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Exclusive: Monash University study suggests those who rely more on newspapers and public broadcasters more likely to score highly on ‘civic values’

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Those who believe global heating is a conspiracy get most of their information about news and current events from commercial and social media, according to a study by researchers at Monash University.

The study, led by Prof Mark Andrejevic and Assoc Prof Zala Volcic, found that those who relied on social media as the main source of news scored lower on a measure of “civic values” than people who relied on newspapers and non-commercial media.

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The oil company plans to build natural gas power plants that will be directly connected to data centers used by technology companies for artificial intelligence and other services.

Businesses like Suay Sew Shop are trying to salvage piles of damaged textiles – and warn of the dangers of climate impact and overconsumption

At Suay Sew Shop in Los Angeles’s arts district, mounds of clothes are piled high in a warehouse. The T-shirts, socks, jackets and denim are surplus donations from the LA wildfires that community groups across the city were unable to distribute because they had too much already, or because the items were dirty, damaged or poorly made.

Instead of letting the clothes go to a landfill, where they can cause a host of environmental problems, Suay has rescued 50,000lbs of textiles so they can be cleaned, sorted and upcycled by professional designers and sewers. Since LA currently has no permanent textile recycling or collection, it’s up to groups like Suay to save as many textiles as possible before they get dumped or exported.

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As the risk of extreme flooding increases with climate change, an effort is underway to relocate hundreds of flood survivors to unique higher ground.

Climate crisis and pollution reported as possible reasons for dramatic fall in numbers of cockles, clams and mussels

A “catastrophic” collapse in shellfish numbers is being reported by Spanish fishers in Galicia, with some stocks falling by as much as 90% in the space of a few years.

Galicia is Europe’s principal source of shellfish and, after China, the world’s biggest producer of mussels, which are farmed in the estuaries.

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Chancellor reassures Labour colleagues that climate concerns go ‘hand in hand’ with economic ambitions

Rachel Reeves has told MPs the government needs to go “further and faster” to increase economic growth, as Downing Street sought to reassure people concerned about the environment that net zero and increasing output go “hand in hand”.

The chancellor has unnerved some Labour MPs and green campaigners with her increasingly punchy rhetoric about growth being a priority over preventing climate change, as she strives to improve the UK’s anaemic forecasts and drive up living standards.

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An economic shift raises alarming questions about government vision, priorities and commitment to transformative policies

To hear Labour’s economic message, one might wonder if Downing Street has developed an unlikely admiration for Liz Truss. Given its focus on growth through cutting planning regulations, reducing welfare budgets and removing dissenting bureaucrats, some believe Labour is in danger of echoing not just the spirit but the substance of Ms Truss’s brief, ill-fated tenure. For a party that rose to power criticising the Tory right’s ideological misadventures, this shift in tone is striking.

Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves may see Labour’s sinking poll ratings as reason to align with their opponents, adopting policies – like curbing legal challenges to planning decisions – few rightwingers would contest. In a speech later this week, Ms Reeves plans to give the go-ahead for a third runway at Heathrow, a divisive choice even within Labour that has earned support from the Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch.

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Energy secretary insists there is ‘no contradiction between net zero and economic growth’ in hearing at Commons committee

The hearing has stopped for a short break. Heather Hallett, the chair, tells Badenoch that her evidence will be finished by lunchtime.

Keith is now asking Badenoch about the fourth report produced by the Race Disparity Unit. It was produced in December 2021.

Relevant health departments and agencies should review and action existing requests for health data, and undertake an independent strategic review of the dissemination of healthcare data and the publication of statistics and analysis.​​

Government is not necessarily great at delivering these systems. They tend to be big boondoggles for the private sector, but there are private sector companies that can deliver this. There need to be caveats around that.

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Oil and gas executives welcomed President Trump’s early moves on energy policy, but many said they did not plan to increase production unless prices rose significantly.

Some $35 billion is aimed at building small solar sites in rural areas and other improvements. The World Bank chief called the project “foundational to everything.”

More than 100 people evacuated from their homes as Storm Herminia hits Britain after Éowyn

A major incident has been declared in Somerset after more than 100 people were evacuated from their homes because of flooding, while roads were blocked, trains delayed or cancelled and schools closed, as stormy weather once again battered parts of the UK.

Rest centres were set up for people forced to leave their homes in three Somerset towns – Chard, Ilminster and Somerton – with some residents reporting levels of flooding not seen for years. Highways teams dealt with almost 50 incidents.

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Net increase of 80,000 deaths a year projected in hottest scenario, with milder winters failing to redress balance

Dangerous temperatures could kill 50% more people in Europe by the end of the century, a study has found, with the lives lost to stronger heat projected to outnumber those saved from milder cold.

The researchers estimated an extra 8,000 people would die each year as a result of “suboptimal temperatures” even under the most optimistic scenario for cutting planet-heating pollution. The hottest plausible scenario they considered showed a net increase of 80,000 temperature-related deaths a year.

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While watching the latest disaster movie is a pastime for many, living through extreme weather and climate disasters is painfully difficult for the people affected. It is made more difficult by a President who scorns disaster victims, as President Trump did to Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria, and spreads disinformation, as he did to Californians during the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

Now President Trump has revoked Executive Order 13985 (Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government) and Executive Order 14008 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad), with far-reaching implications for people in disaster areas, including how racial equity is addressed in disaster relief and recovery. Revoking these orders sends the US in the wrong direction as we face increasing danger from extreme events, such as Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

Watching the administration unravel racial equity programs at federal agencies is its own disaster-in-the-making, on top of disasters guaranteed to come—like a disaster movie layered on a horror flick that the entire country will eventually experience.

If this was a movie, here is how it would play out.

(Spoiler alert: ignoring racial equity in disaster resilience will cost all of us more and lead to increasingly unfair burdens on already underserved communities.)

THE PREQUEL: Ignorance is not bliss

One important job of the federal government is to distribute billions of dollars to address the impacts of climate and other disasters. This function will be even more important with new executive orders that promote fossil fuels and end policies that reduce heat trapping emissions to limit the impacts of climate change.

To ensure the most effective use of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars for disaster response, recovery, and resilience, it makes sense to pre-position resources in the areas of highest need. Some communities—such as low-wealth communities or communities of color—are disproportionately impacted by disasters, in part because of historical or systemic disparities. A laser-like focus on assessing social inequities is thus essential for understanding where the highest areas of need are and to evaluate whether they are being assisted adequately. In short, matching disaster policy to social needs requires assessment of racial equity.

SCENE 1: The inequity avalanche

When racial equity is ignored, disaster policies exacerbate existing inequities. Policies based solely on “merit” fail to recognize the steeper hill being climbed by historically underserved communities granted less access to resources, information, and decision processes.

After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, Black residents returned to the city more slowly than White residents. Research by Elizabeth Fussell and her colleagues suggests that the racial disparity was explained by housing damage, rather than by socioeconomic status or other demographic characteristics. Put plainly, Black residents’ delayed return occurred because they suffered more severe housing damage, which occurred because they tended to live in areas that experienced greater flooding. A higher concentration of Black residents in the lower-lying parts of the city exists because of historical patterns of land development and residential segregation that resulted from the racist system of redlining. Without a focus on racial equity, disaster policies don’t just leave these communities behind, they in fact compound the health, environmental, and economic challenges being faced.

SCENE 2: The communication breakdown

Effective risk communication is crucial for disaster resilience. However, when racial equity is censored, communication efforts fall flat. Without a deep understanding of the social, economic, health, environmental, and cultural context in which a disaster is unfolding, critical information may not reach those who need it most. We saw this recently in Los Angeles with fire evacuation notices not reaching the unhoused population.

Not including racial equity considerations in the planning and implementation of risk communications ignores basic science, which in turn costs lives and money. The latest resilience research and practice emphasizes a multifaceted, “adaptive systems” approach to risk communication and decision making. This approach recognizes diverse perspectives, experiences, education levels, languages, and technological skills and the need for evidence-based deliberations before, during, and after disasters. We must first acknowledge and understand this diversity to be able to highlight the most effective pathways to disaster mitigation and resilience.

SCENE 3: The phantom of the funding

When federal funds for disaster resilience are distributed based on formulas that do not account for unique challenges, an uneven distribution of resources results, with some communities receiving more support than others. One example is FEMA’s flood mitigation grant program, which requires a cost-share by the community applying for the grant. Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are less able to meet the match requirement, so FEMA has invested significantly more in wealthier, White neighborhoods (which reduces insurance costs and increases property values in those areas). If the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 blueprint is implemented, the cost-share requirement for communities will climb steeply.

Analyses of OpenFEMA data has found that disaster assistance funds are often distributed inequitably (controlling for total damages), such that as the percentage of racial and ethnic minority populations increase, the amount of assistance decreases. This disparity is set to increase with the new administration’s revocation of environmental justice directives.

SCENE 4: The resilience mirage

When racial equity is not integrated into disaster resilience policies, the concept of resilience itself becomes a mirage—an illusion of safety and preparedness that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

True resilience includes everyone, particularly those who have been historically marginalized. The pattern of impacts from events such as Hurricane Katrina reveal that response strategies that may seem comprehensive on paper, in fact leave certain groups disproportionately affected. Integrating racial equity into disaster resilience policies is essential to ensure that all communities are genuinely supported and protected in times of crisis.

GRAND FINALE: A call to action

So, what’s the moral of this cautionary tale? Integrating racial equity considerations into disaster resilience policymaking is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. By addressing the systemic inequalities that contribute to the disproportionate burdens borne by already underserved communities, we can develop policies that enhance resilience for everyone.

To our decision makers: It’s time to embrace the robust scientific evidence already available and ensure that disaster resilience efforts are inclusive, fair, and effective.

And to our readers: Stay informed, stay engaged, and keep reminding your elected officials that you care about the use of sound science in policymaking.

Green-led authority consulting on changes it says could save £2m and encourage recycling – critics fear it will increase fly-tipping

Bristol city council could become the first local authority in England to collect black rubbish bins only once every four weeks.

The Green-led council says that switching from a two- to four-weekly collection would save it more than £2m a year and help reverse a dip in recycling rates.

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In today’s newsletter: The Los Angeles wildfires highlighted the immense challenges faced by the insurance industry amid the escalating risks of the climate crisis. Are there any potential solutions for homeowners?

Good morning. If the Los Angeles wildfires are bracing evidence of the general threat posed by the climate crisis, they have also brought home a specific problem: how can you make the insurance system work when the risks are so high?

That is not a question limited to California, or to the United States: the insurance industry has rated the climate crisis as the biggest threat to its future four years in a row, a very concrete riposte to those politicians who continue to question the reality of global heating. It is impossible to know whether a specific weather event like storm Éowyn in the UK has been caused by climate change – but we know that they, and the damage they leave in their wake, are only going to get more frequent.

Israel-Gaza war | Donald Trump’s proposal that large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “just clean out” the whole strip has been rejected by US allies in the region. Trump’s intervention came as a deal was reached to allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza and release a civilian hostage who Israel said should have been freed already.

Heathrow | Rachel Reeves has given her heaviest hint yet that she will back a third runway at Heathrow airport, arguing that she is willing to make difficult decisions while pursuing economic growth. Campaigners have warned that the move would be a severe setback for the UK’s climate commitments.

Southport attack | Prevent’s assessment of the danger posed by Axel Rudakubana followed policy at the time, an official review will find – but it will criticise the scheme for rejecting extra help to tackle his interest in violence. The review of the way three referrals were handled before Rudakubana committed an atrocity in Southport is due to be published this week.

AI | Ministers have shut down or dropped at least half a dozen artificial intelligence prototypes intended for the welfare system, the Guardian has learned, in a sign of the headwinds facing Keir Starmer’s effort to increase government efficiency.

Belarus | Alexander Lukashenko is set to win a seventh five-year term as Belarusian president with 87.6% of the vote in Sunday’s election, according to an exit poll. The US and the EU said in the run-up to the election that it could not be free or fair because independent media are banned and all leading opposition figures have been jailed or forced to flee abroad.

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Three young scientists set traps to capture and film species of special concern in move that can help conserve the shrew

In a 7,000ft-high marshy spot in the cold, rugged eastern Sierra mountains, two groups of mammals scurried around at night. One was going about their normal nocturnal routine of hunting worms. The other was hoping for a glimpse of an elusive creature: the Mount Lyell shrew, the only known California mammal never photographed alive.

The three young student scientists faced a tight timeline. They baited 150 pitfall traps – small cups dug into the earth to catch wandering creatures – with cat food and mealworms and monitored them across a 600ft area, checking each trap every two hours for any signs of their goal. They slept no more than two hours at a time. Shrews have such a fast metabolism that they die in traps quickly, one of the reasons this species had never been photographed or studied live.

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‘It was striking that the White House memo included toilets and shower heads as a presidential priority,’ said one expert

From crusading against showers he feels don’t sufficiently wash his hair to reversing protections for a small fish he calls “worthless”, Donald Trump’s personal fixations have helped shape his first environmental priorities as US president.

While withdrawing the US from the Paris climate accords and declaring an “energy emergency” were among Trump’s most noteworthy executive orders on his first day in office, both were further down a list of priorities put out by the White House than measures to improve “consumer choice in vehicles, shower heads, toilets, washing machines, lightbulbs and dishwashers”.

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A través de una ráfaga de órdenes, el nuevo presidente comenzó rápidamente a conducir al país en una dirección diferente en muchas cuestiones polémicas.

Through a flurry of orders, the new president quickly began driving the country in a different direction on many contentious issues.

Top political appointees are already at the E.P.A. preparing to erase the agency’s climate rules and pollution controls. Many of them have tried it before.