Around The Web
Angela Merkel leads G20 split with Trump over Paris agreement – video
German chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to the press at the end of the G20 summit in Hamburg on Saturday and addresses the clear split between the positions of the US and the remaining 19 nations over climate change in the summit’s joint statement notes
Continue reading...G20 summit: Leaders seek to bridge climate gap in Hamburg
Seven right whales found dead in 'devastating' blow to endangered animal
Carcasses found off Canada in recent weeks in what may be biggest single die-off of one of world’s most endangered whale species, expert says
Seven North Atlantic right whales have been found floating lifelessly in the Gulf of St Lawrence, off Canada, in recent weeks, in what is being described as a “catastrophic” blow to one of the world’s most endangered whales.
The first whale carcass was reported in early June. Within a month, another six reports came in, leaving marine biologists in the region reeling.
Continue reading...Electric car revolution: calculating the cost of green motoring
More battery-powered vehicles would mean cleaner air and quieter streets – but also a drain on the National Grid and less fuel duty to the Treasury
Streets will be quieter, the air will be cleaner, people will spend less time at petrol stations and car factories might even return to Britain’s shores if the country switches to electric cars in a dramatic, widespread fashion.
But widespread adoption of battery-powered vehicles would not be without challenges too. A large-scale switchover to electric cars could create problems for power grids, could mean roads lined with charging poles and it could also leave a big hole in public coffers as fuel duty dries up.
Continue reading...Sassy and sociable, the swifts are back in town
Kendal, Lake District Every year they fly 5,000 miles to breed in the exact same crack or crevice in the exact same building
In their brief sojourn here, swifts wreak high-pitched havoc – they are all daredevil velocity and sassy sociability. Since Roman times at least, these urban Apodidae have exploited humankind’s structures. They are nest site faithful, returning every year to breed in the exact same crack or crevice in the exact same building after their 5,000-mile migration from Africa.
But according to the RSPB, over a third of the UK’s swifts have been lost in 22 years, in no small part because of habitat loss. Re-roofing or re-pointing old stone buildings can unwittingly lock swifts out; they may return from their long-haul trip to find their homes boarded up and, for that season at least, breeding will not take place.
Continue reading...Falling from the sky: the providence petrels of Lord Howe Island – video
Lord Howe Island is the nesting site for hundreds of thousands of providence petrels (Pterodroma solandri). The birds used to be common on Norfolk Island, but were eaten to extinction by starving convicts in the early days of settlement. Although fast and graceful in flight, providence petrels spend most of their lives at sea and are clumsy on land. They also have no fear of humans. If they hear a call they will land and investigate, making them easy prey for a hungry convict
• Birds, sweat and fears on Lord Howe Island’s grand Seven Peaks Walk
Continue reading...Mike Pence ignores Nasa 'do not touch' sign
UN bans nuclear weapons
Plastic free July: cutting down single use plastics is easier than it seems
Plastic seems inescapable but there are easy ways like quitting junk food, carrying your own cutlery and using up leftovers that will make a difference
By now, we all know the horrors of plastic. The way it hangs around without biodegrading for centuries, the way it’s clogging the stomachs of birds, how it creates islands in the ocean for marine life to get stuck in, how it pollutes our riverways and motorways as non-biodegradable rubbish.
Yet it’s everywhere. If you want a takeaway coffee, there’s plastic lining in about 99% of disposable cups. If you want a sandwich at a deli, it’s more than likely going to be wrapped in plastic. Even when you’re doing your very best to be healthy, a two litre milk comes in a plastic container and most major supermarkets produce is wrapped or bagged in plastic.
Continue reading...Hedgehogs at risk from food scarcity, habitat loss and badgers
Experts say hedgehogs face crisis in towns and countryside, as RSPB records fewer sightings of the animals for third year in a row
During the day they curl up in nests of shredded paper but when night falls those that are well enough scurry and snuffle around the old fish boxes that serve as their temporary homes.
These hedgehogs at the RSPCA’s West Hatch animal centre in Somerset have had a tough time of it. Some have tangled with dogs, strimmers, bonfires, fruit netting or vehicles; others have been brought in as tiny unseeing hoglets, having lost their parents.
Continue reading...Stephen Tindale obituary
The environmentalist Stephen Tindale, who has died aged 54, was an influential backroom figure in the Labour party who became executive director of Greenpeace UK. His brand of environmentalism was driven by his socialist principles. He was international in outlook, pragmatic about what could be achieved politically, and technologically optimistic. He was successful as a leader, first in government and then outside it.
Heading Greenpeace from 2001 until 2006 was Stephen’s most public-facing role, at a time when the organisation was at its noisiest. In 2005 he was arrested during direct action at Range Rover’s SUV plant in Solihull. Greenpeace planted a flag subverting the company’s logo and proclaiming “Land Rover: Climate Criminals”. Stephen was proud of this act of civil disobedience and a framed image of his arrest adorned his wall.
Continue reading...Rewilding, climate scepticism and G20 – green news roundup
The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox
Continue reading...Plastic bottle battle: members respond to our new environment series
The Guardian’s Bottling It series is shining a light on the problem of what to do with the 1m plastic drinking bottles produced every minute. Your replies were thoughtful and inspiring
We often hear from members about our environment reporting – you tell us that you value it and would like us to increase our focus in this area. So we were interested in hearing your views on our Bottling It series, which asks who is responsible for the world’s plastic binge, and how we might solve the environmental crisis it is creating. Thank you to all who got in touch – your thoughts were informed, passionate and often inspiring, which is why we have published a selection of them below.
The series has been very well read, and this week continues with our reporter Nicola Davis documenting her attempts to avoid buying anything with plastic in it or on it. Do you want to join her? Let us know how you get on using #nomoreplastic on Twitter and Instagram.
Continue reading...Lynx could return to Britain this year after absence of 1,300 years
Six of the secretive cats could be released in Northumberland’s Kielder forest if an application by the Lynx UK Trust is approved
After an absence of 1,300 years, the lynx could be back in UK forests by the end of 2017. The Lynx UK Trust has announced it will apply for a trial reintroduction for six lynx into the Kielder forest, Northumberland, following a two-year consultation process with local stakeholders.
The secretive cat can grow to 1.5m in length and feeds almost exclusively by ambushing deer. Attacks on humans are unknown, but it was hunted to extinction for its fur in the UK. The Kielder forest was chosen by the trust from five possible sites, due to its abundance of deer, large forest area and the absence of major roads.
Continue reading...'Escape from a crazy world': why people value America's public lands
We asked readers to share their experiences and memories from the public lands of America that are, for now, preserved for all Americans
The landscape for America’s public lands is shifting, with Congress looking to transfer large swaths of federal land over to states in a move that could diminish access and result in a sell-off to private interest.
Related: Campaign against Trump’s threat to US national monuments gathers pace
Continue reading...Threatened US national monuments you have to see – in pictures
America the beautiful … it’s a land of dramatic – and protected – scenery but, with 27 national monuments’ status under review, change may be coming. Here, are 22 of the threatened mainland sites
Continue reading...The week in wildlife – in pictures
Hungry robin chicks, a herd of wild donkeys and a tapir are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world
Continue reading...US trying to water down G20 text on lowering emissions, warn charities
Donald Trump wants to remove wording from a draft communique that would commit the US to an agreed international approach on reducing fossil fuel emissions, it has been suggested
Donald Trump is trying to water down the wording of a G20 draft communique about lowering fossil fuel emissions, it has been suggested.
The section, seen by the Guardian, took note of the US decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change, but added: “The United States affirms its strong commitment to a global approach that lowers emissions while supporting economic growth and improving energy security needs.”
Continue reading...Plastic bottles and waste: share your photos and stories
As global sales of plastic drinking bottles approach half a trillion a year, share your stories and photos of the environmental implications of plastic waste
The world is bingeing on plastic. A million plastic bottles are bought every minute, and that figure is set to increase another 20% by 2021. More than half a trillion will be sold annually by the end of the decade.
Related: A million bottles a minute: world's plastic binge 'as dangerous as climate change'
Continue reading...Stephen Hawking's daughter Lucy: 'You could ask my dad any question'
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