Environment news

• Australia is becoming an uninsurable nation. There may only be one solution | Nicki Hutley

  16-01-2025 23:24 via theguardian.com
  
  With the outlook for risk of fire, flood and other disasters increasing, this is not a problem that will go awayAs we watch the horror of the Los Angeles fires, Australians are painfully reminded of our own vulnerability to climate change, which continues to exacerbate the impact and frequency of these unnatural disasters.The images of loss and destruction in LA are particularly painful to those who have experienced such losses first-hand in Australia.Nicki Hutley is an independent economist and
  
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• Fleeing mountain lions and scorched earth: can wildlife survive California’s wildfires?

  16-01-2025 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The fires have been devastating for humans and taken a toll on nature, but many of California’s ecosystems will be able to regenerateBeth Pratt has spent her career protecting Los Angeles’ mountain lions, which roam an area currently engulfed by wildfires. These apex predators, also known as cougars or pumas, share a scrubby landscape with lavish private homes and a dense network of roads. When major fires take out huge areas of open space, their options are limited.“This is th
  
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• ‘A ton of unknowns’: months ago, LA residents lost wildfire insurance. Then the fires came

  16-01-2025 16:00 via theguardian.com
  After insurers like State Farm dropped policies, to switch to the state’s Fair plan was prohibitively pricey for manyWhen James Borow realized last Tuesday that his Palisades house was on fire, he was 300 miles away in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. The power was out at his house but a friend suggested he remotely turn on his Tesla and see if the cameras showed anything.From the car camera, he watched in a panic as his house burned. As he drove home from Vegas to LA, he called
  
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• UK accused of undermining democratic rights with climate protest crackdown

  16-01-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  British director of Human Rights Watch attacks ‘dangerous hypocrisy’ of governmentBritain’s crackdown on climate protest is setting “a dangerous precedent” around the world and undermining democratic rights, the UK director of Human Rights Watch has said.Yasmine Ahmed accused the Labour government of hypocrisy over its claims to be committed to human rights and international law. Continue reading...
  
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• Nasa astronaut stuck in space ventures outside

  16-01-2025 14:58 via bbc.com
  
  Nasa astronaut Suni Williams, one of two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station, has completed her first spacewalk since arriving.
  
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• Revealed: UK drinking water sources polluted with forever chemicals

  16-01-2025 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Water industry calls for ban on PFAS after analysis of sampling data shows contamination across countryWhat are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed?The Guardian view on chemical pollution: the UK can’t ignore the risks from PFASRaw drinking water sources across England are polluted with toxic forever chemicals, new analysis has revealed, prompting the water sector to demand that ministers ban the substances and polluters pay for the astronomical cleanup costs.
  
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• Revealed: drinking water sources in England polluted with forever chemicals

  16-01-2025 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Water industry calls for PFAS ban after analysis of sampling data shows contamination across countryWhat are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed?The Guardian view on chemical pollution: the UK can’t ignore the risks from PFASRaw drinking water sources across England are polluted with toxic forever chemicals, new analysis has revealed, prompting the water sector to demand that ministers ban the substances and polluters pay for the astronomical cleanup costs.The
  
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• UK farmland being contaminated by ‘forever chemicals’ linked to cancers, report finds

  16-01-2025 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Levels of PFAS chemicals found in sludge destined for British land would not be considered safe for allotmentsWhere are the UK’s ‘forever chemical’ hotspots?Industry using ‘tobacco playbook’ to fend off ‘forever chemicals’ regulationThe Guardian view: the UK can’t ignore the risks from PFASSewage sludge spread on farmland is contaminating soils, water and potentially the food chain with “forever chemicals”, and whistleblowers from the E
  
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• The media needs to show how the climate crisis is fueling the LA wildfires

  16-01-2025 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  With few exceptions, the news has shied away from showing how the unfolding climate crisis plays a large role in the disasterLast week, as the Sunset fire was bearing down on her Los Angeles home, Allison Agsten approached a group of television news crews gathering in her neighborhood. Did any of them plan to mention the role of the climate crisis in their reporting?The question was professional as well as personal for Agsten, who runs a climate journalism center at the University of Southern Ca
  
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• Rocket launch challenges Elon Musk's space dominance

  16-01-2025 09:12 via bbc.com
  
  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's space company blasts its first rocket into orbit in a challenge to Elon Musk.
  
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• Window to stop decline of England’s nature closing fast, watchdog says

  16-01-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Office for Environmental Protection calls for urgent action after finding government is falling short on most targetsThe window to stop the decline of England’s nature is swiftly closing, the environmental watchdog has said, as its latest report finds that the government is falling short on most of its targets to improve the environment.Some of Labour’s actions, however, including setting up a water commission and writing a new environmental improvement plan, were praised by the Offi
  
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• India successfully conducts historic space-docking test

  16-01-2025 07:24 via bbc.com
  
  India is only the fourth country in the world with such technology after United States, Russia and China.
  
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• Global economy could face 50% loss in GDP between 2070 and 2090 from climate shocks, say actuaries

  16-01-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Report by risk experts says previous assessments ignored severe effects of climate crisisThe global economy could face 50% loss in gross domestic product (GDP) between 2070 and 2090 from the catastrophic shocks of climate change unless immediate action by political leaders is taken to decarbonise and restore nature, according to a new report.The stark warning from risk management experts the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) hugely increases the estimate of risk to global econ
  
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• Economic growth could fall 50% over 20 years from climate shocks, say actuaries

  16-01-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Report by risk experts says previous assessments ignored severe effects of climate crisisGlobal economic growth could plummet by 50% between 2070 and 2090 from the catastrophic shocks of climate change unless immediate action by political leaders is taken to decarbonise and restore nature, according to a new report.The stark warning from risk management experts the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) hugely increases the estimate of risk to global economic wellbeing from climate
  
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• Bloodletting recommended for Jersey residents after PFAS contamination

  16-01-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The island’s private drinking water supplies were polluted by use of firefighting foams containing ‘forever chemicals’Explained: What are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed?Residents of Jersey have been recommended bloodletting to reduce high concentrations of “forever chemicals” in their blood after tests showed some islanders have levels that can lead to health problems.Private drinking water supplies in Jersey were polluted by the use of firef
  
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• Trump energy chief pick says linking wildfires to climate crisis is ‘hype’

  16-01-2025 01:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Democrats criticize Chris Wright’s comments during US Senate confirmation hearing for energy secretary nomineeDonald Trump’s nominee for energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing criticism for disputing the ties between climate change and more frequent or severe wildfires, the Washington Post reports, a stance that is contrary to scientific consensus.During Wright’s US Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Democrats, including the California senator Alex Padilla, challenged
  
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• Ministers pledge record £410m to support UK nuclear fusion energy

  16-01-2025 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Ed Miliband says funding pledge means Britain within ‘grasping distance’ of ‘secure, clean, unlimited energy’The UK government has promised a record £410m investment in nuclear fusion which could help construct a world-leading fusion power project on the site of an old coal plant in Nottinghamshire.Ministers hope the funding, which will be made available for the coming financial year, will support the rapid development of the UK fusion energy sector and deliver &ldq
  
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