US President Joe Biden has approved a major oil and gas drilling project in Alaska that faced strong opposition from environmental activists. The company behind the Willow project, ConocoPhillips, says it will create local investment and thousands of jobs. But the $8bn proposal faced a torrent of online activism in recent weeks, particularly among youth activists on TikTok. Opponents argued it should be halted over its climate and wildlife impacts. Located on Alaska’s remote North Slope, it is the largest oil development in the region for decades and could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day. According to … Continue reading US government approves Alaska oil and gas development known as the ‘Willow Project’

Dozens of people have fallen sick in coastal villages in the Philippines after a major oil spill from a sunken tanker. The MT Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 litres of industrial fuel oil when it sank off the coast of the Oriental Mindoro province last week. That oil has since reached the shores of several nearby fishing villages, coating beaches in black sludge. Residents have reported experiencing cramps, vomiting and dizziness. Clean-up workers deployed to the affected village of Pola have also reported feeling ill, local media reported. Breathing fuel oil vapours can cause symptoms such as nausea and headaches, … Continue reading Villiage residents in Philippines suffer nausea and dizziness over oil spill

An energy giant has been accused of covering up the severity of an oil spill which allegedly killed dolphins off Western Australia (WA) last year. A whistleblower’s statement read out in parliament this week alleges dead dolphins were found floating near the oil slick caused by Santos last March. Santos has previously denied the deaths were connected to the spill from its Varanus Island facility. The company last April told the WA Today newspaper the incident was a “minor spill” with “negligible” environmental impact. In November it added that the dead dolphins had been sighted “a couple of hours after” … Continue reading Energy giant Santos accused of death of dolphins in Australia

German police say they have removed almost all climate activists from a German village that will be destroyed to allow the expansion of a coal mine. Hundreds of officers cleared around 300 activists from Lützerath in an operation that began on Wednesday. Police say they removed activists waiting in treehouses, a day after clashes broke out between both sides. Two people were still holding out in an underground tunnel at the site in western Germany, police added. “There are no further activists in the village of Lützerath,” police said, adding that the buildings at the site had been cleared by … Continue reading German police remove climate activists after clashes near coal mine

Japan says it will release more than a million tonnes of water into the sea from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant this year. After treatment the levels of most radioactive particles meet the national standard, the operator said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the proposal is safe, but neighbouring countries have voiced concern. The 2011 Fukushima disaster was the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Decommissioning has already started but could take four decades. “We expect the timing of the release would be sometime during this spring or summer,” said chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno on Friday, adding … Continue reading Japan to release radioactive water into sea this year

Tobacco companies will now be charged to clean up cigarette butts off the streets and beaches of Spain, according to new environmental regulations. Millions of butts are thrown away each year – releasing toxic plastic waste which can take decades to break down. Figures from 2020 show around a fifth of adult Spaniards smoke everyday. The rules came into force on Friday, but it remains unclear how they will be implemented and whether costs are likely to be passed on to consumers. A report by the Catalan Rezero Foundation estimated that local authorities in Catalonia were paying between €12-21 ($13-22) … Continue reading Spain tobacco firms to pay to clean up cigarette butts

Canada’s ambassador to the European Union has voiced concern with proposed EU rules to curb deforestation. A November letter from Ailish Campbell said the rules add “burdensome” requirements and will hurt trade between Canada and the EU. The EU regulation aims to limit the trade of products linked to deforestation worldwide. Climate campaigners have called Canada’s resistance to the rules “shocking”. In the 17 November letter, Ms Campbell says Canada supports the objectives of the proposed deforestation regulation, but is “greatly concerned” that some elements will cause trade barriers for Canadian exporters. She asks for several revisions to the regulation, … Continue reading Canadian ambassador tells EU that deforestation rules ‘burdensome’

The world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, has erupted for the first time in almost 40 years. The lava flow is mostly contained within the summit, but residents have been placed on alert and were earlier warned about the risk of falling ash. The US Geological Service (USGS) has said the situation could change rapidly. The volcano’s alert level has also been upgraded from an “advisory” to a “warning” – the highest classification. No evacuation orders have been issued and populated areas are unlikely to be impacted at this stage, emergency officials say. Mauna Loa, located inside Hawaii Volcanoes … Continue reading The world’s largest active volcano erupts in Hawaii

The world’s second-richest man has said he has sold his private jet so “no one can see where I go” after being tracked by climate activists on Twitter. Bernard Arnault, the boss of luxury goods company LVMH – known for Moet, Louis Vuitton and Hennessy – has a net worth of $152bn (£134bn), according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list, surpassing Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Accounts such as @i_fly_Bernard and @laviondebernard had sprung up on Twitter to track the private jet of Mr Arnault and other billionaires to reveal the amount of pollution they cause. “Indeed, with all these stories, the group had … Continue reading World’s second-richest man sells private jet so climate activists can’t track him

Australia’s dirtiest power plant, responsible for more than 3% of the country’s emissions – will shut a decade earlier than planned. The coal-fired Loy Yang A power station in Victoria will close in 2035, its owner AGL Energy said. Australia – one of the world’s biggest emitters per capita – has long been considered a climate policy laggard. AGL is the nation’s biggest electricity generator and polluter and has come under pressure to limit fossil fuels. Loy Yang A emitted 16.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas in 2019-20, according to most recent data. Australia in total emitted 513.4 tonnes during … Continue reading Australia’s most-polluting coal plant to shut decade earlier than planned

Haarlem in The Netherlands is set to ban most meat ads from public spaces because of the food’s climate impact. In what is thought to be the first such move by a city, it will enforce the ban from 2024. The motion drafted by GroenLinks – a green political party – has faced opposition from the meat sector and some who say it stifles free speech. The UN says livestock generate more than 14% of all man-made greenhouse gases, including methane. “Meat is very harmful to the environment. We cannot tell people that there is a climate crisis and encourage them … Continue reading Dutch city of Haarlem may be world’s first to ban most meat ads

California is to ban the sale of new petrol-only vehicles by 2035, marking a historic step in the state’s attempts to tackle climate change. The new rules are aimed to force car makers to accelerate the introduction to the market of cleaner vehicles. It comes after Governor Gavin Newsom set a target in 2020 to speed up the shift away from fossil fuels. The move is important as California is the most populous state in the US and one of the world’s biggest economies. Under the rules, issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), 35% of new vehicles sold … Continue reading California to ban sales of petrol-only vehicles by 2035