The Guardian

Consent decree would settle two lawsuits against EPA brought by Louisiana residents in one of most polluted parts of US

A proposed legal settlement between the Environmental Protection Agency EPA and residents of the town of Reserve, Louisiana could significantly reduce toxic emissions in one of the most polluted parts of the US.

Announced on Tuesday via the federal register, the proposed agreement, known as a consent decree, would settle two lawsuits partly brought against the EPA by members of the predominantly Black community in St John the Baptist parish, the epicenter of the region known colloquially as “Cancer Alley”.

UK cabinet minister who led Cop26 understood to have been approached and expressed interest in the role

Alok Sharma, the UK cabinet minister who led last year’s Cop26 climate summit, is in the running to be the UN’s global climate chief, at a crucial time for international action on greenhouse gas emissions.

The UN’s current top climate official, Patricia Espinosa, will step down next month, leaving a vacancy as the world prepares for the next stage in vital negotiations to stave off climate breakdown.

Biden officials make announcement on World Oceans Day in effort to stem huge tide of pollution from plastic bottles and packaging

The Biden administration is to phase out single-use plastic products on US public lands, including the vast network of American national parks, in an attempt to stem the huge tide of plastic pollution that now extends to almost every corner of the world.

The US Department of the Interior will halt the sale of single-use plastics in national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands, though not entirely until 2032, with a reduction planned in the meantime. The government will look to identify environmentally preferable alternatives to plastic bottles, packaging and other products, such as compostable materials.

Lib Dems and environmental campaigners condemn central government after Tory-run council overruled

Campaigners and the Liberal Democrats have condemned the government after a minister overruled a Tory-run council to approve gas drilling on the edge of the Surrey Hills, despite accepting the scheme would cause harm to the natural landscape.

The decision, formally announced in a written statement by the housing minister Stuart Andrew, gives the green light to three years of exploratory drilling at a site near the edge of the Surrey Hills area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).

Unchecked water use by companies like Exxon risks saltwater intrusion and undrinkable tap water

Flowers seem to live longer in vases filled with Baton Rouge water, according to Dominique Rogers, 36, a florist in Louisiana’s capital city with 14 years of experience.

The city pulls its water deep underground from the Southern Hills aquifer, which requires little to no treatment to drink, unlike other Louisiana communities such as New Orleans, which draws its water from the Mississippi River and requires heavy treatment.

New dash for gas driven by energy disruption and rising prices spurns warnings to cease exploration to meet 1.5 heating limit

Countries around the world are pouring funds into new natural gas facilities that could destroy the chances of limiting global heating, in response to soaring energy prices and the war in Ukraine.

Governments including the US, Germany, the UK and Canada are investing in new gas production, distribution and use as they seek to sanction Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, according to new research.

Parks Victoria intends to remove 500 horses from state’s eastern Alpine region this year as part of feral horse management plan

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Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has defended a decision to cull feral horses that are causing ecological damage to Victoria’s fragile Alpine ecosystems, as protesters campaigning against the planned shooting amassed on the steps of state parliament.

Parks Victoria plans to remove 500 horses from the eastern Alpine region this year as part of a feral horse management plan that includes the eventual removal of all horses from Barmah national park on the Murray River and from the Bogong high plains.

As Europe’s only Jewish farm faces closure, its founder explains why reviving Judaism’s ancient precepts of sustainable agriculture and conservation has never been more urgent

While for most British Jews, synagogue is the focal point for religious life, Talia Chain finds her faith in nature. It’s why, in 2018, she founded Sadeh Farm in Kent, currently Europe’s only Jewish farming community.

On the edge of Sadeh’s plot is its forest garden – a low intervention and sustainable agronomic system based on trees, shrubs and perennials. Perched on a seat, 33-year-old Chain is describing one of her most treasured Jewish customs. “It’s called the law of orlah,” Chain says, “where you don’t pick or eat the fruit from a fruit tree for its first three years producing. Instead, you let the fruit ripen and fall to the ground to rot naturally.”

This tiny, speedy winged predator has not been seen in my village as its food source dwindles and people remove nests

As it shears through the spring skies, sweeping up tiny insects, the house martin’s contrasting dark-blue and white plumage reminds me of a miniature version of a killer whale.

But not this year. Although I’ve caught up with virtually every other spring arrival – even the late-returning swallows and swifts – I’ve only seen a handful of house martins, and none so far in my Somerset village.

Discrepancy between aesthetic value and extinction vulnerability could have repercussions

There are plenty of fish in the sea, but “ugly” fish deserve love too, according to a study.

The reef fish people rate as most aesthetically pleasing are also the ones that seem to need the least conservation support, while the fish most likely to rank as “ugly” are the most endangered species, the research has found.

Lord mayor says residents should make green choices but tenant’s union says onus should be on owners and government

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Sydney’s lord mayor, Clover Moore, has urged renters and apartment dwellers to do their bit to help the city reach net zero by switching their energy supply to renewable sources.

Moore’s plea comes amid spiralling energy costs and increased pressure on household budgets, with the New South Wales Tenants Union noting while many renters wanted to make green choices, it was not always a simple equation.

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The sooner we shift away from ageing coal and expensive gas, the quicker electricity prices and emissions will fall

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A massive expansion in Australia’s gas production did nothing to make gas cheap for Australian homes and businesses. A decade of propping up ageing coal-fired power stations did nothing to ensure the reliability of our electricity supply. And the Coalition’s so-called “gas trigger” and “big stick” electricity reforms have done nothing to control Australian energy prices. It’s as if everything Scott Morrison and Angus Taylor did was announce things instead of fixing them.

There’s no shortage of coal or gas in Australia, there’s a shortage of generation capacity and the infrastructure to move energy to where it’s needed. Just as the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, Australians have now learned the hard way that the coal trains don’t always run and the coal-fired power stations often break down.

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Wildlife photographer Charles Davis has been photographing nature for more than a decade. Budgerigars can usually be seen in flocks of about 100 birds, but after rainfall can number in the thousands. Capturing such a gathering was something he had always wanted to do

Bird, named Noble X3C, landed unharmed and made successful first flight three days later

They are known as agile, powerful and rapid flyers. But a young peregrine falcon has undermined the image of its species after an ungainly tumble from a cathedral tower.

Named Noble X3C, the bird is one of four that hatched high on Salisbury Cathedral this spring, and was days away from being big enough to soar gracefully into the Wiltshire sky.

A young peregrine falcon – one of four that hatched on Salisbury Cathedral this spring – took its first flight into the Wiltshire sky, days after an unsuccessful attempt where it lost its footing and slipped. The tumble was captured on a webcam which focuses on the balcony and has proved a hit with people tuning in to follow the birds’ progress. The falcon, named Noble X3C, took the plunge again on Tuesday and this time managed to stay airborne

People working with government on strategy say ambitious plans to tackle nature, climate and health crises have been ditched

The government is expected to water down its upcoming food strategy for England, ignoring the ambitious recommendations proposed in two government-commissioned reports, campaigners say.

The white paper, due later this month, was supposed to be a groundbreaking plan to tackle the nature and climate emergencies in response to eye-catching recommendations urged by the restaurateur Henry Dimbleby in his reports.

Edinburgh palaeontologist says smaller mammals are better able to cope with increased temperatures

The climate crisis may lead the human race to shrink in size, as mammals with smaller frames appear better able to deal with rising global temperatures, a leading fossil expert has said.

Prof Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, suggested that the way in which other mammals have previously responded to periods of climate change could offer an insight into humans’ future.

Sian Phillips, the sister of the missing journalist Dom Phillips, urges Brazilian authorities to search the routes he used amid fears for the safety of the Briton and Bruno Araújo Pereira, an Indigenous expert he was travelling with. 

'We knew it was a dangerous place but Dom really believed it’s possible to safeguard the nature and the livelihood of the Indigenous people,' says Sian Phillips. 'We are really worried about him and urge the authorities in Brazil to do all they can to search the routes he was following. If anyone can help scale up resources for the search that would be great because time is crucial.'

• ‘Every second counts’: wife of British journalist missing in Amazon urges action
  

Ex-UN climate envoy says continent’s need for energy is so great it should be able to widely use the fossil fuel

African countries should be able to exploit their vast natural gas reserves despite the urgent need to cut global greenhouse gas emissions, the former UN climate envoy Mary Robinson has said.

Robinson, the chair of the Elders group of former world statespeople and business leaders, said African countries’ need for energy was so great that they should use gas widely, in contrast to developed countries that must halt their gas use as quickly as possible to stave off climate breakdown.

Only about half the funds required are being provided by rich countries, according to a report by Oxfam

The funding needed by UN climate disaster appeals has soared by more than 800% in 20 years as global heating takes hold. But only about half of it is being met by rich countries, according to a new report by Oxfam.

Last year was the third costliest on record for extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and wildfires with total economic costs estimated at $329bn, nearly double the total aid given by donor nations.