The Guardian
Australia’s carbon credit scheme ‘largely a sham’, says whistleblower who tried to rein it in
Prof Andrew Macintosh says the system, which gives credits for projects such as regrowing native forests after clearing, is ‘a fraud’ on the environment, taxpayers and consumers
A whistleblower who spent years working on the integrity of the Australian government’s carbon credit system has launched an extraordinary attack on the scheme, describing it as a fraud that is hurting the environment and has wasted more than $1bn in taxpayer funding.
Prof Andrew Macintosh, the former head of the government’s Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee, said the growing carbon market overseen by the government and the Clean Energy Regulator was “largely a sham” as most of the carbon credits approved did not represent real or new cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
Continue reading...African women’s voices and experiences need to be heard at global summits | Memory Kachambwa
Africa CSW was set up as an alternative to the Commission on the Status of Women, so we can ensure no one shuts us down
At the UN headquarters in New York, ministers, activists, feminists and advocates are meeting to discuss gender equality and women’s rights. But the annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the UN’s biggest global gathering to discuss these issues – is an event African women and girls struggle to attend and participate in.
If it is not visa denials (this year saw little or no attempt from embassies to help facilitate visas to the US), it’s the lack of adequate resources to fly to New York and stay for the meetings; if it’s not language problems, then it is the minimal time and space granted to deliberate our unique issues.
Continue reading...Specieswatch: black vine weevils – a tiny menace to crops and ornamentals
There’s new advice for gardeners on how to tackle this little beetle which doesn’t involve pesticides
The first sign of black vine weevils, Otiorhynchus sulcatus, is usually when one of your favourite pot plant wilts and dies in the spring. The larvae, small creamy white sickle-shaped grubs, devour plant roots and then the base of the stems until the plant keels over. The grubs are a major pest in nurseries where there are many plants in containers. Out in gardens they attack many varieties of ornamentals including rhododendrons and camellias plus crops such as strawberries. Although outdoor attacks are seldom fatal they weaken the plants.
When adult beetles emerge in April they are only 10mm long and nocturnal. The adults cannot fly but can run fast and climb plants at night, feeding by taking bites out of leaves. By day they hide under any debris on the soil surface to avoid being eaten by predators which include birds, frogs, toads, shrews, hedgehogs and other beetles. In the autumn they lay eggs in the soil, the larvae then munching away unseen all winter.
Continue reading...Arctic sea ice could hit maximum extent ‘much earlier’ than usual
Some stations reported winter temperatures 30C warmer than usual with situation echoed in Antarctica
An extreme heat event in the Arctic could cause it to reach the maximum of the extent of its ice for this year “considerably earlier” than usual, a scientist has warned.
Temperature records were broken in Norway last week, with rain falling at Svalbard airport, and unusually warm temperatures recorded in Greenland and the Russian archipelago of Franz Josef Land.
Continue reading...Thunberg condemns ‘racist’ decision to allow UK firm to mine on Sami land
Climate campaigner says Swedish government is violating indigenous rights and waging ‘war on nature’
Environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg denounced as “racist” and “colonial” the decision by the Swedish government on Tuesday to allow a British company to dig an open-cast iron ore mine on land belonging to the indigenous Sami people.
Beowulf Mining, headquartered in London, has fought for nearly a decade to win approval for the mine, but has consistently faced stiff opposition from Sami and environmentalists.
Continue reading...Revealed: ships may dump oil up to 3,000 times a year in Europe’s waters
Collaborative investigation shows ships regularly discharge ‘bilge’ water illegally instead of treating it, with toxic effect on marine life
Up to 3,000 cases of oil dumped by commercial ships may be happening every year in European waters, according to a new investigation, which found the scale of illegal “bilge dumping” is likely to be far higher than publicly acknowledged.
Bilge water is a mix of liquids from the engine room of a ship along with other potentially toxic substances including lubricants, cleaning solvents and metals such as lead and arsenic, which collects at the bottom of the vessel.
Continue reading...Severe coral bleaching hits the Great Barrier Reef just as the government is trying to say it’s not in danger | Jess Harwood
Just remember to look exactly where the government tells you
Continue reading...Rich countries must stop producing oil and gas by 2034, says study
Poorest states should be given until 2050, says research aiming to set out fair way of ending fossil fuel economy
Rich countries must end all oil and gas production in the next 12 years, while the poorest nations should be given 28 years, to provide a fair transition away from fossil fuels, according to a study.
The report, led by Prof Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at Manchester University, found that wealthy countries such as the UK, US and Australia had until 2034 to stop all oil and gas production to give the world a 50% chance of preventing devastating climate breakdown, while the poorest nations that are also heavily reliant on fossil fuels should be given until 2050.
The 19 “highest-capacity” countries, with average non-oil GDP per capita of more than $50,000, must end production by 2034, with a 74% cut by 2030. This group produces 35% of global oil and gas and includes the US, UK, Norway, Canada, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
The 14 “high-capacity” countries, with average non-oil GDP per capita of nearly $28,000, must end production by 2039, with a 43% cut by 2030. They produce 30% of global oil and gas and include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Kazakhstan.
Eleven “medium-capacity” countries, with average non-oil GDP per capita of $17,000, must end production by 2043, with a 28% cut by 2030. They produce 11% of global oil and gas and include China, Brazil and Mexico.
Nineteen “low-capacity” countries with average non-oil GDP per capita of $10,000, must end production by 2045, with an 18% cut by 2030. They produce 13% of global oil and gas and include Indonesia, Iran and Egypt.
Twenty-five “lowest-capacity” countries, with average non-oil GDP per capita of $3,600, must end production by 2050 with a 14% cut by 2030. They produce 11% of global oil and gas and include Iraq, Libya, Angola and South Sudan.
Continue reading...Johnson announces aim for UK to get 25% of energy from nuclear power
PM meets industry bosses to discuss new power stations, with several reactors slated for closure as energy demand rises
Boris Johnson has told nuclear industry bosses that the government wants to the UK to get 25% of its energy from nuclear power, in a move that would signal a significant shift in the country’s energy mix.
Johnson on Monday met executives from major nuclear utilities and technology companies including the UK’s Rolls-Royce, France’s EDF, and the US’s Westinghouse and Bechtel to discuss ways of helping to speed up the development of new nuclear power stations.
Continue reading...The Guardian view on fuel duty cuts: expediency over the environment | Editorial
If he goes ahead, Rishi Sunak would be handing money to people in proportion to how much they drive and how fuel-inefficient their car was
Raising taxes on petrol and diesel is an important policy that governments can use to put the brakes on runaway climate change. However, it appears that the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, wants to accelerate rather than slow the pace of planetary damage. In this week’s mini-budget, he looks likely to announce a temporary 5p per litre reduction on fuel duty. This could cut the cost of filling an average family car by around £2.75 and might help some who have suffered as pump prices jumped in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, this is a false economy. Even with the pandemic lockdowns, transport remained the largest emitting sector, responsible for 24% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions.
Cutting fuel duty flies in the face of the government’s claim to be a green leader. It is also a regressive measure. The New Economics Foundation says that only 7% of the savings from cutting fuel duty will go to the poorest fifth of households – while one-third will go to the richest fifth. If he were to go ahead with the policy, Mr Sunak would be handing money to people in proportion to how much they drive and how fuel-inefficient their car was. Labour has supported Mr Sunak. This is a triumph of political expediency over the environment. Neither party thinks it can afford to upset a significant number of voters. Polls suggest that an election held today would result in a government without a parliamentary majority.
Continue reading...UN ocean treaty summit collapses as states accused of dragging out talks
Conservationists despair at ‘glacial pace’ of negotiations to protect wildlife and oversee fishing amid high seas’ ‘governance vacuum’
UN member states have failed to agree on a treaty to protect the high seas from exploitation, with scientists, environmentalists and conservation organisations blaming states that were “dragging their feet” for the “glacial pace” of talks.
The longer the negotiations took, the more wildlife would be lost from the ocean, they warned, urging ministers and heads of state to work together with the president of the UN high seas conference to speed up a further round of negotiations to close a “governance vacuum” on the high seas.
Continue reading...‘It’s not supposed to be white’: one of the Great Barrier Reef’s healthiest reefs succumbs to bleaching
Widespread bleaching during the cooler temperatures of La Niña has left scientists dreading the damage that could be caused by the next El Niño
Through a snorkel mask, the corals struggling for survival in the heat are easy to spot. Some have turned white while others are pouring out a fluorescent pigment into their flesh – it’s spectacular, but it’s also a sign of a coral in deep distress.
This is John Brewer Reef about 70km off Townsville in Queensland – the centre of a widespread coral bleaching event. For hundreds of kilometres in either direction, reefs are going through the same battle.
Continue reading...Australian government ‘aggravating extinction’ through land-clearing approvals, analysis finds
Campaigners say the pace at which native species habitat is being cleared for mining is accelerating despite warnings of an endangered species crisis
The pace at which the Australian government is approving the destruction of habitat relied on by threatened species has increased in recent years, despite scientists warning of an escalating extinction crisis, according to an environment group analysis.
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) compiled publicly available information on federal decisions that gave the green light to developments that involved clearing of forests and other areas relied on by threatened species.
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Continue reading...Better use of groundwater could transform Africa, research says
Studies ‘debunk the myth that Africa is running out of water’ but say resource needs to be better managed
Groundwater resources in sub-Saharan Africa are enough to transform agriculture in the region and provide people with adequate safe water for their drinking and hygiene needs, if the resource can be better managed, researchers have said.
Groundwater – found underground in aquifers, rocks and soils – makes up about 99% of all liquid freshwater on earth, and is abundant in much of Africa, but a lack of investment has left it untapped or poorly managed, two major studies have found. The reserves could be used for irrigation and to supply clean and safe water, but there is also a danger that if used unsustainably they could be rapidly depleted or polluted.
Continue reading...Microplastics found deep underground in UK waters
Fears for water quality as swimmers discover invisible microfibres in samples 400 metres underground
Invisible microplastics have been found almost 400 metres underground in UK water streams, according to the results of a citizen science project conducted by wild swimmers.
More than 100 outdoor swimmers in the UK became “waterloggers”, collecting water samples from their favourite place for a dip using empty glass wine bottles.
Continue reading...Ukraine war threatens global heating goals, warns UN chief
António Guterres says countries seeking alternatives to Russian energy may increase use of fossil fuels
The war in Ukraine risks putting global targets on the climate out of reach, the UN secretary general has warned, if countries respond to Russia’s aggression by increasing their use of fossil fuels.
António Guterres said the aim of limiting global temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, the goal set out at the Cop26 UN climate summit last year, was in peril as countries sought alternatives to Russian oil and gas supplies.
Continue reading...Chemical from tyres linked to mass salmon deaths in US found in Australia for first time
Scientists find 6PPD-quinone in Queensland creek and call for urgent research to see if local aquatic life was harmed
A toxic chemical released from tyres as they wear down on roads and implicated in mass deaths of salmon in the United States has been found in an Australian waterway for the first time.
Scientists detected the compound – known as 6PPD-quinone – among a cocktail of chemicals and hundreds of kilograms of tyre particles washed into a creek from a motorway during storms.
Continue reading...Extend life of key climate sensor that maps world’s forests, Nasa told
Exclusive: Experts say the $150m project, due to be de-orbited next year, provides vital data on forests and the carbon stored in them
Forest experts and scientists are asking Nasa to extend the life of a “key” climate and biodiversity sensor due to be destroyed in the Earth’s atmosphere early next year.
The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (Gedi) mission – pronounced like Jedi in Star Wars – was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station (ISS) in December 2018, and has provided the first 3D map of the world’s forests.
Continue reading...Heatwaves at both of Earth’s poles alarm climate scientists
Antarctica reaches 40C above normal at same time as north pole hits levels usually seen later in year
Startling heatwaves at both of Earth’s poles are causing alarm among climate scientists, who have warned the “unprecedented” events could signal faster and abrupt climate breakdown.
Temperatures in Antarctica reached record levels at the weekend, an astonishing 40C above normal in places.
Continue reading...Is it wrong to seek some release from miserable reality? I can’t help but try | Emma John
Have you been enjoying the sunshine? Perhaps that’s a redundant question: it has been difficult to avoid the delicious grins on people’s faces, the exaggerated generosity in their manners, the readiness to smile at strangers. Even the traditionally uptight denizens of London have been seen to unfurrow their brows and actually catch each other’s eye. Something feels different. Something feels – and forgive me if I’m speaking out of place here – not completely awful.
Nature’s good at that, of course. Give the lady her due, she always turns it around at the end of winter. In this part of the northern hemisphere we spend a good third of a year convinced that the world is cold, dark and possibly going to hell in a handcart, then out pop the daffodils and it’s like someone’s thrown us a surprise party but remembered only to invite our more cheerful, better behaved alter egos.
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