Experts say changing climate is ‘threat multiplier’ and that US and Germany already include it in planning
The US, Germany and other countries are putting the climate crisis at the heart of their national security plans but the UK is failing to do likewise, experts have told the government.
Extreme weather and heat are killing increasing numbers of people, damaging economies and forcing millions around the world to flee their homes, adding to an already unstable geopolitical situation, MPs were told on Tuesday at a select committee hearing.
Continue reading...
Breaking Waves: Ocean News
05/14/2024 - 12:37
05/14/2024 - 12:30
National Farmers’ Union president warns food production is likely to drop next year and says farmers need help right now
Rishi Sunak’s plan to improve the UK’s food security will not help build farmer’s confidence in the short-term, the head of the country’s biggest farming body has said.
Food production was likely to drop next year, said Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, who warned that the prime minister’s plan, published during the UK’s second annual Farm to Fork summit, failed to give farmers the solutions they needed right now.
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 11:48
Extra 270 million adults aged 69 or over will suffer dangerous heat levels of 37.5C amid global heating and ageing populations
The heat exposure of older people will at least double in all continents by 2050, according to a study that highlights the combined risk posed by a heating world and an ageing population.
Compared with today, there will be up to an extra 250 million people aged 69 or above who are exposed to dangerous levels of heat, defined as 37.5C. The paper warned this is likely to create biological and social vulnerability hotspots with increasing concentrations of older adults and high temperature extremes.
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 10:00
Advertising expenditure on the large, highly polluting vehicles leapt by 29% between 2022 and 2023
Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast
Carmakers continue to aggressively market SUVs and 4x4s to Australians even as the government rolls out new fuel efficiency standards.
Advertising expenditure on the large, highly polluting vehicles leapt by 29% between 2022 and 2023 – and 59% since 2010 – undermining the environmental benefits of rising electric car use and countering new vehicle efficiency standards, according to climate advocacy group Comms Declare.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 07:03
Stellantis deal with Leapmotor aims to cash in on imports as Biden imposes 100% tariff in US
Biden announces 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs
Business live – latest updates
The global carmaker Stellantis is to sell cheap electric cars made by its Chinese partner Leapmotor in Europe, including the UK, as it criticised Joe Biden’s decision to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs imported to the US.
Stellantis, which owns brands including Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall, will start selling two Leapmotor models in September, at prices of less than €20,000 (£17,200). UK sales will start in March 2025.
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 05:39
Farmer confidence at low ebb amid fears for their future as experts say extreme weather will hit crop yields
UK politics live – latest updates
Rishi Sunak will launch his food security index to farmers on Tuesday, as experts predict extreme weather this year could cut UK self-sufficiency by 8%.
The prime minister is hosting a farm to fork summit at Downing Street and will say: “I know for many farmers the impact of adverse weather in recent months has made working the land even harder, but my message is clear, our support for you is unwavering and we will be with you every step of the way.”
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 04:47
Vast array of projects included in sweeping package aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and speeding up path to net zero
Federal budget 2024 LIVE updates: Australia government budget announcement and speech – latest news
Explore all of our 2024 Australia federal budget coverage
Federal budget ramps up Aukus with $2.6bn earmarked for submarine project in 2024-25
Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast
The Australian government’s $23bn package over the next 10 years to spur domestic manufacturing and speed up the path to net zero is shaping up as the most politically contentious element of the budget.
The government has placed a range of budget measures under the banner “A Future Made in Australia” in a strategy that Labor hopes will boost its standing in key seats in Queensland and Western Australia.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 04:00
White House levy to protect US makers from cheap imports likely to inflame trade tensions
The US president, Joe Biden, has announced a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles as part of a package of measures designed to protect US manufacturers from cheap imports.
In a move that is likely to inflame trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, the White House said it was imposing more stringent curbs on Chinese goods worth $18bn.
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 02:12
Weather bureau says there is now a 50/50 chance of La Niña forming this year
Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates
Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast
Australia has been placed on La Niña watch by the Bureau of Meteorology with early signs the climate pattern linked to cooler and wetter conditions across most of the country could form later this year.
The bureau said there was now a 50/50 chance of La Niña forming this year with sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific steadily cooling since December.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
Continue reading...
05/14/2024 - 00:00
Government told Net Zero Teesside gas scheme will be massive polluter despite its carbon capture claims
A multibillion-pound “net zero” project backed by two of the world’s biggest fossil fuel firms will be responsible for more than 20m tonnes of planet-heating carbon over its lifetime, according to research submitted to the UK government.
The Net Zero Teesside scheme to build a new gas-fired power station in north-east England is backed by BP and Equinor and says it will use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to capture up to 95% of its emissions and bury them beneath the North Sea.
Continue reading...
