The Guardian
We need to clean up our act on roadside pollution | Letters
We must cut through the smog of rhetoric if we are to have clean air. Through deft political sleight of hand, the environment secretary Michael Gove’s defence of what the government is doing to address air pollution (Letters, 24 May) diverts attention from the cause of dirty air in most of our cities: diesel-fuelled vehicles. This risks slowing down the action required to tackle air pollution at a moment when more and more people are becoming aware that it is a serious risk to health in places beyond London.
As city leaders, we are keen to work with ministers to tackle the wider challenges of air pollution, but this requires a government strategy that has cleaner transport at its heart. We need a national framework so that residents and businesses can make the shift as quickly as possible to less polluting ways of moving around.
Continue reading...England may get more national parks after protected areas review
Fresh look at system prompted by rising population and decline in certain habitats, says Michael Gove
A new wave of national parks could be created after the environment secretary, Michael Gove, announced plans for a review of protected areas.
The review, which will also consider areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), will look at how they can boost wildlife, improve visit access and support the people who live and work there.
Continue reading...Rare birds ‘at risk of poisoning from eating lead shot’
Several rare bird species, including a breed of red-headed duck listed as “vulnerable”, are under threat from lead poisoning linked to shooting, a new report says.
Numbers of common pochard, a duck species at risk of global extinction, have fallen substantially over the past 30 years, a decline partly attributed to the fact that they eat some of the 5,000 tonnes of lead pellets discarded in the countryside by people shooting game, according to the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG).
Continue reading...How cruise ships bring agonising death to last Greek whales
In an office up a steep hill in a seaside suburb of Athens, a tiny blue light flickers from a computer terminal. Dr Alexandros Frantzis, Greece’s foremost oceanographer, points it out. The light, he says, tracks marine traffic “in real time”.
It is key to saving one of the world’s most endangered whale populations.
Continue reading...Gove urged to follow Europe with ban on single-use plastic
The EU is to ban plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, cotton buds and balloon sticks in a bid to tackle the rising tide of plastic waste, a move that has prompted urgent calls for the environment secretary, Michael Gove, to guarantee that the UK will follow Brussels’ lead after Brexit.
The restrictions on “single-use” plastic will be launched on Monday by the European commission as part of its plan to ensure that 55% of all plastic is recycled by 2030. About 80-85% of all litter in the oceans is plastic, and half of that is made up of throw-away items such as plastic straws.
Continue reading...‘Going to get worse’: red fire ants detected in Queensland's Scenic Rim
Pests could cost the state in billions if the spread continues, Invasive Species Council warns
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One of the world’s worst invasive pests, red fire ants, have been detected outside a containment zone in Queensland’s Scenic Rim.
The ants, destroyers of crops and harbingers of doom for many common forms of outdoor recreation, are considered a potential $45b problem should they ever become widely established in Queensland.
Continue reading...Tree-sitters put their lives in the balance to foil Appalachian pipeline
In the hills on the border of Virginia and West Virginia protesters – mainly women – are defying police and energy companies in non-violent environmental activism
Way out in the Appalachian hills, on the line between Virginia and West Virginia, after an hour-long backwoods hike up Peters Mountain, an orderly clutch of tents were surrounded by a plastic yellow ribbon that read, “police line do not cross”.
Past that, a woman sat on top of a 50ft pole.
Continue reading...Country diary: mystery of the walled 'rooms' deep in the wood
Mike’s Wood, River Kent, Cumbria: There are dozens of black gates along the valley, marking the route of the Thirlmere to Manchester aqueduct
Like little beacons among the hazel trees, stitchwort flowers lead me onwards towards the enclosure. There is always a moment, before passing through the black gate into this woodland “room”, of wondering about the motives for creating a separate space within the wood. The deeply mossed encircling wall strides over the crags and boulders of precipitous ground – a fine exemplar of the drystone-waller’s art. But why an enclosure here?
Continue reading...Senior EPA officials collaborated with climate change denial group, emails show
Newly released emails show senior officials from the Environmental Protection Agency worked closely with conservative thinktank the Heartland Institute
Newly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials working closely with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and tout Scott Pruitt’s stewardship of the agency.
John Konkus, EPA’s deputy associate administrator for public affairs, repeatedly reached out to senior staffers at the Heartland Institute, according to the emails.
Continue reading...The quick way to make a feather hat in Tynemouth | Brief letters
It is not only the Church of England that is forbidden in law to conduct same-sex marriages (Letters, 25 May). The same legislation applies to the Church in Wales, disestablished in 1920.
Rev Dr Peter Phillips
Swansea
• The Church of England should have read the work of Fredric Brown before teaming up with Amazon (Want to know who God is? Now you can ask Alexa, 25 May). In his short story Answer, a scientist asks the first intergalactic supercomputer the first question: is there a God? “Yes,” it replies, “now there is a God.”
John Cranston
Norwich
Air pollution, online wildlife trade and puffins in peril – green news roundup
The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox
Continue reading...The week in wildlife – in pictures
Wild horses, an Ethiopian wolf and a dolphin attacking a porpoise are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world
Continue reading...Doug Ford isn’t “for the little guy” – he’s a mercenary for the millionaire class | Martin Lukacs
A surging NDP can defeat Canada’s Trump – whose folksy act is a front for an assault on working people and the environment
A recent episode perfectly captures the appeal of Ontario Tory leader Doug Ford. Asked about a delayed mining plan in the province’s north, this is how he answered: “If I have to hop on a bulldozer myself, we’re going to start building roads..it will benefit local people but it is also going to benefit everyone in Ontario.” The statement quickly went viral.
In a single gesture, witness the dizzying acrobatics of right-wing populism. There’s the posture of an unflinching maverick, spitting on his hands and getting the job done. There’s the plain-spoken concern for the common man and woman. And then there’s the actual result: a resource scheme that would enrich multinational corporations – who’d help themselves to a 10-year tax holiday – while trampling Indigenous rights and razing one of the last intact wild areas in Canada.
Continue reading...New UK nuclear power plants 'hinge on deal between Hitachi and government'
Japanese group believed to be demanding direct financial support with consumers making up the difference
Britain’s hopes for a number of new nuclear power stations could collapse if the government and Japanese conglomerate Hitachi fail to make a breakthrough on talks for a plant in Wales, a top nuclear lobbyist has warned.
Hiroaki Nakanishi, the firm’s chairman, met Theresa May earlier this month, to press the prime minister for financial support for two reactors at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey.
Continue reading...Frydenberg again delays giving protection to threatened woodlands
Minister accused of letting political lobbying interfere with listing a year after recommendation by independent committee
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Conservation groups have accused the environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, of allowing political interference in the scientific assessment of threatened species listings.
Frydenberg has delayed, for the third time, granting an endangered listing to woodlands eligible for protection under Australia’s national environment laws.
Continue reading...The 22 best US national parks to escape the crowds, chosen by experts
Park visitation is at a record high – good for tourism, not so good for peace and quiet. From Acadia to Zion, Bryce Canyon to Yosemite, leading writers and environmentalists share their alternatives to the most popular spots
Featuring Bill McKibben, Cynthia Barnett, Ryan Zinke, Leslie Marmon Silko and more ...
Location: Northern Minnesota, on the Canadian border
Best place to stay: Camping near Kabetogama lake, for the incredible quiet
Best entry point: Start paddling from Ash river visitor center
America's best-kept secrets: which national parks do you think are overlooked?
As the most popular parks get more crowded, where do you go to escape the masses? We share Guardian readers’ stories
- Do you have a beloved national park, monument, forest or wilderness that is underappreciated? Send an email to publiclands@theguardian.com
11.31pm BST
Welcome to our national park live blog! Memorial Day weekend is a time when Americans get outside to enjoy the nation’s glorious parks – but it’s increasingly clear that the most popular are struggling to handle the strain. Places like Zion and Yellowstone are overwhelmed with visitors.
We asked two dozen experts – from Ryan Zinke to Leslie Marmon Silko and Joan Naviyuk Kane – to suggest their favorite alternatives to the thronged favorites. Now we want to hear from you.
Do you have a beloved national park, monument, forest or wilderness that is underappreciated? We’d love to hear about it. Please send an email to publiclands@theguardian.com with a few lines explaining why your chosen destination is special, and what someone should see or do when they get there.
Starting Friday at 9am ET, we’ll be checking the inbox and posting a selection on this page throughout the day. We can’t wait to hear from you.
Continue reading...Inside the Trump administration's quiet effort to recognize black history
A little-known plan to create more monuments to African American history is underway. For some, it’s been a long wait
Nearly two decades ago, Jim Hunn was wandering around a cemetery in Boyle County, Kentucky, when a small headstone caught his eye. He stared at the name etched on it: Jordan Wallace. Hunn can’t explain exactly why, but he felt an instant attachment.
“I got a feeling when I saw it,” he said.
Continue reading...Pollutionwatch: Air contamination drops by 30% in China
WHO database lowers Beijing’s particulate ranking from 40th worst in world to 187th, as coal plants flagged as key culprit
Beijing is slowly shedding its image as the world’s most polluted city. In 2013, it ranked as the 40th worst city for the particulate PM2.5 in the World Health Organisation global database. Four years on, thanks in part to a crackdown on polluters, it stands in 187th place.
Air pollution in the 62 Chinese cities tracked by the WHO dropped by an average of 30% between 2013 and 2016. China’s air pollution problems are often blamed on the country’s rapid industrial growth but the problems probably date back to the 1950s.
Continue reading...Birds had to relearn flight after meteor wiped out dinosaurs
Fossil records suggest only flightless birds survived when T rex was wiped off the Earth
Birds had to rediscover flight after the meteor strike that killed off the dinosaurs, scientists say.
The cataclysm 66m years ago not only wiped out Tyrannosaurus rex and ground-dwelling dinosaur species, but also flying birds, a detailed survey of the fossil record suggests.
Continue reading...