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Cop26 leaders blame individuals, while supporting a far more destructive system | Stephen Reicher

Tue, 2021-11-09 20:00

It suits governments to lecture us on our consumption, but they need to offer systemic change if we are to tackle the climate crisis

  • Stephen Reicher is a member of the Sage subcommittee advising on behavioural science

The protesters gathered in Glasgow for Cop26 are a diverse group – at the demonstration on Saturday I watched everybody file past – from international socialists to Scottish nationalists, healthcare workers to striking refuse workers, from indigenous activists at the very front to cycling enthusiasts at the very back.

But while the groups were all very different, I was struck by the commonality of their message: they all recognise that we cannot solve the climate crisis through the same means that created it. Whether that is the extractive industries destroying indigenous lands, or the carbon-hungry transport systems that crowd out cyclists.

Stephen Reicher is a member of the Sage subcommittee advising on behavioural science. He is a professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews, a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and an authority on crowd psychology

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Australia ranked last of 60 countries for policy response to climate crisis

Tue, 2021-11-09 19:30

Country was down four places on greenhouse gas index and was the only one to score zero on policy

The Australian government’s policy response to the climate crisis was ranked last in an assessment of 60 countries released at the global climate summit in Glasgow.

The Morrison government’s lack of policies, high per capita greenhouse gas emissions, weak targets, low levels of renewables and high levels of energy use, saw the country given an overall ranking of 54 among individual countries.

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Cop26: 1bn people will suffer extreme heat at just 2C heating – day nine live

Tue, 2021-11-09 19:00

Climate crisis is driving up deadly combination of temperature and humidity, says study released at Cop26
Tuvalu minister gives Cop26 speech while standing in the sea – video

The foreign minister of Tuvalu, the low-lying Pacific island nation, has recorded a video speech for Cop26 while standing knee-deep in seawater.

Simon Kofe stood in a suit and tie to deliver his speech about Tuvalu’s struggle against rising sea levels.

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In a galling pivot, Scott Morrison hopes he can peek under the bonnet of an EV and be accepted as a convert | Sarah Martin

Tue, 2021-11-09 16:16

Not so long ago Morrison said Labor’s electric cars policy would ‘end the weekend’. Now he’s spruiking his own plan, but there’s no substance to it

It’s hard to say which element of Scott Morrison’s new electric vehicle strategy is most galling.

If you missed the unveiling on Tuesday, there’s not much to catch up on, given the strategy has all the substance of a Corn Thin.

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1bn people will suffer extreme heat at just 2C heating, say scientists

Tue, 2021-11-09 10:01

Climate crisis is driving up deadly combination of temperature and humidity, says study released at Cop26

A billion people will be affected by extreme heat stress if the climate crisis raises the global temperature by just 2C, according to research released by the UK Met Office at the Cop26 climate summit. The scientists said that would be a 15-fold increase on the numbers exposed today.

The key goal of Cop26 is to keep the chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C alive but delegates said there is much work to do to achieve this in the summit’s final week.

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Scott Morrison wants to be Australia’s Prime Marketer – but voters aren’t buying his woeful climate rebrand | Peter Lewis

Tue, 2021-11-09 09:52

The PM has sent the clear message there is no ‘us’ in Team Australia’s climate approach, only ‘me’

Australia’s Prime Marketer has returned from the international launch of this new The Australian Way brand and, much like his previous forays on to the world stage, it has been a polarising affair.

In a brazen reimagining of his “Cool Coal” range, the PM has raised the middle finger to a gathering meant to be about global cooperation by sending the clear message there is no “us” in Team Australia’s climate approach, only “me”.

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Coalition releases electric vehicle strategy but rules out subsidies

Tue, 2021-11-09 06:55

Scott Morrison, who in 2019 suggested EVs would ‘end the weekend’, says he now expects them to make up only 30% of new sales by 2030

The Morrison government has ruled out subsidising the expansion of electric and hybrid vehicles, and expects only 30% of new sales to be EVs by 2030 – a date by which some countries plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

The government’s “future fuels and vehicles strategy” instead includes $178m of new funding, mostly for new EV and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and to help businesses set up charging stations for fleets.

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About 26,000 tonnes of plastic Covid waste pollutes world’s oceans – study

Tue, 2021-11-09 06:00

Increased demand for PPE has put pressure on an already out-of-control global problem, report finds

Plastic waste from the Covid-19 pandemic weighing 25,900 tonnes, equivalent to more than 2,000 double decker buses, has leaked into the ocean, research has revealed.

The mismanaged plastic waste, consisting of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, vastly exceeded the capability of countries to process it properly, researchers said.

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The Guardian view on sewage: ministers must insist on a clean-up | Editorial

Tue, 2021-11-09 04:34

People are rightly disgusted by the filth being poured into English rivers. Weak regulation is to blame

The decision by the Conservative MP Philip Dunne to support the government’s version of an amendment on tackling sewage, in preference to one put forward by the Duke of Wellington and voted for by peers, means that ministers have succeeded in blocking a revolt that had already caused them embarrassment. Since the government’s amendment is weaker than the House of Lords’ one, this is an unsatisfactory ending to a row that had been bubbling up for years, before erupting last month when the Lords decided to impose a new legal duty on water companies to reduce raw sewage discharges, in an amendment to the environment bill.

Mr Dunne’s move is significant because it was his private member’s bill, last year, that dramatically raised the temperature on an issue that has long troubled surfers, anglers and environmental groups – but rarely featured in headlines or in parliamentary debates until the Guardian began highlighting the scale of raw sewage discharges. That has now changed, hopefully for good. Thanks in part to smart campaigning, including the release of drone footage showing sewage being pumped into Langstone Harbour, a conservation area in Hampshire, huge numbers of people are now aware that there were 400,000 sewage discharges by water companies in England last year. The public reaction, which in many cases has been communicated to MPs, is anger and disgust.

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Cop26: Obama warns of 'dangerous lack of urgency' in climate talks – video

Tue, 2021-11-09 03:15

Barack Obama has lambasted those who would play politics to avoid acting on climate change, criticising Russia and China for a ‘dangerous lack of urgency’ at Cop26 in Glasgow. Speaking on the main stage at the climate summit, the former US president also expressed regret for Donald Trump's 'four years of active hostility towards climate science'

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Obama implores world leaders to ‘step up now’ to avert climate disaster

Tue, 2021-11-09 02:46
  • Ex-president criticizes China and Russia for emissions failures
  • ‘Images of dystopia start creeping into my dreams,’ Cop26 hears

Barack Obama has called on world leaders to “step up and step up now” to avert climate breakdown, singling out China and Russia for being foremost among countries that are failing to cut planet-heating emissions quickly enough.

Obama said that while progress has been made at the Glasgow climate talks, including significant pledges made by countries to reduce methane emissions and to end deforestation, “we are nowhere near where we need to be at” in cutting emissions and that “most nations have failed to be as ambitious as they need to be”.

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Weather wonders: Bureau of Meteorology’s 2022 calendar – in pictures

Tue, 2021-11-09 02:30

As Australia braces for a wet and stormy week, the Bom has released its annual calendar featuring images capturing some of the country’s wildest and most magnificent weather events

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Cop26: African nations seek talks on $700bn climate finance deal

Tue, 2021-11-09 02:00

Negotiators say funding needed to speed up decarbonisation and help developing countries to adapt

African nations want Cop26 to open discussions this week on a mega-financing deal that would channel $700bn (£520bn) every year from 2025 to help developing nations adapt to the climate crisis.

Tanguy Gahouma-Bekale, the chair of the African Group of Negotiators on climate change, said the increased finance was needed for the accelerated phase of decarbonisation required to hold global heating to 1.5C.

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Barack Obama backs push for firm 1.5C limit at Cop26 summit

Tue, 2021-11-09 01:40

Exclusive: ex-US president’s support a boost for High Ambition Coalition of countries demanding annual targets

Developing countries pushing for a climate deal that limits global heating to 1.5C have been given a boost after Barack Obama signalled his support.

The former US president said: “Science has made it clear. The dangers of a warming climate are greater than we thought.” In a private gathering of High Ambition Coalition ministers, Obama said: “What you are doing – what the HAC is attempting to accomplish – is vital.”

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Environmental photographer of the year 2021 – in pictures

Mon, 2021-11-08 23:11

The winners have been announced in the environmental photographer of the year competition, organised by environmental and water management charity CIWEM and WaterBear, a free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet. The awards celebrate humanity’s ability to survive and innovate, and showcase thought-provoking images that highlight our impact and inspire us to live sustainably

  • Vote for the people’s choice award here
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‘Stop killing us’: A weekend of Cop26 activism around the world – in pictures

Mon, 2021-11-08 22:44

From Sydney to Seoul and from Swansea to Paris, protesters on the streets send messages to the climate negotiators

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Cop26: Obama to speak; survey shows few will change lifestyle for climate – day eight live

Mon, 2021-11-08 21:59

Day eight at the Glasgow summit focuses on loss, adaptation and damage

The fossil fuel industry has hundreds of people accredited to the key climate talks in Glasgow - giving the sector a bigger delegation than any country, campaigners have claimed.

Analysis of the UN’s provisional list of named attendees suggests 503 delegates at Cop26 who are either directly affiliated with fossil fuel companies or are part of country delegations but are affiliated to oil, gas or coal firms, PA reports.

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Move to avert sewage rebellion in Commons dismissed as too weak

Mon, 2021-11-08 21:12

Clean water campaigners say government proposals are a disgrace and would weaken current law

A government attempt to stop a rebellion in parliament over the scale of sewage spills by water companies into rivers has been criticised as too weak.

Campaigners for clean water said a government amendment to the environment bill did not create a legal duty on water companies to stop releasing raw sewage into waterways.

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China calls for concrete action not distant targets in last week of Cop26

Mon, 2021-11-08 21:00

Senior Beijing adviser also defends scale, depth and detail of country’s ‘unappreciated’ climate actions

Chinese officials are sceptical of claims that Cop26 commitments will keep global heating below 2C, and want other countries to focus on concrete actions rather than distant targets in the final week of the talks.

They feel that China, the world’s biggest emitter, is doing more than it is given credit for, including plans to peak coal consumption by 2025 and add more new wind and solar power capacity by 2030 than the entire installed electricity system of the US.

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Ecologist so troubled by Warragamba dam wall environmental impact statement she resigned

Mon, 2021-11-08 19:28

NSW parliamentary inquiry told concerns of Rachel Musgrave and another ecologist were ‘watered down’ by consultants

Ecologists involved in the multibillion dollar plan to raise the wall of Sydney’s main water reservoir say their input detailing the threat to endangered species in the world heritage-listed region was either watered down or ignored altogether.

The claims – made in separate evidence presented on Monday to a NSW upper house inquiry into the state government’s plan to raise the Warragamba dam wall at least 14 metres – raise fresh questions over the independence of the environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared for the project.

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