The Guardian
Brexit may expose Britons to more pesticides – report
Fear that fall in food standards after UK leaves EU regulatory system could allow farmers to use more chemicals
Brexit may expose people to increasing levels of pesticide residues in food, a report has warned, amid confusion over what standards will apply after the UK leaves the EU.
The government has assured people that high environmental standards will be maintained after Brexit, but campaigners are concerned that the detail of how this may be achieved – particularly after any transition period – is still unclear.
Continue reading...'Talk about bullies!': how 2GB's Ben Fordham campaigned for farmers charged with illegal land clearing
Landowners were painted as battling victims of heartless bureaucrats by the Sydney broadcaster. But was he telling the whole story?
• Hear audio of Ben Fordham on 2GB in our podcast Full Story
• Stripped bare: Australia’s hidden climate crisis
• Farmers prosecuted for land clearing allege former NSW minister gave them green light
‘Right now there are more than 100 farmers in north-west New South Wales facing the prospect of being forced off their land because of the aggressive tactics of the Office of Environment and Heritage, who are prosecuting them for clearing their own land,” thundered Ben Fordham on 2GB in July.
“Legal action is being taken because they cleared vegetation on their own farms! They are facing the prospect of fines of a million dollars, and having land locked up for a hundred years. They face fines of $13,000 for every day they refuse to answer questions. Talk about bullies!”
Continue reading...Artist creates deepfake birdsong to highlight threat to dawn chorus
Somerset House exhibit will feature natural birdsong being taken over by artificial sound
The dawn chorus is one of the wonders of the natural world, but a discordant note will be struck when a soundtrack of hundreds of birds is heard in London this month. The chiffchaffs, great tits, redstarts, robins and thrushes almost sound like the real thing, but they have been created by a machine as part of a major art installation warning of an apocalyptic world where Britain’s bird population has been allowed to diminish.
The synthetic bird sounds are the creation of the artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, who has worked with scientists at an AI company more used to researching Donald Trump deepfake videos to create the work.
Continue reading...Seven Worlds, One Planet: conservation is the key to new Attenborough series
Humans have made a “tragic, desperate mess” of the planet, Sir David Attenborough has warned. Speaking as BBC One prepares to air his new natural history series, Seven Worlds, One Planet, next Sunday, the naturalist said: “We are now universal, our influence is everywhere. We have it in our hands, and we have made a tragic, desperate mess of it so far.”
However, he added one note of optimism. “Nations are coming together and recognising we all live on the same planet ... and we are dependent on it for every mouthful of food we eat and every breath of air we take.” Attenborough also paid tribute to environmental activist Greta Thunberg and praised her “passion, insight and concern about the future”. He described the Swedish 16-year-old as a “political person” rather than a broadcaster. “And making programmes like this, I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I’m sure a hell of a lot of young people are saying, ‘For God’s sake, why doesn’t he move over? Give another person a chance’, but, anyway, there I am.”
Continue reading...Tube protest was a mistake, admit leading Extinction Rebellion members
Senior figures in Extinction Rebellion (XR) admit it was a mistake to target London’s public transport network at rush hour, a move that has split opinion within the movement. Future strategy is now being reassessed, they say.
At the end of the two-week global “uprising”, members of the movement’s political circle announced that it needed to learn from the angry scenes at Canning Town tube station last Thursday when commuters dragged protesters from the roof of an underground train and set upon them. Eight XR activists were arrested during the disruption, joining a total of 1,768 held during the fortnight of demonstrations.
Continue reading...Australia's birds: pretty and sweet or just a pack of bastards? | Sean Dooley
The Aussie Backyard Bird Count begins on Monday and an exceptionally dry 2019 could see a changing of the guard in the top 10
• The Guardian/Bird Life Australia bird of the year poll returns on 28 October
Since BirdLife Australia launched the Aussie Backyard Bird Count in 2014, the number of participants has risen from 9,000 to over 70,000. Unsurprisingly, the amount of birds that have been counted in our cities and towns has also risen – from 850,000 to more than 2.75 million birds last year.
Yet when it comes to the top 10 most commonly seen birds, the song remains the same, with the same species entrenched firmly at the top every year. It’s the birding equivalent of tuning into Countdown in the 70s to find Abba’s Fernando top of the charts for the 27th week in a row.
Continue reading...Resisting drought's day zero: the NSW towns close to running dry
After water restrictions and emergency infrastructure, the final drought strategy is sheer perseverance
People have started visiting the outback town of Pooncarie just to see a place that’s running dry.
Josh Sheard, the publican at the Pooncarie hotel, says the remote town in far south-west New South Wales needs the attention.
Continue reading...Chasing the sun: the World Solar Challenge 2019 – in pictures
The World Solar Challenge, celebrated biennially since 1987, saw teams from around the world set off from Darwin on a 3,000km race to Adelaide by solar-powered car. Belgian team Agoria took first place this year after Dutch rivals Vattenfall caught fire 250km from the finish line
Continue reading...'Older generations can't understand': XR Youth on being heard
For young Extinction Rebellion members, there is an urgency they say others struggle to fully grasp
When five members of Extinction Rebellion’s youth faction climbed on top of the entrance to YouTube’s HQ on Wednesday, they were protesting against a problem that has particular relevance for their generation.
In a letter to the company, they demanded that YouTube changes what the group claims is its disproportionate platforming of climate denial, on a site which is the most watched platform for 16-24-year-olds.
Continue reading...Guardian climate pledge 2019: 'With air travel, it's best to take a flexitarian approach'
Guardian travel editor Andy Pietrasik explains how a flexitarian approach can enable us to enjoy exploring the planet without increasing our carbon footprint
- Support Guardian journalism today, by making a one-off or recurring contribution, or subscribing
We recently published a guide to Helsinki in which we gave details of how to get there and back without flying. In the comments below the article, a reader wrote: “I think you have to concede that it’s a little disingenuous to pretend that people will be going to Helsinki by train and boat … very few will be willing to allocate six days of the holiday just for the journey. It’s simply not a practical suggestion.”
The rise of low-cost flights over the past 20 or so years means we have become so accustomed to flying everywhere for our holidays and short breaks that the idea of taking so long over a journey has become unthinkable. We expect to maximise our time in a location and minimise our time in transit. But maybe that has to change.
Continue reading...Police seek tougher powers against Extinction Rebellion
Strengthening public order laws could be ‘shocking assault on right to protest’, warn civil rights lawyers
Government and police have held talks to strengthen public order laws to allow a tougher crackdown on future Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate demonstrations in what civil rights lawyers warn would be a “a shocking assault on the right to protest.”
The move, which comes as XR’s two-week “uprising” drew to a close on Friday, follows widespread criticism of the Metropolitan police after officers implemented a city wide ban on the protests earlier this week.
Continue reading...Birds of a green and yellow feather flock together in artistic glory
Leila Jeffreys’ ethereal images required 300 budgies, 20kg of birdseed and painting the birds’ toenails
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Growing up in India to an Indian mother and Anglo-Australian father, the artist Leila Jeffreys found herself drawn to the myriad rainbow-coloured birds.
“I was a real dreamer,” she recalls over tea in Sydney, where she lives with her husband, son and dog, Ronnie Barker. “We travelled a lot and I never really knew the names of the places we went to. But if there was an animal or a bird I just zoned in. I imagined their stories and their lives. I always saw them and I saw their characters.”
Continue reading...Extinction Rebellion’s right to protest must be respected | Letters
Campaigners and MPs condemn the ban of Extinction Rebellion across London, while Keith Flett writes that historically protest has always included disruptive elements. Plus letters from Marilyn Mason, Richard Terry, Declan O’Neill, Jackie Ambrose and Peter B Baker
Thursday was not an easy day to be a member of Extinction Rebellion (Movement split over tactics as travellers turn on activist who disrupted rail travel, 18 October). As families involved in the movement, we feel that now is not the time to condone or condemn, but to recognise and reflect on the very human desperation that has driven thousands of citizens to commit acts of nonviolent civil disobedience.
Despite more than 1,600 arrests over the last two weeks, the government is yet to respond with a clear plan of action to tackle the climate and ecological emergency. While we sound the alarm louder and louder, the government remains silent.
Continue reading...Extinction Rebellion protester dressed as Boris Johnson scales Big Ben – video
A climate change activist dressed as Boris Johnson has scaled the scaffolding surrounding London's Big Ben. The man was filmed standing on netting which was hung off the clock tower's frame on Friday afternoon. As he balanced on the edge of the landmark, he revealed two banners which read 'No pride on a dead planet' and 'Citizens Assembly'. According to Extinction Rebellion's Facebook page, the protester is 43-year-old tree surgeon Ben Atkinson.
- Extinction Rebellion activist climbs Big Ben in climate protest
- Brexit: Labour to back rebel Tory bid to force Johnson to demand extension – live news
Second whale found dead in Thames in less than two weeks
Discovery of whale’s body near Gravesend follows death of young humpback this month
A second whale has been found dead in the Thames less than two weeks after a humpback nicknamed Hessy died near the same stretch of water.
The Port of London Authority confirmed the suspected fin whale was discovered in the river at Denton, near Gravesend, on Friday morning.
Continue reading...The week in wildlife – in pictures
A plucky otter, a mysterious blob and a Florida panther on the prowl
Continue reading...Why we're rethinking the images we use for our climate journalism
Guardian picture editor Fiona Shields explains why we are going to be using fewer polar bears and more people to illustrate our coverage of the climate emergency
- Support Guardian journalism today, by making a one-off or recurring contribution, or subscribing
At the Guardian we want to ensure that the images we publish accurately and appropriately convey the climate crisis that we face. Following discussions among editors about how we could change the language we use in our coverage of environmental issues, our attention then turned to images. We have been working across the organisation to better understand how we aim to visually communicate the impact the climate emergency is having across the world.
Our goal is to provide guidelines for anyone working with images at the Guardian. We are also asking the agencies and photographers we work with to provide images that are appropriate to the changing narrative.
Continue reading...Wahala: trouble in the Niger delta – photo essay
Photographer Robin Hinsch travelled to the Niger delta, visiting the gas flaring sites, artisanal refineries, and meeting the communities living in the hugely polluted environments caused by the oil industry
Covering 70,000 sq km (27,000 sq miles) of wetlands, the Niger delta was formed primarily by sediment deposition. It is home to more than 30 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, making up 7.5% of Nigeria’s total land mass.
Continue reading...The Sundarbans crab farmers battling climate crisis – and pirates
With rising seas swallowing Bangladesh’s land and kidnappings a regular hazard, families scraping a living farming crab and shrimp in one of the world’s largest mangrove forests are fighting to survive
“The river is so hungry,” says Peramin Ishak, as he gestures to a missing arc of land from the muddy embankment. “It just keeps eating the land.”
From his village of Datina Khali, which rests on the edge of the Bangladeshi Sundarbans, Ishak has watched the river swallow up a three hectare (seven acre) chunk of land in the past decade.
Continue reading...BHP shareholder vote raises pressure to quit Minerals Council
More than one in five shareholders support exiting groups ‘inconsistent’ with Paris climate goals
More than one in five shareholders of mining giant BHP have backed a resolution calling on the company to resign its membership of any industry associations whose advocacy is “inconsistent” with the Paris climate change agreement.
BHP’s board recommended shareholders vote against the resolution at its annual meeting in London, but 22% of shareholders voted in favour, with another 7% abstaining.
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