We lead off this month’s environment news round-up with the latest climate news including flooding in Central Europe and severe drought in the Amazon. We’ve also got a round-up of recent stories from the energy sector. In the UK, the government announced tougher penalties for polluting water companies this month. And there was worrying news about the state of our seabird populations as five species were added to the UK’s Red List. As usual, we’ll also catch up with some of the latest research published this month.
Climate News Latest
Although June temperatures in the UK were below average for the time of year, climate scientists confirmed this month that summer 2024 was the hottest on record in the Northern Hemisphere. The previous record for the region was set just last year. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said that globally, the Earth experienced its hottest June and August and that it is likely that 2024 as a whole will have been warmer than 2023. Of particular concern is that for 13 of the last 14 months, average surface air temperatures have been at least 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This is considered the point at which the effects of climate change become more detrimental to the planet.
As the northern summer ended, parts of Europe were experiencing the effects of climate breakdown in contrasting ways. In Portugal, forest wildfires have raged across northern and central regions. By mid-month, at least seven people, including three firefighters, had died in the blazes. Meanwhile, Central Europe was hit by more than five times the average rainfall for the whole month over the course of just five days. The resulting floods in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Poland killed at least 23. Janez Lenarčič, crisis management commissioner at the EU, said that events in Portugal and Central Europe showed clearly that the continent was experiencing the reality of climate breakdown.
In the Americas, the worst drought on record in the Amazon region means that many of the basin’s rivers are at their lowest ever levels. Some tributaries of the Amazon are almost three metres lower than average for the time of year. Brazil’s dry season runs from June to November and there are concerns that the situation will worsen as the season progresses. The drought is severely impacting humans and wildlife, including endangered river dolphins that are dying as the waters drop. More than 200 of the animals died in last year’s drought and there are fears similar numbers could die this year. Further north in the United States, a brutal heatwave continued to grip the southwestern states of Nevada, Arizona and California. Heat-related deaths are believed to have been higher than in any other year across the region. As the month ended, the southeast of the country was hit by category 4 Hurricane Helene. At least 95 people were killed across states including Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. Scientists believe stronger and more frequent storms are the result of global heating.
Just Stop Oil Activists Jailed
Two Just Stop Oil activists who threw tomato soup over one of Vincent van Gogh’s sunflower paintings in October 2022 were sentenced to custodial sentences this month following their July trial. Phoebe Plummer was handed a 2 year sentence while Anna Holland was sentenced to 20 months. The painting, which is displayed behind glass, was undamaged, although its frame needing retouching after the protest. Sentencing them, Judge Hehir said he took into account the damage that would have been caused to the painting had there been no glass over it. Holland’s barrister Raj Chada said that they would be considering an appeal in light of the fact this meant the pair were in effect charged for a crime they did not commit. Just an hour after the sentences were given, three protesters threw more soup over two of van Gogh’s sunflower paintings in the National Gallery in response.
Energy Sector Round-up
Renewables production in the UK was boosted this month as the latest energy auction secured funding for 131 green energy projects. The government released seven times the amount of funding issued last year by the previous administration. Resulting projects could power 11 million homes in the UK, using tidal, solar and wind power. There was some concern, however, that offshore wind contracts didn’t reach their full capacity in the auction, which could in turn make it harder for Labour to reach their targets for green energy production. In a further move away from fossil fuels, the High Court this month rejected plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria on the grounds that, as coal extracted would increase greenhouse gas emissions when burned, it would break environmental legislation. The then levelling up minister, Michael Gove, had controversially approved plans for the mine, the first new coal mine in 30 years, in December 2022, despite opposition from locals and climate activists.
In Europe, the Hague passed a law banning fossil fuel-related advertisements, as well as those promoting high carbon footprint services, across the city. From the start of 2025, there will be no billboards for petrol or diesel products, or for flights or cruise ships. The legislation is the first citywide ban on fossil fuel ads in the world following a similar ban on council-owned property in Edinburgh introduced earlier this year. In another world first, it was revealed that electric cars now outnumber petrol ones for the first time in Norway. Although diesel cars are still more numerous, sales of these are also falling dramatically. Commentators hope that they too will soon be outnumbered by electric vehicles. In August, more than 93% of new vehicle registrations in Norway were for EVs.
Water Pollution Crackdown
The UK Government introduced a new bill at the start of the month aimed at punishing water companies who pollute England’s rivers, lakes and seas. Originally announced in the King’s Speech in July, the Water (Special Measures) Bill has now been formally introduced to the House of Lords. The bill outlines a number of tougher penalties for bosses, including imprisonment or fines depending on the seriousness of the offence. These will include failing to cooperate with or obstruction of investigations following pollution events. Regulators will be able to issue fines quicker than at present without the lengthy investigation process. Water bosses will also see their bonuses stopped if they fail to meet certain standards. Despite the dire state of England’s waterways as a result of water company neglect and huge numbers of sewage releases, chief executives have collectively received over £41 million in bonuses or incentives since 2020. Contrary to some media coverage, the government says the legislation will not be used to raise water bills in order to bail out troubled Thames Water.
Events in Cornwall this month highlighted the need for progress in the sector. Early on in September, South West Water released sewage from 140 outflow pipes across Devon and Cornwall over a 24-hour period. Prolonged rainfall later on in the month led to further releases, with campaign group Surfers Against Sewage putting out warnings for 40 Cornish beaches to avoid over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of September. There were more warnings again the following week. A host of events had to be cancelled to ensure public safety, including an annual wildlife survey run by Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Although water firms are permitted to release untreated sewage during exceptionally heavy rain to prevent systems becoming overwhelmed, campaigners say firms are using the loophole to release more sewage than allowed.
Nature-friendly Farming Funds at Risk
In a blow for farmland wildlife, a £22 billion Treasury shortfall means that government funding for nature-friendly farming practices in England could be cut by £100 million according to sources speaking to the Guardian. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has tasked a number of government departments to make savings in order to plug the hole. In England, environment land management schemes, or Elms, have replaced EU farming subsidies and pay farmers to protect and boost wildlife. There are concerns that fewer farmers will apply for the schemes if they don’t think the reduced payments are worth it. This will then result in much less land farmed with nature in mind.
Five Seabird Species Added to UK Red List
This month saw the publication of the latest assessment of the state of the UK’s breeding seabird populations. This forms part of the larger Birds of Conservation Concern review begun in 2021. The update reveals some worrying trends for one of our most vulnerable groups of birds. Five seabird species have been added to the Red List, the highest level of conservation concern, due to significant population declines. These are: common gull, Arctic tern, great black-backed gull, great skua and Leach’s storm petrel. Only two species had their status downgraded: black guillemot from Amber to Green and shag from Red to Amber. Seabirds face a number of increasing threats, including overfishing, bycatch, plastic pollution, climate change and avian influenza. That last threat particularly impacted great skuas in 2021 and 2022. Colony counts in 2023 by the RSPB showed a 76% decline in the skua’s Scottish breeding population following two years of onslaught by the virus.
Great White Egrets Breed in Scotland
The rapid colonisation of the UK by great white egrets continues with the first confirmed Scottish breeding record this year. Late this summer, three chicks were observed leaving a nest next to the RSPB’s Loch of Strathbeg reserve in Aberdeenshire. Staff at the reserve think the parents have been visiting the reserve for the last few years but have not attempted breeding until now. This is the most northerly breeding record for a species which has been spreading west from eastern Europe over the last few decades. They first bred in the UK in Somerset in 2012 and have bred in a number of other English counties since then. Hundreds of birds also regularly winter here.
Research Round-up
The results of Butterfly Conservation’s annual Big Butterfly Count were released this month. This year’s count took place over three weeks in July and August and recorded the lowest numbers since the citizen science project began 14 years ago. Total numbers seen were over a fifth lower than the previous low in 2022. On average, participants saw just seven butterflies during their 15-minute counts. Last year’s average was 12 per count. Over 80% of species were recorded in lower numbers compared to 2023. Of particular concern were the lowest ever counts of holly blue, common blue, green-veined and small whites, small tortoiseshell, Scotch argus and painted lady. A total of 9,000 counts recorded no butterflies at all, another alarming record for the survey. Although butterflies were likely partly impacted by an unseasonably chilly June, the charity is concerned that this year’s low counts are also a result of ongoing problems in the wider environment, including pesticide use and habitat loss.
More pollinator news now as recent research shows that a new pesticide that was hoped to be a safe replacement for neonicotinoids is fatal to mason bees. Scientists have been trying to find a safe alternative to neonicotinoids for use in farming due to their harmful effect on bees. Neonicotinoid pesticides were banned for use in the UK and EU in 2018. For the last four years, however, the previous UK Government granted emergency exemptions to the ban for the sugar beet industry to combat diseases falling under the umbrella term yellow virus. The new pesticide, flupyradifurone, was thought to be less harmful and has been licensed for use worldwide. Tests run by the University of Bristol and the University of Texas, Austin, have found that it killed 100% of mason bees, however. It also reduced foraging efficiency and made them less likely to start nesting. The results highlight that more research needs to be done before permitting widespread use of novel chemicals.
Finally, a study from Australia has found that light pollution reduces brain development in garden orb weaving spiders. The effects were especially marked in an area of the brain connected with vision. Co-author Professor Therésa Jones from the University of Melbourne says this impairment has the potential to affect the spiders’ ability to forage or navigate their surroundings. Artificial light interferes with melatonin production, something that happens at night in both human and spiders. Reduction of melatonin, a powerful antioxidant, could be at the root of further neurological issues, including those seen in the study.