youngsters to lead enclosed lives. Most of the parents polled said their children have fewer opportunities to play outside than they did when young. The new research is strongly supported by previous work, including a government report in February that found more than one in nine children had not set foot in a park, forest, beach or any other natural environment for at least a year. “The truth is we are enclosing our children,” said Mark Sears, at The Wild Network, which works to increase wild play. “We are stifling their ability to be free, to be at their best as children and it is having significant impacts.” He said increasing obesity and lower mental wellbeing in children was linked to a lack of physical activity. On Wednesday, environment secretary Liz Truss announced that every schoolchild will have the opportunity to visit a national park, noting that only 10% currently have access to outdoor learning. “I want every child to know the joy and wonder of the great outdoors,” she said recently. “Our children should be climbing trees, not the walls.” Under the plan, national park authorities will engage over 60,000 young people a year through schools visits by 2017/18. The plan is part of a government campaign expected later this year that will aim to connect children with nature and the environment. The new survey questioned a nationally representative sample of 2,000 parents of 5-12 year olds and found 74% of children spent less than 60 minutes playing outside each day. UN guidelines for prisoners require “at least one hour of suitable exercise in the open air daily”. The poll also found children spent twice as long playing on screens as playing outside. It was funded by Persil, as part of the detergent brand’s Dirt is Good campaign. “Academic research shows that active play is the natural and primary way that children learn,” said Sir Ken Robinson, an educationalist and advisor to Unilever, which makes Persil. “It is essential to their healthy growth and progress, particularly during periods of rapid brain development. We must place adequate importance on play now, so that our precious children grow up into successful, well-rounded and happy adults.” Sears said: “Parents see the value of outdoor play and still it doesn’t happen. Outdoor time is shrinking. It is a gigantic paradox.” He said fear of strangers, traffic or accidents deterred parents from allowing children to play outside, as did lack of time due to busy school and work lives. “It’s time we gave parents the tools, skills and confidence to do the things that they know are good for their children.” A separate study from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), published earlier in March, found that children from poorer backgrounds were less interested in being outdoors in nature than better-off children. But WWT found this difference was overcome after just one day spent learning outside. “Young kids that learn and play outside get direct experience of weather and the seasons and wildlife – things that are only possible outdoors – and they get to assess risks, solve problems and develop creativity,” said Lucy Hellier, WWT learning project manager. “The benefits may seem obvious, but in reality many children don’t get to be outdoors in a natural environment in any regular or meaningful way. And that’s even more common among kids from deprived areas.” In 2013, the RSPB published a three-year study, which concluded that four out of five children in the UK were not adequately “connected to nature”. In 2012, a National Trust report called Natural Childhood revealed the growing gap between children and nature. Less than one in 10 children regularly played in wild spaces, it said, compared to half of children a generation ago. | ['environment/wildlife', 'environment/national-parks', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'environment/access-to-green-space', 'cities/cities', 'uk/uk', 'society/children', 'society/society', 'society/health', 'politics/education', 'education/education', 'politics/politics', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/damiancarrington'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-03-25T07:00:10Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2007/jun/23/brazil.conservation | Jailed rainforest campaigner claims he was framed by Brazilian loggers | A pioneering biologist named a "hero for the planet" by Time magazine in 2000 for his work to save the Amazon rainforest has been jailed in Brazil, amid claims that he has been framed. Dutch-born Marc van Roosmalen, 60, was jailed last week in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, accused of stealing 28 monkeys found in his home. Supporters claim Mr van Roosmalen is the victim of a witch-hunt because of his stance against illegal loggers. They say he ran an animal hospital and that he has been framed because of his fight to defend the world's largest rainforest from cattle ranchers and soy companies. "It's a vendetta," said John Chalmers, an English businessman who runs a jungle expedition company in Manaus and has worked with the scientist for four years, often accompanying him on fact-finding missions in the jungle. "The only way to protect the Amazon is to make people aware of all these species. Marco tried to preserve the species and their natural habitat. This does not suit politicians who own large tracts of land full of logs that they want to sell." Mr Chalmers said he believed local politicians had jumped on the "bio-piracy bandwagon", stirring xenophobic fears that the scientist was stealing wildlife from the Amazon. "For 95% of the population here the biggest assets are timber and land. They want to bulldoze the forest at every possible opportunity. Anything Marco does is contrary to their interests," said Mr Chalmers. Mr van Roosmalen first came to Brazil in the late 1980s to work in Manaus for the Brazilian government. He discovered several unknown species of primate and received numerous awards, including the Order of the Golden Ark from Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, in 1997. In 2000 he travelled to San Francisco to receive Time magazine's Heroes for the Planet environmental award. He also worked for the Institute of Amazonian Research, a scientific research unit in Manaus. In 1997 the influential Brazilian magazine Veja wrote a special report on Mr van Roosmalen, known by colleagues in the Amazon simply as "Mr Marco". "He loves to travel through the rivers and forests of the Amazon," the report said. "He doesn't use repellent [and he] hangs his hammock in any tree he comes across." "The work of researchers like Roosmalen ... isn't just about the pleasure of giving their names to newly discovered animals. The biggest role is to try to prevent animals and plants from disappearing before they are known scientifically," it concluded. In a 2000 interview with Time magazine, Mr van Roosmalen warned that if the Amazon was not protected from loggers and soy farmers "the rainforest will be destroyed before we even know what plants and animals are out there". Yesterday supporters said Mr van Roosmalen planned to appeal but that they now feared for his life. "He was almost crying," said Mr Chalmers, who visited the biologist in Manaus's public jail this week. "He's likely to be attacked there because he looks like a foreigner," he said; Mr van Roosmalen had told him that somebody was killed inside the prison every night. According to the website of the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper in Rotterdam, the Dutch government could do nothing to help Mr van Roosmalen since he had taken Brazilian nationality in 1996. Officials from the Dutch consulate had visited him in his cell before his nationality had been clarified. "We are bound by the law. We can not help because Van Roosmalen is a Brazilian and not a Dutchman. Nor can we give any opinion about the punishment," said Achmed Dadou, a spokesman for the foreign ministry. | ['environment/environment', 'world/brazil', 'environment/conservation', 'world/world', 'environment/forests', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'world/americas', 'type/article', 'profile/tomphillips', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international'] | environment/amazon-rainforest | BIODIVERSITY | 2007-06-23T09:55:43Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2019/jan/10/eu-under-fire-after-lifting-threat-to-ban-thai-seafood-imports-over-illegal-fishing | EU under fire after lifting threat to ban Thai seafood imports over illegal fishing | The EU has been accused of sending out the wrong message after removing Thailand from a list of countries failing to tackle illegal fishing. Campaigners claim that the European commission’s decision this week to lift Thailand’s “yellow card”, in place since April 2015, gives consumers an “illusion that violations of fishers’ rights are not still occurring”. “It’s not clear what data the European commission is using to base its decision to lift the yellow card,” said Johnny Hansen, chair of fisheries at the International Transport Workers’ Federation. “[But] reports we have from fishers on the ground in Thailand are telling us that there’s still illegal fishing happening and, more importantly, there is still significant labour abuse and debt bondage in the industry.” The EU lifted the yellow card on Tuesday, after finding that Thailand had “successfully addressed” significant shortcomings in its billion-dollar fisheries sector through stricter regulation of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Improvements included remote monitoring of fishing at sea and “robust” inspections at port. Thailand, the world’s third largest seafood exporter, risked an EU-wide import ban had it failed to take action to meet minimum requirements imposed by the European commission. But Hansen said the implementation and enforcement of Thailand’s new fisheries regulations was so weak that human trafficking, debt bondage, document retention and poor working conditions remained a significant component of its fishing industry, preventing it from being truly ethical or sustainable. “We’ve interviewed hundreds of fishers who’ve told us that that the changes made to the inspection frameworks aren’t sufficient to detect abuse and have basically been put in place to create a picture that the reforms are working,” said Hansen. An Amnesty International report on Thailand’s seafood industry last year found that nearly 40% of fishers interviewed had been trafficked into the industry, and that labour inspections at ports were “largely a theatrical exercise for international consumption”. The study’s findings called into question a 2015 Thai government report on human trafficking in which inspections of nearly 475,000 fishery workers failed to identify a single case of forced labour. Thailand has become the first country in Asia to ratify the work in fishing convention 188, which sets out binding requirements to ensure decent working conditions. Steve Trent of the Environmental Justice Foundation, which has worked with Thailand to address IUU fishing since 2015, said activists hoped the lifting of the yellow card would not allow “complacency to set in”. “We need to ensure that the positive changes in Thailand are durable, and durable countrywide across political transition, with elections hopefully coming soon,” said Trent. “We recognise the critical role of the EU commission and the constructive leadership it has shown on this issue, that has leveraged such changes. Now it’s up to Thailand to deliver actions that meet the promise.” | ['environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans', 'environment/fishing', 'global-development/global-development', 'world/thailand', 'world/eu', 'world/asia-pacific', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'global-development/series/trafficking-in-focus', 'profile/kate-hodal', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-01-10T11:43:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
technology/2021/jun/24/microsoft-urged-to-keep-corporate-travel-to-2020-levels-for-good | Microsoft urged to keep corporate travel to 2020 levels for good | Microsoft is being urged to limit its corporate travel to 2020 levels for good, to set an example that others can follow by using its videoconferencing tools to limit its impact on the environment. The Just Use Teams campaign, launched by a group of climate activists and Microsoft customers, says the company has spoken about the urgent need to tackle climate change but remains among the top 10 corporate flyers globally, despite being the only one to own and operate a videoconferencing platform. “Microsoft is such a loyal partner to the fossil-fuelled aviation industry, its employees have their own check-in lane at Seattle airport,” the campaigners note. “Before the pandemic, Microsoft’s business travel emitted more greenhouse gases than some entire countries. “If Microsoft was to go back to emitting as much through business flights as before the pandemic, it would risk undermining the meaningful contributions its sustainability team, its partners and its customers make every day. “Businesses and people all around the world look to Microsoft for thought leadership and practical solutions, and relying on offsets and advancements in jet fuels just isn’t good enough.” The campaign is asking Microsoft employees to take action directly, leaving reviews on the company’s Glassdoor page asking their bosses to stick to using MS Teams. It argues that as well as the climate impact, a cut in corporate aviation would be a boost for employee welfare. “Frequent business travel has been linked to burnout. Nearly a quarter of business travellers say they have to work more to make up for lost time while traveling,” it said. Microsoft declined to comment on the campaign, but pointed to its broad commitment to be “carbon negative” by 2030. The companysaid in January last year that it would cut its total emissions by more than half by that date, and invest enough in carbon removal technology to more than cancel out the remaining emissions. By 2050, it hopes to capture all the carbon it has emitted since its founding in 1975. The Just Use Teams campaign, however, said: “Offsets are deeply flawed, and sustainable aviation fuels are so expensive that the airline industry has consistently failed to meet its own targets for sustainable fuel use over the decades. “If Microsoft wants to be a real climate leader, it must scrap all but the most necessary flights from its travel policy.” | ['technology/microsoft', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'technology/computing', 'environment/environment', 'technology/technology', 'business/business', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-hern', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2021-06-24T05:00:48Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2017/dec/03/vaquita-porpoise-extinction-threat-rescue-plan-abandoned | Vaquita porpoise facing extinction after £3m rescue plan abandoned | A last-ditch attempt to save the world’s most endangered marine mammal, the vaquita, by taking them into human care has been abandoned. The chances that this rare species of porpoise will become extinct are now extremely high, researchers have warned. They had hoped to catch a few of the planet’s last 30 vaquitas – which are only found in one small area of the Gulf of California – and protect them in a sanctuary where they could breed safely. But last month, the $4m (£3m) rescue plan by an international team of more than 60 scientists and divers ran into trouble after only a few days, when the first vaquita they caught had to be released when it began to display dangerous signs of stress. Shortly after that, a second vaquita was caught but died a few hours after capture. The team then decided that catching any more animals presented too much risk to the species and further attempts were suspended. “This is a very, very serious setback,” said project scientist Barbara Taylor, of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Taking vaquitas into human care was always an extreme measure, but it was virtually our only option. Now even that has gone. The vaquita is now facing extinction unless illegal fishing can be curtailed.” The vaquita, Phocoena sinus, which reaches a maximum length of only 5ft, has suffered a major population crash in recent years as a result of illegal catching of the totoaba fish. Flesh from the totoaba’s swim bladder can fetch more than £74,000 a kilo in China and this has generated a vast illegal fishing industry. Unfortunately, gill nets designed to catch totoaba are also the perfect size for trapping vaquitas, which become tangled and drown. The Mexican government has recently tightened its laws against illegal fishing but the rewards for totoaba catches are so high there has been little respite. As a result, vaquita numbers have plummeted from around 600 individuals 20 years ago to a few dozen today, leaving the animal hovering at the edge of extinction. “Our last hope was that we could capture enough vaquitas to start a captive breeding colony and restore numbers,” said another of the project’s scientist, Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, of Mexico’s National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change. “We had no experience in capturing these animals and it now turns out they respond badly to being taken in nets and being kept in captivity. Really we should have acted a decade ago when we still had a few hundred vaquitas left and the loss of one or two would not have been so critical.” There is only one hope, said Taylor. “Saving the vaquita now rests with the Mexican government, which might somehow be able to end the illegal fishing for the totoaba. And that is a big ask. Otherwise, it is very unlikely that we are going to have vaquitas in a couple of years.” | ['environment/endangeredspecies', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/dolphins', 'environment/cetaceans', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/robinmckie', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/worldnews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/observer-main'] | environment/cetaceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-12-03T00:00:26Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sustainable-business/india-it-electronic-waste | India's e-waste burden | The Indian city of Bangalore produces some 20,000 tonnes of e-waste per year, according to a report by Assocham, the Association of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India. This figure is rising at a rate of 20% per year and the report's authors forecast the amount of computer waste across the country could increase by nearly 500% by 2020. With a population of 8 million people, Bangalore has emerged as a global telecommuncations and technology hub shouldering 40% of India's IT industry. Since the economic liberalisation of the 1990s, major international firms such as Infosys, Intel and Microsoft have opened bases there along with nearly 3,000 software firms, 35 hardware manufacturers and hundreds of other small scale businesses – turning this once lush farmland into India's Silicon Valley. More than 500 Bangalore-based companies generate an annual revenue of over $17bn (£10.5bn) – a healthy portion of India's $85bn total tech-based export that started life as outsourcing and backoffice centres. Have you ever phoned your mobile phone company and been put through someone in India? They may well have been in Bangalore. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) set up a formal recycling system for e-waste to deal with Bangalore's growing tech dump. But awareness of the e-waste management and handling rules is poor. Up to 90% of this waste is still handled through the informal sector – by firms who employ low-paid workers to process and incinerate e-waste. The people who do this are unaware of safety measures needed for the work. They release lead, mercury and other toxins into the air and use acids to extract precious metals from hardware. What can't be got out is unceremoniously dumped – letting pollutants seep into groundwater. Hal Watts, a designer who trained at the Royal College of Art's sustainability wing, SustainRCA, has devised a bicycle-powered machine that separates valuable copper from electronics. Copper is used in all circuit boards and within most wires. Its ubiquity is what makes it a valuable commodity for people who scavenge through piles of e-waste and sell the copper on. "All recycling technologies have been designed with large western recycling plants in mind," says Watts. "There is almost no equipment that is affordable enough for the informal recycling sector because no single recycler deals with enough waste to afford these large machines. "The informal recycler breaks up waste, sells the copper to one guy, the plastic to another, the circuit boards to another etc. These guys amass their material and sell it to an exporter who then flogs it to a recycling plant often located in a developed country." Countries such as Singapore, Belgium and Japan have smelting units that extract precious metals the human eye can't see. Further up the recycling chain are startups like Karma Recycling. Based in New Delhi with a nationwide expansion plan to open a hub in Bangalore, Karma targets end users and consumers. Most Indians have access to basic technologies like mobile telephones, televisions and radios. A rapidly expanding middle class also has access to personal computers and other comforts. If you can't sell your old gadget on to someone else, Karma provides a system where you can get an online quote for it. They buy it from you, refurbish or dismantle it and then sell those components on. They also have logistics solutions to handle larger hauls of rejected or broken electronics. "Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world," says Akshat Ghiya, Karma Recycling's co-founder. "If it's not recycled scientifically, it leads to a waste of diminishing natural resources, causes irreparable damage to the environment and to the health of the people working in the industry. "Companies design new and improved gadgets every day, flooding the markets month after month, year after year. What happens with these devices when we're done with them? It is time for us as a society to realise that what has gone around (and has been used), must come around (and be reused)." There is legislation that governs the disposal of used and defunct electronics, requring e-waste to be collected, transported and safely disposed. Sale of some electronic scrap to un-authorised or unlicensed dealers and vendors, large or small-scale, is illegal. But that doesn't stop the murkier side of the industry from operating. The informal recycling industry often employs children to dismantle electronic waste. Assocham's report strongly advocates legislation to prevent a child's entry into this labour market. The report also reveals that less than 5% of India's e-waste is recycled. Consumerism works much the same around the world – something new and shiny comes out and those that can afford it try to get it. "Objects are not currently designed to be recycled," says Watts. "A change in design practices won't occur without stricter legislation or until materials become so expensive that there is real interest from companies to design with recycling in mind." When it comes to the reduction of e-waste, the onus is on both the consumer and the producer. In Bangalore, and elsewhere, individuals and companies have to see the fiscal benefits in upgrading without disposing what they had before. The secret life of machines is one where they are always reincarnated. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/resource-efficiency', 'sustainable-business/technology', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'environment/waste', 'environment/recycling', 'guardian-professional/sustainability', 'tone/blog', 'world/india', 'type/article', 'profile/leah-borromeo'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2013-10-11T11:44:00Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
world/2016/aug/16/california-blue-cut-wildfire-san-bernardino-evacuation | California wildfire: 80,000 evacuated amid ferocious blaze and fire tornadoes | An explosive wildfire fanned by a heatwave and strong winds has ripped through rural communities outside Los Angeles, unleashing fire tornadoes and triggering evacuation orders for more than 80,000 people. The so-called Blue Cut fire flared 60 miles east of Los Angeles on Tuesday and by Wednesday morning had grown to 46 sq miles, spreading at a speed and ferocity which triggered chaotic scenes as residents scrambled to flee. The flames consumed homes and businesses, including a McDonald’s and the Summit Inn, a famous roadside diner on historic Route 66. It was the latest casualty in what is turning out to be a wild fire season in California. More than 1,300 firefighters backed by 10 air tankers and 15 helicopters dug trenches and sprayed water and retardant but authorities said the fire, named after a trail called Blue Cut where it began, was “0% contained”. The smoke could be seen from Las Vegas and Huntington Beach. The National Weather Service warned that conditions would not improve, amid temperatures of up to 100F (37C) with gusty south to south-west winds and humidity levels as low as 3%. Television footage captured a fire tornado, more accurately known as a fire whirl, a phenomenon in which flames and gusts combine to form whirling eddies. “It hit hard, it hit fast, it hit with an intensity we haven’t seen before,” Mike Wakoski, the firefighting incident commander, told a press conference. San Bernardino fire chief Mark Hartwig warned evacuees to prepare for bad news. “A lot of homes lost; there will be a lot of families that come home to nothing.” California’s governor, Jerry Brown, declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County. The Red Cross set up emergency shelters for evacuees, including several for animals. “There is imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures. Please follow the evacuation instructions, as this is a very quickly growing wildfire,” said the state incident information system. “An estimated 34,500 homes and 82,640 people are being affected by the evacuation warnings.” Sheriff’s deputies scrambled to enforce mandatory evacuation orders for rural communities in Baldy Mesa, Lytle Creek, Wrightwood, Old Cajon Road, Lone Pine Canyon, West Cajon Valley and Swarthout Canyon. Only about half of the 4,500 residents of the threatened town of Wrightwood left, the Associated Press reported. “This is not the time to mess around,” said Mark Peebles, a San Bernardino County fire department battalion chief. Wakoski, the incident commander, echoed the sentiment. “If we ask you to leave, you have to leave.” James Quigg, a photographer with the Daily Press in Victorville, witnessed the fire explode from just 15 acres to cover miles of canyon and hillside. “I saw all sorts of areas where I figured, ‘OK, the firefighters will use this as a line break, or they’ll use that as a fire break.’ And the fire just kept hopping over them,” he told KPCC. “And then it was like, whoa, this is going to be a problem. I’ve seen several fires in the past. I have never seen, you know, the flames burn so high and so close and right up to the freeway.” Another photographer showed people apparently running towards a burning property in an effort to retrieve possessions. Flames briefly trapped six firefighters who were defending homes in Swarthout Canyon. They found shelter but two suffered minor injuries, officials said. Strong gusts, drought-parched terrain and southern California’s week-long heat wave fuelled the flames. The fire shut down a section of Interstate 15, the main highway between southern California and Las Vegas, complicating evacuations. It was the latest blaze in what is proving to be an especially destructive, unpredictable fire season in western states. Recent fires have claimed hundreds of homes and killed eight people in California – an ominous record because fire season peaks in autumn with the arrival of hot Santa Ana winds. It’s part of a trend of drier winters, warmer springs and hotter summers. Climate change has extended the west’s traditional fire season by 78 days since the 1970s, running from June to October. Fires start earlier and burn longer. The US’s lower 48 states just experienced the hottest June on record, surpassing 1933 dust bowl records, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. | ['us-news/california', 'world/wildfires', 'us-news/los-angeles', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/rorycarroll', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2016-08-17T18:06:22Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
technology/2020/sep/24/amazon-launches-spherical-echo-and-flying-camera-drone | Amazon launches spherical Echo and flying camera drone | Amazon has announced a full range of new spherical Echo devices, new motorised smart display, a camera drone that flies around your house, a game-streaming service and more. In a streaming presentation, the company showed off a smorgasbord of new devices from its various brands, including Ring, Eero, Fire and Echo. The new standard Echo ditches its cylindrical shape for a fabric-covered ball design with Amazon’s characteristic light-ring in the base to indicate when it is listening to you. It has a new 3in woofer and two tweeters with Dolby processing for stereo sound and automatic adjustment to the acoustics of your room. It also has Amazon’s new AZ1 artificial intelligence chip for greater local processing of voice and other actions for increased privacy and speed. It will cost £89.99 in the UK or $99.99 in the US. The next-generation £49.99/$49.99 Echo Dot also adopts a similar but smaller design, including a model with an LED clock on the front for £59.99/$59.99 and a Kids Edition, which has child-friendly settings, responses and activities including a reading coach. The new Echo Dots have 1.6in front-firing speakers and tap-to-snooze or silence features. Echo Show 10 A new motorised Echo Show 10 was also unveiled costing £239.99 in the UK or $249.99 in the US. The device has a 10in screen that’s mounted on a swivelling base. The screen turns to face the person who is interacting with it, tracking their body rather than their face as they move around an area using local AI. The new smart display has a 13-megapixel camera and can pan, zoom and rotate to keep you in frame during video callson Zoom or Amazon’s Chime service that will be available later this year. The camera can also be used as part of Amazon’s home security system called Guard, allowing it to pan around when it detects motion. All new Echo devices will be made with 100% post-consumer recycled fabric, 100% recycled die-cast aluminium and post-consumer recycled plastic, as well as new low power modes and a new Alexa energy-use dashboard. Amazon also unveiled new Alexa features, including a setting called “natural turn taking”, which allows people to invite Alexa into a conversation for continued follow-up requests, such as ordering from a takeaway menu. Alexa will also be able to learn the meaning of things per-customer, such as being able to teach it that “reading mode” means lights should be set to 40% brightness. Users can also ask Alexa to delete all recordings of their interactions and set it so that Amazon deletes every interaction immediately after it has been processed. Amazon will also actively prompt users to review their privacy settings. Ring Amazon also launched a series of new products from its security company Ring, which will only be available in the US initially, including a new Car Connect system for vehicle manufacturers including Tesla. The $59.99 Ring Car Alarm is a third-party alarm system that plugs into a car’s diagnostic port and actively monitors for break-ins, impacts and other events, alerting users via the Ring app if something happens. The $199.99 Ring Car Cam is a smart dashcam that monitors your car for break-ins, bumps and other events when parked, acting as an alarm but with two HD cameras one facing out and one facing back into the cabin. It also can automatically request emergency help in the event of a crash and has a feature called “traffic stop”, which is triggered by the phrase “Alexa, I’m being pulled over”. The camera then records footage of the event and notifies loved ones. But the most surprising device of the lot is a new home camera drone called the Ring Always Home Cam. The $249 autonomous, flying indoor camera can move to predetermined areas of your home when an event occurs such as a break-in while streaming the video to your phone. It sits in a little dock when not in use and only records video when flying and makes a noise when in motion to alert those around it that it is recording. Amazon also announced that Ring would implement end-to-end encryption for video for better privacy later this year. Fire TV Stick Amazon also unveiled a new 50% faster and 50% more power- efficient Fire TV Stick smart TV streaming device with HDR and Dolby Atmos support costing £39.99 in the UK or $39.99 in the US, and a cheaper version called the Fire TV Stick Lite costing £29.99 in the UK or $29.99 in the US. Both devices will ship next week. New Eero mesh wifi routers were also unveiled, the $129 Eero 6 and $229 Pro 6, both of which feature the latest wifi 6 standards as well as the Zigbee smart home standard and will be available in the US only initially. Finally, Amazon also unveiled a new cloud game-streaming service called Luna that will rival Microsoft’s Xbox game streaming, Google’s Stadia and Nvidia’s Geforce Now. The $5.99-a-month service which will launch in early access in the US, will stream to Fire TV devices, PC and Mac, with web apps for the iPhone and iPad and an Android app coming soon. Luna also has a dedicated low-latency cloud-connected controller costing $49.99, Twitch streaming integration and an Ubisoft partnership with games appearing on the service day-and-date with general release. | ['technology/amazon', 'technology/amazon-alexa', 'technology/technology', 'technology/gadgets', 'technology/internet', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/samuel-gibbs', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/consumer-tech--commissioning-'] | technology/gadgets | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2020-09-24T19:56:03Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
sustainable-business/2014/aug/18/coffee-paper-cup-environment-recycle-guilt-free | Guilt-free takeaway coffee in a paper cup: is there such a thing? | Each year, an estimated 2.5bn paper cups are thrown away in the UK. And a whole lot of energy goes into making these single-use containers. What’s more, despite their name, paper cups don’t just consist of paper: in order to prevent the cups going soggy, most manufacturers add a thin coating of plastic. While the result may make your coffee experience more enjoyable, it also makes the cups very hard to recycle. Several new companies have set out to solve that dilemma. 3Boys, a pioneering British packaging firm that recently made headlines when it introduced a “paper wine bottle”, has developed a paper cup with a plastic lining that easily separates from the paper. “We need to address issues on the local level, and 90% of coffee customers walk away from the shop with their coffee”, explains Martin Myerscough, 3Boys’ CEO. “Recycling in the store doesn’t really help.” Given the difficulty and expense of separating the plastic lining from the paper, most shops and chains don’t recycle paper cups anyway. 3Boys’ Green Cup’s inner plastic sheet allows consumers to easily remove it and recycle. According to Myerscough, companies were initially sceptical of the idea, believing customers wouldn’t be interested. But after public demonstrations of the cup in London earlier this year proved a hit with passers-by, Myerscough says their attitude changed. “Yes, there will always be consumers who just want a cheap paper cup, but there’s a lot of interest in recyclable ones, and once local government gets involved in supporting the recycling, use could really take off,” he predicts. Edinburgh-based Vegware is already seeing that progress. The maker of compostable tableware has been named as Scotland’s third-fastest growing technology company. “You can compost food and you can recycle packaging, but you can’t recycle them together,” explains founder and managing director Joe Frankel. “Our solution is the only way that allows you to do that.” Vegware’s plant-based products – from sushi boxes to cutlery – can be composted with or indeed without food remains on them, and the company reports operations and distribution across Europe as well as in South Africa, the US and even the UAE. Perhaps somewhat more surprisingly, global paints and coatings company AkzoNobel has joined the recyclable paper cup trend as well. Its technology – introduced in chips and hamburger containers at the 2012 London Olympics and soon to be available for cups as well – features a special coating that allows the paper to be recycled with high-quality results up to seven times. “QSRs [quick-service restaurants] realised that customers’ last experience with them was garbage, so they’ve been looking for recycling options that send the garbage not downstream, as has been the case until now, but into products of equal value or at least into something that can be put into a landfill and decompose,” explains AkzoNobel marketing director Chris Bradford. The company plans to have its cups available to buyers within the next 18 months. If companies and consumers are at least moderately interested, and the technology isn’t that complicated, how come fast-food restaurants and cafés don’t already offer recyclable or compostable cups? Polyethylene, today’s ubiquitous plastic coating, is simply too convenient. “The industry has been using it for 40 years and it has credibility,” says Bradford. Frankel adds: “Certain materials have recently come of age. And recycling has advanced, making different kinds of recycling possible.” While plant-based, compostable plates and cups may have been possible 20 years ago, technological advances and environmental awareness make them feasible today. But even though large chains like Starbucks offer recycling bins, they’re struggling to make people put their cups there. And even when they do put their cup in the recycling bin, consumers can’t be sure that it will actually be recycled. As Myerscough notes, most consumers don’t finish their beverage at the coffee shop anyway. Bringing a personal cup seems a logical solution, but since Starbucks introduced a personal-cup initiative in 2008, with a goal of 25% personal cup use, only 1.9% of beverages have been sold that way. There is, in other words, room for innovative solution. “People are starting to join the end of life conversation,” adds Bradford. The question is, of course, how much coffee shops and fast food restaurants are willing to pay for a better end of life for cups. Pret A Manger, considered a green leader, could not be reached for comment, but Bradford says that AkzoNobel has had “positive discussions” with fast food chains. There may indeed come a time when enjoying a coffee in a disposable cup won’t involve a guilty conscience. Read more stories like this: Designers shadow staff in London waste sites to inform sustainable design Southwest Airlines upcycles 80,000 leather seats into bags, shoes and balls Advertisement Feature: Quiz: how much does the world waste? The circular economy hub is funded by Philips. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['business/ethicalbusiness', 'food/coffee', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'sustainable-business/resource-efficiency', 'environment/recycling', 'sustainable-business/waste-and-recycling', 'food/food', 'environment/ethical-living', 'environment/waste', 'sustainable-business/series/circular-economy', 'tone/blog', 'type/article', 'profile/elisabeth-braw'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2014-08-18T11:42:22Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2016/nov/04/few-geese-graze-marsh-dyfi-estuary-country-diary | Few geese graze the murky marsh edge | From my vantage point on the southern side of the Dyfi estuary it was clear that my plan for the day had been compromised. The salt marsh, with its almost fractally complex pattern of creeks, pools and drains, is often host in late autumn to large groups of geese grazing contentedly within easy reach of the seawall. On this visit those few geese visible through the pervasive anticyclonic murk were strung out along the seaward edge of the marsh, distant and difficult to approach. As if by compensation a single egret, starkly white against the muted greys and browns of the saltings, flapped slowly up from the bed of a creek just in front of me. Hoping for a break in the gloomy weather I moved on to Dovey Junction, one of the more remote railway stations in the UK. Perched by the river Dyfi and reachable only on foot or by bike along a gravel track, it gives access to a dramatic rail route along the north side of the estuary. Across the river bridge, with its lonely cottage, the line follows a rocky foreshore edged with current-sculpted sandbanks where the main channel cuts close to the shore. On this day scattered groups of large jellyfish lay stranded near the high-water mark, oystercatchers scavenged and probed at the edge of the rising tide, and ducks formed sociable rafts midstream. But no more geese were visible. The village of Aberdyfi marks the boundary between the river and sea, and even stepping from the train on to its single station platform I could hear the roar of the surf breaking on the sandbar at the mouth of the Dyfi. Warm sunshine broke through briefly and from the jetty behind the lifeboat station children fished for crabs – dropping them into buckets of seaweed and water as generations have done before them. As the sea breeze began to pick up and the shadows lost their definition I looked inland. Fresh masses of grey cloud were starting to drag across the hills of Ceredigion while a solitary cormorant dived repeatedly and with limited success among the moored fishing boats. Follow Country diary on Twitter: @gdncountrydiary | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/coastlines', 'environment/rivers', 'environment/birds', 'uk/wales', 'environment/autumn', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'travel/railtravel', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'travel/travel', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/john-gilbey', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2016-11-04T05:30:09Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sustainable-business/2016/may/21/rotterdam-couple-house-made-from-waste-stonecycling-bricks-netherlands | The Rotterdam couple that will live in a house made from waste | Rotterdam, the Dutch city home to more than 600,000 people and hundreds of high-rise buildings, can feel pretty dense. But hop on a bike and cycle around the city centre and you can still discover empty plots of land. This is how a young couple, Nina Aalbers and her boyfriend Ferry in ‘t Veld, architecture graduates of the Technical University of Delft, found the perfect place to build their first house together. The twist? They’re building it from waste. Their four-storey home will be made from bricks that started out as an experiment in a laboratory in Limburg – a southern province in the Netherlands. It’s here where Tom van Soest, co-founder of circular economy startup StoneCycling, spends his time concocting new recipes and cooking up WasteBasedBricks. The ingredients – waste from the ceramics, glass and insulation industries, and rejected clay from traditional brick manufacturing – are all sourced within a 100km radius. The composition of different recipes can lead to unusual aesthetics, such as the aptly named Aubergine brick (below). When a recipe works on a laboratory manufacturing scale (five to 10 bricks) and the technical properties are in line with market and regulatory demands, production is scaled up. The startup also uses demolition waste and is working on a project turning waste from a demolished neighbourhood into new products that can be used to rebuild it. Re-using materials diverts construction waste from landfill and reduces the demand for virgin materials. In the EU, waste from construction accounts for one-third of all waste generated. The exact recipes used to make WasteBasedBricks are kept secret but, as with any signature dish, there are ingredients to be avoided. These include fly ash, which can contain heavy metals, and waste containing cement, which reacts badly with other materials. Getting uncontaminated waste streams from demolition is one of StoneCycling’s biggest challenges and it is calling for better ways of demolishing buildings. One idea being discussed in the Netherlands is a building material passport (a document clearly describing the materials used in a building), which would make it easier at the end of a building’s life to identify materials for reuse. Companies such as StoneCycling could then guarantee to use or buy certain materials from building owners and demolishing companies, incentivising strategic demolition over cheap demolition. This is something it has been working on with waste management company Suez Environment. StoneCycling mainly produces special bricks which are unique in terms of colour, shape and texture compared to commonly used building bricks. Within this market segment, it says its price point is mid-level. All StoneCycling bricks are subjected to standard market tests to ensure they are safe to use according to European standards. They are checked, for example, for frost resistance and the maximum pressure the brick can take. But still, this is a new product in an industry that is typically risk averse and profit driven. “In general [architects] love the products because it opens up a whole new range of possibilities in terms of colours and textures,” says StoneCycling co-founder Ward Massa. “On the other hand, they want to see proof. Realising a number of projects is extremely important to take away any scepticism about building from waste. “It’s quite amazing that [Nina and Ferry] decided to invest more money and time and take an extra risk to be the first to live in a waste-based house,” he says. “But it is inspiring to see a new generation that believes in a different way of designing, living, building, maintaining and demolishing.” Massa believes the first market to take up their product will be the likes of fashion and coffee brands that want sustainable features in their buildings to serve as a marketing tool and unique selling point. StoneCycling has already worked with an Eindhoven design studio to make a bar from old Heineken beer bottles for a restaurant in Amsterdam. The products have been included in designs for hotels, office buildings and houses that will be built in 2017 and onwards, but still have to survive budget-cut rounds. Veld admits using the new brick is exciting but also challenging, “since you can never be sure how it will work out on the building site and how it will look in a few years.” But he was reassured by the impressed mason who built the test wall. “He showed us by breaking the brick with his trowel in two, apparently a lot of bricks nowadays break into a thousand pieces.” The first WasteBasedBricks are being laid at Aalbers and Veld’s house this week and the couple plans to move in by August. | ['sustainable-business/series/circular-economy', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'environment/waste', 'artanddesign/architecture', 'artanddesign/design', 'artanddesign/artanddesign', 'business/manufacturing-sector', 'business/business', 'society/housing', 'business/construction', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/sponsoredfeatures', 'profile/hannah-gould', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-professional-networks'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2016-05-21T07:00:06Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2016/feb/29/renewables-agency-invests-in-energy-retailer-that-wants-to-sell-less | Renewables agency invests in energy retailer that wants to sell less | The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) has backed a $5m investment in Mojo Power, an electricity retailer that helps households consume less energy and is already taking customers in New South Wales. The company works on a subscription model, where a monthly fee gives customers access to electricity at rates that only cover the expected cost of delivering it. Unlike other retailers who make money by adding a mark-up to wholesale rates, Mojo said it only made money from a customer’s subscription fee, not from their energy use. It provides customers with a smart meter, which it says will help customers use less electricity, as well as get the most out of solar panels and battery storage. Mojo told Guardian Australia it would soon be offering its own solar and battery products to help customers buy even less power. The chief executive of Mojo, James Myatt, said the company was “absolutely aligned” with the customer’s objective to pay less for the electricity they need. “Traditionally we invest in technology companies but Mojo is a business model that we think is really disruptive,” said Mark Bonner from Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund, an investment fund jointly created by Arena and Softbank China Venture Capital, which made the investment for Arena. “Mojo isn’t incentivised to prevent you using less energy,” he said. Bonner said it was Australia’s first retailer-led roll-out of smart meters, which were essential for designing and optimising solar and battery solutions. Without detailed information about what time of the day customers used electricity, it was impossible to know what kind of solar and battery setup would work for them. “Using state-of-the-art smart metering technology, Mojo will be able to analyse customer usage data with a view to optimising energy use and demonstrating how households could benefit from renewable energy technologies,” said the head of Arena, Ivor Frischknecht. “If Mojo successfully taps into the Australian market, it could encourage even more households to invest in solar, which in turn will help drive down costs. “It also has the potential to accelerate the growth of Australia’s emerging battery storage industry as consumers look for more value from their rooftop systems. “You’d expect retailers to be far and away the dominant vendors of solar panels. “But that’s not the case.” He said that was evidence that the traditional business model where retailers make money from customers using more energy was driving down the use of solar. There have also been cases of electricity retailers excluding solar customers from their discounted rates, which can eliminate any cost savings provided by solar. Mojo currently offers three subscription plans from $30 to $45 a month. More expensive options provide more features, like live energy usage and more support. Mojo did not reveal when it would start offering solar and battery solutions. Bruce Mountain, an electricity market analyst and director of CME consultancy, said a similar type of subscription business model had been used for large industrial electricity users, except in those cases, the customers took on the risk of being exposed to a highly fluctuating “spot pricing” for power. Mojo would instead be offering standard pricing structures for electricity – peak and off-peak, or flat pricing – which it said would only reflect its “anticipated purchase cost”. Because Mojo charges a subscription to all customers, regardless of how much energy they use but offers cheaper electricity rates, the service is likely to be most beneficial for heavier electricity consumers. “Our pricing offer is more attractive for larger users of electricity,” Mojo Power chief marketing officer, Mark Khademi told AdNews in January. “These tend to be larger family homes with kids.” Arena usually invests in technology companies, but this investment is really in a business model, Frischknecht said. “The future is more about new business models and changes to the regulatory environment than it is just fancy new technologies,” he sad. “Technologies are a part of it but they’re only a small part.” Arena is charged with making investments that improve the competitiveness and supply of renewable energy in Australia. They have a number of investment priorities, including one titled “integrating renewables into the grids,” which is primarily about encouraging the roll-out of smart grid technology that will facilitate renewable energy systems like solar. Frischknecht said the investment in Mojo fell under that priority. | ['environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/solarpower', 'business/energy-industry', 'business/business', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/michael-slezak'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2016-02-28T19:04:08Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/article/2024/aug/20/country-diary-a-riot-of-colour-and-cannibalism | Country diary: A riot of colour and cannibalism | Mark Cocker | Her appearance was so unexpectedly brilliant that when I spotted a 1cm squirt of colour land on the ground an arm’s length away, she seemed more like a momentary flicker of flame. Then she went out and I was in agonies to relocate her. Even on that briefest view, she was easily among the brightest insects I’ve seen. I also got some of the improbable range: the shimmering emerald, the rich purple thorax, glittering magenta on her abdomen and, at the rear, a cone of deepest, darkest blue. When she finally returned and I could examine her at leisure, I realised that the thorax had the same unlikely tone as ripened lychees, even to the exact dimpled quality of the fruit’s surface. Weirdest were her turquoise antennae, outstretched, a third longer than her limbs, jointed and angled so she could touch the ground as she walked. The intent, downward inflection of her action lent this multicoloured cuckoo wasp (for I learned later that this was her name) a rather myopic, deeply absorbed, even bookish, quality as she went tap-tap-tapping across the sand. Who knows what exquisite sensitivity resides in their sensory tips, but she was soon acting on a signal. There were clues that even I could detect, because the substrate was pocked with minute burrows, whose entrances bore raised tubes of hardened sand like miniature chimneys. These are almost certainly the works of mason wasps. The owners dig out nest chambers and provision their intended offspring with fresh meat, such as flies and caterpillars, stung and thus paralysed, but not dead. The cuckoo (technically named Chrysis viridula) enters the nursery of these other wasps and lays her own eggs. On hatching, the children of the cuckoo wasp eat the food provisions and probably the other wasps’ larvae, before emerging in spring. If caught underground, in flagrante delicto, while performing this murderous malarkey, an adult cuckoo wasp can curl up into a hedgehog’s ball and her hard, brassy, lychee-coloured carapace protects her from a mason wasp’s sting. It strikes me that this tiny insect is like all life itself – mysterious, beautiful, completely improbable and, ultimately, full of remorseless terror. • Country diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary • Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian’s Country Diary, 2018-2024 (Guardian Faber) is published on 26 September; pre-order now at the guardianbookshop.com and get a 20% discount | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/insects', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'environment/wildlife', 'uk-news/derbyshire', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/markcocker', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-08-20T04:30:11Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sustainable-business/2014/nov/03/collaboration-business-partnerships-live-chat | Collaborating for sustainability: what business partnerships work best? - live chat | Collaboration is word that is touted a lot in sustainability but often the conversation does not go beyond a call for action. Questions such as what does the perfect partnership look like and what are the rules of engagement are often left untouched with little insight into the challenges and opportunities of teaming up. With an ever-increasing list of sustainability concerns, from resource scarcity to climate adaptation, business has been looking for solutions beyond its corporate sphere for years - with both success and failure. But where are the new forms of collaboration cropping up and what can we learn from them? Partnerships can break down the traditional barriers of competition with brands looking to each other for support. Rivals such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo and Unilever and P&G joined forces to develop more sustainable refrigeration, while in the Côte d’Ivoire a government-business initiative sees 12 of the world’s largest chocolate and cocoa companies, including Nestlé and Mars, working together to help farmers meet the growing demand for cocoa. Academia and industry can also offer each other complementary skills; the former bringing research and development expertise while the later has the financial capacity and human resource power to drive a project forward. One example is the MAKING app, a joint project between Nike and the London College of Fashion that aims to de-couple design from the degradation of nature. Another innovative approach, particularly popular in the technology sector, is crowdsourcing. Examples such as the Pearson Foundation, UNESCO and Nokia’s Education for All Crowdsourcing Challenge and the CloudCamp Social Good Hackathon, sponsored by HP and Intel, all show the potential of people power to solve social problems. Get involved On Thursday 6 November, 2 - 3.30pm (GMT) we are hosting a live chat on what a perfect partnership looks like and would like you to join our panel of experts in the comments section below. To participate, you can post your thoughts and questions beforehand in the comments below, tweet us at @GuardianSustBiz with #askGSB or email your question to jenny.purt@theguardian.com. Panel Anno Galema, coordinator public private partnerships, Department Sustainable Economic Development, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tom Dawkins, co-founder, StartSomeGood.com Angela Lazou, ocean campaigner, Greenpeace David Schofield, group head of corporate responsibility, Aviva Malcolm Hett, global sustainability manager, Mondelēz International Meaghan Ramsey, global director of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, Unilever Dilys Williams, director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion Darian Stibbe, executive director, The Partnering Initiative Read more stories like this: Why rivals like PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Unilever and P&G are joining forces Business and academia join forces to tackle UK food security Brought to you by Unilever: Unilever seeks innovative startups for sustainable living hack The sustainable living hub is funded by Unilever. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/series/sustainable-living', 'sustainable-business/collaboration', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'business/business', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'environment/environment', 'global-development/global-development', 'sustainable-business/series/q-and-a', 'technology/crowdsourcing', 'type/article', 'profile/jenny-purt'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-11-03T17:17:35Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
uk-news/2019/may/11/bio-manipulation-to-restore-clear-waters-of-norfolk-broads | Bio-manipulation to restore clear waters of Norfolk Broads | It was once famed for its gin-clear waters but today the waterways of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads are more typically a murky greeny-brown. Now a new “bio-manipulation” project aims to restore clear waters to Ranworth Broad and Barton Broad, paving the way for the return of osprey, common terns and rare aquatic plants currently thwarted by the murky depths. Areas of both freshwater lakes equivalent to the size of 24 football pitches will be netted off, with populations of certain fish species reduced in each section during the £500,000 restoration project led by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Conservationists believe that managing fish species that devour algae-eating zooplankton will “tip the balance” and permanently remove the excess algae that causes the turbid waters. While the Broads’ terrestrial marshland and reedbeds are rich with unique wildlife, from swallowtail butterflies to Norfolk hawker dragonflies, conservationists liken its waterways to a forest where all the trees have been felled. The historic cause of the Broads’ murky water has been untreated sewage and fertilisers from intensive agriculture washing into the rivers. This influx of nutrients has caused algae to thrive, which prevents light reaching the bottom of the lakes, causing aquatic plants to die off. Predators such as pike can no longer hide among the plants, leading to unnaturally high populations of roach and bream. Roach feed on the zooplankton which would ordinarily eat algae, while bream stir up the silty bottoms of the waterways, sending nutrients back into the water and further boosting algal blooms. “If you imagine a forest with lots of predators and prey and all of the sudden the trees are taken down – the predators have nowhere to hide up,” said Kevin Hart, the head of reserves for Norfolk Wildlife Trust. “Once you get the plants again, the fish species start to regulate themselves.” Just as restoring wolves to a re-wilded landscape can create a “landscape of fear” and reduce grazing damage, so a “cascade” of positive effects will occur in the aquatic ecosystem, according to Hart. Predators including pike and osprey will reduce the impact of the grazers – zooplankton-feeding fish – by moving them around more. The restoration attempt is possible because the nutrients that once poured into the Broads are now restricted thanks to the efforts of farmers, the Broads Authority, the Environment Agency and others. But although harmful phosphates have now fallen to levels that could sustain clear water, the algae retains a stranglehold. Forty years ago, conservationists closed off one of the Broads’ freshwater lakes, Cockshoot Broad, from the main river system to restore its water. Cockshoot’s water is still clear, with rare aquatic plants, such as the holly-leaved naiad, thriving. According to Hart, the switch from murky to clear water could happen within weeks of the new netted areas being built, with roach and bream being swept unharmed from these areas during the installation. With funding from the Biffa award – created by landfill taxes – areas close to the banks of the Broads will also be enclosed, and their fish populations monitored and managed to encourage the development of more than 800 plant species that thrive on the water’s edge. The project should benefit pike and water vole and could double the breeding population of common terns on Ranworth Broad, with new islands for their nests also being created. When the waters clear in the enclosed area of Ranworth Broad, the trust hopes that it could trigger the clearing of all of Ranworth’s waters within a few years. “The idea is to do enough to tip the whole balance of the Broad,” said Hart. “This isn’t against fish but about balancing the population of fish species. We need to do this to kick the current [algae-dominated] system over. Once we do that it will be sustainable and a much healthier system all round.” Pamela Abbott, the chief executive of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, said: “Both Ranworth and Barton Broads are located in the midst of some of the finest terrestrial fen habitats anywhere in Europe. The biodiversity potential of the Broads is immense and this significant grant allows us to restore and reestablish aquatic plant life.” | ['uk-news/norfolk', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/rivers', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/patrickbarkham', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2019-05-11T06:00:25Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
artanddesign/2021/apr/21/girl-in-the-baobab-tree-luis-tato-best-photograph | A little girl climbing the tree of life: Luis Tato’s best photograph | The vast Zinder region in Niger, west Africa, is the most populated part of the country. Its people live mostly in traditional villages, their lives relatively unchanged for decades. Yet they are now being profoundly affected by climate change. I was there in 2019, working on stories about the crisis, reforestation and resilience projects. Most of the region’s inhabitants make their living through cattle. Global warming isn’t just causing droughts that affect crops and cause food shortages – it also means the cattle can’t graze. So people are being forced to travel ever further to find water and food for themselves and their livestock. This creates conflicts over land and access to water. This girl, who was 10 or 11, lived in the village of Malawama. She is at the top of a massive baobab tree, collecting leaves for the family dinner – the tastiest are usually higher up. Baobab leaves are a popular meal in the region. They’re similar to spinach and eaten as a side dish or added to soups and stews. I saw her from a distance and the image quickly caught my eye. I was surprised to see her climbing this huge tree unaided, but she moved so confidently that I soon stopped worrying. She was completely used to it – as most local people are. The mystical baobab has been deeply embedded in Zinder culture for centuries – there are songs and stories about what they call the tree of life. As well as the leaves, its fruit is nutritious, its flowers and seeds have medicinal properties, and the wood and bark are used in a variety of ways. The tree has adapted to the environment: during the rainy season, it can absorb and store water, which means it can fruit and flower during the arid season. Elephants eat the bark for its water while its foliage and vast hollow trunk provide shelter for animals and humans. Baobabs are now being planted as part of a reforestation project, to help people deal with climate change. This tree gives me hope – it is part of a positive story about the region. For many years, I was a news photographer, working first in Spain and then in Kenya. I was often assigned to stories of conflict, but I think the media present a skewed image of Africa by focusing on negative stories. I want to look at the positive side, at the fantastic minds working to transform lives and do amazing things. I want to put my camera in those spaces and tell those stories. I’m working on a project about a boxing school for girls from the slums of Nairobi. They’re being taught to defend themselves and to gain self-confidence. Some are going on to become professional boxers. It’s changing all their lives. Even villagers unfamiliar with climate change know their lives are changing, that the land is degrading and each day is getting tougher. It worries me that this is only the beginning, that things are only going to get worse. I love this image of the girl in the baobab tree because it’s not spectacular. It’s gentle and poetic, a regular scene in a Niger village. The area has been scarred by conflict and drought but life also goes on in a quiet way. This tree, and what it represents, makes me feel positive and peaceful. Luis Tato’s CV Born: Spain, 1989. Trained: Self-taught. Influences: Cristina García-Rodero, Tomás Munita, Alex Webb and Gordon Parks among many others. High point: “Being nominated for the 2021 World Press photo of the year.” Low point: “Losing my job at the newspaper I worked for in Spain because of budget cuts.” Top tip: “Know the history and the story. Listen, ask, read and watch before shooting.” • Luis Tato is the Sony World Photography awards 2021 professional winner in the wildlife and nature category. See the virtual exhibition at worldphoto.org. | ['artanddesign/photography', 'artanddesign/series/mybestshot', 'world/niger', 'artanddesign/sony-world-photography-awards', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'artanddesign/artanddesign', 'culture/culture', 'world/africa', 'environment/environment', 'environment/forests', 'society/children', 'lifeandstyle/family', 'culture/awards-and-prizes', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/imogentilden', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/g2', 'theguardian/g2/arts', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-culture'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-04-21T14:38:31Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/article/2024/jun/16/us-heatwave-midwest-north-east | US braces for ‘dangerous’ conditions as heatwave to hit midwest and north-east | Millions of Americans are facing “dangerously hot conditions”, the National Weather Service said, with a heatwave set to hit the midwest and north-east US from Monday. Michigan, Ohio and western Pennsylvania were all under heat warnings starting Monday, with alerts in place until Friday evening. Meteorologists warned that the heat will spread east through the week, with a “heat dome” expected to trap high temperatures across New York, Washington DC and Boston. The warnings come as states in the south were experiencing higher than usual temperatures on Sunday. Phoenix, in Arizona, was under a heat warning, with temperatures expected to reach 110F (43C), while officials in Atlanta, Georgia, opened a cooling center over the weekend as temperatures reached 100F. The NWS said an excessive heat watch will be in place over north-east Indiana, western Pennsylvania and most of Michigan and Ohio from Monday. It warned people to expect “dangerously hot conditions”, with heat index values of 100F (38C) or higher likely. The heat index, or apparent temperature, combines the air temperature with humidity to calculate what heat feels like to the human body. People in those areas should drink plenty of fluids, avoid the sun, and stay in air-conditioned rooms, the NWS said. It warned that drivers should avoid leaving children or pets in unattended vehicles, as car interiors “will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes”. Detroit, Michigan, is likely to see its worst heatwave in 20 years, the Associated Press reported. Monday is expected to see heat indices of 100F, which will last through the week. Ohio’s governor, Mike DeWine, said residents should “check on older neighbors, and have a plan if the heat becomes too much”, the Ironton Tribune reported. The emergency management authority for Delaware county, in the center of the state, published a list of “cooling centers” where people can escape the heat. New York City and other parts of the state are expected to see heat index temperatures of up to 105F (41C) in the coming week. Governor Kathy Hochul said people should “take every precaution they can” over the coming week – including bracing for severe thunderstorms which are expected to hit on Friday. A heat dome is expected to prolong the extreme heat. A heat dome occurs when high pressure traps hot air over a region, causing temperatures on the ground to rise further. While some areas will see cooler temperatures at night, there will be areas of extreme heat, with little or no overnight relief, from eastern Kansas to Maine, according to a National Weather Service heat risk map. It comes as authorities evacuated at least 1,200 people in Los Angeles county on Saturday, as a wildfire spread over thousands of acres near a major highway and threatened nearby structures. Experts say that the climate crisis, triggered by burning fossil fuels and deforestation, will increase the number of devastating heatwaves around the world. In 2023, the hottest year on record for the planet, the US had the most heatwaves – abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days – since 1936. In the south and south-west, last year was the worst on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year a report by Climate Central, an environmental non-profit organization, found that a total of 175 of the 244 US cities analyzed had at least one week with extraordinarily warm temperatures. Heat-related deaths have increased in the US in each of the last three years, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. There were 1,602 such deaths in 2021; 1,722 in 2022; and 2,302 in 2023. | ['environment/extreme-heat', 'environment/environment', 'world/extreme-weather', 'world/world', 'us-news/us-news', 'us-news/phoenix', 'us-news/new-york', 'us-news/washington-dc', 'us-news/boston', 'us-news/michigan', 'us-news/ohio', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-gabbatt', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | environment/extreme-heat | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2024-06-16T14:39:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sport/2018/apr/01/lizzie-simmonds-swimming-commonwealth-games-gold-coast-age-discrimination-funding | Lizzie Simmonds: 'I am not on funding – and that’s 100% due to my age' | Lizzie Simmonds will compete in her third Commonwealth Games, beginning on Wednesday in Australia’s sun-soaked Gold Coast. Among the most successful members of the team, with 11 British titles, world medals and a fourth-place finish at the Olympics, she has never dropped out of the top 15 in the world in her favoured event, the 200m backstroke. But at 27 she feels discarded by British Swimming, an organisation she believes regards her as past it when her 28th birthday is still 10 months away. Despite winning the British trials in 2016 Simmonds was overlooked for the Rio Olympics and has not received funding since 2014. She claims it is a case of age discrimination by a governing body that no longer values experience. “I’ve been consistently ranked the top in the country in my event and yet I haven’t been on funding for the last five years – and that’s 100% due to my age,” she says. “There are younger swimmers who might be slower but are seen as having more potential than me. It’s something we have to deal with but I think there should be more value placed on experience and the journey you’ve taken along the way. “Growing up I had a very close group of role models who were more experienced than me,” she adds. “They could guide and advise on things. There’s less of that for our younger athletes now because the older athletes are pushed out so quickly. We all want to be like Adam Peaty and so immediately successful but the reality is that a lot of younger athletes go to their first international meet and don’t swim well, maybe don’t get to a semi-final, maybe don’t do a personal best. There’s a huge amount of value in having experienced swimmers around who can help athletes through that.” Simmonds, who is from Beverley in East Yorkshire, had been based at Bath University, one of British Swimming’s two National Centres for Swimming. But after not being selected for the Great Britain team for the Rio Olympics she relocated to Edinburgh. Her unhappiness with the way she was being treated in Bath had accumulated over a few years, causing her to fall out of love with the sport. “What I was doing in the pool wasn’t working and there wasn’t too much flexibility to switch things up,” she says, “I started not believing in what I was doing. Swimming’s a huge investment sport. I worked out by the time I’d got to my mid-20s I’d done an average 2.2million metres of swimming every year for the last 14 years. If you don’t have 100% belief that it’s going to make you a better athlete, then it’s incredibly hard to find the motivation to go to training. Bath is a great place for some of the other athletes. But I need a bit more freedom and responsibility over the direction of my career.” Over the past two years British Olympic sport has been confronting a duty of care crisis which has seemingly infected almost every corner of the system. Athletes have spoken up in their dozens about feeling let down by a regime, partly influenced by UK Sport medal targets, which they believe disregards their welfare. “In some ways it’s liberating not being on funding,” says Simmonds, “If I ended up on funding again – and I’m not sure I ever will – it would just be a bonus for me. Whereas young athletes these days panic through the rounds of a competition because they’re worried about how they’re performances are affecting their funding, there’s such jeopardy attached. “In my personal experience medals are prized over the mental wellbeing of athletes,” she adds. “There should be more done to make sure athletes are being invested in not just as statistics and numbers on a medal table but as human beings. Are we developing their talents outside the pool? Are they happy?” Swimming at the Commonwealth Games is one of the more competitive of the 19 sports on show. In the 200m backstroke Simmonds will face the Canadians Taylor Ruck and Kylie Masse and Australians Kaylee McKeown and Emily Seebohm, who between them have four of the top five 200m times in the world this year. Simmonds has the seventh best in the Commonwealth but hopes her wiliness will mean she is in the hunt for another Commonwealth medal to add to the silver she won in Delhi in 2010. Her performance in Australia could determine whether she continues swimming competitively until the European Championships this summer and even the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. One thing is certain: she still looks like an international athlete. Simmonds recently went viral with her tale of an encounter at the swimming baths in Edinburgh recounted on her Twitter feed. A woman in the public lane stopped to tell her “you’re very good at swimming, you know”. After Simmonds thanked her, the woman said: “No seriously, you should try and do a trial with the county club!” Simmonds then responded: “Well I actually went to a couple of Olympics” to which the woman replied: “Me too. Which sports did you manage to get tickets for?” The tweet has been shared more than 28,000 times including by Piers Morgan and US TV channels. It has led to abuse of Simmonds for what some perceived as her mocking the woman. “She was a lovely lady and we had a good chat afterwards,” says Simmonds. “But it was a true demonstration of the exponential power of social media and an amusing episode which was taken out of context by some people while others found very funny. Piers Morgan has a lot to answer for.” | ['sport/commonwealth-games-2018', 'sport/commonwealth-games', 'sport/swimming', 'sport/sport', 'tone/interview', 'tone/features', 'type/article', 'profile/martha-kelner', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/sport', 'theobserver/sport/news', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-sport'] | sport/commonwealth-games-2018 | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2018-04-01T07:00:14Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
global-development/2018/dec/05/climate-change-ranking-prosperity-invites-disaster-henrietta-moore-ucl | In the face of climate change, ranking states by prosperity invites disaster | If you were asked to name the most prosperous countries in the world, you’d probably reach for a familiar list. It would start with the Scandinavian social democracies, the Netherlands or Switzerland, meander across to Canada, and end up somewhere between Australia and New Zealand. Such a thought process would be completely valid. These nations regularly feature at or near the top of the growing number of prosperity “league tables” that aim to tell us who’s getting it right for their citizens. Without doubt, these places are better than most at providing foundations for a good life for the majority of fortunate inhabitants. But, other than a certain smug satisfaction if we happen to live in one of the countries near the top of the leaderboard, what are we meant to take from these annual international snapshots? Recent years have brought a proliferation of rankings claiming to move away from the obsession with gross domestic product to a more nuanced understanding of prosperity. This trend started with the UN’s human development index, which takes account of life expectancy and education and has grown to include parallel measures such as the world happiness report (another UN publication) and initiatives like the Legatum Institute’s prosperity index and the social progress imperative. Each of these has merit, and there’s much to be commended in assessing the impact of healthcare, education, the rule of law and personal and media freedom. But there’s a serious problem in seeing our world in this way. There’s an uncomfortably close correlation between these supposedly more sophisticated measures and old-fashioned GDP. Perhaps more troubling in the context of a planet threatened by climate change is the reinforcement of a belief that some countries have “made it”, while others need to catch up. The development model followed by countries in the global north in the 19th and 20th centuries was completely out of step with our modern understanding of planetary constraints: an industrial transformation based on massive exploitation of natural resources and people. Through colonialism, it also involved institutionalised racism and the deliberate impoverishment of the global south. That legacy remains. So ranking systems that place (largely white) European, north American and Antipodean countries at the top, and Asian and African countries at the bottom, inevitably have a whiff of neo-colonialism. They confirm what we know: there are deep and enduring inequalities in our world that reflect past power dynamics. But they also guide our present-day perceptions. They encourage us to see some nations as “advanced” and others as “backward” on the single, pre-ordained path of “development”. The new breed of international rankings can highlight jarring contradictions. For example, the latest Legatum prosperity index claims global prosperity is at a historic high, while simultaneously noting that the number of people who have reported struggling to buy food at some point in the year has risen from 25% to 33.3% in a decade. In truth, many of the world’s most “prosperous” countries are its least sustainable. Since the 70s, humanity has been in “ecological overshoot”, with annual demand on resources exceeding what the Earth can regenerate each year. Today, humanity uses the equivalent of 1.7 Earths to provide the resources we use. This applies to the vast majority of today’s wealthy countries. Even nations like Norway, with an apparent ecological surplus thanks to widespread use of renewables at home, mask their true carbon footprint by exporting fossil fuels to be burned elsewhere – in so doing, helping to enhance their own prosperity further. The stark warnings in a recent report by the UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change about the pressing need for a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 underscores how urgently we need to develop new ways of measuring prosperity that take a much bigger account of our global responsibilities. The comforting story of a march towards “prosperity” headed by beneficiaries of inequality in the global north is an illusion our planet simply cannot afford any longer. Because the truth is that, when it comes to building sustainable prosperity from which everyone can benefit in the future, we are all “developing countries” – a point the UN has expressed through its global goals, towards which all countries are supposed to be working. With that in mind, we’d be better assessing countries on how they’re helping to meet the shared global challenge of averting climate catastrophe than giving them a complacent, misplaced impression of crossing the prosperity finish line. • Professor Henrietta Moore is director of the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL, where she also holds the chair in culture, philosophy and design | ['global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/sustainable-development', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/sustainable-development | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2018-12-05T13:50:23Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2017/jun/22/david-hoyle-obituary | David Hoyle obituary | My friend David Hoyle, who has died in a car accident aged 48, was a social scientist who devoted his life to protecting African forests and natural ecosystems for the biodiversity they harbour, for the local people who depend on them, and to secure their vital role in mitigating dangerous climate change. He worked for numerous NGOs, including VSO, WWF, and WCS, which took him to many African countries as a teacher, field project manager and national director. The second of three children born to Mike Hoyle, a management consultant, and Marion (nee Knight), a housewife, David grew up in Farnham, Surrey, completed school at Lancing college in West Sussex and read geography at Reading University before doing a master’s in natural resource management at Edinburgh. He met his wife, Marceline (nee Achou), in Nguti, Cameroon, where she was one of the graduates working on his conservation project. They married in 2002, and in 2004, when David was appointed to manage WWF’s Eastern African Ecoregion programme, they settled in Crondall, Hampshire. In 2007 WWF sent him to Tanzania to establish the Coastal East Africa Initiative that became one of the best-performing of WWF’s 12 global priority programmes. From there he was sent again to Cameroon, (2010-12), where, as WWF’s conservation director, he coordinated programmes supporting anti-poaching, law enforcement and protected area management across the country. He also led policy and advocacy work to protect Cameroon’s forests from emerging threats of mining, forestry and agro-industry. From 2012, David worked with Proforest, Oxford, as conservation and land use director, bringing his experience to bear on the challenges posed by the expansion of agriculture in tropical developing countries, making a huge contribution to efforts to reduce deforestation. As remarkable as his professional accomplishments was the way in which David achieved them. Colleagues speak of a man who was a treasured and respected member of every team he worked in. David engaged people as equals in an open, respectful way, always with a smile on his face and a sense of fun. He is survived by Marceline, their children, Henry, Kate and Emily, his brother, Nick, sister, Julia, and his parents. | ['environment/forests', 'theguardian/series/otherlives', 'tone/obituaries', 'environment/deforestation', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'world/africa', 'environment/wwf', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/obituaries', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-obituaries'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2017-06-22T12:42:44Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2021/sep/13/nt-government-criticised-for-progressing-beetaloo-basin-gas-project-without-full-environmental-study | NT government criticised for progressing Beetaloo Basin gas project without full environmental study | Environmentalists have slammed the Northern Territory government for handing a gas company partial approval to begin fracking-related works in the Beetaloo Basin, saying the decision was made in “unusual” circumstances and without proper consideration of the impact on local species. Empire Energy, a firm with links to the Liberal party, has been the focus of Senate scrutiny since it was awarded $21m from a $50m federal grant scheme to explore the Beetaloo Basin as part of the Coalition’s gas-led economic recovery. The federal resources minister, Keith Pitt, awarded the grants in July, despite the company lacking the environmental approvals from the NT government that it needs to drill in the basin. The commonwealth’s grant scheme only requires that companies begin the approval process. Late last week, the NT government uploaded a “partial” approval of the company’s environmental management plan. The partial approval will allow it to proceed with civil works and land clearing, while a final decision to approve drilling and fracking is pending. The approval appears to have been given 10 days ago, but only publicly emerged on Monday. The Protect Country Alliance – a network of landholder, community and civil society groups concerned about fracking in the NT – criticised the manner in which the partial approval was granted. Graeme Sawyer, an alliance spokesperson, said it was a “way of letting fracking companies push ahead before fully assessing the impacts and risks of drilling and fracking several gas wells”. Sawyer said the approval ignored new information from preliminary research through a strategic regional environmental and baseline assessment (SREBA), which revealed the presence of endangered species and new species in the area. That assessment has not been completed. “The entire purpose of the SREBA was to research what species may be present in this little-explored part of the territory – this hasn’t happened – so there’s no telling what undiscovered and endangered animals may disappear thanks to this fracking project before we even know they’re present,” he said. “The [Michael] Gunner government is ignoring science just to push through an unwanted fracking project that puts groundwater, communities, and the environment at risk.” The Environment Centre NT also criticised the “unusual” decision. The ECNT was particularly alarmed at the involvement of the territory’s Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism in the process. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning In 2018, the Pepper inquiry into fracking in the NT recommended the industry department should have no role in regulating the sector because of its competing role in promoting it. In this case, the department provided advice to the minister on the environment management plan and will do so again for the gas well operation management plan, a key document that ensures well integrity and helps prevent contamination. “The Pepper inquiry said really clearly … we can no longer have the department responsible for promoting the industry in charge of regulating the industry,” ECNT co-director Kirsty Howey told the Guardian. “So a centrepiece on the entire regulatory regime that we were all pinning our hopes on was that all approvals were handled by the environment minister and environment department. Instead of doing that, they’ve created this strange hybrid system.” NT government defends process The NT environment minister, Eva Lawler, rejected any suggestion the process was unusual. A spokesperson said the minister had taken advice from petroleum engineers in the industry department about the environmental management plan. This was entirely appropriate, the spokesperson said. The minister is yet to make any decision about approving the environmental management plan for the drilling and hydraulic fracturing activities. “The minister for environment has not yet received technical advice from the petroleum engineers to inform her decision about the part of the EMP that relates to drilling and hydraulic fracturing,” the spokesperson said. “The minister will make a decision on that part of the plan in due course.” The approval is also conditional on further research being conducted on land clearing and the potential impact on a species of endangered finch. The grants to Empire have been put under scrutiny on two fronts: through a federal court case brought by the ECNT and the Environmental Defenders Office arguing the minister didn’t properly consider climate impacts in approving the expenditure; and through a Senate inquiry that has focussed on Empire’s political connections. Empire has donated to both sides of NT politics and is chaired by Paul Espie, a frequent Liberal donor, the inquiry has heard. In the months prior to the announcement of the grants scheme, the company paid for a charter flight for the federal energy minister Angus Taylor and the head of a Liberal party fundraising forum, taking them to inspect a well site in the Beetaloo, the inquiry heard. The company denies it was attempting to lobby Taylor. The inquiry was also provided with email records that show Empire had asked Taylor’s office for information on the grant scheme’s “eligibility criteria” and the “application process” well before the program guidelines were released. The company has denied its connections or donations have played any role whatsoever in the grant process and says it followed “due and proper process at all times”. Taylor was not the minister responsible for the grants and the money was awarded by a three-member panel that found the company met the relevant eligibility criteria. In a statement to the ASX on Friday, Empire said the civil works would begin in the coming days. “Approval for the drilling and fracture stimulation components of the EMP are expected in the coming weeks.” Empire told the Guardian it would not undertake any work without the proper environmental approvals in place. A spokesperson said it went to “great lengths” to ensure it had a minimal environmental impact. “The Environment Management Plans we have submitted include extensive ecological surveys,” the company said. “The highest environmental and safety standards and respectful engagement with local communities and traditional owners are core to Empire’s values and business strategy.” | ['australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/liberal-party', 'australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/christopher-knaus', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2021-09-13T08:23:49Z | true | EMISSIONS |
media/2008/apr/29/channel4.itv | Competition concerns over BBC/ITV/Channel 4 on-demand tie-up Kangaroo | The Office of Fair Trading has flagged up potential competition concerns with Kangaroo, the on-demand service planned by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. The watchdog is inviting interested parties to comment on the venture, which will be headed by Ashley Highfield, the outgoing BBC director of future media and technology. The OFT is asking for submissions by May 14. It will then consider whether it has grounds to refer Kangaroo to the Competition Commission for investigation. Kangaroo is a joint venture between the BBC's commercial division, BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4. It aims to be a shop window for the three broadcasters' programming, allowing viewers to download digital versions of shows, either for purchase or on an advertising-funded model. The service will initially be available via the web, with shows available either streamed or to download. However, the ultimate aim is to deliver Kangaroo content direct to televisions. By pooling the resources of the UK's three leading terrestrial broadcasters, Kangaroo poses a potential threat to Virgin Media, which increasingly sells itself as an on-demand operator, and BSkyB, which also offers on-demand through broadband and the Sky+ box. One point of controversy for the OFT to investigate is likely to be the relationship between Kangaroo, a commercial enterprise, and the BBC's publicly funded iPlayer, a highly successful on-demand catch-up service. The BBC Trust has yet to give its approval to Kangaroo, which will need to pass a number of tests including the need to "avoid distorting the market". · To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 7239 9857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 7278 2332. · If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". | ['media/channel4', 'media/ITV', 'media/bbc', 'media/television', 'media/digital-media', 'media/media', 'media/kangaroo', 'technology/digitalvideo', 'technology/technology', 'type/article', 'profile/christryhorn'] | technology/digitalvideo | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2008-04-29T13:58:47Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
environment/2023/sep/08/country-diary-summer-is-waning-at-this-rich-band-of-edgeland | Country diary: Summer is waning at this rich band of edgeland | Jennifer Jones | Oglet, from the Anglo-Saxon for “oaks by the water”, has been described as “the last piece of countryside in Liverpool”. But to local people, this braided edgeland of fields, scrub and river is known simply as “the Oggie”. The place is packed with heritage and history, from 300-year-old cottages to pyramidal tank traps, relics of wartime anxiety. Today, my footsteps mirror those of the adolescent Beatles. Mike McCartney once recalled how he and brother Paul “soon got fed up … and headed for the Oggie shore cliffs”, while George Harrison reminisced: “I used to go all the time down to Oglet … I could walk for hours along the mud cliffs.” Oglet is my rural escape too: I can walk for hours there. It never disappoints. Today, on a calm, warm day, as summer cedes to autumn, random blooms of moribund fleabane, knapweed and great willowherb testify to the shifting seasons, providing late-season feasts for pollinators. Thistledown floats lightly down the lane, momentarily captured by grass stems until lifted by the gentle breeze. Vanilla-pale grasses offer temporary rest for large white and red admiral butterflies. Plump acorns, succulent crops of blackberries and cascades of hips and haws are further testament to summer’s waning. Swallows chatter urgently as they surge across the stubble field in a farewell feeding fever. Skeins of Canada geese fly overhead, seeking roost ahead of the incoming tide. The River Mersey, renowned for its wader gatherings in autumn and winter, is the “water” of Oglet. Oaks are a portal to the shore, where an oystercatcher pipes and a lone curlew probes the soft, silty sands, while the languid incoming tide steers a trio of tufted ducks upriver. Carrion crows, grey herons and redshanks mooch at the water’s edge. Along the cliffs, tits and finches flit among oak and willow. I rest on someone else’s temporary beach hearth, grateful for momentary repose. Like many urban edgelands, Oglet is at risk, prey to occasional fly-tipping, marauding quad bikers and, more significantly, loss of green belt status and the proposed expansion of Liverpool John Lennon airport. All of us who take refuge here hope that their Oggie will survive. • Country diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'lifeandstyle/walking', 'uk/liverpool', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/jennifer-jones-nature-writer', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/wildlife | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-09-08T04:30:45Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
sustainable-business/healthy-buildings-sustainable-offices-employees | Healthy buildings: why workers are demanding sustainable offices | Florence Nightingale advised hospitals to throw open their windows to make for a healthier environment. It was good advice in the early struggle for better buildings but today the demands are even more challenging: buildings mustn't waste energy, suffocate their inhabitants nor dull them into a state of laziness. It is a tall order but experts say big strides are being made, especially with the rise of global standards and initiatives that are leading to sweeping changes in buildings from New York to Beijing. "In recent years, terms such as productivity and employee wellbeing have become more and more prominent during the briefing stage of a project," said Steve Henigan, regional leader, consulting, at HOK, a global architecture and engineering firm. "And hence we are starting to see more buildings which are centered on how people use them." People spend more than 90% of their time inside the artificial environments of buildings and they are starting to expect a lot more from their employers. A big office with the managers hogging all their corner offices is considered more than a little gauche today. "The rapid introduction of mobile technology and the always switched on mentality which many of us now live by, means that those employees are making more demands of their employer…" said HOK's Henigan, who is based in London. "Individuals expect their employers to have environmental and social policies with similar values to their own views and as the war for talent continues there is a significant competition to be recognized as an 'Employer of Choice.'" Mahesh Ramanujam, chief operating officer of the US Green Building Council, the Washington, DC-based organization that promotes the LEED green building standard, maintains it's not actually "rocket science" to make better buildings. It just takes some hard work. "There is no deep mystery about how to create healthier spaces," he told a recent green building conference in Beijing. "But it does require diligence and attention to detail: the key components of healthy space have everything to do with creating space not for itself, but for people." The World Green Business Council has just announced a global project to "define the health and productivity benefits of green office buildings." The organization says that studies show that improved ventilation will boost productivity of workers by 11% while better lighting will spark a whopping 23% jump in efficiencies. The business council said it wants the study, by Green Building Councils globally and other groups, to give the employers the tools to capitalize on those enviable productivity gains. "While there is a growing body of research that firmly supports the connections between sustainable buildings and improved health, productivity and learning outcomes of those who occupy them, this evidence is yet to inform investment decisions in the same way as traditional financial metrics," said Jane Henley, chief executive of the council. Angela Loder, an adjunct professor at the University of Denver and a researcher in health, buildings and urban nature, believes research "has the potential to dramatically improve" buildings for people. She said that today there are three major branches of research in the field of healthy buildings: • Materials and ventilation: It is known that hazardous substances lead to a rise in asthma cases. But bad materials are also bad for everyone because it impairs "the ability to make complicated decisions, to focus, and to problem solve." • Daylighting: Adding natural light into a building was once considered a "soft" benefit for employees but it is now seen to dramatically improve the wellbeing of a building's inhabitants. In schools, more robust natural light has shown to improve test scores and reduce absenteeism. • Access to nature: Just gazing upon the great outdoors can also boost the morale of the troops. "Recent trends in green building and landscape architecture are incorporating nature into buildings, seen in green roofs, green walls, and prioritizing views of nature," she said. "For example, in my own research I found that viewing a green roof from the workplace led to 50% better concentration and feelings of calm wellbeing, better problem-solving, and a sense of hope." Crucial to all the planning, the experts seem to agree, is that employees need to be at the center of the design of their workplace – right down to taste testing the tea and coffee offerings. A company that ignores the needs of the workers, Loder says, could end up with a beautiful building but a miserable environment to work in. Russ Blinch is chief scribbler at CopyCarbon.com and a blogger for the Huffington Post. The science behind sustainability solutions blog is funded by the Arizona State University Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'sustainable-business/built-environment', 'sustainable-business/health-and-wellbeing', 'sustainable-business/series/science-behind-sustainability-solutions', 'tone/blog', 'business/business', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'sustainable-business/engaging-employees', 'type/article'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-05-29T14:28:02Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
australia-news/2017/sep/20/tony-abbott-warns-against-unconscionable-renewable-target | Tony Abbott warns against 'unconscionable' renewable target | Tony Abbott is reportedly threatening to cross the floor to vote against a clean energy target, warning Malcolm Turnbull it would be “unconscionable” for the government to do anything to further encourage investment in renewable energy. Abbott told Sky News on Tuesday evening the government had to address market failure by providing base-load power and building coal-fired power stations. “If we can have Snowy 2.0, let’s have Hazelwood 2.0, and get on with it,” he said, drawing a comparison between the prime minister’s support for pumped hydro power and calls within the Coalition for a new coal-fired power station. Abbott said there was “no chance” that the Coalition party room would support a significant increase in the amount of renewables in the system, warning that Liberal MPs had “extremely serious reservations” about a clean energy target. Asked whether he would support a CET, he replied: “It would be unconscionable, I underline that word unconscionable, for a government that was originally elected promising to abolish the carbon tax and end Labor’s climate change obsessions to go further down the renewables path.” Abbott has been ratcheting up pressure on the government not to adopt the clean energy target recommended by the chief scientist, Alan Finkel. His latest comments are the clearest signal that he would cross the floor over the issue, joining the Nationals MP George Christensen in leading a potential backbench revolt – although the government could still pass the policy if it reached a bipartisan agreement with Labor. The Liberal MP Craig Kelly, who chairs the backbench committee on environment and energy, said his position on a CET would depend on how it was structured but he did not rule out crossing the floor. “There is a real concern amongst a considerable number of us that if we adopted a CET in a specific format, it would put pressure on electricity prices,” he said. “That is something we couldn’t accept.” Kelly believes the renewable energy target should be frozen for a number of years and increased more steeply closer to 2030 to meet Paris agreement commitments. Energy analysts and power companies have said that high-efficiency low-emissions coal power stations are not commercially viable and may not be until 2030 and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation has called it a “risky investment” the government should steer clear of. But in an opinion piece on Wednesday Abbott claimed the unviability of coal power stations was not an instance of market failure but “government failure” because coal had to compete against $3bn a year of subsidies that give the renewables sector an “unfair advantage”. On Tuesday Turnbull shot back at Abbott’s earlier comments that policy encouraging renewables risked “de-industrialising” Australia. “I won’t comment on that other than to say we have a renewable energy target that was actually put in place by Tony Abbott in 2015, it is legislated,” Turnbull told 4BC Radio. “And that is in place until 2020. What we’re looking at is the future policy after 2020 to 2030.” Abbott said that “green religion” had been allowed to trump common sense “for the best part of a decade and a half”, including his two years as prime minister when the RET was legislated. “Knowing what we know now we should’ve gone a lot further than we did.” He appeared to blame his colleagues for his decision not to scrap the RET, saying that when he was party leader he did not have “the luxury of a personal view” but he had “never been a true believer in this stuff”. Asked if he would scrap the RET immediately, Abbott said the government had to respect investments made under the existing system owing to sovereign risk, but there should be “no further subsidies, no additional renewables”. In the opinion piece he explained the government should try to legislate a freeze in the RET, even if it was blocked by the Senate, because it would help the Coalition have a “legislative fight” with Labor, not just a rhetorical one. Abbott said climate change was “significant” but “by no means the greatest moral challenge of our time”, as it was described by Kevin Rudd. Turnbull wants to keep AGL’s coal power station Liddell open beyond its planned 2022 closure but has shown less enthusiasm for building new coal power stations. On Tuesday he said a HELE coal-power station could be built in north Queensland if the LNP’s Tim Nicholls were elected “and the state decides to build one”. Such a project would qualify for funds from the northern Australia infrastructure facility, he said. AGL has warned that keeping Liddell open for an extra decade could cost $900m. Labor has focused on lowering energy prices through increased intervention in the gas market, calling on the Turnbull government to increase transparency to help manufacturers facing rising prices and tight supply. | ['australia-news/tony-abbott', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/liberal-party', 'australia-news/malcolm-turnbull', 'australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/coal', 'australia-news/coalition', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/queensland', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/paul-karp', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/coal | ENERGY | 2017-09-19T23:00:57Z | true | ENERGY |
commentisfree/2020/mar/02/chlorinated-chicken-foods-us-trade-deal-uk-eu | It's not just chlorinated chicken: five foods a US trade deal could bring to the UK | Nick Dearden | Nothing symbolises British fears of a standard-slashing US trade deal better than chlorinated chickens: those zombie birds, barely able to move, cluck or feed, stuffed with chemicals that force them to grow to unbelievable sizes, sitting in their own waste, covered in sores rather than feathers. At the end of their miserable life of confinement, they are washed in chlorine or a similar chemical to get rid of the bacteria that infect them. In fact, the wash is believed to hide rather than eliminate some bacteria, potentially driving much higher rates of food poisoning in the US, not to mention the appallingly treated workers in the industry who suffer “rashes, burns, destruction of the eye tissue, difficulty breathing, and inflammation of the respiratory system” as a result of exposure. But chicken is only the tip of the iceberg. Despite government claims, here are five other unpleasant foods that could make their way to our menus as part of a UK-US trade deal. Antibiotic meat Much US meat is produced on an industrial scale, with conditions as bad as those in the chicken sheds. In particular, hormones, steroids and antibiotics are regularly used to make animals bigger and faster, and to prevent them getting ill in the unnaturally close conditions in which they are kept. Many cows and pigs never see sunlight, walk freely or eat grass. Many of the chemicals used are bad for us too – antibiotic overuse is threatening to make these vital drugs useless, and to bring down a pillar of modern medicine. Another chemical, ractopamine, is regularly fed to industrially farmed pigs in the US, despite making the animals collapse, turn aggressive, suffer liver and kidney dysfunction, and even die. But it probably affects humans too, which is why not just the EU but also Russia and China have banned this dangerous chemical, as well as US pork that contains it. GM foods The majority of US processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients, unlike British food. The US is demanding a “science-based” approach to food. This sounds good, but in trade deals “science-based” is a shorthand for more genetically modified food and more intensive chemical use. It contrasts with the EU’s precautionary principle, which takes a cautious approach to health risks and bans foods where there’s a credible risk to health. In the US, the balance of proof works the other way, and there is a high barrier that has to be passed before “harm” translates into regulation. Lead paint, banned in most of Europe before the second world war, was not prohibited in the US until 1978. Boris Johnson and his lead negotiator to the EU have talked about the need for the UK’s approach to food standards to be “governed by science”. GM is coming this way. More pus, more pesticides US rules allow milk to have nearly double the level of somatic cells – white blood cells that fight bacterial infection – that the UK allows. In practice, this means more pus in our milk, and more infections going untreated in cows. Much US milk would be deemed unfit for human consumption in Britain. Vegans don’t escape unscathed, because the US allows far more pesticide residue on fruit and vegetables, and allows 72 chemicals banned in the EU, including some responsible for serious harm. That’s before we get to the truly horrific – the rat hair, insect fragments and excrement traces that the US allows in small amounts in food. Unsafe baby food Even baby food carries higher risks in the US. In Britain, baby food has special standards including a complete ban on artificial colours and E-numbers, very low maximum levels of pesticides and limits on added sugar. The US has no specific regulations for baby food. A recent test of baby foods in the US found that 95% contained toxic metals, with 73% containing traces of arsenic. While the amounts may be small, the lack of tight regulation on US baby foods, and the certainty that sugar is often added to toddler snack food, should cause deep disquiet. All-American Stilton cheese and Cornish pasties Britain currently protects certain foods to ensure they’re made to specific standards and to promote local farming and industry. Think Cornish pasties, Melton Mowbray pork pies, Scottish wild salmon and Stilton blue cheese. In trade talks to date, the US has “pressed the UK to move away from current EU approach on generic terms”. American companies would be able to produce Cornish pasties on a massive scale and sell them back to us. The US also wants to “eliminate … unjustified labelling” saying it unfairly discriminates against American foods and, incredibly, the administration “view[s] the introduction of warning labels as harmful rather than as a step to public health”. These are not marginal concerns for the US – food is not an aspect of a future deal that Britain will be able to simply opt out of. It is central to US objectives that call for “greater regulatory compatibility to reduce burdens associated with unnecessary differences in regulations and standards” including “a mechanism to remove expeditiously unwarranted barriers that block the export of US food and agricultural products”. The US trade deal is a threat to our food standards and our farmers, and the US will not sign a deal that doesn’t have food standards in it. • Nick Dearden is director of Global Justice Now | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'world/food-safety', 'food/food', 'business/fooddrinks', 'environment/farming', 'politics/eu-referendum', 'us-news/us-news', 'politics/trade-policy', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/nick-dearden', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/farming | BIODIVERSITY | 2020-03-02T11:59:43Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
media/2012/mar/12/japan-tsunami-anniversary-news | Japan's tsunami one year on: the newsman's story | It was an otherwise quiet Friday afternoon at the Associated Press bureau in central Tokyo. Camera crews had left the bustling capital for the regions, and the agency's TV newsroom was desolate apart from two people sitting silently at their computers. Then the earthquake hit. A devastating tsunami slammed into the north coast of Japan and sent violent tremors down the island. "We were wrapping stuff up, doing administrative work, and then the whole building started shaking," recalls Miles Edelsten, the veteran AP producer who has experienced innumerable earthquakes during his 12 years in Japan. "It was after 20 or 30 seconds that I realised this was the biggest tremor I'd ever felt. It went on for so long." Edelsten believes he filmed the first footage of the tsunami to come out of the region. His shaky footage of terrified colleagues and rocking buildings was far from perfect – "It looks blue because I didn't have time to do the white balance" – but it became one of the defining images of the first natural disaster to play out live on TV news channels across the globe. "I thought, the world has never seen a live tsunami before – there's no way they can miss this," he says. "At the time that was the best footage because it was the newest. The first thing the world saw [of the tsunami] was our office shaking and the terrified faces of our Japanese colleagues." Edelsten broke with agency procedure and bypassed permissions to beam the video out to the world. His video was being broadcast on all the major networks within 20 minutes of being filmed, he estimates. The next 24 hours went by in a blur. From AP's seventh-floor office in Tokyo, he oversaw the agency's "small army" of journalists who embarked by car and air to the north-east of the island. The agency boss insists he was not concerned about competing with the huge volume of citizen-generated video being uploaded to the internet. The website YouTube said that 7,000 tsunami-related videos were published on the site in the hours after the first tremor. Thousands more shared information on Twitter and Facebook. "It really didn't stop for about six weeks," says Edelsten. "It starts slower than you think. After the first rush of getting your footage out there, it becomes a volume game. It just went on and on and on; there was no sleeping for the first 60 hours." Edelsten is speaking by telephone from his car in Tokyo. He is driving back from the Fukushima radiation zone, where he was interviewing a local farmer who refused to evacuate the area along with the 100,000 who left when three nuclear reactors went into meltdown. The farmer's story will feature on AP bulletins as part of its coverage of the tsunami's first anniversary on Sunday. "Looking back, even at the time it was quite obvious we were the biggest story in the world," Edelsten says. "It's something that has never really been seen before, because the Asian tsunami wasn't really caught on camera." | ['media/news-agencies', 'media/media', 'media/associated-press', 'world/tsunamis', 'world/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami', 'environment/fukushima', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/japan', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/josh-halliday'] | world/tsunamis | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2012-03-12T15:11:13Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
news/2014/jul/17/world-weatherwatch-heatwave-australia-rammasun | World Weatherwatch | Hot weather affecting central and southern parts of the UK at present has its origins over southern Europe and, particularly, parts of Spain where temperatures have soared during the past few days. Temperatures in Cordoba in southern Spain reached 42C (108F) on Tuesday and 43C (109F) on Wednesday, with many others parts of central and southern Spain seeing temperatures close to 40C (104F). Australia has experienced a wide range of severe weather over the past week, ranging from freezing temperatures and snow to tornadoes. In Perth, a tornado tore roofs off houses and caused damage to power lines. The ensuing power cuts across the area are believed to have caused the deaths of two men after medical equipment failed. Meanwhile, a blast of cold southerly winds has brought heavy falls of snow to Victoria with Alpine areas reporting up to 40cm depth. In Melbourne, the icy winds have delivered thunderstorms and hail showers with strong winds causing localised damage. The Philippines was battered by Typhoon Rammasun on Thursday, packing wind speeds of around 90mph with gusts to 120mph. Initial estimates suggest that around 40 people were killed by a combination of falling trees and flooding from the torrential rain. It was feared that the typhoon was heading for Manila, but the eye of the storm shifted at the last moment and avoided the capital. Forecasts suggest that it is likely to threaten a large swathe from China to Vietnam over the next couple of days. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'tone/features', 'world/tornadoes', 'type/article', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-07-17T20:30:01Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2010/oct/29/biodiversity-talks-ministers-nagoya-strategy | Biodiversity talks: Ministers in Nagoya adopt new strategy | Environment ministers from almost 200 nations agreed late tonight to adopt a new United Nations strategy that aims to stem the worst loss of life on Earth since the demise of the dinosaurs. With a typhoon looming outside and cheering inside the Nagoya conference hall, the Japanese chair of the UN biodiversity talks gavelled into effect the Aichi targets, set to at least halve the loss of natural habitats and expand nature reserves to 17% of the world's land area by 2020 up from less than 10% today. Fish and other aquatic life should be provided with greater refuge, under the Aichi targets — as the plan is named, after the region around Nagoya — which including a widening of marine protected zones to 10% of the world's seas, an increase from barely 1% today. Frantic late-night negotiations also saw the UN's COP10 biodiversity conference adopt a new treaty, the Nagoya protocol, to manage the world's genetic resources and share the multibillion-dollar benefits with developing nations and indigenous communities. Despite concerns that targets are inadequately funded and not sufficiently ambitious to reverse the decline of habitats and species, most organisers, delegates and NGOs expressed there was relief that negotiations had avoided the friction and fracture of last year's climate talks in Copenhagen. "This is a day to celebrate in terms of a new and innovative response to the alarming loss of biodiversity and ecosystems," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme. "It is an important moment for the United Nations and the ability of countries to put aside the narrow differences that all too often divide in favour of the broader, shared issues that can united peoples and nations." Under the Aichi targets, all signatories to the UN Convention on Biodiversity,are supposed to draw up national biodiversity plans. Together, their voluntary actions are supposed to halt over-fishing, control invasive species, reduce pollution minimise the pressure on coral reefs from ocean acidification, and halt the loss of genetic diversity in agricultural ecosystems. Perhaps the most remarkable breakthrough, was the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol which lays down ground rules on how nations should cooperate in accessing and sharing the benefits of genetic resources — including plants, fungi and pathogens. Governments have been discussing this subject for 18 years, but it has been held up until now because it ran across issues of trade, health, traditional medicine and science and pitted multinational pharmaceutical companies against indigenous communities. The Nagoya protocol, will see governments considering ways to provide recompense for genetic material and traditional medical knowledge collected in the past that is now being used, patented and sold. This is likely to be done through a special fund for developing nations that could be used for conservation or scientific research centres. The protocol will come into effect in 2020 and needs to be ratified by signatory nations. Several delegates, including those from Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela, expressed unease that the protocol inadequately safeguarded the benefits due to developing nations, but said they would not stand in the way of a consensus. Another area of frustration was financing. The conference did not specify how much money would be provided to achieve its goals to save habitats and species. Instead governments agreed to draw up a funding plan, with sums, baselines and other details, by 2012. The host country, Japan, has pledged $2bn this week for biodiversity while the UK and France have earmarked smaller sums for related projects. However, most developed countries were unable to pledge major funding. Conservation groups said it was vital that significant extra finance was put in place to halt the demise of nature. "We were disappointed that most rich countries came to Nagoya with empty pockets — unable or unwilling to provide the resources that will make it possible for the developing world to implement their ambitious targets." said Jim Leape, director general of WWF International. But Leape welcomed the overall deal. "This agreement reaffirms the fundamental need to conserve nature as the very foundation of our economy and our society. Governments have sent a strong message that protecting the health of the planet has a place in international politics and countries are ready to join forces to save life on Earth." Other groups emphasized that implementation was the key. "Participants may be leaving Nagoya this Friday but they still need to be working to save life on this planet from Monday morning," said IUCN's director of conservation policy, Jane Smart. "There is a momentum here which we cannot afford to lose — in fact we have to build on it if we stand any chance of success in halting the extinction crisis." In earlier reports the IUCN noted that a fifth of the world's vertebrates are under threat and the die-off of all species is at a level not seen in 65 million years. | ['environment/nagoya', 'environment/biodiversity', 'tone/news', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/endangered-habitats', 'type/article', 'profile/jonathanwatts', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2010-10-29T17:53:36Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
world/2017/sep/19/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-category-five-storm | Puerto Rico braces itself for 'worst atmospheric event in a century' | Puerto Rico is bracing itself for the “catastrophic” impact of Hurricane Maria, which has already caused severe damage to the island of Dominica as it tears through the Caribbean. The US National Hurricane Center warned of an “extreme” threat to life and property across Puerto Rico with gusts of wind that could reach 155mph on Wednesday. The center said the winds will threaten lives, cause power outages and make many roads and bridges impassable. Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló Nevares, who has declared a state of emergency, said the island was expecting “sustained category 4 or 5 winds” on Wednesday. Hurricane Irma, which brushed the north coast of Puerto Rico earlier this month, caused more than a million homes and businesses to lose power but the US territory has not taken a direct hit from the most severe level of hurricane in more than 80 years. “This is an event that will be damaging to the infrastructure, that will be catastrophic,” Rosselló said. “Never before has an event like this happened. It is projected to be the worst atmospheric event in a century in Puerto Rico and if we do not take precautions we will have life loss situations that we could avoid. Our only focus right now should be to make sure we save lives.” Hurricane Maria, which rapidly strengthened from a tropical storm into a category 5 event within a single day, is expected to bring up to 18in of rain to Puerto Rico and whip up a storm surge that could reach nine feet. Residents have been urged to flee to the 500 shelters that are set up across Puerto Rico. Donald Trump has issued an emergency declaration to provide the island with federal assistance. In Carolina, a municipality on the island’s north-east coast, residents were rushing to stock up on supplies before the storm hit. Large queues had formed at grocery stores throughout the area as people attempted to fill their cars with fuel and stock up on food. “There are no more generators available, and some places have run out of water and batteries,” said resident Antero Rivera, who had just returned from a local supermarket. The island has begun rationing basic supplies, including water and baby formula as well as wooden panels to protect homes. By Tuesday afternoon the weather had already begun to deteriorate on the outer Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques, with the storm expected to hit the mainland around 8am on Wednesday morning. The French island of Guadeloupe reported the first fatality attributed to the hurricane on Tuesday afternoon. The individual was killed by a falling tree after failing to comply with an order to stay indoors on Tuesday morning. Two others were reported missing after their boat sank off the island’s east coast. About 40% of the island has been left without power and major flooding has been reported around the south coast. The hurricane is expected to start curving away from the Caribbean and the US on Thursday but not before thundering past several other islands that will also be battered by strong winds and potential flooding. The National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane warnings for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. St Kitts and Nevis, celebrating its 34th independence day on Tuesday, closed all schools and government buildings before the expected impact in the afternoon. “I’ve already heard reports of the winds picking up, but we’ve lost contact at the moment,” Kevin Isaac, St Kitts and Nevis’s high commissioner to the UK, told the Guardian. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” Isaac said St Kitts and Nevis is suffering from more frequent severe hurricanes, prompting a debate over the impact of climate change. Climate scientists have warned that warming temperatures may increase the ferocity of hurricanes in the future. “There is a natural inclination to ask ‘What is going on?’” Isaac said. “Our fishing stock is migrating south because the water is getting warmer. And the scientists tell us that hurricanes pick up strength in warm waters.” Hurricane Maria is forecast to dump 20in of rain in some areas of the US and British Virgin Islands, as well as trigger a hefty storm surge. Benito Wheatley, a British Virgin Islands representative to the UK and the European Union, said that the islands were particularly vulnerable because of the impact of Hurricane Irma. “As you can imagine, people are very concerned because the shelters that they have, many of them have been weakened, many of the homes don’t have roofs,” he told the Guardian. Wheatley said Irma had torn through trees and vegetation leaving little to bind the soils together, raising fears that Maria could cause mudslides. “Even if it’s not a direct hit, you can imagine that just a storm of that size coming anywhere near the BVI in its current condition could be very damaging,” he said. The British government has advised against all travel to the British Virgin Islands and said it will extend the deployment of more than 1,300 military personnel already in the region to help with the Irma recovery effort. Dominica has borne the brunt of the hurricane so far. The prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, used Facebook to describe his own harrowing experience in real time, posting updates to say that his roof was gone, that his home was flooded and that he was “at the complete mercy of the hurricane”. He added that most people he had spoken to had a similar experience. Only once before in recorded history have two category 5 hurricanes made landfall in the Atlantic in the same hurricane season. Hurricane conditions have been aided by warmer than normal sea water and a lack of wind shear or dust blowing off the Sahara desert – conditions that can disrupt the formation of hurricanes. | ['world/hurricane-maria', 'us-news/puerto-rico', 'world/natural-disasters', 'world/world', 'world/dominica', 'world/saint-kitts-and-nevis', 'world/british-virgin-islands', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'world/caribbean', 'profile/oliver-milman', 'profile/laughland-oliver', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-foreign'] | world/hurricane-maria | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2017-09-19T17:16:02Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
lifeandstyle/article/2024/aug/10/catch-of-the-week-fisherman-lands-lego-shark-lost-at-sea-for-27-years | ‘Catch of the week’: fisher lands Lego shark lost at sea for 27 years | A fisher from Devon has caught a rare Lego shark 27 years after it went missing from a shipping container in the 1990s. The toy is one of 5m pieces lost overboard in the “Great Lego Spill of 1997”, when a freak wave hit a cargo ship called the Tokio Express off the coast of Cornwall. The pieces are still washing up today. Richard West, a 35-year-old fisher living in Plymouth, discovered the long-lost shark 20 miles south of Penzance on Tuesday. He contacted the project Lego Lost at Sea, whose founder Tracey Williams confirmed the piece to be the first-ever reported shark from the spill. “It’s way better than any fish I’ve caught all week,” said West. “I’m so happy about it.” West found the object lying on top of his fishing nets while sailing the Defiant FY848 in search of monkfish and sole. “I could tell straight away what it was because I had Lego sharks in the pirate ship set when I was little. I loved them,” West told the BBC. “It’s been 25 years since I’ve seen that face.” The plastic object, which West has nicknamed Sharky, is worn from more than two decades underwater and is missing its dorsal fin. Over time the submerged lego pieces break apart into smaller and smaller fragments, eventually becoming microplastics. Williams said the sharks featured in several Lego sets from 1997, including Shark Cage Cove, Shark Attack and Deep Sea Bounty. The official Lego inventory showed that 22,200 dark grey Lego sharks and 29,600 light grey ones were in the lost container – 51,800 sharks in total. “Richard and I now have joint custody of the shark,” Williams added. Many of the pieces found from the shipping container are sea-themed – they include life rafts, scuba tanks, cutlasses, flippers and seagrass. A few months ago, a 13-year-old boy found a “holy grail” Lego octopus washed up on a beach in Marazion. The octopuses are considered the most prized finds as only 4,200 were onboard. Williams started the Lego Lost at Sea project as a “bit of fun” during the summer holidays, but more than 80,000 Facebook and X followers later, Williams has united a global community of beachcombers monitoring where the Lego and other cargo spills are turning up. She also published a book in 2022 showcasing her work. As well as creating an archive of our times, the project has helped raise awareness around the waste that has populated Britain’s beaches, said Williams. “It’s encouraged people to get into beach cleaning and other environmental action,” Williams said, “and it helps explain things like ocean currents and the dangers of plastic pollution. Although so much plastic on the beach can be overwhelming, sorting through it can be strangely cathartic. It’s order from chaos.” Williams has begun mapping the findings for a scientific paper on the spill, and she encourages anyone who has found any of the pieces to get in touch with Lego Lost at Sea. Adrift by Tracey Williams (Unicorn Publishing Group, £20). To support the Guardian and Observer, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply. | ['uk-news/cornwall', 'lifeandstyle/lego', 'uk/uk', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/plastic', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/zainab-haji', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2024-08-10T12:07:57Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
australia-news/2019/mar/13/nsw-teacher-loses-shifts-after-urging-students-to-join-climate-strike | NSW teacher loses shifts after raising student climate strike | A relief teacher at a New South Wales high school, who is also a Greens candidate, is being investigated by the Department of Education over remarks made at a candidates’ forum about the upcoming student climate strike. Will Douglas, who has worked casually at Moruya high school on the state’s south coast since 2006, has been told he will not be offered any more shifts at the school while the investigation takes place. It comes as the principal of a Victorian Catholic school warned students that striking was an “unapproved” absence that could lead to a zero if they missed any official tests on the day. Inspired by Swedish student Greta Thunberg, the movement calls on students to partially strike from school to protest government inaction on fighting climate change. More than 50 rallies, in Australian capital cities and regional towns, are planned for 15 March. Douglas, who is contesting the seat of Bega in the upcoming state election, appeared at a lunchtime candidates’ forum organised by Youth Action at the Moruya golf club last Thursday, alongside local Liberal MP Andrew Constance and Labor candidate Leanne Atkinson. Douglas said he attended the forum with the knowledge of his superiors at the school. During the forum, which was attended by students from a range of high schools, Douglas said “please don’t forget March 15 the climate strike … if there’s something happening at your school will you please get online and register because there’s a whole community out there wanting to support you guys, young people, in that strike”. The remarks were published in News Corp’s Daily Telegraph on Monday, in an article that also revealed a complaint had been made to the department and that an investigation was under way. Douglas told Guardian Australia he had no knowledge of any investigation until contacted by the newspaper and he did not know who had made the complaint. He said the principal told him this week he would not be working any more shifts at the school until the investigation was complete. “I was speaking on my own time in my lunch break as a Greens candidate at a youth forum,” he said. “Now I don’t have any work. It shouldn’t be this hard to speak up for climate action.” Douglas said Moruya high was a wonderful school, and that he had been treated with nothing but respect by the principal. However he believed the complaint itself was “politically motivated”. A spokeswoman for the department said they were making inquiries into the matter but that it would be inappropriate to comment on the employment status of an individual teacher. “While the department understands students may be passionate about a range of issues, all students who are enrolled at school are expected to attend that school whenever instruction is provided,” she said. “Staff members providing advice contrary to departmental policies may be subject to allegations of misconduct.” Meanwhile in Victoria, the principal of Catholic girls school Siena College sent a letter to students and parents last week warning that striking students could receive a zero if they missed official tests and assignments on the day. “We acknowledge the students’ right to give voice to their very genuine concerns regarding the federal government’s record on climate change,” the principal, Gaynor Robson-Garth wrote. “Attendance at the strike will however be an ‘unapproved’ absence from school. If a student chooses to participate in the strike, VCE school-assessed coursework and other assessment tasks will be recorded as not assessed (NA) and no alternative opportunity will be provided to complete any missed assessments. “The decision to participate in the strike is entirely a decision for parents and students. The strike is not endorsed by the college.” Last November, thousands of Australian students walked out of school to attend rallies across the country. Since then, strikes have been organised in the UK and the United States, and 15 March has been billed as a global day of action, with further strikes organised for the US and Europe on the same day. In February, the NSW education minister, Rob Stokes, told students that they “should be at school” on the day. Student Doha Khan from Adelaide told Guardian Australia on Monday the students had three demands: stopping the Adani coalmine, no new fossil fuel projects and 100% renewables by 2030. | ['australia-news/australian-greens', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'australia-news/new-south-wales-politics', 'australia-news/nsw-election-2019', 'australia-news/australian-education', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/activism', 'world/protest', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'environment/school-climate-strikes', 'profile/josephine-tovey', 'profile/naaman-zhou', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/school-climate-strikes | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2019-03-12T17:00:08Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
news/2013/jan/04/weather-insurance-storm-flood-drought | Weatherwatch: In need of protection? | So you have fixed up your skiing holiday, but what if the snow fails to materialise and you spend a week looking at grassy pistes instead? Should you have bought a weather derivative to offset the disappointment of a dull holiday? Weather derivatives are financial instruments, purchased to reduce the risk of financial loss due to the wrong kind of weather. Farmers buy them to hedge against a poor harvest. Theme parks and event organisers use them to insure against rainy summer weekends, and power companies purchase them to smooth their income, in the event of, say, a warm winter. Around four decades ago insurance companies started listening carefully to climate scientists, to quantify the risks posed by climate change and accurately price the products they sell. Weather insurance is now big business. A recent study published in the journal Science has calculated that, when adjusted for inflation, weather- and climate-related insurance losses have more than doubled each decade since the 1980s. Today an average of $50bn is paid out every year, to repair the damage from storms such as hurricane Sandy, or mop up the mess after a flood. This is driving climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, such as building more energy-efficient or flood-proof homes. According to climate models, weather extremes will become more frequent, so more of us are likely to be insuring against the weather disrupting our lives. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'tone/features', 'world/natural-disasters', 'money/insurance', 'type/article', 'profile/kate-ravilious', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2013-01-04T21:00:03Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sustainable-business/2014/dec/29/2015-will-media-shine-a-light-on-its-own-corporate-responsibility | 2015: will media shine a light on its own corporate responsibility? | In 2015, one industry that has mostly avoided the corporate responsibility spotlight will have to shine that light on itself: the media. The media may not have the kind of impacts on human rights or the environment that affected as many people as visibly and as tangibly as the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh or the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But the media has its own responsibilities with regard to sustainability, corporate responsibility, human rights and ethics. And like financial services, the media has a role to play in how all other industries carry out their responsibilities in those areas, by choosing whether or not they hold them accountable. A number of 2014 stories suggest that along with its perennial challenges of gender discrimination and ethics, the media is now following the well-worn path to disaster that other industries have trodden: a push to cut costs and maximize revenues, which works out well for no one except maybe a few short-term investors. Coverage continues to shrink It is hardly breaking news that the media business is changing, but recent headlines show the dramatic impact that the shifting landscape will have on the news and analysis that the world receives. The New York Times just lost a number of senior reporters in its latest round of buyouts, and the New Republic experienced a mass exodus after new management expressed its desire for more “snackable content”. Among those leaving the Times is veteran labor reporter Steven Greenhouse, who for decades has highlighted the plight of low-wage workers in the US and around the world. His departure leaves the Wall Street Journal as the only daily paper with a full-time labor reporter. This comes after the New York Times in 2013 shut down its environmental desk and Green blog. Less coverage isn’t just bad for those organizations – it’s bad for all of us, as the public loses the sort of expert, in-depth coverage of key social and environmental issues that cannot be replaced by Facebook posts and tweets. Sponsored content creates confusion The challenges to media’s social responsibilities are not just in what they’re cutting, but what they are including. The rise of “sponsored content” has led to confusion and controversy, for example when the Atlantic (for which I’ve written) ran, then pulled, a paid advertorial from the Church of Scientology. (Like many publications, the Guardian now clearly states its approach to sponsored content, namely clear labeling.) In related can’t-make-this-up news, one call for an ethical framework for sponsored content was put forth by Edelman, the public relations firm that was recently fired by TransCanada for advocating attacks on environmentalists and community groups opposing pipeline projects. As with the shrinking coverage challenge, public discourse will suffer if readers have to work hard to understand whether what they read is journalism or marketing. Gender discrimination persists Gender discrimination continues to plague journalism: both in its management ranks, as evidenced by the kerfuffle over the firing of the New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson in May; and on its pages, as only 20% of bylines in traditional media belonged to women in 2012. Why does this matter for sustainability and human rights? Again, it’s not just the insidious nature of the discrimination itself. It is now old news that companies with diverse management teams outperform homogenous ones, and better media companies means better public knowledge. A more diverse set of bylines is better for the world, too. Katie Orenstein founded the OpEd Project, a social venture whose mission is to broaden the range of voices in public discourse (and whose board I proudly serve on). In her own words: It’s good for women – both as individuals, and collectively – to be able to have a bigger voice. It’s good for the organizations, institutions and causes that these women work on and for – it gives those organizations and causes more visibility and power. And it is good for society – because if we get to hear the best ideas from all the best and most interesting brains (not just the small fraction that currently has access to the world’s microphones) then we’ll have a richer, smarter, better public conversation. Hearing from more voices also means there’s going to be more empathy, a better world. Ethics get more airtime Ethics in journalism is not a new topic, but Rolling Stone’s apology for running a story about a claim of rape at the University of Virginia without contacting the alleged perpetrators has renewed the debate about the obligations of news outlets covering sensitive stories. The current controversy embroiling Sony raises additional questions about journalistic ethics, first and foremost whether news outlets should be using information that was meant to be confidential. As a media and entertainment company itself, Sony faces additional ethical questions. Should it really produce a movie depicting a graphic assassination of a sitting world leader? And given that it did, does it have a responsibility to then pull the film in light of threats to the theaters that screen it? The media is a key player in explicating both the problems and the possibilities at the intersection of business and society. If it can’t get its own house in order, how can it help us hold the rest of the world accountable? I’m hoping 2015 will bring a smart and productive debate about the social responsibilities of the media, which will benefit us all. Christine Bader is the author of The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil. Follow her on Twitter @christinebader. This piece is part of the social impact hub, which is funded by Anglo American. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled ‘brought to you by’. Find out more here. | ['sustainable-business/series/sustainable-business-predictions-2015', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'sustainable-business/series/social-impact', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/business', 'sustainable-business/communication', 'media/media', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/christine-bader'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-12-29T12:00:04Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
world/2023/aug/24/pacific-island-leaders-say-support-for-australias-un-climate-bid-should-be-linked-to-ceasing-fossil-fuel-expansion | Support for Australia’s UN climate bid should be linked to ceasing fossil fuel expansion, Pacific leaders say | A group of Pacific Island elders, including several former national leaders, have taken out a full-page ad in the Fiji Times calling on their countries not to support Australia’s plan to host a UN climate summit until it stops expanding fossil fuels. The ad on Wednesday by the group the Pacific Elders’ Voice was timed to coincide with a visit to Fiji by the Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen. Under a picture of Anthony Albanese and the minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, the ad urged Pacific leaders not to quickly back Australia’s request that they join a bid to co-host the Cop31 UN climate conference in 2026. “The Australian government has promised to ‘stand shoulder to shoulder’ with its Pacific family in response to the climate crisis,” the ad said. “Yet the response to our natural disasters, sea level rise, heat [and] food insecurity has been to pursue more gas and coal projects – the very thing driving the climate crisis.” The Pacific Elders’ Voice said while the world had moved into what the UN secretary general, António Guterres, called an era of global boiling, Australia was stuck in “the era of fossil fuel expansion”. Its members include former leaders of the Marshall Islands (Hilda Heine), Kiribati (Anote Tong), Tuvalu (Enele Sopoaga) and Palau (Tommy Remengesau). “We have been clear that standing shoulder to shoulder with us must mean more than expecting to co-host a UN climate change conference in 2026 with us,” they said. “Australia has ignored our pleas for years. Why then must Pacific leaders be in such a hurry to show support for Cop31? What is the rush?” Australia is considered well-placed to host Cop31, having won support from several members of the “Western Europe and Others” group that will decide where the meeting is held, but has made clear it wants it to be a joint bid. Bowen has repeatedly emphasised the Pacific’s role. The climate minister spent three days in the Fijian capital of Suva this week, convening a meeting of Pacific climate change ministers and attending a two-day regional UN climate discussion. Speaking before flying out on Wednesday, Bowen said there was strong support for an Australia-Pacific Cop bid. “We talked about how we might be able to work together to ensure that this is truly and genuinely a Pacific COP,” he said. “As I said to the ministers, I want people to leave COP 31, if Australia hosts it, saying ‘Wow, that really was a Pacific COP’. And by that it means a chance to elevate Pacific issues at a time when the Pacific has the world’s attention.” The Albanese government has been criticised for approving new fossil fuel developments, including the creation of large new gas fields. It has committed $1.5bn to Darwin’s Middle Arm industrial precinct, which a departmental brief to the government described as “a key enabler” for development of the Beetaloo Basin, a potentially large source of gas. Speaking in Suva, Bowen said Australia was moving from getting 35% of electricity from renewable energy to 82% in 2030. He said the country “increasingly has become a renewable energy superpower” and was working with its major fossil fuel customer countries, such as Korea and Japan, to help them transition to clean generation. “They’re on a journey. We’re not going to remove coal and gas tomorrow, nobody really is expecting [that],” he said. “But it’s been a good discussion [with Pacific climate ministers] about how fast the transition in Australia is going, and it’s going very, very fast.” The Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, a collection of nongovernment groups, said it was concerned about Australia’s eagerness to secure early support for the climate conference bid. “While we acknowledge Australia’s aspiration to lead in hosting Cop31, Pacific governments must seek tangible evidence of Australia’s dedication to substantial climate action, especially with regard to fossil fuels,” the network said in a statement. The next major UN climate summit, Cop28, will be held in the United Arab Emirates, starting in late November. | ['world/pacific-islands', 'australia-news/energy-australia', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'world/unitednations', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'world/chris-bowen', 'world/fiji', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/adam-morton', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2023-08-24T05:08:42Z | true | EMISSIONS |
media/greenslade/2015/nov/18/why-the-paris-attacks-got-larger-uk-coverage-than-similar-tragedies | Why the Paris attacks got larger UK coverage than other tragedies | Plenty of people have been asking why a massacre in France should get greater media coverage in Britain than massacres in the Lebanon, Iraq and Kenya. They have pointed to the fact that last Thursday, 44 people died in suicide bombings in Beirut. In August, 67 people were killed by a truck bomb in Sadr City in north-eastern Iraq. In April, 147 people, most of them students, were shot dead at Garissa University in north-eastern Kenya. All of these horrific incidents were reported by the British media. But they didn’t get much more than a newspaper headline and a couple of minutes on TV and radio bulletins. Although the downing of the Russian plane in Sinai, in which 224 people perished, got a reasonable show in papers and on TV, neither it nor the other tragedies received the wall-to-wall coverage granted to the Paris attacks. So why was that? Here’s what I wrote in my London Evening Standard column. One obvious reason is proximity. France is close to home. It is not only our closest continental neighbour but we are also linked through our membership of the European Union. Long ago, our former enemy from across the Channel became our ally and despite not sharing a common language, we do share a political and social culture born in the age of enlightenment. It is also undeniable, if somewhat unpalatable to many sensitive people, that mass deaths in faraway places, whether due to terrorism or natural disaster, rarely engender big UK media interest. There are odd exceptions, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. But its effect was unprecedented, with more than 300,000 deaths, including - it should ne noted - several British victims. Some large-scale earthquakes do grab attention, including those in Chile and Haiti in 2010 and Japan in 2011. But the cliché cannot be denied: all news is local. And it is audience interest (or lack of interest) that dictates decisions made by editors. In pre-internet days, it could be argued that journalists made their calls based on hunches about their readers’ and viewers’ appetites. Now, with the availability of web metrics, it is possible for them to gauge exactly the level of audience engagement with any given story. It is true that media coverage helps to stimulate interest, but only up to a point. People will not click on to a story unless they really want to - a point made by Folker Hanusch in a piece for The Conversation, following newsroom research in Australia. Nor should we overlook the truth, which some find distressing and unacceptable, that we tend to identify more closely with “people like us” - people who share our western culture. And, I am sure, that facet of human nature holds fast elsewhere in the world. People in other cultures are also more interested in what happens to those who are closest to them. I recall that many commentators pointed to what they regarded as disproportionate coverage, in both the United States and Britain, of the 71 Americans who died during hurricane Sandy in 2012. The 162 who died elsewhere, in seven other countries, were overlooked. There were two other aspects to the French carnage that we shouldn’t overlook. First, there was the indiscriminate nature of the murders in places where people congregate for leisure. On everyone’s lips surely was the thought that it could have been me. Second, Britain has had its share of outrages perpetrated by Islamic extemists. That would have stimulated another thought - it could happen here. In a sense, the French victims, as distinct from those in the atrocities in the Lebanon, Iraq and Kenya, were “our” victims. | ['media/greenslade', 'media/media', 'world/paris-attacks', 'media/newspapers', 'media/national-newspapers', 'world/france', 'world/lebanon', 'world/iraq', 'world/kenya', 'world/egypt', 'media/london-evening-standard', 'world/tsunami2004', 'world/earthquakes', 'us-news/hurricane-sandy', 'world/eu', 'world/world', 'world/europe-news', 'type/article', 'tone/blog', 'tone/comment', 'profile/roygreenslade'] | world/tsunami2004 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2015-11-18T23:09:41Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
sustainable-business/wilmar-no-deforestation-commitment-food-production | Wilmar's 'no deforestation' commitment could revolutionise the way food is grown | In the very late hours of what had been a long Singapore day, on 5 December 2013, global palm oil giant Wilmar quietly posted a press release on its website. It announced a far-reaching new policy commitment – no deforestation, no exploitation, no peatland development in any of its business. Shared with only a handful of journalists because of the late hour, it was only in the US where filing deadlines had not yet passed that the news filtered out. Picked up here and there in the subsequent days, it made no real bang in the global media, quite different from the worldwide interest when pulp and paper giant Asia Pulp and Paper made a similar announcement ten months earlier. Wilmar's commitment represents the latest but also by far the most significant "no deforestation" commitment yet. It has the legs to create a global revolution in how we grow food. No deforestation commitments spring from the logic that deforestation is driven by businesses sucking it through supply chains, that forests are destroyed to grow raw materials such as palm oil, soy, beef and wood fibre. Embedded in products made with the raw materials, deforestation drives climate change, species loss, and human rights violations. Thus, to solve it, we need to block the pipeline for deforestation-linked products and instead produce raw materials without destroying forests. "If your product contains deforestation, I will not buy it" is a powerful deterrent. It's also a powerful incentive to disengage from deforestation, exploitation or peatland clearance – "desist and I'll buy your entire stock". Nestlé deserves special mention for making the first no deforestation commitment in December 2009 when its Chairman committed that no Nestlé product would cause deforestation. Attacked by Greenpeace for links to deforestation in its palm oil procurement, Nestlé announced No Deforestation Responsible Sourcing Guidelines for the palm oil and pulp and paper it buys in May 2010. Indonesia's largest and the world's second ranked palm oil grower, Golden Agri Resources, made its own commitment, mirroring Nestle's policy, in February 2011. Asia Pulp and Paper followed in February 2013, then Neste Oil (the biofuel giant) in April 2013, Ferrero in November 2013, Reckitt Benckiser in December 2013 and now Wilmar. Unilever, Delhaize, E Leclerc supermarkets and others have made policy commitments enshrining the no deforestation concept. The Consumer Goods Forum, comprising 400 member companies, many with links to deforestation through beef, palm oil, soy and pulp and paper, made their own commitment in November 2010 to "no net deforestation" by 2020. The CGF, in partnership with the governments of the US, UK, Netherlands and Norway as well as some NGOs, then formed the Tropical Forest Alliance to help move the commitment from policy to implementation. The Government of Indonesia hosted the first TFA meeting in June 2013. This looks like positive action, a growing push. Yet deforestation continues. Wilmar's commitment has the potential to change that. Wilmar is the world's largest palm oil company; it controls some 45% of the market. Estimates suggest it buys from 80% of all palm oil growers. With its new policy, those growers will have to stop cutting down forests, stop exploiting people and stop clearing peatlands. Implementing the policy will not be straightforward. We've recently seen concerns from Forest People's Programme that Golden Agri's implementation in Indonesia has not respected community customary rights. The focus is now on fixing that but the reality is that we're in very new ground here. No one has ever sought to protect forests, respect community rights and run a profitable business on this scale before in an industry famous for focusing solely on profits. Wilmar's Chairman spoke eloquently and passionately recently at Davos where he noted that the younger generation of plantation growers had received the policy commitments positively. There had been an expectation of large-scale push back. That hasn't happened yet and it raises the hope that the snowball has started to roll downhill. Even more significantly, questions are already being asked about other commodities, "If we can grow palm like this, what about soy, beef, pulp and paper, cocoa, sugar?" The fascinating thing about these policy commitments is that they are predicated on the very simple idea that a buyer can work with suppliers to specify broadly defined qualities – ethical specifications like no forests destroyed, and no people exploited and so go beyond traditional technical specs like colour, strength, price and so on. No tortuous UN resolutions needed, good practice is rewarded; food is grown in a different way, let the multi-trillion dollar food market work. Wilmar going for it has set a new threshold for responsible food production. Yes, the company has to work through the challenges of implementation but there is real hope that with this germ of an idea, this relatively new approach to saving forests and respecting people, we just might be witnessing the final, beautiful unfolding of a butterfly's wings. Its subsequent flight could indeed change the world. Scott Poynton is executive director of the Forest Trust Join the community of sustainability professionals and experts. Become a GSB member to get more stories like this direct to your inbox | ['sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'guardian-professional/sustainability', 'tone/blog', 'environment/palm-oil', 'environment/deforestation', 'type/article', 'sustainable-business/series/supply-chain'] | environment/deforestation | BIODIVERSITY | 2014-01-29T17:19:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
cities/2017/feb/13/tipping-point-cities-exercise-more-harm-than-good | Tipping point: revealing the cities where exercise does more harm than good | Who says exercise is always good for you? Cycling to work in certain highly polluted cities could be more dangerous to your health than not doing it at all, according to researchers. In cities such as Allahabad in India, or Zabol in Iran, the long-term damage from inhaling fine particulates could outweigh the usual health gains of cycling after just 30 minutes. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this tipping point happens after just 45 minutes a day cycling along busy roads. In Delhi or the Chinese city of Xingtai, meanwhile, residents pass what the researchers call the “breakeven point” after an hour. Other exercise with the same intensity as cycling – such as slow jogging – would have the same effect. “If you are beyond the breakeven point, you may be doing yourself more harm than good,” said Audrey de Nazelle, a lecturer in air pollution management at Imperial College’s Centre for Environmental Policy, and one of the authors of the report. The study, originally published in the journal Preventive Medicine before the World Health Organization’s latest global estimates, modelled the health effects of active travel and of air pollution. They measured air quality through average annual levels of PM2.5s, the tiny pollutant particles that can embed themselves deep in the lungs. This type of air pollution can occur naturally – from dust storms or forest fires, for example – but is mainly created by motor vehicles and manufacturing. Breathing polluted air has been linked to infections including pneumonia, ischemic heart disease, stroke and some cancers. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study ranks it among the top risk factors for loss of health. The report in Preventive Medicine assumed cyclists moved at speeds of 12/14kph, with health benefits calculated in a similar way to the WHO’s Heat assessment tool. It also assumed cyclists used roads with double the background levels of air pollution, which may underestimate how poor air quality is in many developing world cities: for example, a study in Lagos found five out of eight sites exceeded Delhi’s annual PM2.5 concentration. People commuting to work along busy roads in a city with average annual background PM2.5 levels of 160 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) or above will pass the breakeven point at just 30 minutes a day, the study found. Using the WHO’s latest global estimates, published in May, those levels are only reached in Zabor, and in Allahabad and Gwalior in India – although many large cities in the developing world do not accurately measure air pollution so were not included in the WHO database. Fifteen cities (see map above and table below) have annual mean PM2.5 levels of 115μg/m3 or above, according to the WHO data, so the breakeven point is reached after an hour of active travel. Fine particulate levels above 80μg/m3 were found in 62 cities, making cycling more harmful than beneficial after two hours. The study found people in western cities such as London, Paris or New York would never reach the point where PM2.5 air pollution’s negatives outweigh exercise’s positives in the long term. “The benefits of active travel outweighed the harm from air pollution in all but the most extreme air pollution concentrations,” said Nazelle. “It is not currently an issue for healthy adults in Europe in general.” London’s annual average PM2.5 pollution was estimated at 15μg/m3 by the WHO – above the WHO’s guideline of 10, but still at a level at which the study estimated active travel would always be beneficial. Paris had ambient PM2.5 levels of 18μg/m3, while New York had 9μg/m3. However, the study did not consider the health impacts of short-term spikes in PM2.5 pollution, or take into account the effect of exercising in air containing larger PM10 particulates, ozone, or toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel cars. London mayor Sadiq Khan issued his first “very high” air pollution alert last month when air in the UK capital hit the maximum score of 10 on the Air Quality Index, equivalent to PM10 in excess of 101μg/m3. NOx pollution causes 5,900 early deaths a year in the city, and most air quality zones across Britain break legal limits. “This is the highest level of alert and everyone – from the most vulnerable to the physically fit – may need to take precautions to protect themselves from the filthy air,” Khan warned. Guardian Cities is dedicating a week to investigating one of the worst preventable causes of death around the world: air pollution. Explore our coverage at The Air We Breathe and follow Guardian Cities on Twitter and Facebook to join the discussion | ['cities/cities', 'cities/series/the-air-we-breathe', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'uk/transport', 'lifeandstyle/cycling', 'uk/uk', 'society/health', 'society/society', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'environment/air-pollution', 'profile/nickmead', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/cities'] | environment/air-pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2017-02-13T07:00:07Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
politics/2011/sep/30/250m-weekly-bin-collections-fund-pickles | £250m weekly bin collections fund is what people want, says Pickles | Eric Pickles has defended the government's plans to offer councils financial support to restore weekly rubbish collections, saying the proposal is what most people want. A £250m fund is being set up to help local authorities in England switch from fortnightly to weekly bin rounds under plans unveiled by the communities and local government secretary. Conservatives see the policy as delivering on a pledge the party made in opposition. In June, the coalition government faced criticism after its waste review revealed that councils would not have to bring back weekly waste collections. Labour accused the government of breaking a pre-election promise to abandon fortnightly bin collections, describing it as a "huge missed opportunity". Unveiling the move ahead of the Tory party conference in Manchester, Pickles said: "Weekly rubbish collections are the most visible of all frontline services, and I believe every household in England has a basic right to have their rubbish collected every week. "Our fund will help councils deliver weekly collections and, in the process, make it easier for families to go green and improve the local environment." He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "most people would prefer to see a weekly collection", but stressed that it would be up to individual local authorities to decide how they gathered their waste. "If councils want to have a fortnightly collection and are supported by their populations, then fair enough," he said. Despite dismissing suggestions that the announcement was designed to attract favourable publicity in the run-up to the conference, Pickles conceded: "I may be making a passing reference to this on my speech on Monday." He said that while the money on offer was more than originally planned, it was still the result of careful budgeting. "The total money available … is £1bn, so to be able to find a quarter of a billion is something that we had to put our mind to," he said. "It's not easy to find [these sums] – my department had been cutting down a lot on waste." The £250m weekly collections support scheme is expected to begin in April. Funding will be available to English councils that guarantee to retain or reinstate weekly collections for at least five years and pledge to improve recycling rates and provide improvements such as reducing fly-tipping and litter. Councils will be able to bid for funding individually or in groups and can include the private sector "where this increases value for money", Pickles said. Last year, the communities secretary told the Daily Mail he was an ardent supporter of weekly bin collections, explaining: "It's a basic right for every English man and woman to be able to put the remnants of their chicken tikka masala in their bin without having to wait a fortnight for it to be collected." | ['politics/eric-pickles', 'politics/conservatives', 'politics/liberal-conservative-coalition', 'politics/conservative-conference-2011', 'politics/politics', 'society/localgovernment', 'environment/waste', 'environment/environment', 'society/society', 'uk/uk', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/cherry-wilson', 'profile/samjones'] | environment/waste | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2011-09-30T08:27:34Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
social-enterprise-network/2013/jul/19/eco-tourism-sustainable-business-amazon-rainforest | How to develop eco-tourism and sustainable business in the Amazon rainforest | In the second part of the series, we'll learn three ways to work sustainably in the Amazon rainforest and three ways to develop ecotourism enterprise in the central-west region. How to work sustainably in the Amazon How do farming social enterprises in this region run sustainable, organic, fair-trade operations? 1. Connect supply and demand 100% Amazonia has found a way to work sustainably with the fair-trade farmers of the Amazon. They co-ordinate with individual farmers, collect their produce, freeze it and ship it to manufacturers around the world that want large amounts of fair-trade products. They've recently supplied the ingredients for a specialty beer for the UK market. Owner Fernanda Stefani said: "We are a solution provider. If you want to use anything from the Amazon in a sustainable, fair-trade way, you'll be happy to contact us." 2. Repurpose Existing Technology What do you get if you cross Nasa food storage technology with the açaí berry? Bio EcoBrazil has the answer. They are shipping freeze-dried, certified organic and biodynamic açaí berry powder to health-conscious consumers around the world, and they are seeing the market grow. Leonilda Fagundes, chief executive of Bio EcoBrazil, said: "The international market and consumer understand organic and fair trade, and they are willing to pay extra for it. Until we started freeze-drying açaí, we couldn't get it to them. Now we can." 3. Solve multiple problems Preserva Mundi sustainably and organically grows products not just for the health-conscious market, but also for the agricultural market. Preserva Mundi has two specialities: neem and noni. Noni is their organically grown superfood. Neem has much wider repertoire of uses. Director Romina Lindemann said: "With cattle livestock, adding neem to the food supply improves digestion and stops the reproduction of pest insects in the cow dung. With vegetables, it helps their roots grow stronger and thicker. And it has a real effect on reducing the need for chemical insecticides … It's amazing to work with neem. You can have better milk, better vegetables, and eliminate the insects with a natural product." Running an ecotourism enterprise in Brazil "In Brazil, ecotourism usually means tourism in nature," says land owner and business director Roberto Coelho. Roberto has come to ecotourism through an unusual route: farming. His farm, Fazenda San Francisco is in an area called the Pantanal, and it now contains several lodges and a nature reserve. "My business is agro-ecotourism. My family started this farm in 1975, but in 1989 we opened it for tourism too. We have 4,000 hectares for rice farming, 3,000 for cattle and 8,000 for a nature reserve. More than half is completely natural, and will remain that way forever." 1. Integrate with farming Why does Roberto add ecotourism to farming? "Of course, it brings in extra income, and I like the integration of the businesses. The men of the local families work on the farm, and their wives, who are not trained in farming skills, are still able to work with the tourists. For example, in the kitchen, providing the delicious food." 2. Incentivise environmental care Is there a clear environmental benefit? "Because of the mixture with ecotourism, farmers have an added incentive to preserve the natural beauty and wildlife. If the farmers stick to intensive, monoculture farming, it harms the environment, the wildlife moves away, and the tourists stop coming too." 3. Activate unique ecosystems Ecotourism entrepreneur Modesto Sampaio used to be a cattle farmer, but in 1986 he acquired an unusual piece of land. Part of the land included a giant sinkhole, a natural sandstone crater with a very rare ecosystem. He was advised to cover or fill it somehow, so that he could use the land for farming. However Modesto had heard that this area used to be home to wild green-winged macaws, and realised it's unique potential. Sampaio said: "The hole had been used as a local dumping ground for years, and the macaws had moved on. I convinced the fire brigade, the local university and the army to help remove three truckloads of waste from the hole, and a dumped car. Soon after, the macaws came back, and so did the tourists." Now he and his sons have stopped farming and are able to rely entirely on the income that the sustainably managed tourists bring into the area. Brazilian federal and state laws now permanently protect this site. Richard Brownsdon runs Inspiring Adventures. He is a writer, blogger and freelance social enterprise marketing and events specialist. This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the Guardian Social Enterprise Network, click here. | ['tone/blog', 'society/socialenterprises', 'society/society', 'world/brazil', 'world/americas', 'world/world', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/environment', 'travel/amazon', 'travel/southamerica', 'travel/travel', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/forests', 'environment/deforestation', 'travel/brazil', 'sustainable-business/how-to', 'sustainable-business/social-enterprise', 'sustainable-business/social-enterprise-blog', 'type/article', 'sustainable-business/series/international'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2013-07-19T15:00:00Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2022/mar/03/nsw-floods-almost-500000-people-across-greater-sydney-under-evacuation-orders | NSW floods: Sydney and Illawarra dodge east coast low after 500,000 people faced evacuation across state | Sydney and the Illawarra region of New South Wales have avoided the worst effects of the devastating east coast low that instead eased and shifted west over Newcastle and the Hunter region. Newcastle remains under a severe weather warning with falls of 60 to 100mm possible over six hours and the associated risk of flash flooding. Major flooding also remained possible at Windsor on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, thanks to heavy rains in the surrounding catchment areas. The major flooding at North Richmond may be close to its peak, the bureau said in its most recent update on Thursday afternoon. Authorities had to prepare for the worst as Warragamba Dam west of Sydney started spilling on Wednesday, but rainfalls were less than expected. The gauge at the dam itself collected 237mm in the 48 hours to 9am Thursday, but just 5mm up to Thursday 3pm, Ben Domensino, a senior meteorologist at Weatherzone, said. The east coast low developed into three separate areas of circulation just off the coast. “That means it’s not a strong and well-defined low pressure system, and this is weakening near the coast,” Domensino said. The Hunter will see ongoing rain, but for Sydney and the Central Coast there should only be showers. Showers near Sydney “won’t be doing too much to raise river levels”, he said. However, there was another upper-level low pressure system crossing south-eastern Australia this weekend. “Some models are suggesting that will cause heavier rain to redevelop from Sunday over eastern NSW and into Monday, with the potential for another low pressure system forming near the coast early next week on Monday or Tuesday.” Earlier on Thursday, about half a million people across NSW were under evacuation orders or warnings as the wild weather that battered parts of eastern Australia for a week bore down on the greater Sydney region. Steph Cooke, NSW’s emergency services minister, said the state had 76 evacuation orders in place on Thursday morning affecting 200,000 people, with a further 18 evacuation warnings covering about 300,000 residents. “We have 500,000 people in our state right now who are either the subject of an evacuation warning or an evacuation,” Cooke said. The evacuation orders covered areas of northern NSW and parts of the greater Sydney region and the Illawarra. The Bureau of Meteorology issued multiple warnings for rivers to flood and for severe weather to affect a region of eastern NSW from near Taree, north of Newcastle, down almost to Moruya Heads on the south coast. Flood warnings were in place for the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers near Sydney, prompting many of the evacuations overnight, but also for the Wilsons, Richmond and Clarence rivers in northern NSW, where there have been record floods. Warragamba Dam west of Sydney was spilling at a rate of 225 gigalitres a day with a predicted peak rate of 300-350GL a day – half the worst-case scenario. That meant thousands of households and businesses could avoid damaging flooding from the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers north-west of Sydney. The BoM noted major flooding continued along the Hawkesbury and Lower Nepean rivers, however. “River levels are continuing to rise at Windsor where major flooding may develop Thursday evening,” the bureau said. “Further heavy rainfall is forecast today and into Friday which may result in extended and possibly higher major flood peaks. River levels at North Richmond are expected to remain below those observed during the March 2021 event.” The NSW State Emergency Services had received a total of 11,747 requests for help since the start of the floods crisis, with 1,462 calls coming since 3.30pm on Wednesday. The Insurance Council of Australia said insurers have received 60,163 claims related to the ongoing flooding in south-east Queensland and NSW. About 83% of total claims relate to property with the remainder for motor vehicles, the ICA said. “Based on previous flood events the current cost of claims is estimated to be about $900m,” the council said on Thursday. The heavy rain and potentially damaging winds and dangerous surf were the result of an east coast low that was located about 100km east of Newcastle at 6am on Thursday. Sydney’s forecast had been revised lower to between 50mm and 90mm of rain from an earlier prediction of 100mm to 150mm on Thursday, as the low looks likely to cross the coast farther north. There remained the chance of a possibly severe thunderstorm. Where thunderstorms form, there is the risk of locally intense rainfall, reaching as much as 200mm over six hours, leading to dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding, according to the bureau. Many schools were closed across NSW and the SES was encouraging people in affected areas to avoid all non-essential travel. Rainfall in the 24 hours from 9am Wednesday topped 100mm in areas of Sydney’s south, west and north-west, while the central business district collected about 50mm. The NSW deputy premier, Paul Toole, said on Wednesday the worst-case scenario was for Warragamba Dam to spill at 600GL a day. That would have been well above the 440GL to 460GL a day peak rate during the March 2021 floods. The forecast offers little solace for many along the eastern seaboard, with more rain predicted for the coming week. Domensino said the slow-moving system had continually exceeded forecasts for rainfall. “This heavy rain has all been fed by an atmospheric river that’s just been dragging moisture across the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea and directing it towards the east coast,” Domensino said. Similar big flooding events around the world have followed such patterns. “There is a climate change signal in atmospheric rivers, and that’s been one of the components of this event.” | ['australia-news/australia-east-coast-floods-2022', 'australia-news/new-south-wales', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'australia-news/sydney', 'australia-news/australia-weather', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/peter-hannam', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-03-03T06:10:35Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
media-network/2015/jan/28/lead-2015-showcasing-importance-advertising-uk | LEAD 2015: showcasing the importance of advertising in the UK | The UK advertising and media business is a powerhouse in the UK, and we should not underestimate its contribution. It has become a vital pillar underpinning the UK’s creative industry and global reputation. In our multimedia environment, the British public now access the majority of their content funded by paid-for advertising. The ecosystem of agencies, clients and media owners are the providers in an unstated value-exchange between media platforms and their consumers. This ecosystem, while increasingly complex, is extremely healthy in comparison with almost every other nation globally. The quality, range and relative accessibility of our content remains the envy of the world. As a media agency, we exist first and foremost to grow our clients’ business value; to have a transformational impact upon the success of their business from their investment into media. Since establishing our ROI agency positioning in 2003, ZenithOptimedia have constantly been refining these skills in a world where the definition of media has widened dramatically. Our business has grown by providing expert access to media platforms and by recruiting from diverse areas to build robust new capabilities that we integrate for our clients. These new specialisms have adopted many different kinds of digital and content services, but also increasingly data. Arguably, media agencies have always been data driven businesses; investing in and optimising large, operational systems to plan and buy efficient media schedules. However, there has been a quantum leap in capability. We are now able to help our clients develop a single view of their customers in order to execute media plans throughout the customer journey to purchase and repurchase. Amongst all this complexity, this is transformational. Complexity, speaking as someone who worked for seven years on the client-side of the business, is also making the role of senior marketer increasingly challenging. As well as balancing creative judgement, the application of advanced analytics, consumer insight, and the ability to sell effectively, it is the explosion in the requirement to master the owned and earned side of media and the need to harness technology and data (big data in particular) that is accelerating the learning curve. And as if that was not pressure enough, typically as Brits, we give ourselves a terribly hard time. Every industry needs to be subject to scrutiny and public debate, but sometimes advertising can be unfairly criticised. LEAD, the advertising industry’s leadership summit, is essential in showcasing the other side of the coin. Not spin, but instead some hard facts about the important role and contribution that advertising and media make to the UK economy, our culture and our reputation. As an industry it is vital that we keep our story strong and for a few days each year under the LEAD banner, we are not competing, but instead helping to build out the reputation of the industry that we mutually support and depend upon, to engage government, wider society and continue to attract diverse skills and talent into this industry that will propel us further forward. Grant Millar is CEO at ZenithOptimedia UK LEAD 2015 takes place on Thursday 29 January. Follow our liveblog, bringing you all the insights and updates from the event. To get weekly news analysis, job alerts and event notifications direct to your inbox, sign up free for Media Network membership. All Guardian Media Network content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled “Brought to you by” – find out more here. | ['media-network/media-network', 'technology/technology', 'media-network/series/digital-marketing', 'media/media', 'media/advertising', 'media/marketingandpr', 'technology/big-data', 'society/conferences', 'type/article'] | technology/big-data | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2015-01-28T17:16:09Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
world/2021/sep/05/dixie-fire-greenville-california-residents-return-home | ‘It’s heart-wrenching’: Greenville families return to scenes of devastation after Dixie fire | As some families in Greenville, California started to return home this week after the Dixie fire tore through this town of about 800 residents, they were confronted by burnt remnants of their former lives. Some returned to find a makeshift grave for a family pet. Others walked through debris which, just a few weeks earlier, they had planned to sell. Photographer Josh Edelson was at home, recuperating from a stretch of 20-hour days photographing the California wildfires, when he saw the alert from CalFire, the state’s department of forestry and fire protection, saying this week that residents could return home. The news came one month after the Dixie fire – which has burned 893,852 acres since erupting on 14 July – struck Greenville, and Edelson wanted to capture the moment. In one of Edelson’s photos, a woman named Riley Cantrell holds her face and cries as she surveys the charred remains of her mother’s home with her boyfriend, Bradley Fairbanks. When Cantrell arrived at the pile of rubble, she discovered a small mound, with a sort of little cross on it. The family dog had perished in the blaze. Cantrell told Edelson that firefighters had found the dog and buried it on the property. “I’ve wanted to get photos of residents coming home or to what’s left of their homes, because I feel like those are some of the only opportunities to get the most emotional visuals from a fire,” said Edelson, 42. “Usually, when covering a wildfire, it’s actual fire, firefighters, people are evacuated. And, they might be visually striking images, but the emotional side of fires typically comes when people start returning home.” “So I really wanted to get that, especially since the Caldor fire, with the Lake Tahoe basin, has kind of, more taken over, or dominated, the headlines in terms of fire.” The Caldor fire has approached Lake Tahoe, though firefighters have made progress in battling the blaze. “It seems like every year they get worse or at least in this case, different. Nobody expected fire to come into the Lake Tahoe basin, but it did,” Edelson said at one point in conversation with the Guardian. “The Dixie fire was absolutely insane. When Greenville burned, there was a huge column of ash that was just kind of towering over it, and that sort of pushed fire into the town.” “I know there’s a lot of other stuff going on as well, but I just couldn’t believe that people weren’t jumping on the chance to go and photograph residents returning home in the Greenville area,” Edelson said. “I don’t want to say that it’s forgotten, but the news cycle moves pretty quickly, so it was really important to me to keep this in people’s faces and keep that picture going.” “It’s not like the Dixie fire was just, you know, a small fire and a small story,” Edelson said. “It destroyed an entire town.” In his more than 10 years of chronicling fire season, he has shot close to 100 wildfires, and photographed residents returning home dozens of times. “There’s a lot of people that lost their homes, and there’s a lot of really deeply emotional and impactful stories that come out of that.” “When I got there, I kind of just expected there would be residents everywhere going through their things, but there actually were very few people there. I don’t quite understand why,” Edelson said. “I just kind of drove around and waited in a lot of spots in downtown Greenville, and some residential neighborhoods, and found a handful of residents that were coming home to view their properties. So, they were just kind of slowly trickling in. ” Another one of Edelson’s photos this week captured the Weight family somberly assessing what was left of their home in Greenville. They had planned on selling their property before the fire. Another photo shows Cody Najera and Arizona Erb examining debris from what used to be their home. Edelson, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, said he always approaches residents before taking photos, asking if it’s OK for him to be there. “I know that it’s a very difficult time for them, and they’re struggling with a lot. I just let them know I’m a photographer on assignment for AFP, which I was.” “Occasionally, somebody will say ‘no,’ and I’ll just then leave, but I effectively get permission from them to be there and photograph them. I try and exhibit some compassion, and tell them I’m really sorry for their loss.” “It’s heart-wrenching. I feel really bad for these people. I wish there was something I could do, but I guess I’m doing what I can, which is to take pictures and have the story be told,” he said. “I don’t know exactly what telling the story and showing these scenes will do, but I hope something good comes from it.” Edelson said that he aims to capture the reactions that best show the toll of destruction: “People hugging, reacting to a scene, hand on face, hand on head, crying, wiping tears, all those things kind of convey, those kind of show emotion.” “There may not be flames and firefighters, but it’s the effect, how it’s actually affecting people, so I think it’s really important.” | ['world/wildfires', 'us-news/california', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/extreme-weather', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/victoria-bekiempis', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/us-news'] | world/wildfires | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2021-09-06T13:04:18Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2013/jun/25/tasmania-windfarm-king-island | Hydro Tasmania accused of breaking word over King Island windfarm | Hydro Tasmania has defended its decision to continue plans to create the southern hemisphere's largest windfarm on King Island, after a survey of residents narrowly failed to reach a target of 60% of community support. A postal survey sent out to 1,500 King Island residents revealed that 516 out of 878 respondents want a feasibility study into the proposed 200-turbine windfarm. This translates to 58.7% support for the study. Hydro Tasmania previously said it would not push ahead with plans for the windfarm if 60% or more of the community did not back the idea, prompting a furious response from anti-wind activists. "Today's decision by Hydro Tasmania will only create further division in an already divided community," said Jim Benn, a King Island resident and head of the No TasWind Farm Group. "Near enough is not good enough. 60 is 60, not 58.77. "How can King Islanders ever trust Hydro Tasmania again? There is no way Hydro Tasmania can proceed to a feasibility study when 362 people or more than 40% of the King Island community has said no." Benn said that the windfarm plans should be scrapped in favour of a planned golf course. "The No TasWind Farm Group calls on Hydro Tasmania to keep to its word and abandon its feasibility study," he said. "This whole debacle has unnecessarily divided our small community. It's time for healing so we can focus on a bright future built on golfing tourism, a future that would have been ruined by turning our home into a giant wind energy factory for Victoria." However, Hydro Tasmania director of corporate services, Andrew Catchpole, insisted that it had the support to continue with the feasibility study, pointing out that the renewable energy company would create an annual community fund of around $1m for King Island. Proponents of the windfarm, which would cover around 15% of the Bass Strait island, said the project would create around 500 direct and indirect jobs and between $7m and $9m of additional economic benefit for the island. "I know some have implied that the figure of 60 is a number that will determine if the project goes ahead or not. However, we have always said that 60% would be a good indication of broad community support. We got 59% and that is a very good result," Catchpole said. Catchpole said that further measurements on impacts would be made and that the King Island community would "have another chance to have its say" before any development application is lodged. "From our consultation process we understand that the principal concern of the community is the visual impact of the wind farm, closely followed by the noise and health impact concerns," he said. "Consequently, we will focus as a matter of priority on resolving the elements of windfarm feasibility that have the most impact on these concerns, especially location, so that we can address these areas of concern. "While we believe the project if it proceeds to construction will have a significant and positive impact on the island's economy there is a long way to go before that happens. I can only repeat that this project will not proceed without ongoing broad community support." The establishment of new wind-powered energy has become an increasingly contentious topic, with around 150 people attending a "wind power fraud rally" in Canberra last week. Maurice Newman, the man slated to be Tony Abbott's top business adviser, has also taken a firm anti-wind stance and is among a group of landholders who are threatening to sue a neighbouring farmer for agreeing to allow wind turbines on his property. | ['environment/windpower', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'profile/oliver-milman'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2013-06-25T06:33:00Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2023/dec/12/country-diary-frost-covers-anything-that-can-support-its-feathery-weight | Country diary: Frost covers anything that can support its feathery weight | Ed Douglas | The ground was so white that you’d swear it had snowed overnight. Around us every frond of bracken and sprig of heather shone, while the birch trees were dusted into spectral shrouds. It was the path underfoot that gave the game away. The black earth revealed how the passage of feet printed into gloop days before was now frozen iron-hard, so that a misplaced step might prompt a stumble. There had been no snow after all, just a clear night that had teased water from the air into labyrinthine patterns of hoarfrost that now encased any structure that could support its feathery weight. The sky was baby blue towards the horizon, where a low sun angled across the moor, which glittered its reply. Four hundred human generations have inhabited this corner of the English uplands, and I’d bet each one of them at some point marvelled at the intricate beauty of such a heavy frost in sunshine, especially after days of wet grey, when you feel your soul’s force weaken. Ted Hughes described stars as “mushrooms in the nothing forest” and there was something of that here, too – so much white light sprouting from the void. I knelt on the hard ground to get a closer look. Only the higher shrubs were bathed in light. Between them were pockets of bone-white cold where the frost’s designs were picked out not by sunlight but by the blue-grey shadows around them. Crystals form according to what chemists call their habit, but the habits of water are complex. Temperature and how much water vapour the air holds determine the structure ice crystals create, from needles to thicker-based pyramids to hexagonal columns that can be either solid or tubular. Close by, for example, was the neatly cut stump of a birch that had sprouted with hexagonal columns fat enough to judge as hollow. Yet, in the course of a night, the air can grow colder and the air less moist, diverting these ephemeral growths into different shapes, conjuring fresh magic from timeless laws. • Country diary is on Twitter at @gdncountrydiary | ['environment/series/country-diary', 'environment/winter', 'environment/environment', 'uk/ruralaffairs', 'uk/uk', 'environment/plants', 'environment/forests', 'uk-news/south-yorkshire', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/eddouglas', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/journal', 'theguardian/journal/letters', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-letters-and-leader-writers'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-12-12T05:30:55Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2020/oct/05/guardian-net-zero-emissions-carbon-neutral-2030 | How the Guardian plans to reach net zero emissions by 2030 | Last year was the easy bit – we made a lot of promises to reduce our carbon footprint and become a more sustainable business. Since then we have been trying to figure out how to make good on these commitments. While Guardian journalism remains our best tool for confronting the climate emergency, we are doing everything we can in our business too to ensure that we practise what we preach. We said we would undertake a full audit of our carbon emissions, and have now been through this exercise twice, starting with our 2018-19 financial year and then trying to improve our understanding and the accuracy of our data for our 2019-20 figures. The experience has taught us a lot: we know that our print newspaper business still accounts for the majority of our emissions, but that business travel and our digital operations are also significant contributors. We also know that the vast majority of our emissions are caused within our supply chain, rather than by the activities we control directly, such as the energy we use in our offices. This adds to the complexity of measuring our footprint and taking action. We have to gather lots of detailed information from many different suppliers and work out how much of it is attributable to us. We are grateful that so many of them have been forthcoming with the information we need, particularly when the last few months have been challenging for many in the newspaper industry. As well as measuring our emissions, we have been looking at different areas of our business to consider how our sustainability commitments should inform what we do. That led to our announcement earlier this year that we were refusing any advertising from fossil fuel companies. More recently, our Guardian Jobs team has made it easier for employers to advertise sustainability jobs to our audience of environmentally-conscious readers. We have now set a goal of eliminating at least two-thirds of all emissions from our own operations and our supply chain by 2030. That feels like a daunting challenge but we wanted to set ourselves an ambitious goal that would force us to think creatively about how to achieve it. There are a few big areas that we are focusing on initially. We need to do everything we can to reduce unnecessary energy use or materials in our own operations. That includes everything from making the lighting in our offices as efficient as possible to reducing the amount of packaging we use for our newspapers. The way we work has a big impact. Like almost everyone, we’ve been forced to find new ways of doing things this year in response to the coronavirus pandemic - increased use of technology is likely to help us reduce our environmental impact over the long term. We also need to make our supply chain as sustainable as possible. That means making sure that environmental considerations are consistently a key part of our purchasing decisions, and working with our suppliers to see how we can help them to reduce emissions within their own operations. We are clear that reducing our emissions as much as possible is the priority, but for the emissions that we cannot eliminate, we are looking at ways to remove the equivalent carbon from the atmosphere. While emissions are an important part of our sustainability performance, they are not the only thing we should address. For example, we can also look at things such as the amount of recycled or recyclable materials we use. While we are pleased with the progress we are making, we know that there are many areas that we have not fully considered yet and we expect our sustainability plans to evolve a lot as we learn more. Our readers are always a great source of ideas and challenging questions that force us to think harder about what we do. Since certifying as a socially aware B Corporation last year we have gained lots of new ideas and inspiration from fellow B Corps, and of course our journalism is a constant source of information about new developments and technologies that can help us improve. These measures are intended to demonstrate that we must back up words with action. The Guardian wants to lead the world with authoritative, compelling, revelatory journalism about the climate crisis. We can only credibly do so if we ourselves face up to the challenges that confront policymakers, businesses and households in these troubling times. • Julie Richards is delivery portfolio director and leads GNM’s initiative to achieve net zero emissions | ['environment/series/guardian-climate-pledge-2020', 'environment/environment', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/julie-richards', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/guardian-members', 'theguardian/guardian-members/guardian-members', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-membership'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2020-10-05T06:00:13Z | true | EMISSIONS |
environment/2022/oct/23/peak-power-hydrogen-injected-uk-station-centrica | Peak power: hydrogen to be injected into UK station for first time | Hydrogen will be injected into an emergency gas-fired power station for the first time in a pilot backed by the owner of British Gas. Centrica has invested in an industry joint venture which will trial using hydrogen at an existing “peaking plant” at its Brigg station in Lincolnshire, the Guardian can reveal. The pilot, which will launch in the second half of next year, is aimed at examining the role that hydrogen can play in producing power. Peaking power stations generally run only when there is a high, or peak, demand for electricity. The 49MW gas-fired station at Brigg is designed to meet demand during peak times or when generation from renewables is low, typically operating for less than three hours a day. The pilot is one of 20 projects part-funded by an £8m programme from the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), which receives funding from the UK and Scottish governments. Centrica has also increased its stake in HiiROC, the start-up behind the project, from 2% to 5%, a small investment for the £4bn energy giant. In November 2021, HiiROC raised £26m from a collection of investors including Centrica, industrial buyout firm Melrose, investment fund HydrogenOne and carmakers Hyundai and Kia. The project is designed to test to the practicalities of mixing hydrogen in with natural gas at a power plant, with the aim of reducing the overall carbon intensity of the site. In its early stages, just 3% of the gas mix is expected to be hydrogen, rising incrementally to 20%. Partners in the initiative hope ultimately to power the plant using just hydrogen and set a precedent to decarbonise other gas-fired peaking plants. Hydrogen is produced by splitting water using electricity, with minimal emissions. It is seen as key to decarbonising energy-intensive industries although there is fierce debate over its use and the motivations of the army of lobbyists pushing its cause in Westminster. HiiROC, founded in Hull in 2019, has developed an electrolysis process using technology that can create hydrogen at lower costs and with lower emissions than other methods. Its process converts biomethane, flare gas or natural gas into hydrogen and carbon black, a byproduct that can be used in tyres, rubbers and printing inks. Greg McKenna, managing director of Centrica Business Solutions, said: “Gas still plays a huge role in maintaining a secure, stable supply of power in the UK, with around 40 per cent of our power coming from natural gas. So, it’s vital that we find ways to reduce the carbon intensity of gas plants like that at Brigg. “We’re delighted to get the grant funding from the NZTC in order to explore the role of hydrogen in providing the low carbon back-up power we’ll need in order to maintain security of supply as more renewable energy comes on stream.” Centrica has notched up bumper profits and reinstated its dividend this year as the price of wholesale gas has soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Centrica is already converting part of the site at Brigg into a battery storage facility designed to store power generated by nearby onshore windfarms. • This article was amended on 24 October 2022. HiiROC has developed an electrolysis process that can create hydrogen at lower costs and with lower emissions than other methods, not “at lower costs or with higher emissions than other methods” as an earlier version said. | ['business/energy-industry', 'business/gas', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'business/centrica', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'business/utilities', 'uk/uk', 'business/business', 'campaign/email/business-today', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-lawson', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2022-10-23T12:06:51Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2010/jul/07/peter-bethune-sea-shepherd-sentence | Sea Shepherd man sentenced for whaler assault | A court in Tokyo has handed a suspended sentence to an environmental activist after finding him guilty of assaulting a Japanese whaler and obstructing the country's whaling fleet. Peter Bethune, who was a member of Sea Shepherd, a marine conservation group, was given two years in prison, suspended for five years, amid tight security at the Tokyo district court. He was also found guilty of trespassing, vandalism and possession of a knife. Bethune, who did not speak during today's hearing, is expected to be deported to his native New Zealand within days. After the verdict, Bethune said he was relieved and thanked his legal team in Japan. "I am truly sorry for all the trouble and worry this has caused my family and am desperate to get back home to see them," he said. "I also want to thank all the supporters worldwide who have been sending messages and signing petitions, and the media, who have been keeping this story in the public eye." The 45-year-old was arrested after boarding the Shonan Maru 2, the fleet's security vessel, from a jet ski in darkness in February. He had boarded the vessel to protest the sinking of his speedboat, the Ady Gil, in a collision the previous month. He had intended to carry out a citizen's arrest of the captain and hand him a US$3m bill for damage to the protest boat, which sank. Instead Bethune was detained and then arrested when the ship returned to Japan in March. Bethune accepted four of the charges but denied the most serious charge of assault. He had been accused of throwing bottles of butyric acid – rancid butter – at whalers last winter during one of several confrontations between the fleet and campaigners in the Antarctic. Last month the victim of the assault told the court that the attack had left him with facial burns. A small group of rightwing protesters demonstrated outside the court and labelled Bethune a terrorist, with some urging the court to give him the death penalty. During his trial Sea Shepherd said Bethune would no longer take part in the group's campaigns because he had violated its principle of "aggressive but non-violent direct action" by taking a bow and arrows with him. While in detention in Tokyo he indicated he no longer wished to take part in anti-whaling activities. Sea Shepherd's founder, Paul Watson, is on an Interpol wanted list for ordering Bethune to board the Shonan Maru 2. There are Japanese allegations that the group's actions put whalers' lives at risk. Japan launched a crackdown against anti-whaling protesters following a winter of bitter confrontation in the Southern Ocean that forced the fleet to return to port with barely half its intended catch of minke whales. Despite the 1986 International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling Japan is permitted to kill nearly 1,000 whales each year for what it calls scientific research. | ['environment/whaling', 'world/japan', 'world/world', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'world/protest', 'environment/whales', 'environment/cetaceans', 'type/article', 'profile/justinmccurry', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international'] | environment/cetaceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2010-07-07T08:02:46Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
australia-news/2021/sep/14/no-satisfactory-explanation-court-blasts-keith-pitt-over-grant-agreement-with-gas-company | ‘No satisfactory explanation’: court blasts Keith Pitt over grant agreement with gas company | A federal court judge has strongly criticised the federal resources minister, Keith Pitt, and demanded he explain why grants were handed to a gas company, despite previous assurances that the deals were not imminent. The court is considering a challenge to the lawfulness of a $50m grants scheme used to give $21m to Empire Energy subsidiary, Imperial Oil & Gas, to incentivise exploratory drilling in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin as part of the Morrison government’s gas-led recovery. During a routine case management hearing on Tuesday, Justice Griffith heard that in late July, when the Environment Centre NT and the Environmental Defenders Office launched the federal court challenge, they sought assurances from the government that it would not enter into grant agreements or pay any money to Empire until the federal court proceedings were resolved. It took government lawyers until 3 September to respond. When the response came, the government said the grant agreements were not going to be signed for two to three weeks at the earliest. “That is not what actually occurred,” John Griffiths said on Tuesday. “Subsequently and without any prior notice to the applicant, on the 9th of September 2021, the minister entered into one or more grant agreements with [Empire subsidiary] Imperial Oil and Gas Pty Ltd. “No satisfactory explanation has been provided to date by the minister for this unexpected change of course.” Griffiths demanded an explanation from the government solicitors for the “sudden haste” with which the grant agreements were struck. He asked why the previous assurance was “turned completely upside down”. Lawyers with the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) were unable to provide such an explanation. The court also heard the Environment Centre NT did not learn about the signing of the grant agreements until Empire made a statement to the ASX on Friday. Griffiths asked why the government did not advise the Environment Centre NT of its signing of the agreements, given its previous assurances. He said doing so would have been an act of “common civility and fairness”. “Your honour, all I can do at this stage is apologise that that was not done,” AGS solicitor Megan Caristo said. “I don’t think there should be any criticism of the lawyers within the AGS, they are acting under instructions and are doing the very best they can.” Griffiths then ordered the minister provide an explanation for his actions by Friday. That explanation will be filed in the form of an affidavit. He described the events as “unfortunate and not reflecting well on the minister”. The court heard that a Senate inquiry into the awarding of the grants and drilling in the Beetaloo Basin remained ongoing. The inquiry previously heard that Empire has links to the Liberal party and has demanded a more comprehensive explanation from Pitt and the energy minister, Angus Taylor, about their dealings with the company. That inquiry has explored links between the company and the Liberal party. Empire has donated to both sides of NT politics and its chair, Paul Espie, is a frequent Liberal donor, the inquiry has heard. The company has strongly denied its political connections, or those of Espie, played any role in the grant applications. Empire’s grant applications were considered by a three-member panel, which found they met the eligibility criteria. | ['australia-news/australian-politics', 'environment/fossil-fuels', 'business/gas', 'environment/gas', 'business/oilandgascompanies', 'australia-news/coalition', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/christopher-knaus'] | environment/fossil-fuels | EMISSIONS | 2021-09-14T03:30:58Z | true | EMISSIONS |
politics/2007/feb/03/greenpolitics.science | Why the news about warming is worse than we thought: feedback | Predictions by international scientists that global warming will lead to a sharper rise in temperatures than previously thought made sobering reading yesterday. But what is the major factor that has driven their gloomy conclusion? Dramatic flips in the way ecosystems absorb carbon dioxide will see oceans and vast swaths of land falter in their ability to draw up the greenhouse gas, allowing it to build up in the atmosphere and cause more warming. The phenomenon is known as a positive feedback - where global warming drives changes in ecosystems that themselves cause more heating. The warning came in a major report on climate change published yesterday that suggests average temperatures could rise more than expected - by as much as 6.4C by 2100, unless greenhouse gas emissions are reined in. The report, from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has upgraded its 2001 estimate that temperatures would rise by at most 5.8C, because at the time the feedback mechanisms were either unknown or poorly understood. The latest report states that the predicted temperature rise for 2100 was raised because "the broader range of models now available suggests stronger climate-carbon cycle feedbacks". Early climate change predictions were calculated predominantly by anticipating levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The gases allow radiation from the sun to warm the planet but block it as it is radiated back off the surface, forming a virtual blanket around the globe. But scientists have steadily uncovered ecological feedback mechanisms driven by climate change that complicate the outcome. In some cases global warming triggers feedbacks that act to cool the planet, but others exacerbate the warming. One of the earliest feedback mechanisms identified was the melting of ice sheets and sea ice. The vast sheets of bright white ice reflect nearly 80% of sunlight that falls on them. But as they melt they reveal dark waters or soils beneath that absorb sunlight, warm up and cause yet more melting. The latest IPCC report for the first time includes climate models that take into account two other ecological feedback mechanisms that accelerate global warming: the ability of the oceans and land to absorb carbon. "The oceans and the soils and trees absorb a half of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from human activity. With climate change, they will get worse and worse at doing that, so more of our human emissions of carbon dioxide will remain in the atmosphere," said Corinne Le Quéré, an IPCC author and expert on the carbon cycle at the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit. As the world warms up the oceans become less able to dissolve carbon dioxide. Warmer oceans are also having an adverse effect on carbon-absorbing marine phytoplankton, the organisms that lie at the very bottom of the aquatic food chain. As warming continues scientists fear that phytoplankton will begin to die off, creating a positive feedback cycle where warmer oceans release more carbon which in turn leads to more warming. At the same time carbon dioxide which now fertilises soils and boosts the growth of forests and other plants will reach saturation point, so the land's ability to soak up carbon dioxide will stall. As temperatures rise even further many plants will become stressed by drought conditions and microbes in the soil will start breaking down organic matter from dead plants faster, meaning large areas of land will begin emitting carbon dioxide instead of acting as an overall sink for the gas. Signs that soils were beginning to become part of the problem of global warming emerged in 2005 when researchers discovered that a vast expanse of western Siberia was undergoing an unprecedented thaw. The region, the largest frozen peat bog in the world, covering an area the size of France and Germany combined, had begun to melt for the first time since it formed 11,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. The team, from Tomsk State and Oxford universities believe the million square kilometre peat bog could begin to release billions of tonnes of methane locked up in the soils. Methane is a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The team found that even if methane seeped from the peat bog over the next 100 years it would add 700m tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere every year, roughly the same that is released annually from the world's wetlands and agriculture. It would effectively double the atmospheric levels of the gas, leading to a 10% to 25% increase in global warming. Last year Peter Cox, a climate modeller at Exeter University, found a similar feedback mechanism and warned that warmer temperatures could force soils around the world to release their stocks of carbon into the atmosphere, potentially driving temperatures up by a further 1.5C. He called for poorer countries to be paid not to cut down their forests as a possible solution. Earlier this month Jim Hansen, director of the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies and one of the first scientists to warn of climate change in 1988, said greenhouse gas emissions were beginning to trigger dangerous positive feedbacks. "Previously these feedback mechanisms weren't well known about, and they have only recently been taken into account," said Dr Le Quéré. "We are very likely to find more of these feedbacks because now we are looking for them. At the moment we are not seeing their effects too strongly, but these are going to become a big part of the picture." | ['environment/green-politics', 'science/science', 'world/world', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/ipcc', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'environment/soil', 'type/article', 'profile/iansample'] | environment/ipcc | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2007-02-03T02:46:39Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
global-development-professionals-network/2015/jul/30/can-technology-free-developing-countries-from-light-poverty | Can technology free developing countries from light poverty? | A sixth of humanity spends upwards of $40bn (£26bn) per year on lighting (20% of the total energy spend for lighting), yet enjoys only 0.1% as much illumination as does the electrified world. Looked at another way, the unelectrified poor spend 100- to 1,000-times as much per unit of light as do people on the grid. A myriad of fuels are used for this purpose, including kerosene, diesel, propane, candles, grass and wood, flashlights with disposable batteries, and even discarded tire rubber. The corresponding greenhouse-gas emissions equate to those of 30m American cars. Fuel-based lighting is an example of how the hyper-inefficient use of energy plays a role in trapping people in poverty with a negative environmental impact affecting everyone. The spectre of fuel-based lighting extends far beyond its energy use, hampering health and safety, impeding better livelihoods and saddling governments with crippling energy subsidies. Enter wireless lighting – a solution for the bottom of the pyramid As recently as a decade ago there were few solutions to this problem. Traditional solar electrification (solar panels on roofs) had been pushed for years, with some success, but the price of these systems equated to a poorer family’s entire annual income. Miniaturisation – in the form of small and powerful white LED light sources – has constructively disrupted this market. Thanks to ultra-low wattages, solar cells and associated commodity batteries can be radically downsized. The resulting lighting systems are ready to go out of the box; no professional installation required. Another critical improvement is portability. Today, nearly 100 high quality solar-LED products are in the market. Light output and other features vary widely, reflected in end-user prices ranging from approximately $10 to $75. Some adopt a compact flashlight-like form, while others are also integrated but designed to sit on a table, and others still allow one or more lights to be strung and located remotely from the solar cell and battery. A few special-purpose lights have emerged, such as those for use in night fishing. Depending on local kerosene prices, these technologies typically pay for themselves in less than a year, while the energy embodied in their manufacture is recovered within a matter of weeks. How can solar-LED lanterns be scaled-up? Solar-LED lights were first introduced by non-profit organisations demonstrating their viability, and the ravenous consumer demand for it. It didn’t take long before a flurry of commercial start-ups entered the space, with a wide range of product offerings. Phone charging was soon added and today most solar lights offer this extended functionality. The power of miniaturisation is now being applied to other end uses, including energy-efficient flatscreen televisions and small fans. Market realities such as distribution chains are an equally formidable challenge. Solar Aid has been a particularly successful entity in this regard, selling over 1m lights across five African countries. Early on, low-quality componentry and assembly was identified as a potential market spoiler. The World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation took early research conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Lumina project and scaled it into a testing procedure and quality assurance programme. In 2014, 91 of 135 products tested had passed, some failing initially but then improved in response to the feedback. And the market share of quality-assured lights rose from 3% in 2009 to 50% in 2014. Financing has been a prime impediment to scale-up. Mobile money has fit very well in this context, and pay-as-you-go technologies are now enabling consumers to make micro-payments by phone, in some cases signaling a small chip embedded in the light to continue functioning as long as payments are current. Green remittances could represent another game-changing financing alternative. Investment capital is being mobilised at the corporate and public-sector levels as well, but significant scale-up is still needed in order to meet global energy access goals. As an industry and market watcher for two decades, it became clear to me that communication among the rising number of stakeholders in the off-grid lighting community was quite fragmented. This was due to the disparate geographies in which people work on this issue and the highly budget-constrained development workers that rarely have the luxury of travelling to posh conferences and trade shows. In an effort to help bridge this divide, I founded the social network LuminaNET, with support from the US Department of Energy. Within two years it grew to over 700 members from 72 countries, a virtual manifestation of the widespread underlying global community driving this market. All of this is making a difference. More than 40 companies now offer almost 100 quality-assured solar-LED lights in the marketplace. They have fielded an enormous array of business models, collectively selling millions of lights. The sales growth rate is a dizzying 30% each year and shows no sign of abating. In Africa alone, 35 million people in 7m households (across 25 countries) have obtained improved energy access thanks to non-polluting solar-LED lights. The industry is maturing, as evidenced by the creation of the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association, which is helping to foster market growth. When the sun goes down each day, lighting stands among the most basic human needs. It is encouraging that the emergent affordable alternatives have made such great strides in a relatively brief time. Thanks to technology innovation and ingenious business models, lighting poverty is slowly but surely on the wane. Evan Mills is a senior scientist at the University of California’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Join our community of development professionals and humanitarians. Follow@GuardianGDP on Twitter. | ['global-development-professionals-network/series/energy-access', 'working-in-development/working-in-development', 'technology/technology', 'environment/solarpower', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'environment/energy', 'global-development/global-development', 'type/article', 'tone/blog'] | environment/solarpower | ENERGY | 2015-07-30T09:13:13Z | true | ENERGY |
sustainable-business/2015/jan/09/drones-tech-natural-disasters-medical-developing-countries | Drones’ new mission: saving lives in developing countries | The prospect of drones delivering parcels to your doorstep is still some way off. But the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for humanitarian work in developing countries is already happening. When medical nonprofit Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, set up a tuberculosis diagnosis station in Papua New Guinea in May, one of its first calls was to Silicon Valley-based UAV firm Matternet. “They called, and said it was impossible to do this [mission] in a traditional way, because the roads are very bad, where they exist, and in the rainy season it is completely blocked,” recounts Matternet CEO Andreas Raptopoulos. “They estimated that as many as 10,000 patients needed to be diagnosed, the majority living rurally.” Matternet, which had previously run trial projects with Doctors Without Borders in Haiti and the World Health Organisation in Bhutan, deployed UAVs with a range of up to 28km (17 miles) to carry diagnostic samples of circa 1kg (2lbs) from rural villages to a central lab. Flying autonomously, each follows GPS co-ordinates typed in using a mobile phone app. “Even if you only use one or two UAVs a day, you can pick up 10 samples from 10 different points,” explains Raptopoulos. “When you go by land, it is really hard just to get from A to B.” Matternet isn’t the only private enterprise making drones for development. Canada-based Aeryon Labs was founded in 2007 to work predominantly on military craft. However, when Typhoon Hagupit hit the Philippines in December, Aeryon offered a drone to the disaster response nonprofit Global Medic. The drone took a series of images that were stitched together to create a map of the affected area and quickly help response teams focus their relief efforts, says Dave Kroetsch, CEO of Aeryon Labs. “Global Medic is often placed in response situations where surroundings have drastically changed: roads are flooded, houses are gone, people have migrated to different areas for food or shelter,” Kroetsch explains. “Providing Global Medic with [a UAV] enables the response team to have eyes in the sky in about two minutes.” Rahul Singh, a Global Medic paramedic and a veteran of over 30 international relief missions, believes that UAVs could be useful for many different tasks, including search and rescue, emergency mapping, figuring out population movements and mapping out damaged homes, all at a higher resolution and a cheaper cost than using helicopters and satellites. “This technology could be a game changer in making us more efficient as humanitarian responders,” he said. Meanwhile, Switzerland-based Drone Adventures has deployed mapping drones in Haiti and in the Philippines. Danish firm Sky-Watch, in cooperation with DanChurch Aid, has used airborne thermal imagery to spot people stranded amongst storm debris. There are signs more drones are coming to developing countries. A team from Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, has created a UAV with built-in defibrillation equipment. And the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London is working to set up African drone networks to deliver blood supplies to rural health clinics. The idea of involving drones in development is not without its critics, however. When the UN peacekeeping force Monusco used drones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last May, World Vision’s Frances Charles warned that “communities are likely to associate the UAVs with the military”. “We are here to help, and none of us – aid agencies, governments or UN agencies – can afford for that message to be muddied,” he said. A recent UN policy paper, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Humanitarian Response, also raised concerns over legal issues, privacy violation, ethical procurement (given many drone companies also supply the military) and informed consent. For development workers on the ground, drones’ cost and reliability are even more pressing challenges. Getting reliability at low cost “is the hardest challenge”, Raptopoulos said. “People assume because you can see all these great videos on you-tube, that the technology is already super reliable and super robust. It is not.” Starting in 2015, Matternet will guarantee a loss of no more than one mission out of a thousand, he said. With the prospect of carrying potentially contagious medical samples, however, that may not be good enough. Cost efficiency is hard to measure at the moment, Singh added. Global Medic’s Aeryon UAV was donated and the $68,000 price tag would be hard for the charity to afford. Given the competition in this fast-developing market, however, costs are rapidly coming down. Matternet plans to sell its first off-the-shelf UAV specifically for development work for $5,000 starting this spring. “Over a year that’s something like $12-$15 a day,” Raptopoulos said. “If you are able to do 10 deliveries and pickups a day, that’s a very appealing value proposition if [currently] you have to commission expensive land cruisers.” When it comes to using UAVs for disaster response, Ronald Christiaans, training coordinator at the National Operations Centre in the Netherlands, is a convert after the 2013 Haiyan typhoon in the Philippines. “If [UAVs] had been deployed in the first 72 hours after the disaster, it would have certainly helped to save lives,” he says, adding that it is now a priority to equip first-response teams, humanitarian and relief organizations with the tool. So far, though, only a few early adopters are embracing UAVs for development, while others wait for the problems to be ironed out. But Raptopoulos and others in the drone industry believe widespread adoption is only one or two years away. “[NGOs are] not accustomed to taking technology risk,” Raptopoulos said. “But in the case of extreme need, this changes.” The role of business in development hub is funded by Business Call to Action. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled ‘brought to you by’. Find out more here. | ['sustainable-business/series/role-business-development', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'business/business', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'technology/technology', 'sustainable-business/technology', 'global-development/global-development', 'world/natural-disasters', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/tim-smedley'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-01-09T15:50:51Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2016/apr/18/florida-wakes-climate-change | Florida wakes up to climate change | The city of Miami Beach is slowly disappearing under water. At the big high tides of the year the sea washes over the famous wide beach and floods many of the city streets and magnificent Art Deco buildings. And over the past decade the floods have been striking more frequently. Most of the city sits just a few feet above sea level, built on a foundation of porous limestone, allowing the rising seas to seep into the city’s foundations, surge up through pipes and drains, encroaching on fresh water supplies and saturating infrastructure. The city is now investing in a $500m project to raise roads and a pumping system to hold back the floods. Miami Beach is one of the world’s most vulnerable cities to sea floods, but much of Florida’s coastline is facing similar problems. The Everglades wetlands is at risk from invading seawater and the Florida Keys are regularly flooded at extreme high tides. Nasa is facing floods from Atlantic storms at the Kennedy Space Centre and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the Florida coast. But the most urgent threat is to drinking water as saltwater, and the pollution it flushes out, invades underground, and is now moving close to drinking water supplies for 6 million residents. So it’s no surprise that 81% of people in Florida polled recently said they believe that climate change is happening now – an increase on the 63% in 2012. And yet climate change has been drowned out in the US presidential primary elections – apart from political debates in Miami. | ['environment/flooding', 'news/series/weatherwatch', 'tone/features', 'science/meteorology', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'world/natural-disasters', 'type/article', 'profile/jeremy-plester', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2016-04-18T20:30:03Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/aug/19/iran-obama-administration | Defusing nuclear tension with Tehran | Johan Bergenäs | Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, said Wednesday that talks about his country's nuclear programme will not take place "under the shadow" of threats. The United States and other countries should grasp this opportunity, rein in the rhetoric of military action and return to talks with Iran without delay. The time is ripe to take steps towards a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear conundrum. Previous diplomatic efforts with Iran failed because the United States was not at the table and because Iran seemed immune to outside pressure and did not have much to gain by talking to Europe alone. Now, the circumstances are fundamentally improved. Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, who is expected to spearhead prospective talks between major powers and Iran, still needs more than a favourable climate for successful negotiations. To find a solution to the Iranian nuclear standoff, the US needs to be ready to offer Iran a security assurance; and other countries must be willing to go beyond the current set of economic sanctions if Tehran continues to violate nonproliferation rules. The US refusal to engage fully and talk directly with Iran wrecked the prospects for earlier diplomatic endeavours with Iran. But direct talks are now a key pillar of President Obama's nonproliferation strategy vis-à-vis Tehran. And with American negotiators present, what Iran wants most – a broader discussion about its national security in the regional context – can be addressed in a credible manner because the US is the only state that can ultimately assuage Iran's security concerns. Moreover, despite President Ahmadinejad's early dismissal of the new sanctions, there is evidence suggesting that the stepped-up economic punishment is adversely affecting Iran. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, recently became the first senior Iranian official to admit that UN sanctions could slow the country's nuclear efforts. On this point, Tehran and Washington find rare common ground. In early August, President Obama said that "the costs of the sanctions are going to be higher than Iran would have anticipated." US, EU, Canadian and Australian unilateral sanctions are also likely to increase the pressure on an already mismanaged Iranian economy. So with efforts at achieving a first round of talks on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York in September underway, how can Ashton exercise influence? Since becoming the EU's top diplomat in December 2009, Ashton has made the Iranian issue a top priority. Throughout the spring, she continuously urged Iran to return to the negotiation table, while at the same time maintaining that her approach included both carrots and sticks – supporting UN sanctions and then coordinating unilateral EU economic measures against Iran. On 20 July 2010, Ashton met Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, to stress renewed negotiations. Days later, after some diplomatic pressure applied by Turkey, President Ahmadinejad agreed to renew discussions with the P5+1 (US, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany). That Iran has agreed to talks is not only confirmation that Ashton's diplomatic outreach worked, it also increases her international clout. But it is not only Ashton, Obama and international and unilateral economic pressure that have facilitated the upcoming return of negotiations. Tehran also deserves a measure of credit for creating space for compromise over its nuclear programme. Following the announcement that Tehran was ready to discuss with the P5+1, Salehi said that so long as nuclear fuel to Iran would be guaranteed, the country was ready to rethink its controversial decision to enrich uranium to 20%. While this statement and recent developments could be another move from the Iranian nuclear playbook of delay and deception, it may also indicate that there is flexibility over its nuclear programme. The US must now be willing to put an Iranian security assurance on the table, even while other countries involved should be prepared to increase economic pressure on Tehran if it continues its nuclear trickery. It is this combination of carrots and sticks that has brought Iran back to talks, and these will be the baseline conditions for a nuclear weapons-free Iran. So let's talk with Iran: a negotiated solution is now on the horizon. | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'world/iran', 'us-news/obama-administration', 'world/eu', 'environment/nuclearpower', 'world/nuclear-weapons', 'us-news/us-foreign-policy', 'politics/foreignpolicy', 'world/world', 'us-news/us-news', 'tone/comment', 'world/middleeast', 'type/article', 'profile/johan-bergen-s'] | environment/nuclearpower | ENERGY | 2010-08-19T14:00:27Z | true | ENERGY |
technology/2022/aug/18/apple-security-flaw-hack-iphone-ipad-macs | Apple security flaw ‘actively exploited’ by hackers to fully control devices | Apple users have been advised to immediately update their iPhones, iPads and Macs to protect against a pair of security vulnerabilities that can allow attackers to take complete control of their devices. In both cases, Apple said, there are credible reports that hackers are already abusing the vulnerabilities to attack users. One of the software weaknesses affects the kernel, the deepest layer of the operating system that all the devices have in common, Apple said. The other affects WebKit, the underlying technology of the Safari web browser. For each of the bugs, the company said it was “aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” though it provided no further details. It credited an anonymous researcher or researchers for disclosing both. Anyone with an iPhone released since 2015, an iPad released since 2014 or a Mac running macOS Monterey can download the update by opening up the settings menu on their mobile device, or choosing “software update” on the “about this Mac” menu on their computer. Rachel Tobac, the CEO of SocialProof Security, said Apple’s explanation of the vulnerability meant a hacker could get “full admin access to the device” so that they can “execute any code as if they are you, the user”. Those who should be particularly attentive to updating their software are “people who are in the public eye”, such as activists or journalists who might be the targets of sophisticated nation-state spying, Tobac said. Until the fix was released on Wednesday, the vulnerabilities will have been classed as “zero-day” bugs, because there has been a fix available for them for zero days. Such weaknesses are hugely valuable on the open market, where cyberweapon brokers will buy them for hundreds of thousands, or millions, of dollars. The broker Zerodium, for instance, will pay “up to $500,000” for a security weakness that can be used to hack a user through Safari, and up to $2m for a fully developed piece of malware that can hack an iPhone without a user needing to click on anything. The company says its customers for such weaknesses are “government institutions (mainly from Europe and North America)”. Commercial spyware companies such as Israel’s NSO Group are known for identifying and taking advantage of such flaws, exploiting them in malware that surreptitiously infects targets’ smartphones, siphons their contents and surveils the targets in real time. NSO Group has been blacklisted by the US commerce department. Its spyware is known to have been used in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America against journalists, dissidents and human rights activists. Will Strafach, a security researcher, said he had seen no technical analysis of the vulnerabilities that Apple has just patched. The company has previously acknowledged similarly serious flaws and, on what Strafach estimated to be perhaps a dozen occasions, has noted that it was aware of reports that such security holes had been exploited. | ['technology/apple', 'us-news/us-news', 'technology/hacking', 'technology/technology', 'world/world', 'campaign/email/tech-scape', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-hern', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/west-coast-news'] | technology/hacking | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE | 2022-08-19T00:44:23Z | true | UNRELATED_TO_CLIMATE |
commentisfree/2023/feb/03/joe-biden-green-deal-eu-joint-climate-fund | Joe Biden’s green subsidies have left Europe struggling for a response | Lorenzo Marsili | European governments have for many years basked in a sense of climate superiority over the US. We had the most ambitious climate goals; we were the constructive actor at Cop conferences; we had carbon-pricing mechanisms; and since 1990, we have reduced emissions by 28% against just 2% in the US. The US, by contrast, had climate-denying Republicans. The Biden administration now has the world’s most generous package of climate incentives – a $370bn green subsidy package, which goes by the misnomer Inflation Reduction Act. But instead of celebrating the US handouts and tax breaks for investment in such things as electric vehicles and solar panels, many European governments are furious. Yes, it’s good for the planet. But it’s even better for American industry as the new US green subsidies are only available for products “made in America”. The scale of financing is such that some European companies are already making plans to shift production across the Atlantic. Europe fears deindustrialisation and accuses the US of protectionism and unfair competition. Just do the same, Washington argues. Develop your own green industrial policy and both sides of the pond can then lead the climate revolution together. Europe should indeed understand that a great transformation is taking shape in the US. Not only is the climate crisis finally being taken seriously. But industrial planning – or what some now call the designer economy – is back in fashion across the political spectrum. This transformation opens a unique opportunity for Europe and the world. The European Commission seems to understand this: along with a temporary relaxation of state aid rules to stimulate green projects, Brussels wants a joint European sovereignty fund to channel money to green industry. If taken seriously, this would trigger the emergence of a continent-wide industrial policy, accelerating Europe’s green transformation and the EU’s economic integration. It would place the first- and third-largest economies in the world on an equal climate-war footing, finally making emissions reduction targets a realistic prospect. With the US now on board, this is no longer mere wishful thinking. But the ball is in Europe’s court. And if you think the Americans getting ahead of Europe on climate sounds like the world upside down, wait until you hear this: the main opponents of a bold response are the supposedly great Europeans Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron – with the forever despondent Dutch premier, Mark Rutte. And the main supporter? The far-right nationalist Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. Germany, and to a lesser extent France, are foot-dragging on the commission’s ambitions. Germany’s finance minister, Christian Lindner, has firmly opposed repeating the Covid-era joint borrowing fund for climate purposes. The pandemic fund was intended as a one-off, he said, not the beginning of a federalised treasury. Much better, Berlin argues, to simply allow each country to subsidise industry nationally as it sees fit. France agrees, and while it accepts the theoretical idea of a joint fund it suggests merely rebranding unspent pandemic money for the purposes of green investment. This, however, would be no better than the economic nationalism that Europe accuses the US of. When the EU relaxed state aid rules for energy in response to the war in Ukraine last year, nearly 80% of new subsidies were found to have been dished out in Germany and to a lesser extent France. Authorising more national industrial subsidies would open the floodgates to beggar-thy-neighbour competition within the EU, with Germany and France, the biggest industrial players, siphoning off clean energy industry from the rest of the continent. Italy’s Meloni, by contrast, demands that the EU act as a single economic power with a common industrial policy and joint funding to match. Of course, she hasn’t overnight become a European federalist. She simply understands that Italy’s national interest lies in a united response. Her Europeanism is the rational consequence of Italy’s fragile financial and geopolitical position. When EU leaders meet for a summit on 9-10 February, she will demand a common European climate policy, a common migration policy and a common plan for Africa. Meloni’s reasoning on green investment applies to all EU countries. Divided, the 27 are bound to be bullied by foes and friends alike – the American Inflation Reduction Act is the clearest reminder of that. Without unity, the EU’s role as a world leader in the fight against climate change all but withers away. Allowing Meloni – who until recently was branded a fascist – to pass as the advocate of a united Europe is the undesirable consequence of protectionist thinking in Paris and Berlin. European governments have a historic opportunity to join Washington in delivering a planetary industrial green strategy to prevent climate chaos. Their plan could embrace the 44 countries of the newly launched European Political Community, thereby including the UK and Turkey. Asia, Africa and Latin America could be included in the conversation early on to avoid replicating in the global south the industrial theft that the US is accused of inflicting on Europe. The EU lobbied the US to join the climate struggle and wanted the new rightwing Italian government not to sow discord and division. On both accounts, it got its wish. It’s now time to deliver. The Green party shares power in Germany and Macron stands as a driver of European integration. Will they now pull Europe together around an ambitious climate plan, or will they let Meloni grandstand as the new Macron? Lorenzo Marsili is a philosopher, activist and founder of European Alternatives and Fondazione Studio Rizoma. He is the author of Planetary Politics: a Manifesto | ['commentisfree/commentisfree', 'world/series/this-is-europe', 'world/europe-news', 'campaign/email/this-is-europe', 'environment/energy', 'us-news/us-news', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'us-news/biden-administration', 'environment/green-economy', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'world/giorgia-meloni', 'world/emmanuel-macron', 'world/olaf-scholz', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/comment', 'profile/lorenzo-marsili', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-europe-project', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-opinion'] | environment/renewableenergy | ENERGY | 2023-02-03T12:00:00Z | true | ENERGY |
world/2020/apr/16/uk-cities-postpone-clean-air-zone-plans-due-to-covid-19-crisis | UK cities postpone clean air zone plans due to Covid-19 crisis | The introduction of pollution-busting clean air zones in cities has been postponed by the coronavirus crisis, as authorities combat the outbreak. Clean air zones (CAZs), in which the dirtiest vehicles are deterred from urban centres by charges, were due to be implemented in Birmingham, Leeds and Bath this year, but have now been delayed at least to January 2021. A zero-emissions zone planned for Oxford in December has also been postponed until summer 2021, while a consultation in Manchester on a clean air zone due this summer has been halted. In London, the congestion charge, low emission zone and ultra low emission zones have all been suspended until further notice and a tightening of standards for the LEZ, due in October, has been pushed back by four months. The authorities say the delays are to ease the travel of key workers such as NHS staff and essential deliveries, as well as to allow officials to focus on tackling Covid-19. Levels of a key pollutant produced by vehicles, nitrogen dioxide, have been above legal limits in most urban areas for a decade, and the government has been defeated three times in court over the adequacy of its plans. Air pollution is estimated to cause about 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK. The coronavirus lockdown has resulted in traffic plunging to 1955 levels and pollution cut by a third to a half in cities, but experts say this is likely to be short-lived. Early studies have shown that people with long-term exposure to air pollution have much higher death rates from Covid-19, most likely because dirty air increases respiratory and heart problems. On 7 April, the government called on scientists to address “urgent short-term questions” related to changes in UK air quality linked to the coronavirus outbreak. In particular, it asked: “Based on what is already known about air pollutants as respiratory irritants or inflammatory agents, can any insights be gained into the impact of air quality on viral infection?” An email from the government’s Joint Air Quality Unit to its stakeholders sent the same day said: “The national response to the current public health emergency has already impacted on a range of public functions at both local and national level and will continue to do so. In order to provide certainty to those affected by CAZs, we will work with local authorities to delay introducing CAZs until after the Covid-19 outbreak response.” Katie Nield, a lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “The government has committed to keeping any delay to CAZs as short as possible. Given the harm to people’s health caused by air pollution, particularly to those most vulnerable, we think this is essential. In the meantime, it is important that preparatory work to draw up local air quality plans continues so that once the country starts moving again, people can look forward to breathing cleaner air.” Zak Bond, at the British Lung Foundation, said: “We are all aware of the importance of good lung health so it’s crucial that, when we are able to, we get the CAZs up and running to protect everybody’s health, including the 12 million people in the UK with an existing respiratory condition and those who will be recovering from Covid-19.” Jenny Bates, at Friends of the Earth, said: “The government should have required CAZs in its 2017 plan, but instead only asked councils to consider them along with other measures. They could have been already in place. As we come out of this terrible situation, we must think about what infrastructure we invest in: public transport as well as cycling and walking must be the priority, not more roadbuilding.” A government spokeswoman said the delay to CAZs would help the authorities in Leeds, Birmingham and Bath focus on their response to coronavirus. “Improving air quality remains a key priority for the UK, which is why we have also launched the call for evidence to ensure we can fully understand the impact that coronavirus is having on changes in air pollution emissions, concentrations and exposure,” she said. Many other cities and towns, including Sheffield and Bristol, are considering CAZs, but councils in Coventry, Derby and Nottingham have rejected the idea. | ['world/coronavirus-outbreak', 'environment/air-pollution', 'environment/pollution', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'world/road-transport', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'environment/low-emission-zones', 'profile/damiancarrington', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/pollution | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE | 2020-04-16T12:27:29Z | true | POLLUTION_AND_WASTE |
environment/2018/nov/26/more-than-140-pilot-whales-die-in-heartbreaking-new-zealand-stranding | More than 140 pilot whales die in 'heartbreaking' New Zealand stranding | More than 140 pilot whales have died on a remote New Zealand beach, the latest in a recent string of whale strandings and deaths in the country. On Saturday night the Department of Conservation [DoC] was informed of a mass whale stranding in Mason Bay on Stewart Island. A hiker camping in the remote location told authorities of the tragedy, with the number of whales equating to two pods. DOC Rakiura operations manager Ren Leppens said at least half of the whales were dead by the time staff arrived at the scene. “Sadly, the likelihood of being able to successfully refloat the remaining whales was extremely low. The remote location, lack of nearby personnel and the whales’ deteriorating condition meant the most humane thing to do was to euthanise,” said Leppens. “However, it’s always a heartbreaking decision to make.” The local Māori, tribe, Ngāi Tahu, is now working with DOC to bless the dead whales and make plans for burial of the bodies. Marine strandings are common in New Zealand, with the country a “hotspot”, according to DOC, who respond to about 85 incidents a year, usually of single animals. Since 1840, more than 5,000 strandings have been recorded around the New Zealand coastline. According to DOC the reasons for whale strandings are not fully understood, but contributing factors can include “sickness, navigational error, geographical features, a rapidly falling tide, being chased by a predator, or extreme weather”. Project Jonah, a whale rescue group says New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale strandings in the world, with an average of 300 whales and dolphins beaching themselves every year. A series of whale strandings occurred over the weekend in New Zealand, but the incidents are so far thought to be unrelated. Eight pygmy whales remain stranded on 90 mile beach in Northland, with two others from the same pod euthanised over the weekend. A 15-metre male sperm whale beached and died at Doubtful Sound on Saturday, while a female pygmy sperm whale washed up dead at Ohiwa over the weekend. Last year more than 400 pilot whales were stranded in Golden Bay, the largest whale stranding in New Zealand’s history. Although hundreds of locals participated in a mass civilian rescue effort, more than 300 whales died. | ['environment/whales', 'environment/cetaceans', 'environment/environment', 'environment/marine-life', 'environment/wildlife', 'world/newzealand', 'world/world', 'world/asia-pacific', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/eleanor-de-jong', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/international', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-foreign'] | environment/marine-life | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-11-26T01:11:35Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2023/oct/17/barents-sea-life-on-the-eu-only-open-border-with-russia | Sharing the sea: life on Europe’s only open Schengen border with Russia | From the village of Grense Jakobselv, where the Norwegian-Russian border meets the Arctic Ocean, you can see straight into Russia. And, across the river that marks the border line, the Russian soldiers can look right back. Despite water temperatures here rarely climbing above 10C (50F), in the summer months the Norwegian side is a popular destination for fishing, beluga whale spotting, basking in the midnight sun and, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, peering into Russia. “Everyone wants to go to one of the most eastern military points of Norway and have a look into Russia. It’s like being at Loch Ness,” says Trygg Arne Larsen, a military adviser. The village no longer has any permanent residents, but its small stone church, King Oscar II’s chapel, built on the hillside in 1869 to mark the border, is still in use. Several camper vans – including one with a Russian registration – are parked facing the Barents Sea, which sparkles in the sunshine. A short drive down the road is Storskog, the last remaining Schengen border crossing into Russia open to tourists. But that is not to say that Norway, a member of Nato, is not on its guard. A live-in watchtower known as OP 247 is monitored by the Norwegian military 24 hours a day. From the top, in a cosy living area with a gym, kitchen and sizeable DVD and game collection for off-duty soldiers, you can see as far as Vardø, where Norway maintains military surveillance radars. Yet it is also here that the two countries, despite being on opposite sides of Russia’s war in Ukraine, maintain an uneasy detente: they share the sea. The border continues 12 nautical miles out from the river mouth, meaning Russian ships cannot enter Norway’s side and vice versa. Beyond that, the Barents Sea – and its valuable cod stock – continues to be shared between the two nations. The two countries still meet to agree fishing quotas – they meet this week to set levels for the forthcoming year. And although Russia was suspended from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Ices) after the invasion, Bjarte Bogstad, a researcher at the Institute of Marine Research in Norway and the Norwegian Ices representative, continues to collaborate with his Russian colleagues, whom he has known for decades. While there is tension since the war, he says, both countries see benefit to maintaining cordial relations on ocean matters, despite “the elephant in the room”. For example, he notes that although the fish are born on the Norwegian coast, they live both in the Norwegian and Russian zones – and it is in both countries’ interests to fish the bigger cod in the Norwegian zone rather than the still-growing cod in the Russian zone, as well as to limit access to any other third parties, such as the UK, EU and Iceland. “Since the Norwegian government has exempted fisheries cooperation from the boycott [against doing business with Russia], the institute where I work is probably among the very few that still have some kind of cooperation with Russian institutions in the western world,” he says. Some new restrictions are in place. In the nearby harbour of Kirkenes, one of three Norwegian ports that Russian fishing boats are still allowed to enter, vessels flying Russian flags are still a regular presence. However, fishers’ freedom to walk around was recently limited, and Russian vessels can no longer use Norwegian ports for repair and maintenance, a major blow to local businesses. Thomas Nilsen, editor of Kirkenes-based online news publication the Independent Barents Observer, says the war in Ukraine has hurt Kirkenes and is increasing tensions in the Arctic. “There are more exercises, more surveillance and attention to the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea,” he says. Kirkenes has long been known as “spy city” but Nilsen says the attention given to potential Russian surveillance has increased public awareness, making it harder for Russia to conduct such operations both on land and at sea. “Russia knows,” he says, “that if they send military troops into this area, that will trigger article 5 [of the Nato treaty, stipulating that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all]. “But sending in people with civilian clothes and mapping Norwegian infrastructure like bridges, water supply, harbours is very important for Russia, and I think they are doing that.” In his garrison office at Høybuktmoen, the commander of the border guard, Michael Rozmara, says that despite the apparently good relations on the water, things have changed dramatically in the past two decades. After the cold war ended, he says, Russian and Norwegian border guards grew so close that in 2007 they had a joint Christmas party with their families. The next year, however, Russia invaded Georgia, and in 2014 it annexed Crimea. No more Christmas parties. The Norwegian consulate in Murmansk is now closed; where there were once about 300,000 civilian crossings a year at Storskog, there are now a fraction of that number as visas expire. Most people crossing from Russia into Norway either hold a Schengen visa or are fishing boat workers changing crews at Norwegian ports, Rozmara says. “We have been planning for many years: how do we defend Norway if Russia should be an aggressor?” he adds. Until recently, “that thought has been very far away”. Now, although Rozmara says he is sad about the breakdown in relations, he is ready to defend Norway. “Now is really the right time to stand up for what you believe, and your values, and your nation, and Nato, and those cheering the same values as we do.” • This article’s headline was amended on 17 October 2023. Though Norway is part of the Schengen area that allows visa-free travel within Europe, it is not in the EU as an earlier version said. | ['environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans', 'world/norway', 'world/russia', 'environment/environment', 'world/europe-news', 'world/world', 'environment/fishing', 'world/eu', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/miranda-bryant', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/series/seascape-the-state-of-our-oceans | BIODIVERSITY | 2023-10-17T04:00:01Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
global-development/2022/jul/27/flash-floods-kill-over-300-in-pakistan-as-more-monsoon-rain-is-forecast | Flash floods kill over 300 in Pakistan as more monsoon rain is forecast | Flash floods across Pakistan have killed at least 310 people and injured hundreds, with the government issuing warnings of further extreme monsoon downpours in 14 more cities. The southern city of Karachi, home to 16 million people, has seen neighbourhoods and vehicles submerged in knee-deep muddy flood water; roads are impassable. At least 15 people have died since Saturday. Public services in the city have been suspended and businesses closed. The country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said infrastructure, road networks and 5,600 homes had been damaged. Pakistan, which suffered an extreme heatwave earlier this year, ranks among the most vulnerable countries on the Global Climate Risk Index, which records the economic and human loss of extreme weather. Pakistan is estimated to have lost 10,000 lives due to environmental disasters, with $4bn financial losses in the decade to 2018. “Climate is playing its part,” said Afia Salam, a climate activist. “We have shifting monsoon, we have heavier rainfalls, we have rain falling within a very short period of time which used to be spread-over, so these changing weather patterns are there. Karachi facing urban flooding is the sign of the times of unpredictable weather. We have not adapted to these changes, and we have to safeguard the people through proper planning,” she said. “Government mismanagement is obvious: in Balochistan we always have flash floods and yet we have deaths, and in 2022 even infrastructural losses are unacceptable. There is a lack of coordination between the department and warnings issued, but disaster management is doing nothing,” said Salam. In Karachi, traders are counting their losses, with heavy flooding in the commercial sector destroying the electronics and garments market and leading to the loss of billions of rupees. “We have no alternative but to shift our commodities to drier and safer places because the roads turned into rivers – and even vehicles were unable to go through the muddy water on the roads,” said electronics trader Ahmed Khan. In Orangi Town, a Karachi slum, Farooq Ali and his neighbours face a clean-up after a deluge of flood water entered their homes. “Weather is now unpredictable and life comes to a standstill when rainfall lasts even for a few hours. “It will take weeks to drain water out, without any support from the municipal government,” said Ali, a 34-year-old vegetable vendor. | ['global-development/global-development', 'environment/flooding', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'world/pakistan', 'world/south-and-central-asia', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/extreme-weather', 'type/article', 'profile/haroon-janjua', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2022-07-27T05:00:09Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2020/oct/02/rio-tinto-made-early-call-for-morrison-to-transfer-environmental-approval-powers-to-wa | Letter reveals Rio Tinto urged transfer of powers to WA ahead of environment law review | Rio Tinto wrote to the Morrison government last year urging it to act quickly to transfer environmental approval powers to the Western Australia government, before a major review of national environment laws was complete. The move came 10 months before the Coalition announced it planned to change the laws to set up “one-stop shops” at state level for environmental approvals, starting with Western Australia. The legislation was introduced in August when the review of the laws, by former competition watchdog Graeme Samuel, was still under way. Rio urged the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, to consider a bilateral approval agreement between the two governments “as a matter of priority”, according to a letter obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws. The mining giant also had meetings with government officials on at least four occasions dating back to August 2019 at which reform of Australia’s environmental laws was discussed. The letter was written by Rio’s then-iron ore chief, Chris Salisbury, one of the executives who stepped down after the company blew up a 46,000-year-old Indigenous heritage site in Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara. The letter refers to iron ore operations in that same region. In the 21 November 2019 letter, Salisbury said “duplicative” state and federal processes were causing delays and increased costs for the resources sector. He welcomed a speech by the prime minister, Scott Morrison, a day before, signalling the government’s desire to further streamline environmental approvals. “For the reasons set out below, I would respectfully ask that the commonwealth consider as a matter of priority an approval bilateral agreement between the commonwealth and Western Australian governments,” Salisbury wrote. The letter goes on: “We do not consider the review of the EPBC Act needs to occur before such an agreement is entered into.” Salisbury wrote that although the statutory review was under way, national laws already provided a mechanism for the transfer of approval powers to states. He told Ley that WA’s environmental processes were “robust” and a deal between the federal and state governments would save costs and time for industry “without compromising environmental regulation”. Salisbury told Ley he had recently written to and met with the WA premier, Mark McGowan, about the same issue. Answers given to a Senate committee show federal environment officials had four meetings with Rio Tinto – on 27 August and 11 December 2019 and 6 March and 3 April 2020 – at which a bilateral approval agreement or reform of Australia’s environment laws were discussed. In July this year, on the day of the release of the interim report from the EPBC Act review, Ley announced the government would put a streamlining bill to parliament. But officials were instructed to begin drafting the bill 11 days before the review’s chair, Graeme Samuel, delivered his report. Rio Tinto’s iron ore projects were on a list of major projects the government announced in June would be “fast-tracked” and WA was the first state to signal it would pursue a bilateral approval agreement. Both governments said formal negotiations began in August. An environment department spokesman said the minister was not present at meetings its officials had with Rio Tinto and the company’s representations “did not play a role” in the bill before the parliament. Asked if the minister had further meetings with the company, a spokesman for Ley said: “The minister routinely meets with a broad range of stakeholders.” He added that the bill “reflects the interim findings of the Samuel review”. A spokesman for Rio Tinto said the company would not comment about meetings it had with government and declined to respond to a series of questions. He pointed Guardian Australia to the company’s April 2020 submission to the EPBC Act review and an October 2019 submission to a Productivity Commission inquiry which showed the company’s publicly-stated support for bilateral approval agreements. But Tim Beshara, the federal policy director of the Wilderness Society, said the company was “forum-shopping” for sign-off for its mines with the “lowest possible protections in place and before any independent review might suggest the protections are increased”. “When Rio Tinto is the one who gets to set the bar for what is acceptable damage to Australia’s natural and cultural heritage, we all lose,” he said. “It’s unconscionable that the Australian government, before, during and after the demolition of Juukan Gorge could be actively facilitating Rio Tinto’s future work program to go ahead with even lower standards than they are required to meet today.” Samuel’s interim report found Australia’s environment is in unsustainable decline and governments have failed to protect the country’s unique wildlife and habitats. His final report is due at the end of October. Conservationists have warned that the reforms the government is proposing would weaken already unsatisfactory protections. A spokeswoman for McGowan confirmed the premier received Rio Tinto’s letter but did not answer questions about meetings with the company. On 27 November last year, McGowan called for a bilateral approval agreement with the federal government. The spokeswoman said an agreement was being drafted and was expected to result in a “six-month reduction in decision-making timeframes without compromising environmental standards”. “Many industry stakeholders have been pushing for this for a longtime and we’re pleased it’s in train,” she said. | ['environment/series/environmental-investigations', 'business/rio-tinto', 'australia-news/western-australia', 'environment/mining', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'business/mining', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/lisa-cox', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-news'] | environment/mining | ENERGY | 2020-10-01T21:33:15Z | true | ENERGY |
media-network/media-network-blog/2014/jun/12/coca-cola-2nd-lives-caps-recycling | Coca-Cola 2nd lives caps: why they're really all about consumer behaviour | The introduction of the Coca-Cola "2nd lives" caps will no doubt be met with scepticism from some quarters. Rightly so if that were all there was to Coke's efforts in this direction; clearly re-use of plastic Coke bottles is wide of the mark when it comes to credible environmental solutions. Reducing environmental impact is a major challenge for Coke, as for all manufacturers, and one for which a holistic effort is needed. What the campaign highlights well is that it is consumer action that most needs to change if we are to stop plastics going to landfill. Re-using has a small part to play in this, especially in markets where extended utility meets a genuine consumer need. But given that there are 1.7bn servings of Coke sold every day, we will quickly slake our appetite for upcycled rattles and bubble blowers. Recycling is still the biggest challenge and there is still a long way to go. Coke has long been an innovator in the sustainability space. They launched the PlantBottle in 2009, made partially from plants and 100% recyclable. Since then it has worked with Ford and Heinz to share that technology. By 2020 all of Coke's PET bottles will be made from plant derivatives. Brewers and distillers are also looking at how they can reduce environmental impacts. Carlsberg uses cradle-to-cradle methodology in its processes, working with raw materials, and with manufacturing and logistics partners, to eradicate negative impacts. There are some areas of commonality between Carlsberg and Coke's aims, with both organisations looking at recyclability, recycling, re-using and reducing. But we need a joined-up approach if we are going to succeed and that means consumers and government playing their part too. One of the major barriers in re-use is the consumer role in returning usable bottles. It wasn't so long ago that returning glass bottles for a deposit was part of everyday life, but switching from glass to PET saw this disappear (A G Barr still operates a bottle-deposit scheme but lack of support from larger shops and multiples means that it is less viable to scale). However, deposit-collection schemes appear to be making a comeback. Sweden's Deposit Refund Scheme generates about 85% recycling rates and results in valuable materials being returned to Sweden's recycling industries. And in Scotland two new schemes are being piloted in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland to incentivise and encourage people to bring back their empties. Coke has tried to solve the recycling issue, working with Wrap to introduce recycling zones now totalling 120 around the UK. These are designed to provide convenience in out-of-home recycling, but they are in limited locations and what we need is a universal solution – in infrastructure and attitude. Recycling rates in the UK all but flat-lined last year, rising by on average by just 1%, which means that not only are we some way off our EU target but more worrying that the urgency has faded for consumers and local government. Incineration still remains a go-to solution for many local authorities and while there have been great strides in energy capture from incineration; it is no replacement for returning recyclable and reusable materials to manufacturers. We need a collective, systematic and scalable commitment to change with clear action from consumers, government and brands alike. Coke isn't suggesting that the development of quasi-utilitarian bottle adapters will solve the environmental issues that they, along with their whole industry and society, contribute to. They are prompting us to think differently, and urgently, about how we use, re-use and recycle our everyday waste. Felix Hall is managing director at 23red To get weekly news analysis, job alerts and event notifications direct to your inbox, sign up free for Media Network membership. All Guardian Media Network content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled 'Advertisement feature'. Find out more here. | ['media-network/media-network', 'media-network/media-network-blog', 'sustainable-business/sustainable-business', 'media/marketingandpr', 'sustainable-business/series/marketing-and-sustainability', 'business/ethicalbusiness', 'environment/corporatesocialresponsibility', 'business/cocacola', 'tone/blog', 'type/article', 'media-network/series/brand-marketing'] | environment/corporatesocialresponsibility | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2014-06-12T13:18:43Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2013/sep/26/ipcc-climate-report-slow-progress | IPCC climate report: last-minute Stockholm talks make slow progress | Fraught negotiations over a landmark review of the world's knowledge of climate change were making slow progress on Thursday with just hours to go before early Friday's deadline . The negotiations are likely to go on through the night, as countries and scientists wrangle over how to assess the global threat from greenhouse gas emissions. At stake are projections – such as those of future temperature increases, sea level rises and the frequency of extreme weather – that will inform and guide government policies around the world for years to come. But people involved with the talks told the Guardian that progress had been patchy and slow as delegates debate the precise wording of the 50-plus page summary. The details are crucial, because this report is the first for nearly seven years and will be used as the ultimate authority on climate science, which will in turn guide critical negotiations on emissions policy. The world's leading climate scientists have been locked into a Stockholm conference centre since Monday, thrashing out the final points of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report on the science of global warming. They are scheduled to deliver their report by 8am local time on Friday at the latest, with the details to be publicly presented two hours later. While some of the details may seem arcane – is greater rainfall in parts of the world that are already wet likely, very likely, highly likely or virtually certain? – the results will be used by policymakers to guide vital decisions. More immediately, scientists are acutely conscious that they must make their report watertight. In 2009, two years after the last assessment report on the science, which ran to more than 1,000 pages, a handful of the IPCC's projections were found to be inaccurate. Most of the mistakes were trivial, but one stood out as a glaring and embarrassing error – a claim that the glaciers of the Himalayas could almost disappear by 2035. That was later found to be wildly wrong, but a claim that potentially affects the lives of hundreds of millions of people who depend on the glaciers for their water should have been investigated far more closely. The error was not repeated in the most important part of the report, the summary for policymakers. Those revelations were seized on by climate sceptics, who saw them as evidence that the whole edifice of climate science was shaky. The new assessment is only the fifth since world governments decided in 1988 to look seriously at the threat posed by global warming. Sceptics have been highly active ahead of Friday's report in contesting scientific claims. They have been well organised, according to Lord Stern, the world's leading expert on the economics of climate change, and funded by vested interests, according to the UN. Friday is far from the end of this long process, which has involved more than 800 scientists working unpaid and meeting several times a year. What the Stockholm meeting will deliver is the distillation of the first part of a much larger report. The fifth assessment report - called AR5 in the climate science jargon – will come in three parts. Friday brings the summary of the first part – on the physical basis of climate science – and on 30 September, the full report behind this summary will be available in an unedited form. It will not be fully edited and published online until January 2014, and printed later next year. The other two parts of the report – likely to run to thousands of pages and drawing on hundreds of scientific papers – will come next March and April, using a similar process of a four-day meeting of scientists leading to a summary document and then a full report published later. Those parts will examine the probable effects of climate change, and the ways in which the world can tackle the problem. The final report encompassing all three parts – known as the synthesis report – will not be ready until October 2014, where it will be presented at a conference in Copenhagen. | ['environment/ipcc', 'world/world', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/unitednations', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/environment', 'tone/news', 'environment/copenhagen', 'science/science', 'environment/glaciers', 'type/article', 'profile/fiona-harvey'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2013-09-26T12:32:33Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
business/2020/mar/04/british-gas-volkswagen-vw-electric-vehicle-deal | British Gas and VW unveil three-year electric vehicle deal | British Gas has teamed up with Volkswagen to accelerate the rollout of its electric vehicles (EV) across UK roads by helping drivers to charge up at home at a lower price. The UK’s biggest energy company has agreed a three-year deal with the carmaker to offer owners of new electric VW vehicles a one-stop package to help plug into home charging. Under the exclusive agreement British Gas engineers will be responsible for installing the fastest home car-charger available, alongside an energy tariff that offers cheaper rates for nighttime charging. The tie-up could help make it easier for drivers to switch to an electric VW vehicle, and may also provide a new earnings stream for the embattled energy supplier, which fell to an all-time low last year. Alex Smith, the managing director of Volkswagen UK, said 2020 would be a “landmark year” for group, after launching the ID.3 model. It plans to produce 330,000 vehicles a year by 2021. The cars are capable of travelling for 205-340 miles on a single charge, and Smith believes the deal with British Gas could “give customers even more confidence, as they make the switch to emission-free driving”. The collaboration could help British Gas fend off rising competition from a string of challenger brands by relying more on energy services such as boiler repairs, insurance cover and home car charging to generate revenue. The agreement with VW comes less than a year after the owner of British Gas, Centrica, struck a deal with Ford to market its car chargers and EV-charging tariffs from US carmaker’s forecourts across the UK. A similar strategy is being pursued by Ovo Energy, the UK’s second-largest energy supplier, and Scottish Power, which have both collaborated with Nissan on small-scale deals to help install compatible home chargers for its Nissan Leaf model. Centrica is under pressure to prove to shareholders that its strategy will pay off, after reporting a loss of more than £1bn for 2019, after the government’s energy price cap cut earnings at British Gas to all-time lows. The chief executive, Iain Conn, is to step down this year and the company is yet to announce a successor. Sarwjit Sambhi, the head of Centrica’s consumer business, said it was committed to finding “a pathway for the energy transition”, which is in line with the Paris agreement by “helping our customers reduce their emissions, reducing the emissions of the energy system as a whole, and reducing our own”. “We made material progress on all of these during 2019 and are committed to a plan for delivering net zero by 2050,” he said. | ['business/vw-volkswagen', 'business/automotive-industry', 'business/business', 'business/centrica', 'business/utilities', 'environment/electric-cars', 'environment/carbon-emissions', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/environment', 'environment/ethical-living', 'technology/motoring', 'technology/technology', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/jillian-ambrose', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/carbon-emissions | EMISSIONS | 2020-03-04T19:27:43Z | true | EMISSIONS |
news/2020/feb/14/weatherwatch-a-new-way-to-protect-planes-from-lightning | Weatherwatch: a new way to protect planes from lightning? | Most commercial aircraft are struck by lightning at least once a year. Usually the aircraft itself is responsible for triggering the lightning, by flying through a heavily charged region of cloud. Passengers and crew might see the flash and hear a loud noise, but normally the lightning travels over the conductive exterior of the plane and causes no immediate damage. However, the plane has to be taken out of service after every lightning strike for inspection, often causing delays and cancellations. Now a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres has found a way that aircraft could make themselves less vulnerable to lightning. Using a model aircraft in the lab, the researchers experimented with different levels of charge on the exterior of the plane and monitored what happened when they flew it into electrically charged air. Ordinarily aircraft are designed to be electrically neutral, to avoid build-up of static charge, but to their surprise the researchers found that neutral planes are more prone to lightning strikes. Instead they found that the charged version of the model plane was least likely to trigger lightning. Exactly how this might translate to the real world remains to be seen, but it has potential to save time and money. | ['news/series/weatherwatch', 'world/air-transport', 'world/extreme-weather', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/kate-ravilious', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | news/series/weatherwatch | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2020-02-14T21:30:41Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
environment/2018/mar/22/leader-to-laggard-the-backlash-to-australias-marine-park-cutbacks | 'Leader to laggard': the backlash to Australia’s planned marine park cutbacks | More than 35m hectares of “no-take” ocean will be stripped from Australia’s marine parks if plans released by the government go ahead, according to analysis commissioned by conservation groups. The environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, released plans for 44 marine parks on Tuesday, claiming a “more balanced and scientific evidence-based approach to ocean protection”. But the analysis carried out by the independent Centre for Conservation Geography (CCG), commissioned by an alliance of conservation groups, says the new plans will allow “destructive commercial fishing activities” in 37 of the 44 marine parks. Labor moved quickly, and tabled disallowance motions against all five management plans for the marine zones in the Senate on Wednesday. The opposition environment spokesman, Tony Burke, told Guardian Australia the new plans represented the “largest reduction in area that’s in conservation of any country in the world, ever” and the only option available was to try to block the plans and demand the government start again. “They could voluntarily do that at any point” he said. “Are we saying it’s OK for Australia to be the worst country in the world? It seems to me bizarre that any environment minister would want that title of removing the largest area from protection.” He said no conversations had yet taken place with the Greens or crossbench senators, but this would happen, and a further delay in implementation was easily justified. He said large areas that had been redesigned as “habitats protection zones” were “better than nothing … but they are no match for a highly protected green zone”. The future for the 44 marine parks has been under a cloud since 2013, when the incoming Abbott government suspended the management plans that had been introduced by the former Gillard government. A new set of proposed plans were suggested in September 2016 by an expert review commissioned by then environment minister, Greg Hunt. The review, completed in December 2015, had remained under wraps for nine months. In July 2017, a further set of draft plans were released, sparking outrage among conservation groups over the areas that had been downgraded from no-take zones where activities such as fishing or mining are banned. The government received some 82,000 public submissions about the draft plans. Richard Leck, head of oceans at WWF Australia, told Guardian Australia the draft plans released for consultation in July 2017 were already “completely inadequate” to protect Australia’s oceans and were a “betrayal of the scientific advice and a betrayal of the government’s own expert review”. Referring to the new plans, he said: “This is an embarrassment to Australia’s international reputation – to have 20 years of planning and to then come up with something so inadequate. We have gone from a leader to a laggard. “The overwhelming community and scientific concerns about the proposals from last year have not been listened to.” Leck pointed to the Coral Sea to the east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park as one area of particular concern where, for example, he said unique coral habitats in the south had not been given adequate levels of protection. The CCG analysis says 35m hectares of ocean previously classified as “no take” by the outgoing 2013 Labor government had been downgraded under the new plans. The analysis says: “In the scale of the area impacted, this is similar to revoking every second Australian national park. There has never been a removal of protection for Australian wildlife on this scale since Australia’s first national park was established in 1879.” Releasing the plans, Frydenberg said that compared with Labor’s 2013 plans, 16% more of the total park area would be open to recreational fishing and 17% more for commercial fishing. Areas open to mining had been cut by 4%. Frydenberg said: “By being more targeted with restrictions and integrating marine park management with world-class fisheries management, we have not only increased conservation protection, but also ensured regional economies are supported.” A key aim of marine parks is to protect and preserve examples of all unique habitats and areas of biodiversity. The released maps show that some areas previously designated as no-take green zones were now “habitat protection zones” where the seafloor cannot be touched, but fishing is allowed. The CCG analysis says the new plans “leave hundreds of primary conservation features unrepresented” and 19 “entire biological regions” had been left open to fishing and other activities. “The available scientific evidence clearly shows that fully protected marine sanctuaries are critical for the protection of marine life,” the briefing says. “Trying to use partially protected habitat protection zones to achieve the same benefits has been explored by scientists and shown to be unsuccessful.” In September 2017, more than 1,200 marine experts from 45 countries signed a letter of concern, which also criticised the use of habitat protection zones “the benefits of which are at best modest but more generally have been shown to be inadequate”. Michelle Grady, director of oceans for Pew Charitable Trusts in Australia, said she welcomed the government’s move to make the marine parks operational, but said the slashing of green zones represented “the biggest single cut to protection in Australia’s history”. Grady said: “We strongly encourage the government to review these plans because it’s a major deviation not just from the science and the consultation, but also from the strong history that the Coalition government has going back to Malcolm Fraser and John Howard, in putting in place marine protection with great foresight and long-lasting protection.” Burke, who introduced the previous plans while environment minister in 2013, has said Labor will seek to block the plans for the 44 marine parks, spread across five zones. “There has never been a step backwards in conservation area as large as this from any country on Earth,” Burke said. Labor will need to gain support from the Greens and several crossbench senators in order to have enough votes to pass a disallowance motion, which must happen within 15 sitting days of the plans being tabled. | ['environment/series/our-wide-brown-land', 'environment/great-barrier-reef', 'australia-news/australia-news', 'environment/environment', 'australia-news/josh-frydenberg', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/series/great-barrier-reef-in-crisis', 'environment/marine-life', 'australia-news/labor-party', 'australia-news/coalition', 'australia-news/australian-politics', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'environment/australian-marine-parks', 'profile/graham-readfearn', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/australia-features'] | environment/great-barrier-reef | BIODIVERSITY | 2018-03-21T22:57:34Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2011/jun/01/christiana-figueres-climate-2c-rise | Global warming should be limited to 1.5C, UN climate chief says | The world should be aiming to limit global warming to just 1.5C instead of the weaker current target of 2C, the United Nations' climate chief said on Wednesday. Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, told an audience of carbon traders: "Two degrees is not enough – we should be thinking of 1.5C. If we are not headed to 1.5 we are in big, big trouble." She said she had the support of the group of about 40 small island states – many of which are in danger of disappearing as sea levels rise – as well as most African countries and other least developed countries. Figueres said estimates from the International Energy Agency, revealed by the Guardian, that showed a record rise in carbon emissions from energy last year strengthened the case for urgent action on greenhouse gases. However, her remarks are likely to cause consternation among developed country governments. The question of whether the world should aim for a 2C limit, which scientists say marks the point beyond which the effects of climate change become catastrophic and irreversible, or a more stringent 1.5C limit, which would provide greater safety, is a sore point in the long-running UN negotiations. At the 2009 summit in Copenhagen, the reopening of the debate over the 2C limit was one of the worst sources of conflict, setting developed countries against a large section of the developing world. That conflict was widely regarded as one of the key factors in derailing the summit, which ended in a partial agreement amid scenes of chaos and recriminations. At last year's follow-up conference in Cancún, Mexico, countries compromised by opting for a 2C target while asking for a review of the science to show whether the target should be tougher. Figueres was speaking on Wednesday in Barcelona, at a Guardian-chaired conference at Carbon Expo, the annual conference of the International Emissions Trading Association. Another indication of how difficult it will be to reach Figueres' target came from the World Bank, which unveiled research showing that the market in carbon credits under the 1997 Kyoto protocol collapsed last year. Only $1.5bn of Kyoto-based credits were issued, which the bank said was nowhere near enough to help developing countries cut emissions and deal with the effects of climate change. The carbon markets are supposed to be one of the key ways of reaching the world's target of halving emissions by 2050. | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/global-climate-talks', 'environment/emissionstrading', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'environment/christiana-figueres', 'type/article', 'profile/fiona-harvey'] | environment/global-climate-talks | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2011-06-01T12:33:46Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
environment/2015/jun/10/young-climate-campaigners-paris-cop21 | The young climate campaigners to watch before the UN's Paris summit | Youth activists and bloggers from around the world are stimulating the public debate in the lead-up to the climate summit in Paris, shadowing negotiators, co-ordinating fossil fuel divestment campaigns at universities and exploring the links between social and environmental problems. Some are students and others work as journalists or community organisers. Here are the ones to read and follow. Leehi Yona Israeli-Canadian Leehi Yona was named Canada’s top young environmentalist, helps coordinate the US youth delegation for SustainUS and leads the college fossil fuel divestment campaign at Dartmouth College. “In 2015-2016, I will conduct research on the intersection of climate change science, policy, and civil society. I write about divestment, the UN, and the Arctic. I blog regularly on Adopt a Negotiator and live-tweet UN negotiations at @LeehiYona,” she says. Alex Lendferna South African Alex Lendferna is a Fulbright and Mandela Rhodes scholar researching climate justice for a PhD at the University of Washington. “The focus of my research is topics like climate change induced migration, geo-engineering, carbon taxes, fracking and climate reparations. I am writing a book on the fossil fuel divestment movement, and have led campaigns to divest the University of Washington, the Gates Foundation, and the City of Seattle and its pension fund. I work with Carbon Washington, a non-profit advocating a carbon tax in Washington State and blog on climate change”. Anna Perez Catala Spanish environmental scientist Anna Pérez Català writes on climate change and development, blogs at Climate-Exchange.org and co-edits the environment section of United Explanations. “Since the [economic] crisis arose in southern Europe, I have been involved in many different types of grassroots movements to fight for a better education, democracy, civil rights and a better planet. Climate change is, to me, the culmination of this self-destructive system, and I try to show the links between the social and environmental crises,” she says. Avik Roy Indian Avik Roy has tracked climate negotiators from India and South Asia at climate conferences in Lima and Warsaw and now works with Asian News International (ANI) , climate think-tank, RTCC and Thomson Reuters. “My area of interest centres on communities’ rights to forest, environmental protection and international climate politics. India is a key player at the global platform. I aim to ask my government to negotiate for a fair and equitable climate deal at Paris in December.” Diego Arguedas Ortiz Costa Rican Diego Arguedas Ortiz is an activist and journalist covering climate summits and agriculture. “Climate change has two pillars for me: tracking global negotiations and crucial issues like gender and human rights on UN summits, and reporting its links to agriculture, droughts and biodiversity. With others colleagues, we’ve widened the public debate. Fossil fuel’s big players might feel far away, but their effects are here”. Andreas Sieber Sieber has been a climate activist since the age of 14 when he joined German Greenpeace Youth. He blogs about civil society and politics, is a #Climatetracker and writes about Germany’s role in international climate negotiations. Linh Do Australian Linh Do has been a grassroots community organiser in Melbourne and now edits environmental newswire The Verb, a group of young writers from 17 countries. “We specialise in the UN climate negotiations. The team comes from all over the world and I work with farmers, solar engineers, frontline activists and policy wonks. We are trying to humanise environmental stories while linking them to domestic and international policy processes.” Chris Wright Australian Chris Wright studied anthropology and law, blogs about the UN climate talks and works on the Adopt a Negotiator project which enables young people to shadow climate negotiators at talks throughout the year. “It was living in a remote indigenous community in Central Australia that made me realise the true impact that climate change would have. We have seen how young people can shape national and international climate policy every year at the UN negotiations,” he says. Tais Gadea Lara Argentine journalist Tais Gadea Lara is a Climate Reality project leader trained by Al Gore, edits Ecomania and blogs at Sustenator. She also co-hosts a radio programme Ser Sustentable. “Through journalism I can raise awareness and persuade people to change their actions,” she says. Renee Juliene Karunungan Filipino graduate Renee Karunungan blogs on climate justice, human rights, free speech and social change. “My eyes were opened to social issues when I was a university student in 2008”. I am now writing more about how climate change issues are intertwined with human rights”. Her work is published on Rappler. Federico Brocchieri Frederico Brocchieri is climate change advisor to the mayor of Rome, and founder and coordinator of the Italian climate network’s youth section. “I have been going to the UN climate talks since 2011: I started as member of British Council’s international climate champions team. I focus on communicating climate change science and the negotiating process and as an activist, promote ‘intergenerational equity’. We got that principle included in the UNFCCC’s Geneva negotiating text.” Work can be seen at Adopt a Negotiator , La Stampa, Il Fatto Quotidiano (ITA) and Gli Stati Generali. Risalat Khan Bangladeshi Risalat Khan studied climate science at Amherst College, Massachusetts, and is now a campaigner with Avaaz. “A million people move to Dhaka annually – most are climate refugees. I paint the human face of climate struggles and I try to simplify the complex science”. His work is published in the Dhaka Tribune. | ['environment/series/groundup', 'environment/cop-21-un-climate-change-conference-paris', 'environment/series/keep-it-in-the-ground', 'environment/environment', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/features', 'profile/johnvidal'] | environment/cop-21-un-climate-change-conference-paris | CLIMATE_POLICY | 2015-06-10T16:07:42Z | true | CLIMATE_POLICY |
business/2022/jul/05/floating-windfarms-cornwall-wales-crown-estate-celtc-sea | Floating windfarms could be hosted off Cornwall and Wales, crown estate says | Floating windfarms could be built off the coasts of Cornwall and Pembrokeshire after the Queen’s property manager identified a clutch of sites in the Celtic Sea that could host them. The crown estate, which generates money for the Treasury and the royal family, has published five “areas of search” that will be narrowed into development plots to host wind power generation. Once the project development areas have been agreed, they will be offered to businesses through a tender process, which is due to be launched in mid-2023. The crown estate hopes these areas will deliver 4 gigawatts of floating offshore wind power by 2035, fuelling almost 4m homes. Offshore windfarms are typically built in the seabed close to the shore. The structures that could be hosted in the Celtic Sea allow turbines to be installed on floating concrete and steel platforms, which are anchored to the seabed using flexible anchors or cables and sit just above or below the waterline. The innovation means they can be located in deeper water, creating less opposition from local residents and businesses onshore who dislike the presence of wind turbines on aesthetic grounds. It also means the structures benefit from stronger winds and are less likely to cause conflict with fishing fleets, or disruption to birds’ nesting grounds and naval bases. The crown estate said it had identified the areas of search by studying various factors including “navigation routes, fisheries activity and environmental sensitivities”. The windfarms will not be visible from land apart from one potential site north of the Isles of Scilly, it said. In a meeting with interested parties earlier this year, concerns were raised over whether the floating windfarms would cause problems for fishing equipment on vessels fishing crab and lobster in the area. There were also calls for the size of the buffer zones between the farms and nearby boats to be expanded. The windfarms could also be co-located with carbon capture and storage schemes or coordinate activities with telecoms cabling projects, stakeholders said. Last month, the crown estate said a record-breaking auction of plots for offshore windfarms had pushed up the value of its marine business by 22% on last year to £5bn. Separate to its ambitions in the Celtic Sea, the estate awarded licences for six offshore windfarms off the coast of England and Wales that could generate up to £9bn over the next 10 years. The successful bidders included Germany’s RWE Renewables and a consortium, which includes the oil company BP. Profits for the crown estate, jumped by £43.4m to £312.7m in the year to the end of March. The estate hands all of its profits to the Treasury before 25% is returned to the royal household in the form of the sovereign grant, a funding formula that is under government review. The grant was increased in 2017 from its previous level of 15% to pay for extensive renovations at Buckingham Palace. Huub den Rooijen, the managing director marine at the crown estate, said: “The Celtic Sea has the potential to become one of the great renewable energy basins of the world, bringing economic growth and abundant clean power.” The energy minister, Greg Hands, said: “We already have the largest offshore wind deployment in Europe. Floating technology is key to unlocking the full potential of our coastline.” Earlier this year the crown estate’s Scottish arm auctioned sea space to 17 projects, with most of the capacity earmarked for offshore wind. The first floating offshore windfarm has been in operation off Scotland since 2017. | ['business/energy-industry', 'environment/windpower', 'environment/energy', 'environment/environment', 'environment/renewableenergy', 'politics/planning', 'uk/queen', 'business/business', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'uk/monarchy', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/alex-lawson', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/financial3', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-business'] | environment/windpower | ENERGY | 2022-07-04T23:01:07Z | true | ENERGY |
environment/2023/aug/21/weatherwatch-tropical-storm-hilary-makes-landfall-in-california-for-first-time-in-84-years | Weather tracker: tropical storm makes landfall in California for first time in 84 years | For the first time in 84 years, a tropical storm has made landfall in California. Hurricane Hilary, with maximum sustained winds of 130mph (210km/h) and a central air pressure of 943mb, advanced towards the Baja California peninsula this weekend as a category 4 hurricane, before weakening and arriving as a tropical storm in southern California late on Sunday. Tropical storms are less strong than hurricanes and have maximum sustained winds below 74mph, while hurricanes are at or above this speed. The last time a tropical storm made landfall in southern California was in 1939, when it flooded Los Angeles and killed nearly 100 people. Hilary triggered California’s first ever tropical storm warning, extending from the Mexican border to just north of Los Angeles amid rainfall totals estimated to have reached 70-150mm (3-6in) across southern California. This amount of rainfall is expected to cause life-threatening flooding, and would amount to more than a year’s worth of rain across parts of California and Nevada. Joe Biden announced last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had positional personnel and supplies to respond across the region, and the Mexican army deployed nearly 14,000 soldiers to the city of Mexicali and the states of Baja California Sur, Jalisco and Colima. Hilary will gradually weaken into a depression as it progresses north-northwestwards through California, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho during the early part of this week, although still bringing heavy rain to these parts. Central and south-west Idaho usually only have about 15mm of rainfall for August, but could receive cumulative totals of 30-50mm through the next few days. Meanwhile, large parts of the midwest and the central and southern plains of the US have been put under excessive heat warning going into this week as temperatures continue to soar 5-10C above the climatological average. Last Friday, more than 65 million people were put under these heat alerts, with many warnings extending into Friday or Saturday this week. Widespread temperatures over 38C (100F) are probable through this week but with peak temperatures reaching the low to mid-40Cs (104-112F) in places. In Europe, more heat will be moving up from northern Africa this week. Spain and Portugal will be most affected, with south-west Spain and southern Portugal seeing temperatures reaching the low 40Cs. Parts of Italy and southern France can also expect temperatures of about 40C. However, this heat should subside as low pressure brings cooler westerly winds towards this weekend. • This article was amended on 22 August 2023. An error introduced during editing described Hilary as a tropical storm while travelling towards the coast. In fact, at this point in her journey, she was still a hurricane; it was only shortly before landfall that she weakened and turned into a tropical storm. | ['environment/series/weather-tracker', 'world/extreme-weather', 'environment/environment', 'us-news/us-news', 'world/hurricanes', 'world/europe-news', 'us-news/california', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/analysis', 'us-news/tropical-storm-hilary', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/weather2', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-weather'] | world/hurricanes | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2023-08-21T08:34:30Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
global-development/2014/sep/29/world-bank-kenya-forest-dwellers | World Bank accuses itself of failing to protect Kenya forest dwellers | A leaked copy of a World Bank investigation seen by the Guardian has accused the bank of failing to protect the rights of one of Kenya’s last groups of forest people, who are being evicted from their ancestral lands in the name of climate change and conservation. Thousands of homes belonging to hunter-gatherer Sengwer people living in the Embobut forest in the Cherangani hills were burned down earlier this year by Kenya forest service guards who had been ordered to clear the forest as part of a carbon offset project that aimed to reduce emissions from deforestation. The result has been that more than 1,000 people living near the town of Eldoret have been classed as squatters and forced to flee what they say has been government harassment, intimidation and arrest. The evictions were condemned in February by the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination, and drew in the president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, who expressed alarm at what was described by 360 national and international civil society organisations and individuals as “cultural genocide”. An Avaaz petition collected 950,000 names calling for the bank to urgently halt the “illegal” evictions. Following a request by the Sengwer to assess the impact of the bank’s funding of the project, the bank’s inspection panel decided in May that it had violated safeguards in several areas. At the same time, the bank’s management decided to ignore most of the independent panel’s recommendations. “Unfortunately, the World Bank’s own leaked management response to the report denies many of the findings, evidently sees little importance in the fact that violation of safeguard policies has occurred, and presents an inadequate action plan to be considered by the bank’s board. It simply proposes more training for forest service staff, and a meeting to examine what can be learnt,” said a spokesman for the UK-based Forest Peoples Programme. “President Kim said the bank would not be bystanders, but only by taking seriously the many breaches of its own safeguards and approving the action plan requested by the Sengwer people themselves to overcome the human rights violations that these breaches have contributed to will the bank be able to demonstrate that the president has been true to his word,” said Peter Kitelo, a representative of Kenya’s Forest Indigenous Peoples Network. A final decision on the project will be made on Tuesday when the World Bank board meets in Washington under the chairmanship of Kim to decide on the bank’s response to the inspection panel report. If the board decides to endorse the action plan, the evictions are certain to be completed. More than half the people evicted are thought to have returned to their lands. “The eviction of such ancestral communities leaves the indigenous forests open to exploitation and destruction; whereas securing such communities rights to their lands and responsibility to continue traditional conservation practices, protects their forests,” said the Forest Peoples Programme. | ['global-development/environmental-sustainability', 'global-development/global-development', 'business/worldbank', 'business/business', 'environment/forests', 'environment/environment', 'world/indigenous-peoples', 'world/kenya', 'world/africa', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal'] | environment/forests | BIODIVERSITY | 2014-09-29T13:36:46Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2021/jun/02/key-species-at-risk-if-planet-heats-up-by-more-than-15c-report-finds | Key species at risk if planet heats up by more than 1.5C, report finds | Corals will bleach, penguins will lose their Antarctic ice floes, puffins around the UK coast will be unable to feed their young, and the black-headed squirrel monkey of the Amazon could be wiped out if the world fails to limit global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Beyond a 1.5C rise, many species will face increasing problems finding food or surviving, according to a report from WWF on the effects of climate breakdown on 12 key species across the world. In the UK, puffins are facing increasing threats from warming seas. Sandeels form a large part of the seabird’s diet, and the sandeels depend on crustaceans called copepods. Now, however, warming seas mean copepods are blooming before the sandeels hatch. As the sandeels miss out on their meals, there are fewer for puffins to catch, and entire colonies can fail as a result. WWF found that between 2000 and 2016, copepods were blooming nearly 20 days earlier than sandeel larvae were hatching, a mismatch likely to widen at higher temperatures. The report found that the effects of global heating, which has already reached more than 1C above pre-industrial levels, could already be seen in the UK. For instance, mountain hares in the Highlands of Scotland grow white coats for camouflage in winter, but the snow is melting earlier, before their coats have returned to brown, leaving them exposed to predators. While warming of 0.5C above current levels may seem small, the report found the effects would be harmful to a wide variety of species, including snow leopards, hippos, monkeys and frogs, sea turtles and coral. Leatherback turtles are sensitive to even slight changes in temperature, as the sex of the turtle is determined while the egg incubates in the sand – hotter sand means more females and not enough males, and can mean eggs fail to hatch at all. The report also examined the fate of the black-headed squirrel monkey of the Amazon, which lives in a flood plain, so a single large flooding event – of the kind forecast to become more frequent at 1.5C – could wipe out the whole population. Commercial interests around the world will also be threatened if temperatures rise above 1.5C, with coffee plantations vulnerable to rising temperatures – nearly 90% of arabica coffee plantations in South America could become unsuitable for the crop by 2050. Mike Barrett, the executive director of science and conservation at WWF, said the climate crisis was adding to a huge loss of wildlife: global wildlife populations have already plummeted by 68% since 1970. “Nature is our life support system, and its continued destruction is not only devastating local wildlife and communities, but creating a hotter, less stable planet, putting our very survival at risk,” he said. “This isn’t a far-off threat: the impacts of climate change are already being felt and if we don’t act now to keep global warming to 1.5C we will slider faster and faster towards catastrophe.” WWF also found that protecting vital habitats would be essential to stop warming exceeding 1.5C. The more landscapes are denuded of vegetation and their complex ecologies, the faster the climate crisis is likely to take hold. For instance, degraded and polluted marine environments mean the seas can absorb less carbon, deforestation destroys carbon sinks, and the drying out of peatlands and wetlands releases more carbon dioxide into the air. Tanya Steele, a chief executive at WWF, said the report showed why governments needed to strengthen their pledges on cutting greenhouse gas emissions before the crunch UN climate talks (Cop26) to be held in Glasgow this November. Many countries, including the UK and US, as well as the EU, have already promised steep cuts in emissions by 2030, but taken together, these would still lead to a rise of 2.4C by the end of this century, according to estimates. Steele said: “World leaders must seize the chance at Cop26 to build a greener, fairer future – one with nature at its heart. As hosts, the UK government needs to show it can deliver on its ambitious climate targets by publishing a credible action plan without delay, outlining the steps it will take to cut harmful emissions and reach net zero. Ministers must also recognise nature’s vital role in helping to deliver a 1.5C world and urgently scale up efforts to protect and restore nature at home and overseas.” | ['environment/biodiversity', 'environment/wwf', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/conservation', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/fiona-harvey', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-06-01T23:01:25Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2021/feb/13/walmart-selling-beef-from-firm-linked-to-amazon-deforestation | Walmart selling beef from firm linked to Amazon deforestation | Three of the biggest US grocery chains sell Brazilian beef produced by a controversial meat company linked to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, an investigation has revealed. Food giants Walmart, Costco and Kroger – which together totalled net sales worth more than half a trillion dollars last year – are selling Brazilian beef products imported from JBS, the world’s largest meat company, which has been linked to deforestation. Brazilian beef has been identified as a key driver of deforestation in the Amazon, where swathes of forest are cleared for pasture used for cattle farming. The Amazon is a crucial buffer in stabilising the regional and global climate. Experts say preserving the world’s rainforests is essential if further intensification of the climate emergency is to be averted. Research by the Guardian, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the nonprofit data analysis agency C4ADS established that in recent years, the JBS subsidiary Sampco Inc has imported thousands of tonnes of Brazilian beef, destined for grocery chains and other food companies, into the US. The products include shredded and canned (corned) beef, as well as frozen meat and steaks. In December, Sampco-branded shredded beef, produced in a JBS factory in São Paulo, was being sold online by both Walmart and Costco, and shipping data pinpoints JBS exports of Brazilian corned beef being supplied for sale in Kroger stores. Between July 2017 and November 2019, Sampco imported more than 5,000 consignments of Brazilian beef products totalling 7,884 tonnes, records obtained by C4ADS show. Responding to these findings, campaigners called on the grocery chains to take swift action to rid supply chains of deforestation-linked products. “Supermarkets need to go beyond their sustainability rhetoric by setting strict requirements for their suppliers, banning deforestation, monitoring their suppliers for compliance, and dropping contracts with the worst offenders like JBS,” said Lucia von Reusner, senior campaign director of international campaign organisation Mighty Earth. Costco declined to answer questions but pointed to its sustainability policies, which state: “Our intent is not to source beef from high-risk deforestation regions until comprehensive traceability and monitoring systems are in place.” A Walmart spokesperson said: “Walmart takes these allegations seriously and will review the claims made. We believe healthy forests sustain biodiversity, support livelihoods and play an important role in mitigating climate change. Walmart is working with suppliers on certification, monitoring, supporting sustainable sourcing regions, promoting collaborative action and advocating for effective policy.” A spokesperson for Kroger said: “We take deforestation seriously, as demonstrated by our no-deforestation commitment, and continue to engage our suppliers in pursuit of this commitment and to ensure no deforestation is happening in our relevant supply chains.” JBS beef exports have been linked to farms involved in up to 115 sq miles (300 sq km) of deforestation a year. The company slaughters almost 35,000 cattle a day in Brazil. A JBS spokesperson said: “The spurious allegation that JBS exports are linked to deforestation is irresponsible and based on flawed, superficial analysis of the correlation between the concentration of deforestation at municipality level and the location of our plants. Correlation is not causation.” Campaigners said the latest revelations highlighted the urgent need for US laws that combat deforestation. To date there has not been any significant proposal in the US for federal legislation outlawing agricultural imports linked to tropical deforestation, unlike in Britain and the EU, where momentum for new rules has recently gathered pace. “The US is complicit in driving global deforestation through its sales of beef products from Brazil,” said Sarah Lake, Mighty Earth’s vice-president and director for Latin America. “The Biden administration has an opportunity to advance legislation to restrict the import of products linked to deforestation, just as the EU, the UK and France are already doing.” Brian Schatz, Democratic senator for Hawaii, said before the Covid pandemic that he planned to introduce such legislation. And last week, a bill was introduced to the California state assembly that would require contractors supplying products to the state to ensure they are not linked to deforestation overseas. Sign up for the Animals farmed monthly update to get a roundup of the best farming and food stories across the world and keep up with our investigations. And you can send us your stories and thoughts at animalsfarmed@theguardian.com | ['environment/series/animals-farmed', 'environment/deforestation', 'global-development/global-development', 'environment/environment', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'world/brazil', 'us-news/us-news', 'business/wal-mart', 'business/fooddrinks', 'business/supermarkets', 'world/americas', 'business/business', 'environment/forests', 'environment/amazon-rainforest', 'environment/meat-industry', 'business/cattles', 'environment/farming', 'environment/food', 'world/world', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/andrew-wasley', 'profile/alexandra-heal', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/global-development'] | environment/amazon-rainforest | BIODIVERSITY | 2021-02-13T07:00:06Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
environment/2014/jul/05/dark-snow-speeding-glacier-melting-rising-sea-levels | Dark snow: from the Arctic to the Himalayas, the phenomenon that is accelerating glacier melting | When American geologist Ulyana Horodyskyj set up a mini weather station at 5,800m on Mount Himlung, on the Nepal-Tibet border, she looked east towards Everest and was shocked. The world's highest glacier, Khumbu, was turning visibly darker as particles of fine dust, blown by fierce winds, settled on the bright, fresh snow. "One-week-old snow was turning black and brown before my eyes," she said. The problem was even worse on the nearby Ngozumpa glacier, which snakes down from Cho Oyu – the world's sixth highest mountain. There, Horodyskyj found that so much dust had been blown on to the surface that the ability of the ice to reflect sunlight, a process known as albedo, dropped 20% in a single month. The dust that was darkening the brilliant whiteness of the snow was heating up in the strong sun and melting the snow and ice, she said. The phenomenon of "dark snow" is being recorded from the Himalayas to the Arctic as increasing amounts of dust from bare soil, soot from fires and ultra-fine particles of "black carbon" from industry and diesel engines are being whipped up and deposited sometimes thousands of miles away. The result, say scientists, is a significant dimming of the brightness of the world's snow and icefields, leading to a longer melt season, which in turn creates feedback where more solar heat is absorbed and the melting accelerates. In a paper in the journal Nature Geoscience, a team of French government meteorologists has reported that the Arctic ice cap, which is thought to have lost an average of 12.9bn tonnes of ice a year between 1992 and 2010 due to general warming, may be losing an extra 27bn tonnes a year just because of dust, potentially adding several centimetres of sea-level rise by 2100. Satellite measurements, say the authors, show that in the last 10 years the surface of Greenland's ice sheet has considerably darkened during the melt season, which in some areas is now between six and 11 days longer per decade than it was 40 years ago. As glaciers retreat and the snow cover disappears earlier in the year, so larger areas of bare soil are uncovered, which increases the dust erosion, scientists suggest. Research indicates that the Arctic's albedo may be declining much faster than was estimated only a few years ago. Earlier this year a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that declining Arctic albedo between 1979 and 2011 constituted 25% of the heating effect from carbon dioxide over the same time. According to Danish glaciologist Jason Box, who heads the Dark Snow project to measure the effect of dust and other darkening agents on Greenland's ice sheet, Arctic ice sheet reflectivity has been at a near record low for much of 2014. Even a minor decrease in the brightness of the ice sheet can double the average yearly rate of ice loss, seen from 1992 to 2010. "Low reflectivity heats the snow more than normal. A dark snow cover will thus melt earlier and more intensely. A positive feedback exists for snow in which, once melting begins, the surface gets yet darker due to increased water content," says Box on his blog. Both human-created and natural air pollutants are darkening the ice, say other scientists. Nearly invisible particles of "black carbon" resulting from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels from diesel engines are being swept thousands of miles from industrial centres in the US, Europe and south-east Asia, as is dust from Africa and the Middle East, where dust storms are becoming bigger as the land dries out, with increasingly long and deep droughts. Earlier this year dust from the Sahara was swept north for several thousands miles, smothered Britain and reached Norway. According to Kaitlin Keegan, a researcher at Dartmouth College in the US state of New Hampshire, the record melting in 2012 of Greenland's northeastern ice-sheet was largely a result of forest fires in Siberia and the US. Any reduction in albedo is a disaster, says Peter Wadhams, head of the Polar Oceans Physics Group at Cambridge University. He said: "Replacing an ice-covered surface, where the albedo may be 70% in summer, by an open-water surface with albedo less than 10%, causes more radiation to be absorbed by the Earth, causing an acceleration of warming. "I have calculated that the albedo change from the disappearance of the last of the summer ice in 2012 was the equivalent to the effect of all the extra carbon dioxide that we have added to the atmosphere in the last 25 years," he says. UlyanaHorodyskyj, who is planning to return to the Himalayas to continue monitoring dust pollution at altitude, said she had been surprised by how bad it was. "This is mostly manmade pollution," she said. "Governments must act, and people must become more aware of what is happening. It needs to be looked at properly." | ['environment/climate-crisis', 'environment/glaciers', 'world/arctic', 'environment/mountains', 'environment/poles', 'science/scienceofclimatechange', 'environment/oceans', 'environment/sea-level', 'environment/environment', 'science/science', 'world/world', 'tone/news', 'type/article', 'profile/johnvidal', 'publication/theobserver', 'theobserver/news', 'theobserver/news/uknews'] | environment/sea-level | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2014-07-05T13:50:08Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2005/jan/01/tsunami2004.japan | Japan pledges $500m in tsunami aid | Japan today became the biggest single donor to the tsunami disaster aid effort when it pledged £500m (£260m). The pledge outstrips the latest US donation of $350m, which was itself an almost hundredfold increase on the country's original offer of $4m. Britain's government has pledged £50m, and public donations have now matched that amount. The Japanese prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, said in a statement that he would also attend an aid conference next week in Jakarta, Indonesia, to "express Japan's determination to extend the maximum possible assistance commensurate with its responsibilities as a fellow Asia partner". Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, said yesterday that the country's $350m donation might not be "the end number" and could rise further. "It's the number we settled on for now," he added. Mr Powell and Jeb Bush, the president's brother and the governor of Florida - a state recently afflicted by hurricanes - will visit areas devastated by the tsunami tomorrow. The secretary of state said he wanted to make sure his recommendation to the president to drastically increase the aid was based on needs in the region, and not just a daily competition among nations of "Can you top this?" To help coordinate the relief effort, the US has set up a support centre in Utapao, Thailand, on the site of a former staging base for B52 bombers. An aircraft carrier battle group this morning arrived off the shores of Sumatra and began launching helicopters packed with supplies. A flotilla carrying marines and water purifying equipment is approaching Sri Lanka. The mission is one of the largest the US has launched in Asia since the Vietnam war. More than 20 vessels, along with thousands of sailors and marines, are being dispatched, as well as around 1,000 land-based troops. US navy medical staff are also on the ground in Meulaboh, a decimated fishing village in which several thousand bodies have been recovered. The navy is considering a request from Jakarta to establish a field hospital there. | ['world/world', 'world/tsunami2004', 'world/japan', 'world/asia-pacific', 'type/article'] | world/tsunami2004 | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2005-01-01T13:24:52Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
world/2013/jun/17/australia-climate-change-report2 | Climate science debate has cost precious time, expert warns | Floods, bushfires and this year's scorching summer heatwave have raised awareness of the dangers of climate change, but an "infantile" debate over the validity of the science has cost Australia precious time, according to a key Climate Commission expert. The commission, an independent body that advises the government on climate science, has updated its 2011 The Critical Decade study to analyse the latest findings on climate change and Australia's response to it. The report is likely to be the Climate Commission's last major contribution if, as expected, the Coalition wins power at the 14 September election. Opposition leader Tony Abbott has signalled that he will scrap the commission , along with the carbon price, if he becomes prime minister. The commission's updated analysis states that evidence of a "rapidly changing climate has continued to strengthen over the last two years", including, importantly, the link between climate change and extreme weather events. "It is clear that the climate system has already shifted, changing conditions for all weather," says the study. "While extreme weather events have always occurred naturally, the global climate system is hotter and wetter than it was 50 years ago. This has loaded the dice toward more frequent and forceful extreme weather events." In Australia, this has manifested itself in an increase in the duration and frequency of heatwaves, such as this year's . The country is now also more prone to "extreme fire weather", especially in the densely populated south east, changing rainfall patterns and increased coastal flooding from sea level rises. The report warns that this climate shift "poses substantial risks for health, property, infrastructure, agriculture and natural ecosystems", with Australia largely "ill-prepared to cope" with frequent extreme weather events. However, the report states that the last two years has seen an increased understanding of the challenges posed by climate change and also the action, such as leaving the majority of buried Australian coal resources untouched, required to help the world stay below the internationally agreed temperature increase limit of two degrees above pre-industrial levels. "Extreme weather events tend to focus the mind and change the narrative around climate change," Professor Will Steffen, of the commission, told Guardian Australia. "The IPCC report that linked extreme weather events to climate change in 2012 was a breakthrough as previously scientists were loathed to link the two. I've certainly noted that when I go up to Queensland, people are fed up cleaning up a once in a 100-year flood and then doing it again next year. People are starting to ask what's going on." Steffen said that Australia had made progress in its bid to reduce emissions but that vital time has been wasted in the questioning of the validity of climate science. "I'd love for us to be at the point where Nordic countries are, where the science is accepted in a bipartisan way and the debate is around how to get emissions down," he said. "I think we've lost valuable time with an infantile debate over the science, which has delayed the inevitable work of getting to the solution. There have been attempts to undermine the science. The science has been attacked and scrutinised and it's stood up." "Australia is moving to the middle of the pack internationally in terms of what countries are doing on climate change. That's partly due to the carbon price, but also the renewable energy target, energy efficiency and the price of solar PV dropping so people are putting it up solar panels." "But global emissions are still going up. There are positive signs in Australia but we make it clear in the report that we all need to do more and need to do it quickly." The Climate Commission report states the best estimate for average annual land warming across Australia to be one degree by 2030, compared to the 1980 to 1999 average. However, with around 90% of the planet's extra heart soaked up by the oceans, rising sea levels and the impact on ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef will also prove significant. | ['australia-news/australia-news', 'world/world', 'environment/climate-crisis', 'tone/news', 'world/natural-disasters', 'environment/flooding', 'world/wildfires', 'environment/sea-level', 'type/article', 'profile/oliver-milman'] | environment/flooding | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS | 2013-06-17T02:46:00Z | true | EXTREME_CLIMATE_IMPACTS |
uk-news/2024/apr/12/rare-truffle-find-scottish-spruce-forest-sends-fungus-experts-alien-species-hunt | Rare truffle find in Scottish spruce forest sends fungi experts on alien species hunt | Naturalists have found a very rare type of truffle living in a Scottish forestry plantation which is being cut down so a natural Atlantic rainforest can grow in its place. The discovery of the globally rare fungus near Creagan in the west Highlands has thrown up a paradox: the work to remove the non-native Sitka spruce, to allow rewilding by native trees, means the truffle will be lost. Chamonixia caespitosa, a type of truffle normally found in the Alps and Scandinavia, has only been recorded once before in the UK, in north Wales, seven years ago. Inedible to humans, it has a symbiotic relationship specific to this species of spruce. When it ripens, its white fruit turns a mottled blue in contact with the air. The naturalists involved are puzzled about how it arrived in Scotland; it is very unusual for fungus spores to travel to the UK on the wind, and the UK’s Sitka plantations were grown from seeds originally imported from Canada. But the discovery of the truffle and the imminent destruction of its home has sparked a hunt by other fungus experts to see if its DNA or fully formed truffles can be found elsewhere in Scotland. Dr Andy Taylor, a molecular fungal ecologist at the James Hutton Institute who detected the truffle, thinks it probably is more widespread. “It’s fascinating as we’ve found an alien species of fungus growing in an alien tree. “The real crux of it is that the fungus is incredibly rare globally, so it does raise the question: do we have some responsibility to make sure it survives because we don’t know its distribution? I suspect, because where it is growing is a relatively common habitat, it might be elsewhere.” Finding the truffle’s DNA enabled Taylor to persuade Forestry and Land Scotland, the state-owned forestry agency that owns the site, to support an innovative new project to properly study soil species in other plantations. Sitka spruce plantations are notorious among conservationists because, as densely packed non-native monocultures, they support few other species. Many critics regard them as ecologically dead. Taylor said the soils in these plantations could be richer than realised. He believes he is the only mycologist to ever study the species that populate Sitka forests below ground. The truffles have a reciprocal relationship with their host trees: they provide nutrients to the spruce and draw sugars from the tree in return. “We know so little about the soil biodiversity in these old systems that we could find all sorts of new things,” he said. | ['uk/scotland', 'science/fungi', 'environment/forests', 'environment/wildlife', 'environment/environment', 'uk/uk', 'environment/conservation', 'environment/soil', 'environment/biodiversity', 'environment/rewilding', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/severincarrell', 'publication/theguardian', 'theguardian/mainsection', 'theguardian/mainsection/uknews', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-environment'] | environment/biodiversity | BIODIVERSITY | 2024-04-12T11:00:54Z | true | BIODIVERSITY |
politics/2023/jul/08/george-osbornes-wedding-disrupted-by-just-stop-oil-protest | George Osborne’s wedding disrupted by protester | The wedding of former chancellor George Osborne has been disrupted by a protester throwing orange confetti. About 200 people, including a number of well-known politicians and journalists, gathered in the small Somerset town of Bruton on Saturday to mark the 52-year-old’s marriage to Thea Rodgers, 40, who worked as his aide during his time at the Treasury. The pair, who have two sons, reportedly began dating in 2019 and announced their engagement in April 2021. As they emerged from the church after the ceremony, a woman stepped forward and began throwing handfuls of confetti, similar in colour to the orange powder often used by Just Stop Oil, over their heads. She then followed them and continued to empty the confetti from a union jack bag over them until being chased away by a security guard. A tweet later posted on Just Stop Oil’s official Twitter account read: “You look good in orange @George_Osborne – congratulations to the newlyweds.” Later posts included links to articles from Osborne’s time as chancellor, including one in which he is quoted saying he didn’t want the UK to be “out there in front of the rest of the world” in its efforts to cut emissions because he wanted to “provide for the country the cheapest energy possible … consistent with us playing our part in an international effort to tackle climate change”. Among the guests at the wedding, held at the 14th-century St Mary’s Church, were former prime minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, and longstanding minister Michael Gove, currently the levelling up secretary. Also present were former foreign secretary Lord Hague, former health secretary Matt Hancock, and ex-governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney. From the Labour benches, Ed Balls, who was shadow chancellor for four years, and with whom Osborne is set to launch an economics podcast, attended with wife Yvette Cooper, who is currently the shadow home secretary. Several prominent journalists – including former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, former Sky News political editor Adam Boulton, and Today Programme host Nick Robinson – were also on the guest list. The wedding comes after an email was sent anonymously to invited guests and a number of journalists earlier in the week. There were reports that Osborne had asked police to investigate alleged online harassment. • This article was amended on 10 July 2023 to remove the assertion that the protest was officially organised by Just Stop Oil. | ['environment/just-stop-oil', 'politics/georgeosborne', 'politics/politics', 'uk/uk', 'environment/environment', 'type/article', 'tone/news', 'profile/christy-cooney', 'tracking/commissioningdesk/uk-home-news'] | environment/just-stop-oil | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM | 2023-07-08T20:35:26Z | true | CLIMATE_ACTIVISM |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.