The Guardian
'Barely a scallop': fears oil and gas exploration will destroy fisheries
The seafood industry in Tasmania and Victoria is worried about seismic testing and point to research backing their concerns
There are calls for a moratorium on seismic surveys by the oil and gas industry from members of the fishing industry after new Australian research shows it has serious impacts on invertebrates such as lobster, scallop, abalone and crab.
The calls come as three different oil and gas companies have told industry bodies they want to carry out seismic explorations inthe Otway basin this summer.
Continue reading...Forced labour in Paraguay: the darkness at the bottom of the global supply chain
Experts believe that action is urgently needed to expose horrifying labour conditions across Paraguay’s Chaco region
“For me, there are two very important anthropological concepts,” says Patrick Friesen, speaking Spanish with a thick accent. He is a descendant of protestant Mennonites who left Europe to found agricultural colonies in the arid region of the Paraguayan Chaco; he is also the communication manager of Chortitzer, one of the three large Mennonite cooperatives that dominate the economy of this inhospitable part of the country.
“The first [concept] is that people from the north[ern hemisphere] need to stockpile. They work from sunrise to sunset, investing, so they can survive the winter. But a person from the south, to put it crudely, can sit under a mango tree and wait for a mango to fall on his head. Nature provides security,” he says, differentiating what he believes to be the mental maps of the Mennonites and the indigenous peoples who have been living together in the Chaco for a century.
Continue reading...Two directors quit key fracking firm amid 'Tory rebellion' claims
Uncertainty around Third Energy’s North Yorkshire project blamed for resignations
Third Energy, one of the firms at the frontline of the UK’s fracking drive, has been hit by the departure of two of its directors due to delays over its flagship project in North Yorkshire. Campaigners said the resignations were a sign of a company “in meltdown”.
The Barclays-backed company had looked likely to be the first shale explorer to frack in the UK for years, but its plans for the KM8 well have been pushed back by government checks over its financial health.
Continue reading...Reef foundation chair tells senators he had no idea Turnbull was going to offer $444m
John Schubert appears before Senate inquiry into the grant awarded to his small non-profit without tender
The chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, John Schubert, has told a Senate inquiry he did not know the government was going to offer a $444m grant when he agreed to meet with the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and his environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg.
In the hearing on Tuesday, Schubert said the prime minister’s office called with an invitation two days before the 9 April meeting but gave no information on what was to be discussed.
Continue reading...'I was horrified that children are breathing air this dirty inside the school'
Head of Holborn primary school shocked to learn air pollution in classrooms far exceeds World Health Organisation guidelines
Headteacher Gwen Lee had not expected the results to be good but had been unprepared for what the air pollution engineer found.
Levels of dangerous particulate pollution exceeded WHO guidelines in every classroom of the school – and two were more than three times over the limit.
Continue reading...Children inhaling toxic air on school run and in classroom
Tiny particles of black carbon from car exhausts lodge themselves in children’s lungs and can enter the bloodstream and potentially the brain
• ‘I was horrified that children are breathing air this dirty inside the school’
Children in the UK are being forced to breathe dangerous levels of toxic air as they make their way to and from school – and even once they are inside their classrooms, according to new research.
The findings from academics at Queen Mary University in London reveal that young children were absorbing a disproportionate amount of tiny black carbon particles during the school day with potentially devastating health consequences.
Continue reading...Australia's rank on global development index hurt by climate change inaction
Australia ranks 14 after New Zealand, with Scandinavian countries in top three spots
Australia’s commitment to global development has improved over the past year, driven by strong trade, education and finance outreach to the developing world, but it has been criticised for its poor action on the environment and climate change.
The Centre for Global Development annually ranks 27 wealthy countries on their commitment to development across the policy areas of aid, finance, technology, environment, trade, security and migration.
Continue reading...Number of dirty diesels on road still growing, report shows
Three years after the Dieselgate scandal erupted, number of highly polluting diesel vehicles on Europe’s roads has risen to 43 million
The number of dirty diesel vehicles pumping out toxic emissions on Europe’s streets is still rising three years after the Dieselgate scandal began, according to a new report. More than 7m such cars and vans remain on UK roads alone.
There were 29m diesel vehicles whose emissions on the road were significantly higher than official laboratory-based EU limits when the diesel scandal erupted in September 2015. But that has now risen by to 43m, according to analysis by the group Transport & Environment (T&E). France has the most dirty diesels on the road, with 8.7m, followed by Germany’s 8.2m and the UK’s 7.3m.
Continue reading...Abandoning fishing lockouts from NSW marine parks is 'gutless tragedy' | James Woodford
State government’s decision has appalled scientists and conservationists, and widens divide between city and country
When the Batemans marine park, not far from my home on the New South Wales south coast, was first created, fishing on a beach next to my property was illegal. Then, under immense pressure from recreational fishers, the zoning throughout the marine park was changed. A few hundred metres offshore stayed a no-take zone but line fishing and spearfishing is now allowed from my local beach. One of my greatest pleasures is to head down to the water with my children and cast into the breakers at dusk, hoping to catch my dinner.
The rezoning along the Batemans coast meant substantial areas remained off limits to recreational anglers like me. But there are still more than enough spots to fish throughout the marine park. The tourists still come and everyone who wants to catch a fish can.
Continue reading...Masked-owl avenger? Zorro the border collie is on the scent in Tasmania
A crowdfunding campaign to save the endangered owl hit its target so the four-month old dog gets his first mission
Researchers are turning to a canine companion named Zorro to help them save one of Australia’s most elusive birds.
A crowdfunding campaign to save the masked owl has hit its $60,000 target, which means the four-month-old border collie will be enlisted on his first mission – dubbed Operation Owl-Dog – to track down Tasmania’s endangered masked owl.
Continue reading...Germany launches world's first hydrogen-powered train
Two trains built by the French train maker Alstom are now operating on a 62 mile stretch of line in northern Germany
Germany has rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology.
Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, on Monday began running a 62 mile (100km) route between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany – a stretch normally plied by diesel trains.
Continue reading...California plans to show the world how to meet the Paris climate target | Dana Nuccitelli
Governor Jerry Brown signed an executive order for statewide carbon neutrality by 2045
Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed State Senator and US Senate candidate Kevin de León’s SB 100, which mandates that the state obtain all of its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2045. That in itself was a big deal, but Brown didn’t stop there; he also issued an executive order calling for the entire California economy to become carbon-neutral by 2045. That’s a huge deal.
In order to stay below the Paris climate threshold of 2°C global warming above pre-industrial temperatures, humanity must become carbon-neutral by around 2060 or 2070. If California can meet Brown’s target, it will be providing the rest of the world a blueprint for meeting the Paris target. As the world’s fifth-largest economy, California can provide a powerful roadmap for others to follow.
Continue reading...NSW government makes U-turn over marine park sanctuary zones
Coalition’s backdown follows reversals on stadiums, greyhounds, council amalgamations and emergency services levy
The New South Wales government has performed yet another about-face, ditching a proposed ban on fishing at 25 “no take” sanctuary zones in a proposed marine park stretching between Newcastle and Wollongong.
Just weeks after the government announced the plan to create the Sydney region marine park, the primary industries minister, Niall Blair, backed down on Monday after sustained opposition from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party.
Continue reading...Endangered species on a train
Some species are so close to extinction, that every remaining member can fit on a New York subway carriage (if they squeeze).
All estimates come from the IUCN Red List, 2018.
Continue reading...Car-free day in Paris and Brussels – in pictures
The people of the French and Belgian cities enjoy a rare traffic-free day. Guardian Cities wants to hear your experiences of urban walking – good and bad.
Continue reading...Electric cars: who to bless and who to blame on the road ahead | Letters
Your editorial (13 September) accuses motor manufacturers of inaction on electric cars. This is based neither on evidence nor on understanding of the decades it takes to develop such technologies.
Industry is committed to a zero-emission future and is investing heavily in electrified and other technologies. But while it can deliver the technology, it can’t determine the pace of uptake. Increasing consumer confidence, addressing infrastructure accessibility and overcoming range anxiety are vital. As with any new technology, this is expensive, so long-term government support will be essential.
Continue reading...Labour is divided over its proposed fracking ban – Cuadrilla chief
Accusation comes only weeks before the UK’s first fracking in seven years
The shale gas explorer Cuadrilla has accused the Labour party of being divided on its proposed fracking ban and of unnecessarily politicising the search for shale gas.
Francis Egan, the chief executive of Cuadrilla, which is only weeks away from beginning the UK’s first fracking in seven years, said the prospect of a Labour government coming to power was a risk that he would be “silly to ignore”.
Continue reading...Air pollution particles found in mothers' placentas
New research shows direct evidence that toxic air – already strongly linked to harm in unborn babies – travels through mothers’ bodies
Scientists have found the first evidence that particles of air pollution travel through pregnant women’s lungs and lodge in their placentas.
Toxic air is already strongly linked to harm in foetuses but how the damage is done is unknown. The new study, involving mothers living in London, UK, revealed sooty particles in the placentas of each of their babies and researchers say it is quite possible the particles entered the foetuses too.
Continue reading...About Seascape: the state of our oceans – a Guardian series
This project focuses on the health of the seas, the impact of fishing and pollution on our vast oceans and their connections to climate change, and global efforts to drive forward conservation
This series draws attention to the dramatic changes taking place in our oceans, and the innovations under way to tackle them. It is supported, in part, through a grant to theguardian.org by the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children, enabling the creative pursuit of science, advancing reproductive health, and conserving and restoring the earth’s natural systems.
All of the journalism is editorially independent, commissioned and produced by our Guardian journalists. You can read more about content funding on the Guardian here.
Continue reading...Adani is on the back foot. But even a downsized Carmichael mine spells global calamity | John Quiggin
The catastrophic prospect of 300m tonnes of carbon a year appears to have been averted, but even 25m poses a danger to the climate
The recent announcement by Adani that it will halve the costs of its rail line to the proposed Carmichael coalmine by building a shorter, narrow-gauge line raises an obvious question: if such a massive cost-saving is feasible, why didn’t Adani go that way in the first place?
The short answer is this is the latest in a string of changes that have massively downsized both the Carmichael project and the bigger plans to develop the Galilee Basin. The longer answer is that, despite optimistic talk about a long-term future for coal, the writing is on the wall. The only way to make money out of coal is to do so quickly, before the present gradual decline turns into a collapse.
Continue reading...