https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voice en-gb Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2016 Fri, 16 Sep 2016 01:32:24 GMT 2016-09-16T01:32:24Z en-gb Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2016 https://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.png https://www.theguardian.com https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/sep/15/climate-change-marshall-islands-global-warming <p>If global temperatures rise more than 1.5C, the Marshall Islands are likely to disappear. The thin atolls scattered across the Pacific Ocean are already seeing regular flooding and droughts directly related to climate change. More Marshallese are leaving in search of dry land, with nearly one-third of the population currently in the US. Many fear that with the exodus, their culture will be lost to a country that has already taken so much from them</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/sep/15/climate-change-marshall-islands-global-warming">Continue reading...</a> Marshall Islands Climate change Asia Pacific World news Environment Thu, 15 Sep 2016 10:00:40 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/sep/15/climate-change-marshall-islands-global-warming Photograph: Mae Ryan for the Guardian Photograph: Mae Ryan for the Guardian Mae Ryan, Oliver Milman, Carrie Budge 2016-09-15T10:00:40Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/marshall-islands-climate-change-springdale-arkansas <p>The numerous atolls that make up the island nation are now regularly swamped due to sea level rise. But as more people flee for the US, many fear their culture will be lost to a country that has already taken so much from them</p><ul><li>Support the Guardian’s independent journalism by <a href="https://contribute.theguardian.com/home?INTCMP=co_us_editorial_standfirst_marshallislands">making a contribution</a> or <a href="https://membership.theguardian.com/supporter?INTCMP=mem_us_editorial_standfirst_marshallislands">becoming a member</a><br></li></ul><p>There may be music in the roar of the sea, as Byron eulogized, but the waves can also bring creeping unease. On low-lying fragments of land like the Marshall Islands, the tides are threatening to take away what they previously helped support: life.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/marshall-islands-climate-change-springdale-arkansas">Continue reading...</a> Marshall Islands Climate change Environment World news Asia Pacific US news Arkansas Thu, 15 Sep 2016 10:00:39 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/marshall-islands-climate-change-springdale-arkansas Photograph: Mae Ryan for the Guardian Photograph: Mae Ryan for the Guardian Oliver Milman and Mae Ryan in Majuro, Marshall Islands, and Springdale, Arkansas 2016-09-15T10:00:39Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/global-investment-in-energy-falls-but-renewables-remain-strong <p>Energy investment fell 8% in 2015, reflecting low oil and gas prices, but falling costs and government policy shift spending towards clean energy, data shows</p><p>Global investment in energy fell by 8% last year to $1.8tn (£1.4), reflecting low oil and gas prices and cost falls in the sector, <a href="http://www.iea.org/bookshop/731-World_Energy_Investment_2016">new data shows</a>.<br></p><p>Nearly half of the decline was accounted for by the US, where plunging oil prices and a recent boom in shale gas, along with cost deflation in the energy sector, have played an increasing role.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/global-investment-in-energy-falls-but-renewables-remain-strong">Continue reading...</a> Energy Renewable energy Environment Energy industry Business Coal Carbon capture and storage (CCS) Paris climate agreement Climate change Fossil fuels World news Thu, 15 Sep 2016 09:20:00 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/global-investment-in-energy-falls-but-renewables-remain-strong Photograph: Feature China / Barcroft Images Photograph: Feature China / Barcroft Images Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent 2016-09-15T09:20:00Z https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/sep/15/edward-burtynsky-photography-interview <p>The great photographer’s awesome images – taken from drones, propellor planes and a 50ft selfie stick – show how industry has drilled and drained our planet<br></p><p>Rectangles of pale blues and greens lie scattered across a sea of grey sand, looking a bit like someone dropped <a href="http://www.farrow-ball.com/colours/paint/fcp-category/list">their Farrow &amp; Ball</a> colour swatches in a cat litter tray. The mottled grey background is marked with faded layers of scratches and scribbles, like an endlessly reworked charcoal drawing, from which the little blocks of colour shine out as bright jewels in the dust.</p><p>This is what the salt pans of Gujarat in northern India look like, when seen through the painterly bird’s-eye lens of <a href="http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/">Edward Burtynsky</a>. The 61-year-old Canadian photographer has devoted his career to capturing man’s impact on the landscape from above, elevating the brutish debris of slag heaps and open-cast mines into sublime wall-sized hymns to how we’ve made our mark on the surface of the Earth. And he’s on a mission to document it all before it’s too late.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/sep/15/edward-burtynsky-corrupted-landscapes-aerial-photography-in-pictures">Edward Burtynsky's corrupted landscapes – in pictures</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/sep/15/edward-burtynsky-photography-interview">Continue reading...</a> Photography Exhibitions Art and design Culture Environment Climate change Climate change Geology Science Art and design Books Thu, 15 Sep 2016 07:00:36 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/sep/15/edward-burtynsky-photography-interview Photograph: Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Flowers Gallery, London / Metivier Gallery, Toronto Photograph: Edward Burtynsky, Courtesy of Flowers Gallery, London / Metivier Gallery, Toronto Oliver Wainwright 2016-09-15T07:00:36Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2016/sep/15/was-that-climate-change-scientists-are-getting-faster-at-linking-extreme-weather-to-warming <p>Attribution studies are letting researchers respond quickly to questions about human influence – before the news cycle turns elsewhere</p><p>Is it still true to say you can’t point to any single extreme weather event and claim you can’t link it to human-caused climate change? </p><p>Plenty of people seem to think this is still the case. But a rapidly evolving field of climate science suggests that it’s not. </p><p>But you cannot attribute any particular storm to global warming, so let’s be quite clear about that. The same scientists would agree with that point.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/debunking-malcolm-roberts-the-case-against-a-climate-science-denier">Debunking Malcolm Roberts: the case against a climate science denier</a> </p><p>I would reframe the question – has climate change altered the likelihood of an event happening, like a flood in Louisiana or a heatwave in Melbourne? We can usually say with those types of events that climate change has increased the likelihood of an event happening.</p><p>A better question is to ask if climate change has influenced a particular event. That’s an important distinction.</p><p>We know that both natural and human-caused climate change have impacts on events and we don’t want to lose that complexity. People do understand that the environment and the climate system are complicated.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/sep/10/soil-our-best-shot-at-cooling-the-planet-might-be-right-under-our-feet">Our best shot at cooling the planet might be right under our feet</a> </p><p>Extreme events have always happened and this could have happened a hundred years ago. But it would have been much more rare.</p><p>As far as I see it, one purpose of event attribution is to communicate to the public and policy makers that climate change is altering how extreme events are occurring – both their frequency and how bad they are.</p><p>That’s why we’re moving towards doing this work more quickly. If we can better inform the debate, then that provides some useful information that’s grounded in science, when often there has been just speculation.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2016/sep/15/was-that-climate-change-scientists-are-getting-faster-at-linking-extreme-weather-to-warming">Continue reading...</a> Climate change Environment Climate change Science Louisiana Natural disasters and extreme weather US news Great Barrier Reef Flooding Wed, 14 Sep 2016 21:37:00 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2016/sep/15/was-that-climate-change-scientists-are-getting-faster-at-linking-extreme-weather-to-warming Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Graham Readfearn 2016-09-14T21:37:00Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/switching-banks-nearly-half-of-all-australians-would-consider-move-over-climate-change <p>Poll findings released as prominent Australians call on big four to withdraw backing for fossil fuel industry</p><p>About half of all Australians would be likely to switch banks if they found out their bank was lending money to projects that contribute to climate change, according to polling commissioned by the financial activist group Market Forces.</p><p>The findings came as more than 100 prominent Australian individuals and organisations signed a letter demanding that the big four banks stop supporting projects that expand the fossil fuel industry. Among the signatories are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/jmcoetzee">JM Coetzee</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/charlotte-wood">Charlotte Wood</a>, <a href="https://cityoftongues.com/">James Bradley</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/19/missy-higgins-releases-oh-canada-inspired-by-drowned-syrian-boy-alan-kurdi-i-cry-every-time-i-watch-it">Missy Higgins</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/petersinger">Peter Singer</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Mundey">Jack Mundey</a>, as well as unions, religious orders and conservation groups.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/26/australias-biggest-banks-pump-billions-into-fossil-fuels-despite-climate-pledges">Australia's biggest banks pump billions into fossil fuels despite climate pledges</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/17/australian-banks-favour-fossil-fuel-projects-over-renewables-by-6-to-1">Australian banks 'favour fossil fuel projects over renewables by $6 to $1'</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/switching-banks-nearly-half-of-all-australians-would-consider-move-over-climate-change">Continue reading...</a> Fossil fuel divestment Climate change Environment Fossil fuels Banking Business in Australia Australia news Coal seam gas Coal Wed, 14 Sep 2016 21:00:24 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/15/switching-banks-nearly-half-of-all-australians-would-consider-move-over-climate-change Photograph: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Photograph: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images Michael Slezak 2016-09-14T21:00:24Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/polar-bears-losing-crucial-sea-ice-study-arctic <p>Life-sustaining sea ice needed for hunting, resting and breeding is declining in all 19 regions of the Arctic inhabited by the species</p><p>Polar bears are losing life-sustaining sea ice crucial for hunting, resting and breeding in all 19 regions of the Arctic they inhabit, a study warned on Wednesday.<br></p><p>As climate change pushes up Arctic temperatures, ice is melting earlier in spring and refreezing later in autumn, a team of researchers reported in the Cryosphere, a journal of the European Geosciences Union.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/arctic-sea-ice-cover-set-to-be-second-lowest-ever-recorded-data-suggests">Arctic sea ice cover set to be second lowest ever recorded, data suggests</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/14/russian-scientists-trapped-arctic-polar-bears-month-wait-rescue">Besieged Russian scientists drive away polar bears</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/polar-bears-losing-crucial-sea-ice-study-arctic">Continue reading...</a> Sea ice Arctic Animals Environment Polar regions World news Wildlife Climate change Science Wed, 14 Sep 2016 14:26:44 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/polar-bears-losing-crucial-sea-ice-study-arctic Photograph: Andy Rouse / Barcroft Images Photograph: Andy Rouse / Barcroft Images AFP 2016-09-14T14:26:44Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/sep/14/trump-and-the-republican-party-are-doing-big-oils-bidding <p>The fossil fuel industry is dictating Republican Party actions on climate change in attorney generals offices, Congress, and for its presidential nominee<br></p><p>The GOP has become <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jun/13/the-grand-oil-party-house-republicans-denounce-a-carbon-tax">the Grand Oil Party</a>. The fossil fuel industry has now managed to dictate Republican Party actions on climate change in attorney generals offices, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/jun/13/the-grand-oil-party-house-republicans-denounce-a-carbon-tax">Congress</a>, and for the party’s presidential nominee.<br></p><p><em>Cancel the Paris Climate Agreement (limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius) and stop all payments of U.S. tax dollars to U.N. global warming programs.</em></p><p><em>There is still much that needs to be investigated in the field of “climate change.” </em></p><p><em>Fossil fuel giants Murray Energy and Southern Company paid for meetings with Republican attorneys general to discuss their opposition to the Clean Power Plan less than two weeks before the same GOP officials petitioned federal courts to block the Obama administration’s signature climate proposal, according to private emails</em></p><p><em>According to materials reviewed by CMD, since 2015 RAGA has received at least $100,000 from ExxonMobil, $350,000 from Koch Industries, $85,000 from Southern Company, $378,250 from the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), and $250,000 from Murray Energy. In total, fossil fuel interests, utilities and their trade groups have given more than $2.25 million to RAGA since 2015.</em></p><p><em>State attorneys general are supposed to enforce the law and serve the public interest, but instead these Republican officials have hung a ‘For Sale’ sale on their door, and the fossil fuel industry proved to be the highest bidder. It’s no coincidence that GOP attorneys general have mounted an aggressive fight alongside the fossil fuel industry to block the Clean Power Plan – that appears to be exactly what the industry paid for. Together, these documents reveal a sustained pattern of collusion between the fossil fuel industry and the Republican attorneys general on climate change obstructionism.</em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/sep/14/trump-and-the-republican-party-are-doing-big-oils-bidding">Continue reading...</a> Climate change scepticism Climate change Environment Oil Oil Oil and gas companies Donald Trump Energy Fossil fuels Republicans Energy industry Wed, 14 Sep 2016 10:00:10 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/sep/14/trump-and-the-republican-party-are-doing-big-oils-bidding Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP Dana Nuccitelli 2016-09-14T10:00:10Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/arctic-sea-ice-cover-set-to-be-second-lowest-ever-recorded-data-suggests <p>Satellite data shows ice was close to last year’s record low confirming a long-term downward trend towards ice-free Arctic summers</p><p>Arctic sea ice cover could be confirmed within days as the second lowest ever recorded, the latest data suggests.</p><p>According to the US national snow and ice data centre (NSIDC) the ice which forms and disperses annually has been close to its minimum extent for the year for several days and has begun to grow again as autumn sets in.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/arctic-sea-ice-cover-set-to-be-second-lowest-ever-recorded-data-suggests">Continue reading...</a> Sea ice Environment Climate change Polar regions Greenhouse gas emissions World news Wed, 14 Sep 2016 09:58:21 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/arctic-sea-ice-cover-set-to-be-second-lowest-ever-recorded-data-suggests Photograph: VIIRS/Suomi NPP/NASA Photograph: VIIRS/Suomi NPP/NASA John Vidal 2016-09-14T09:58:21Z https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/14/indonesia-forest-fires-palm-oil-sumatra-climate-change-peat-companies-unep <p>The small village of Dosan has not recorded a single fire since 2012, despite being surrounded by palm oil plantations</p><p>Fires have returned once again to the forests and peatlands of Riau province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The annual environmental disaster <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/776101467990969768/pdf/103668-BRI-Cost-of-Fires-Knowledge-Note-PUBLIC-ADD-NEW-SERIES-Indonesia-Sustainable-Landscapes-Knowledge-Note.pdf" rel="nofollow">devastates millions of hectares</a> (pdf) in the archipelago and has been linked to the clearing of forest and peatland for oil palm and paper pulp plantations.</p><p>Last year south-east Asia experienced one of the worst forest fire outbreaks in the region’s history. A thick, acrid smoke covered large areas of Indonesia and neighbouring countries, and more than <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/26/indonesias-fires-crime-against-humanity-hundreds-of-thousands-suffer">500,000 cases</a> of acute respiratory tract infections were reported between July and October 2015.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/14/indonesia-forest-fires-palm-oil-sumatra-climate-change-peat-companies-unep">Continue reading...</a> Guardian sustainable business Palm oil Trees and forests Indonesia Asia Pacific Environment World news Climate change Wed, 14 Sep 2016 07:43:20 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/14/indonesia-forest-fires-palm-oil-sumatra-climate-change-peat-companies-unep Photograph: Laura Villadiego Photograph: Laura Villadiego Laura Villadiego in Riau, Indonesia 2016-09-14T07:43:20Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/one-in-10-uk-wildlife-species-faces-extinction-major-report-shows <p>State of Nature reveals the destructive impact of intensive farming, urbanisation and climate change on plants, animals and habitats</p><p>More than one in 10 of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2016/sep/14/2016-state-of-nature-report-wildlife-winners-and-losers-in-pictures">UK’s wildlife species</a> are threatened with extinction and the numbers of the nation’s most endangered creatures have plummeted by two-thirds since 1970, according to a major report.</p><p>The abundance of all wildlife has also fallen, with one in six animals, birds, fish and plants having been lost, <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/son">the State of Nature report</a> found. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2016/sep/14/2016-state-of-nature-report-wildlife-winners-and-losers-in-pictures">2016 State of Nature report: wildlife winners and losers - in pictures</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/26/how-the-dormouse-is-returning-to-englands-hedgerows-after-100-years">How the dormouse is returning to England’s hedgerows after 100 years</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/14/biodiversity-below-safe-levels-across-over-half-of-worlds-land-study">Biodiversity is below safe levels across more than half of world's land – study</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/one-in-10-uk-wildlife-species-faces-extinction-major-report-shows">Continue reading...</a> Wildlife Conservation Endangered species Endangered habitats Farming Climate change UK news Animals Environment Birds Insects Bees Butterflies Biodiversity Wed, 14 Sep 2016 05:01:04 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/one-in-10-uk-wildlife-species-faces-extinction-major-report-shows Photograph: FLPA/Alamy Stock Photo Photograph: FLPA/Alamy Stock Photo Damian Carrington 2016-09-14T05:01:04Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/military-experts-climate-change-significant-security-risk <p>A coalition of 25 prominent members of US national security community warn that higher temperatures and rising seas will inundate bases and fuel conflict</p><p><span tabindex="-1">A coalition of 25 military and national security experts, including former advisers to Ronald Reagan and George W Bush, has warned that climate change poses a “significant risk to US national security and international security” that requires more attention from the US federal government.</span></p><p>The prominent members of the US national security community warned that warming temperatures and rising seas will increasingly inundate military bases and fuel international conflict and mass migration, leading to “significant and direct risks to US military readiness, operations and strategy”.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/sep/08/climate-change-louisiana-floods-increased-risk">Climate change made Louisiana's catastrophic floods much more likely</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/military-experts-climate-change-significant-security-risk">Continue reading...</a> Climate change US military US news Environment Wed, 14 Sep 2016 04:01:02 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/military-experts-climate-change-significant-security-risk Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP Oliver Milman in New York 2016-09-14T04:01:02Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/14/agenda-21-is-conspiracy-theory-but-dont-dismiss-malcolm-roberts-as-a-harmless-kook <p>Malcolm Roberts’ belief that sustainable development is a disguised attempt to impose global communism has entered US mainstream politics. It could here too<br></p><p>Malcolm Roberts promised, and Malcolm Roberts delivered. After <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/politics/can-one-nations-malcolm-roberts-convince-voters-of-a-peril-few-believe-exists/news-story/46eb2f87c68064ce7bc5cadccaace774">announcing on Facebook</a> that he would address the threat to Australian sovereignty from “Agenda 21”, he raised it in his <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber%2Fhansards%2F7bf9040b-3855-4d2d-840b-2e051635f1c8%2F0133;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F7bf9040b-3855-4d2d-840b-2e051635f1c8%2F0000%22">first speech as an Australian senator</a>. After extended remarks intended to refute the scientific consensus on climate change, and a comparison of himself to Socrates, Roberts said that: </p><p>people are waking to the UN destroying our national sovereignty through implementation of the UN’s 1975 Lima declaration and 1992 Rio declaration for 21st century global governance, often known as Agenda 21 – more recently as Agenda 2030.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/debunking-malcolm-roberts-the-case-against-a-climate-science-denier">Debunking Malcolm Roberts: the case against a climate science denier</a> </p><p>Just a generation ago, this place was called America. Now, after the worldwide implementation of a UN-led program called Agenda 21, it’s simply known as “the Republic.” There is no president. No Congress. No Supreme Court. No freedom.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/05/what-you-need-to-know-about-one-nations-malcolm-roberts-and-sovereign-citizens">What you need to know about One Nation's Malcolm Roberts and ‘sovereign citizens’ | Jason Wilson</a> </p><p>For the extreme left, it provides the opportunity to do what they have always wanted to do, which is to sort of de-industrialise the western world. The collapse of communism was a disaster for the left and, really, they embraced environment as their new religion.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/14/agenda-21-is-conspiracy-theory-but-dont-dismiss-malcolm-roberts-as-a-harmless-kook">Continue reading...</a> One Nation Australian politics Australia news Environment Climate change Climate change Climate change scepticism United Nations Far right Pauline Hanson Wed, 14 Sep 2016 01:54:46 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/14/agenda-21-is-conspiracy-theory-but-dont-dismiss-malcolm-roberts-as-a-harmless-kook Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Jason Wilson 2016-09-14T01:54:46Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/debunking-malcolm-roberts-the-case-against-a-climate-science-denier <p>The One Nation senator dismisses the conventional scientific view of climate change. Here are the holes in his most commonly deployed arguments </p><p>The election of Malcolm Roberts as a One Nation senator has put Australia’s media in a difficult spot.<br></p><p>In his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/13/unelected-swill-one-nation-senator-malcolm-roberts-calls-for-australia-to-leave-un">first speech to Parliament on Tuesday</a>, Roberts made many false claims about climate change. He said that climate change was a “scam” and implied that it was some sort of conspiracy between all the major international research agencies. “ ... there is no data proving human use of hydro-carbon fuels affects climate,” he said.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/16/qa-brian-cox-brings-graphs-malcolm-roberts">Q&amp;A smackdown: Brian Cox brings graphs to grapple with Malcolm Roberts</a> </p><p>Another inconvenient fact, temperatures statistically have not been warming since 1995</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2016/may/30/australias-censorship-of-unesco-climate-report-is-like-a-shakespearean-tragedy">Australia’s censorship of Unesco climate report is like a Shakespearean tragedy | Graham Readfearn</a> </p><p>MALCOLM ROBERTS: Yeah, 1930s and 40s were warmer than the current decades … The original records are … first of all, that the data has been corrupted and we know that the 1930s were warmer than today.</p><p>BRIAN COX, fellow Q&amp;A panellist and physicist: What do you mean by corrupted? Corrupted? What do you mean corrupted?</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/15/the-blob-how-marine-heatwaves-are-causing-unprecedented-climate-chaos">'The blob': how marine heatwaves are causing unprecedented climate chaos</a> </p><p>The models have already been proven wrong, hopelessly wrong. <br></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/aug/22/historical-documents-reveal-arctic-sea-ice-is-disappearing-at-record-speed">Historical documents reveal Arctic sea ice is disappearing at record speed | Dana Nuccitelli</a> </p><p>The latest warming cycle in the 17th century going into the 18th century was faster and greater than the latest warming …<br></p><p>It is basic. The sun warms the earth’s surface. The surface, by contact, warms the moving, circulating atmosphere. That means the atmosphere cools the surface. How then can the atmosphere warm it? It cannot. That is why their computer models are wrong.</p><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/MJIBrown">@MJIBrown</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeySlezak">@MikeySlezak</a> Shhh! My mortgage is paid by an international woollen jumper conspiracy network operating out of Canberra.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/debunking-malcolm-roberts-the-case-against-a-climate-science-denier">Continue reading...</a> Climate change Climate change scepticism One Nation Australia news Australian politics Climate change Environment Natural disasters and extreme weather Oceans Science Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:33:23 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/debunking-malcolm-roberts-the-case-against-a-climate-science-denier Photograph: Phil Noble/REUTERS Photograph: Phil Noble/REUTERS Michael Slezak 2016-09-14T00:33:23Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/nasa-scans-great-barrier-reef-to-find-answers-to-corals-poor-health <p>Impetus for the new survey came from analysis that could not find clear link between reef health and human impacts</p><p><strong></strong></p><p>Scientists working on a Nasa-led project are scanning large swathes of the Great Barrier Reef as part of the biggest assessment of the world’s coral reefs ever undertaken.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/21/sections-of-great-barrier-reef-suffering-from-complete-ecosystem-collapse">Sections of Great Barrier Reef suffering from 'complete ecosystem collapse'</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/nasa-scans-great-barrier-reef-to-find-answers-to-corals-poor-health">Continue reading...</a> Great Barrier Reef Environment Australia news Climate change Climate change Nasa Queensland Science Space Tue, 13 Sep 2016 23:00:01 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/14/nasa-scans-great-barrier-reef-to-find-answers-to-corals-poor-health Photograph: NASA Photograph: NASA Michael Slezak 2016-09-13T23:00:01Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/august-ties-with-july-as-hottest-month-on-record <p>August continued the remarkable streak of record hot months in 2016, equalling July as the hottest month on record</p><p>In what has become a common refrain this year, last month ranked as the hottest August on record, according to <a href="http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata_v3/GLB.Ts+dSST.txt">NASA data</a> released Monday. Not only that, but the month tied July as the <a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/july-another-record-hot-month-20605">hottest month</a> the world has seen in the last 136 years.</p><p>August came in at 1.76˚F (0.98˚C) above the average from 1951-1980, 0.16C above August 2014, the previous record holder. The record keeps 2016 on track to be the hottest year in the books by a fair margin.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/16/july-2016-was-worlds-hottest-month-since-records-began-says-nasa">July 2016 was world's hottest month since records began, says Nasa</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/august-ties-with-july-as-hottest-month-on-record">Continue reading...</a> Climate change Climate change Natural disasters and extreme weather Environment Science World news Meteorology Tue, 13 Sep 2016 14:02:33 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/august-ties-with-july-as-hottest-month-on-record Photograph: Stephanie Lecocq/EPA Photograph: Stephanie Lecocq/EPA Andrea Thompson for Climate Central, part of the Guardian Environment Network 2016-09-13T14:02:33Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/animal-free-dairy-products-move-a-step-closer-to-market <p>San Francisco startup says its products taste identical but tackle guilty conscience of consumers concerned about large environmental footprint </p><p>After lab-grown meat, get ready for animal-free cow’s milk. A San-Francisco startup believes it has found a solution for the guilty conscience of consumers who love eating dairy ice-cream, cheese and yoghurt, but oppose factory-style farming and its environmental footprint.</p><p>Through a combination of yeast, cow DNA and plant nutrients, Perfect Day claims to have created a product identical in taste and nutritional value to cow’s milk, but without any udders involved.<br></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/animal-free-dairy-products-move-a-step-closer-to-market">Continue reading...</a> Food Environment Carbon footprints Ethical and green living Greenhouse gas emissions Climate change Tue, 13 Sep 2016 09:58:49 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/animal-free-dairy-products-move-a-step-closer-to-market Photograph: PR Company Handout Photograph: PR Company Handout Tom Levitt 2016-09-13T09:58:49Z https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/13/unelected-swill-one-nation-senator-malcolm-roberts-calls-for-australia-to-leave-un <p>Senator pours scorn on climate science and questions reliability of data from government departments and agencies</p><p>The One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts has used his first speech to pour scorn on modern climate science, call for Australia to leave the United Nations and question the reliability of data from Australian government departments and agencies.</p><p>He railed against the level of taxation in Australia and thanked his colleagues in the <a href="http://www.galileomovement.com.au/">Galileo Movement</a>, such as Ian Plimer, the radio host Alan Jones and the late professor Bob Carter, for their constant questioning of climate science. He said he loved to ask questions to get to the truth, like Socrates.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/13/funding-people-to-insult-us-children-of-lgbti-families-say-they-dont-want-a-plebiscite">'Funding people to insult us': children of LGBTI families say they don't want a plebiscite</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/13/unelected-swill-one-nation-senator-malcolm-roberts-calls-for-australia-to-leave-un">Continue reading...</a> One Nation Australia news Australian politics United Nations Pauline Hanson Climate change Climate change Environment Tue, 13 Sep 2016 09:33:22 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/13/unelected-swill-one-nation-senator-malcolm-roberts-calls-for-australia-to-leave-un Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP Gareth Hutchens 2016-09-13T09:33:22Z https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/brazil-ratifies-paris-agreement-with-pledge-to-sharply-reduce-emissions <p>Move by Latin America’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases is further boost to climate deal after ratification by US and China </p><p>The Brazilian government has ratified its participation in the Paris agreement on climate change, a significant step by Latin America’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases that could spur other countries to follow suit.</p><p>With a landmass larger than the continental US, Brazil emits about 2.5% of the world’s carbon dioxide and other polluting gases, according to United Nations data.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/brazil-ratifies-paris-agreement-with-pledge-to-sharply-reduce-emissions">Continue reading...</a> Paris climate agreement Environment Brazil Americas Greenhouse gas emissions Climate change World news Tue, 13 Sep 2016 08:56:17 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/13/brazil-ratifies-paris-agreement-with-pledge-to-sharply-reduce-emissions Photograph: Fernando Bizerra Jr/EPA Photograph: Fernando Bizerra Jr/EPA Associated Press 2016-09-13T08:56:17Z https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/13/water-global-shortages-gdp-agriculture-factories-textiles-investors <p>With water shortages exacerbating inequalities and causing damage to economies, making sure the commodity is properly valued by all is essential</p><p>Water is essential for life, whether to irrigate crops, to manufacture goods, or for drinking, washing and cleaning. But the intensification of climate change, a growing population and increasing demands from cities, agriculture and industry – coupled with poor water governance – is driving acute water shortages around the world.</p><p> The World Bank <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/03/climate-change-water-shortage-middle-east-asia-africa-world-bank">predicts</a> that by 2050 this scarcity will deliver a significant hit to the economies of Africa, central Asia and the Middle East, taking double digits off their GDP. </p><p>In many cases, there is a cultural issue around making profit from water</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/18/africa-drought-untapped-groundwater-aquifers-water-stress-ngo-partnership-ethiopia">Africa droughts prompt calls to start pumping untapped groundwater</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/13/water-global-shortages-gdp-agriculture-factories-textiles-investors">Continue reading...</a> Guardian sustainable business Water Access to water Environment Global development Agriculture Climate change Corporate social responsibility Business Science Tue, 13 Sep 2016 06:10:51 GMT http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/sep/13/water-global-shortages-gdp-agriculture-factories-textiles-investors Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPA Photograph: Divyakant Solanki/EPA Katherine Purvis 2016-09-13T06:10:51Z