Google and eBay refuse to ban ads offering to remove car pollution filters
Internet giants say removing diesel particulate filters which reduce toxic emissions is not illegal, although driving without them is Google, Gumtree and eBay have refused to ban adverts for a service which removes crucial pollution filters from the exhausts of diesel cars, sending toxic emissions soaring. Over a thousand diesel car owners have already been […]
Freediver plunges 122m into blue hole to set new world record – video
Underwater footage shows William Trubridge’s world record breaking 122 metre freedive at Vertical Blue 2016. The elite annual freediving competition takes place at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas, the deepest known salt water blue hole in the world. Vision: Vertical Blue Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
Indigenous heritage and development: the fight over Darwin's Kulaluk lease
A bitter dispute over a 300-hectare tract of land has culminated in a Northern Territory government decision not to award it it what would have been the first Aboriginal heritage listing in Darwin It’s a site that supporters say should be spoken of “in the same breath as the Wave Hill walk-off”, a 300-hectare tract […]
Venezuelans lose sleep in bid to curb electricity shortage
Clocks moved forward by half an hour to restrict use of lighting and power as country grapples with economic crisis Venezuelans lost half an hour of sleep on Sunday as their clocks were moved forward to save power at the order of President Nicolás Maduro. At 2:30 am local time, the oil-dependent South American nation […]
A fifth of small firms closed by winter storms are trading again
More than 1,000 businesses across north-west England reopen after being damaged by storms Desmond and Eva More than 1,000 businesses have declared a return to trading more than four months after being hit by severe flooding during winter storms, the government has said. Related: Electricity firm retracts compensation pledge after Storm Desmond power cuts Continue […]
EU is central to tackling climate change, says Ed Miliband
Former Labour leader joins environment secretary Liz Truss and Green MP Caroline Lucas in supporting remain campaign Ed Miliband has joined a cross-party attempt to persuade voters that leaving the EU would damage the environment. The former Labour leader has signed a joint declaration with environment secretary Liz Truss, former energy secretary Ed Davey and […]
Insurance companies feel activists' heat for underwriting fossil fuels
Climate group says Australian insurers lag behind overseas companies in not divesting from fossil fuels Climate activists are targeting the role of insurance companies in the expansion of fossil fuel production, highlighting the impact of extreme weather events on their bottom line. “We’ve already targeted banks and super funds, so insurance companies are the next […]
Spring-flowering trees in full bloom: Country diary 100 years ago
Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 6 May 1916 Surrey, May 4Late spring and early summer have come together. On the border of the heath the blackthorns are still covered with bloom – yellowing, it is true, and often shaken to the ground by light breeze; but, opposite, the hawthorn blossom has opened fresh […]
Gold-mining in Peru: forests razed, millions lost, virgins auctioned
Reports of mining in the River Santiago basin raise concerns given the devastating social and environmental impacts elsewhere Three people in a motorised canoe on the mighty River Santiago in Peru’s northern Amazon some weeks ago saw something deeply alarming. It was one dredge and between 15 and 20 men mining for gold up one […]
Bill Shorten memoir sets out Labor leader's manifesto in book similar to Battlelines
‘Real leadership shows that consensus and negotiation is a sign of strength, not weakness,’ opposition leader writes in part-memoir part-manifesto Bill Shorten has released his own part-memoir part-manifesto, a book casting his life, career and policies for government as part of Labor’s centrist reforming tradition and in the mould of Bob Hawke’s consensus-driven leadership style. […]