-
Ex-energy secretary Ed Miliband’s agenda appears undermined as money is diverted from renewables to defence
Britain is unlikely to hit its targets on green heating after the cuts announced by John Healey this week, experts have warned, as critics of Ed Miliband claim the former energy secretary’s green agenda is being dismantled.
The chancellor unveiled more than £3bn worth of cuts to the energy department’s budget this week, much of which will pay for higher defence spending.
Continue reading...
-
This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
Continue reading...
-
Turkey has been hit by powerful thunderstorms and a fatal tornado this week with more heavy rain expected
Heavy rain and strong winds will continue to affect parts of south-eastern Europe and Turkey over the next few days, as an area of low pressure in the region has allowed for the formation of powerful thunderstorms. During a particularly intense thunderstorm in Antalya, a coastal city in the south-west of Turkey, the formation of a tornado resulted in the deaths of four construction workers on Tuesday. Authorities in Greece and Turkey have released severe rainfall and flooding warnings, as a further 100-150mm (nearly 4-6in) of rain is expected this week in central Greece and western parts of Turkey, with locally higher totals possible.
Travelling eastwards towards south Asia, strong winds and heavy rainfall have swept across the Indian regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Arnab made landfall. With wind gusts in excess of 85mph (140km/h) and rainfall totals in some regions exceeding 200mm, the severe storm has prompted mass evacuations of more than 180,000 people, as well as widespread disruption to energy and transport infrastructure. The cyclone will weaken as it continues to traverse northwards over the coming days, though will continue to deliver heavy rain to parts of northern and central India as it does so.
Continue reading...
-
After UK’s hottest summer on record, Ardingly near Haywards Heath is just 19% full – and next-closest reservoir is unusable due to broken treatment works
“You can see the water level at Ardingly going down and down. I don’t remember ever seeing it this low,” says Caroline Allan, a lifetime resident of Haywards Heath, the nearest town to one of England’s most depleted reservoirs.
The Ardingly reservoir, managed by South East Water and serving about 95,000 properties in and around Haywards Heath and Uckfield in Sussex, is currently 19% full.
Continue reading...
-
Scientists call for incentives to preserve vegetation as study highlights benefits of plentiful planting in London
Your front garden could be a first line of defence against air pollution, according to a year-long field study in two London neighbourhoods.
The UK’s 26m gardens cover nearly 5% of the country’s land area, but they account for a much larger share in urban areas. In Greater London, domestic gardens cover 41% of the city, compared with 27% of Cardiff and 23% of Edinburgh.
Continue reading...
-
In this week’s newsletter: There are too many meetings, and not enough decisions, say experts – and time is running out
• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up here
When things are not going well at an environmental summit, organisers often tell delegates that the “world is watching” in an attempt to focus minds. But spend any time at biodiversity Cop17 in Armenia and it is clear that the world’s attention is elsewhere.
The negotiating halls of Yerevan’s Meridian centre are subdued. Environment ministers have arrived from all corners of the world to plan their response to being so far behind the biodiversity targets they agreed four years ago. Right now, they appear on track to miss nearly all of them. They risk continuing the miserable record of never having met a biodiversity target they have set for themselves.
The climate crisis will destroy our economies – we learned this 20 years ago. When will we act?
Heat killed ‘staggering’ 50,000 people in Europe’s cities this summer, scientists warn
Angry Labour MPs urge leadership not to overrule energy secretary on Rosebank
Continue reading...
-
As many as 8 million people have been affected by food shortages, electricity blackouts and health clinic closures
Extreme drought driven by an historic El Niño is affecting as many as 8 million people in Papua New Guinea, causing a cascade of issues from shortages of food and water, to electricity scarcity and schooling disruption.
An influential coalition that includes churches, trade unions and business groups has said the Pacific nation is in the midst of a “national crisis”, but there appears to be “no coordinated plan to protect vulnerable communities from the worsening impacts of El Niño.”
Continue reading...
-
Keen to join in the revelry but don’t have a costume? You can still fashion a get-up without buying – or wasting – anything
Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint
Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at [email protected]
The thrill of an event like Halloween doesn’t come from a brand new costume or “two pillowcases’ worth of sweets”, says play specialist Cat Sewell.
The fun comes from carving out the time to play, making ridiculous outfits, and the terror and delight of haunting the neighbourhood, says the artistic director and co-CEO of Polyglot Theatre, a company that creates participatory, immersive, child-led theatre.
Continue reading...
-
There is no end in sight for the drivers of illegal mining, while police action appears ineffective
Cora Bailey has been encountering illegal miners ever since she first started treating injured animals in the townships around Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 1991. But as the price of gold has soared, so too has activity in the abandoned mine shafts that mark the area.
In late September, dozens of zama zamas – the name given to illegal miners in South Africa, meaning roughly “to take a chance” in Zulu – arrived to dig for gold across the dirt road from her charity, Claw (Community Led Animal Welfare).
Continue reading...
-
Replacing diesel-powered ferries with electric vessels could reduce emissions and improve air quality
Cutting through New York Harbor in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the small white boat we were riding on caught the attention of passengers aboard a nearby sightseeing ferry.
“It’s quite a curiosity at the moment,” Eric Laakmann, the chief executive and co-founder of Vessev, said.
Climate Central is an independent group of scientists and communicators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives.
Continue reading...
