The Elephant
A resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens interested in climate change and the environmental emergency
The ElephantA resource for journalists, politicians, policy makers, activists and citizens interested in climate change and the environmental emergency
Visit: independent.co.uk
Greece weather heatwave: Foreign Office warns tourists after four dead and more missing in record early temperatures | The Independent
2024-06-17 in The IndependentThe earliest recorded heatwave could be a taste of what is to come for the country expecting record tourism this year, Rich Booth reports from Greece
Battery breakthrough could supercharge transition to renewable energy | The Independent
2024-06-04 in The IndependentZinc-air batteries hold huge potential for grid-scale storage
‘Bug splat’ survey shows 78% decline in flying insects in two decades | The Independent
2024-04-23 in The IndependentThe citizen science project asks people to record the number of flying insects that are squashed on their car number plates after a drive.
India’s Supreme Court expands right to life to include ‘adverse effects of climate change’ in landmark ruling | The Independent
2024-04-08 in The IndependentSupreme Court says right to life and equality can’t be fully realised without clean environment
Ukraine’s Zaphorizhzhia nuclear plant loses connection to last backup power line | The Independent
2024-02-22 in The IndependentFears over ‘fragile’ situation at Europe’s biggest atomic power plant
Tagged under: Nuclear Power
Europe’s deepest mine to become gravity battery for storing renewable energy | The Independent
2024-02-08 in The IndependentEstimates suggest abandoned mine shafts could store enough electricity to power the planet
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | Electricity
New UN weather agency chief says rate of global warming is speeding up
2024-02-07 in The IndependentThe new chief of the World Meteorological Organization says the rate of human-caused climate change is accelerating and that warming has triggered more Arctic cold outbreaks further south, weighing in on two issues that divide climate scientists
Tagged under: Global Warming
Caroline Lucas: Create ‘firewall’ between politicians and fossil fuel industry | The Independent
2024-01-30 in The IndependentThe MP for Brighton, Pavilion warned of a “revolving door” between parliamentarians and ministers and fossil fuel companies.
Climate misinformation is mutating on YouTube – and the platform is profiting | The Independent
2024-01-16 in The IndependentResearchers analysed thousands of hours of YouTube content from the past six years and found that ‘old’ climate change denial is giving way to a new type of misleading content intended to muddy the waters
Tagged under: Disinformation and Misinformation
Fears for river pollution as UK ditches EU farming rules after Brexit | The Independent
2023-12-23 in The IndependentFarmers will no longer have to follow EU regulations in areas such as reducing agricultural runoff into rivers
Tagged under: Farming | Rivers
Solar panel advances will see millions abandon electrical grid, scientists predict | The Independent
2023-11-09 in The IndependentSolar energy costs have fallen 90 per cent over the last decade, while new discoveries have seen efficiency rates rise
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | Solar Energy | Electricity Grid
Fossil fuels ‘becoming obsolete’ as solar panel prices plummet | The Independent
2023-09-27 (or before) in The IndependentSolar costs down nearly 90 per cent over last decade in huge boost for renewable energy
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | Solar Energy | Fossil Fuels
Tory launches international climate declaration to bring politicians together | The Independent
2023-09-19 (or before) in The IndependentChris Skidmore wants to create a cross-party, international group of legislators committed to climate action.
Tagged under: COP28 | Climate Change
Farms with natural landscape features provide sanctuary for some Costa Rica rainforest birds
2023-09-04 (or before) in The IndependentA study conducted over 18 years in Costa Rica shows that small farms with natural landscape features such as shade trees, hedgerows and tracts of intact forest can provide a refuge for some tropical bird populations
Air pollution shortens lives of Delhi residents by around 11.9 years | The Independent
2023-09-02 (or before) in The IndependentReport finds 67.4 per cent of Indians live in areas that exceed country’s own national air quality standard
Tagged under: Climate Change
Millions in Tory donations at risk as property developers hit back | The Independent
2023-08-29 (or before) in The IndependentHousebuilders and developers - who in the past have accounted for around a fifth of all donations - have turned off the taps.
Norway to spend $6 million a year stock-piling grain, citing pandemic, war and climate change
2023-08-25 in The IndependentNorway will spend 63 million kroner ($6 million) per year until the end of the decade on filling up emergency stocks with grain
European heatwave - latest updates as red alerts and record temperatures continue | The Independent
2023-07-13 (or before) in The IndependentEurope heatwave 2023
Tagged under: Spain | Wildfires
Massive mineral deposit discovery could meet global battery and solar panel demand ‘for next 100 years’ | The Independent
2023-07-04 (or before) in The IndependentNorge Mining hopes to open first mine in Norway within next five years
Tagged under: Solar Energy | Minerals | Electric Cars | Cars
Thames Water dumped ‘millions of litres’ of sewage near Gatwick Airport river killing more than 1,000 fish | The Independent
2023-07-04 (or before) in The IndependentUntreated sewage was pumped into River Mole near Crawley for six and a half hours, turning water black
Thames Water fined £3.3 million after ‘millions of litres’ of sewage pumped into rivers near Gatwick | The Independent
2023-07-04 (or before) in The IndependentThames Water had shown a ‘deliberate attempt’ to mislead the Environment Agency over the incident
Decarbonisation must not cause ‘undue disturbance’ to public, says Tory MP | The Independent
2023-05-25 (or before) in The IndependentDr Liam Fox said the climate debate must be positive if it is to bring people along and ‘augment’ their expected standard of living if possible.
Tagged under: Climate Change | Decarbonisation
Solar panel efficiency to increase 50% with first production of ‘miracle’ tandem cells | The Independent
2023-05-20 (or before) in The IndependentWorld’s first commercialisation of perovskite solar cells follows years of breakthroughs with the material
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | Solar Energy
Brazilian researchers find ‘terrifying’ plastic rocks off remote Trinidade island | The Independent
2023-03-20 (or before) in The Independent‘Pollution has reached geology’ says a scientist
Tagged under: Oceans | Climate Change | Brazil
Somalia drought: 43,000 died in 2022 and this year’s toll will be higher, study finds | The Independent
2023-03-20 (or before) in The Independent‘Unrelenting droughts’ have created worst hunger crisis for 70 years says
Tagged under: Drought | Climate Change | Africa | Famine | Health
Solar breakthrough paves way for first ‘miracle material’ panels | The Independent
2023-02-28 (or before) in The IndependentPerovskite is vastly more efficient than silicon at absorbing sunlight, but until now has been too unstable for commercial use
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | Solar Energy
Europe on the verge of water catastrophe as groundwater reserves dry up, scientists warn | The Independent
2023-01-30 (or before) in The IndependentThe effects of this prolonged drought were evident in Europe during the summer of 2022
Tagged under: Drought | Climate Change
Flying more than twice as damaging to climate than previously thought, study finds | The Independent | The Independent
2022-12-13 (or before) in The IndependentThe source of non-CO2 warming set to triple by 2050, according to researchers
Tagged under: Climate Change | Air Travel
Climate crisis ‘threatens rule of law and civilisation’ | The Independent
2022-09-16 (or before) in The IndependentMajor British law firms are contributing to the climate crisis, the letter warns
Tagged under: Climate Change | Fossil Fuels
Nuclear fusion breakthrough as Korean reactor achieves 100mC for 30 seconds | The Independent
2022-09-09 (or before) in The Independent‘Artificial sun’ achieves milestone towards near-limitless clean energy.
Tagged under: Nuclear Power | Nuclear Fusion
Green activists jubilant as Kingsnorth shelved | The Independent | The Independent
2022-09-07 (or before) in The IndependentE.on says coal plant is no longer needed as recession reduces electricity demand
Tagged under: Activism | Coal | Climate Change | Electricity | Greenpeace
Mexico should stop making beer in north due to drought, president says | The Independent
2022-08-21 (or before) in The IndependentMexico is the world’s largest exporter of beer
Tagged under: Drought | Climate Change | Mexico
‘Huge’ unexpected ozone hole discovered over tropics | The Independent
2022-07-08 (or before) in The IndependentThe area of depleted ozone is seven times larger than the hole over Antarctica and could affect 50 per cent of the global population
Tagged under: Climate Change | Antarctic
Fossil fuel projects that qualify for Rishi Sunak’s tax relief ‘could create 899 million tonnes of CO2’ | The Independent
2022-06-07 (or before) in The IndependentIf all 39 projects are approved they could produce the equivalent of nearly 1.9 billion barrels of oil
Tagged under: Climate Change | Rishi Sunak | Fossil Fuels
Officer ‘surprised’ by Patel’s late night call to superior during XR protest | The Independent
2022-06-05 (or before) in The IndependentFive activists convicted over a protest at a newspaper publishers are questioning whether there was political interference in police actions.
Tagged under: Extinction Rebellion | Activism
I worked at Shell for 33 years – the government is wrong on North Sea oil | The Independent
2022-05-30 (or before) in The IndependentInvesting into North Sea oil won’t cut our bills or protect Britain’s energy security, so why is the energy secretary saying the opposite?
Tagged under: Shell | Climate Change
Why I became the UK’s first travel editor to swear off flying | The Independent
2022-05-29 (or before) in The Independent‘It’s about the journey, not about the destination’ may be the biggest cliché in the book – but sometimes clichés are clichés because they’re true, writes Helen Coffey
Tagged under: Greta Thunberg
Eco-activists ‘could undermine energy security and hinder net-zero effort’
2022-05-25 (or before) in The IndependentOffshore Energies UK said the industry is ‘aligned with their long-term vision’.
Tagged under: Activism | Net Zero
Extreme weather disasters have increased fivefold in past 50 years, says UN report | The Independent
2022-05-15 (or before) in The IndependentMore than 3,000 disasters linked to climate, water or water extremes in last decade, says World Meteorological Organisation
Tagged under: Extreme Weather | Climate Change
The government refuses to acknowledge the climate crisis | Caroline Lucas
2022-05-15 (or before) in The IndependentWhile climate sceptics wax lyrical about the ‘cost of net zero’, they conveniently omit the cost of not getting to net zero
Tagged under: Net Zero
Earth’s CO2 hits highest recorded level in human history | The Independent
2022-05-09 (or before) in The IndependentUnprecedented level comes as greenhouse gas emissions continue around the world
Tagged under: Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change | Fossil Fuels
BP and Shell signal commitment to UK investment - weakening government case against windfall tax | The Independent
2022-05-07 (or before) in The IndependentEd Miliband tells Saphora Smith that arguments against such a move are being exposed as ‘total nonsense’
Tagged under: BP | Shell | TotalEnergies
UK set to ‘torpedo climate action’ by approving six new North Sea oil and gas fields
2022-02-14 (or before) in The IndependentChancellor Rishi Sunak has said he wants to encourage more investment in new fossil fuel drilling
Tagged under: Climate Change | Rishi Sunak | Net Zero
We are in a Don’t Look Up situation. Here’s what the government should do | The Independent
2022-01-15 (or before) in The IndependentI’ve developed a practical plan of the steps we need to be taking to tackle the climate emergency – right now, writes Donnachadh McCarthy
Tagged under: COP27 | Climate Change | Net Zero
Climate terms like ‘crisis’ and ‘emergency’ take over UK climate media | The Independent
2022-01-06 (or before) in The IndependentThe language used by UK media is evolving as the dangers of climate crisis become more evident
Tagged under: Climate Change
One in 15 Tory MPs believe climate change is a ‘myth’, poll finds
2021-11-07 (or before) in The IndependentExclusive: 7% of Tories in Commons do not accept scientific consensus
Tagged under: Climate Change
A message for Cop26 – from deep within the Amazon rainforest | The Independent
2021-10-28 (or before) in The IndependentIn the run up to Glasgow summit, Nemonte Nenquimo – the female leader of the indigenous Waorani people – demands we respect Mother Nature, writes Donnachadh McCarthy
Tagged under: COP26 | Rainforests | Amazon Rainforest | Climate Change
Young climate activists from across world urge UK and UN to act on killings of environmental defenders | The Independent
2021-10-04 (or before) in The IndependentExclusive: Activists urge Alok Sharma and Antonio Guterres to do more after a prominent environmentalist is shot dead in Kenya
Tagged under: Activism | COP26 | Climate Change
A recent climate report has left me devastated – I beg you to read it | The Independent
2021-09-26 (or before) in The IndependentAs I thought how best to convey the essential, terrifying message of the report, I decided I should just lay out the raw facts and let them reach your soul, writes Donnachadh McCarthy
Tagged under: Wildfires | Drought | Climate Change
James Murdoch: Why I pulled the rip cord and resigned from News Corp | The Independent
2021-09-19 (or before) in The IndependentAfter deepening estrangement with his father and brother and growing discomfort over the toxicity of Fox News, the son of Rupert Murdoch tells Maureen Dowd why he walked away
Cumbria coal mine: Local Tory MP drops support for controversial project ahead of Cop26 | The Independent
2021-09-07 (or before) in The IndependentExclusive: Dr Neil Hudson calls on government to heed scientists’ warnings, and instead invest in clean renewable technologies
Tagged under: Renewable Energy | COP26 | Coal | Climate Change
Madagascar famine becomes first in history to be caused solely by climate crisis
2021-07-23 (or before) in The IndependentMore than 1.14 million people are food-insecure as severe droughts push communities to the brink of starvation
Tagged under: Drought | Climate Change | Famine | Madagascar
BP is planning to drill for fossil gas on edge of world’s largest cold-water coral reef | The Independent
2021-06-21 (or before) in The IndependentExclusive: Oil giant’s plan to drill off west coast of Africa could raise the risk of biodiversity loss, further global heating and toxic fuel spills, an investigation reveals
Tagged under: BP | Climate Change | Africa | Coral Reefs
Shell forced to slash global emissions after landmark court ruling | The Independent
2021-05-26 (or before) in The IndependentActivist groups hail ‘historic win’ as Dutch court orders multinational fossil fuel company to cut CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030
Tagged under: Shell | Activism | Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change
Oil excavation in Africa’s Kavango region must be stopped to meet world climate promises | The Independent
2021-05-15 (or before) in The IndependentThe climate column: Oil play in the Kavango region of Namibia and Botswana will affect climate targets, endanger indigenous communities and could be disastrous for conservation
Tagged under: Oil Industry | Conservation | Africa | Climate Change | Wildlife | Namibia
Ban on burning grouse moor peatland ‘not enough to tackle climate crisis’
2021-02-02 (or before) in The Independent‘It will be embarrassing if we’re still burning bogs when the climate conference meets,’ says Wildlife Trusts
Tagged under: Climate Change | Wildlife
Don’t believe the hype – electric cars are not the saviours of humanity | The Independent | The Independent
2020-04-05 (or before) in The IndependentBuying just one electric car would produce more carbon dioxide than 15 and a half years of electricity usage for the average UK family home, writes Donnachadh McCarthy
Tagged under: Climate Change | Electric Cars | Fossil Fuels | Cars | Electricity
‘High likelihood of human civilisation coming to end’ by 2050, report finds | The Independent | The Independent
2020-01-09 (or before) in The IndependentOver-conservative climate scenarios mean we could face ‘world of outright chaos’, says analysis authored by former fossil fuel executive and backed by former head of Australia’s military
Tagged under: Global Warming | Climate Change
Boris Johnson unveils plan to increase number of flights, despite global climate emergency: 'A total disregard for the planet' | The Independent | The Independent
2019-12-19 (or before) in The IndependentNew aviation bill promises to squeeze more flights into same airspace and growth for sector
Tagged under: Climate Change | Net Zero
Australia weather: 50C temperatures could become the norm as hundreds of climate records broken in 90 days, report finds | The Independent | The Independent
2019-12-04 (or before) in The Independent‘Climate change is supercharging the extreme weather events we are witnessing,’ says expert panel
Tagged under: Bushfires | Extreme Weather | Climate Change
Brexit Party and Tories worst for climate change policies, Greenpeace analysis shows | The Independent | The Independent
2019-12-03 (or before) in The IndependentConservative support for polluting industries, such as aviation, oil and gas ‘at odds with their net zero target’, analysis says
Tagged under: Climate Change | Net Zero | Greenpeace
Earth may have already hit climate change 'tipping point' leading to catastrophic domino effect that threatens civilisation's existence | The Independent | The Independent
2019-11-28 in The IndependentScientists call for ‘urgent emergency response’ to tackle global greenhouse gas emissions
Tagged under: Deforestation | Amazon Rainforest | Trees | Tipping Points
Caroline Lucas: Don't let Boris Johnson make this the Brexit election – it's the climate election
2019-10-31 (or before) in The IndependentOur prime minister is cynically exploiting Brexit to his personal advantage while ignoring the most urgent emergency the human species has ever faced
Tagged under: Climate Change
Hundreds of people hold 'funeral' for Swiss glacier lost to global warming | The Independent | The Independent
2019-10-24 (or before) in The Independent'It is like the dying of a good friend,' says scientist
Tagged under: Climate Change
Greta Thunberg: I have a dream that the powerful will take the climate crisis seriously
2019-09-20 (or before) in The IndependentIn a highly anticipated speech in Congress after travelling half the way across the Atlantic by boat, Greta Thunberg urges US senators to learn from the sacrifices of Martin Luther King and other civil rights activists in the fight against climate change. Here is the transcript
Tagged under: Greta Thunberg | Activism | US Politics | Climate Change
Climate crisis: CO2 levels rise to highest point since evolution of humans | The Independent | The Independent
2019-08-15 (or before) in The Independent‘We don’t know a planet like this’
Tagged under: Wildfires | Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change | Coral Reefs | Sea Level
Trump dismisses need for climate change action: ‘We have the cleanest water we’ve ever had, we have the cleanest air’ | The Independent | The Independent
2019-07-01 (or before) in The Independent‘It doesn’t always work with a windmill,’ says US president as he rejects green energy
Tagged under: Donald Trump | Climate Change
India heatwave kills ‘dozens’ of people as temperatures hit 50C
2019-06-08 (or before) in The IndependentWater poured on roads to stop them melting and farmers struggle to care for animals
Tagged under: Farming | Heatwaves
Police chief says Extinction Rebellion protesters will be arrested 'very, very fast' and suggests officers were not assertive enough last time | The Independent | The Independent
2019-05-15 (or before) in The Independent'Next time we will have to quite simply have more people earlier, and be very very fast and assertive about getting people arrested,' Cressida Dick says
Tagged under: Extinction Rebellion | Climate Change
Emissions from thawing Arctic permafrost may be 12 times higher than thought, scientists say
2019-04-17 in The Independent‘This needs to be taken more seriously than it is right now,’ says author of new study
Tagged under: Global Warming | Arctic | Alaska | Feedback Loops | Ice Melting | Methane | Permafrost | Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change
Brazil reveals highest deforestation figures in a decade as activists warn Bolsonaro will make issue worse | The Independent | The Independent
2019-01-01 (or before) in The IndependentIllegal logging and agriculture creeping into jungle land blamed for devastating rise
Tagged under: Deforestation | Bolsonaro | Rainforests | Amazon Rainforest | Brazil | Activism
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