DoJ says Clean Air Act creates program to oversee air pollution and ‘displaces’ states’ ability to regulate it
The US justice department on Wednesday filed lawsuits against Hawaii and Michigan over their planned legal action against fossil fuel companies for harms caused by the climate crisis, claiming the state actions conflict with federal government authority and Donald Trump’s energy dominance agenda.
The suits, which legal experts say are unprecedented, mark the latest of the Trump administration’s attacks on environmental work and raise concern over states’ abilities to retain the power to take climate action without federal opposition.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
05/01/2025 - 15:59
05/01/2025 - 13:00
Study using citizen data finds three-quarters of nearly 500 species in decline, with steepest trend in areas where they once thrived
Bird populations across North America are falling most quickly in areas where they are most abundant, according to new research, prompting fears of ecological collapse in previously protected areas.
Analysis of nearly 500 bird species across North America has found that three-quarters are declining across their ranges, with two-thirds of the total shrinking significantly.
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05/01/2025 - 12:50
Campaigners warn move could worsen access to nature for millions already living more than a 10-minute walk from park or playing field
Housing developers will be able to build on once-protected green spaces without having to replace the loss of nature in the nearby area, the Guardian understands.
New nature areas, parks and community gardens created to offset the removal of green spaces to make way for housing developments may not even have to be in the same county, under the new planning and infrastructure bill, sources at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on Thursday.
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05/01/2025 - 12:32
Trump 100 days: tariffs, egg prices, Ice arrests and approval rating – in charts
Trump 100 days: inside Trump’s whirlwind start to his second presidency
Donald Trump signed 141 executive orders since returning to the presidency in January, including enacting steep tariffs, ending birthright citizenship, curbing DEI and “gender radicalism” in the military, and pardoning January 6 rioters.
The US president promised in his inaugural speech that these orders would amount to a “complete restoration of America”.
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05/01/2025 - 12:17
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05/01/2025 - 10:00
The Australian Institute for Progress’s ‘Can you afford the Greens?’ ads claim minor party’s housing policies would lead to increased rents
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A Liberal-aligned thinktank running last-minute anti-Greens advertisements targeting young voters received more than $600,000 from the coal industry during last year’s Queensland election, disclosures show.
On Monday evening, the Australian Institute for Progress released a “Can you afford the Greens?” video advertisement pushing claims, based on its own commissioned research, that the Greens’ housing policies would lead to increased rents.
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05/01/2025 - 10:00
Australia shipped 57m tonnes of coal for burning in overseas power plants between October and December last year, the most recorded for a three-month period
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Labor and the Coalition have been accused of going to the election on a “unity ticket” ignoring Australia’s main contribution to the climate crisis after a report revealed thermal coal exports reached record levels in the final quarter last year.
Government data shows the country shipped a record amount – 57m tonnes – of coal for burning in overseas power plants between October and December. It is the highest recorded for a three-month period.
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05/01/2025 - 09:53
Between 10 and 20 protesters are forcibly removed after challenging the board about use of woody biomass
The owner of the Drax power station has abandoned its annual shareholder meeting after a confrontation with activists who staged a protest against burning trees to generate electricity.
The Guardian understands that between 10 and 20 activists were forcibly removed from the London venue after challenging the board of the FTSE 250 energy company on its use of woody biomass at its North Yorkshire facility.
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05/01/2025 - 08:49
Police say open water swimming poses ‘hidden dangers’ as Kew Gardens, in south-west London, registers 28C
The UK has had the warmest start to May on record as temperatures continue to soar, prompting warnings of wildfires and the “hidden dangers” of open water swimming.
Kew Gardens, in south-west London, registered 28C on Thursday, the Met Office said, taking it past the previous 1 May record high of 27.4C at Lossiemouth in Moray in 1990.
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05/01/2025 - 07:26
I support the Climate Paradox report from the Tony Blair Institute, but his foreword risks compromising what must be achieved
David King was chief scientific adviser to the UK government under Tony Blair, and is founder and chair of the global Climate Crisis Advisory Group
I have always been proud of the progress the UK made between 2003 and 2007 in formulating a credible response to the climate change. Under Tony Blair’s leadership, the UK placed climate at the heart of global diplomacy. At the time, our understanding was based largely on scientific projections and models. Today, the crisis is in full view – faster and more devastating than many imagined. The world is now experiencing the daily impacts of climate breakdown, and our responses must reflect this escalating emergency. We need measured, strategic, sustained and, above all, urgent interventions to ensure a manageable future for humanity.
That is why I support much of the thrust of The Climate Paradox report from the Tony Blair Institute. It rightly recognised that the era of endless summits and slogans must give way to one of delivery and impact. But the comments I gave were prior to seeing the foreword, and while there has been some clear misinterpretation from elements of the media, I do believe it has removed the balance of the report in ways that risk undermining what still can – and must – be achieved.
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