Category Archives: Climate crisis

‘The high life can be low carbon’: the European royals taking on the climate crisis

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Despite leading lavish lifestyles, some monarchs are influencing people to make greener choices

When Prince Frederik takes the throne on Sunday, the Danish crown will pass from his mother, Queen Margrethe II, a monarch who has cast doubt on the fact that human pollution is heating the planet, to one who feels bound by duty to call for stronger action on climate breakdown.

“I think it’s important for me to have a message for other people,” he told the Financial Times in 2010 after a trip to the melting Arctic with the heirs to the Norwegian and Swedish thrones, “to convince the broader population there are changes happening and that we are making the change.”

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‘Brutal’ Arctic blast expected to bring frigid temperatures to North America

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Extreme cold warning issued in Canada as US forecasters warn of wind chills in Texas and major snow in midwest and east coast

A “bitter” blast of cold Arctic air is set to bring dangerously frigid temperatures to swaths of North America, forecasters have warned.

In Canada, frigid Arctic air is being pushed from the Northwest Territories down into the province of Alberta, where Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning. The largest city, Calgary, could see temperatures plummet to -34.6F (-37C) on Friday, reaching a daytime high of -23.8F (-31C). This would mark the coldest January day in two decades for the city. Over the weekend, strong winds could make temperatures feel closer to -58F (-50C). In these conditions, experts say exposed skin can succumb to frostbite in less than a minute.

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Australia urged to name heatwaves to combat dangers of extreme temperatures

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‘Heat culture’ of Spain helps communities prepare for hot weather events in the same way they plan for the arrival of cyclones

Australia should follow the Spanish city of Seville and start naming its heatwaves as part of a suite of measures to help communities cope with the rising risks from extreme temperatures, according to a new report.

Naming heatwaves could be part of enabling a “heat culture” where communities prepare for extreme temperature events in the same way they plan for the arrival of named cyclones, the report said.

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Emissions from Israel’s war in Gaza have ‘immense’ effect on climate catastrophe

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Exclusive: First months of conflict produced more planet-warming gases than 20 climate-vulnerable nations do in a year, study shows

The climate costs of war and militaries can no longer be ignored

The planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, new research reveals.

The vast majority (99%) of the 281,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2 equivalent) estimated to have been generated in the first 60 days following the 7 October Hamas attack can be attributed to Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by researchers in the UK and US.

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PM flags consideration of dedicated force for natural disaster responses amid climate crisis

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On recent floods in Victoria and Queensland, Albanese said Australian defence force was a vital asset but that future recovery mitigation may need a re-think

Anthony Albanese and the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, say a re-think of disaster recovery and flood mitigation may be needed due to climate change, with at least 26 homes inundated in the state’s flooding.

Across Victoria, 61 emergency warnings remained in place on Tuesday afternoon as Mooroopna and Shepparton, in the state’s north, brace for high and moderate flooding in the coming days.

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Global heating will pass 1.5C threshold this year, top ex-Nasa scientist says

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James Hansen says limit will be passed ‘for all practical purposes’ by May though other experts predict that will happen in 2030s

The internationally agreed threshold to prevent the Earth from spiraling into a new superheated era will be “passed for all practical purposes” during 2024, the man known as the godfather of climate science has warned.

James Hansen, the former Nasa scientist credited for alerting the world to the dangers of climate change in the 1980s, said that global heating caused by the burning of fossil fuels, amplified by the naturally reoccurring El Niño climatic event, will by May push temperatures to as much as 1.7C (3F) above the average experienced before industrialization.

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‘It’s full of green areas’: mystery of Europe’s heat death hotspot

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Hot weather has proved deadlier in the Croatian city of Osijek than in any other European city but little is being done to work out why

The green LEDs on the cross outside the pharmacy read 38C for the second day running, but the noontime crowds in the centre of Osijek seemed untroubled by the danger that signalled. “We work in the sun but for us it’s no problem,” said Davor, 47, a bike courier with the food delivery service Wolt.

Though many living there may be unaware, this small Croatian city is Europe’s heat death hotspot. In the past two decades, hot weather has proved deadlier in Osijek than in any other city in Europe, a study in the Lancet medical journal found. The researchers modelled temperature and mortality data from the 854 biggest cities in Europe and found Croatians were most likely to died from the heat.

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Rishi Sunak under fire after week of devastating flooding across England

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PM insists government is responding, as some residents are told to expect five more days of misery and colder weather

Large swathes of England ended the week devastated by flood water as rivers reached record highs, provoking a bitter political row over funding for the country’s most vulnerable areas.

Labour accused Rishi Sunak of being “asleep at the wheel” over flood warnings at the end of a week in which at least 1,000 properties were flooded and some villages were totally cut off, with parts of Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire worst affected.

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Hotter, drier air in Europe ‘causing poor crops and greater wildfire risk’

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Researchers looked at 400 years of tree ring data and found ‘vapour pressure deficit’ has got much worse this century

We all know that on a hot day in dry air we feel cooler than at the same temperature in humid conditions. It is simply that in dry air, our sweat evaporates and cools us down. As long as we keep drinking lots of water, we will be fine.

For plants and soil, hot, dry air is much more of a problem. Scientists call it vapour pressure deficit, or VPD. Plants and trees have the water they need to flourish and grow sucked out of them by the dry air, and the ground dries out too. The result is poor crops, dry vegetation and a much greater risk of wildfires. Irrigation, and lots of it, is the only way to keep crops flourishing.

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Rishi Sunak says his ‘working assumption’ is that general election will take place in second half of 2024 – UK politics live

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PM appears to rule out spring election after recent speculation it could be held in May

Starmer says being in opposition is frustrating, and he accuses the Tories of treating it as performance art.

He is now on the passage about his career in public service that was posted earlier. See 9.12am.

If you’ve been breaking your back to keep trading, steering your business through the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, the challenge of Brexit and the chaos of Westminster.

If you’ve been serving our country, whether in scrubs or the uniform of your regiment and what you want now is a politics that serves you, then make no mistake - this is your year.

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Climate crisis: 2023 was UK’s second-hottest year on record

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Such a warm year would have occurred once in 500 years without global heating, Met Office scientists say

The UK had its second-hottest year on record in 2023, according to provisional data from the Met Office, as the climate crisis continued to deliver elevated temperatures.

Such a warm year would have occurred only once in 500 years without human-caused global heating, the scientists said. The heat peaked in June and September, both record hot months in a series dating back to 1884. The UK’s 10 warmest years have all occurred since 2003.

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Berlin’s plan for driverless magnetic trains derided by climate groups

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Local government proposal to revive 1980s M-Bahn described as energy-hogging and vain fantasy project

Plans for a driverless magnetic train that would swoop through Berlin and carry passengers and goods are under way as part of the local government’s attempts to boost the German capital’s green credentials.

The project, put forward by the city’s new conservative-led government, is said to have sufficient political backing and, say its backers, would help Berlin achieve its goal to become net zero by 2045.

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‘We have a responsibility’: the older women suing Switzerland to demand climate action

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Switzerland’s KlimaSeniorinnen are taking the government to the European court of human rights for doing too little to tackle the climate crisis

The women, mostly in their 70s, strode up the mountain with dogged grace. Clacking their hiking poles against sun-cooked rocks, they set sure feet on shaky stones and held hands to cross slippery streams. They knew the heat and strain were a threat to their health – they were perhaps uniquely aware of the risks – but they did not plan to let it limit their lives.

“I’m a mountain climber,” said 73-year-old Pia Hollenstein, brushing away the hand I offered to help her down a big rock. “I can manage.”

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Ski resorts battle for a future as snow declines in climate crisis

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International Ski Federation urged to cut emissions, while activists warn of damage through heavy use of snowmaking

After promising early dumps of snow in some areas of Europe this autumn, the pattern of recent years resumed and rain and sleet took over.

In the ski resorts of Morzine and Les Gets in the French Alps, the heavy rainfall meant that full opening of resorts was delayed until two days before Christmas, leaving the industry and the millions of tourists planning trips to stare at the sky in hope.

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‘White Christmas’ declared as Scotland sees snow – but elsewhere it’s 12C

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Snowflakes in Aviemore warrant Met Office certification but mid-Atlantic conditions hand Exeter airport 13.2C

Forecasters have officially declared a “white Christmas” with snow falling across parts of Scotland – after the record for the highest daily minimum temperature for Christmas Day was broken further south.

Snow, sleet and rain moved across parts of Scotland, with Tulloch Bridge and Aviemore recording snowflakes, the Met Office said.

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Joe Biden plans to ban logging in US old-growth forests in 2025

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Move aims to protect millions of old-growth trees, which are better at storing carbon, but its outcome depends on 2024 election

Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday announced a new proposal aimed at banning logging in old-growth forests, a move meant to protect millions of trees that play a key role in fighting the climate crisis.

The proposal comes from an executive order signed by the president on Earth Day in 2022 that directed the US Forest Service and the land management bureau to conduct an inventory of old-growth and mature forest groves as well as to develop policies that protect them.

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Some of Australia’s strategically important coral islands at great risk of vanishing, study finds

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Fate of more than a dozen islands ‘hangs in the balance’ because of climate crisis, with vexed questions about maritime jurisdiction

More than a dozen of Australia’s coral islands that help to extend the country’s maritime jurisdiction are at high risk of disappearing because of climate change, according to a study.

The fate of the low-lying islands now “hangs in the balance”, said the scientist who led the study, with rising sea levels, marine heatwaves, intensifying weather systems and ocean acidification compounding the risk.

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Steven Miles announces ambitious emissions reduction plan in first speech as Queensland premier

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Miles raises state’s reduction target to 75% by 2035, one of the most ambitious in the country, in a move praised by environmental groups

Steven Miles has used his first speech as Queensland premier to announce an ambitious emissions reduction plan for the state in a move praised by environmental groups.

On Friday, Annastacia Palaszczuk’s newly anointed successor raised the state’s target to 75% by 2035. Queensland had previously promised just 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The previous objective was even lower than the targets set by Scott Morrison in 2021.

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Cop28 president says his firm will keep investing in oil

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Exclusive: Sultan Al Jaber says Adnoc has to meet demand for fossil fuels, and hails ‘unprecedented’ Cop deal

The president of the Cop28 climate summit will continue with his oil company’s record investment in oil and gas production, despite coordinating a global deal to “transition away” from fossil fuels.

Sultan Al Jaber, who is also the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil and gas company, Adnoc, told the Guardian the company had to satisfy demand for fossil fuels.

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Steven Miles to set more ambitious emissions reduction targets on day one as Queensland premier

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Leader will refocus climate debate on job creation in rural areas to remove tension between resource-rich regions and urban south-east, sources say

The incoming Queensland premier, Steven Miles, is expected to announce on Friday that the state will lift its lagging emissions reductions targets, among a number of “day one” initiatives to be unveiled by the new state leadership.

Miles will enter a caucus meeting on Friday as the only candidate for the Labor leadership vacated by the retiring premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk.

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