Environment | The Guardian

The sky's the limit

Perennial runner up finally claims the crown in the biennial Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll, ahead of Baudin's black cockatoo and gang-gang cockatoo

Greenhouse gases from wildfires at sixth highest level on record after blazes in large areas of the Americas and AfricaCarbon emissions from extreme wildfires increased by 9% last year to reach the sixth highest level on record.Intense fast-spreading fires devastated huge swathes of South America's rainforests, dry forests and wetlands and decimated Canada's northern forests, pushing up the levels of damaging greenhouse gases. Continue reading...

Plaintiffs had overwhelming evidence' of climate crisis but a court injunction would be unworkable', ruling saysA federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by young climate activists that aimed to halt Donald Trump's pro-fossil fuel executive orders.The dismissal by US district judge Dana Christensen on Wednesday came after 22 plaintiffs, ages seven to 25 and from five states, sought to block three of the president's executive orders, including those declaring a national energy emergency" and seeking to unleash American energy" - as well as one aimed at reinvigorating" the US's production of coal. Continue reading...

Researchers say carbon emissions change in Queensland tropical rainforests may have global climate implications

Will the tawny frogmouth finally take the top perch? Could conservationist backing propel Baudin's black cockatoo to the skies? Or will the gang-gang gang prove triumphant when the winner is unveiled on Thursday afternoon?

CO in air hit new high last year, with scientists concerned natural land and ocean carbon sinks are weakeningLevels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere soared by a record amount in 2024 to hit another high, UN data shows, deepening the climate crisis that is already taking lives and livelihoods across the world.Scientists are worried that the natural land and ocean sinks" that remove CO from the air are weakening as a result of global heating, which could form a vicious circle and drive temperatures up even faster. Continue reading...

Chancellor accused of removing environmental protections to win short-term growth and save her budget

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual competition hosted by the Natural History Museum in London, which awards top honours in various categories for outstanding photography Continue reading...

The Advertising Standards Authority agrees with River Action that the food safety body's 2023 advert misled the publicThe UK's advertising watchdog has upheld a complaint that Britain's biggest farm assurance scheme misled the public in a TV ad about its environmental standards.The Red Tractor scheme, used by leading supermarkets including Tesco, Asda and Morrisons to assure customers their food meets high standards for welfare, environment, traceability and safety, is the biggest and perhaps best known assurance system in Britain. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Flooding is predicted to become so bad that some towns may need to be abandoned, and it's not even campaigners raising the alarm - but insurersGood morning. For years, whenever I read about parts of Britain being wrecked by flooding, it always felt like something distant - because until your house is flooded, it's hard to imagine it happening, isn't it? Not any more.According to a Guardian investigation, millions more homes across England, Scotland and Wales are at risk of devastating floods. In England alone, the number of properties exposed to flooding is expected to rise by more than a quarter, from 6.3m to 8m. The story gets worse for those in high-risk areas for flash flooding - which is harder to predict and protect against - where the frequency could surge by up to 66% by 2050. The picture is so bleak that, startlingly, some towns may one day have to be abandoned altogether.Israel-Gaza war | The fragile ceasefire in Gaza faced its first test on Tuesday when Israel said the flow of aid into the devastated Palestinian territory would be cut by half and the crucial Rafah border crossing with Egypt would not open as planned, blaming Hamas for delays in the return of bodies of hostages.UK child abuse inquiry | Keir Starmer's national grooming gangs inquiry has stalled amid wrangles over its remit and difficulties in finding a senior legal figure willing to become its chair, the Guardian has been told.Economics | The global economy has shown unexpected resilience" to Donald Trump's tariffs, but the full impact is yet to be felt, the IMF has warned. The forecast for economic growth in the UK has also been modestly increased, from 1.2% to 1.3% this year - though slightly downgraded next year, also to 1.3%.Madagascar | Andry Rajoelina, the president of Madagascar, has said he fled the country in fear for his life after a military rebellion but did not announce his resignation in a speech broadcast on social media. They were Rajoelina's first public comments since the a military unit called Capsat turned against his government in an apparent coup.Music | D'Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer who helped pioneer the sound of neo-soul, has died after a struggle with pancreatic cancer. He was 51. Continue reading...

Allegations related to flood control projects have sparked widespread anger and protests in the PhilippinesPhilippine health worker Christina Padora waded through July's waist-high flood water to check on vaccines and vital medications stored in the village clinic, something she had regularly done during previous typhoons.But this time she didn't make it. Taking hold of a metal pole that she failed to see was connected to a live wire, the 49-year-old was fatally electrocuted in the water. Continue reading...

Climate advisers warn that current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequateBritain must prepare for global heating far in excess of the level scientists have pegged as the limit of safety, the government's climate advisers have warned, as current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate.Heatwaves will occur in at least four of every five years in England by 2050, and time spent in drought will double. The number of days of peak wildfire conditions in July will nearly treble for the UK, while floods will increase in frequency throughout the year, with some peak river flows increasing by 40%. Continue reading...

Governor says bill would cause sudden product shift, sparking debate among chefs, lawmakers and environmentalistsGavin Newsom vetoed a California bill that was set to ban the sale of cookware and other consumer goods manufactured with Pfas, also known as forever chemicals", human-made compounds linked to a range of health issues.The governor's decision on Monday followed months of debate and advocacy, including from high-profile celebrity chefs such as Thomas Keller and Rachael Ray, who argued that nonstick cookware made with Pfas, when manufactured responsibly, can be safe and effective and urged lawmakers to vote against the proposal. Continue reading...

The bleak future faced by one small town offers a cautionary tale about the threat from global heatingThe bleak prospect facing the market town of TenburyWells in Worcestershire, due to rising flood risks, is first and foremost a problem for locals. After seven floods in four years, and with plans for new flooddefences around the town abandoned after costs rose to 30m, the town council announced this month that three buildings it owns, including a theatre and historic pump rooms, no longer have insurance. Independent retailers are in a similar situation, and some are packingup as a result. The number ofemptypropertiesis growing.Tenbury is at higher risk than most places from floods, due to its low-lying position between the RiverTeme and Kyre Brook. But the threat it faces is not unique, and will become more common in future. Last year UK insurers paid out a record 585m for weather-related damage to homes and possessions, after unusually severe storms led to floods in several counties, with buildings left under water in towns including Henley, Wellingborough and Tewkesbury.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Tillbridge solar farm will be built in county where Reform UK's anti-renewables agenda has rising supportEd Miliband has approved the UK's biggest solar farm, which will be built in a county where Reform UK's anti-renewables agenda has won rising support.The energy secretary on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for the Tillbridge solar farm to be developed near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. Once built, it will generate enough electricity to power 300,000 UK homes. Continue reading...

One expert says a cyclist hit by a car travelling 50km/h has about a one-in-10 chance of surviving, while at 30km/h it is a nine-in-10 chance

For decades, the military treated the climate crisis as a threat. Now it's backing away from plans to protect people and bases from extreme weatherThis story is from Floodlight, a non-profit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action.Retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Vida Rivera knows heat can be as dangerous as any enemy. Continue reading...

Financial institutions pouring money into land clearance and undermining efforts to stop destruction, says Climate FocusGlobal forest health has plunged to dismal" levels and threatens the wellbeing of humanity, warns a damning report that highlights how financial systems are pouring money into land clearance and undermining efforts to reduce destruction.Since 2021 when world leaders and corporate executives promised to halt deforestation, the new study found that forest loss has increased, driven by subsidies for livestock, monocrops, logging and other extractive industries. Continue reading...

Changes intended to reduce burdensome bureaucracy' and make it easier to build windfarms, reservoirs and housingMinisters are making it easier to build windfarms, reservoirs and large housing developments as part of a series of changes to the government's planning and infrastructure bill designed to bolster the confidence of developers.The changes, which were first revealed by the Guardian, will be confirmed on Tuesday by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, as part of a pre-budget push to underline the government's commitment to economic growth. Continue reading...

Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable, Guardian investigation finds

As the final hours of Guardian Australia's 2025 bird of the year draw near, Penny Sharpe, the New South Wales environment minister, makes a last-minute appeal for votes for the endangered bush stone-curlew. In a boisterous session of state parliament, Sharpe encourages people to 'vote early and vote often' in what she calls 'the only ballot that counts this year'. A colleague can be heard yelling their support for the powerful owl, but Sharpe points out 'the powerful owl is out. It's been eliminated.'Sharpe also encouragespeople to take part in this year's Aussie Bird Count, adding the state's bird are a 'genuinely good thing that makes everyone's life a bit better when you get to hear bird song'

Homeowners who took advantage of government programmes left with cladding likely to cause dampAlmost all the external insulation fitted under the previous government's energy efficiency scheme was installed so poorly it will have to be repaired or replaced, an investigation has found.Thousands of homeowners who took advantage of the home insulation schemes have been left with incompetently fitted cladding that in some cases is likely to cause damp and mould. Continue reading...

Guardian Australia's Matilda Boseley, dressed as an Australian pelican, joins ABC News Breakfast to talk bird of the year with Nate Byrne. Boseley highlights the importance of the poll in promoting conservation. 'The point is to appreciate Australian native wildlife,' she says. 'It's fun, it's silly, we're all dressing up, but ultimately it's for a good cause'

The rapid spread of the invasive species offers clues to how we might prevent future extinctions of native animalsTo a newly arrived red fox, the abundant rolling grasslands and swamps of Wadawurrung Country, around what is now called Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, must have seemed like a predator's paradise.This landscape was filled with small native marsupials and birds, and free of European wolves or bears that usually kept fox numbers in check. Continue reading...

Mercedes, Ford, Renault, Nissan and Peugeot/Citroen face group action in which damages could exceed 6bnCar manufacturers decided they would rather cheat to prioritise customer convenience" and sell cars than comply with the law on deadly pollutants, the first day of the largest group action trial in English legal history has been told.More than a decade after the original dieselgate" scandal broke, lawyers representing 1.6 million diesel car owners in the UK argue that manufacturers deliberately installed software to rig emissions tests. Continue reading...

Environmental group accuses king's property management company of milking for profit' its monopoly ownership of seabedGreenpeace is threatening to sue King Charles's property management company, accusing it of exploiting its monopoly ownership of the seabed.The environmental lobby group alleges the crown estate has driven up costs for wind power developers and boosted its own profits, as well as the royal household's income, due to the aggressive" way it auctions seabed rights. Continue reading...

Research comparing Adirondack mountain lakes in New York suggests foot traffic is significant source of pollutionHiking shoes and outdoor gear are likely a significant source of microplastic pollution in the wilderness, new research that checked for the pernicious material in several Adirondack mountain lakes in upstate New York suggests.Researchers measured microplastic levels in two lakes that are the among highest sources of water for the Hudson River - one that sees heavy foot traffic from hikers, and another lake that is far away from a path and rarely touched by human activity. Continue reading...

Lord Stern says fossil-fuelled growth is futile as the damage it causes ends in economic self-destructionInvestment in climate action is the economic growth story of the 21st century, while growth fuelled by fossil fuels is futile because the damage it causes ends in self-destruction, the economist Nicholas Stern has said.The plummeting costs of clean technologies, from renewable energy to electric cars, plus the healthier and more productive societies they enable, meant investments could simultaneously tackle the climate crisis and faltering economic growth, and bring millions of people out of poverty, he said. Continue reading...

Scientists have examined the $16.5bn project's climate impact and found it could expose more than half a million people to unprecedented heat

Birdwatching: everyone's doing it (we think)! But how exactly do you start? Is it really the cure-all to gen Z and millennial woes? BirdLife's Sean Dooley and comedian Geraldine Hickey show Guardian Australia's Matilda Boseley the ins and outs of birdwatching - just in time for the 2025 bird of the year

Farmers praised the move, but scientists and opposition parties criticised it as weak' and unambitious'Environmental campaigners have accused New Zealand's government of full-blown climate denial" after it slashed targets for reducing emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.New Zealand's right-leaning coalition government outlined plans on Sunday to reduce methane emissions by between 14 and 24% by 2050, compared to 2017 levels. Continue reading...

Europe and Brazil have a rare opportunity, unimpeded by the US, to make a success of Cop30 - and reshape the world orderThe climate crisis, Donald Trump told the UN last month, is the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world". With these words the US president rejected the international scientific consensus and evidence that we can all check daily with a basic thermometer. He has also announced he is withdrawing the US from the Paris climate agreement, signed in 2015 by 195 UN countries. The US joins an axis of deniers including Yemen, Iran and Libya, countries that signed the agreement but never ratified it.Paradoxically, Trump's reversal provides an opportunity for others to advance the climate agenda: to sketch out the blueprint of a possible new world order without the US, even if Washington was the architect of the old one.Francesco Grillo is a visiting fellow at the European University Institute, Florence, and director of the thinktank Vision Continue reading...

The volcanic island of Surtsey emerged in the 1960s, and scientists say studying its development offers hope for damaged ecosystems worldwideThe crew of the Isleifur II had just finished casting their nets off the coast of southern Iceland when they realised something was wrong. In the early morning gloom in November 1963, a dark mass filled the sky over the Atlantic Ocean. They rushed to the radio, thinking that another fishing vessel was burning at sea, but no boats in the area were in distress.Then, their trawler began to drift unexpectedly, unnerving the crew further. The cook scrambled to wake the captain, thinking they were being pulled into a whirlpool. Finally, through binoculars, they spotted columns of ash bursting from the water and realised what was going on: a volcano was erupting in the ocean below. Continue reading...

People urged to savour sights, sounds and smells of the season as poll shows a disconnect during darker monthsThere may be a bite in the wind and the nights are certainly drawing in but a conservation charity and a television wildlife champion have launched a campaign aimed at getting more people connecting with nature in the autumn and winter months.The National Trust is launching a Wild Senses" campaign on the back of the new BBC series Hamza's Hidden Wild Isles in which the wildlife expert and camera operator Hamza Yassin celebrates the UK's seasons and encourages viewers to notice, appreciate and reconnect to wildlife everywhere. Continue reading...

A 2% blend of low-carbon gas injected into gas grid to fuel Brigg power station in North Lincolnshire is a UK firstEnergy companies have injected green hydrogen into Britain's gas grid and used the low-carbon gas to generate electricity, in a landmark development for the UK's climate ambitions.For the first time in the UK, a 2% blend of green hydrogen was injected into the gas grid and blended with traditional gas to fuel the Brigg power station in North Lincolnshire which generated electricity for the power system. Continue reading...

Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C as fast as possible', warm water coral reefs will not remain at any meaningful scale', a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns

Rachel Reeves's drive to speed up development is beginning to treat wildlife and the environment as expendable. Voters want homes built, but not at any costIt began with gastropods. Last Tuesday, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, told a conference of tech executives that she'd intervened to help a developer build about 20,000 homes in north Sussex that had been held up, she said, by some snails ... a protected species or something". She added that they are microscopic ... you cannot even see" them.No one could miss the direction the chancellor was headed in. The snail in question, the lesser whirlpool ramshorn, is one of Britain's rarest freshwater creatures, found in only a handful of locations and highly sensitive to sewage pollution. But Ms Reeves portrayed it as a bureaucratic nuisance. She then bragged that she'd fixed it - after a friendly developer gave her a call. It's a bad look for a Labour politician, let alone the chancellor, to boast that green rules can be bent for chums. Continue reading...

Grattan Institute report argues fall in costs will provide federal government room for more action on climate

Exclusive: National Highways Agency stripped of oversight with project handed to DfT amid Labour government drive for growthMinisters have stripped the government's road-building agency of responsibility for a 10bn tunnel under the River Thames amid a drive by Keir Starmer's cabinet to take tight control over important infrastructure projects for fear of cost overruns and delays.Oversight of the Lower Thames Crossing - the UK's largest planned infrastructure project - has been taken away from National Highways and handed to the Department for Transport (DfT). Continue reading...

In this year's Australian bird of the year poll, Guardian Australia's very own Matilda Boseley has made no secret about her favourite. Dressed as an Australian pelican, Matilda navigates the pigeons of Melbourne to find people to tell her what their favourite native birds are - and give us their best birdcall attempts

Number of endangered butterfly species also surging amid habitat destruction and global heating, finds studyThe number of wild bee species in Europe at risk of extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, while the number of endangered butterfly species has almost doubled.The jeopardy facing crucial pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species, which found that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in Europe. Continue reading...

The tally of Australian mammals extinct since 1788 is now 39 species - far more than for any other countryIt's official: the only Australian shrew is no more.The latest edition of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List, the world's most comprehensive global inventory on extinction risk, has declared the Christmas Island shrew is extinct.This little animal is extremely common all over the island, and at night its shrill shriek, like the cry of a bat, can be heard on all sides. Continue reading...

Esmeralda 7 in Nevada would have produced enough energy to power 2m homesThe Trump administration has killed a huge proposed solar power project in Nevada that would have been one of the largest in the world, indicating that the White House plans to attack not only wind power but all renewable energy.On Thursday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) changed the status of the Esmeralda 7 project to say its environmental review has been cancelled", the climate publication Heatmap first reported. Continue reading...

Video shows some of the juveniles exploring outside their den at Mallee Cliffs national park in south-western NSW

Exclusive: Old Faithful' was captured after Queensland authorities deemed him a problem crocodile', but Rinyirru Aboriginal Corporation says the government is mistaken

Trial of Nick Gratwick, 68, who schemed to rape children as young as six, exposes previous role among green protestersA man who schemed to rape children as young as six was revealed at his trial to have been a police informer who spied on environmental activists.Nick Gratwick, 68, was found guilty on Friday of 38 abhorrent" paedophile offences, including plans over the last two years to pay to rape or sexually assault children in the UK and abroad. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Trial that has produced 13 hatchlings could help other threatened species avoid extinctionThe slow-motion pitter-patter of tiny giant tortoise feet has been worryingly rare in recent years, but that looks set to change thanks to the first successful hatching of the species with artificial incubation.One week after the intervention, the 13 babies are building up their strength on a diet of banana slices and leafy greens in Seychelles, which is home to one of the last remaining populations of the tortoise. Continue reading...

Tariffs have caused a Chinese exit from the soybean market - and midwestern farmers are waiting on a solutionAt the Purfeerst farm in southern Minnesota, the soybean harvest just wrapped up for the season. The silver grain bins are full of about 100,000 bushels of soybeans, which grab about $10 a piece.This year, though, the fate of the soybeans, and the people whose livelihoods depend on selling them, is up in the air: America's soybean farmers are stuck in the middle of a trade war between the US and China, the biggest purchaser of soybean exports, used to feed China's pigs. Continue reading...

Biodiversity losses are growing, the IUCN reports as summit opens, but green turtle's recovery reminds us conservation works'More than half of all bird species are in decline, according to a new global assessment, with deforestation driving sharp falls in populations across the planet.On the eve of a key biodiversity summit in the UAE, scientists have issued a fresh warning about the health of bird populations, with 61% of assessed species now recording declines in their numbers. Continue reading...