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Exclusive: ‘Deep-rooted injustices’ affect billions of people due to location of wells, pipelines and other infrastructure

A quarter of the world’s population lives within three miles (5km) of operational fossil fuel projects, potentially threatening the health of more than 2 billion people as well as critical ecosystems, according to first-of-its-kind research. A damning new report by Amnesty International, shared exclusively with the Guardian, found that more than 18,300 oil, gas and coal sites are currently distributed across 170 countries worldwide, occupying a vast area of the Earth’s surface. Proximity to drilling wells, processing plants, pipelines and other fossil fuel facilities elevates the risk of cancer, respiratory conditions, heart disease, premature birth and death, as well as posing grave threats to water supplies and air quality, and degrades land. Almost half a billion (463 million) people, including 124 million children, now live within 0.6 miles (1km) of fossil fuels sites, while another 3,500 or so new sites are currently proposed or under development that could force 135 million more people to endure fumes, flares and spills, according to Extraction Extinction: Why the Lifecycle of Fossil Fuels Threatens Life, Nature, and Human Rights. Most active projects have created pollution hotspots, turning nearby communities and critical ecosystems into so-called sacrifice zones – heavily contaminated areas where low-income and marginalized groups bear the disproportionate burden of exposure to pollution and toxins. The report details the devastating health toll from extraction, processing and transportation, as well as demonstrating how leaks, flares and construction destroy irreplaceable natural ecosystems and undermine human rights – particularly of those living near oil, gas and coal infrastructure.

#world #fossil fuel infrastructure #inequality #health #ecosystems destruction #environment #capitalism

Daily life for people living in Europe is already becoming unpredictable due to the consequences of extreme weather.

Temperatures across Europe are rising at twice the global average. This alarming trend is leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms. But climate change isn’t just about extreme weather. It damages ecosystems, infrastructure and economies, plus people’s resilience and prosperity, meaning the European way of life is at risk. The latest information from the European Environment Agency shows that while progress is being made, the state of the environment is deteriorating. Europe is the fastest warming continent and major economic and social losses from climate-related events are mounting – with more than €738 billion (£643 billion) in losses from 1980-2023, and over €162 billion from the last three years. Adaptation (action required for societies to adjust to the adverse effects of climate changes) is needed but lagging behind the escalating risk due to inconsistent and under-resourced approaches. As a result, ecosystem and societal resilience are undermined. Healthy ecosystems underpin sustainable living by ensuring food and water security, and providing essential goods and services. For people living in Europe, the effects are already visible and personal. People are increasingly exposed to disease, pollution, and even premature death due to extreme weather. Homes and communities face destruction. In 2025, extreme weather has included extensive floods in Valencia, Spain, and wildfires raging across Turkey, Portugal, Cyprus, France and Spain.

Meanwhile, right-wing parties across the continent want to abandon their net zero targets. These are the same parties that want to limit immigration because it is “destroying the European way of live,” but support policies that will do just that.

#europe #climate crisis #extreme weather #ecosystems destruction #nature depletion #health #environment #sixth mass extinction

The loss of trees is also a major threat to thousands of other plants, animals and fungi.

Just over one in three of the world’s tree species are now at risk of extinction, according to the latest update of IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. For the first time, a majority of the world’s trees have been added to the list revealing that at least 16,425 of the 47,282 species assessed by the IUCN are at risk of extinction. This means that trees now make up over a quarter of the species on the IUCN Red List. The number of threatened trees is more than double the number of all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined and tree species are at risk of extinction in 192 countries around the world. “This comprehensive assessment presents the first-ever global picture of the conservation status of trees,” says Dr Malin Rivers, global tree assessment lead at Botanic Gardens Conservation International, a Red List Partner. “The work is a global effort, with over 1,000 tree experts involved. We need to continue to work together to scale up local, national and international tree conservation action to support people and the planet.”

#world #1 in 3 tree species #extinction #ecosystems destruction #sixth mass extinction

The environmental crisis in Gaza is closely linked to a growing public health emergency.

THE ongoing war on Gaza, recently recognised as a genocide by the International Court of Justice, has garnered global attention for its devastating humanitarian impact. However, beneath the immediate human tragedy lies a less visible, but equally alarming crisis: the systematic destruction of Gaza’s physical environment and its ecosystem. This environmental catastrophe, which some experts are terming ‘ecocide’, threatens to have long-lasting consequences that extend far beyond the current conflict, affecting the region’s ecology, public health, and future habitability. Moreover, this environmental destruction fundamentally undermines the human dignity of Gaza’s residents, depriving them of their basic rights to a clean and healthy environment. The conflict’s impact on Gaza’s ecosystem extends beyond the immediate destruction of flora and fauna. The region’s biodiversity is under severe threat as habitats are destroyed and food chains disrupted. The loss of vegetation, particularly trees, has far-reaching consequences for local wildlife. Birds and small mammals that relied on these trees for shelter and sustenance may have been forced to migrate or face potential extinction. Moreover, the destruction of coastal areas and marine habitats due to military operations and pollution run-off threatens Gaza’s marine ecosystem, thus impacting biodiversity and jeopardising livelihoods. The alteration of the landscape through widespread destruction and the potential for future urban development plans could lead to irreversible changes in the local ecosystem. The contamination of soil and water resources may persist for years, hampering future agricultural productivity and access to safe drinking water. The loss of arable land due to pollution, erosion, and potential salinisation could have severe implications for food security in a region already grappling with resource scarcity.

#israeli-occupied palestine #gaza war #ecocide #water and soil contamination #ecosystems destruction #deforestation

As average population falls reach 95% in some regions, experts call for urgent action but insist ‘nature can recover’

Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a new scientific assessment has found, as humans continue to push ecosystems to the brink of collapse. Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the steepest average declines in recorded wildlife populations, with a 95% fall, according to the WWF and the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) biennial Living Planet report. They were followed by Africa with 76%, and Asia and the Pacific at 60%. Europe and North America recorded comparatively lower falls of 35% and 39% respectively since 1970. Scientists said this was explained by much larger declines in wildlife populations in Europe and North America before 1970 that were now being replicated in other parts of the world. They warned that the loss could quicken in future years as global heating accelerates, triggered by tipping points in the Amazon rainforest, Arctic and marine ecosystems, which could have catastrophic consequences for nature and human society. Matthew Gould, ZSL’s chief executive, said the report’s message was clear: “We are dangerously close to tipping points for nature loss and climate change. But we know nature can recover, given the opportunity, and that we still have the chance to act.”

#world #wildlife population collapse #ecosystems destruction #living planet index #biodiversity #endangered species #sixth mass extinction #climate crisis

The first step is to humbly acknowledge the harm we are doing to the Earth through pollution, the scandalous destruction of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity, and the spectre of climate change. And to realise that when we hurt the Earth, we also hurt the poor.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Vatican’s council for peace and justice

#Peter Turkson #acknowledge the harm #pollution #ecosystems destruction #biodiversity loss #climate change #Earth #poor people