Thredbo, Perisher and Mount Hotham all recorded falls, along with Kunanyi/Mount Wellington in Tasmania

The city enters its purple patch with jacaranda trees blazing into flower in the warmer weather. Every October and November the fast-growing trees are festooned with trumpet-shaped blossoms that soon carpet the ground below them, drawing sightseers, photographers - and people taking photos of people taking photos

Ahead of Cop31, climate change minister dismisses concerns about whether Australia as a major producer can keep the world moving away from fossil fuels

Dinch, an allegedly safe' alternative, used in the EU and US also found to cause fetal development complicationsExposure to a new generation of allegedly safe" plasticizers is linked to lower birth weight and fetal development complications, which could cause serious health problems later in life, a new peer-reviewed study found.As the health risks in exposure to common phthalate plasticizers became clear over the last few decades, industry began switching to a new type of chemical, called Dinch, that it claimed was a high safety", nontoxic alternative. It is widely used in soft plastic food packaging in the United States and European Union, and is found in children's toys, medical devices, some textiles, flooring and other consumer goods. Continue reading...

The seasonal transformation offers the chance to enjoy warm, golden colours before winter Continue reading...

Officials expected to investigate whether super El Nino storms in US south-west damaged the Alien Throne spiresUndulating, gravity-defying rock spires are one of the most magical parts of the landscape of the US south-west.But after torrential rainstorms linked to the super El Nino season, at least one famous rock formation in north-west New Mexico has been found in pieces. Continue reading...

Juneau has little arable land, a short growing season and few farmers - and deep traditions of residents and the land feeding each otherForty miles north-west of Alaska's capital, the highway just ends.At Glacier Highway's most northern point, the pavement turns to gravel, the gravel widens into a turnaround and the tire tracks curve back the way they came. At the far end, the woods begin, a narrow hiking trail slipping toward the southern end of Berners Bay. Continue reading...

The air quality index in Delhi has already soared above 650, more than 30 times the limit the World Health Organization deems to be safe Continue reading...

Rescuers were unable to save the whales after they became beached on a remote and rocky part of the countryMore than 40 pilot whales died after a mass stranding event on New Zealand's remote east coast, conservation officials said on Friday, despite rescue efforts by volunteers and conservation workers.The Department of Conservation (DoC) said 43 whales had died in the mass stranding along the Ngawi coast on the south-eastern tip of the North Island. Continue reading...

Three suitcases' worth of the spiders were on their way to Germany, where they could fetch an estimated 1.5mMore than 3,000 tarantulas were seized at an airport in Lima on their way to Germany, Peruvian authorities said.The spiders were hidden inside dirty socks contained in three suitcases carried by two Germans and a Polish citizen, the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) told Agence France-Presse on Thursday. Continue reading...

From energy prices to datacenters, climate became a cost-of-living issue - and a winning one

The BLVD is home to 250 enterprises, from banks, tattoo shops and restaurants to museums and a performing arts centrePassing through the Mojave desert on State Route 14, going by landscapes Hollywood uses to represent alien planets, a driver might not expect to find a walkable, tree-lined boulevard.

Natural Resources Defense Council shows how federal rules changes will spike up public's exposure to carcinogensAmid a surge in early onset cancer, the Trump administration has taken more than 500 actions to systematically dismantle protections against carcinogens once in place across the federal government, an October report alleges.The Natural Resources Defense Council report, and comments from current and former officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, bring into focus how myriad changes in federal rules or protocol will dramatically increase the public's exposure to carcinogens. These are taking effect at a time when some forms of early onset cancer are spiking by about 30% per decade. Continue reading...

With parts of region served by company in severe drought still, regulators give it six weeks to come up with action planRepeated failures by South West Water to tackle leaks are putting customers at higher risks of losing water supplies as parts of the region remain in severe drought, regulators have said.In a warning to the privatised company that serves 1.8 million people across the south-west of England, the regulators said it had been failing to meet targets to reduce leaks and repair burst pipes for seven years. Continue reading...

A stricken container ship shed tonnes of tiny pellets called nurdles on the west coast. Five years on, locals are counting the cost to marine life and livelihoodsOn the beach in Pamunugama, on Sri Lanka's west coast, women in uniform work under the scorching sun. They sift through rubbish washed ashore, searching among the usual litter for something much smaller: tiny plastic pellets.Five years ago, in May 2021, this same beach was swamped with pellets as smoke rose over the Indian Ocean. Continue reading...

Four-year study warns destabilised marine food webs could jeopardise food security by 2050Warming seas around the UK and the wider north-east Atlantic could destabilise marine food webs, weaken ocean health and jeopardise food security by 2050, according to a four-year study.Scientists who projected the impact of climate breakdown on four key groups of marine life crucial to maintaining ocean ecosystems in the region said their results challenged assumptions that in middle latitudes, such as the UK, marine biodiversity was likely to increase across the board. Continue reading...

Events that deliver about half of global rainfall are getting shorter but more intense, with wide-ranging implicationsThe world's wettest rainstorms produce about half of the global annual rainfall. Now a study shows that these intense downpours have become shorter in duration and fewer in number, compressing the same amount of rain into quicker and more extreme events, with implications for flood and drought risk.Chiyuan Miao and colleagues from Beijing Normal University in China analysed daily measurements between 1980 and 2022 from more than 19,000 rain gauges around the world. They found that an average of about half of the world's rainfall fell during about nine multi-day storms, delivered over a cumulative time of about 28 days. Continue reading...

When the water in Flint, Michigan, became contaminated with dangerous levels of lead, Dr Siddhartha Roy, then a third year PhD student, was part of the team of scientists who publicly contradicted state and federal claims that it was safe. He became a local hero until a new piece of research challenged the idea that children in Flint had been left permanently brain damaged by the crisis. His adherence to the evidence, no matter who it offended, has earned him the 2026 Maddox prize, which recognises individuals who stand up for science and evidence, despite challenges or hostility. He tells Ian Sample how he reflects on his experience in Flint, and why he lost friends as a result of his work there Continue reading...

Mink farms are the perfect petri dishes for deadly flu strains to emerge. Yet officials appear to be protecting business interests over human livesCould this be ground zero? Could it be the spot where the next pandemic begins? It's certainly a candidate, not least because the chain of events that could trigger a plague far worse than Covid-19 looks like the opening sequence of a disaster movie. A really bad disaster movie, in which the levels of carelessness and turpitude defy belief.A report by the investigative news service ProPublica reveals that bird flu has been raging in a mink farm in Utah since August, and it appears next to nothing has been done by public officials. In 2023, I warned in the Guardian that mink farms could scarcely be better designed to generate lethal plagues. This is for three reasons: mink are fed on the offcuts of chickens, cows and other farm animals, in which new viral variants often develop; mink readily host both avian and human flu viruses, which can then exchange genetic material, turning a bird disease into a human one; and mink possess extremely high zoonotic potential" - the ability to infect animals of other species, including human beings.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Google's AI summary is punching a huge hole in their own profits - is this good?

A Guardian investigation has found that despite a recommendation to slow down, leading shipping companies continue to travel above advised speeds in a key habitat for cetaceansMarine biologist Alice Barbarioli waits with her camera trained on the horizon. A few minutes earlier, the hydrophone beneath the Pelagos research vessel detected codas - the sequence of clicks sperm whales use to communicate.The sperm whale reveals its head and dorsal fin as those onboard the vessel in the Pelagos sanctuary, a conservation area established to protect marine mammals in the north-western Mediterranean, rush to take photos and note the rhythm of its breathing. After a few minutes, the animal arches its back, and begins to head back into the depths of the sea. They wait to catch a glimpse of its tail. Continue reading...

UN-backed report finds even temporary rises above Paris agreement target could cause harm to glaciers and polar ice sheetsEarth's icy regions face such dangerous melting that global heating should be brought back below 1C after an inevitable period of overshooting global temperature targets, a UN report has found.Permanent and widespread losses of snow and ice expose a persistent myth" that overshooting the 1.5C target of the Paris climate agreement - to 2C or 3C - could be manageable or even preferable to urgent cuts to emissions, the report found. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Move to scrap legal requirement to set aside water for environment is extreme even for the NT CLP government', green group says

Officials in Boulder County, Colorado, say they have a safe plan to wipe out invasive weeds, but some locals are concernedSoon, weed-killing chemicals will start falling from the sky over the Red Hill area of Boulder county, Colorado.The wildland is known for its biodiversity, home to hundreds of important species and a concentration of rare environmental resources. It is a key habitat for beloved herds of elk and bighorn sheep, with farms and ranchland lying at its base. Continue reading...

Environmental Defense Fund analysis shows administration handed out $950m and Clean Air Act exemptionsIt's a good time to be a coal plant in the US. The Trump administration has given support to almost half of the nation's coal plants, helping them to continue operating despite economic and regulatory headwinds, according to a new analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund.The analysis, which looked at the 184 operating coal plants that are connected to the grid, found that 90 received support from the Trump administration through cash handouts, free passes to pollute, and requirements to stay online past their retirement dates". Continue reading...

Cop17, focused on protecting nature and restoring ecosystems, concludes on Saturday with critics saying system allows one idiot' to stall progressCalls are growing for major reforms to UN biodiversity summits as countries fail to deliver on their promises to halt the destruction of the natural world, with governments likely on track to continue their record of never having met a target in the 34-year history of the convention.Two weeks of negotiations at biodiversity Cop17 in Yerevan, Armenia, concluded on Saturday morning with countries vowing to redouble their efforts to meet this decade's targets, which include commitments to protect 30% of the planet for nature, restore nearly a third of Earth's degraded ecosystems and reform $500bn (410bn) of environmentally damaging subsidies. Continue reading...

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylviania, a post-industrial site gets a second life Continue reading...

UK chancellor's plans add to concerns government is moving away from pro-renewables agendaJohn Healey has said he will veto new offshore wind projects if they will not lower bills, adding to concerns that the government is moving away from the pro-renewables agenda.Announcing his plans, the chancellor said clean power is how we break the grip of international gas prices on our bills", but added the shift towards it has to come at the right pace, in the right places, with the grid to carry it". Continue reading...

Dolly Parton, tulips and outback life all feature in the best images captured across the country in October

Oxford study shows Manx shearwaters lose direction when their body clocks get out of syncSeabirds returning from foraging trips can be thrown hundreds of miles off course by a form of jet lag that arises when their body clocks get out of sync with local time, researchers say.Tracking data from Manx shearwaters on the west coast of the UK revealed that when the birds returned home to their colonies after trips over the Atlantic, their rapid eastward flights disrupted their sense of time and navigation. Continue reading...

Angela Eagle tells industry people are sick of excuses' as pollution levels remain high despite billions in investmentAngela Eagle, the environment secretary, has summoned water industry bosses to Whitehall after a report found that the environmental performance of the big companies has worsened despite investment.People are sick of excuses," Dame Angela said, after the Environment Agency joined the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales and Ofwat for a joint report that rated eight of the nine water companies in England as poor" or requiring improvement". Continue reading...

Authorities allege company may have breached Finnish environmental laws by forgoing required impact assessment

Exclusive: Backbenchers voice alarm over intolerable position' faced by Miatta Fahnbulleh over oilfield decisionFurious Labour MPs have been lobbying the prime minister and chancellor not to overrule the energy secretary should she decide to block the Rosebank oilfield.MPs say they are alarmed at the cabinet splits that have emerged over the issue after sources told the Guardian that Miatta Fahnbulleh was minded to refuse environmental permission for the field. Continue reading...

Seawater surges into low-lying communities from San Diego to San Francisco Bay Area, submerging streets, homes and businessesHistoric high tides have caused chaos up and down the California coast this week, as parts of the state were inundated by record-breaking water levels. Seawater surged into low-lying communities from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area, submerging streets, flooding homes and businesses, and jamming important transportation corridors and train routes.Kayakers and paddleboarders could be seen gliding through typically busy thoroughfares in Marin county, north of San Francisco, on Monday and Tuesday. Several drivers had to be rescued from floating cars in the area, while cyclists who had attempted to cross the temporary lagoon that had formed quickly found themselves waist-deep. Further south, in cities such as Newport Beach, water pounded the emergency infrastructure set up to keep out the swelling sea, which seeped through berms, seawalls and sandbag blockades along the shoreline. Continue reading...

Critics warn of climate danger as president in Texas claims change will save companies and consumers billionsDonald Trump said his administration was terminating" Biden-era regulations holding oil and gas companies accountable for large leaks of planet-warming methane during a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday evening.Tonight, I'm officially terminating Biden's expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers," Trump said, lifting what he called crippling regulations on methane that caused prices to skyrocket" for small oil and gas operators. The change would save consumers and energy producers $45bn and unlock 210m barrels of oil, he said, which is equivalent to about 10 days of US petroleum consumption. Continue reading...

The Canadian prime minister's reckoning with Trumpism in Davos clashes with his attacks on environmental, Indigenous and labour rightsThe Canadian prime minister is a hero around the world for his Davos speech that reckoned with a reconfiguration of power in the shadow of Donald Trump.But at home, Mark Carney is mirroring the US president by radically centralizing power within his office and cabinet and taking a hatchet to dozens of laws protecting environmental, Indigenous and labour rights, all in order to enact his economic agenda.Shiri Pasternak is an associate professor in criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University and a member of the Infrastructure Beyond Extractivism research team, a collaboration between critical scholars and Indigenous land defenders across North America Continue reading...

Both of these threats have the same roots: private entities seeking to cash in. We have the power to stand against themA summer of extreme heat, entire villages obliterated in Nepal, a super El Nino breaking records, Exxon publicly saying we may reach 3C by 2050 - could it possibly be any worse?How about throwing AI extinction in the mix? Continue reading...

The radical Stern report showed that a low-carbon future is also good economics. But it seems that capitalism needs a reminderSaving the only planet we have makes good economic sense. There is, after all, no money to be made on a dead Earth. There may be costs involved now, but they are worth paying to protect our children from certain destruction.These propositions seem self-evident now. But two decades ago, mainstream economists had very different ideas. They had proved that the climate crisis would be a mere economic blip, easily absorbed by growing economies and therefore not worth spending money on. In their accounting, they considered ice caps and glaciers functionally worthless, that trees only add to GDP when they are cut down, and that a livable climate shouldn't even merit a line on a spreadsheet.Fiona Harvey is an environment editor at the Guardian Continue reading...

A striking transformation takes place along the coast of Qinqdao in autumn, when a native seepweed turns a brilliant shade of red.The red beach' phenemon can be seen in the salt marshes and wetlands on the coast of China's Shandong province, where the Suaeda glauca plant matures and absorbs water, changing it from green to crimson between September and November Continue reading...

Legislation requiring mugs to be offered when people drink at cafes to be scrapped, with environment minister stating we need to clear this up'

The public accounts committee has said the risk to billpayers is extraordinary'The government's plan to fund a multibillion-pound nuclear plant at the Sizewell site in Suffolk represents a terrible deal" for the UK taxpayer over the rest of the century, according to the government's spending watchdog.MPs on the public accounts committee (PAC) have warned the government that the cost of the Sizewell C nuclear reactor could spiral to almost 48bn, leaving bill payers on the hook to provide an extra 9.8bn to construct the plant before 2040 and a further 12bn over its 60-year operating life. Continue reading...

Coastal communities across California were preparing for days of flooding amid potentially 'record-breaking tides' this week, as water levels began rising on Monday.

President has taken an axe to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stalling climate research on and response to extreme weather eventsSweeping cuts to the premier US climate agency under Donald Trump have severely hampered the country's capacity to forecast, research and respond to extreme weather events, former government officials and scientists have warned, as the US faces a cascade of hazards fueled by a potentially historic El Nino this winter.From the start of his second term, the president has taken aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), slashing staff levels, canceling contracts and grants, and shutting down databases and research laboratories. The agency that has long been considered a global crown jewel in climate science and forecasting has lost roughly 20% of its staff since January 2025. Continue reading...

Emissions from exported oil would not count against carbon budget, insiders say - reasoning likely to draw dismay from climate campaignersThe giant Rosebank oilfield can be approved without breaching the UK's emission targets, according to government insiders, in a boost to those in the cabinet who are pushing for it to be given the go-ahead.The Guardian revealed last week that Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, was leaning towards rejecting the project, but her position has put her at loggerheads with cabinet colleagues, including the chancellor, John Healey, who are lobbying for an approval. Continue reading...

Government-backed Warm Home Loans scheme to help households cut energy bills by hundreds of poundsHouseholds across the UK can now cut their energy bills by hundreds of pounds a year at no upfront cost by applying for interest-free or low-interest" loans to fund upgrades such as heat pumps, batteries and solar panels.The government-backed Warm Home Loans scheme, which launched on Tuesday, could mean thousands more households are able to access low-carbon energy alternative technologies, thanks to loans ranging from 7,500 to up 35,000. Continue reading...

Randomised trials of omega-6s do not show an increase in inflammation caused by the fatty acid

One dead and 527 injured as winds of up to 185mph hit Taiwan and southern Japan, while Greece issues flood alertsTyphoon Champi was declared the strongest storm of the year so far after recording sustained winds of 185mph last week. From late Thursday to early Saturday, the typhoon battered Taiwan and Japan's southern islands. Champi approached the east coast of Taiwan before the centre of the storm turned south along the Yilan County coastline, looping offshore and then tracking northwards away from the island. The storm brought gusts of up to 141mph and 48-hour rainfall totals of more than 620mm to parts of Yilan.So far, the death toll remains at one, with 527 reported injured. There were widespread power outages, with more than 288,000 houses having no electricity at one point, although most had since been reconnected. Champi has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it rapidly weakens to the south-west of Japan's mainland on Monday. Continue reading...

Chancellor is in favour of North Sea project, but energy secretary has said she is leaning towards rejecting itA cabinet split has emerged over whether to approve drilling at the Rosebank oilfield, with the chancellor, John Healey, in favour of the controversial North Sea project.The energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, is ultimately in charge of the decision, and the Guardian reported last week that she was leaning towards rejecting it after granting permission for the smaller Jackdaw gasfield. Continue reading...

More inclement weather forecast in rain-soaked Four Corners region after evacuations and rescues last weekAnother round of heavy showers and thunderstorms were expected to hit the south-west US on Sunday after the region endured days of rain that forced evacuations, water rescues and multimillion-dollar damage.The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of the Four Corners - the meeting point of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah - even as local officials forecast further receding of swollen rivers that surged since rains picked up on Wednesday. Continue reading...

The transformation of Europe's busiest shopping street should be a case study in making cities greener, less congested and more inviting places to liveSadiq Khan has been trying to pedestrianise Oxford Street since he first became the mayor of London in 2016. On Monday, after numerous setbacks, his plan will finally come to fruition. The busiest stretch of the nation's famous shopping street will be closed to traffic in a scheme designed to improve the area and make it more attractive to pedestrians. It should be an emblematic case study in making cities greener, less congested, more inviting places to live and visit.The Greater London Authority hopes it will rejuvenate a high street fallen on hard times. Since the pandemic, the number of vacant shops on Oxford Street has more than quadrupled. It estimates that the scheme will generate 82m of value a year in the area by increasing footfall and encouraging visitors to linger. This impact remains to be seen, but research from other cities suggests that shops experience higher sales once an area is pedestrianised. Given the prime minister's focus on rejuvenating British high streets, whose dilapidation is correlated with support for Reform UK, he should be watching with interest. Continue reading...