- newThe Guardian view on ancient trees: natural monuments need protecting | Editorial
Trees that have been standing for hundreds or thousands of years are entitled to special treatment – just like precious buildingsEfforts to increase the level of protection available to ancient – or simply old – trees in the UK have been building for some time. In 2019, Janis Fry, an artist an…
- 1 hour ago 8 Aug 22, 6:23pm -
- newEurope’s worst ever drought: in pictures
Parched Greenwich Park, drought-stricken Berlin and wildfires from Spain to Belgium – Europe is feeling the heat this summerHow Europe is being hit by climate-driven drought crisis Continue reading...
- 4 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 4:09pm -
- new‘The new normal’: how Europe is being hit by a climate-driven drought crisis
Water shortages across the continent, from France through Italy, Spain and beyond, are creating a critical situationEurope’s worst ever drought in picturesEurope’s most severe drought in decades is hitting homes, factories, farmers and freight across the continent, as experts warn drier winters…
- 4 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 3:48pm -
- newScottishPower to build £150m green hydrogen plant at Port of Felixstowe
Exclusive: plant at Suffolk port is slated to produce 100megawatts of power from 2026ScottishPower is planning to build a £150m green hydrogen plant at the Port of Felixstowe to power trains, trucks and ships, the Guardian can reveal.The energy company has drawn up proposals for a 100megawatt plant…
- 6 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 2:10pm -
- newBan bonuses for water firm bosses until they fix leaky pipes, say Lib Dems
England’s water and sewage chiefs awarded themselves £27m amid leakages of 2.4bn litres a dayWater company bosses should be banned from giving themselves bonuses until they fix their leaky pipes, the Liberal Democrats have demanded.New figures uncovered by the party found that England’s water a…
- 7 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 12:35pm -
- newPlastic can take hundreds of years to break down – and we keep making more | Kim Heacox
Americans throw away an estimated 2.5m plastic water bottles an hour. We need international cooperation to protect our planet and our healthEvery great movie has at least one scene that stays with you.In the 1967 classic The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols, that scene could be when Mrs Robinson (…
- 8 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 11:18am -
- newThe most awe-inspiring and exuberant birds are facing extinction first – let's stop nature becoming boring | Lucy Jones
From toucans and puffins to iridescent hummingbirds, the most unique creatures are the most vulnerable to human impactsFor decades ecologists have been warning about the homogenisation of diversity – species becoming more alike – in the living world. Now, researchers at the University of Sheffie…
- 10 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 10:00am -
- newWeather tracker: no relief as heatwaves continue in parts of Europe and China
Meanwhile heavy rainfall predicted to far exceed annual averages in South and North KoreaWhile it feels as though Europe should be starting to see the end of its heatwaves, scorching temperatures are expected to continue across the north and west of the continent this week. As high pressure becomes…
- 11 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 9:04am -
- new‘There are snakes – but we attack the fires’: refugees fight flames in the Sahara
Malian volunteers from a huge camp in Mauritania work tirelessly to put out blazes that threaten homes and land – and all without using water Ahmedou Ould Boukhary knows he can get the call at any time, day or night from the local authorities in Bassikounou, a town in the south-east of Mauritania.…
- 12 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 8:00am -
- newInside Somalia’s vicious cycle of deforestation for charcoal
As gas prices rise Somalis are turning to the affordable energy source, driving unsustainable logging – as al-Shabaab condemns but profits from the tradeIn Mogadishu, the charcoal trade is thriving on the city’s streets, prompted by the sharp rise in gas prices over the past two years. As more S…
- 13 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 6:30am -
- newDiscovered in the deep: meet Casper the ghostly octopus
First spotted in Hawaii in 2016 more than two miles beneath the surface, scientists are slowly learning the cephalopod’s secretsA white octopus sat on the seabed, gently waggling its short, stubby arms and peering with beady eyes into the camera of a deep-diving robot.It was 2016, in waters off Ha…
- 14 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 6:00am -
- newCountry diary: The garden is alive with insects, despite the heatwave
Allendale, Northumberland: It’s taken a lot of careful planning, but our corner of this sunny valley is teeming with bees, beetles and butterfliesEarly morning in my garden and the catmint path is already noisy with bumblebees. They hurry from one open-lipped mauve tube to another, their wings bac…
- 14 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 5:30am -
- newUS Senate passes $739bn healthcare and climate bill – video
Senate Democrats passed their climate and healthcare spending package on Sunday, sending the legislation to the House and bringing Joe Biden one step closer to a significant legislative victory ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.'To the tens of millions of young Americans who spent yea…
- 16 hours ago 8 Aug 22, 3:29am -
- Facts must rise above the gas if Australia is to deal with the climate crisis | Adam Morton
In a political system long captured by fossil fuel interests, there is a disconnect between the arguments and the evidence• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcastOne of the most striking voices for aggressive climate action right now is the secretary general of the Un…
- 1 day ago 7 Aug 22, 6:30pm -
- ‘What else can we do?’: trespassers demand right to roam minister’s 12,000-acre estate
Campaigners visit Berkshire estate belonging to Richard Benyon, minister in charge of access to natureIt’s hard to know what access to nature minister Richard Benyon normally finds in his gigantic Berkshire estate when he strolls out on a Sunday afternoon. It is unlikely, however, to be a loudly s…
- 1 day ago 7 Aug 22, 6:08pm -
- Low-traffic schemes are driving congestion and pollution | Letters
Hilary Walker, Simon Jones and Lois Keith on how low-traffic neighbourhoods are blighting the lives of many residents. Plus a letter from Alun Gordon on how LTNs have helped his east London communityGeorge Monbiot overplays the delights of the community effect of low-traffic neighbourhoods in Oxford…
- 1 day ago 7 Aug 22, 4:56pm -
- ‘No time for inaction’: how a California refinery disaster created a generation of activists
Ten years ago, a fire at Chevron forced thousands to seek health treatment. For young people, it was a transformative momentThis article originally appeared in Nexus Media News and was made possible by a grant from the Open Society Foundations.On the afternoon of 6 August 2012, a thick black plume g…
- 1 day ago 7 Aug 22, 11:00am -
- ‘Botox for your lawn’: the controversial use of pesticides on golf courses
Weedkillers, insecticides and other pesticides are used on golf courses, and many, such as 2,4-D, have been linked to health problemsHarold Nisker spent roughly 50 years of his life playing golf in his Toronto suburb. He visited the course at his country club nearly every day, teeing up to play on t…
- 2 days ago 6 Aug 22, 4:00pm -
- ‘Change is coming’: Meet the Englishman prepping for climate apocalypse in an old German barracks
At his remote woodland home, Ben Green is trying to stay positive about a collapse of the food supplyBen Green doesn’t have to worry that Vladimir Putin might cut off Europe’s gas this winter, fret about a seasonal revival of Covid-19, or panic about a looming global food crisis.Green weaned him…
- 2 days ago 6 Aug 22, 3:00pm -
- Thorn in your side? How to avoid the most common garden injuries
Gardening is a healthy pursuit, but it has its risks, from back pain to poisonous plants. Here’s how to stay out of the danger zoneMy earliest memory of an accident in the garden came when I was aged four or five, and my parents hired a power scythe to cut the meadow we rented from the church next…
- 2 days ago 6 Aug 22, 11:00am -
- Hosepipe bans, water butts and beavers: what can we do to combat drought in Britain?
Parts of UK are preparing for emergency water measures despite country getting more annual rainfall than rest of EuropeMany parts of southern England and Wales are facing drought conditions and are preparing for emergency water measures, yet the country gets more annual rainfall than anywhere in con…
- 2 days ago 6 Aug 22, 8:00am -
- Cider is having an American moment – thanks to a new generation of crafters
A diverse group of producers is revitalizing a traditional drink: ‘This is the flavor I’ve been looking for all my life’The first time Peter Yi tried Basque cider, it hit him like a lightning bolt. His experiences as a wine buyer left him thinking ciders were sweet, simple and didn’t pair we…
- 3 days ago 6 Aug 22, 6:00am -
- Country diary: My eye is caught by a leveret, tiny and still
Strathspey, Scottish Highlands: It’s a dry and brittle afternoon and I’m on a scything class, but my attention is snagged elsewhereI’m learning how to scythe, and am caught up with the lovely, unfamiliar terms. The snath, the heel, the beard, the tang. We’re shown how to assemble the scythes…
- 3 days ago 6 Aug 22, 5:30am -
- What does the US-China row mean for climate change?
Analysis: breakdown of cooperation between world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters over Taiwan could spell disaster for global warming targetsChina’s decision to halt cooperation with the US over the climate crisis has provoked alarm, with seasoned climate diplomats urging a swift resumption…
- 3 days ago 5 Aug 22, 5:18pm -
- Rare hummingbird last seen in 2010 rediscovered in Colombia
- 3 days ago 5 Aug 22, 11:08am -
- The week in wildlife – in pictures
The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a bearded seal, peacocks and mating humpback whales Continue reading...
- 3 days ago 5 Aug 22, 8:00am -
- London mayor urged to halt Silvertown tunnel scheme at 11th hour
Green party’s Siân Berry says Sadiq Khan can still change his mind and prevent increase in traffic pollutionThe mayor of London is being urged to make an 11th hour intervention and halt plans for a new four-lane road tunnel under the River Thames that opponents say would worsen pollution and exac…
- 4 days ago 5 Aug 22, 7:00am -
- California’s McKinney fire leaves trail of destruction – in pictures
Firefighters have got their first hold on California’s deadliest and most destructive fire of the year and expect the blaze to remain stalled over the weekend. The McKinney fire, near the Oregon border, was 10% contained as of Wednesday night and bulldozers and hand crews were making progress carv…
- 4 days ago 5 Aug 22, 7:00am -
- ‘Generally ignored’ species face twice the extinction threat, warns study
Wildlife with little data faces double the risk of dying out – which may mean many more species are endangered than previously thoughtPlants and animals that do not have enough data to be properly assessed appear to be at twice the risk of extinction as those that have been evaluated, meaning more…
- 4 days ago 4 Aug 22, 4:00pm -
- Global heating means almost every sea turtle in Florida now born female
Rising temperatures have made beach sand so warm that eggs incubate above 31C and are overwhelmingly born female – expertsNearly every sea turtle born on the beaches of Florida in the past four years has been female, according to scientists.The spike in female baby turtles comes as a result of int…
- 4 days ago 4 Aug 22, 11:00am -
- ‘Walking’ forest of 1,000 trees transforms Dutch city
Spectacle of leafy ash, oak and elm ambling through Leeuwarden’s streets offers vision of a greener futureIt is less of a marathon and more of an amble. But then a “walking forest” of 1,000 trees was never going to move at speed. Since May, volunteers have been transporting the native trees pl…
- 4 days ago 4 Aug 22, 10:17am -
- Scorched Britain: the July heatwave in pictures
With July 2022 being one of the driest on record, we look at how the country has been affected Continue reading...
- 4 days ago 4 Aug 22, 8:33am -
- Discovered in the deep: the snail with iron armour
The first in a new Guardian series on the remarkable new species being found in the oceans introduces the bizarre scaly-foot snail, or sea pangolin – a creature with a special trickA golden snail with a foot clad in iron scales seems like a creature from science fiction. But in a few remote spots…
- 6 days ago 3 Aug 22, 6:00am -
- Greens will vote in favour of Labor’s climate bill, Adam Bandt says – video
Greens leader Adam Bandt has revealed his party will support Labor's climate bill but signalled a further fight for a climate trigger to block new fossil fuel projects. 'The fight begins now to get Labor to stop opening coal and gas mines,' Bandt said while addressing the National Press Club. Prime…
- 6 days ago 3 Aug 22, 5:51am -
- 'Brink of collapse': David Pocock delivers climate warning in first Senate speech – video
Independent ACT senator David Pocock has given his first speech in the Senate, warning a sixth mass extinction event is under way. 'Today the systems that sustain life on earth are on the brink of collapse,' Pocock said. 'The climate as we know it is breaking down and the impacts are now being fel…
- 6 days ago 2 Aug 22, 9:33am -
- African nations expected to make case for big rise in fossil fuel output
Exclusive: leaders expected to say at Cop27 they need access to their oil and gas reserves despite effect on global heatingLeaders of African countries are likely to use the next UN climate summit in November to push for massive new investment in fossil fuels in Africa, according to documents seen b…
- 7 days ago 1 Aug 22, 5:44pm -
- Single servings at low prices: how Unilever’s sachets became an environmental scourge
Plastic in the Depths: Multinational denies dropping plan to recycle plastic sachets – and leaving developing countries with a toxic headache as they end up in landfill or the oceanFive years ago, Unilever announced a “radical recycling” process aimed at tackling a huge waste scourge it helped…
- 8 days ago 1 Aug 22, 7:30am -
- Fears that Egypt may use Cop27 to whitewash human rights abuses
Naomi Klein and Caroline Lucas among signatories to letter voicing concerns over country’s hosting of climate summitA hundred days before the Cop27 summit is due to start in Sharm el-Sheikh, a group of environmentalists and activists have expressed alarm over Egypt’s ability to host the event su…
- 10 days ago 29 Jul 22, 11:28am -
- Climate targets at risk as countries lag in updating emission goals, say campaigners
Labour says UK government ‘asleep at the wheel’ of Cop26 presidency as just 16 of 197 member nations submit new climate action plansInternational climate targets could be at risk because only a handful of countries have updated their emission reduction goals since last year’s Cop26 summit, cam…
- 11 days ago 28 Jul 22, 4:00pm -
- ‘Like a giant sewage plant’: how Germany’s ‘pig belt’ got too big
It will take a long time to repair the damage of an oversized pig industry and its waste, say officials in the northwest state of Lower SaxonyThere is an old saying, rather unloved by local people, that if you roll down the window while driving through Germany, you’ll always know from the smell wh…
- 14 days ago 26 Jul 22, 7:15am -
- Plastic in the Depths: how pollution took over our oceans
So much plastic pours into the sea every year that species are now endemic to it. A new Guardian series looks at where it comes from, the harm it does and what can be done about it• Plastic in the Depths: how tyre dust became the ocean’s ‘stealth pollutant’By now, it is well known that the o…
- 15 days ago 25 Jul 22, 6:00am -
- Tyre dust: the ‘stealth pollutant’ that’s becoming a huge threat to ocean life
Plastic in the depths: Scientists spent decades on the trail of a mystery toxin killing salmon en masse. A recent breakthrough revealed the culpritFor decades, coho salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean to the creeks and streams of Puget Sound in Washington state to spawn were dying in large numbe…
- 15 days ago 25 Jul 22, 6:00am -
- ‘Emotion and pain’ as Dutch farmers fight back against huge cuts to livestock
Farmers express fury at government drive to tackle nitrogen pollution through a major reduction in numbers of pigs, cattle and chickens in the NetherlandsAlong roads and bridges in the Netherlands, people are hanging the Dutch flag upside down. It is a sign of solidarity with the Dutch farming secto…
- 19 days ago 21 Jul 22, 6:30am -
- Siestas for cows: UK farmers seek new ways for cattle to beat the heat
Livestock owners are trialling the idea of bringing herds indoors to the shade to protect milk production and animals’ welfareA growing number of UK farmers are considering adapting their farms to protect animals against heat stress, and among the new measures is the idea of indoor “siestas” f…
- 21 days ago 19 Jul 22, 6:00am -
- How a Tesco chicken deal may have helped pollute one of the UK’s favourite rivers
The River Wye flows through Herefordshire where bird numbers – and their waste – surged in the year after the supermarket signed a deal with a local processor, Guardian investigation showsA major deal to supply chicken to Tesco from nearly a decade ago may be linked to the ecological demise of o…
- 26 days ago 14 Jul 22, 6:15am -
- Reasons to be hopeful: the climate solutions available now
We have every tool we need to tackle the climate crisis. Here’s what some key sectors are doing The climate emergency is the biggest threat to civilisation we have ever faced. But there is good news: we already have every tool we need to beat it. The challenge is not identifying the solutions, but…
- 31 Oct 21, 7:00am -
- Cop26: the time for prevarication is over | Katharine Viner
Glasgow 2021 must be the moment when the promise of Paris 2015 becomes real – history will not forgive us otherwiseSummits do not always live up to the name. They can get bogged down in detail and disagreement, never really reaching altitude.That is often the case with the annual UN climate summit…
- 30 Oct 21, 7:00am -
- The Guardian’s climate pledge
Six things the Guardian is doing to confront the climate emergencyIn 2019, the Guardian made a pledge in service of the planet. We declared that the escalating climate crisis was the defining issue of our lifetime, and that quality, trustworthy reporting on the environment was a vital tool to confro…
- 25 Oct 21, 7:00am -
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