Damien Gayle

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Damien Gayle

From the legend of the Romans’ salting of the fields of Carthage, to Iraq’s burning of Kuwait’s oilfields, to Israel’s bulldozing of Palestinian olive groves, wanton acts of environmental destruction have long been a military tactic.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Damien Gayle

A gardener and activist hired by the Royal Horticultural Society to help it reach out to younger and disadvantaged people has said its flagship Chelsea flower show celebrated “exclusivity over equity” as he walked away from the role. Tayshan Hayden-Smith, 28, was asked in 2022 to become the charity’s ambassador for young people and communities. But now he says that after three years working with the RHS, he has lost hope that it genuinely wants to become more accessible.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Damien Gayle

Global recycling rates are failing to keep pace with a culture focused on infinite economic growth and consumerism, with the proportion of recycled materials re-entering supply chains falling for the eighth year running, according to a new report. Only 6.9% of the 106bn tonnes of materials used annually by the global economy came from recycled sources, a 2.2 percentage point drop since 2015, researchers from the Circle Economy thinktank found.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Damien Gayle

The risk of neocolonial exploitation in the global rush for critical minerals must be addressed by the government as it formulates its official supply chain strategy, say civil society campaigners. They have said the scrabble for access is being greenwashed as wealthier economies around the world attempt to line up a host of minerals that are essential to the manufacture of hi-tech products, including cobalt, lithium and nickel.

3 weeks ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Damien Gayle

Animal agriculture accounts for 32% of global methane emissions with the breeding of cattle being a key driver. Animal agriculture accounts for 32% of global methane emissions with the breeding of cattle being a key driver. Photograph: Maureen McLean/REX/ShutterstockBig dairy companies are “turning a blind eye” to climate-damaging methane emissions, an assessment of the industry’s performance has found.