The Guardian
Avoid using gas as ‘transition’ fuel in move to clean energy, study urges
Analysis says countries can save money by switching from coal straight to renewable energies
Countries should move from coal to renewable energy without shifting to gas as a “transition” fuel to save money, as high gas prices and market volatility have made the fossil fuel an expensive option, analysis has found.
Natural gas has long been touted as a “transition” fuel for economies dependent on coal for their power needs, as it has lower carbon dioxide emissions than coal but requires similar centralised infrastructure, and gas-fired power stations take only a couple of years to build. Earlier this year, before Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Commission angered green campaigners by including gas as a “bridge” to clean energy in its guidebook for green investment.
Continue reading...Climate limit of 1.5C close to being broken, scientists warn
The probability of one of the next five years surpassing the limit is now 50%, up from 20% in 2020
The year the world breaches for the first time the 1.5C global heating limit set by international governments is fast approaching, a new forecast shows.
The probability of one of the next five years surpassing the limit is now 50%, scientists led by the UK Met Office found. As recently as 2015, there was zero chance of this happening in the following five years. But this surged to 20% in 2020 and 40% in 2021. The global average temperature was 1.1C above pre-industrial levels in 2021.
Continue reading...Flooding fears as La Niña brings heavy rain to north-east Australia
Analysis: It has already been a very wet autumn in eastern Australia, as weather event drives heavy rainfall
It has already been a very wet autumn in eastern Australia. Now further heavy rain will bring the potential for flooding in the north-east of the country over the next few days.
La Niña has been the main driver behind the wet weather across Australia during what is autumn in the southern hemisphere. During a La Niña event, the sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific are colder than normal, meaning that the usual easterly winds across the equator are strengthened. The result of this is that more moisture is fed into north-eastern parts of Australia in particular, with an increase in associated heavy rainfall events.
Continue reading...‘Access is vital’: picnicking protesters target Duke of Somerset’s woods
Group of 200 Totnes residents trespass and eat sandwiches and Victoria sponge to highlight lack of right to roam
On a beautiful Sunday in May a spot under the trees in an ancient woodland would seem like an idyllic location for a picnic for residents of the Devon town of Totnes.
But when a group of 200 people settled down on the grass to enjoy sandwiches and slices of Victoria sponge next to the publicly funded woodland, they were actually breaking the law.
Continue reading...How worried should we really be about 'insectageddon'? | Jane Hill
Although most researchers are worried about insect decline, we should be wary of the hyperbole of impending doom
In recent years, many of us have come to appreciate the huge importance of insects to our natural ecosystems – from the life-enhancing beauty of butterflies to the vital role that pollinating insects play in our food supply. So it’s hardly surprising there is huge concern over the so-called “insectageddon”.
A recent study adds to an emerging narrative of severe decline and builds on the perception that there were more insects in nature in years gone by – and that things were better in the past. One often-cited memory is that car windshields used to be splattered with insects, and this latest study uses a “splat rate” to conclude that numbers of flying insects have plunged by almost 60% in Britain between 2004 and 2021. But how reliable is this conclusion, and how worried should we be?
Jane Hill is professor of ecology at the University of York and president-elect of the Royal Entomological Society
Continue reading...‘Forever chemicals’ may have polluted 20m acres of US cropland, study says
PFAS-tainted sewage sludge is used as fertilizer in fields and report finds that about 20m acres of cropland could be contaminated
About 20m acres of cropland in the United States may be contaminated from PFAS-tainted sewage sludge that has been used as fertilizer, a new report estimates.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 compounds used to make products heat-, water- or stain-resistant. Known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, they have been linked to cancer, thyroid disruption, liver problems, birth defects, immunosuppression and more.
Continue reading...Will mass trespasses make the government reconsider burying its land reform plan? | Tim Adams
High on this government’s list of bad habits is its apparent compulsion to suppress its own reports. The latest was Lord Agnew’s review into the right to roam in England’s countryside. Currently, only 8% of English land and 3% of inland water is accessible to the public; in contrast, Scots are permitted to walk, camp, cycle, swim and kayak on most of their nation’s open spaces.
Agnew’s report was planned to create “a quantum shift in how our society supports people to access and engage with the outdoors”. The Treasury, however, in winding up the project, effectively re-emphasised its minister’s stated belief that “the English countryside is a place of business”.
Continue reading...Climate hunger striker expresses shock at being ignored by ministers
Angus Rose starved himself for more than five weeks outside parliament until Green MP Caroline Lucas arranged compromise
The climate hunger striker who starved himself for more than five weeks outside parliament has said he did not expect ministers would ignore his demands and potentially let him die.
Angus Rose had said he would not eat until Greg Hands, the energy minister, arranged for Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientist, to give politicians and, via broadcast, the public, the climate change briefing he gave to Boris Johnson before the Cop26 climate summit.
Continue reading...‘Forever chemicals’ found in nearly 60% of children’s ‘waterproof’ or ‘stain-resistant’ textiles
A study found PFAS substances in clothing, pillow protectors, bedding and furniture, some labeled ‘environmentally friendly’
Nearly 60% of children’s textiles labeled “waterproof”, “stain-resistant”, or “environmentally friendly” that were tested as part of a new study contained toxic PFAS substances known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment.
Among products checked were clothing, pillow protectors, bedding and furniture.
Continue reading...From India’s highs to Thailand’s lows, Asia’s weather is hitting extremes
Analysis: As the heatwave in India and Pakistan starts to intensify again, Thailand and China are recording strangely cold May days
The final days of April saw further unbearable temperatures recorded in India and Pakistan. Temperatures peaked at 49C in Jacobabad, Pakistan on 30 April, with a high of 47.2C observed in Banda, India. The Indian Meteorological Department confirmed that average temperatures in April were the highest for northern and central parts of the country since records began over 100 years ago.
Heatwaves are a common occurrence at this time of year in India and Pakistan, but scientists believe the intensity, duration and arrival time of the conditions witnessed so far this year are caused by rising global temperatures. Despite a slight respite in the extreme heat over the past few days, temperatures are set to intensify once more this weekend and into next week with maximum temperatures expected to approach 50C in parts of north-west India and Pakistan.
Continue reading...The Guardian view on guerrilla gardening: go forth and grow | Editorial
Requiring councils to list neglected public land on which to plant fruit and vegetables would be a good thing
The weakening of the human connection to nature might be good for economic growth but is bad for people. A tipping point was reached in 2020 when human-made materials – such as steel, concrete and plastic – were found to weigh more than all life on Earth. Continuing to grow concrete forests rather than real ones is shortsighted. Simply being in the nearest wood, with attention and sensory intent, has such health benefits that the Woodland Trust successfully lobbied for it to be prescribed by doctors.
Yet slipping from popular culture is the wonder and beauty of the natural world. For every three nature-related words in hit songs of the 1950s, researchers found, there was only slightly more than one 50 years later. It is not a moment too soon that teenagers will be able to take a natural history GCSE, given that for decades children have been able to name more video game characters than wildlife species. In 2017, polls suggested that a third of young children thought cheese came from plants.
Continue reading...The week in wildlife – in pictures
The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a lounging monitor lizard, breeding puffins and bluebells
Continue reading...Football must do more to tackle climate change: this is how clubs and fans can help | Barney Weston
We are in ‘Fergie time’ when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint but it is not too late to chart a path to sustainability
Climate change is a defining global issue, and football is not exempt. Roughly a quarter of England’s 92 league clubs could be regularly flooded within the next three decades, and the average grassroots pitch in England already loses five weeks a season to bad weather. Sport is also a significant contributor to climate change, with an estimated global carbon footprint the equivalent size of Tunisia’s – and that is at the low end of estimates.
It’s tempting to ask fans to reduce our carbon bootprint – but how can we use public transport on matchdays, when it’s often too expensive and sometimes unavailable? There were no trains running from the north-west to Wembley when Liverpool and Manchester City competed in the FA Cup semi-final. The FA provided 100 buses, enough for 5,000 fans.
Continue reading...Wild fox infiltrates flamingos’ pen at Washington’s National zoo and kills 25
The birds’ wings are clipped to keep them from escaping their enclosure – leaving them unable to escape a predator
A wild fox in Washington DC, has chewed through a fence at the National zoo and killed 25 flamingos in the worst animal attack there in two decades.
On Tuesday, zoo officials announced that in addition to the 25 American flamingos that were killed early on Monday in their outdoor habitat, three more were injured. A northern pintail duck was also killed by the fox.
Continue reading...Vaquita porpoise could survive … but only if illegal fishing stops immediately
DNA study finds rarest cetacean, only found in Gulf of California, has enough genetic diversity to recover – if gillnet ban is enforced
Scientists studying the DNA of the world’s smallest cetacean and rarest marine mammal, the vaquita porpoise, have made a surprising and bittersweet discovery.
With a tiny population of fewer than 10 individuals left, the mammal was assumed by conservationists to be at a similar risk of harmful mutations and inbreeding as other species with small gene pools.
Continue reading...Coalition climate target consistent with more than 3C global heating, research says
Labor’s emissions targets are in line with 2C of heating, which would still lead to extreme heat events and the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef
The Morrison government’s climate change commitments are consistent with more than 3C of global heating, bordering on 4C, a level that would lead to catastrophic damage across the planet, according to a new analysis.
Labor’s climate target was found to be consistent with about 2C of heating above pre-industrial levels. Both would be expected to lead to the loss of tropical coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef, and a significant rise in the number of extreme heat events in Australia, assuming other countries took equivalent action.
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Continue reading...Nasa climate research scientist awarded World Food prize
Cynthia Rosenzweig wins prize in recognition of her modeling of the climate crisis’ impact on food production
A Nasa climate research scientist who has spent much of her career explaining how global food production must adapt to a changing climate was awarded the World Food prize on Thursday.
Cynthia Rosenzweig, an agronomist and climatologist, was awarded the $250,000 prize in recognition of her innovative modeling of the impact of climate change on food production. She is a senior research scientist at the Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies and serves as adjunct senior research scientist at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University, both based in New York.
Continue reading...Over half of child car seats have toxic flame retardants and PFAS – US study
Analysis conducted by the Ecology Center also finds all car seats under $100 contain either PFAS or flame retardant
More than half of children’s car seats tested for toxic flame retardants and PFAS contain the dangerous substances, a new report in the US has found.
The analysis, conducted by the Ecology Center, an environmental and consumer advocacy group, also found all car seats costing under $100 contained either PFAS or flame retardant, which means lower-income children are more likely to be exposed.
Continue reading...Crumbly curlew eggs may pose another threat to species, say UK scientists
Investigation launched after half of eggs from endangered wading bird in small study found to have fragile shells
A scientist has started a national investigation into curlews, after noticing in a small-scale study that some of the eggs being laid by the endangered birds were unusually fragile and crumbly.
If it emerges that the problem is widespread, the fragile eggs could pose a grave risk to the future of the species, which has declined significantly in Scotland, England and Wales and by 42% between 1995 and 2008 in the UK overall.
Continue reading...Flying insect numbers have plunged by 60% since 2004, GB survey finds
Scientists behind survey of car number plates said drop was ‘terrifying’, as life on Earth depends on insects
The number of flying insects in Great Britain has plunged by almost 60% since 2004, according to a survey that counted splats on car registration plates. The scientists behind the survey said the drop was “terrifying”, as life on Earth depends on insects.
The results from many thousands of journeys by members of the public in the summer of 2021 were compared with results from 2004. The fall was highest in England, at 65%, with Wales recording 55% fewer insects and Scotland 28%.
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