#climate-emergency

#climate-emergency

New laws signal the end of Australia's decade of political brawling that repeatedly derailed attempts to tackle its contribution to global warming.Australia's parliament has passed breakthrough climate laws targeting the nation's worst polluters, forcing coal mines and oil refineries to curb emissions by about 5 percent each year.

This week science lost one of its greatest Earth system experts, Australia lost a skilled, passionate communicator of climate science and the world lost a humble soul of the highest humanity, kindness and integrity.As did scores of others, I lost a colleague and friend when Will Steffen left us on Sunday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Failure to act on the climate emergency means parts of our planet will be uninhabitable and for many it will be a death sentence', Antonio Guterres warns.Some big oil companies ignored their own science on the dangers of climate change and peddled the big lie for decades about the safety of burning fossil fuels, the United Nations chief said.

Owners of the most polluting cars may soon have to pay more to park as councils across England are expected to roll out new charges based on a vehicle's CO2 emissions.Lambeth is the latest council in London to introduce emissions-based parking fees, with similar charges now expected elsewhere in England.

H undreds of protesters descended on London Bridge as they fought against expansion plans of Ultra Low Emissions Zones (Ulez).Labour mayor Sadiq Khan intends to expand the capital's ultra low emission zone to cover the entirety of outer London but last month, a High Court judge decided five Conservative-led councils could challenge the plan - Hillingdon, Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Surrey county council.

However the lanes would not be segregated or protected from motor vehicles and drivers could to park in the lanes without penalty.The lack of cycle lanes along High Street Kensington has been controversial for years.Two months ago, the Tory-led council won a court case in which campaigners had sought to have its removal of pop up cycle lanes during the pandemic declared illegal.

Today, three out of five young creatives say that they're uncomfortable working with high-carbon brands like oil and gas companies, according to 2022 YouGov research released by the creative campaigning group Glimpse.But as creatives move through the industry, they face increasing pressure to work with brands that don't align with their views, often with no clear solution presented.

H aringey council have been accused of employing Orwellian tactics as they enlisted a dozen security guards including one on 24/7 sentry duty from a watchtower to prevent environmentalists from protecting a 120-year-old tree in north London.Locals say they were awoken to a dawn raid on their beloved plane tree on Oakfield Road, Stroud Green at 4.45am on Sunday.

The former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has warned that the world's largest fund to help developing nations weather the climate crisis remains an empty shell, despite decades of promises by rich nations.We need to see a massive acceleration in mobilising trillions of dollars needed to keep the world from climate collapse, he said.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning the EU became the first big economy to legislate for a green tariff on imports, to be levied on goods that are produced with high carbon dioxide emissions.The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) means that countries which fail to green their industries will soon face a new threat: an effective carbon tax that will penalise those hoping to profit from high-carbon activities, and force them to clean up.

Former Brexit minister David Frost has joined a controversial thinktank that denies global heating is a problem, declaring: We're not in a climate emergency.The Global Warming Policy Foundation  founded by ex-Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson  has faced calls for it to be stripped of charitable status because of its policy stance.

Environmental campaigners are calling on Scotland's First Minister to hold his nerve and press ahead with the UK's first deposit return scheme (DRS) despite the row it has provoked with Westminster.Humza Yousaf has insisted the plans for the scheme in Scotland are in grave danger after the UK Government ruled the environmental initiative could only go ahead without glass bottles included in it.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he suffers from PTSD after dealing with regular death threats, disasters and terror attacks.Speaking to The Guardian, Mr Khan said a number of events coming together caused a cumulative effect on his mental health, but affirmed he was not comparing it to the extreme level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that refugees or people in similar situations to himself have experienced.

The Greens have won their first outright majority on a UK council in what it hopes cements a coming of age moment as a mainstream party.Mid Suffolk fell from a minority Conservative administration to sole control of the Greens as they made inroads elsewhere during the local election results on Friday.

A group of climate activists have occupied reserved tables in a protest at a high-end London restaurant.Fifteen protesters from Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of activist group Extinction Rebellion, entered Scott's seafood restaurant in Mayfair on Friday evening to call for an end to animal farming and fishing.

Spain heads to the polls on Sunday to elect 12 regional governments and 8,000 municipal councils in votes that will allow the governing Socialists and the opposition conservatives to gauge their strengths and hone their strategies before December's general election.Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the rightwing, populist president of the Madrid region, will be aiming to secure an absolute majority for the People's party (PP), while Barcelona's leftwing mayor, Ada Colau, will be hoping to see off challenges from the regional branch of the Socialist party and a centre-right Catalan pro-independence party.

Hundreds of civilian and military firefighters are tackling a wildfire in south-west Spain that has burned across at least 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) of land and forced the evacuation of more than 500 people since it began on Wednesday evening.Efforts to fight the very large and difficult fire in the Las Hurdes and Sierra de Gata areas of northern Extremadura are being hindered by strong winds, according to the regional government, which says the blaze was started deliberately.

In April, Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, suggested that severe drought would become one of the central political and territorial debates of our country in the coming years.That stark warning surely applies to southern Europe as a whole, as the prospect of another summer crisis looms, following a disastrously dry winter.

The mayor of London and a Tory MP have teamed up to fight climate delayers who are trying to thwart green policies.Chris Skidmore, the Tory net zero tsar, and Labour mayor Sadiq Khan today write in the Guardian that they are putting party politics aside to defeat those politicians who are trying to delay climate action.

The mayor of London is due to make a decision on whether to extend the proposed ULEZ London-wide by the end of the year (Image: PA Wire/PA Images) The mayor of London has received support from the London Assembly for his "very controversial" proposed extension of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).

Global integrated advertising platform,Adform, today (May 17th, 2023) announces its strategic partnership withAd Net Zero, advertising's response to the climate emergency, to further solidify the businesses dedication to building a more sustainable future for advertising in the UK.Adform is focused on ensuring it is taking the necessary steps to reduce its operational carbon emissions to achieve ad net zero.

Cedara, the first end-to-end carbon intelligence platform empowering businesses and their employees to seamlessly take climate action, is announcing its collaboration with ShowHeroes, a global independent leader in digital video content, tech, and advertising solutions.By leveraging Cedara's Enterprise product, ShowHeroes will holistically measure its carbon footprint across business operations, as well as their ad tech and publisher partners, and ultimately share emissions data seamlessly to media buying partners such as brands and advertising agencies.

The UK Green Building Council has announced that architect and Dezeen columnist Smith Mordak will become the charity's chief executive officer.Mordak will be leaving their current role as the director of sustainability and physics at British engineering firm Buro Happold to take up the full-time advocacy role and help the UK's built environment sector to halve its emissions by 2030.

A proposal by two lawmakers from Emmanuel Macron's centrist party to make it obligatory for town halls to display a portrait of the French president has sparked a political row.The portrait issue has been seized upon by Macron's critics as he travels around France in an attempt to counter accusations of arrogance and haughtiness, amid saucepan banging and street protests against the rise in the pension age.

Emma Beddington writes about being embarrassed by the state of Britain when her French in-laws visited, citing various ways in which the country compares poorly with France (I saw the UK through the eyes of my French in-laws and it was deeply embarrassing, 23 April).But she ends on a positive note, describing how her in-laws were impressed on a train when they saw a lovely group of women sitting next to us in Hawaiian garlands, enjoying prosecco at 8am.

More private jets took off from the UK than any other country in Europe in 2022, research commissioned by Greenpeace has shown.The UK can claim the most flights and the most emissions as well as the busiest and most carbon-intensive routes, the analysts said.On average, a private jet left the UK every six minutes in 2022, totalling 90,256 and causing half a million tonnes of CO2, according to the research.

Crossing fingers and hoping for the best is hardly a sensible way to tackle the climate emergency, but it is a strategy that the government seems determined to follow.Today, it launched its revised net zero plan, which turns out to be more a damp squib than a rocket that will ignite a desperately needed green transformation of the energy landscape.

Britain has failed to help alleviate the worldwide humanitarian crisis caused by war in Ukraine, climate emergency and the Covid pandemic, according to David Miliband.International aid has fallen while the number of people in need of emergency assistance has risen drastically to 339 million around the world, the head of the International Rescue Committee said.

The president of the Cop26 climate summit has attacked plans to open a coal mine in Cumbria, arguing it is not needed and won't create many jobs.Alok Sharma  who was sacked by Rishi Sunak  also warned the UK's hard won international reputation over the climate emergency will be undermined.A decision is expected next week, from levelling up secretary Michael Gove, on a go-ahead for the UK's first deep coal mine in 30 years, after months of delay and growing international criticism.

Sadiq Khan has warned the Government response to protest has to be within the law, after the Prime Minister and Home Secretary met with police chiefs in Downing Street on Thursday to discuss action by Just Stop Oil.Rishi Sunak pledged following the meeting, that police will have whatever powers required to crack down on disruptive environmental protests, as he called it completely unacceptable ordinary people were having their lives disrupted.

Forty parliamentarians, including seven Conservative MPs, have privately written to Rishi Sunak imploring him to attend the Cop15 biodiversity conference, which starts next week.In the letter, seen by the Guardian and organised by the all-party parliamentary group on the environment, the parliamentarians warn that a million species are facing extinction globally and that lack of high-level political buy-in could spell disaster for nature.

A cabinet minister has suggested Rishi Sunak will back down and lift his onshore wind farm ban to avoid a damaging defeat by Conservative rebels.Grant Shapps, the business secretary, claimed the clash  at least 30 Tory MPs are demanding projects go ahead  is not really a row because both sides have the same aim.

Protesters threw green paint at the Telegraph's offices in Victoria, and unveiled banners reading: Tell the truth.The group also targeted News UK's building in London Bridge, home of the Sun newspaper, and the offices of the Daily Mail in Kensington with green paint.It said it had taken the action because it believed the outlets did not cover the climate crisis sufficiently.

London is the world's slowest city to drive in, according to new research.It took an average of 36 minutes and 20 seconds to travel 6.2 miles (10 km) in the centre of the capital in 2022, TomTom said.That was almost two minutes slower than 2021 and represents the longest time for a journey of that distance out of 389 cities in 56 countries last year.

Camberwell Station Road is getting a makeover



From Victorian times, London's railway arches were used by eel wholesalers, scrap dealers and mechanics.Now, they're full of craft breweries, chic boutiques and artisanal bakeries.And Londoners can't get enough of them.Now f ive more empty arches in south London are going to be transformed and rented out to businesses - after being out of action for five years.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails A road-blocking protester who could face jail has confronted a judge over the decision to ban him from mentioning his climate-related motivations to a jury.

T he Green Party's candidate for Mayor of London has revealed her top priorities for Londoners - including drug reform and free public transport for young people.Zoe Garbett was unveiled as the party's candidate on Friday morning, saying she was really excited to have been selected to fight the contest in May 2024.

Zoe Garbett was announced as the party's candidate on February 10, saying she was really excited to have been selected to fight the contest in May 2024.Ms Garbett, who currently represents Dalston on Hackney Council, outlined several key campaign focuses.On drug reform, the 35-year-old said: Our current drug laws are killing people.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Dame Darcey Bussell has been announced as the new chair of the board at Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP).The former Strictly Come Dancing judge praised the excellence of the venue and said she was in full support of the bold and ambitious plans for the future.

Climate leader Greta Thunberg was among 636 young adults and children who submitted a class-action lawsuit against the Swedish government at a district court in Stockholm on Friday, arguing that the country's right-wing leaders are failing to obey the Swedish constitution as they continue allowing planet-heating fossil fuel extraction.

Hackney's Mayor Philip Glanville said the council's financial plan for next year is part of a careful and considered budget.It comes at a time of crisis where residents have faced inflation levels which are driving more people into poverty with inflation rates higher than most residents would have endured in their lifetime.

The idea - to drastically boost the size of the fund to help people replace their polluting vehicles - was supported by a majority of London Assembly members, as Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Greens joined forces to vote for it.But the proposal needed two thirds of Assembly Members (AMs) in order to pass, and was voted down by the Labour group.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister has urged MSPs to back the Government's meaningful and progressive tax and spending plans ahead of the first debate on the budget.The draft budget the first step in the process in Scotland was published in December against the backdrop of growing economic uncertainty, high inflation and spiralling costs.

Harrow Council is refusing to put up cameras needed for the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion, after raising serious concerns about the scheme.From August, the borough will fall within the enforcement zone, meaning some drivers will face daily charges of 12.50 if their vehicle is not compliant.

Lewisham Council unveils plan to reimagine the borough's streets (Image: Lewisham Council) Lewisham Council has unveiled proposals to reimagine the borough's roads and streets.The goal of these plans is to reduce air pollution, improve road safety and encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport.

London's Ulez scheme is set to be expanded across the entire capital from next August, a move the mayor said would bring cleaner air to 5 million more residents.Drivers of older, polluting cars will have to pay 12.50 a day to use their vehicle across Greater London from 29 August 2023.The scheme has been welcomed by green groups, clean air campaigners and some businesses, although Conservatives have opposed the charge and say most people in outer boroughs do not want it.

The London to Brighton Mini Run will start at Cheam Recreation Ground A famous annual car event from London to Brighton could take place for the last time this year with organisers blaming the 2023 expansion of the capital's Ultra Low Emission Zone.The London to Brighton Mini Run takes place every spring and sees more than 2,000 owners of the iconic British car travel the 45-mile journey in convoy.

Transport for London will construct Cycleway 50 to provide a safe, segregated space for cyclists and give more room to pedestrians following collisions involving bikes.It will comprise several roads in Islington from York Way to Royal College Street in Camden.Over the next ten months, roads will be widened, some speed limits will be lowered and some traffic signals will be modified as part of the scheme.

The Portland Clean Energy Fund distributed $107 million in green energy project grants in 2022.The Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) distributed its second round of grant funding in 2022, doling out $107 million to 65 projects slated to reduce carbon emissions, expand the green energy workforce, and lower Portlanders' utility bills.

Plugging gaps in doors and reducing boiler flow temperatures are among a series of tips the government is urging cash-strapped Britons to take as part of major campaign to ease the burden of soaring energy bills.The 18 million initiative, dubbed It All Adds Up, spotlights tips on simple, low or no-cost actions to bring about big savings as freezing temperatures sweep through the UK.

If your children go to school in Boston, Massachusetts, then checking on their air pollution is easy.Every classroom, office and school nurse's room has its own pollution sensor; a total of nearly 6,000 instruments with more than 100 more on school roofs, and all the results are online in real time.

Two-million-year-old DNA from northern Greenland has revealed that the region was once home to mastodons, lemmings and geese, offering unprecedented insights into how climate change can shape ecosystems.The breakthrough in ancient DNA analysis pushes back the DNA record by 1m years to a time when the Arctic region was 11-19C warmer than the present day.

Young birdwatchers Mya and Arjun feel the pressure of climate breakdown and the biodiversity crisis.As two reserved teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, they find comfort in birdwatching while being distant from their peers.Fascinated by migratory patterns, Mya spends her time searching for rare bird species, while Arjun is captivated by the beauty of birdsong.

Barking and Dagenham's two MPs have expressed differing views on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across the capital.The move, announced last week, means motorists across Barking and Dagenham whose vehicles do not comply with emissions standards will have to pay a 12.50 daily charge.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone is set to be expanded (Picture: PA) (Image: PA) Poor air quality impacts the health of all Londoners, no matter their age, or if they drive a car, or ride a bike.For some, polluted air is a matter of life and death.Two hundred and one people died prematurely because of air pollution in Barnet, the second highest in London.

O ne thousand extra pedestrians are walking in Stoke Newington Church Street every day - thanks to new traffic restrictions that have seen the number of cars using the road fall by 60%.A bus gate was installed under an experimental traffic order last September, to reduce the number of cars using the trendy Hackney high street and surrounding area between 7am and 7pm.

Scottish islanders are to be given the chance to try out a new recycling initiative ahead of the introduction of a nationwide deposit return scheme.Orkney residents will be invited to place any single-use drinks containers into reverse vending machines for recycling as part of the Return and Recycle Orkney initiative.