Environment news

• Pandora to ditch mined diamonds over sustainability concerns

  05-05-2021 11:06
  
  The world's largest jewellery brand, Pandora, has announced plans to stop sourcing mined diamonds and to switch to only lab-grown alternatives.
  
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• Albanese’s promised clean economy act has been a long time coming, but it’s the right place to start | Adam Morton

  16-04-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The challenge for a resource-rich, medium-sized economy such as Australia is to identify the right green industries to focus on, while minimising the risks to taxpayersGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastIt’s taken a while to get here, but Anthony Albanese is on the verge of promising what some economists and most clean energy advocates have been urging Australian governments to do for years. Or at least a version of it.The prime minister’s promis
  
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• World faces ‘deathly silence’ of nature as wildlife disappears, warn experts

  16-04-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Loss of intensity and diversity of noises in ecosystems reflects an alarming decline in healthy biodiversity, say sound ecologistsRead more: No birdsong, no water in the creek, no beating wings: how a haven for nature fell silentSounds of the natural world are rapidly falling silent and will become “acoustic fossils” without urgent action to halt environmental destruction, international experts have warned.As technology develops, sound has become an increasingly important way of meas
  
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• The killer whale trainers who still defend captivity: ‘I’m an endangered species myself’

  16-04-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The 2013 documentary Blackfish turned orca trainers into pariahs in the US. Now some are hitting it big in ChinaSome people spend a long time deciding what they want to do in life. Hazel McBride feels lucky that she’s always known. As a child in Scotland, she watched a VHS tape of Free Willy on repeat. That was the first time she felt a connection with killer whales. The second time was at age eight, on a trip to SeaWorld Orlando in 2000. Shamu was the animal world’s greatest celebri
  
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• No birdsong, no water in the creek, no beating wings: how a haven for nature fell silent

  16-04-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As the soundscape of the natural world began to disappear over 30 years, one man was listening and recording it allRead more: World faces ‘deathly silence’ of nature as wildlife disappears, warn expertsThe tale starts 30 years ago, when Bernie Krause made his first audio clip in Sugarloaf Ridge state park, 20 minutes’ drive from his house near San Francisco. He chose a spot near an old bigleaf maple. Many people loved this place: there was a creek and a scattering of picnic ben
  
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• ‘Water is more valuable than oil’: the corporation cashing in on America’s drought

  16-04-2024 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  In an unprecedented deal, a private company purchased land in a tiny Arizona town – and sold its water rights to a suburb 200 miles away. Local residents fear the agreement has ‘opened Pandora’s box’One of the biggest battles over Colorado River water is being staged in one of the west’s smallest rural enclaves.Tucked into the bends of the lower Colorado River, Cibola, Arizona, is a community of about 200 people. Maybe 300, if you count the weekenders who come to bo
  
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• UK facing food shortages and price rises after extreme weather

  16-04-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Heavy rain likely to cause low yields in Britain and other parts of Europe, with drought in Morocco hitting importsWhich UK foods are at risk?The UK faces food shortages and price rises as extreme weather linked to climate breakdown causes low yields on farms locally and abroad.Record rainfall has meant farmers in many parts of the UK have been unable to plant crops such as potatoes, wheat and vegetables during the key spring season. Crops that have been planted are of poor quality, with some ro
  
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• Country diary: As close to immortality as British nature can get | Mark Cocker

  16-04-2024 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Fortingall, Perthshire: Standing in front of this truly great yew tree – some say the oldest in the country – one wonders how to capture its totalityThe yew in the churchyard here has a legend as the oldest tree in Britain, although its exact age is a matter of dispute. Many propose that it is older than Christianity and some that it could even predate Stonehenge.Perhaps a more revealing comparison arises with an “artefact” from about the same period (circa 3000BC). It&rs
  
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• Aerial video shows mass coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef amid global heat stress event – video

  16-04-2024 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Scientists have recorded widespread bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef as global heating creates a fourth planet-wide bleaching event. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch, 54% of ocean waters containing coral reefs have been experiencing heat stress high enough to cause bleachingGlobal heating pushes coral reefs towards worst planet-wide mass bleaching on record Continue reading...
  
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• UK accused of double counting £500m of aid to meet climate pledge

  16-04-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Humanitarian work in Afghanistan and Yemen now classified as climate finance, FoI request reveals, as £11.6bn pledge slipsThe UK government has been accused of double counting £500m of overseas aid as climate finance in an attempt to meet its commitments under the Paris agreement .Money for humanitarian work in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia is now being classified as climate finance, according to documents released under a freedom of information request by the website Carbon Brief.
  
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• ‘Super cute please like’: the unstoppable rise of Shein

  16-04-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It is taking fast fashion to ever faster and ever cheaper extremes, and making billions from it. Why is the whole world shopping at Shein?For another five hours and 47 minutes, I can buy a Royal Blue Twist Front Cloak Sleeve Slit Back Dress for $5.90, a Striped Pattern High Neck Drop Shoulder Split Hem Sweater for $8.50, or a Solid Sweetheart Neck Crop Tube Top for $1.90. When today’s 90%-off sale ends at 8pm, the crop top will revert to its original price: $4. There are 895 items on flash
  
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• Soundscape ecology: a window into a disappearing world – podcast

  16-04-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  What can sound tell us about nature loss? Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay about her visit to Monks Wood in Cambridgeshire, where ecologist Richard Broughton has witnessed the decline of the marsh tit population over 22 years, and has heard the impact on the wood’s soundscape. As species lose their habitats across the world, pioneering soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause has argued that if we listen closely, nature can tell us everything we need to know ab
  
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• Conservationists condemn France’s protest over UK’s bottom-trawling ban

  15-04-2024 19:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Paris claims ban breaches UK-EU trade deal but environmentalists say dispute is ‘hypocrisy’, given Macron’s rhetoric on saving oceansFrance has been accused of hypocrisy by conservationists over a fresh post-Brexit dispute with the UK over fishing rights.France launched an official protest after the UK banned bottom trawling from parts of its territorial waters last month, with the aim of protecting vulnerable habitats. Continue reading...
  
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• Climate crisis increasing frequency of deadly ocean upwells, study finds

  15-04-2024 18:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Intense patches of cold water rising from the depths are killing sharks, rays and other creatures, researchers sayA climate-disrupted ocean is pushing sharks, rays and other species to flee ever-hotter water in the tropics, only for them to be killed by increasingly intense upwells of cold water from the depths, a study has found.One of the authors of the paper described the “eerie” aftermath of a mass die-off of more than 260 marine organisms from 81 species in a singular event of e
  
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• Global heating pushes coral reefs towards worst planet-wide mass bleaching on record

  15-04-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The percentage of reef areas experiencing bleaching-level heat stress is increasing by about 1% a week, scientists sayGlobal heating has pushed the world’s coral reefs to a fourth planet-wide mass bleaching event that is on track to be the most extensive on record, US government scientists have confirmed.Some 54% of ocean waters containing coral reefs have experienced heat stress high enough to cause bleaching, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Watch sa
  
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• Wrestling the octopus: the masked gang who fought to save England from urban sprawl

  15-04-2024 15:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Bludy Beershop, Bill Stickers, Red Biddy: with their unlikely pseudonyms, the members of ‘Ferguson’s Gang’ raised a fortune for the National Trust – and rescued many landmarks from oblivion. But who were they?Hanging from a drawing pin in Shalford Mill, in a tiny room just a couple of metres above its mighty water wheel and the tumbling River Tillingbourne, is a brown paper bandit’s mask. It is almost invisible in the shadows of the hefty 18th-century beams, and its
  
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• Earthworm crowned UK invertebrate of the year by Guardian readers

  15-04-2024 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Lumbricus terrestris claims landslide victory with 38% of vote, while Asian or yellow-legged hornet comes in last with 0.8%It’s a political earthquake! The common earthworm, the soil-maker, food provider and grand recycler, is the landslide winner of the inaugural UK invertebrate of the year competition.Lumbricus terrestris, also known as the lob worm, dew worm and nightcrawler, took a mighty 38% of the popular vote after readers nominated it to be added to the shortlist for the Guardian c
  
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• Dragons, sea toads and the longest creature ever seen found on undersea peaks off South America

  15-04-2024 12:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Underwater mountains are biodiversity hotspots and researchers exploring the Salas y Gómez ridge off Chile have found 50 species probably new to science. How much more has yet to be discovered?Photographs by ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean InstituteSquat lobsters, bright red sea toads and deep-sea dragon fish were among more than 160 species never previously seen in the region that were spotted on a recent expedition exploring an underwater mountain range off the coast of South America. Resea
  
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• Record number of river barriers removed across Europe in 2023

  15-04-2024 11:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Removal of nearly 500 barriers last year will help restore disturbed waterways to their natural state, says Dam Removal EuropeEurope removed a record number of dams and other barriers from its rivers in 2023, a report has found, helping to restore its disturbed waterways to their natural states.Nearly 500 barriers were taken out of European rivers last year, according to figures compiled by Dam Removal Europe, an increase of 50% from the year before. Continue reading...
  
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• Weather tracker: Gulf braced for thunderstorms

  15-04-2024 11:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Heavy rain forecast in Saudi Arabia and UAE as France and Spain cool down after weekend of high temperaturesIntense thunderstorms are forecast across parts of the Gulf on Monday and Tuesday, bringing very high rainfall to the region and a significant flooding risk in parts.Low pressure over the Arabian peninsula will deepen on Monday while a flow of moist tropical air moves into the region, significantly enhancing the production of showers as a result. Continue reading...
  
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• There’s no such thing as a benign beef farm – so beware the ‘eco-friendly’ new film straight out of a storybook | George Monbiot

  15-04-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A highly misleading new documentary claims soil carbon storage can redeem the livestock industry – it’s all so much ‘moo-woo’We draw our moral lines in arbitrary places. We might believe we’re guided only by universal values and proven facts, but often we’re swayed by deep themes of which we might be unaware. In particular, we tend to associate the imagery and sensations of our earliest childhood with what is good and right. When we see something that chimes w
  
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• Exploring why we photograph animals – in pictures

  15-04-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A new collection of wildlife photography aims to help understand why people have photographed animals at different points in history and what it means in the present. Huw Lewis-Jones explores the animal in photography through the work of more than 100 photographers in Why We Photograph Animals, supporting the images with thematic essays to provide historical contextPhotography on display at the Cheltenham science festival 4-9 June 2024 Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: All of life is in these farmyard geese | Kate Blincoe

  15-04-2024 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: There’s such comedy in their waddling aggression, and such tragic hope in their clutch that just won’t hatchThere’s a hissing noise, then a peal of nervous laughter. The grey gander is on the rampage again, chasing anyone who comes within a few metres of him and his goose. Usually the pair are sedate, waddling around together, orange beaks grazing the grass. They’re just another couple of farmyard characters among an assorted bunch of dogs, hor
  
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• ‘Solar powered vacuum cleaners’: the native plants that could clean toxic soil

  14-04-2024 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Indigenous groups see hope in the environmentally friendly process of bioremediation. But will cities pay attention?It almost looked like a garden. In Taylor Yard, a former railyard near downtown Los Angeles, volunteers knelt down to tend to scrubby plants growing in neat rows under the sweltering sun.But beneath the concrete of the 60-acre site overlooking the Los Angeles River, the soils were soaked with an assortment of hazardous heavy metals and petrochemicals like lead, cadmium, diesel, and
  
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• ‘We found 700 different species’: astonishing array of wildlife discovered in Cambodia mangroves

  14-04-2024 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Hairy-nosed otters and cats that catch fish are among the startling diversity of creatures making their home in threatened habitatsOne of the most comprehensive biodiversity surveys ever carried out in a mangrove forest has revealed that an astonishing array of wildlife makes its home in these key, threatened habitats.Hundreds of species – from bats to birds and fish to insects – were identified during the study of the Peam Krasop sanctuary and the adjacent Koh Kapik Ramsar reserve i
  
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• ‘Grownup’ leaders are pushing us towards catastrophe, says former US climate chief

  14-04-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Paris agreement negotiator Todd Stern attacks premiers who say that decarbonisation programmes are unrealistic and should be slowed downPolitical leaders who present themselves as “grownups” while slowing the pace of climate action are pushing the world towards deeper catastrophe, a former US climate chief has warned.“We are slowed down by those who think of themselves as grownups and believe decarbonisation at the speed the climate community calls for is unrealistic,” sa
  
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• The disease-busting hybrids that could bring back the majestic English elm

  14-04-2024 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The tree all but vanished in the 1970s. Now, thanks to two amateur nature lovers, it may soon grace our landscapes againConstable painted them. Shakespeare wrote of them. And Francis Drake sailed the world in a ship made from them. English elms were a mainstay of England’s landscape and culture – until they all but disappeared to Dutch elm disease in the 1970s.Since that devastation, when 25m elms were felled, enthusiasts and academics have searched for varieties resistant to the fun
  
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• ‘The courgettes were so good last year, I got a tattoo of one’: life on a Birmingham allotment

  14-04-2024 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A city of welly-wearers, Birmingham has more allotments than any other UK local authority – some of its keen plotholders tell us whyOn Dads Lane, where several Birmingham suburbs meet, there is a gap in the houses, no wider than a driveway. If you didn’t know what was hiding in there, you would walk straight past. It is a brisk, bright Sunday in late March, and behind the gate, a narrow road stretches out into a busy haven of growth and greenery. The city centre is less than four mil
  
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• Jail for holding a placard? Protest over the climate crisis is being brutally suppressed | Natasha Walter

  13-04-2024 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The legal repression of activism has been fast and frightening, yet it won’t make protesters disappear and only sows divisionYears ago, when Dr Sarah Benn recognised the scale of the climate crisis, she made sure that she was doing all the right things. She recycled, she went vegan, she stopped flying, she voted Green, she signed petitions. It was because she didn’t see real change happening, despite doing all those things, that she then went further. She glued her hand to a bui
  
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• Rope-entangled right whale spotted off coast of New England

  13-04-2024 15:42 via theguardian.com
  
  The marine mammals are increasingly endangered as warmer waters push them into ship traffic and fishing gearA North Atlantic right whale has been spotted entangled in rope off New England, worsening an already devastating year for the vanishing animals, federal authorities said.Right whales number less than 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with ships. The entangled whale was seen on Wednesday about 50 miles (80km) south of Rhode Island’s Block Island, t
  
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