Sumatran rhinos likely to become extinct, warn environment experts
Conservation group IUCN wants Indonesia and international donors to take urgent action to save ‘weirdest of all rhinos’ Earth’s last remaining Sumatran rhinos are edging perilously close to extinction, according to one of the world’s top conservation bodies. There are fewer than 100 of the animals left in the rainforests of the Indonesian island of […]
Bill Shorten backs windfarms and pans royal commission in solo outing on Q&A
Asked if he would automatically step down if investigation into trade union corruption made adverse findings against him, Labor leader says no Bill Shorten has said he will not automatically step down as leader of the federal branch of the Labor party if the royal commission into trade union corruption makes adverse findings against him. […]
Osborne expected to back Chinese nuclear power station in Essex
Chancellor, who is on trade mission in China, believed to have agreed to Chinese constructing their own plant at Bradwell to secure backing for Hinkley Point China is expected to be allowed to build a nuclear power station in Essex as George Osborne embraced the world’s most populous country as an ideal partner for British […]
Filthy air and foul weather
Too much pollution makes us cough and wheeze, but did you know that it can also change our weather? In July 2013 Beichuan County, a mountainous region in southwest China, was devastated by a catastrophic flood, with 94cm of rain falling in just two days. It was the worst flood the region has seen in […]
The Guardian view on Hinkley Point C: overcomplicated, overpriced and overdue | Editorial
Nuclear power may be necessary to limit climate change, but this is the wrong nuclear option The case for decarbonising power supplies in order to limit climate change is now beyond challenge. The best way of doing it is as contentious as ever. Every option – carbon capture and storage to reduce coal-fired power stations’ […]
Hinkley Point fails on cost and reliability, but the show must go on
George Osborne, instead of travelling to Beijing, should have stayed at home and ordered an independent review of Hinkley’s economics Infrastructure analysts know the phenomenon well. A project becomes so expensive and difficult during the planning stage that the sensible course would be to abandon it altogether. Yet the backers plough on regardless because they […]
US may be drastically underestimating landfill emissions – study
Methane emissions from American landfills could be much higher than thought because of garbage underestimates by the EPA, reports ClimateCentral Landfills may be emitting more methane than previously reported because the Environmental Protection Agency may be drastically underestimating how much garbage is being deposited in landfills across the US, according to a new Yale University […]
German minister tells Volkswagen to clear up emissions scandal
Shares fall by almost a fifth as economy minister says US claims over falsified data threaten reputation of German car industry The German government has warned that the Volkswagen emissions fixing scandal is putting at risk the reputation of the country’s automotive industry, as shares in Europe’s largest carmaker slumped by nearly 20%. Shares plunged […]
Eco-geeks hold open source alternative to UN climate talks
A £20 wind turbine, 3D printed water filter and modular cargo bike among offerings from network of sustainable lifestyle innovators This December world leaders convene in Paris for COP21, their 21st attempt at curbing global climate change. Divided by borders, assembled in hierarchies and motivated by the kind of competitive ideology shared by the neoliberal […]
OECD: leading countries spend $200bn a year subsidising fossil fuels
Thinktank says member states and six biggest emerging economies should use sum to tackle climate change instead Rich western countries and the world’s leading developing nations are spending up to $200bn (£130bn) a year subsidising fossil fuels, according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Paris-based thinktank said its 34 […]