The Guardian
Traditional owners win court case to stop nuclear waste dump in South Australia
Judge sides with Barngarla people when blocking facility near Kimba, citing ‘apprehended bias’ of former Coalition resources minister Keith Pitt
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Traditional owners opposing the federal government’s plan for a nuclear waste dump on their land in South Australia have had a major win, with a court ruling the facility can’t be built.
The Barngarla people were jubilant outside the federal court in Adelaide on Tuesday after justice Natalie Charlesworth said the commonwealth’s decision to build the dump near Kimba would be set aside.
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Continue reading...Locals in this British seaside town could revolutionise green energy – if the government lets them | Rebecca Willis
Voters want climate action but don’t trust politicians to do it. Could projects like a Whitehaven windfarm be the answer?
- Rebecca Willis is professor of energy and climate governance at Lancaster University
The seaside town of Whitehaven, in the north-west of England, found itself at the centre of a political storm in May, when the levelling up, housing and communities secretary, Michael Gove, gave his approval for the UK’s first new deep coalmine in more than 40 years just outside the town.
But Whitehaven may soon be known for more than climate-wrecking coal. That is the ambition of Project Collette, a £3bn proposal for a windfarm off the Cumbrian coast to be part-owned by the local community – instigated by the Green Finance Community Hub in collaboration with the engineering firm Arup and community energy specialists Energy4All – and with the potential to power nearby industry. If Cumbrians could stand on the sandstone cliffs and look out at wind turbines they owned, and that had provided jobs for local people, that might just build the political support and engagement that is so vital to reaching our climate targets?
Continue reading...Extreme heat and weather around the world – in pictures
A month of floods, fire and heatwaves from Rome to Chile
Continue reading...Extreme heatwave live: Rome braced for record 43C heat; second day of US-China climate talks begins
Northern hemisphere suffering severe heatwave and record temperatures; John Kerry signals ‘big steps’ at Beijing talks; China and Vietnam evacuate tens of thousands ahead of typhoon Talim
Meanwhile prolonged high temperatures in China are threatening power grids and crops and raising concerns about a repeat of last year’s drought, the most severe in 60 years.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in southern China and Vietnam on Monday as typhoon Talim barrelled towards land, AFP reports.
The China Meteorological Administration said typhoon Talim made landfall on the coast of Guangdong province at around 10:20 pm (1420 GMT).
Continue reading...John Kerry aims to put China tensions aside at crucial climate talks
Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua seeks ‘common ground’ in first key summit between two largest carbon emitters since US-Beijing freeze
John Kerry, the US climate envoy, has called for more rapid action to confront the climate crisis in a crucial visit to China that is taking place against a fraught backdrop, with both countries currently baking under record heatwaves and Kerry facing hostile opposition from Republicans back home.
Kerry’s meeting with Xie Zhenhua, his Chinese counterpart, for three days of formal talks in Beijing is the first substantive summit between the world’s two largest carbon emitters on the climate crisis since relations were frozen last August, when Nancy Pelosi, the then-House of Representatives speaker, visited Taiwan, a move condemned by China’s leadership.
Continue reading...People evacuate homes as wildfire rages south of Greek capital – video
People were ordered to leave their homes south-east of Athens on Monday as a wildfire fanned by strong winds burned nearby vegetation. The blaze was raging close to buildings in the village of Kouvaras, about 27km (17 miles) from the Greek capital, and threatening other settlements, the civil protection service said. In Kalyvia, horses were evacuated from stables that had caught light
Continue reading...Europe should cap energy use of richest to stay within carbon budget, study says
Limiting demand of richest 20% saves seven times greenhouse gases required to meet needs of poorest 20%, researchers find
Gently limiting “luxury” demand from the 20% of European consumers who use the most energy saves seven times the amount of planet-heating gases that would be emitted in meeting the basic needs of the 20% who use the least energy, researchers have found.
The study, which modelled the effect of narrowing the gaps in energy use between households within 27 European countries, found capping demand from the top fifth, even at a fairly high level, cut greenhouse gas pollution from energy consumption by 9.7%, while raising demand from people in the bottom fifth who also live in poverty to a fairly low level increases emissions by just 1.4%.
Continue reading...Longer heatwaves driven by ‘turbo-charged’ climate change, say scientists
Record heat in Europe is part of a pattern of more intense heatwaves made more likely by climate breakdown
Scientists say “turbo-charged” climate change is driving the prolonged period of record temperatures currently baking much of the planet.
As the planet has heated, hotter-than-usual spells have become more intense and now last on average about 24 hours longer than 60 years ago, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Noaa data from the 50 most populous cities in the US shows the heatwave season is 49 days longer now compared with the 1960s.
Continue reading...New UK government plan to protect against climate heat ‘very weak’
Exclusive: Leaked document ‘falls far short’ of what is needed to safeguard lives and livelihoods from heat, drought and storms, say experts
The government’s new plan to cope with the climate crisis has been condemned as “very weak” by experts, who say not enough is being done to protect lives and livelihoods.
Responding to the document, which was leaked to the Guardian, one highlighted its failure to adequately protect people in the UK from extreme heat. The heatwave in 2022, when temperatures surpassed 40C for the first time, led to the early deaths of more than 3,000 people, wildfires, buckled rail lines and farmers struggling with drought. Southern Europe is currently in the grip of a searing heatwave.
Continue reading...Energy industry uses whale activists to aid anti-wind farm strategy, experts say
Unwitting whale advocates and rightwing thinktanks create the impression that offshore wind energy projects endanger cetaceans
One night in late March, J Timmons Roberts, a professor of environmental studies at Brown University, stepped in to a high school gymnasium in a small seaside town in Rhode Island. He was there to speak at a town hall aimed at allaying concerns about a local offshore windfarm.
In the front row, he noticed a woman dressed as a whale, holding a sign that read “Save Me!”
Continue reading...US climate envoy Kerry meets Chinese counterpart amid record heat
John Kerry arrives in Beijing as China records its highest ever temperature, 52.2C, in Xinjiang
The US climate envoy, John Kerry, is in Beijing for meetings with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, as large swaths of Europe, the US and Asia swelter in extreme heatwaves.
Methane emissions and China’s coal consumption are expected to be at the top of Kerry’s agenda in his first formal talks with Xie in nearly a year. The pair will probably also discuss preparations for the Cop28 climate summit later this year.
Continue reading...UK installations of heat pumps 10 times lower than in France, report finds
Analysts call on government to make pumps mandatory for all new homes and scale up grants for installation in existing properties
The UK is lagging far behind France and other EU countries in installing heat pumps, research has shown, with less than a tenth of the number of installations despite having similar markets.
Only 55,000 heat pumps were sold in the UK last year, compared with more than 620,000 in France. Twenty other European countries also had higher installation rates than the UK.
Continue reading...Extreme heatwave live updates: hundreds of millions from US to Europe and Asia hit by severe heat
Italians told to prepare for most intense heatwave ‘of all time’ as one third of Americans remain under extreme heat advisories and records fall in Japan
- Millions in US under warnings as record heat expected to continue
- Southern Europe braces for second heat storm in a week
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the extreme heat gripping large parts of the planet. I’m Emily Wind and I’ll be following the latest as Southern Europe braces for a second heat storm in a week while in America, more than 100 million people swelter under extreme heat advisories, with record-breaking heat expected to continue. Meanwhile there are deadly floods in South Korea and heat warnings in Japan.
Here is where things stand:
Italy, Greece and Spain, along with Morocco and other Mediterranean countries, have been told temperature records could be broken on Tuesday.
A new anticyclone that pushed into the region from north Africa on Sunday could lift temperatures above the record 48.8C (120F) seen in Sicily in August 2021, and follows last week’s Cerberus heatwave.
Temperatures in Rome are poised to climb to 42C or 43C on Tuesday. Nighttime temperatures remain above 20C, making it a struggle for people to sleep.
On the Canary island of La Palma, more than 4,000 people were evacuated from properties after a forest fire swept through the north-west of the island.
In the US there were advisories from coast to coast on the weekend, with the south-west and parts of the west hard hit and officials warning that conditions could get worse in Arizona, California and Nevada.
In Phoenix, Arizona, the forecast for Sunday was for 118F (47.7C) and it was expected to be the city’s 17th consecutive day of 110F (43.3C) or higher.
Emergency room doctors in Las Vegas have been treating more people for heat illness as the heatwave threatened to break the city’s all-time record high of 117F (47.2C).
The hot, dry conditions sparked a series of blazes in southern California south-east of Los Angeles.
In Japan, authorities issued heatstroke alerts to tens of millions of people in 20 of its 47 prefectures as near-record high temperatures scorched large areas and torrential rain pummelled other regions. Japan’s highest temperature ever - 41.1C first recorded in Kumagaya city in 2018 - could be beaten, according to the meteorological agency.
In South Korea, nine people died in a flooded tunnel, after heavy rains for the last four days triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 37 people and left nine missing. The country is at the peak of its summer monsoon season, with more rain forecast through Wednesday.
China on Sunday issued several temperature alerts, warning of 40-45C in the partly desert region of Xinjiang, and 39C in southern Guangxi region.
The human-caused climate crisis is supercharging extreme weather around the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters, from heatwaves to floods to wildfires.
Continue reading...The Guardian view on a water crisis: Uruguay points to a wider issue – and to solutions | Editorial
The South American country is running dry. But it can draw upon a history of social and political organisation to protect access
Almost two decades ago, Uruguay led the way as the world’s first country to enshrine the right to clean water in its constitution. Now it is parched and desperate. Residents can cross the reservoir serving Montevideo on foot. The capital has declared a water emergency, with officials warning that it is a matter of days before it runs dry. For months they have been eking out tap water supplies by adding brackish estuary water, telling pregnant women and people with serious health conditions not to drink it. Authorities have cut taxes on bottled water and are distributing it for free to the estimated one in seven people for whom it is unaffordable. Others are turning to wells.
The main culprit is the worst drought in more than 70 years. Though Uruguay is naturally rich in water, rainfall is highly variable due to the impact of La Niña and El Niño weather patterns. The problems are exacerbated by global heating, which makes dry years drier and rainy years wetter, as well as increasing evaporation losses. Neighbouring Argentina is beset by shortages already. Many more countries around the world face similar challenges – or soon will.
Continue reading...The French don’t need President Macron to tell us to make do and mend | Agnès Poirier
‘In France, we have no petrol, but we have ideas.” So goes a popular French saying born in the 1970s during the oil crisis. Said differently, France is a champion of quirky initiatives that can feel both admirable and somewhat pointless. The latest in a series of eco-friendly measures taken by the French government is the “repair bonus”. Instead of throwing into the bin a pair of ripped trousers, a bag with a broken strap or a moth-eaten polo neck, the state will pay for them to be mended at your local cobbler or retoucheur (sewing workshops). From October and for the next five years, we will be able to claim back between €6-€25 of the costs of mending our clothes and shoes with artisans who have joined the scheme.
The hope is to help create a virtuous circle, change habits for the planet’s sake (700,000 tonnes of clothing is thrown away in France every year), sustain local artisans and even create jobs in what we now need to call the “refashion” sector. Three years ago, a similar scheme encouraged my compatriots to fix their old toasters or rickety washing machines, rather than dispose of them out of frustration. Legislators even obliged companies to revise their obsolescence strategy by publishing a “repairability index” for each item produced. Consumers can now buy new home appliances knowing in advance how easy (or difficult) they are to repair.
Continue reading...Top UK energy firms to warn Rishi Sunak: ‘Don’t back off green agenda’
More than 100 companies are set to send a letter to the PM voicing fears about the disastrous effects of Britain’s overreliance on gas
More than 100 of the UK’s biggest energy companies will tell Rishi Sunak this week not to back off the green agenda after a report by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned of catastrophic effects on the economy of continued overreliance on gas.
The energy sector is becoming so alarmed at what it sees as the Sunak government’s mixed messages on switching to more renewable energy that big UK companies are ready to go public with a letter to Downing Street within days.
Continue reading...Agricultural shows boom across the UK as record crowds flock to the fields
Once the preserve of farmers, now the dog trials, sheep shearing and food stalls are starting to appeal to everyone
One of the highlights of the Great Yorkshire Show for Bridlington farmer Geoff Riby – other than his ram winning the Beltex male champion in the sheep class competition – was watching Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman perform in the main ring at the Harrogate show ground.
Riby has exhibited at the fair since 1972 and has seen this annual event evolve from an industry trade fair promoting tractors to the sort of festival that would feature one of France’s most skilled equestrians on the bill.
Continue reading...Five arrested after climate protest at Ineos oil refinery in Scotland
Police say alleged offences include breach of the peace after 200 people march to plant and four climb on roof
Five people have been arrested after environmental activists staged a day of resistance at the Ineos oil refinery near Falkirk.
Four people climbed on to the roof of the Ineos gas power station at Grangemouth and held up a banner on Saturday afternoon. Earlier, about 200 people marched to the fence of the Ineos plant, which powers the oil refinery, from a climate camp approximately a mile away.
Continue reading...Europe might be nice this time of year but there is something about an Australian winter | Maddie Thomas
I love it when sunshine pierces through an icy-cold morning
It’s 7C. At 6am, the sky is still dark. There may be a hint of the light to come, but for now it is still dancing with the stars.
By 7am, the sun lifts just above the horizon, stretches over headlands and lights the clouds like a match – boom – turning the sky from pink to orange to blue. It starts to warm those who watched the sunrise, and offers some solace to early morning swimmers now shivering in their towels.
By 8am, the sun has enough oomph to hit you square in the face. It washes over tired commuters leaning against bus windows, warms the backs of those waiting for their coffee and splinters through the shadows of high-rises in the city.
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Continue reading...Invasive snake wrestled into submission by hunters is Florida’s longest
Video of capture of Burmese python measured at 19ft – as long as an adult giraffe is tall – was posted on Instagram
A snake believed to be the longest invasive Burmese python ever recorded was captured by two Florida hunters after a mighty struggle.
Stephen Gauta and Jake Waleri caught the humungous reptile in Big Cypress national preserve near the Everglades in southern Florida earlier this week after it lunged at Waleri, 22, who then wrestled it back to the ground.
Continue reading...