The row over electric vehicles is just the start. The change to a green economy was always going to be politically explosive
Have cake, will eat. For years it has been the default political response to awkward questions about the climate crisis, with successive governments insisting that going green would create jobs, not destroy them, and that the planet could be saved without stifling growth or demanding uncomfortable sacrifices. Keir Starmer promised only this month not to “tell people how to live their lives”, suggesting the road to net zero would not be quite as painful as some think. And then, this week, he hit a pothole.
The carmaker Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, announced it was closing its van factory in Luton, putting 1,100 jobs at risk; its rival Ford is axing 800 jobs. In Sunderland, Nissan has warned of an industry at “crisis point”.
Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
11/29/2024 - 03:00
11/29/2024 - 03:00
The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world
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11/29/2024 - 02:00
It is one of the world’s most dangerous materials, and global leaders are meeting in South Korea to thrash out a treaty to curb its effects
This week, world leaders are gathering in Busan, South Korea, to hammer out a global plastics treaty to try to curb pollution from one of the most dangerous materials on the planet. While such a high-level event might seem far removed from our everyday lives, it is the products we use every day that are at the heart of the negotiations. Some plastics are worse than others and have a unique impact in various parts of the world. Here, we look at five of the worst offenders.
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11/29/2024 - 01:00
Early deaths from air pollution in US could be reduced by between 4,000 and 15,000 a year by 2035, study shows
The burning of fossil fuels that harms our climate also produces air pollution that damages ecosystems and harms our health. But we fail to tally up the benefits of reduced air pollution in our climate policies, and overlook opportunities to tackle these problems together.
A reminder of this failure is illustrated in a new study which has found that reduced air pollution from net zero policies in the US could result in a health gain of between $65bn (£51bn) and $128bn in 2035 alone.
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11/29/2024 - 01:00
Satellite data analysis suggests climate-induced algal blooms could be behind hundreds of deaths in Botswana that sparked flurry of theories in 2020
More than 350 elephants that died in mysterious circumstances probably drank toxic water, according to a new paper that warns of an “alarming trend” in climate-induced poisoning.
The deaths in Botswana’s Okavango delta were described by scientists as a “conservation disaster”. Elephants of all ages were seen walking in circles before collapsing and dying. Carcasses were first spotted in north-eastern Botswana in May and June 2020, with many theories circulating about the cause of death, including cyanide poisoning or an unknown disease.
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11/29/2024 - 00:21
Lord Howe Island is thriving, and so are the raucous local woodhens
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11/29/2024 - 00:00
‘Trees of hope’ will be planted across the UK, including at a prison and a children’s hospital, in National Trust scheme
Saplings from the felled Sycamore Gap tree are to be planted across the UK, including next to one of London’s most famous roads, at a rural category C prison and at a motor neurone disease centre opening in the name of the late rugby league star Rob Burrow.
The National Trust on Friday announced the recipients of 49 saplings it has called “trees of hope”.
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11/28/2024 - 20:44
Record $6.7bn expected to be spent from Friday to Monday but some brands choosing to opt out over overconsumption concerns
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Black Friday used to be an American thing. But, like Halloween before it, the phenomenon of a blockbuster end-of-November sales period has taken off outside the US.
Across Australia, a wave of advertising has surged – promoting discounted appliances, electricity plans, clothes and just about anything else you could think of – reaching its climax this week.
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11/28/2024 - 19:55
Government approves up to four days of paid leave so workers can avoid travelling during weather emergencies
Spain’s leftwing government has approved “paid climate leave” of up to four days to allow workers to avoid travelling during weather emergencies, a month after floods killed at least 224 people.
Several companies came under fire after the 29 October catastrophe for ordering employees to keep working despite a red alert issued by the national weather agency. The firms said the authorities failed to inform them sufficiently and sent telephone alerts too late during the European country’s deadliest floods in decades.
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11/28/2024 - 11:00
Scientists warn Fifa’s ‘wet bulb’ temperature policy underestimates strain players undergo during matches
Footballers face a “very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress” at 10 of the 16 stadiums that will host the next World Cup, researchers have warned, as they urge sports authorities to rethink the timing of sports events.
Hot weather and heavy exercise could force footballers to endure temperatures that feel higher than 49.5C (121.1F) in three North American countries in 2026, according to the study. It found they are most at risk of “unacceptable thermal stress” in the stadiums in Arlington and Houston, in the US, and in Monterrey, in Mexico.
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