The Guardian
One of Queensland's largest irrigators expected to be charged with fraud
Expected charges against Norman Farming likely to throw spotlight on poor federal and state administration of Murray-Darling funds
Fraud charges are expected to be laid against one of Queensland’s biggest cotton irrigators, John Norman, within a matter of weeks.
If the trial of the owner-operator of Norman Farming, and former “cotton farmer of the year goes ahead, it is likely to draw attention to the links between the irrigator’s family and that of the federal minister for agriculture and water resources, David Littleproud.
Continue reading...One man’s plan to let wolves roam free in the Highlands
The echoes of Scotland’s predator prince faded into silence three centuries ago. The wolf was once lord of these Sutherland slopes and the forest floors beneath and now a voice in the wilderness is calling him home.
Paul Lister acquired the Alladale estate, 50 miles north of Inverness, in 2003 and immediately set about creating a wilderness reserve according to his perception of what these wild and beautiful places ought to look like. He can’t imagine them without the packs of wolves that once roamed free here.
Continue reading...Abandoned collieries could hold key to heating UK homes
Scientists are finalising plans to exploit the vast reservoir of warm water that fills a labyrinth of disused mines and porous rock layers underneath Glasgow. They believe this subterranean store of naturally heated water could be used to warm homes in the city. If the system proves successful, such water could then be exploited in other cities and towns across Britain, they say.
The £9m project will initially involve drilling narrow boreholes filled with instruments to survey temperature, seismic activity, water flow, acidity and other variables to establish the state of the water in the rocks below the city. The aim will be to establish whether this warm water can be extracted for long periods to heat Glaswegian homes.
Continue reading...Warming climate could see butterfly loved by Churchill return to UK
Former PM unsuccessfully tried to reintroduce black-veined white in 1940s, but conditions may now allow species to prosper
Continue reading...Country diary: it looks like a songbird, but the dipper is aquatic to its bones
Garsdale, Cumbria: In the water, the wings are both oars and hydrofoils, angled to harness the flow and surf the body down
A few days ago I was asked if I was a birder and apparently I pulled an indecisive face. Now I’m proving the point. The air quivers with curlew music, but I am walking head down. In my defence, drizzle is gusting up the valley, and I’m looking for water vole feeding signs, hoping for evidence to match some promising burrows a little way downstream. There are plenty of clumps of rush, the stems trimmed at 45 degree angles, but droppings are elusive – washed away or disintegrated by the rain, I suppose.
If I hadn’t been focusing down, I might not have seen the dipper, dead in the rushes. Worse, I might have trodden on it.
Continue reading...Fight the power of the frackers by changing energy supplier | Letters
The news from Lancashire (Fracking firm Cuadrilla finishes drilling UK’s first horizontal well, 4 April) came as a disappointment, particularly in the wake of the Observer business leader that suggested fracking companies were running into difficulties in the UK (Fracking industry blows hot and cold amid fuel shortages and false starts, 11 March).
Perhaps the easiest method of thwarting them would be for millions of energy customers to switch their accounts away from the big six and other suppliers of shale gas, and towards the smaller, often local energy companies who only supply gas from renewable sources and unfracked gas.
Continue reading...Deadly oil spill devastates Borneo port city – in pictures
The Indonesian port city of Balikpapan, on the island of Borneo, has declared a state of emergency after an oil spill spread along the coast, killing several people when it ignited. The leak, caused by a burst undersea pipe belonging to the state oil company Pertamina, has spread at least 16 miles (26km) and coated large swaths of the coast in thick black sludge
Continue reading...The week in wildlife – in pictures
Whales, howler monkeys and signs of spring are among the pick of wildlife images from around the world
Continue reading...'We know we may be killed': the rangers risking their lives for Virunga's gorillas
The huge national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most dangerous conservation projects in the world. But thanks to the efforts of a committed force of rangers, populations of endangered species are recovering and locals say the park offers hope for the whole region
It is dawn on the shores of Lake Edward and the sun is rising over the volcanoes on the eastern skyline. Mist lies over the still water. In the forest there are elephant, hippopotamus and buffalo. Guarding them are 26 rangers in a single fortified post.
Then the silence is rudely broken. There are shouts, scattered shots, volleys from automatic weapons. Waves of attackers rush through the brush and trees. Some are close enough to hurl spears and fire arrows.
Continue reading...The cycling club helping homeless women regain independence
Two Sustrans staff members explain how offering residents of a women’s hostel the freedom of cycling is helping to improve their mental wellbeing
A cycling session at Queen Mary homeless women’s hostel in London starts with some reflection in the tea room. Eleven women discuss how they’re doing this week, how the cycling went for them last week and what they’re hoping to build on in today’s session. Then they push their bikes to a local basketball court to practise in the safety of an off-road environment. Supported by instructors from Westminster council’s training team, they practise riding by themselves; pushing off, cycling in a straight line, looking over one shoulder, turning, keeping going.
BP plan to drill in Great Australian Bight risked 750km oil spill, documents show
Under company modelling major spill would pollute beaches and could disrupt southern right whale migration
Up to 750km of coastline was put at risk of contamination from possible oil spill by BP’s plan to drill in the Great Australian Bight, newly released documents show.
Government documents released under freedom of information laws show a major oil spill in the sensitive seascape would pollute up to 750km of beaches and shoreline, according to BP’s own modelling. The company also thought drilling could disrupt migration of the endangered southern right whale.
Continue reading...Country diary: treasures that were once beneath the Cambrian sea
Assynt, Sutherland, Highlands: The stromatolite fossils lie on the Eilean Dubh Formation, a geologic stratum often marked by coral and shell fossils
As I climb up from the green-brown valley near Inchnadamph, the early spring countryside changes character. Snow patches appear and soon become abundant, then all seems white as the mountains’ snow-blanketed slopes merge into silver-grey clouds. On this blustery day, when sleet and rain slash across the landscape and wind snatches at all things, it’s hard to believe the Highlands were ever anything but a cold, damp, mountainous place. But the curious circular rocks embedded in the foothills are evidence that the earth beneath my feet once lay under shallow seas in a considerably warmer climate.
Related: The natural wonder that holds the key to the origins of life – and warns of its destruction
Continue reading...Birdpocalypse? Thousands of corellas cause havoc after swooping on Adelaide
Drones and fireworks deployed to disperse flocks that are stripping trees and annoying residents with squawking and droppings
They come at dawn and dusk.
At first they arrive by the tens, then the hundreds, some sticking to the treeline, others mustering on the oval.
Continue reading...It's not perfect but implementing Murray-Darling plan in full can work | Jamie Pittock
Rivers will be lost, Indigenous communities and pastoral and tourism industries affected if not enough water is returned
The latest proposal to cut 605bn litres of water from flowing down the Murray-Darling river system will test the nation’s faith in water reform.
Transparency, accountability, trust: these have sadly gone missing from the nation’s plan for the health of the river system. Allegations of water theft, inequity for downstream communities and poor governance have all shaken the foundations of faith in the plan that state and federal governments agreed to in 2012.
Continue reading...The wheel turns for the Rolling Stones’ butterflies | Brief letters
Why is Emmanuel Macron always described as a “centrist” in the Guardian (Strike chaos sets rail workers on collision course with Macron, 4 April)? He is hellbent on reducing employment rights and taking on the unions. He may be young and his party new on the political scene, but he is a conservative. Why not describe him as such?
Martin Childs
London
• As the Rolling Stones are touring in Britain this year – the 50th anniversary of the founding of Butterfly Conservation (Patrick Barkham’s Butterflywatch, 31 March) – the band should give a generous donation to the charity in recognition of the harm they did to thousands of large white butterflies released during their Hyde Park concert to remember Brian Jones.
Jacky Creswick
Chester
Ocean waste, air pollution and Madagascar's vanilla wars – 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...Climate change threatens rare British orchid that tricks bees into mating
Researchers find that warmer temperatures are upsetting the seasonal relationship between the early spider orchid and pollinating bees
It is one of the most cunning and elaborate reproductive deceits: the early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) wafts a floral bouquet into the air that mimics the irresistible scent of a virgin female solitary mining bee, tricking gullible male bees into attempting intercourse with several flowers, thereby ensuring the plant’s pollination.
But the sexual success of this rare and declining orchid in Britain is imperilled by climate change, researchers have found.
Wildlife on your doorstep: share your April photos
How have the changing seasons affected the wildlife near you?
What sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps this month? We’d like to see your photos of the April wildlife near you, whether you’re a novice spotter or have been out and about searching for creatures great and small for years.
Share your photos and videos with us and we’ll feature our favourites on the Guardian site. We also occasionally print readers’ best images in the Guardian newspaper and will let you know if your image should feature.
American conservatives are still clueless about the 97% expert climate consensus | Dana Nuccitelli
Now there’s a handbook for that
Gallup released its annual survey on American perceptions about global warming last week, and the results were a bit discouraging. While 85–90% of Democrats are worried about global warming, realize humans are causing it, and are aware that most scientists agree on this, independents and Republicans are a different story. Only 35% of Republicans and 62% of independents realize humans are causing global warming (down from 40% and 70% last year, respectively), a similar number are worried about it, and only 42% of Republicans and 65% of independents are aware of the scientific consensus – also significantly down from last year’s Gallup poll.
The Trump administration’s polarizing stance on climate change is probably the main contributor to this decline in conservative acceptance of climate change realities. A recent study found evidence that “Americans may have formed their attitudes [on climate change] by using party elite cues” delivered via the media. In particular, the study found that Fox News “is consistently more partisan than other [news] outlets” and has incorporated politicians into the majority of its climate segments.
Continue reading...IEA accused of undermining global shift from fossil fuels
Highly critical study warns projections used by the organisation tasked with leading the switch to clean energy remain skewed towards oil and gas and may break climate targets of Paris agreement
The global shift from fossil fuels to renewables is being undermined by the very organisation that ought to be leading the charge, according to a scathing new critique of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Governments across the world rely on IEA projections to set energy policies, but the agency’s figures – which are influenced by the oil industry – are pushing them off track to reach the targets of the Paris climate agreement, says the report.
Continue reading...