Environment | The Guardian

A bottlenose dolphin surprised a family on their morning swim in Dorset this month, appearing to playfully engage with them.However, the UK's Marine Management Organisation has since asked the public to keep away from the injured creature, warning that such encounters 'can harm dolphins leading to injury, death or aggression'

Associated British Foods says 160 jobs will be lost at Vivergo site in Hull after ministers refuse to fund rescueThe UK's largest bioethanol plant is to close after being dealt a body blow by Keir Starmer's trade deal with Donald Trump.The owner of the Vivergo plant in Hull, owned by Associated British Foods (ABF), said it would close with the loss of 160 jobs, just hours after the government said it would not fund an industry rescue package. The first redundancies will be made on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Senator Adam Schiff suggests in letter that use of funds to alter outflow of lake for personal use may have been inappropriate

Temperatures did not drop below 36C in Sedom, Israel on Tuesday night, while several parts of Jordan stayed above 35C on MondayJordan and Israel have suffered through their hottest nights on record, with nocturnal temperatures in the Levant well above levels that scientists consider hellish".Temperatures on Monday night did not go below 35C (95F) in Ghor es-Safi and Aqaba in Jordan, while in the capital, Amman, they stayed above 31.8C. Continue reading...

The failure of UN talks in Geneva should anger us all. The increasing threat to our health, our environments and wildlife must be addressed.By ensuring the collapse of UN talks seeking the first legally binding agreement on tackling plastic pollution, blockers in Geneva have failed the next generation. Most states are willing, even determined, to act. But the US joined petrostates obstructing action. Their children too will live to regret that.To say that plastics are part of our lives from cradle to grave is an understatement: microplastics have been found in placentas, as well as blood and breast milk. While we can't yet be certain of the full impact of the substances, we know that many have been linked to health effects and that foetuses, infants and young children are highly vulnerable. Microplastics have been shown to damage human cells in laboratory experiments, and a review published this month documented how exposure is associated with increased risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects, impaired lung growth, childhood cancer and fertility problems as an adult. Continue reading...

Consumers are drinking less red wine than ever. Producers need to revive the fresher and lighter vintages that their medieval ancestors once harvestedThese are always anxious weeks in the Bordeaux vineyards, where 15% of France's wine is grown, including in celebrated places like Chateau Latour and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. In earlier years, this ritual anxiety among the region's winegrowers had a pleasingly folkloric quality. In the middle of August, the grapes would ripen and their colour start to turn. About 45 days from now, tradition dictates, it will be time to start picking the 2025 vintage. As the wine writer Edmund Penning-Rowsell put it: To pick or not to pick is the most momentous decision in the winemaking year in Bordeaux."This once timeless rhythm is now collapsing. Part of the problem is the climate crisis. Bordeaux still benefits from its moderate Atlantic climate. But south-west France is getting much hotter and drier. Even in the Gironde region, maximum temperatures have been close to 40C at times this past week. Adaptation, in theform of hardier grapes and greater crop diversity,feels unavoidable. Continue reading...

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes billions of dollars in giveaways to fossil fuel companies and their executivesThe Republican lawmakers who voted for Donald Trump's anti-environment tax and spending bill have accepted more than $105m in political donations from the fossil fuel industry, a new analysis has found, raising concerns about their relationship with big oil.Signed into law last month, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes billions of dollars in giveaways to oil and gas companies and their executives, alongside provisions to scale back credits for clean vehicles, wind and solar which were enshrined by Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Continue reading...

NGOs say deadlock over legally binding deal to curb production and toxic chemicals is blow to multilateralism'Global talks to reach agreement on a treaty aimed at ending the growing scourge of plastic pollution have collapsed, with no deal agreed and no clear path forward.Countries worked beyond Thursday's deadline into the night and Friday morning, but remained deadlocked on the issue that has dogged talks since they were launched, amid fervent optimism, in 2022: whether to reduce exponential growth of plastic production and place global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. Continue reading...

Findings help decipher mechanisms through which forever chemicals' cause disease, aiding in treating health problemsNew research suggests exposure to some common Pfas or forever chemical" compounds causes changes to gene activity, and those changes are linked to health problems including multiple cancers, neurological disorders and autoimmune disease.The findings are a major step toward determining the mechanism by which the chemicals cause disease and could help doctors identify, detect and treat health problems for those exposed to Pfas before the issues advance. The research may also point toward other diseases potentially caused by Pfas that have not yet been identified, the authors said. Continue reading...

Scientists in Svalbard in race to study polar microbes as global heating threatens fragile glacial ecosystemsIt felt really scary ... like being in the middle of a burning city during a night raid." Dr Arwyn Edwards is not describing urban warfare but a recent hot and foggy day on a Svalbard glacier, where record-breaking summer heat turned his workplace into a cascade of meltwater and falling rocks.Edwards is a leading researcher in glacier ecology - the study of life forms that live on, within and around glaciers and ice sheets. Over two decades of polar research, he has always felt relaxed and at home" on ice. But the accelerating climate breakdown is beginning to erode that sense of security. Continue reading...

Tiebele's wavy-walled houses covered in geometric lines showing signs of disintegration amid erratic weatherA world heritage site that was once a famous tourist destination is suffering from signs of disintegration, as climate change affects weather patterns.The wavy-walled houses covered with singular geometric lines of the Royal Court of Tiebele in Burkina Faso, established in the 16th century, are recognisable all over the world. The paintings represent the thoughts, culture, and religion of the Kassena people, literally written on the walls. Continue reading...

There is no chance of Australia becoming more economic resilient if we don't have robust national laws that set clear environmental standards

People on popular pilgrimage route were washed away by flood waters triggered by cloudburst, officials sayAt least 56 people have died and 80 are missing after a sudden rainstorm in Indian Kashmir, the second such disaster in the Himalayas in a little over a week.The incident in the town of Chashoti, Kishtwar district, occurred at a stopover point on a pilgrimage route. Days earlier, a flood and mudslide engulfed a village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Continue reading...

Talks continue amid warnings from environmental groups over being sold out' without meaningful or legally binding measuresTalks between nations to hammer out a plastics treaty to end plastic pollution continued behind closed doors in Geneva on Thursday, the final day of negotiations, as civil society groups urged countries to hold the line" to secure a strong agreement.With time running out to seal a deal between 184 countries, environmental groups expressed concern that frontline communities, Indigenous people and others suffering the worst impacts of the world's growing plastic crisis were being sold out" in an effort to secure a treaty, without meaningful or legally binding measures that would address the scale of the problem, at any cost". Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Satellite imagery shows the impact on Europe after wildfires raged across the south of the continent

As insurer's shares hit highest level since 2008, CEO says green issues are also important for many of its clientsAviva's chief executive, Amanda Blanc, has reiterated the insurer's commitment to climate goals in the face of growing pushback against net zero ambitions in the US and UK.On Thursday Aviva's shares hit their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, with investors cheering a rise in profits, and fresh payouts for investors worth 13.1p a share. Continue reading...

Glencore says it is working with state and federal governments to minimise the impact of flora and fauna in the 680ha area west of Mackay

Cottontails seen in Fort Collins have mostly harmless Shope papillomavirus, which cannot be spread to other speciesA group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, hornlike growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there is no reason to be spooked - the furry creatures merely have a relatively common virus.The cottontails recently spotted in Fort Collins are infected with the mostly harmless Shope papillomavirus, which causes wart-like growths that protrude from their faces like metastasizing horns. Continue reading...

Deal for Europe's biggest facility for LNG imports comes as overall UK gas demand fell sharply last yearThe owner of British Gas has placed a 1.5bn bet on the UK's future reliance on fossil fuel imports after striking a deal to buy Europe's biggest gas import terminal.Centrica plans to partner with a US private equity firm to acquire the Isle of Grain terminal in Kent, which can import 15m tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year, even after Britain's gas demand fell last year to its lowest level since the early 1990s. Continue reading...

Greenpeace climbers attached a new work, titled Butchered, by the renowned artist Anish Kapoor on to a Shell platform in the North Sea - the world's first artwork to be installed on an active offshore gas site. After securing a 12-metre x 8-metre canvas to the structure, the activists hoisted a high-pressure hose 16 metres above sea level. They then pumped 1,000 litres of blood-red liquid that seeped into the fabric, creating a vast crimson stain. The work is a stark visualisation of the wound inflicted on humanity and the Earth by the fossil fuel industry, and aims to represent the collective grief and pain over what has been lost, as well as a call for reparation

Almost all of the sex discordant' birds were genetically female but had male reproductive organs, study finds

August is on track to be hottest on record, with temperatures hitting at least 110F (43C) nearly every dayMore than 400 people are suspected to have died from extreme heat in Maricopa county, Arizona, so far this summer, according to official figures, as the brutal current heatwave enters its 12th day.August is on track to be the hottest on record, with temperatures hitting at least 110F (43C) every day apart from one so far. As of 11 August, at least three daily records had been broken including an all-time monthly high of 118F (48C), as well as several night-time record temperatures, according to Isaac Smith, meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix. Continue reading...

PM says sustainable revenue for roads is needed as report shows nearly one in 10 new car sales are electric vehicles

Australia's biggest bank delivers bumper payout to shareholders as CBA vows to end lending to coal companies with no net zero plans

Hawizeh's wetlands once had abundant fishing and wildlife. In a land threatened by drought and desertification, oil drilling is draining the last of the waterAt dawn, a veil of mist clings to the canals of Hawizeh, where sky and water seem to blur into a mirror. In the stern of a narrow wooden boat, 23-year-old Mustafa Hashim scans the marshes' shallows, cutting the motor and switching to a traditional pole to avoid snagging on invasive roots or thickening mud.It takes him about half an hour to push through the shrinking marshes to reach Um al-Nea'aj, once a vibrant lake teeming with boats and birdsong. Now, the water is about half a metre deep. Continue reading...

Charity gives children a well-earned break from caring responsibilities, hoping that a day's snorkelling amid the island's wildlife will help them connect with natureA seal just swam right by me," squeals Odin Rawlinson, 14, as he awkwardly clambers back on to the dive boat in his flippers. He had hoped to see a megalodon or a kraken (a mythical sea creature) on his first ever snorkelling trip. But to his surprise, he finds the marine life that actually frequents the waters off Lundy in the Bristol Channel just as enchanting.Odin Rawlinson on the trip to Lundy - the 14-year-old looks after his mother who has kidney failure and has to have regular dialysis sessions in hospital. Continue reading...

Boy, four, dies of heatstroke in Rome as scientists say high temperatures and fires are reminder of climate emergencyThe deadly heatwave fanning wildfires across the Mediterranean region has claimed at least three lives and forced thousands of people from their homes.Firefighters continued to battle blazes on Tuesday and authorities braced for further damage as temperatures in some areas surged well past 40C. In Spain, a Romanian man in his 50s died after suffering 98% burns while trying to rescue horses from a burning stable near Madrid on Monday night. Continue reading...

Greens senator David Shoebridge says communities will have no way to protect the land' from waste that will be radioactive for millennia

Ministers say online vendors of electrical goods such as microwaves will also have to contribute to recycling feesVape sellers will have to pay for the disposal of the devices under plans announced by the government.Ministers said they would end the UK's throwaway culture" as they revealed measures to fund the recycling of electrical waste. Continue reading...

Government analysis finds 10 times more locations used for recreation than previously identified

Sources say delayed risk assessment includes modelling of effects of climate crisis in ways that have been little discussed in political debate so far

Millions of the tiny plastic pellets are being washed up on the coast of Kerala in India in the latest in a series of global spills, as plastic treaty talks continue in GenevaWhen a Liberian-flagged container ship, the MSC Elsa 3, capsized and sank 13 miles off the coast of Kerala, in India, on 25 May, a state-wide disaster was quickly declared. A long oil slick from the 184-metre vessel, which was carrying hazardous cargo, was partially tackled by aircraft-borne dispersants, while a salvage operation sealed tanks to prevent leaks.But almost three months later, a more insidious and persistent environmental catastrophe is continuing along the ecologically fragile coast of the Arabian Sea. Among the 643 containers onboard were 71,500 sacks of tiny plastic pellets known as nurdles. By July, only 7,920 were reportedly recovered. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Hotter houses are likely to become the norm, with the dangerous health impacts facing society's most vulnerableGood morning. With temperatures soaring across Europe, fears of drought and people trying to steer clear of the most severe heat, there's one place millions of us will still not be comfortable: home.The Guardian's Hot Property series shows how the poorest and most vulnerable are trapped inside dangerously hot homes. Even for today's temperatures much housing is inadequate, let alone the even more extreme heat predicted for the coming years, the reporting shows.Israel-Gaza war | Hundreds of mourners carried the body of the prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif through the streets of Gaza City on Monday, a day after he and four colleagues were killed in an Israeli airstrike, prompting condemnation from across the world.NHS | Attacks on A&E nurses have almost doubled over the last six years, with incidents often involving patients frustrated at waiting so long for care.US news | Donald Trump has ordered the national guard to Washington DC and seized control of the city's police force, describing a lawless" city in ways that are sharply at odds with official crime statistics.UK news | David Lammy is facing possible legal action over a plan to invite staff from the oil firm Shell and the defence firm BAE Systems to work inside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.Agriculture | A study has found that Biochar, a charcoal made from human waste, could help solve fertiliser shortages as well as reduce pollution and energy use. Continue reading...

Kirsten Mae Fearn was repeatedly warned about the behaviour but she continued to import plants which she intended to sell online

National Drought Group meets and water companies prepare to take drastic action as supplies dwindleA nationally significant water shortfall is gripping England, the government has warned, as experts say the conditions could last until mid-autumn.The National Drought Group met to discuss actions to save water across the country, and Steve Reed, the environment secretary, briefed the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, about the risks posed by the dry weather. Continue reading...

Lee fire is one of largest blazes in state history after burning 130,000 acres, while Elk fire surpassed 14,000 acresFirefighters in Colorado responding to one of the largest blazes in the state's history are facing gusty winds and dry conditions that are expected to continue to drive extreme fire behavior.More than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed, and while crews have gained containment on one fire, another has grown amid fire-friendly weather. Continue reading...

Four-year-old boy dies of heatstroke in Italy as scientists warn of molotov cocktail' of climatic conditionsDeadly heat of up to 44C is searing southern Europe, as scientists warn of a molotov cocktail" of climatic conditions that is fuelling vast wildfires across the Mediterranean.In Italy, where temperatures of 40C are expected in Florence later this week, a four-year-old boy died of heatstroke, and a red alert warning was issued for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence. Continue reading...

Fish once as large as grizzly bears have become far smaller in recent years due to overfishing, dams and climate crisisThe size of megafish in the Mekong River has shrunk alarmingly in recent years owing to overfishing, a study has found. The length of the largest and most endangered freshwater giants, some as big as grizzly bears, decreased by 40% in seven years.Some fish, like the Mekong giant catfish, have been studied for over a longer period and show a decline in weight of 55% in the past 25 years, dropping from an average of 180kg (397lb) to 80kg. Continue reading...

Singapore firm using secretive international legal system to seek compensation for climate concerns blocking plansThe UK government is being sued in a secretive corporate court" after a proposal for a new coalmine in Cumbria was quashed by the high court. If successful, UK taxpayers would have to fund a substantial compensation payment to the mine's investors.It is the first such case to be filed against the UK government by a fossil fuel company as a result of climate policy. The case uses investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) rules agreed in a 1975 trade agreement between the UK and Singapore, where the major investor in the coalmine is incorporated. Continue reading...

Portuguese firefighters have been battling wildfires across southern Europe, as scientists warn of a 'molotov cocktail' of climatic conditions across the Mediterranean.Southern Europe swelters under deadly heatwave as temperatures pass 40C

Heavy rainfall cut power and closed roads across Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and WisconsinHeavy rainfall in half a dozen midwest US states forced motorists to abandon their vehicles, cut power to thousands of households and closed busy roadways over the weekend.The National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings for parts of Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. After rainfall began on Saturday in some areas forecasters predicted repeated rounds of heavy rain", along with hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes into Monday. Continue reading...

Some Salisbury, Maryland, residents say the contaminated water from Perdue Farms's local plant has sickened themWastewater from an industrial soya bean farm and processor has poisoned a Maryland town's drinking water with Pfas, several lawsuits allege, raising questions about residents' health and forever chemical" pollution from industrial agricultural operations nationwide.Perdue Farms acknowledged that its 300-acre Salisbury, Maryland, operation is polluting local waters, but the chemicals' sources have not been confirmed. It appears the Pfas is in part also coming from some combination of sludge used as fertilizer and pesticides, attorneys for plaintiffs say. Continue reading...

Danish company makes $9bn cash call as it says business model has been derailed by US policiesEurope's largest wind power company has blamed Donald Trump for derailing its business model, after it announced a $9bn (6.7bn) fundraising and its market value plunged by almost a third.The share price for Denmark's Orsted tumbled to an all-time low after it told investors on Monday that the extraordinary situation" facing the industry meant it would need to tap shareholders to cover the costs of its plans. Continue reading...

White House denies suggestions resort in Vietnam presents conflict of interest amid row over compensation ratesVillagers whose farms in Vietnam will be bulldozed to make way for a $1.5bn golf resort backed by the Trump family have reportedly been offered rice provisions and cash compensation of as little as $12 for a square metre of land by state authorities.Thousands of villagers will be offered compensation based on land size and location, according to a report by Reuters. The agency spoke to elderly farmers who said they feared they would struggle to find a stable livelihood. Continue reading...

Judge in Hawaii rules that commercial fishing is illegal in Pacific Islands Heritage marine national monumentA federal judge in Hawaii has ruled that commercial fishing is illegal in the Pacific Islands Heritage marine national monument, a federally protected area in the central Pacific Ocean.The decision from Judge Micah WJ Smith overturns an April letter released by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) - also known as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) Fisheries - that allowed fishing in parts of the monument that Barack Obama had protected during his presidency. The letter came about a week after Donald Trump's presidential proclamation to reverse fishing regulations across the national monument, a world heritage site that includes archeological treasures, marine mammals, seabirds and coral reefs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Homes are heating up as summers get hotter but least well-off are shouldering greatest risk, study finds

Reducing urban heat islands, greening local areas and using heat pumps for air conditioning can also play a role

Voluntary climate commitments were supposed to be a step towards progress. A change in political climate has revealed their weaknessesEarlier this month, as Nordic countries were hit with an unprecedented heatwave and wildfires in the US began spurting fire clouds", Barclays pulled out of the net zero banking alliance. The story may have seemed less alarming than extreme weather, but it has existential implications, as the finance sector quietly surrenders its former climate commitments.The initiative forms part of the Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), a voluntary network of banks that Mark Carney, formerly the UN's special envoy on climate action and now Canada's prime minister, launched in 2021. At the time, the alliance, which encourages banks and asset managers to work towards the goals of the Paris agreement, seemed like an optimistic step in the right direction. Mr Carney described it as a breakthrough". Continue reading...

French officials says heatwave in southern Europe complicates efforts to contain biggest wildfire since 1949Tourist trails have been closed on Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy as firefighters tackle a huge blaze on the volcano's slopes, while officials warned of another challenging day" for those working to contain France's biggest wildfire since 1949.The wildfire on Mount Vesuvius, close to Naples, broke out a few days ago and by Saturday afternoon had stretched to about 3km (1.9 miles) wide, destroying hundreds of hectares of woodland and killing wild animals. Thick smoke could be seen from Pompeii and Naples. Continue reading...