Money offered so far falls far short of estimated $400bn in losses developing countries face each year
Cop28 live – latest updates
Wealthy countries most responsible for the climate emergency have so far pledged a combined total of just over $700m (£556m) to the loss and damage fund – the equivalent of less than 0.2% of the irreversible economic and non-economic losses developing countries are facing from global heating every year.
In a historic move, the loss and damage fund was agreed at the opening plenary of the first day the Cop28 summit in Dubai – a hard-won victory by developing countries that they hoped would signal a commitment by the developed, polluting nations to finally provide financial support for some of the destruction already under way.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
12/06/2023 - 11:00
12/06/2023 - 10:03
Former Ireland leader issues firm response in row over comments made to her by Cop28 president
Cop28 live – latest updates
Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, has called for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, in a diplomatic but firm response to the row over comments made to her by the Cop28 president, which were revealed by the Guardian this week.
In a live online event, Sultan Al Jaber had told Robinson there was “no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C”, a view strongly rejected by many scientists. As well as running the Cop28 UN climate summit in Dubai, Al Jaber is the chief executive of the United Arab Emirates’ state oil company, Adnoc.
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12/06/2023 - 09:49
Exclusive: Multiple sources warn poor working culture heightens risk of accidents, suicide and sabotage
UK nuclear police and workers share WhatsApp jokes about paedophilia, racism and homophobia
Sellafield nuclear site hacked by groups linked to Russia and China
A “toxic culture” of bullying, sexual harassment and drug-taking risks compromising the safety of Europe’s most hazardous nuclear site, multiple employees at Sellafield have claimed.
More than a dozen current and former employees have alleged to the Guardian that the Cumbrian site, a vast dump for nuclear waste, has a longstanding unhealthy working culture, where staff have been bullied, harassed and belittled, with some apparently pushed to suicide.
Several suicides apparently linked to the pressures of working at the site.
A former young worker who claimed he was bullied to the point where he “just wanted to die” after he was repeatedly mocked over his sexual experience.
Workers who alleged they have either experienced or witnessed incidents of sexual assault.
Staff who allegedly regularly bring cocaine on to the site and keep samples of untainted urine in case of random drugs tests.
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12/06/2023 - 07:21
When they last tried to relocate this critically endangered species, only two females survived. Have conservationists learned enough to end a 40-year local extinction?
For more than five years, the two black rhinos in Chad’s Zakouma national park have lived a lonely existence. It wasn’t meant to be that way. In May 2018, the pair of females were part of a group of six critically endangered black rhinos that African Parks helped translocate from South Africa to Zakouma. But within days of release into their new home, four had died.
“It happened very quickly. It’s not a pure science, doing translocations,” says Martin Rickelton, African Parks’ regional operations manager. “An awful lot of work went into feasibility studies – experts looked at everything.”
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12/06/2023 - 07:20
Salah Jama said vulnerable countries face ‘bureaucratic bottlenecks’ in receiving loss and damage funds and are often forced to take them on as debt
Funding to support vulnerable countries to repair the irreversible damage caused by the climate crisis needs to be fast tracked and easy to access, Somalia’s deputy prime minister has said.
Salah Jama said a deal on a loss and damage fund made on the first day of Cop28 last week was “welcome news for frontline states like Somalia” but, he said: “Implementation needs to be fast tracked. Bureaucratic bottlenecks in accessing the financing have to be fixed.”
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12/06/2023 - 07:14
Steven Fuller is a winter caretaker who has lived at Yellowstone national park for the past 50 years. As the cold weather approaches and the seasonal transformation begins, he hunkers down in his remote mountain cabin. But Fuller and Yellowstone face an uncertain future, with the climate crisis threatening to change one of North America’s last great wildernesses for ever
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12/06/2023 - 06:54
Steven Fuller is a winter caretaker who has lived at Yellowstone national park for 50 years. As cold weather approaches and the seasonal transformation begins, he hunkers down in his remote mountain cabin. But Fuller and Yellowstone face an uncertain future, as the climate crisis threatens to change one of North America’s last great wildernesses for ever
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12/06/2023 - 06:49
Exclusive: Documents show warnings that changes would weaken environmental protections were ignored
Ministers have been accused of “misleading the public” after documents obtained by Ends Report and the Guardian revealed they ignored their officials’ advice when scrapping key air quality regulations.
On 31 December, two key air quality regulations will drop off the statute book under the Retained EU Law (REUL) Act.
. Revoke the NAPCP with no replacement, with the environment improvement plan (EIP) becoming the alternative process.
2. Revoke the NAPCP provisions and introduce a new process for assessing policy options, with a new process triggered by a failure or potential failure to achieve a target.
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12/06/2023 - 06:00
A recruiting crisis in the fishing industry has inspired a pioneering new initiative in south Devon
Alfie Steer has chosen a different path to his friends. While they are studying for exams and filling out university application forms, the 17-year-old is setting his alarm for 2.50am and heading out to sea. By 5am, he is hauling crabs from the decks of his father, Alan’s, trawler.
“Yes it’s rough and wet – and rolly in winter – but I love it,” he says with a grin. “I’m the only one out of my friendship group who has a full-time job. That’s a good feeling. I get a wage, and it’s a job I might do for the rest of my life.”
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12/06/2023 - 06:00
Investigation by ABC News found some materials were ending up in landfills, incinerators and other waste facilities
A national online recycling directory for plastic bags and films has been taken offline, six months after an investigation by ABC News found some materials were ending up in landfills, incinerators and other waste facilities.
The directory previously directed users to some 18,000 store drop-off locations around the country where they could bring used plastic bags and packaging to be recycled, including Walmart and Target locations. The initiative was promoted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local and state governments across the country.
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