Revealed: how senior Laos officials cut deals with animal traffickers
Evidence obtained by the Guardian shows how treasury coffers swelled with 2% tax on trades worth up to $45m including tigers, rhinos and elephants Help fund our journalism by becoming a Guardian supporter. Officials at the highest level of an Asian government have been helping wildlife criminals smuggle millions of dollars worth of endangered species […]
Can the aviation industry finally clean up its emissions?
With biofuel potential limited and emissions rising, the need for industry to act is urgent. Hopes rest on a global UN carbon offset scheme to be negotiated at the ICAO summit this week – but critics remain unconvinced When a South Africa Airways scheduled flight flew from Johannesburg to Cape Town last month, it carried […]
Great Barrier Reef: Unesco pushes for tree-clearing controls
UN agency recognises ‘importance of strengthening our vegetation protection laws’, Queensland’s Jackie Trad says Unesco has acknowledged the importance of stymied tree-clearing controls in Queensland to efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef, according to the state’s deputy premier, Jackie Trad. Trad has emerged from a meeting in Paris with a Unesco official, Fanny Douvere, […]
China tops WHO list for deadly outdoor air pollution
More than 1 million people died from dirty air in one year, according to World Health Organisation China is the world’s deadliest country for outdoor air pollution, according to analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The UN agency has previously warned that tiny particulates from cars, power plants and other sources are killing 3 […]
Climate change challenge to Gina Rinehart’s Alpha mine dismissed by court
Queensland court of appeal finds ‘proposed mining would not detrimentally affect global greenhouse gas emissions’ because Asian power stations would buy coal elsewhere if Alpha blocked Miners could run afoul of Queensland’s environmental protection laws if the burning of their export coal overseas were shown to negatively impact global carbon pollution, the state’s highest court […]
Tony Abbott at odds with Mike Baird over shark nets after teenager attacked
Former prime minister says commercial shark fishery should be considered for north coast of New South Wales Tony Abbott has called for nets to be put in place to protect beachgoers in regional New South Wales, saying he is on the side of people rather than sharks, after a teenager was bitten while surfing. The […]
Washing clothes releases water-polluting fibres, study finds
Tiny plastic particles released by synthetic fabrics can cause harm to marine life when they enter rivers and oceans Each cycle of a washing machine could release more than 700,000 microscopic plastic fibres into the environment, according to a study. Related: Inside the lonely fight against the biggest environmental problem you’ve never heard of Continue […]
Climate chief: UK must not use Brexit to water down environment laws
Committee on Climate Change chair urges UK to bring in new laws to replace EU legislation and says Scotland must do more to prepare for global warming The UK must not water down its environmental laws as it leaves the European Union, one of the government’s most senior advisers on climate change has warned. Lord […]
Kea simply takes its share of nature’s bounty | Brief letters
NZ parrots | iPhone 7 | Pictures of autumn | Eating dirt | Bootle accents | Welsh signage From your report (22 September) on the endangered New Zealand parrot the kea: “its destructive habits such as … attacking stock and habitually stealing food”. A wild creature has no concept of harm or property, so both […]
Labour's pledge to ban fracking in the UK is 'madness', says GMB
Party’s union donor says Britain would be forced to rely on ‘henchmen, hangmen and headchopper’ dictators for gas Labour’s third biggest union donor has attacked the party’s decision to pledge a ban on fracking in the UK as “nonsense” and “madness”. The GMB, which backed Owen Smith for the party leadership, criticised the move, saying […]