2 h. ago A flotilla kicks off the People's Summit for activists at UN climate talks

As United Nation climate talks get underway in Belem, a different kind of conference is kicking off: the People’s Summit, a gathering of activists, organizers, environmentalists and Indigenous groups from around the world

Politics

54 h. ago What’s COP30 and who are claiming to be the world’s environmental leaders?

For host nation Brazil, this meeting is both an opportunity and a test

Politics

68 h. ago Cop ahoy! Sailing up the Amazon to the climate summit – podcast

Jonathan Watts sets off on a three-day boat trip down the Amazon – with indigenous leaders, scientists, artists and more – to report on Cop30, the climate summit taking place this year in BrazilThis week, delegations from countries from all over the world are flying into Belem, Brazil, to attend Cop30, the world’s biggest climate summit.The Guardian’s global environment reporter Jonathan Watts, however, had a different idea – to take the slow road. Or, in fact, the slow boat – a three-day journey up the Amazon, across hundreds of kilometres, to arrive in Belem just in time. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Kathryn Bigelow responds to Pentagon criticism of House of Dynamite: ‘I just state the truth’

Director of Netflix hit said US government claims that the nuclear strike drama is inaccurate did not reflect the world’s ‘really combustible environment’Warning: contains a spoiler for the plot of House of DynamiteKathryn Bigelow, the director of Netflix thriller House of Dynamite, which depicts government officials responding to a nuclear strike on the US, has responded to criticism by the Pentagon over the accuracy of its defence systems.Speaking alongside writer Noah Oppenheim to the Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar-winning film-maker defended the film, saying: “I just state the truth. In this piece, it’s all about realism and authenticity.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Kathryn Bigelow responds to Pentagon criticism of A House of Dynamite: ‘I just state the truth’

Director of Netflix hit said US government claims that the nuclear strike drama is inaccurate did not reflect the world’s ‘really combustible environment’Warning: contains a spoiler for the plot of A House of DynamiteKathryn Bigelow, the director of Netflix thriller A House of Dynamite, which depicts government officials responding to a nuclear strike on the US, has responded to criticism by the Pentagon over the accuracy of its defence systems.Speaking alongside writer Noah Oppenheim to the Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar-winning film-maker defended the film, saying: “I just state the truth. In this piece, it’s all about realism and authenticity.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Rising heat kills one person a minute worldwide, major report reveals

Biggest analysis of its kind finds millions are dying each year because of failure to tackle climate crisisRising global heat is now killing one person a minute around the world, a major report on the health impact of the climate crisis has revealed.It says the world’s addiction to fossil fuels also causes toxic air pollution, wildfires and the spread of diseases such as dengue fever, and millions each year are dying owing to the failure to tackle global heating. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Lacking community resilience centers, Houston neighbors opt for solar

Doris Brown’s home in Northeast Houston becomes a refuge for neighbors during power outages thanks to her solar panel and battery system

Politics

3 w. ago The Guardian view on hybrid cars: profitable for carmakers but not very green | Editorial

Plug-in hybrids pollute more than their manufacturers claim – and delay the real shift to electric and shared mobility“Why the future is hybrid,” chirruped the Economist in 2004. While electric vehicles (EVs) looked like science fiction, that prediction looked prescient. Fast‑forward 20 years and battery technology has improved dramatically; EVs are affordable. Last week it emerged that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) aren’t very green. The sales pitch had been that motorists could use “clean” battery power for city jaunts and dirty petrol for longer trips. This promised sustainable travel without the anxiety of a limited range. But real‑world tests, by the European non-profit Transport and Environment, show that PHEVs emit just 19% less carbon dioxide than petrol and diesel cars – far short of the 75% claimed in the lab.Hybrid vehicles are, however, very profitable. Carmakers can charge top dollar for what are essentially re-engineered petrol cars with a battery ...

Politics

3 w. ago World’s landscapes may soon be ‘devoid of wild animals’, says nature photographer

Margot Raggett, whose latest compilation shows animals scrubbed from natural habitats, calls for rethink on UK accelerated housebuildingMargot Raggett has spent the past decade raising money for conservation efforts around the world but, right now, she feels nervous about the future. “It does feel like we’ve taken a backward step,” she said.The wildlife photographer has raised £1.2m for the cause in the past 10 years through her Remembering Wildlife series, an annual, not-for-profit picture book featuring images of animals from the world’s top nature photographers. The first edition was published in 2015, when the Paris climate agreement was being drafted but, in the years since, efforts to tackle the climate crisis have been rolled back. Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago World’s oceans losing their greenness through global heating, study finds

Researchers say decline in phytoplankton suggests weakened planetary capacity to absorb carbon dioxideThe world’s oceans are losing their greenness owing to global heating, according to a study that suggests our planet’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide could be weakening.The change in the palette of the seas is caused by a decline of phytoplankton, the tiny marine creatures that are responsible for nearly half of the biosphere’s productivity. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Overconsumption and ruin: before and after images visualise how tech could harm our planet

From Venice to the Iguazu Falls, an exhibition in London illustrates the hidden cost of our gadgets and devicesArtists have created visualisations of the impact of the climate crisis on some of the world’s most recognisable landscapes, in a project to highlight the environmental effects of tech consumption.Venice in Italy, the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil, and the Seine River in Paris were among the locations used to explore to potential impacts of the climate crisis by the end of the century. The results are on display at an exhibition in London. Continue reading...

Science

3 w. ago Indigenous and environmental leaders in Ecuador say they are facing state intimidation

Critics say referendum on rewriting country’s eco-friendly constitution is president’s latest pro-extractivist moveIndigenous and environmental leaders in Ecuador say they are facing a wave of state intimidation ahead of a national referendum next month on whether to rewrite the world’s only constitution that recognises the rights of nature.The pressure is being applied by the rightwing president, Daniel Noboa, who has begun his second term with a Trumpian agenda of consolidating power and sweeping away legal and social barriers to extractivist businesses, such as mining. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Carbon dioxide levels in atmosphere climb at record rate to new highs in 2024

The annual update by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warns heat trapped by greenhouse gases is ‘turbo-charging’ the climate.

Politics

last month ‘An environment of terror’: deadly resurgence of Pakistan Taliban gathers pace

Surge in militancy in region bordering Afghanistan is now one of greatest security threats facing IslamabadTariq Ahmed never lets his pistol out of his sight these days. Sitting cross-legged on a woven charpai, his face concealed with a scarf, the 26-year-old looks nervously left and right, shifting his gun in and out of his waistband.It was here, just a few months ago in this neighbourhood bordering Pakistan’s north-western border city of Peshawar that his uncle Shehan Shah, 36, was shot dead at point-blank range by the Taliban. Continue reading...

Events