Search results

To keep the climate habitable, most scientists agree that switching to renewable energy alone isn’t enough – Americans also need to change the way they eat. Environmental and public health advocates are pushing a new strategy to help get there: including climate breakdown in the official US dietary guidelines, which shape what goes into billions of meals eaten across the country every year.Every five years, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services jointly publish a new version of the guidelines. They form the basis for the public-facing eating guide MyPlate, formerly MyPyramid, as well as many government-backed meal programs, such as National School Lunch. Historically, these guidelines have narrowly focused on human nutrition, but some are now saying they should be expanded to incorporate climate considerations as well.

Environment secretary George Eustice responds to criticism from MPs for not tackling pollutionEnvironment secretary George Eustice insisted on Tuesday that the government was tackling the millions of hours of raw sewage discharges into rivers and seas in England as MPs demanded answers to a summer of water companies dumping effluent into holiday swimming spots.Caroline Lucas, the Green party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: “Literal shit is being pumped into our rivers and seas. The state of our water network is a national scandal and the government has utterly failed to take action.” Continue reading...

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken said she’s been involved in the multi-defendant arson and eco-sabotage case since its inception and recognized that the primitive way in which the immense evidence was compiled without any indexing or electronic way to search the material would mean the case “was going to take an enormous amount of time and cost a fortune.”

Conservationists say memorandum should prompt the government to be cautious as it drafts water allocation plans for Beetaloo BasinFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastThe Northern Territory government was warned that increasing water allocations for industry could change the flow to a major Top End river.Conservationists say a confidential government memorandum, released under freedom of information laws to the Environment Centre NT, should prompt the territory government to be cautious as it drafts water allocation plans for the Beetaloo Basin.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

By Emma McIntosh The federal government warned Ontario it could stall Highway 413 if the province doesn’t do a better job of consulting Indigenous communities

Initial comments by British Prime Minister Liz Truss's conservative government have raised concerns about her climate policy in a country which is increasingly feeling the effects of global warming but is going through an unprecedented energy crisis.

Northern Territory party conference passes string of motions urging a ban on fracking and an end to gas industry subsidiesGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastGrassroots Northern Territory Labor members passed a string of motions on the weekend calling for a ban on fracking in the Beetaloo Basin and an end to gas industry subsidies, putting themselves at odds with both the territory and federal Labor governments.The previous federal Coalition government helped speed up gas exploration in the resource-rich Beetaloo Basin, about 500km south-east of Darwin, by handing tens of millions of dollars to fracking companies to incentivise exploration.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Betsy Johnson, the unaffiliated candidate for Oregon governor, spent two decades as a Democrat in the Legislature and even longer as a powerful presence in local politics.

Bill Clinton promised to close the base in 1996. But plans for more construction and a heightened focus on the Pacific put the islands and their unique biodiversity at risk indefinitely. The post As Taiwan Tensions Build, Concerned Okinawans Push for U.S. Military Base Closure appeared first on The Intercept.

By Stephanie Wood Photography by Taylor RoadesA coastal B.C. First Nation dispossessed from its land for decades by colonialism is part of a groundswell of Indigenous nations declaring protected areas based on their own sovereignty — and they’re not waiting around for colonial governments

Is Liz Truss' new government still committed to dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050?

By Fatima Syed Koch is demanding a US$30M refund in international court, leaving Canada to prop up Ontario’s decision to backtrack on climate — after fighting it at home

Australian politicians have a history of opting for high-cost, high-emissions desalination projects. The Queensland government is still wary of using the largely untapped resource of recycled water.

The D.C. Circuit said the Interior Department failed to consider a government report on environmental enforcement for offshore leasing.

Guardian analysis finds 151 licences already granted threaten environmentally important spotsEngland fracking ban lifted – with limits on seismic activity set to be raisedLicences for fracking encroach on some of the most environmentally protected areas in England including national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.As the government lifted the ban on drilling for shale gas, the Guardian analysed where drilling might take place in months and years to come. Continue reading...

Two months after passing historic plastics legislation, state lawmakers send a half-dozen more bills to the governor's desk to reduce waste.

Chilean voters resoundingly rejected a newly proposed constitution in a referendum on Sunday.

With almost all the ballots counted, the rejection camp has 62% and the approve team accept defeat in bid to replace Pinochet-era settlementChileans have voted comprehensively against a new, progressive constitution that had been drafted to replace the 1980 document written under Gen Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship.With 96% of the votes counted in Sunday’s plebiscite, the rejection camp had 61.9% support compared with 38.1% for approval amid what appeared to be a heavy turnout with long lines at polling states. Voting was mandatory. Continue reading...

UK government criticised for reviewing plan to pay farmers for environmental protectionOne of Liz Truss’s favourite rightwing thinktanks has criticised the government for considering ditching a much-vaunted new funding structure for farmers, calling the existing subsidy system “a massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to landowners”.Truss has announced plans to review the Environmental Land Management Scheme (Elms), where farmers would be paid for environmental protection, in order potentially to go back to largely area-based payments. The plans were criticised as being “deeply economically inefficient” and for encouraging “laziness” by the Institute of Economic Affairs. Continue reading...

Sarah Hanson-Young says bill would ‘plug a huge flaw’ in Australia’s current environment lawsGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastThe Greens have introduced new “climate trigger” laws into parliament that would ban emissions intensive projects, as the government faces calls to also toughen up its climate legislation in the Senate.The proposed amendment to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act would stop new projects that would emit more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year and require the government to assess the climate effect of developments that would produce more than 25,000 tonnes.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Right at the beginning, the Biden administration decided that its climate policy would be all carrots, no sticks — that it would provide incentives to do the right thing, not penalties for doing the wrong thing. This strategy, it was hoped, would prove politically feasible in a way that, say, a carbon tax wouldn’t. And this hope has been vindicated.

Morrison government refused to sign Leaders’ Pledge for Nature in 2020 but Anthony Albanese signals environment is back as priorityFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastThe Australian government has signed a global pledge endorsed by more than 90 countries committing them to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced Australia had joined the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature at an event taking place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Tony Juniper urges government to ‘foster both economic and environmental growth’Liz Truss has been issued a veiled warning over new government policies by the head of Natural England, who says “even bankers need to eat, drink and inhale clean air”.Tony Juniper, chair of the nature watchdog, has outlined the vital relationship between the economy and nature in Wednesday’s Guardian, as charities across the country revolt over government plans to slash nature protections and potentially remove environmental requirements from farming subsidies. Continue reading...

The Greens want to ban new mines or developments emitting more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon, and require emissions assessments for others. Follow the day’s news liveGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastToday the Greens will introduce their climate trigger bill to ban the environmental approval of new mines or developments emitting more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon and require an assessment of emissions for projects emitting between 25,000-100,000.The Greens say the proposed laws will plug a huge flaw in Australia’s environment laws which currently allow the environment minister to approve a new mine or development without considering the impact of the pollution from the project on the climate.Australia’s environmental laws are broken. They are failing to protect nature and our iconic wildlife. The State of the Environment Report made it clear that the climate crisis is a driving force behind unprecedented environmental decline and species extinction. The alarm has well and truly been sounded and it’s time to act.“It’s crazy that in the midst of this climate crisis and environmental collapse that a new mine or development can get environmental approval without any consideration of climate pollution or damage ...“The Greens’ Climate Trigger bill will stop new coal and gas. There are 114 new coal and gas projects headed to the Environment Minister’s desk for approval - not a single one should be approved without considering the impact its emissions will have on the climate.” Continue reading...

Credited as the man most responsible for the end of the Cold War, Gorbachev was beloved and loathed in equal measure.

When news broke last week that U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III had at long last agreed to support a sweeping climate bill — and that it would include $369 billion to support clean energy and environmental justice initiatives but would also require continued oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters — I found myself wondering: What would Jerry Brown think? Brown is considered a global leader in the climate fight. As California governor, he signed a 100% clean energy law and served as an unofficial climate ambassadorabroad. He faced criticism for doing little to limit Golden State oil production, but he was still miles ahead of most high-profile politicians. He’s continued working on climate since leaving office in 2019, chairing the California-China Climate Institute and serving as executive chair of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Defence Housing Australia wants to clear nearly 16 hectares of natural temperate grassland in Canberra’s north-westGet our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcastThe ACT government has urged the federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to reject a defence housing development that would destroy critically endangered grasslands in Canberra’s north-west.Defence Housing Australia (DHA) has proposed building hundreds of houses on an old naval transmission site in the suburb of Lawson.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Described as a “landmark bill,” the Massachusetts climate legislation notably includes a provision — the first of its kind for the state — that would allow 10 municipalities to legally ban fossil fuel infrastructure in new and major construction projects. With this policy, certain cities and towns in Massachusetts could soon join others across the country that have taken similar steps to change local building codes to block the use of fossil fuels, particularly natural gas — meaning many people who want gas stoves or furnaces are likely out of luck in these places.

A new report says money from the infrastructure package could be funneled to “highway boondoggles”

Nearly two dozen Republican state treasurers around the country are working to thwart climate action on state and federal levels, fighting regulations that would make clear the economic risks posed by a warming world, lobbying against climate-minded nominees to key federal posts and using the tax dollars they control to punish companies that want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Swathes of rainforest have reached tipping point, research by scientists and Indigenous organisations concludesEnvironmental destruction in parts of the Amazon is so complete that swathes of the rainforest have reached tipping point and might never be able to recover, a major study carried out by scientists and Indigenous organisations has found. “The tipping point is not a future scenario but rather a stage already present in some areas of the region,” the report concludes. “Brazil and Bolivia concentrate 90% of all combined deforestation and degradation. As a result, savannization is already taking place in both countries.” Continue reading...

From defensive flooding to buffer zones, using the natural world in conflict is as old as war itself – now academics have given it a name• Text and photographs by Vincent MundyDuring the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war, the invading force was approaching the Irpin River and the gates of the Ukrainian capital. But the river waters suddenly rose, forcing the Russians to turn back and leaving a trail of abandoned tanks and military hardware. Kyiv breathed again and a wetland ecosystem was reflooded for the first time in more than 70 years.Miraculous as it might have seemed, it wasn’t the hand of God that helped save Ukraine. “That’s warWilding,” says Jasper Humphreys, director of programmes for the Marjan Study Group in the department of war studies at King’s College London, which researches conflict and the environment. Continue reading...

Three House Democrats in environmental leadership positions on Tuesday called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to strengthen standards for voluntary carbon offsets. In the letter, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee; Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Natural Resources Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee; and...

More than 80 congressional Democrats on Monday called on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to back the agency’s union in contract negotiations. The American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, the biggest union representing EPA members, is in negotiations with agency management for a new contract, with its current contract set to expire...

The presence of jaguars on farms in Guanacaste reflects the success of conservation on private property in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is famously biodiverse. Being such a small country, it often feels like the vast amount of biodiversity is stuffed into a tiny container. Like ten pounds of sugar in a 5-pound sack. Over the […] The post Costa Rica Wildlife: Jaguars on Private Farms in Guanacaste appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Montoya's defense asserted that a "government operative" incited her to commit arson and trained her to use a welding torch.

Ahead of the UN biodiversity conference, our reporter reflects on lessons of hope and change in three years reporting with the Guardian’s age of extinction teamSaying you’re a biodiversity reporter doesn’t mean much to a lot of people. “What do you actually write about?” they ask. And this is exactly why there should be more journalists on this beat. The nature crisis continues to fly under the radar.In 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there was a wave of enthusiasm about tackling the great environmental problems, and so governments set up three UN conventions to deal with climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification. Since then, the climate crisis has been treated as separate to the biodiversity crisis, yet there is huge overlap between the two. Continue reading...

CapeNature is taking proactive steps to ensure the Western Cape’s precious biodiversity is protected, following the shocking escalation in succulent and other plant poaching, which has seen hundreds of thousands of plants being stolen. The poaching has increased hugely since 2018, with most of these plants being destined for the Asian market. In the Vredendal […] The post Worrying Increase in Poaching of SA’s Succulents. CapeNature Takes Action appeared first on SAPeople - Worldwide South African News.

Covid testing labs and at-home test manufacturers have been downsizing after government funding cuts and waning demand, despite concerns from health officials

A one-hour stroll in nature decreases stress-related brain activity, according to new research. Living in a city is a well-known risk factor for developing mental...

Using inserted genetic circuitry, synthetic biologists controlled the growth of plant roots for the first time. The post Biologists Use Genetic Circuits to Program Plant Roots first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Stuart Wells was hired in May as the new executive director of the 120-year-old organization.

Lawmakers are frustrated about being kept in the dark as Democratic leaders strategize how to jimmy an energy deal struck with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) behind closed doors through Congress — while also averting a government shutdown. Democratic leadership is aiming to use a must-pass government-funding bill to advance an energy permitting proposal by Manchin...

House liberals are already lining up to push for separating it from government funding. The official group representing liberals is conspicuously neutral, for now.

The number of live animals seized by the Australian Government has tripled since 2017, with blue-tongue lizards and sulphur-crested cockatoos frequently captured.

The Environmental Protection Agency can't appeal a key ruling in a long-running lawsuit claiming negligence by the federal government in Flint’s lead-contaminated water.

A new report says Indigenous communities face an alarming trend in access to clean water.

By Matt Simmons (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter) Klabona Keepers weaves together footage of Tahltan Elders, community members and supporters in the fight to protect the Sacred Headwaters, the birthplace of three major salmon rivers

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments of a case between Idaho landowners and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a dispute that could redefine the scope of the country’s clean water regulations. The first case of the justices’ new term, landing just ahead of the Clean Water Act’s 50th anniversary, will feature arguments about...

Conservationists call on government to reconsider project near Darwin after 100-plus birds were spotted in bushland marked for clearingThe environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, is being urged to intervene to save a population of endangered Gouldian finches threatened by a defence development in the Northern Territory.The first stage of clearing has begun to allow a defence housing development in savannah woodlands at Lee Point, in Darwin’s north, having been approved in 2019. Continue reading...

Based on a true story about a journalist who gets detained and brutally interrogated in prison for 118 days. The only distinguishable feature of his captor is the distinct smell of rosewater. An interview and sketch that Maziar did with a faux journalist on The Daily Show was used as evidence that Maziar was a spy and in communication with the American government and the CIA. Past Presentation

This story was originally published by the Slate and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The most tragic aspect of this week’s catastrophe in Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Fiona has wrecked infrastructure and knocked out electricity for millions of residents, may be that solutions for protecting the island and its population from extreme-weather events like this […]

Facing the Surge documents the tangible costs of sea level rise for the people of Norfolk, VA. Norfolk is home to the largest naval base in the country and to thousands of hard-working Americans struggling to adapt to the rising tides and an uncertain future. The town has registered 16 inches of sea level rise since 1930. But Facing the Surge is not a film about loss and inaction. It tells the stories of citizens from across the United States as they step forward to raise awareness and push their government to solve climate change. Past Presentation

UK households without domestic energy supply contract, such as those living in caravans and boats, will not receive £400 in OctoberWhile millions of households fear government support for energy bills will not be enough to get them through the cold weather, hundreds of thousands of people who live off-grid are worried they will have no help at all.The government response to a consultation exercise into the energy bills support scheme (EBSS) , through which households are given £400 towards their bills from October, admitted there was a problem for households without a domestic energy supply contract. Continue reading...

‘Blatant efforts’ by companies criticised by campaign group Transport & EnvironmentBritain’s biggest housebuilders privately lobbied for the government to ditch rules requiring electric car chargers to be installed in every new home in England, documents have revealed.The FTSE 100 construction firms Barratt Developments, Berkeley Group and Taylor Wimpey were among the companies who argued against the policy in responses to an official consultation seen by the Guardian. The “blatant lobbying efforts” were criticised by Transport & Environment, a campaign group. Continue reading...

A world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On the one hand, government and big business continue to promote globalization and the consolidation of corporate power. At the same time, all around the world people are resisting those policies, demanding a re-regulation of trade and finance—and, far from the old institutions of power, they’re starting to forge a very different future. Communities are coming together to re-build more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – an economics of localization. Past Presentation

Three years ago today, in a statement that would be described as “historic”, “monumental” and “revolutionary”, America’s most powerful and politically connected corporations promised to “protect the environment by embracing sustainable practices across our businesses”. The “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation” came from the Business Roundtable, an influential Washington DC lobbying group whose 200-plus members include the chief executives of some of the world’s biggest companies, including Apple, Pepsi, Walmart and Google. Today, on the statement’s third anniversary, the Business Roundtable and its member CEOs continue to issue earnest statements about the climate crisis. But the organization is also working diligently – and spending liberally – to weaken efforts that would enable investors to hold companies accountable for their climate promises.

American businesses are ready for this change. I’ve spoken with corporate leaders who are eager for our government to act. Many have made big climate pledges and invested significant amounts in clean energy, both because they care about making good on their promises and because it’s good business. Even more businesses are waiting on the sidelines for a strong signal from government that clean industries are a solid long-term investment.

California legislators approved a proposal early Thursday morning to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant operating past its previously-scheduled shut down date in 2025. Gov. Gavin Newsom had urged lawmakers to extend the life of the 37-year-old plant to bolster the state’s power grid as climate change continues to stress the system and boost demand. Located in San Luis Obispo County just north of Avila Beach, Diablo Canyon is California’s last operating nuclear plant and accounts for 8.5% of all power generated by the state. Pacific Gas & Electric announced six years ago that it would retire the plant’s two nuclear reactors by 2025. But Newsom’s administration said the state will likely not have enough renewable energy to meet demand that year without Diablo Canyon.