Source: US Congressman Gabe Amo (Rhode Island 1st District)
The letter comes as communities work to recover after deadly storms ripped through the South and Midwest this weekend.
Washington, DC – Today, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Gabe Amo (D-RI) sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought imploring the White House to grant a public safety exemption for the National Weather Service (NWS) and immediately lift the hiring freeze keeping the agency from hiring individuals to fill vacancies at woefully understaffed NWS forecasting offices. Currently, the Trump administration has a hiring freeze in place across the federal government. However, many agencies deemed critical to public safety have been exempted from the hiring freeze. Lofgren and Amo stress that given NWS’s role in keeping Americans safe and informed the agency should be granted an exemption.
“We write to you in defense of a critical public safety agency currently being strangled by the policies of the Trump Administration,” the Ranking Members wrote in the letter. “The National Weather Service (NWS) saves lives. It provides essential weather forecasts that alert Americans to extreme weather events. It coordinates with local officials and emergency responders to prepare for extreme weather and minimize the resulting dangers to life and property. And it delivers weather forecast information that Americans rely on each and every day to make basic decisions and plan their lives. It is simply indispensable; if the NWS does not perform these tasks, nobody else will. But the NWS is only as strong as its people. The NWS workforce is withering away because of this administration’s policies: indiscriminate firings; repeated offers of ‘deferred resignation’ and early retirement accompanied by threatened mass layoffs and hostile attacks on federal workers; and on top of it all, a hiring freeze that prevents the hiring of new employees to fill vacancies in critical public safety jobs across the country. Inexplicably, President Trump has refused to exempt NWS from the government-wide hiring freeze by designating it as a public safety department, despite the obvious and essential role it plays in protecting public safety during extreme weather events. As a result, NWS faces a profound crisis. The administration is playing with fire, and the American people are the ones who will get burned – literally, in the case of wildfires like the ones that tore through southern California earlier this year. As the start of hurricane season looms, we implore you to lift the hiring freeze for NWS before it is too late and allow the agency to hire the meteorologists, scientists, and technicians that it needs to carry out its mission and keep the American people safe.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday announced that the annual Kailash Manasarovar Yatra will commence in June and continue through August. In preparation for the pilgrimage, a computerized draw to select participants was conducted today by Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
A total of 5,561 pilgrims had successfully registered for the Yatra this year, comprising 4,024 male and 1,537 female applicants. From these, 750 Yatris, including liaison officers, were selected through a fair, computer-generated random selection process. The draw was designed to be gender-balanced and fully transparent.
Selected participants are being informed of their selection via SMS and email. They can also check their status by logging into the official Yatra website at https://kmy.gov.in or by contacting the MEA helpline at 011-23088133.
The Yatra will take place along two routes: the Lipulekh route and the Nathu La route. A total of 15 batches, each comprising 50 pilgrims, will make the journey—five batches via Lipulekh and ten via Nathu La. Both routes are now fully motorable, significantly reducing the need for strenuous trekking. Detailed information about the routes and batch schedules is available on the Yatra website.
During the draw event, MoS Singh highlighted the government’s ongoing efforts to make the pilgrimage more accessible, safer, and more environmentally conscious. He emphasized the importance of undertaking the Yatra with responsibility, humility, and care—not only for fellow pilgrims but also for preserving the sacred environment of the region.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
Environment Agency scientists seek new ways to save mussel power
Mussel samples are a yardstick for coastal water quality. But with mussel numbers in decline, scientists are inventing new ways to sample waters.
An Environment Agency officer collects Blue Atlantic Mussels.
Mussels are one of nature’s yardsticks for coastal water quality, and they even help filter it. But with mussel numbers declining from Western Europe to the Arctic due to climate change, Environment Agency scientists are exploring new ways to sample water.
Each spring, Environment Agency officers collect samples of Atlantic Blue Mussels (Mytilus edulis) from the Camel estuary in Cornwall as part of their routine water quality monitoring. The Camel is one of around twenty sites in a national network.
The mussel flesh is removed from the mussels and then sent to the Environment Agency laboratories at Starcross and Leeds where it is analysed for a range of chemical contaminants found in the shellfish.
Mussels are perfect bioindicators of pollution as they are relatively long-lived, filter large amounts of water and absorb a wide range of pollutants in the water, accumulating them in their tissues. This makes them useful in understanding water quality.
But Atlantic Blue Mussels are facing a worrying decline, suspected to be caused by climate change.
In response, Environment Agency scientists are working with CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) to evaluate new innovations which may help us sample water whilst protecting and conserving mussels.
Passive monitoring techniques use thin film membranes to absorb chemicals and pollutants present in the water and, if successful, may replace the need for using mussels.
Passive monitoring devices may offer an alternative to mussel sampling.
Paul Elsmere, from the Cornwall Analysis and Reporting Team, said:
Passive monitoring techniques are a promising development which may allow us to move away from mussel sampling.
Wildlife is a great barometer of environmental health and none more so than the Atlantic Blue Mussel.
But with these amazing creatures in worrying decline we need to focus on new innovations to measure water quality.
Two types of passive sampler device have been trialled on the Itchen Estuary in Hampshire, as part of the UK government’s HM Treasury funded Coastal Health, Livelihoods and Environment Shared Outcomes Fund project.
The effectiveness of passive sampler devices compared to traditional spot water sampling methods such as mussel samples are being evaluated, and if successful this technology could transform our approach to monitoring chemicals in our coastal waters.
Passive sampling may also have other benefits, such as when investigating coastal health where pressures may not be constant across time or when the threshold for potential effects is low.
Background
The passive sampling project was in collaboration with the Environment Agency’s Solent and South Downs’ marine team who identified the deployment location, obtained the necessary permission, and helped to coordinate the successful deployments.
Future monitoring on the River Itchen in 2025 will be coordinated with local citizen science groups managed by Solent and South Downs’ analysis and reporting team.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TIANJIN, May 21 (Xinhua) — China Tianchen Engineering Corporation Ltd. (TCC), based in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, and Kazakhstan’s ERG have signed an EPC (turnkey) contract for the construction of a power plant that will utilize tail gases from the Aktobe Ferroalloy Plant to generate electricity. The signing ceremony was held recently at ERG’s headquarters in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
According to Lin Tao, General Director of the Kazakhstan branch of TCC, this project will be the first facility in Central Asia for the recovery of exhaust gases for power generation. The introduction of highly efficient environmentally friendly technology for the utilization of tail gases will save about 200 million cubic meters of natural gas annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 320 thousand tons. The implementation of the project will contribute to the multi-stage use of energy resources, a significant reduction in the enterprise’s production costs, as well as the achievement of Kazakhstan’s decarbonization goals.
Guo Chengzhan, Chairman of the China Association of Environmental Protection Industry, noted that China’s innovative achievements in environmental technology not only promote the green transformation of the domestic energy sector, but also contribute to the global transition to a low-carbon energy system, offering the international community a Chinese option.
Founded in 1953, TCC, a subsidiary of China National Chemical Engineering Corporation (CNCEC), has rich experience in implementing more than 3,000 major R&D, design and construction projects worldwide. -0-
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ9: Asbestos cement pipes Question:
According to government information, the use of asbestos cement pipes in Hong Kong has been discontinued since January 1986, but such pipes still exist in the existing water supply systems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the length of asbestos cement pipes in Hong Kong’s water supply systems at present and the districts in which such pipes are mainly located;
(2) given the potential danger of asbestos to human health, whether the authorities will consider giving priority to replacing the existing asbestos cement pipes; if so, of their plans; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) as it is learnt that the authorities need to carry out works involving asbestos-containing materials in a safe manner pursuant to the law, whether the authorities engage outsourced contractors to handle works involving asbestos cement pipes; of the costs incurred by the Government in handling works involving asbestos cement pipes in the past three years?
Reply:
President,
When designing the water supply network, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) would use various types of pipe materials according to the needs at the material time. Among them, asbestos cement (AC) pipes has been widely used in Hong Kong and other countries in the past because they could withstand greater internal water pressure and have good heat resistance and chemical corrosion resistance. Asbestos containing materials pose no health risk as long as they remain intact and undisturbed. The WSD later found that pipes made of this materials were relatively more brittle when serving as external wall and were more likely to burst or leak when impacted by external forces (such as arising from nearby road excavation works). Therefore, the WSD has discontinued to use AC pipes in pipe laying and maintenance since January 1986, and progressively replaced them with more durable ductile iron pipes or steel pipes under the relevant water main improvement programmes or during repairing works for water main burst incidents, with a view to reducing the risk of water main bursts or leaks.
The replies to various parts of the Hon Lam’s question are as follows:
(1) As of now, there are about 130 kilometres long AC pipes still in service, accounting for about 1.5 per cent of Hong Kong’s 8 500 km long water supply network. They are distributed in different districts in Hong Kong as follows:
District(2) According to the Health Information about Asbestos published by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, asbestos fibres are generally bound into the base material matrix. Under normal circumstances, only extremely small quantity of asbestos fibres, if any, can be released.
The use of asbestos-containing cement pipes has been more common in earlier decades. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2021 that there was no evidence to support that ingesting asbestos in drinking water poses potential risk to human health. Therefore, the WHO has not established a guideline value for asbestos fibres in drinking water, and considers such standards to be neither appropriate nor necessary.
The WSD is implementing a risk-based asset management programme for water mains by introducing factors such as age of use, materials, past records of bursts or leaks, surrounding environment, consequences of bursts or leaks, for assessing the risk of water main bursts or leaks so as to accord priority to improving specific sections of water mains with higher risk, including replacement or rehabilitation of them, with a view to reducing the risk of water main bursts or leaks for the water supply network overall. As mentioned above, since AC pipes are relatively brittle and more likely to burst or leak when impacted by external forces, the WSD has increased the risk weighting factor for AC pipes in order to speed up the replacement or rehabilitation of these water mains, aiming to reducing the risk of water main bursts and the impact on the community. The above improvement measures are based on considering the risk of pipe bursting rather than health or drinking water safety risks posed by AC pipes.
Those AC pipes currently assessed as higher-risk are mainly located on busy traffic routes. To expedite the replacement of ageing water mains, including AC pipes, the WSD has set up an inter-departmental task force headed by the Director of Water Supplies and composed of representatives from departments including the Development Bureau, the Transport Department, the Highways Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Environmental Protection Department, the Home Affairs Department, etc, to discuss and formulate temporary traffic arrangements and implementation programme for the replacement of water mains, so as to formulate plans as early as possible to minimise the impacts of the projects on traffic and the public.
(3) The handling, removal, transportation and disposal of AC pipes in the water supply network are regulated under relevant ordinances, including the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap. 59) and the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap. 311), to safeguard the occupational safety and health of workers engaged in asbestos-related works. The WSD mandates through works contract provisions that contractors must fully comply with all asbestos-related legislation and codes of practice, ensuring the AC pipes are safely handled, removed, transported, and disposed of in accordance with statutory requirements. All contractors and their workers must comply with the requirements of the relevant ordinances and the safety and health codes of practice and practical guidelines issued by the Labour Department when carrying out the works related to asbestos. This includes requiring the contractors to adopt control measures and provide personal protective equipment at the workplace, and employing competent persons to supervise the effective implementation of these measures.
During the implementation of the above works, the WSD will monitor the contractor’s construction procedures to ensure that the relevant ordinances and codes in carrying out AC pipe works are followed.
Over the past three years, the project cost of the WSD in handling AC pipes (including the costs of handling, removal, transportation and disposal, etc) was about $31.7 million per year on average. Issued at HKT 17:48
First detection of West Nile virus in UK mosquitoes
UKHSA says there is no evidence to suggest ongoing circulation of the virus in birds or mosquitos in the UK and the risk to the general public is very low
A research programme by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has identified fragments of West Nile Virus (WNV) genetic material in mosquitoes collected in Britain for the first time.
West Nile Virus is a vector borne disease belonging to the Flaviviridae family, which also includes the viruses that cause dengue and yellow fever. It is usually found in birds, and typically circulates through bird-biting mosquitoes. In rare cases mosquitoes can transmit the virus to humans or horses.
The fragments were detected through the Vector-Borne RADAR (Real-time Arbovirus Detection And Response) programme by APHA, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, in 2 samples of Aedes vexans mosquitoes collected by UKHSA from wetlands on the River Idle near Gamston (Retford), Nottinghamshire, during July 2023. The mosquitoes were pooled into groups of 10 for testing, and fragments of West Nile Virus genetic material were identified in 2 of the pools. The other 198 were negative. This is the first evidence of West Nile Virus detected in a mosquito in the UK. A further 198 pools from the same site tested negative for the virus.
West Nile virus (WNV) is endemic in various regions across the globe, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, West and Central Asia, and North America, as well as South America, USA and Australia. The geographic range of West Nile Virus has expanded in recent years to more northerly and western regions of mainland Europe.
The UKHSA has assessed the risk to the general public as very low, but is issuing advice to healthcare professionals so that patients with encephalitis of unknown cause can be tested as a precaution through UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory.
There have been no cases of locally acquired West Nile Virus detected in humans or horses in the UK to date, although 7 travel-associated cases have occurred since 2000. Based on available surveillance, there is no evidence to suggest ongoing circulation of the virus in birds or mosquitos in the UK. Disease surveillance and control activities are being enhanced in light of the findings. Currently, the main risk of West Nile Virus for UK residents continues to be travel to endemic areas overseas.
Dr Meera Chand, UKHSA Deputy Director for travel health, zoonoses, emerging infections, respiratory and tuberculosis, said:
While this is the first detection of West Nile Virus in mosquitoes in the UK so far, it is not unexpected as the virus is already widespread in Europe.
The risk to the general public is currently assessed as very low. Vector research of this kind is designed to give us early warning of potential threats so that we can enhance our disease surveillance and control activities and ensure patients receive appropriate testing.
Dr Arran Folly, Arbovirologist at APHA and lead of the Vector-Borne RADAR project concluded:
The detection of West Nile virus in the UK is part of a wider changing landscape, where, in the wake of climate change mosquito-borne diseases are expanding to new areas. Only through continued surveillance can we assess the risk to animal and public health.
Our primary focus is to understand how viruses move into the country and how they are transmitted. Combined this can help us identify areas that may be at increased risk of outbreaks.
The Vector-Borne RADAR project brings together a wealth of expertise across government and wildlife charities, to enhance the surveillance we undertake in the United Kingdom for mosquito-borne diseases.
Aedes vexans are native to the UK and although they can be found widely at very low densities, in a few locations in England they can occur at high densities associated with summer flooded river landscapes. While uncommon, they are known to cause nuisance biting in a small number of areas in the country, including in villages along the River Idle near Retford, Nottinghamshire, where summer flooding and poor drainage is experienced. Recent efforts have taken place to manage the mosquito populations and to minimise suitable habitats for the main nuisance biting mosquito.
As temperatures warm due to climate change, tick and mosquito species not currently native to the UK will begin to find the UK’s climate more bearable making it easier for them to survive, reproduce and establish a local population. Other species of mosquito, some of which have the potential to transmit infectious disease, can arrive in the UK in several ways, such as by becoming trapped in cars and lorries crossing the border into the UK. They may also be transported through trade channels in containers which are shipped internationally. UKHSA’s wider vector surveillance programmes involve monitoring transport hubs such as motorway service stations and truck stops, as well as other high-risk sites, to ensure that these invasive insects can be detected and eradicated before they disseminate more widely.
Dr Jolyon Medlock, Head of Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology at UKHSA, added:
Our surveillance, which led to this discovery, monitors for mosquitoes across Britain to understand the distribution, density and activity across the country. We also monitor mosquito nuisance biting, so anyone experiencing this can contact our mosquito surveillance scheme and provide an image or sample.
Mosquitoes breed in a range of natural wetlands, but can also be common in gardens, breeding in container habitats like water butts and buckets. Reducing opportunities for some mosquito species to access these containers with lids, or turning them over, can reduce mosquitoes numbers around our homes.
Mosquitoes in the UK are also commonly found in wet woodland areas and various aquatic habitats, including ponds, ditches, marshes, and even garden water butts or cisterns. To avoid being bitten by a mosquito when in these types of areas, wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, use insect repellent on your skin (ideally one that contains the ingredient DEET), close windows and doors whenever possible, or use blinds or screens.
The Vector-Borne RADAR (Real-time Arbovirus Detection And Response) programme, funded by the UK Research and Innovation and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was created to help understand the emergence and transmission of zoonotic mosquito-borne viruses in the United Kingdom, and is also supported by ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and the British Trust for Ornithology. Part of its research has involved testing mosquito samples, both newly collected and archived from use in previous research, for the presence of West Nile Virus genetic material. A total of 32,000 mosquitoes have been tested through the scheme, with the latest samples tested submitted in 2024. Other types of mosquitoes tested include Culex modestus and Culex pipiens as the principal bridge and enzootic vectors.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
News story
New Chair of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board appointed
Emily Norton will start the role from 1 June
Emily Norton has been appointed as the new Chair of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
Emily, who has 25 years of experience in the food and farming sector, will take on the role for three years from 1 June 2025. She will succeed Nicholas Saphir, who is stepping down as Chair after more than five years in the role. AHDB is a statutory levy board funded by around 100,000 farmers and other businesses in the food supply chain. Established in 2008 and classified as a Non-Departmental Public Body, AHDB supports production of Beef, Lamb and Pork in England, Dairy in Great Britain and Cereals & Oilseeds in the UK.
Appointments to the AHDB board are made by Defra Ministers, with the approval of Ministers in the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Governments.
Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:
“Emily Norton’s leadership and extensive experience in a diverse range of sectors will bring fresh perspective and strategic insight to the AHDB. I look forward to working closely with her as we continue to champion our world-class farmers and food producers – driving rural economic growth and strengthening food security.
“I would also like to express my gratitude to Nicholas Saphir for his dedication, drive and expertise throughout his tenure.”
Outgoing AHDB Chair Nicholas Saphir said:
“I have served as AHDB chair for the last five years during which time it has been an honour and a pleasure to have worked with some amazingly dedicated and knowledgeable Board members and staff.
“Together we have delivered a significant change in the way in which AHDB serves our levy payers. I leave AHDB, the Board and team, well positioned to play their part in providing ‘the key that unlocks the future of British agriculture’.
“I’m delighted that Emily Norton will be stepping into the role as Chair of AHDB. Emily brings a wealth of experience through her background in running a family farming business as well as her work as a highly respected strategic and policy advisor.”
Emily Norton, new Chair of the AHDB, said:
“I am proud to take on the role of Chair at such a pivotal time for British agriculture.
“My professional focus has always been on strengthening the resilience, sustainability, and prosperity of the UK’s food and farming sectors. I look forward to working with stakeholders across the industry to deliver on that mission as part of AHDB.”
Biographical details
Emily Norton is a partner in an 80 ha arable farm in Norfolk and is owner and founder of Farm Foresight Ltd, a strategic advisory service for the rural sector.
She has previously held several executive roles including Head of Rural Research at Savills UK, and was Chair of the Oxford Farming Conference in 2023.
Emily has extensive board-level experience, with positions at the Soil Association Exchange, the Environmental Markets Board and the Duchy of Lancaster.
She is a member of the national policy committee of the Country Land and Business Association, a trustee at the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association and a member of the Farming Leadership Group of the Food, Farming & Countryside Commission.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
WATCH: Padilla Blasts Republicans’ Callous Attacks Against California’s Clean Air, Underscores Consequences of Overruling Senate Parliamentarian to Bypass Filibuster
WATCH: Padilla defends California’s waivers from Republican attempts to overrule Senate Parliamentarian and avoid Senate’s 60-vote thresholdWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, spoke on the Senate Floor to demand Republicans stop their shortsighted attempts to overrule the nonpartisan Senate Parliamentarian’s decision and break the rules in order to rescind California’s clean air waivers. Senator Padilla, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, held the floor after Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said today that he would move forward this week with a cynical attempt to rescind California’s Clean Air Act waivers with a 50-vote threshold under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), bypassing the filibuster and its 60-vote requirement by overruling the Senate Parliamentarian.
The Trump-led Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently submitted three California waivers as “rules” to Congress — despite knowing full well that these waivers were not rules under the law. The Senate Parliamentarian determined that any resolutions aimed at overturning California waivers would not be entitled to the CRA’s expedited procedures and would therefore require 60 votes to secure Senate passage.
Prior to his remarks, Senator Padilla posed two parliamentary inquiries to the Chair, making clear that Senate Republicans’ planned actions would not abide by the rules of the Senate.
Padilla began his remarks by underscoring the immense importance of California’s clean air waivers for cleaning up the state’s uniquely severe air quality challenges. He highlighted his own experience growing up in the San Fernando Valley, where he was frequently sent home from school because of dangerous air quality.
Padilla warned that Republicans’ attempt to throw out the Senate rulebook and revoke California’s waivers would significantly harm the public health of millions of people. He also called out Republicans for undermining the work members of their party like Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon did to protect California’s air quality.
“I wonder if any other member in this chamber grew up like I did, where on a pretty regular basis, we would be sent home from grade school because of the intensity and dangers of smog that settled over the San Fernando Valley, the City of Los Angeles. How many of you grew up to more reports of “unhealthy” air quality in the air quality index? … But that’s the case for far too many Californians still to this day.”
“Congress recognized, rightfully so, that air quality in West Virginia or Wyoming is different than it is in Southern California. That there’s fewer cars on the road in Salt Lake City than there are in Los Angeles. And because California was and still is the center of innovation in the United States.”
“Yet in 2025, it appears that Republicans want to overturn half a century of precedent in order to undermine California’s ability to protect the health of our residents. By using the Congressional Review Act to revoke California’s waivers that allow us to set our own vehicle emissions standards, Republicans seem to be putting the wealth of the Big Oil industry over the health of our constituents.”
“As parents, we have some level of control certain things like the food we give our kids or the medications that we provide. But some things that we can’t control as parents include the quality of the air that they breathe outside. … Unless industry were to somehow decide to suddenly just do the right thing, it’s incumbent upon government to act. And that’s what California has done.”
Padilla emphasized that California’s leading emission standards are important not only for public health, but to combat the climate crisis. He stressed that despite Republicans’ false and misleading claims to the contrary, California cannot impose its emission standards on any other state. Instead, other states have chosen voluntarily to follow California’s example.
“California’s emission standards also represent ambitious but achievable steps to cut carbon emissions and fight the climate crisis. We’ve taken a stand because we know transportation is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. And California has been proud to set the example for other states who may choose to follow suit.”
“I want to be clear: California has not and cannot force our emission standards on any other state in the nation. As much as I may love that authority, that does not exist. But yes, over a dozen other states have voluntarily followed in California’s footsteps — not because they were forced to, but because they chose to in order to protect their constituents, their residents, and protect our planet.”
Padilla highlighted that California’s clean emissions programs have propelled California to becoming the fourth-largest economy in the world and the biggest contributor to the federal treasury. He emphasized that the costs of inaction against the climate crisis cost Americans an average of $2,500 a year in medical bills and over $820 billion in total, according to estimates by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“California didn’t get there by sticking our head in the sand as the clean energy transition blossomed elsewhere. We leaned in. And we proved that what’s good for the air is good for business. What’s good for the planet and public health is good for the economy.”
“Meanwhile, the costs of inaction continue to hit Americans where it hurts the most: in our wallets.”
Padilla further stressed the extreme consequences if Republicans ignore the Parliamentarian, effectively blowing up the filibuster. He highlighted that while he and other Democrats supported lowering the threshold to pass a bill in 2022, Republicans defended the filibuster relentlessly — a dramatic contrast from their current attempts to revoke California’s waivers under a simple majority vote. He noted that Republicans must know they don’t have enough votes to amend the Clean Air Act under regular order, instead opting to ignore the independent, nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Senate Parliamentarian to pursue this “nuclear option.”
“It’s not just why Republicans are trying to undermine California’s climate leadership. It’s how they’re trying to do it.”
“Yes, I do support lowering the threshold to move to pass a bill from a super majority to a simple majority — but only after there has been an opportunity for amendments and debate — in an effort to stop the endless partisan gridlock that prevents so much more progress that the American people deserve. I voted to make that rule change — and codify it in the Senate rules. But in 2022 when we did so, Republicans opposed it, and they defended the filibuster and the 60-vote threshold as sacred.”
“Now, Republicans are trying to pass these bills — that strike at the heart of the Clean Air Act’s provision for California — on a simple majority, 50-vote threshold, bypassing the filibuster.”
“Republicans are effectively saying that whenever the Parliamentarian rules against them, they can simply disregard her to bypass the filibuster and pass legislation on a simple majority vote. So no, this isn’t some one-off change to the rules — this is throwing out the rulebook entirely.”
“Because if they can ignore the Parliamentarian here, then why not on an upcoming tax bill? Or on their efforts to gut health care for many Americans? Or whatever the latest overreach is called for by President Trump?”
Padilla underlined a list of non-rule actions the Trump Administration could take in bogging down Congress with reviews from the past 30 years on items including vaccine approvals, broadcast licenses, merger approvals, and more, enabling President Trump’s political retribution. He detailed Republican priorities a future Democratic Administration could try to undermine, including mining permits, fossil fuel projects, foreign policy, tax policies, and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) disruptions. He concluded with a final push urging his colleagues not to abuse the CRA to rescind California’s Clean Air Act waivers.
“So to my Republican colleagues, I should also say this: the old adage says, ‘what goes around comes around.’ And it won’t be long before Democrats are once again in the driver’s seat here, in the majority once again. And when that happens, all bets would be off because of the precedent you could be setting here at this moment.”
“I would urge my colleagues, all my colleagues, to join me not just in defending California’s right to protect the health of our residents, not just in combating the existential threat of climate change, but in maintaining order in this chamber.”
Senator Padilla has been outspoken in pushing back against Republican attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Earlier today, Padilla placed a hold on the four pending EPA nominees until Republicans stop their reckless attempts to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian. Earlier this month, Senators Padilla, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to sound the alarm on Senate Republicans’ consideration of moving forward with their plan to revoke California’s Clean Air Act waivers. Padilla, Whitehouse, and Schumer also led Democratic Ranking Members in strongly warning Majority Leader Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) of the dangerous and irreparable consequences if Senate Republicans overrule the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision on California’s waivers.
Last month, Senators Padilla, Whitehouse, and Schiff welcomed the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision that the waivers are not subject to the CRA. Padilla also joined Whitehouse and Schiff in blasting Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s weaponization of the EPA after the GAO’s similar finding. Padilla and Schiff previously slammed the Trump Administration’s intent to roll back dozens of the EPA’s regulations that protect California’s air and water.
Video of Senator Padilla’s full remarks is available here.
Lancaster City Council is establishing a cross-party working group to lead the next stage of preparations for a major overhaul of the district’s waste and recycling services.
Changes have been approved to the way waste and recycling is collected from April 2026
The group’s creation was recommended as part of a Cabinet decision on Tuesday (May 20) that approved wide-ranging proposals to align local collection services with the Government’s national waste strategy. Its remit will be to engage and consult with residents on the changes and respond to questions and concerns about how they will be implemented.
Councillor Paul Hart, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Environmental Services, said: “Since the proposals were made public questions have been quite rightly raised around how the new system will affect people, particularly those who live in flats and other kinds of housing that may not have space for new bins.
“While we have no choice but to introduce weekly food waste collections due it being a legal requirement, we recognise that we need to do it in a way that reflects the needs of our residents and the realities of our district.
“Likewise, there are many issues around the introduction of wheelie bins for recycling and changes to the collection frequency that people have concerns about.
“That’s why this group is so important. It will ensure that all voices are heard as we shape the detail of how these changes are introduced.”
As with all councils in England the city council must introduce weekly food waste collections by March 31 2026. In addition, the council has now agreed to provide households with new 240-litre wheelie bin to replace recycling boxes for those with space, along with a move to three weekly collections.
These changes are designed to reduce the amount of household waste, increase recycling rates, and ensure the council is well-positioned to access current and future Government funding.
To support the rollout, the council has secured £1.46 million in Government funding to purchase new vehicles and provide the new food waste containers free of charge to all households.
Further details about the rollout and opportunities for public engagement will be announced later this year. For updates, FAQs and more information visit: www.Lancaster.gov.uk/food-waste.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Associate Professor in Climate Science, ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, The University of Melbourne
Emergency crews were scrambling to rescue residents trapped by floodwaters on Wednesday as heavy rain pummelled the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.
In some areas, more than 200 mm of rain has fallen in 24 hours. At the town of Taree, low-lying areas are flooded as the Manning River reached record levels, passing the 1929 record of six metres.
At the same time, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia are in drought amid some of the lowest rainfall on record.
So what is going on, and when will the wet weather end?
Why is NSW so wet?
The wet weather in NSW is due to a combination of factors.
A trough is sitting over the Mid North Coast and stretching offshore. Troughs are areas of low pressure and can bring rain and unstable conditions. This trough is bringing extensive cloud and rain to the affected region.
In addition, winds from the east are also bringing moisture to the coast.
Since Sunday, all this has been compounded by a “cut-off low” in the upper atmosphere. These low-pressure systems are separated from the main westerly flow of winds, and often move slowly.
The combination of the trough near the ground, and low pressure at higher levels in the atmosphere, can cause air to converge and rise. As air rises it cools, moisture condenses and rain occurs.
In the next few days, the cut-off low will move away but is likely to be replaced in the same region by another upper-level low-pressure system moving in from the southwest. This will likely mean heavy rain over the east coast region in the coming days and into Friday.
On top of all this, a persistent high pressure system in the Tasman Sea is also pushing cloud onto the NSW coastline.
An upper-level low with a high in the Tasman is a typical set of conditions for flooding on the NSW Mid North Coast. Those conditions are also forecast to persist for the coming days.
One-week rain totals over Australia ending May 21. Green represents heaviest rainfall. Bureau of Meteorology
So why are parts of Australia in drought?
The NSW north coast was quite wet in March and April – partly due to a hangover from Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
That meant the ground was already wet and full when rain began falling this week. So instead of soaking in, the water more easily turned to runoff and became floodwater.
But the differences are not unusual. Australia is a big place, and rainfall dynamics are quite localised. It’s fairly common to see very wet conditions in one area and very dry conditions in another.
Unfortunately the current heavy rain in NSW probably won’t make a huge difference to drought-stricken areas. The moist air flows are likely to dry out as they cross the Great Dividing Range. But a change in weather patterns means from Sunday, rain may fall in some areas of Victoria and South Australia suffering from drought.
A weather update on May 21 from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Is climate change causing this?
As the planet warms, scientists are very confident that Earth’s average surface temperature will warm, and heatwaves will get worse. However, rainfall projections are much less certain.
Projecting all types of precipitation is difficult. The water cycle is complex. Climate models – while powerful – can struggle to accurately simulate local rainfall patterns. And these patterns vary considerably over time – a natural phenomena that can make the climate trend hard to identify.
So what does this mean for autumn rainfall projections for Australia in future? None of the rainfall projections show a strong signal, and so scientists do not have high confidence in the results.
Having said this, there’s a hint of a drying trend across southwest Western Australia and parts of western Victoria and southeast South Australia, where conditions are dry now.
And for the Mid North Coast of NSW, currently experiencing heavy rain and flooding, autumn rainfall projections hint at slightly at heavier extreme rainfall.
Andrew King receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and the National Environmental Science Program.
Andrew Dowdy receives funding from University of Melbourne and is supported by the Australian Research Council.
Massive fires fueled by climate change led global forest loss to smash records in 2024, according to a report issued on Wednesday.
Loss of tropical pristine forests alone reached 6.7 million hectares (16.6 million acres), an 80% spike compared to 2023 and an area roughly the size of Panama, mainly because Brazil, the host of the next global climate summit in November, struggled to contain fires in the Amazon amid the worst drought ever recorded in the rainforest. A myriad of other countries, including Bolivia and Canada, were also ravaged by wildfires.
It was the first time the annual report, issued by the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland, showed fires as the leading cause of tropical forest loss, a grim milestone for a naturally humid ecosystem that is not supposed to burn.
“The signals in these data are particularly frightening,” said Matthew Hansen, the co-director of a lab at the University of Maryland that compiled and analyzed the data. “The fear is that the climate signal is going to overtake our ability to respond effectively.”
Latin America was hit particularly hard, the report said, with the Amazon biome hitting its highest level of primary forest loss since 2016.
Brazil, which holds the largest share of the world’s tropical forests, lost 2.8 million hectares (6.9 million acres), the most of any country. It was a reversal of the progress made in 2023 when President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office promising to protect the world’s largest rainforest.
“This was unprecedented, which means we have to adapt all our policy to a new reality,” said Andre Lima, who oversees deforestation control policies for Brazil’s Ministry of Environment, adding that fire, which was never among the leading causes of forest loss, is now a top priority for the government.
Bolivia overtook the Democratic Republic of Congo as the second country with the most tropical forest loss despite having less than half the amount of forest as the African nation, which also saw a spike in forest loss last year.
Bolivia’s forest loss surged by 200% in 2024, with a drought, wildfires and a government-incentivized agricultural expansion as the leading causes. Across Latin America, the report noted similar trends in Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
Conflicts in Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo also boosted deforestation rates, as armed groups used up natural resources.
Outside the tropics, boreal forests, which evolved with seasonal fires, also posted record-high tree loss in 2024, with Canada and Russia each losing 5.2 million hectares (12.8 million acres) in 2024 as wildfires got out of control.
Southeast Asia bucked the global trend with Malaysia, Laos, and Indonesia all posting double-digit decreases in primary forest loss, as domestic conservation policy, combined with efforts by communities and the private sector, continued to effectively contain fires and agricultural expansion.
Another outlier was the Charagua Iyambae Indigenous territory in southern Bolivia, which was able to keep the country’s record fires at bay through land-use policies and early warning systems.
Rod Taylor, the global director for forests at the WRI, said that as leaders descend on the Amazonian city of Belem for the next climate summit, he would like to see countries make progress in introducing better funding mechanisms for conservation.
“At the moment,” he said, “there’s more money to be paid by chopping forests down than keeping them standing.”
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) to reintroduce the Black Vulture Relief Act to allow farmers and producers to protect their newborn livestock from black vultures without burdensome government interference. The legislation would remove the current requirement that farmers and cattlemen first obtain a sub-permit before shooting vultures. Vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA)—meaning permission from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is needed to remove them, despite growing population numbers. Currently, Alabama cattlemen who receive sub-permits can only shoot up to three black vultures until the state’s total 500 bird limit is reached—even though attacks routinely come from more than 20 vultures at a time. It’s estimated that cattlemen lose an average of $2,000 per calf lost.
“Alabama’s cattlemen work hard to feed our communities and shouldn’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops just to protect their herds,” said Senator Tuberville. “Adjusting these sub-permit requirements that are based on outdated data is just one more commonsense way we can support our cattlemen and help them keep more of their hard-earned dollars. I’ll continue using the feedback from Alabama’s agriculture community to guide my work here in D.C.”
BACKGROUND:
Over the past several decades, black vultures’ expanding population has led to an additional burdensome and costly strain on livestock producers due to increased livestock depredation by these birds. Black vultures are most prevalent in the Southeast and Midwest but have been spotted as far north as New York and Michigan and as far west as Arizona. Black vultures, often in flocks of more than 20 , brutally attack and eat newborn calves, lambs, goat kids, and piglets. These attacks are gruesome, lasting an average of 3.5 hours as the vultures eat the animal alive. They will also attack/injure female adults during or after birth when they are more vulnerable. In 2015, vultures caused 24,600 calf deaths, accounting for 10% of all calf deaths due to predators.
Vultures were the third leading cause of calf deaths due to predators, only behind coyotes and unknown predators. This number has undoubtedly increased in recent years as black vulture populations have increased. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey, the black vulture population has increased by approximately 468% since 1990. In 2016, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative rated black vultures as a species of lowest conservation concern, indicating “a widespread, relatively secure species.” Despite the bird’s robust population, the black vulture is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) making it illegal to take one without obtaining a depredation permit. For black vultures, FWS issues master permits to states who then issue sub-permits to ranchers.
Sub-permittees are limited to 3-10 black vulture takes annually, depending on the state. This take limit is the main roadblock that farmers and ranchers face to protect their livestock. From 2015-2019, requests to FWS for depredation permits for take of black vultures increased by 26%. Black vulture cattle depredation has been confirmed in 18 states and is expected to grow due to the bird’s expanding population range from the southeastern and midwestern regions toward the north.
MORE:
Tuberville, Cotton Take Action to Allow Farmers to Protect Catfish from Predatory Birds
Tuberville, Cruz Introduce Legislation to Protect American Fishermen from Cartels
Tuberville, Crapo Introduce Legislation to Level Playing Field for Alabama Sporting Equipment Businesses
Tuberville, Cornyn Introduce Bill to Help Farmers Impacted by Feral Swine
Tuberville Introduces Legislation to Support Domestic Beekeepers and Honey Producers
Tuberville Introduces Bill To Put American Farmers and Producers First
Tuberville, Daines Fight for Outdoorsmen Across the Country
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
PERTH, Monday 19 May 2025 — Greenpeace Australia Pacific and the Conservation Council of WA today confirmed they had lodged a joint referral of Woodside’s high-risk Browse carbon dumping project – also referred to as carbon capture and storage (CCS) – to the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
The environment groups state that the ongoing seismic blasting from the carbon dumping project, and risk of CO2 blowouts, would have immediate impacts on Scott Reef and the surrounding ecosystem. They argue that projects posing significant risk of harm to WA’s environment must be referred to the WA EPA for proper assessment.
Geoff Bice, WA Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “Carbon dumping is an expensive distraction corporations use to greenwash their emissions, and a diversion from real action to slash climate pollution.
“Woodside has tried for years to push through carbon dumping for its highly polluting Browse gas proposal, but the federal environment department highlighted the risks of the new technology to our oceans and marine life, as well as the risk of the injection site failing.
“Woodside’s carbon dumping plans pose a serious risk to the pristine and fragile Scott Reef and its marine life. It is unacceptable for Woodside to bypass state assessment of its carbon dumping plans given the threat to the WA environment — its plans must be properly assessed by the WA EPA.
“Ultimately, if we are serious about tackling the climate crisis we must stop emissions before they are produced — carbon dumping has not been proven to work at scale anywhere in the world and must be called out for the false promise it is.”
Matt Roberts, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of WA, said: “By evading proper, robust environmental assessment of the potential risk this project would pose to the WA marine environment in WA state waters, Woodside is simply attempting to fast-track its approval and bypass due process.”
“Even in light of revised plans before the WA EPA lodged by Woodside, they are simply tinkering around the edges. In reality, nothing has changed.
“Carbon dumping is a failed technology — we’ve seen this with Chevron’s Gorgon project where less than 3% of total emissions have been sequestered successfully.There are no examples of carbon pollution dumping that have met dumping targets or been delivered on time or on budget.
“Failed offsets should not be used to support the development of new gas projects like Browse. We need much stronger commitments to abate carbon pollution, not false promises of dumping. The only safe way to prevent catastrophic climate change is to phase out the use of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy.”
Scott Reef is already subject to multiple environmental pressures, including marine heatwaves, coral bleaching and cyclone activity, driven by the burning of fossil fuels like gas. Woodside’s proposed carbon dumping and gas extraction activities threaten the long-term viability of the reef and the endangered species that rely on it.
The EPA’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) process is designed to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of proposals, including both direct and indirect (secondary) effects. The WA EPA is required to assess the environmental acceptability of any proposal likely to have a significant effect on the WA environment.
ENDS
For more information or interviews, contact Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 8, 2025)—Today, the Trump administration announced it would shutter the “weather and climate disasters database,” a crucial tool built by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that helps the public track extreme weather events. Since 1980, the database has allowed the public to keep track of the costs related to these events.
In response, John Noël, Greenpeace USA Deputy Climate Program Director, said: “This is the next escalation in the administration’s all out war on climate action – and everyday people are the ones bearing the brunt. It begs the question: who benefits from not tracking the cost of disasters?
“Now, the administration and its cronies are going beyond denying the science to attempting to obscure the consequences. If the government stops tracking the costs of extreme weather events, it becomes easier for the fossil fuel industry and their political allies to deny or downplay climate impacts entirely.
“The ultimate goal is to shield oil and gas corporations from accountability for climate damages. But momentum is building nationwide to make polluters pay their fair share, as more states move forward with climate superfund bills and climate litigation. The Trump administration can “archive” this incredibly important data, but they cannot erase real pain and suffering felt by communities experiencing extreme weather events.”
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
There is usually a strategically thought-out mechanism behind the external beauty. According to experts, the color, shape, smell and size of the plant’s flower are designed to attract the attention of pollinating insects.
Flowers have nectaries – glandular organs that secrete nectar. However, the plant is ready to “treat” not every insect with it, but only the one that, thanks to its morphological structure, can reach the secret glands, taking pollen with it for another flower. Thus, flies and small bees pollinate early coltsfoot. Bumblebees are mass pollinators of the first forest flowers, such as creeping bugleweed and ground ivy.
Beetles pollinate large rosehip and elderberry flowers well. But honey bees are very selective about the amount of sugar in the nectar, so in spring their main food source is flowering willows, various types of maples and caragana arborescens.
The next productive honey harvest awaits bees on raspberry flowers. Its fruit is a complex drupe, and in order for the berry itself to be juicy, tasty and beautiful, pollination of all the ovaries, which serve to capture pollen, is necessary. For this reason, a large number of bees are required. Raspberries secrete quite a lot of nectar, bees fly to them even after sunset, so as a result, the hive becomes several kilograms heavier. The beginning of raspberry blossoming with a barely perceptible honey aroma is an indicator of the end of spring and the onset of summer.
The capital’s Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection reminds that all plants are important for the Moscow ecosystem, so experts urge city residents to admire the greenery and not harm it.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect
TASMAN SEA – A new analysis of the latest fisheries data by Greenpeace Australia Pacific has revealed widespread slaughter of sharks in the Pacific Ocean by industrial longline fishers. The analysis estimates that almost half a million blue sharks were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023, the highest number in recorded history since 1991.
Greenpeace estimates that around 438,500 near-threatened blue sharks, almost 50 million kilograms, were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023 fromWestern and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission(WFCPFC) data. The figure is double the 2015 numbers.
The analysis of shark bycatch data also revealed that the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea areas between New Zealand and Australia had some of the highest rates of birds caught on fishing lines – 13% of bycatch from longliners were seabirds like albatross.
Greenpeace Aotearoa oceans campaigner Juan Parada says, “This rampant destruction of critical ocean life in the high seas between New Zealand and Australia highlights the urgent need for international cooperation to protect the oceans.”
“The Tasman Sea faces multiple threats from industrial fishing. We’ve recently seen firsthand the destruction caused by bottom trawlers in a similar area of the high seas, where we witnessed graveyards of destroyed coral. Now we see that almost half a million blue sharks were unnecessarily killed in the West and Central Pacific in 2023. That’s so many sharks that if stacked nose to tail, they would reach the International Space Station and back.
“The international waters between New Zealand and Australia are globally renowned precisely because of the range and variety of ocean life that lives there, from deep sea corals growing on seamounts to sharks, seabirds and migrating whales.
“It’s such a significant place that Greenpeace and allies are calling for it to be one of the world’s first global ocean sanctuaries and it must be protected from longlining and bottom trawling so ocean life can thrive,” says Parada.
The incident happened on Lord Howe Rise, a region renowned for diverse marine life including corals, sponges, whales and seabirds.
Parada says, “While some countries are working constructively towards protecting the high seas, New Zealand is actively blocking meaningful ocean protection. Shockingly New Zealand is the only country still bottom trawling these waters.
“To protect the Tasman Sea, New Zealand must stop bottom trawling and get on with helping to create global ocean sanctuaries so all the life that lives there can thrive.” Scientists agree that to help stave off the worst of the climate crisis at least30% of the world’s oceans must be protectedfrom industrial harm by 2030.
Creating global ocean sanctuaries in international waters like the Tasman Sea, those areas outside of any one country’s jurisdiction, will play a crucial role in achieving this goal. In 2023 the world won the Global Ocean Treaty, which provides the legal framework for these sanctuaries, but first it must be passed into law.
Parada says, “Now is the time for cooperation in ocean protection. Every day that passes without the Global Oceans Treaty in force, marine species are being pushed closer to the brink of extinction by the industrial fishing fleet in the high seas.”
Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokesperson Georgia Whitaker says of the shark bycatch data, “The data is deeply disturbing – it’s a devastating record and a testament to the destructive nature of the industrial fishing industry. Sharks and other animals dying by the hundreds of thousands a year in this one patch of ocean, brutally killed by a legal and indiscriminate fishing practice like longlining. This is an appalling legacy our global leaders are leaving while the blue lungs of our planet are already facing chronic decline. Industrial fishing is sucking our ocean dry, fuelling the biodiversity crisis, and pushing prehistoric animals like sharks to the brink of extinction. Healthy shark populations are central to a healthy ocean – this is a loss we can’t afford.”
Ahead of the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France, in June, Greenpeace is calling on governments to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty. Both New Zealand and Australia have signed the treaty but have yet to bring it into force.
Greenpeace says that Federated Farmers’ intent to ‘go to battle’ over methane targets is yet another example of the agri-business lobby group’s selfish approach to life on our collective home.
Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb and Dairy NZ have been pushing for methane targets aligned with ‘no additional warming’ – an approach that has been harshly criticised by climate scientists, the Climate Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson says “The New Zealand dairy industry is the country’s worst climate polluter. The oversized dairy herd is cooking the climate with superheating methane emissions, yet agri-industry lobby groups refuse to play their part in tackling the climate crisis, instead leaving it to the rest of us to clean up their mess.
“Yet again, Federated Farmers are attempting to convince us that they are the exception to the rule. But this new concept they’re promoting – no additional warming – is not based on science. They’ve simply come up with a way to count emissions differently so that they can justify doing less.”
Methane emissions are responsible for a third of global heating to date, and the agricultural industry is the single biggest source. Those emissions are rising faster than at any other time in history.
“The consequence of the livestock industry selfishly absconding their climate responsibility is that everyone else has to pick up the slack. Or, alternatively, that we all suffer the consequences of more floods, storms, fires and droughts. All of which affect frontline farming communities first,” says Larsson.
Greenpeace says the key flaw in no additional warming is that it ignores the historic pollution caused by intensive livestock farming.
“It’s a bit like expecting your mortgage to magically be written off. The catch is that your debt still exists, it’s just that someone else will have to pay for it. Ignoring the historic methane emissions from agriculture won’t make that pollution – or its warming impact – go away.”
TASMAN SEA – A new analysis of the latest fisheries data by Greenpeace Australia Pacific has revealed widespread slaughter of sharks in the Pacific Ocean by industrial longline fishers. The analysis estimates that almost half a million blue sharks were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023, the highest number in recorded history since 1991.
Greenpeace estimates that around 438,500 near-threatened blue sharks, almost 50 million kilograms, were caught as bycatch in the region in 2023 fromWestern and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission(WFCPFC) data. The figure is double the 2015 numbers.
The analysis of shark bycatch data also revealed that the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea areas between New Zealand and Australia had some of the highest rates of birds caught on fishing lines – 13% of bycatch from longliners were seabirds like albatross.
Greenpeace Aotearoa oceans campaigner Juan Parada says, “This rampant destruction of critical ocean life in the high seas between New Zealand and Australia highlights the urgent need for international cooperation to protect the oceans.”
“The Tasman Sea faces multiple threats from industrial fishing. We’ve recently seen firsthand the destruction caused by bottom trawlers in a similar area of the high seas, where we witnessed graveyards of destroyed coral. Now we see that almost half a million blue sharks were unnecessarily killed in the West and Central Pacific in 2023. That’s so many sharks that if stacked nose to tail, they would reach the International Space Station and back.
“The international waters between New Zealand and Australia are globally renowned precisely because of the range and variety of ocean life that lives there, from deep sea corals growing on seamounts to sharks, seabirds and migrating whales.
“It’s such a significant place that Greenpeace and allies are calling for it to be one of the world’s first global ocean sanctuaries and it must be protected from longlining and bottom trawling so ocean life can thrive,” says Parada.
The incident happened on Lord Howe Rise, a region renowned for diverse marine life including corals, sponges, whales and seabirds.
Parada says, “While some countries are working constructively towards protecting the high seas, New Zealand is actively blocking meaningful ocean protection. Shockingly New Zealand is the only country still bottom trawling these waters.
“To protect the Tasman Sea, New Zealand must stop bottom trawling and get on with helping to create global ocean sanctuaries so all the life that lives there can thrive.” Scientists agree that to help stave off the worst of the climate crisis at least30% of the world’s oceans must be protectedfrom industrial harm by 2030.
Creating global ocean sanctuaries in international waters like the Tasman Sea, those areas outside of any one country’s jurisdiction, will play a crucial role in achieving this goal. In 2023 the world won the Global Ocean Treaty, which provides the legal framework for these sanctuaries, but first it must be passed into law.
Parada says, “Now is the time for cooperation in ocean protection. Every day that passes without the Global Oceans Treaty in force, marine species are being pushed closer to the brink of extinction by the industrial fishing fleet in the high seas.”
Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokesperson Georgia Whitaker says of the shark bycatch data, “The data is deeply disturbing – it’s a devastating record and a testament to the destructive nature of the industrial fishing industry. Sharks and other animals dying by the hundreds of thousands a year in this one patch of ocean, brutally killed by a legal and indiscriminate fishing practice like longlining. This is an appalling legacy our global leaders are leaving while the blue lungs of our planet are already facing chronic decline. Industrial fishing is sucking our ocean dry, fuelling the biodiversity crisis, and pushing prehistoric animals like sharks to the brink of extinction. Healthy shark populations are central to a healthy ocean – this is a loss we can’t afford.”
Ahead of the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France, in June, Greenpeace is calling on governments to ratify the Global Ocean Treaty. Both New Zealand and Australia have signed the treaty but have yet to bring it into force.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Republicans attempting to change rules to overturn California EPA Clean Air Act waivers
Washington (May 20, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), today released the following statement in response to Republicans’ commitment to overturn Senate procedure and decades of historical precedent. Despite the independent, non-partisan agency Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) determination that California’s Clean Air Act waivers are not rules and the Senate Parliamentarian’s confirmation that this would be an inappropriate use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Senate Republicans are considering a majority vote to overrule the Senate Parliamentarian.
“At a moment when Donald Trump is actively undermining the checks and balances enshrined in our Constitution, Senate Republicans are moving ahead with a dangerous change to Senate rules while rolling back clean air regulations.
“It’s not enough for Republicans to promote chaos and conflict in our economy for the sake of billionaires, they now want to create chaos and conflict in Congress by intentionally trashing guardrails and decisions that protect all members. They don’t care about the rule of law, and they don’t seem to care about the rule of Congress. With this action, Senate Republicans are opening the door for future votes on the countless unlawful and unethical actions carried out by the Trump administration. There will be no putting the genie back in the bottle.”
Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
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To watch Chairman Capito’s remarks, click here or the image above.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, delivered remarks during the weekly Senate GOP Leadership Press Conference on the joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) that she introduced to repeal California’s EV waiver that prohibit the sale of new gas-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035.
HIGHLIGHTS:
LEADERSHIP AT EPW: “As Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I am the one who is leading the California waiver Congressional Review Act.”
ON THE CALIFORNIA WAIVER: “The onerous quality of this of this rule is just beyond description, not just the penalties, forcing certain states and certain consumers to purchase a vehicle that they may not want or that they can’t find. It really eliminates what I think our country was built on, which is individual choice and making the decisions for yourselves.”
DELAY FROM BIDEN ADMIN: “I think the one thing that’s interesting about this mandate is the Biden administration – California asked for this waiver in May of 2023. It was not granted until the very end of December of 2024. You know why? Because they know the American people reject this handily.”
THE CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT: “The Trump administration, under Administrator Zeldin’s leadership, submitted it as a rule, it is a rule submitted to [Congress], it is within the boundaries of the Congressional Review Act.”
DENVER – Today, Governor Polis signed bills into law expanding mobility and operations across Colorado for food truck owners and operators, investing in environmental opportunities for youth, and protecting Colorado’s clean air by increasing building decarbonization standards.
Governor Polis signed HB25-1295 – Food Truck Operations, sponsored by Representatives Manny Rutinel and Mandy Lindsay, and Senators Dylan Roberts and John Carson.
“I’m excited that we are making it easier for food trucks to serve up delicious food in different cities and towns across the state. By getting rid of unnecessary regulations, Colorado’s talented chefs can bring more delicious food to your community,” said Governor Polis.
Governor Polis also signed the following bills into law increasing environmental literacy for Colorado’s youth, and improving Colorado’s air quality:
SB25-055 – Youth Involvement In Environmental Justice, sponsored by Senators Faith Winter and Janice Marchman, and Representatives Junie Joseph and Jennifer Bacon
HB25-1269 – Building Decarbonization Measures, sponsored by Representatives Jenny Willford and Alex Valdez, and Senators Matt Ball and Cathy Kipp
“We all have a role to play in protecting this state we love for future generations and these bills help more young people get involved in improving our environment and reduce emissions from buildings in our state to improve Colorado’s air quality. I appreciate the sponsors for their work on these bills to support Colorado’s future,” said Governor Jared Polis.
The Governor also signed the following bills administratively:
SB25-155 – Legislation Inside Advisory Council, sponsored by Senators Gonzales and Ball, and Representative Clifford
SB25-176 – Sunset Commodity Handler & Farm Products Act, sponsored by Senators R. Pelton and Snyder, and Representatives Martinez and Winter
SB25-226 – Extending Spinal & Related Medicine Program, sponsored by Senators Amabile and Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Bird and Taggart
SB25-229 – Reimbursement for Community Health Workers, sponsored by Senators Kirkmeyer and Bridges, and Representatives Bird and Taggart
HB25-1113 – Limit Turf in New Residential Development, sponsored by Representatives Smith and McCormick, and Senator Roberts
HB25-1175 – Smart Meter Opt-In Program, sponsored by Representatives Lieder and Joseph, and Senator Rodriguez
With the Government set to release its Budget tomorrow, Greenpeace is calling for bold investment in climate and nature, but is bracing for the worst.
“Given that this Government justlegalised killing kiwi, we’re bracing for a Scorched Earth Budget,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Gen Toop.
Greenpeace has been critical of the Luxon-led Government’s anti-environment policies, but says that the PM’swar on naturedoes not have to continue in the 2025 Budget.
Budget 2024 decreased funding for DOC to such an extent that last year the agency wasasking for public donationsto fund its work and is this year reportedly facing a30% shortfallfor maintaining its hut and track network.
“This Budget is a chance for the Government to change course from its war on nature,” says Toop. “It’s a chance to invest in climate action, protect biodiversity, and support everyday people with the cost of living – that’s what a responsible, future-focused Budget would do.”
“People have a right to clean water, a livable climate, and groceries and power bills they can afford. Any budget that prioritises corporate profits and tax cuts for landlords instead of those basic rights is not the kind of budget we need,” says Toop.
Greenpeace says a Budget that truly tackles the climate, biodiversity, and cost of living crises would:
Make a significant investment in distributed solar to bring down power bills, reduce emissions and help communities generate their own energy.
Create an ecological farming fund to support farmers to transition away from intensive dairy and take advantage of the rise in demand for plant-based food.
Bring back Jobs for Nature, funding real employment in the restoration of forests, rivers and wetlands to combat the biodiversity crisis.
Fund it all by taxing corporations and the ultra-wealthy, starting with bringing the country’s biggest climate polluter, Fonterra and intensive dairying into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Since taking the reins, the Government has abolished theclean car discount; forced the Ministry for the Environment, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Conservation tocut jobs; canceled theAuckland Light Rail Project; cutpublic transport subsidiesfor young people; and steadfastly refused to put agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Federated Farmers is urging the Government to focus its Budget announcements on how it can cut waste and balance the books.
“The budget will once again need to be more about reducing spending than announcing spending, and farmers will welcome that,” Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says.
“Farmers work hard to balance their books on farm, and we expect to see the Government doing the same.
“Farming businesses are beginning to experience the benefits of lower inflation and interest rates this year. A balanced budget will mean this stability is more likely to continue.”
Langford says while big spending isn’t on the cards, one area where there’s a need for a targeted increase in investment is pest management.
“Ballooning numbers of feral deer, pigs and goats – not to mention the spread of wilding pines – continues to have a big economic cost.”
Langford says the Department of Conservation spends only about $13 million a year controlling deer, pigs and goats on the public conservation estate, but these pests are costing the country hundreds of millions of dollars in lost food production, export losses and damage on farms.
“Doubling the pest control spend will have a small overall impact on Crown expense but will see exports increase as farmers lose less pasture to pests.
“In the context of total Crown expenditure of $180 billion, a decent boost to pest control budgets wouldn’t be significant but would help short-circuit a compounding problem.”
Langford says it would be great to see work on rural mental health also get over the line and receive extra funding.
“Again, this would be a small expenditure increase in the grand scheme of things but with significant positive benefits.”
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2
Press release
Record 81 criminal investigations launched into water companies under Government crackdown
New crackdown is the largest criminal action against water companies in history.
A record 81 criminal investigations into water companies have been launched in England since the election, as part of the Government’s crackdown on sewage dumping.
A new operation spearheaded by Environment Secretary Steve Reed amounts to the largest criminal action against water companies in history.
The number of inspections carried out by authorities into sewage pollution has skyrocketed by nearly 400% since last July.
The record number of Environment Agency spot checks at water company premises and rivers has revealed widespread law-breaking. Over 80 criminal investigations have been launched against water companies over the last nine months, a surge of 145% since the election.
Following these investigations, water bosses could be jailed for five years and water companies fined hundreds of millions of pounds.
This will act as a powerful deterrent, focussing water bosses’ minds on investing to upgrade water infrastructure to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Water companies will also spend a record £104 billion and cut sewage discharges by nearly half over five years.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed:
Water companies have too often gone unpunished as they pump record levels of sewage into our waterways. No more.
A record number of criminal investigations have been launched into law-breaking water companies – which could see bosses behind bars.
With this Government, water companies who break the law will finally be punished for their disgraceful behaviour so we can clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.
Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency said:
This milestone is testament to our determination to hold water companies to account and achieve a cleaner water environment.
Our message to the industry is clear: we expect full compliance throughout the water system, and we will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action where we identify serious breaches.
This is just the beginning – we are on track to deliver 10,000 inspections next year, using our tougher powers gained through the Water (Special Measures) Act alongside more officers and upgraded digital tools to drive better performance across the water sector.
When a water company breaks the rules of its environmental permit, that is a criminal offence—for example, releasing excessive pollution into a river or failing to carry out water quality monitoring.
The Environment Agency follows up on every offence they find. The most serious offences, like illegal sewage spills, trigger a criminal investigation that could see water company fines and criminal prosecution for water bosses. The Environment Agency have also taken a zero-tolerance approach to identify and resolve over 1000 minor issues last year like unclogging pipes to deliver immediate improvements to local communities and the environment.
To drive forward this surge in action, the Environment Agency has hired 380 additional regulatory staff to carry out inspections and other enforcement activity.
New powers, delivered by the Government’s landmark Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, also mean water executives who cover up or hide illegal sewage spills can now be locked up for up to two years.
The Environment Agency are also currently carrying out their largest ever criminal investigation into potential widespread non-compliance by water companies at over 2000 sewage treatment works.
Seven cases against water companies are going to court over the next few months following criminal investigations by the Environment Agency.
Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)
RELEASE: Mullin Introduces Black Vulture Relief Act to Protect the Livelihoods of Farmers and Ranchers
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), along with SenatorsTommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO), introduced the Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025 which would allow farmers and ranchers the ability to protect their livestock when threatened by predatory animals without big government interference.
The Black Vultures Relief Act of 2025 removes the requirement for a depredation permit, allowing farmers and ranchers to take black vultures anytime the birds threaten their livestock. This bill also preserves the requirement for annual take reporting to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), allowing FWS to continue monitoring black vulture population numbers, in addition to prohibiting the use of poison as a method of take.
Senators Cotton (R-AR), Wicker (R-MS), Britt (R-AL), Scott (R-FL), Lummis (R-WY), Hagerty (R-TN), Budd (R-NC), Barrasso (R-WY), Ricketts (R-NE), Cruz (R-TX), Lankford (R-OK), Hyde-Smith (MS), and Graham (SC) joined Mullin, Tuberville, and Schmitt in cosponsoring this legislation.
“Oklahoma ranchers deserve the right to protect their livestock from threatening predators,” said Senator Mullin. “Attacks from black vultures are all too common and our ranchers are suffering the consequences. As a rancher myself, I know firsthand the implications of the rapidly growing black vulture population and the negative effect this has on livestock production. Removing the requirement for a depredation permit will allow Oklahomans the ability to do what is necessary to protect their livestock and reduce economic hardship. It’s vital to the livelihood of ranchers across the country that we get this fixed.”
“America’s cattlemen work hard to feed our communities and shouldn’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops just to protect their herds,” said Senator Tuberville. “Adjusting these sub-permit requirements that are based on outdated data is just one more commonsense way we can support our cattlemen and help them keep more of their hard-earned dollars. I’ll continue using the feedback from Alabama’s agriculture community to guide my work here in D.C.”
“Black vultures are a deadly species that have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to ranchers and producers across Missouri. These birds are native to Missouri and have seen their population grow by more than 450 percent since 1990. We must keep this dangerous bird population under control and allow ranchers and producers across our great state the ability to do what they do best—provide the best beef and ag products in the world,” said Senator Eric Schmitt.
Full text of the Black Vulture Relief Act of 2025 can be found here.
The Black Vulture Relief Act is endorsed by the following stakeholders: National Supporting Groups: National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA), American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), US Cattlemen’s Association (USCA), Oklahoma Department of Wildlife & Conservation, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association (TSGRA), Wyoming Stock Growers (WSG), 14 Cattlemen’s Associations (AL, CO, IA, IN, KS, MN, MS, ND, OH, OK, OR, MO, TN, VA) and 7 State Farm Bureau Federations (FL, MS, OK, PA, TN, TX, WY)
“The challenges faced by America’s farmers and ranchers are numerous, from unstable commodity prices to drought and unpredictable weather. The safety threat to livestock posed by predatory birds like black vultures is yet another risk our members face, day in and day out, and we’re appreciative of Senator Mullin’s leadership to help our members mitigate that risk”,said Sam Kieffer, American Farm Bureau Federation VP of Public Policy.“Protecting their livestock is of the utmost importance to farmers and ranchers, and this legislation will better equip them to do just that.”
“Currently, black vulture populations in the south and Midwest are skyrocketing and it is a success story of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Now is the time to recognize that success and allow cattle producers to effectively manage this abundant predator species through commonsense measures like the Black Vulture Relief Act. Family cattle operations are facing financial strain from the abundance of black vultures on their operations and the propensity of these predators to target newborn calves that cannot defend themselves,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover.“NCBA and PLC thank Senator Mullin for taking action to fix this problem and providing producers the management tools they need to protect their livelihoods.”
“ASI encourages support for this legislation as vultures are a growing predator of lambs in America, and farmers and ranchers have few options today to address these losses. Predator losses of sheep and the associated management costs are the second-largest expense of many sheep operations in America,”said Steve Clements, American Sheep Industry Association Board Member and South Dakota sheep producer.
“The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association is extremely grateful to Senator Mullin for introducing this bill to help cattle raisers protect their cattle. Black Vultures are a predator to cattle, especially new mother cows and their baby calves,” said Michael Kelsey, Executive Vice President of Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association. “Senator Mullin, being a cattle raiser, knows the challenges that high populations of black vultures have presented to cattle raisers. This is great common-sense legislation that works well in ranch country.”
“We appreciate Senator Mullin’s efforts to help cattle producers more effectively protect their herds and, ultimately, their livelihoods,” said Tennessee Farm Bureau President, Eric Mayberry.“This legislation takes a crucial step in alleviating the burden farmers face with growing black vulture populations and depredation of livestock across Tennessee.”
“Black vultures are predators and pose a tremendous threat to cattle producers. Their attacks, often killing calves and vulnerable animals, cause financial devastation for family farms,” said Elizabeth Harsh, Executive Director of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association. “The current system prevents producers from effectively protecting their cattle herd, at the same time as the black vulture population explodes and does not warrant continued federal protection. OCA appreciates Senator Mullin for his common-sense approach with this very important legislation.”
Background:
Over the past several decades, black vultures’ expanding population has led to an additional burdensome and costly strain on livestock producers due to increased livestock depredation by these birds.
Black vultures, often in flocks of 20+, brutally attack and eat newborn calves, lambs, goat kids, and piglets for an average of 3.5 gruesome hours while they are most vulnerable.
In 2015, vultures were the third leading cause of calf deaths due to predators, only behind coyotes and unknown predators, causing 24,600 or 10% of all calf deaths due to predators.
According to the US Geological Survey’s Breeding Bird Survey, the black vulture population has increased by approximately 468% to more than 190 million birds since 1990.
Despite the bird’s robust population, the black vulture is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA) making it illegal, with an up to $15,000 fine, to take one without obtaining a depredation permit.
For black vultures, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issues master permits to states who then issue sub-permits, limited to 3-10 depending on the state, to ranchers.
Current state participants are OK, MD, PA, VA, KY, TN, AR, MS, MO, OH, IN, IL, TX, and AL.
From 2015-2019, requests to FWS for depredation permits for take of black vultures increased by 26%.
From 2020-2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services, black vulture attacks on cattle increased by almost 25%.
In January 2025, the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act was signed into law that included a provision Senator Mullin secured codifying the original Black Vulture Relief pilot program.
House Companion: H.R. 2426 introduced by Reps. John Rose (R-TN) and Darren Soto (D-FL).
After two years of publishing the gender pay gaps of Australia’s private-sector companies, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has released public-sector employer data for the first time.
The report shows a stark contrast between the private and public sectors. The Commonwealth public sector has a gender pay gap of 6.4%, far less than the equivalent gap of 21.1% in the private sector.
The agency attributes a big part of the “substantially better” outcome in the public sector to the achievement of gender balance at managerial and board levels.
Women’s representation in senior and governance roles doesn’t just narrow the pay gap at the top. It can also change workplace cultures and embed more gender-equitable practices that ripple through to all occupational levels.
The agency says public-sector employers have achieved this outcome by “long-term and deliberate actions that address gender equality”. These include conducting a gender pay gap analysis and formulating a gender-equality strategy.
The public sector’s results also illustrate the power of setting targets. The Australian government has set – and now achieved – targets for women to hold 50% of all Australian government board positions.
Who’s performing well?
Of the 120 public-sector employers in the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s dataset, 55 have a gender pay gap that falls into the target range of between –5% and +5%.
Several have a gender pay gap in total remuneration at or very close to zero. These include the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Treasury, Department of Social Services and the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman.
A handful have a slight positive gender pay gap in favour of women, including the Productivity Commission.
Where is there room for improvement?
To support greater transparency, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has published a searchable database of Commonwealth public sector employers. This is broken down by each department and agency.
The largest gender gaps in median total remuneration are reported by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (50.4%) and Coal Mining Industry Corporation (31.7%).
Closer to the middle of the pack, the Australian Federal Police reports a gender pay gap of 12.2%. The Reserve Bank of Australia has a gap of 11.5%, and Australia Post 8.6%.
The data does not include elected officials such as members of parliament.
All up, half of Commonwealth public-sector employers have a gender pay gap larger than 5%, which the agency deems the acceptable maximum.
But this is still a better performance than in the private sector, where 60% of companies exceeded the 5% threshold.
Women working in Australia’s public sector earn on average A$8,200 less per year than their male colleagues.
The data cover both the Australian Public Service (APS) (which is directly responsible for the delivery of government services) and non-APS organisations (which deliver services on behalf of the government).
Within the APS workforce, men’s average total remuneration of $128,503 compares to women’s $121,146. This equates to a 5.7% gap.
In public-sector agencies outside the APS, this gender pay gap widens to 8.8%. Men’s average salary of $127,354 compares to women’s $116,157.
In agencies outside the APS, more of this gender gap – 5.6 percentage points – is due to men being paid more in bonuses, overtime and superannuation. Within the APS, these above-base payments contribute only 1.1 percentage points to the overall gap.
The role of discretionary above-base payments in widening the gap in total remuneration is similar to the dynamics of the private sector, where there is also greater scope for individual negotiation.
Research shows negotiation practices are laced with gender biases.
Public sector employers have taken action after conducting gender pay gap analysis. Tint Media/Shutterstock
More standardised recruitment, promotion and wage-setting practices in the public sector, compared with private companies, mean there’s less scope for personal subjectivity and implicit biases in hiring, promotion and salary decisions.
Turning data into action
This is the first year the Commonwealth public sector’s performance on gender equality has been published at employer level. It follows changes to legislation in 2022 requiring public sector employers to report their gender equality indicators to WGEA from 2023, similar to the obligations of large private companies.
The point of publishing gender pay gaps is to spark awareness and motivate employer action.
Three in four public sector employers report they have taken action after conducting a gender pay gap analysis. Of these actions, one in four employers have corrected instances of unequal pay.
With a heightened awareness of the benefits of flexible work, almost all public-sector employers (96%) reported “flexible working is promoted throughout the organisation”.
But there is scope to improve the practical implementation of flexible work policies.
Only 56% of public-sector employers offer an online option for all team meetings. Only 43% provide support to managers to ensure performance evaluations are not unfairly biased against staff who work remotely or hybrid. And only 5% report that management positions can be designed as part-time.
With this greater transparency, there will be opportunity to monitor changes in future to look for ongoing improvements in gender-equality practices and outcomes.
It’s in the interests of fostering a more equitable, productive and effective public sector for all.
Leonora Risse receives research funding from the Trawalla Foundation and the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia. She has previously undertaken commissioned research for the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. She is a member of the Economic Society of Australia and the Women in Economics Network. She serves as an Expert Panel Member on gender pay equity for the Fair Work Commission.
After a two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on May 19, US president Donald Trump took to social media to declare that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately start negotiations” towards a ceasefire and an end to the war. He did, however, add that the conditions for peace “will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be”.
With the Vatican, according to Trump, “very interested in hosting the negotiations” and European leaders duly informed, it seems clear that the US has effectively abandoned its stalled mediation efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
It was always a possibility that Trump could walk away from the war, despite previous claims he could end it in 24 hours. This only became more likely on May 16, when the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for more than three years predictably ended without a ceasefire agreement.
When Trump announced shortly afterwards that he would be speaking to his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts by phone a few days later, he effectively mounted the beginning of a rearguard action. This was further underlined when, shortly before the Trump-Putin call, Vice-President J.D. Vance, explicitly told reporters that the US could end its shuttle diplomacy.
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The meagre outcomes of the talks between Russia and Ukraine – as well as between Trump and Putin – are not surprising. Russia is clearly not ready for any concessions yet. It keeps insisting that Ukraine accept its maximalist demands of territorial concessions and future neutrality.
Putin also continues to slow-walk any negotiations. After his call with Trump, he reportedly said that “Russia will offer and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement”, including “a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time, should relevant agreements be reached.”
The lack of urgency on Russia’s part to end the fighting and, in fact, the Kremlin’s ability and willingness to continue the war was emphasised the day before the Trump-Putin call. Russia carried out its largest drone attack against Ukraine so far in the war, targeting several regions including Kyiv.
There has been no let-up in the fighting since. And the fact that Putin spoke to Trump while visiting a music school in the southern Russian city of Sochi does not suggest that a ceasefire in Ukraine is high on the Russian leader’s priority list.
A large part of the Kremlin’s calculation seems to be its desire to strike a grand bargain with the White House on a broader reset of relations between the US and Russia. It is signalling clearly that this is more important than the war in Ukraine and might even happen without the fighting there ending.
This also appears to be driving thinking in Washington. Trump foreshadowed an improvement in bilateral relations by describing the “tone and spirit” of his conversation with Putin as “excellent”. He also seemed pleased about the prospects of “large-scale trade” with Russia.
Abandoning European allies
Trump is on record as saying that there would be no progress towards peace in Ukraine until he and Putin get together. But it is worth bearing mind that very little movement towards a ceasefire in Ukraine – let alone a peace agreement – occurred after the last phone call between the two presidents in February.
Part of this lack of progress has been Trump’s reluctance to put any real pressure on Putin. And despite agreement in Brussels and preparations in Washington for an escalation in sanctions against Russia, it is unlikely that Trump will change his approach.
In this context, the sequence in which the calls occurred is telling. Trump and Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, had a short call before the former spoke with Putin. Zelensky said he told Trump not to make decisions about Ukraine “without us”.
But rather than presenting Putin with a clear ultimatum to accept a ceasefire, Trump apparently discussed future relations with Putin at great length before informing Zelensky and key European allies that the war in Ukraine is now solely their problem to solve.
This has certainly raised justifiable fears in Kyiv and European capitals that, for the sake of a reset with Russia, the US might yet completely abandon its allies across the Atlantic.
However, if a reset with Russia at any cost really is Trump’s strategy, it is bound to fail. As much as Putin seems willing to continue with his aggression against Ukraine, Zelensky is as unwilling to surrender. Putin can rely on China’s continued backing while Zelensky can count on support from Europe.
Supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine is essential for China to keep Moscow on side in its rivalry with the US. And for Europe, supporting Ukraine has become an existential question of deterring and containing a revisionist Russia hell-bent on restoring a Soviet-style sphere of influence in central and eastern Europe.
In a world that has been in flux since Trump’s return to the White House, these are some of the emerging constants. And they make a US-Russia reset highly improbable.
Even if it were to happen, it would not strengthen Washington’s position with Beijing. Walking away from Ukraine and Europe now will deprive the US of the very allies it will need in the long term to prevail in its rivalry with China.
By abandoning his mediation between Moscow and Kyiv, Trump may have broken the deadlock in his efforts to achieve a reset with Russia. But getting this deal over the line will be a pyrrhic victory.
Stefan Wolff is a past recipient of grant funding from the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK, the United States Institute of Peace, the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK, the British Academy, the NATO Science for Peace Programme, the EU Framework Programmes 6 and 7 and Horizon 2020, as well as the EU’s Jean Monnet Programme. He is a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Political Studies Association of the UK and a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.
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