Category Archives: Environment

Australia news live: Lidia Thorpe claims Anthony Albanese trying to ‘shut me down’ over voice referendum

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Follow the day’s news live

Rain expected to ease over flooded regions in Victoria

The good news is no more rain is expected over flooded regions in Victoria, VicSES deputy chief officer David Baker told ABC News:

The big tap in the sky has been turned off. That’s great news for us. So what we’re dealing with now is what’s currently in the river systems that will need to flush itself through the systems. And we can assess that and we can manage that and put efforts in place to make sure that communities are out of harm’s way. So the good news is no more serious rain expected, and a pretty stable system, I understand, until at least … next week.

We estimate up to 130 properties may be impacted by the event, hence we issued an Emergency warning late yesterday afternoon which was renewed during the early hours of the morning.

It’s mainly homes in that area. Rural homes that may see what we call above floor inundation.

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How can cities help trees survive extreme heat?

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As our climate warms, urban trees will be needed more than ever. A study looks at how they can be protected


El Niño is officially under way and Australians are preparing for a hot spring and summer. Urban trees play a vital role in keeping cities cool, evaporating water to provide a natural form of air-conditioning, cooling air temperatures and reducing heat-related deaths by more than a third. But trees struggle with extreme heat. A study shows that simply planting trees isn’t enough; urban trees need continuing care.

Researchers investigated the impact of extreme heat on trees during Australia’s last major heatwave, in 2019 and 2020. They found species with large thin leaves, such as red maple, were particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, whereas trees with thicker leaves, such as ash and Chinese elm, were better able to regulate their temperature. The results, published in Global Change Biology, show that access to water is also crucial, with well-watered trees able to open their pores and evaporate water, preventing scorching of leaves.

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UK government asks UAE for assurances over free speech at Cop28 summit

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Statement at UN human rights council voices ‘disappointment’ after host country refuses to change restrictive laws

The UK has asked the United Arab Emirates, one of its closest Gulf allies, to explain how it will guarantee free speech around the UN Cop28 climate summit in Dubai after the country refused to change its restrictive laws.

The refusal came after a four-yearly UN review of the UAE’s human rights record.

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At least 20 California public university board members linked to fossil fuels

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Universities may have divested from fossil fuels – but board members still have industry ties, new analysis finds

At least 20 board members at California public universities have direct ties to the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, sparking criticism from climate advocates on and off campus.

Of the state’s 32 public universities, board members at one-third of them either work or have worked for oil and gas companies, as do two board members at the California State University’s foundation.

John S Watson, former Chevron CEO, sits on the University of California Davis chancellor’s board of advisers.

Stephen Strachan, who until this past December headed the oil and gas production firm Strachan Exploration Corporation, is a member of the UC San Diego Foundation’s foundation board of trustees.

Henry Perea, a government affairs manager for oil and gas giant Chevron, sits on the board of governors at the California State University foundation, as does Gillian A Wright, senior vice-president at gas distribution utility SoCalGas.

Megan Lopez, who is Chevron’s policy, government and public affairs representative, sits on the board of California State University, Bakersfield, as do higher-ups at oil company Kern Oil and Refining, fossil fuel exploration company California Resources Corporation, and oil and gas exploration company Aera Energy.

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World’s tallest wooden building to be built in Perth after developers win approval

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Developers say South Perth’s C6 building will be made up of 42% timber and be carbon negative

Western Australia is set to become home to the world’s tallest timber building, a “revolutionary” 50-storey hybrid design reaching a height of 191.2 metres.

Timber will make up 42% of South Perth’s C6 building, including the tower’s beams, floor panels, studs, joinery and linings.

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Type of storm that drenched New York is up to 20% wetter due to climate crisis

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Rapid attribution study finds storm 10-20% wetter after city experienced a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours on Friday

The unmistakable influence of the climate crisis helped cause New York City to be inundated by a month’s worth of rain within just a few hours on Friday, scientists have warned, amid concerns over how well the city is prepared for severe climate shocks.

A new rapid attribution study, released by scientists in Europe, has found that the type of storm seen on Friday is now 10-20% wetter than it would have been in the previous century, because of climate change.

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Australia records driest September as fires rage in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania

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The month was also Australia’s third-warmest September on record as El Niño and the climate crisis combined

Australia has recorded its driest September since records began in 1900 with a national rainfall average of just 4.83mm.

The data from the Bureau of Meteorology on Monday came as fires burned out of control in Victoria and New South Wales amid warnings of potential flash flooding later in the week.

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Campaigners urge Prince William to rewild Dartmoor farmland

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William became largest private landholder in the national park when he inherited Duchy of Cornwall

Campaigners are urging Prince William to invest in significant rewilding across swathes of Dartmoor’s predominantly farmed land.

The land became William’s after he inherited the Duchy of Cornwall, an extensive landholding including the largest privately owned area of Dartmoor national park, from his father, King Charles, when he succeeded to the throne.

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Autumn heat continues in Europe after record-breaking September

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Countries including France, Germany and Poland all had their hottest Septembers on record

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland have all experienced their hottest Septembers on record, with unseasonably high temperatures set to continue into October, in a year likely to be the warmest in human history.

As 31C (88F) was forecast in south-west France on Sunday and 28C in Paris, the French weather authority, Météo-France, said September’s average temperature was 21.5C, between 3.5C and 3.6C above the norm for the 1991-2020 reference period.

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Tory swing voters switch to Labour after Sunak’s green retreat, poll finds

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Survey shows nearly 90% of 2019 Conservative voters say green industry is vital to UK’s economic growth

Almost nine in 10 voters who intend to switch their support from Conservative to Labour candidates in the next general election believe that “green growth” is important for the future of Britain’s economy, according to a poll.

Carried out by pollsters Opinium, the survey found that 82% of all respondents backed the growth of Britain’s green industry to boost the economy, in the same week that the prime minister announced a series of U-turns on the government’s green commitments in an attempt to create a dividing line with Labour before the election.

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Vietnam detains energy thinktank chief in latest arrest of environmental expert

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Ngo Thi To Nhien detained over charges of ‘appropriating documents’, a government spokesperson confirmed

Vietnam state media has confirmed the arrest of the director of an independent energy policy thinktank – the sixth expert working on environmental issues to be taken into custody in the past two years.

A rights group reported last month that Ngo Thi To Nhien, executive director of the Hanoi-based Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition (Viet), had been detained, although at the time there was no official confirmation.

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Call for national strategy to force Australian vaping industry to clean up waste

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Lithium-ion batteries embedded in the products have been blamed for an increasing number of hazardous fires at landfill sites

Campaigners are calling for a national strategy to force vape manufacturers, importers and retailers to take responsibility for the industry’s waste, given the threats it poses to the environment and human health.

Clean Up Australia says consumers are confused about how to responsibly dispose of their used products, which are variously classified as electronic waste or hazardous waste depending on where someone lives in Australia.

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Baby beaver born in London for first time in 400 years

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Arrival result of Enfield reintroduction scheme, started last year as part of natural flood defence project

A baby beaver has been photographed in London for the first time in 400 years, 18 months after an initiative began to reintroduce the species to the capital.

Enfield council began London’s beaver reintroduction programme last year as part of a wider rewilding and natural flood-management project.

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New York mayor dismisses claims he was slow to react as heavy rain causes major flooding – as it happened

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This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest full report on the flooding here:

Governor Kathy Hochul’s office has issued the following steps to residents to remain safe amid the heavy rainfall and flooding:

Develop a household disaster plan and know how to always contact family members. Identify an out-of-town friend or family member to be the “emergency family contact” and make certain all family members have the contact info

Designate an emergency meeting spot - a familiar location where family can meet if the residence cannot be accessed

Know hurricane and storm risks in your community

If you live near coastal areas, learn about your area’s storm surge history and your community’s warning signals and evacuation plans, including safe routes inland and the location of official shelters

Know where to relocate pets during a storm - most shelters will not allow pets

Keep the following supplies on-hand:

Enough non-perishable food and water supplies for 10 days

Battery-operated radios and flashlights and an ample supply of batteries

A first aid with supply of medicines

Important documents: Insurance policies, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security card, etc. in a waterproof container

Cash, checkbook, credit cards and ATM cards

An emergency contact list of people and organizations who may need to be called: schools, doctors, providers, and insurance contacts

1,426 large dump trucks

315 large loaders

81 chippers

80 wheeled and tracked excavators

28 traffic tower platforms

15 vacuum trucks with sewer jets

15 tree crew bucket trucks

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Sunak ‘backs drivers’ with curbs on 20mph limits and bus lanes

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Low-traffic neighbourhoods and fines also face clampdown under plans condemned by active travel groups

Rishi Sunak has pledged to end “anti-car measures” as he set out a series of ideas to prioritise the needs of drivers at the likely expense of other road users such as bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Outlining what he called a “long-term plan to back drivers”, the prime minister unveiled a clampdown on 20mph limits, bus lanes, low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), and the ability of councils to fine drivers who commit offences.

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‘The dog’s very happy’: water-conscious Gotlanders compete for ugliest lawn title

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Competition aimed at encouraging Swedish island residents to save water is being copied elsewhere

Dry, brown grass is no longer a source of shame on one Swedish island where residents have been competing over the “ugliest lawn” in an attempt to save water – and it seems the trend is spreading.

“It was the easiest competition to win, I didn’t have to do anything,” said this year’s winner Stina Östman, a resident of Sweden’s largest island of Gotland, who has mixed feelings about her victory. “It’s always nice to win, even if you are the worst,” she said.

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Cadia goldmine: Newcrest pleads guilty to breaching clean air regulations

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NSW Environmental Protection Authority alleged company had exceeded standard concentration of solid particles under air pollution laws

Mining company Newcrest has pleaded guilty to breaching clean air regulations in the operation of the Cadia goldmine, near Orange in central west New South Wales.

The NSW Environmental Protection Authority began proceedings against the company in August, alleging that the operation of surface exhaust fans attached to the main ventilation shaft for the underground goldmine, dubbed vent rise 8, had caused it to exceed the standard concentration of solid particles under air pollution laws.

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Weather tracker: South Africa floods kill at least 11 people

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Cape Town mayor declares major incident as roads closed and 80,000 people left without electricity

Extreme rain and strong winds across South Africa’s Western Cape province have caused flooding, torn off roofs, destroyed crops and damaged roads this week. It is estimated that the 48-hour rainfall totals between Sunday and Monday were between 100mm to 200mm (4-8in) in this region.

According to the Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre, 12,000 people were affected, but a further 80,000 people were left without electricity, according to the national power utility. The mayor of Cape Town signed a major incident declaration for additional resources and relief measures as 80 roads have been closed, 200 farm workers have been stranded and rail services have been suspended in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces.

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Youth climate activists protest potential shutdown in Kevin McCarthy’s office

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Members of Sunrise Movement say House Speaker is ‘playing political games with our futures’ and must avert shutdown

Scores of young activists with the youth-led climate organization Sunrise Movement are protesting in the office of the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, on Thursday morning, demanding he avert a complete government shutdown.

“As storms rage stronger, fires grow hotter, and heatwaves grow more deadly, Kevin McCarthy is playing political games with our futures,” said Adah Crandall, a 17-year-old Sunrise Movement organizer, in an emailed statement.

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Investigation launched into killings and evictions on World Bank tourism project

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Tanzania government blamed for violence against villagers in national park, while thousands more people face losing their homes

The World Bank is investigating allegations of killings, rape and forced evictions made by villagers living near the site of a proposed tourism project it is funding in Tanzania.

The bank has been accused of “enabling” alleged violence by the Tanzanian government to make way for a $150m (£123m) project ministers say will protect the environment and attract more tourists to Ruaha national park.

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