Environment | The Guardian

California authorities rescue 14 people stranded in flash flood

Five vehicles stuck during third straight day of rain in southern California but no injuries reported

California authorities rescue 14 people stranded in flash flood
Ahead of natural disasters, this foundation spends millions to spark better ideas for the government's billions

As part of our Stormproofing the City series, Rockefeller Foundation’s Nancy Kete explains how their ability to move money fast can leverage better federal spending

Ahead of natural disasters, this foundation spends millions to spark better ideas for the government's billions
California residents braced for floods and mudslides as rain sweeps state

Los Angeles could see heaviest rainfall in two years but storm will make only minor dent in three-year drought

California residents braced for floods and mudslides as rain sweeps state

Conservative lobby group Alec plans anti-environmental onslaught

Corporate lobbying network American Legislative Exchange Council is planning to draft a number of new bills attacking environmental protections

Conservative lobby group Alec plans anti-environmental onslaught
The best urban parks in the US – your pictures and stories

From urban goats in Chicago’s Garfield Park to protests on Boston Common and marriages at Austin’s Auditorium Shores, you shared your stories and pictures of the parks in US cities which mean the most to you

The best urban parks in the US – your pictures and stories
Lima climate talks: EU and US at odds over legally binding emissions targets

EU says mandatory carbon emissions cuts should be set for all countries, whereas US wants individual countries to be free to adjust the scale and pace of reductions

Lima climate talks: EU and US at odds over legally binding emissions targets
Pollution and medical negligence among cases rejected by supreme court

US supreme court disappoints the estate of a Michigan woman who died after a kidney transplant and an Iowa corn processing plant by letting judgments stand

Pollution and medical negligence among cases rejected by supreme court
Carbon emissions: past, present and future – interactive

As the UN climate talks open in Lima to agree on a draft text for a binding treaty in Paris in 2015, here is a timeline of world’s top 20 emitters of carbon dioxide since the dawn of industrialisation

Carbon emissions: past, present and future – interactive
Safer drinking water: Ohio takes first steps in removing toxins from Lake Erie

Legislation would ban farmers from spreading manure on top of frozen or saturated fields, which has been linked to the spread of algae blooms in Lake Erie

Safer drinking water: Ohio takes first steps in removing toxins from Lake Erie
New Jersey governor Chris Christie vetoes controversial pig cage bill

Chris Christie has vetoed a bill that called for restrictive pig cages to be banned in the state, a move seen by many as a gauge of his presidential ambitions

New Jersey governor Chris Christie vetoes controversial pig cage bill
Deforestation dropped 18% in Brazil's Amazon over past 12 months

Levels fell to second-lowest level in quarter century, Brazil’s environment minister said, in wake of adoption of controversial bill revising the Forest Code

Deforestation dropped 18% in Brazil's Amazon over past 12 months
Seconds from death: student photographs bear moments before it killed him

Images retrieved from 22-year-old’s phone reveal final moments before Rutgers University student was mauled to death by 300lb animal

Seconds from death: student photographs bear moments before it killed him
This man is ensuring future storms like Sandy won't paralyze North America's largest transit system

A behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to stormproof New York City Transit, the subway that never sleeps

This man is ensuring future storms like Sandy won't paralyze North America's largest transit system
Obama unveils new limits on ozone pollution in victory for health groups

New guidelines will bring US up to par with health standards in other industrialised countries and are a victory for environmental groups

Obama unveils new limits on ozone pollution in victory for health groups
Supreme court to hear challenge to new pollution regulations for power stations

EPA says crackdown on mercury could save 11,000 lives but court will consider whether implementation costs should have been weighed

Supreme court to hear challenge to new pollution regulations for power stations
Race to sign Iran nuclear deal before Republican takeover of Congress

Political obstacles to deal set to increase in January, after which Democratic leadership will be unable to halt new sanctions vote

Race to sign Iran nuclear deal before Republican takeover of Congress
Obama’s climate change envoy: fossil fuels will have to stay in the ground

Todd Stern claims the world will have to forgo developing reserves of oil, coal and gas in order to solve global warming

Obama’s climate change envoy: fossil fuels will have to stay in the ground
Hummingbird migrates south to Texas by private jet

Anonymous plane owner transports rust-coloured bird after rufous hummingbird found off-course in wintry Minnesota

Hummingbird migrates south to Texas by private jet
Iran nuclear talks extended to 2015 after failure at Vienna negotiations

Deadline for deal moved to 30 June but British foreign secretary says aim is to reach broad accord within three months

Iran nuclear talks extended to 2015 after failure at Vienna negotiations
Antarctic ice thicker than previously thought, study finds

First of its kind robotic survey of underside of sea ice floes reveals denser ice fringing the continent

Antarctic ice thicker than previously thought, study finds

US political lobbying Conservative lobby group Alec plans anti-environmental onslaught

Corporate lobbying network American Legislative Exchange Council is planning to draft a number of new bills attacking environmental protections

Conservative lobby group Alec plans anti-environmental onslaught
Cities The best urban parks in the US – your pictures and stories

From urban goats in Chicago’s Garfield Park to protests on Boston Common and marriages at Austin’s Auditorium Shores, you shared your stories and pictures of the parks in US cities which mean the most to you

The best urban parks in the US – your pictures and stories
- Cop 20: UN climate change conference | Lima Lima climate talks: EU and US at odds over legally binding emissions targets
  
  EU says mandatory carbon emissions cuts should be set for all countries, whereas US wants individual countries to be free to adjust the scale and pace of reductions
  
  Lima climate talks: EU and US at odds over legally binding emissions targets
- US supreme court Pollution and medical negligence among cases rejected by supreme court
  
  US supreme court disappoints the estate of a Michigan woman who died after a kidney transplant and an Iowa corn processing plant by letting judgments stand
  
  Pollution and medical negligence among cases rejected by supreme court
- Greenhouse gas emissions Carbon emissions: past, present and future – interactive
  
  As the UN climate talks open in Lima to agree on a draft text for a binding treaty in Paris in 2015, here is a timeline of world’s top 20 emitters of carbon dioxide since the dawn of industrialisation
  
  Carbon emissions: past, present and future – interactive

Ohio Safer drinking water: Ohio takes first steps in removing toxins from Lake Erie

Legislation would ban farmers from spreading manure on top of frozen or saturated fields, which has been linked to the spread of algae blooms in Lake Erie

Safer drinking water: Ohio takes first steps in removing toxins from Lake Erie
New Jersey New Jersey governor Chris Christie vetoes controversial pig cage bill

Chris Christie has vetoed a bill that called for restrictive pig cages to be banned in the state, a move seen by many as a gauge of his presidential ambitions

New Jersey governor Chris Christie vetoes controversial pig cage bill
Deforestation Deforestation dropped 18% in Brazil's Amazon over past 12 months

Levels fell to second-lowest level in quarter century, Brazil’s environment minister said, in wake of adoption of controversial bill revising the Forest Code

Deforestation dropped 18% in Brazil's Amazon over past 12 months
New Jersey Seconds from death: student photographs bear moments before it killed him

Images retrieved from 22-year-old’s phone reveal final moments before Rutgers University student was mauled to death by 300lb animal

Seconds from death: student photographs bear moments before it killed him
Stormproofing the city This man is ensuring future storms like Sandy won't paralyze North America's largest transit system

A behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to stormproof New York City Transit, the subway that never sleeps

This man is ensuring future storms like Sandy won't paralyze North America's largest transit system
Pollution Obama unveils new limits on ozone pollution in victory for health groups

New guidelines will bring US up to par with health standards in other industrialised countries and are a victory for environmental groups

Obama unveils new limits on ozone pollution in victory for health groups
Pollution Supreme court to hear challenge to new pollution regulations for power stations

EPA says crackdown on mercury could save 11,000 lives but court will consider whether implementation costs should have been weighed

Supreme court to hear challenge to new pollution regulations for power stations
Iran Race to sign Iran nuclear deal before Republican takeover of Congress

Political obstacles to deal set to increase in January, after which Democratic leadership will be unable to halt new sanctions vote

Race to sign Iran nuclear deal before Republican takeover of Congress
Climate change Obama’s climate change envoy: fossil fuels will have to stay in the ground

Todd Stern claims the world will have to forgo developing reserves of oil, coal and gas in order to solve global warming

Obama’s climate change envoy: fossil fuels will have to stay in the ground
Birds Hummingbird migrates south to Texas by private jet

Anonymous plane owner transports rust-coloured bird after rufous hummingbird found off-course in wintry Minnesota

Hummingbird migrates south to Texas by private jet
Iran Iran nuclear talks extended to 2015 after failure at Vienna negotiations

Deadline for deal moved to 30 June but British foreign secretary says aim is to reach broad accord within three months

Iran nuclear talks extended to 2015 after failure at Vienna negotiations
Sea ice Antarctic ice thicker than previously thought, study finds

First of its kind robotic survey of underside of sea ice floes reveals denser ice fringing the continent

Antarctic ice thicker than previously thought, study finds

Shale gas and fracking Health impact of fracking on residents ‘should be monitored’

Scientists in the US have linked chemicals used to fracture shale rock with fertility and developmental problems

Health impact of fracking on residents ‘should be monitored’
Cop 20: UN climate change conference | Lima Adapting to a warmer climate could cost almost three times as much as thought, says UN report

Rich countries need to give more to plug huge funding gap and help developing nations adapt to drought, flooding and heatwaves caused by climate change, says UN report

Adapting to a warmer climate could cost almost three times as much as thought, says UN report
- Wildlife Law to ban wild animals in UK circuses being blocked by three Tory MPs
  
  UK lags behind Bolivia and Bosnia in banning the use of wild animals, such as lions, tigers, zebras and camels, in travelling circuses
  
  Law to ban wild animals in UK circuses being blocked by three Tory MPs
- Sea ice Warmer seas could cause faster melting of Antarctic ice leading to rising sea levels, says study
  
  Rapidly rising sea temperatures could melt West Antarctica’s ice shelves faster than previously thought leading to a worrying rise in global sea levels, say researchers at University of East Anglia
  
  Warmer seas could cause faster melting of Antarctic ice leading to rising sea levels, says study
- Trees and forests Christmas tree growers get ready for the fir to fly
  
  Traffic jams and frayed tempers at south Wales farm that is supplying No 10, on busiest weekend of the year for tree sellers
  
  Christmas tree growers get ready for the fir to fly
- Energy Inside the petrochemical industry’s $36m 'research strategy' on ubiquitous poison benzene
  
  Scores of lawsuits by sick workers uncover previously secret documents detailing campaign to undercut science and ‘protect member company interests’
  
  Inside the petrochemical industry’s $36m 'research strategy' on ubiquitous poison benzene
- Oil spills Israel nature reserve oil spill 'one of country's worst environmental disasters'
  
  Three people hospitalised after inhaling fumes from oil gushing out of a breached pipeline near Evrona reserve
  
  Israel nature reserve oil spill 'one of country's worst environmental disasters'
- Mining Queensland Indigenous group appeals to UN over mining on traditional land
  
  Mithaka people of south-west Queensland say the government has violated international law by failing to consult them over fracking
  
  Queensland Indigenous group appeals to UN over mining on traditional land

Activism Keystone XL opponent Bill McKibben steps down as head of 350.org

‘I’ve had enough years of reviewing budgets’ says US author and climate activist as he steps down from leadership role

Keystone XL opponent Bill McKibben steps down as head of 350.org
Climate change 2014 set to be world's hottest year ever

Record average temperatures highlight the urgent need to agree a deal on emissions at the UN climate change talks in Lima

2014 set to be world's hottest year ever
National parks World’s largest cave in Vietnam threatened by cable car

Vietnamese are protesting plans to build a cable car through remote Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park that could carry 1,000 visitors an hour to Son Doong cave

World’s largest cave in Vietnam threatened by cable car
Climate change 2014 on track to be England's hottest year in over three centuries

Unless December turns unusually cold, 2014 will beat 1995, 2006, 1990 and 2011 as the warmest year on record

2014 on track to be England's hottest year in over three centuries
Cop 20: UN climate change conference | Lima Lima climate talks: developing nations urge rich to aim for zero emissions

Group of least-developed nations at UN climate summit say rich counties should do ‘substantially more’ to cut emissions

Lima climate talks: developing nations urge rich to aim for zero emissions
Coral Baby coral research gives glimmer of hope reefs could adapt to global warming

Team examines tens of thousands of genes to identify those that allow coral to adapt to high carbon dioxide levels and more acidic oceans

Baby coral research gives glimmer of hope reefs could adapt to global warming
The meat industry Eating less meat essential to curb climate change, says report

Global livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than transport but fear of a consumer backlash is preventing action, says Chatham House report

Eating less meat essential to curb climate change, says report
Flooding Somerset flood defences: ‘It all seems to take such a long time’

Residents forced out of their homes after the River Parrett burst its banks almost a year ago express hope and despair over government help, reports Steven Morris

Somerset flood defences: ‘It all seems to take such a long time’
Flooding David Cameron: Britain has long-term plan for flood defences – video

David Cameron says all flood defences that were damaged last winter in extreme weather have been repaired

David Cameron: Britain has long-term plan for flood defences – video
Wildlife World's largest rat poisoning project aims to rid South Georgia of its rodents

Eradication effort to protect the island’s wildlife from millions of invasive rats, which will feed on the brains of live seabird chicks, starts in 2015

World's largest rat poisoning project aims to rid South Georgia of its rodents
Flooding Clear-up goes on 10 months after flooding on Somerset Levels

Residents are starting to move back into homes, but many are frustrated at slow progress of flood defences

Clear-up goes on 10 months after flooding on Somerset Levels
Cop 20: UN climate change conference | Lima Yeb Saño, vocal critic of west, dropped from Lima climate talks

Curious absence of the Philippines’ key negotiator could be due to political pressure from rich countries ahead of crucial climate negotiations, say NGOs

Yeb Saño, vocal critic of west, dropped from Lima climate talks

Gods and faith versus Coal in name of climate change

Graham Readfearn: Religious leaders are taking on coal with polite letters and coal blockades and say they’re in it for the long haul in the name of climate change

Gods and faith versus Coal in name of climate change
- Cutting carbon pollution is the key to curbing global warming
  
  John Abraham: A new study finds that cutting emissions of long-lived greenhouse gases is the key to tackling global warming
  
  Cutting carbon pollution is the key to curbing global warming
- The bike that kids won't grow out of (well, for a while at least)
  
  Emily Chappell: The LittleBig extendable bike seeks to solve the age-old problem for children that love to cycle – that they just won’t stop growing
  
  The bike that kids won't grow out of (well, for a while at least)
- Brazil should take lead on climate, not just broker talks
  
  Carlos Rittl
  
  Carlos Rittl: Country’s efforts to keep negotiations moving towards a global agreement should be backed by robust action on cutting emissions and embracing renewables
  
  Brazil should take lead on climate, not just broker talks

Scientists plan to go in search of the world’s rarest chameleon

Jeremy Hance for mongabay.com, part of the Guardian Environment Network

Mongabay: Chapman’s pygmy chameleon hasn’t been seen for 16 years. Now scientists want to go on an expedition to its native country of Malawi, to find out if it still exists

Scientists plan to go in search of the world’s rarest chameleon
Locals fearful of suspected killer tiger released near their village in India

Janaki Lenin

Janaki Lenin: Scared residents of Talawade in Karnataka are calling for forest officials to recapture a tiger, suspected of killing a woman and chasing vehicles, that has been released into a wildlife reserve near their village

Locals fearful of suspected killer tiger released near their village in India
'They say that in 30 years maybe Kiribati will disappear'

Karl Mathiesen in South Tarawa

Karl Mathiesen: On the tiny coral islands of Kiribati sandbags hold back the rising sea and drought means no fresh water. For the Pacific Islanders living at the sharp edge of climate change any result in Lima will be too little, too late

'They say that in 30 years maybe Kiribati will disappear'
Want a green energy future? Nationalize Canada's oil industry

Martin Lukacs: Canada’s oil corporations have made a profitable mess of the country: it’s time to put them under public, democratic control

Want a green energy future? Nationalize Canada's oil industry
Volcanoes may be responsible for most of the global surface warming slowdown

Dana Nuccitelli: A new study estimates surface temperature cooling from volcanoes at 0.05–0.12°C since 2000

Volcanoes may be responsible for most of the global surface warming slowdown
Will Australia be the great coal defender at Lima climate talks?

Australia heads to major climate negotiations in the wake of high level defence of its coal industry

Will Australia be the great coal defender at Lima climate talks?
Communities at risk of flooding won’t buy this spin from David Cameron

Maria Eagle

Maria Eagle: £2.3bn for flood defences in England is not new money, and spending has gone backwards under this Tory-led government despite its claims to the contrary

Communities at risk of flooding won’t buy this spin from David Cameron
Emissions targets are biggest challenge for Lima climate talks

Michael Jacobs

Michael Jacobs: Avoiding dangerous climate change depends on the strength of emissions reduction targets countries collectively adopt. And this remains a major concern

Emissions targets are biggest challenge for Lima climate talks
The £2.3bn for flood defences in England is good news but still not enough

Damian Carrington

Damian Carrington: Ministers can at last rightly claim they are spending more than before – but only because they cut the previous budget

The £2.3bn for flood defences in England is good news but still not enough
Cycling fashion: Mountain bikers get their own brand of chic

Trevor Ward: When fashion designer Alex Feechan took up MTB she spotted a gap in the cycling market. Her new Findra range sets out to bring function and style to women’s mountain biking

Cycling fashion: Mountain bikers get their own brand of chic
Brazil’s Javari valley threatened by Peruvian oil, warn tribes

David Hill: Indigenous peoples say oil operations by Canadian firm in Peru pose danger to Brazil

Brazil’s Javari valley threatened by Peruvian oil, warn tribes
The Chinese scientific revolution aims to tackle climate change

John Abraham: China is becoming the center of some critical advancements to tackle global warming

The Chinese scientific revolution aims to tackle climate change
Coral Triangle could be last bastion for planet's beleaguered reefs

Johnny Langenheim

Johnny Langenheim: Major reef system in south-east Asia could be unusually resilient to climate change, Catlin Seaview Survey suggests

Coral Triangle could be last bastion for planet's beleaguered reefs
We have 'a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' for a cycling revolution

Chris Boardman

In a speech delivered in Bristol today, Chris Boardman stressed that bold targets and increased funding are needed if the draft government UK cycling plan is to deliver real change

We have 'a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' for a cycling revolution
Renewable energy overtakes nuclear as Scotland's top power source

BusinessGreen: Clean energy produced more power in Scotland than nuclear, coal or gas for the first time, in first half of 2014 industry figures show

Renewable energy overtakes nuclear as Scotland's top power source
Watering down the Climate Act would be headline-chasing populism

Lord Puttnam and Tim Yeo

Lord Puttman and Tim Yeo: British politicians need the cross-party, long-term vision that made the Climate Act possible six years ago, if they are to stay the course on climate change

Watering down the Climate Act would be headline-chasing populism

Highlights from week one at the Lima climate talks – in pictures

This week delegates and activists began arriving in the Peruvian capital for the COP20 UN climate talks, where nations will negotiate a draft text on a climate deal to be agreed in Paris next year

Highlights from week one at the Lima climate talks – in pictures
The week in wildlife – in pictures

A puffed up owl and snow-laced trees bring a touch of winter to this week’s round-up of stunning images from the natural world

The week in wildlife – in pictures
International Cheetah Day - in pictures

Wildlife photographer Paul Goldstein’s cheetah photographs for International Cheetah Day

International Cheetah Day - in pictures

The hottest year ever around the world – in pictures

These striking images capture the effects of extreme weather around the world in 2014, a year that saw record average temperatures from Australia to Europe

The hottest year ever around the world – in pictures
Weather view: your November pictures
We asked you to share your most striking images of the weather in November. Here are the best of them. Thanks to everyone who contributed
You can submit in your December weather pictures via the latest GuardianWitness Weather view assignment
Weather view: your November pictures
Sea turtles released near Great Barrier Reef after rehabilitation – video

Two sea turtles have been released into the waters of Queensland's Great Barrier Reef after being rehabilitated in captivity

Sea turtles released near Great Barrier Reef after rehabilitation – video
Flexible squirrels and loved up galahs: your November wildlife photos

We asked you to share your November pictures of the wildlife around the world with which we share our outdoor spaces. Here’s our pick of the best of themJoin in this month’s Wildlife on your doorstep via GuardianWitness

Flexible squirrels and loved up galahs: your November wildlife photos

The week in wildlife – in pictures

The best of this week’s images from the natural world include one artistic dodo, two cheeky monkeys and whole family of elephants

The week in wildlife – in pictures
Autumn colours: readers' pictures

From the United States and Canada to northern Europe and India, we’ve had spectacular autumn pictures from our readers. Here are some of themYou can see all of them – or contribute your own – via GuardianWitness

Autumn colours: readers' pictures
The week in wildlife – in pictures

The best of this week’s images from the natural world include grazing giraffes, a jumping spider and a particularly nimble elephant

The week in wildlife – in pictures
Street artist captures UK wildlife in murals around London – in pictures

Street artist Louis Masaai’s London murals, including a hedgehog, stag beetle and house sparrow, highlight species loss within the UK. The campaign, in conjunction with charity Synchronicity Earth, marks the IUCN Red List’s 50th anniversary this year

Street artist captures UK wildlife in murals around London – in pictures
BBC Wildlife camera-trap competition winners – in pictures

Striking images of the critically endangered black rhino and Asiatic cheetah are among the winning images of the BBC’s 2014 camera-trap wildlife photography competition

BBC Wildlife camera-trap competition winners – in pictures
British underwater photography competition winners – in pictures

A rare fireworks anemone, a jellyfish and a blue shark feature in the winning images from this year’s British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) competition

British underwater photography competition winners – in pictures
The week in wildlife – in pictures

A sea lion sneaking a meal from a fisherman’s catch, elephants on the move and a comical owl feature in this week’s best images from the natural world

The week in wildlife – in pictures
Watch a year's worth of lightning strikes in the US - video

Lightning strikes will increase by about 12% for every 1C rise in global temperatures, says a new study by the University of California, Berkeley. But we still can't predict where or when the strikes will occur. In the US, lightning strikes are especially common in the mid-west and the Tampa Bay area of Florida, so-called lightning alley

Watch a year's worth of lightning strikes in the US - video
Spineless: extraordinary portraits of marine invertebrates - in pictures

Crabs, starfish, jellyfish – if they don’t have a backbone, they’ve probably been shot by wildlife photographer Susan Middleton

Spineless: extraordinary portraits of marine invertebrates - in pictures

The Green light news brief Green news roundup: hottest year, Lima climate talks and chameleons

Sign up to our weekly email briefing, bringing you the best news, analysis and debate from Guardian Environment

Green news roundup: hottest year, Lima climate talks and chameleons
100 months to save the world Black Friday consumer frenzy is bad for the environment

Andrew Simms: A day once synonymous with fighting for social justice has been rebranded to being associated with fighting for large, flat panel TVs and energy hungry gadgets

Black Friday consumer frenzy is bad for the environment
- People and the planet Thanksgiving of the future: how climate change could transform our food – interactive
  
  Our interactive explores what the future holds for the classic American holiday feast
  
  Thanksgiving of the future: how climate change could transform our food – interactive
- Sustainable living Science won't win over the climate change sceptics - we need stories
  
  People respond better to climate change solutions than a bitter argument about its causes, says Adam Corner
  
  Science won't win over the climate change sceptics - we need stories
- Rethinking prosperity Lessons from Dr Suess on power, status and sustainability
  
  It is time for all of us to wear the ‘sandals of humility’ if we are to end division and inequality in society
  
  Lessons from Dr Suess on power, status and sustainability

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