Environment | The Guardian

Growing of sprouts, cauliflower, cabbages and leeks made harder by poor weather and floodingSupermarkets are agreeing to accept smaller than usual cauliflowers, sprouts, cabbages and leeks as farmers struggle to cope with poor weather and flooding around the UK.The move to keep fresh British produce on the shelves comes after heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding, which started in late autumn and continued through Christmas and the new year, affecting growers mainly in Lincolnshire, East Anglia, Cornwall and Scotland. Continue reading...

New analysis confirms unprecedented' record reported by European Union and United Nations scientistsLast year was the hottest ever reliably recorded globally by a blistering margin, US scientists have confirmed, leaving researchers struggling to account for the severity of the heat and what it portends for the unfolding climate crisis.Last year was the world's hottest in records that stretch back to 1850, according to analyses released concurrently by Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) on Friday, with a record high in ocean temperatures and a new low in Antarctic sea ice extent. Continue reading...

Environmental campaigners say move will threaten marine life and put biodiversity at riskNorway is to allow mining waste to be dumped in its fjords after the government won a court case against environmental organisations trying to block the plan.After a 15-year dispute, the private company Nordic Mining has been given the go-ahead to dispose of 170m tonnes of mining waste at the bottom of the Forde fjord, which critics say will threaten marine life and put biodiversity at risk. Continue reading...

Long marketed to men, the reusable water bottles underwent a TikTok-fueled transformation. Can it last?On New Year's Eve, Meagan Howard waited outside a Target in Louisiana to buy this season's most coveted accessory: a shiny pink travel tumbler called the Starbucks x Stanley Quencher. When the doors opened, Howard took off like a race horse leaving the starting gate, running as fast as her Uggs could carry her. Then the 33-year-old felt herself slipping, ultimately face-planting on the cold tile floor.My mom saw me fall down, and she said it took a while for me to get back up," Howard, who is a first-grade teacher, said. But it's worth it, I think. I got the cup." Continue reading...

Dedicated to revealing the hidden wonders of the world, the fifth Cupoty award attracted thousands of entries from 67 countries. Hungarian photographer Csaba Daroczi swept the board, winning overall first prize for his shot of a Eurasian nuthatch, and also winning the intimate landscape and butterflies categories Continue reading...

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

Long-term UK study adds to body of research associating pollutants with declining brain healthUK researchers have been looking at how air pollution contributes to dementia and brain ill-health.Stroke is the second-leading cause of death globally, accounting for about 11% of deaths. About 50 million people live with dementia, and the figure is expected to rise to about 150 million by 2050. Continue reading...

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Patient in her 20s in a serious but stable condition after being airlifted to Toowoomba hospitalA Queensland woman has been bitten in her bed by the world's second most venomous snake, the state's ambulance service says.The eastern brown snake bit the woman, who is in her 20s, on her hand in the early hours of Friday on a rural property in the Western Downs, two and a half hours west of Brisbane.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Company faced public backlash over scheme, which campaigners say threatens to increase river pollutionThames Water is bypassing local democracy to attempt to push through a controversial water recycling project that campaigners say threatens to increase pollution in the river.Steve Barclay, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, has agreed to an application by the water company to consider its Teddington water recycling scheme under national infrastructure rules. The decision means local authorities will be bypassed, and the secretary of state will make the decision whether to grant a development consent order. Continue reading...

Skidmore, who resigned Tory whip last week, predicts former party will lose election partly because of its stance on net zero

Heat culture' of Spain helps communities prepare for hot weather events in the same way they plan for the arrival of cyclonesAustralia should follow the Spanish city of Seville and start naming its heatwaves as part of a suite of measures to help communities cope with the rising risks from extreme temperatures, according to a new report.Naming heatwaves could be part of enabling a heat culture" where communities prepare for extreme temperature events in the same way they plan for the arrival of named cyclones, the report said.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Genetic testing suggests ants were transplanted to Murwillumbah from Queensland - possibly in a delivery of turf

From the Amazon to Africa and south-east Asia, diversity among rainforest species follows the same rule, study showsJust 2% of rainforest tree species account for 50% of the trees found in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon and south-east Asia, a new study has found.Mirroring patterns found elsewhere in the natural world, researchers have discovered that a few tree species dominate the world's major rainforests, with thousands of rare species making up the rest.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features Continue reading...

Bonaire citizens file formal legal challenge, as research shows part of island will be submerged by 2025Eight people from the Caribbean island of Bonaire are suing the Netherlands, accusing it of violating their human rights by not doing enough to protect them from the climate crisis.The group, with Greenpeace Netherlands, filed a formal legal challenge against the Dutch government in The Hague on Thursday, asking the district court to order it to cut its greenhouse emissions much more quickly and to help its most vulnerable territories adapt to the impact of the climate crisis. Continue reading...

US Fish and Wildlife Service memos reveal officials found scores of dead animals along a mile-long stretch last of the wall last AugustMore than a 100 wild animals including frogs, shrews and snakes were killed in a wildfire in Texas last summer, after becoming trapped behind the concrete border wall.Internal US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) memos obtained by an environmental group reveal that government scientists found scores of burned animals against a mile-long stretch of the border wall last August, after a wildfire in the Lower Rio Grande Valley national wildlife refuge, a federally protected area. Continue reading...

Funding comes amid concerns transition to zero-carbon transportation isn't keeping pace with goals to tackle climate crisisJoe Biden's administration has unveiled $623m in funding to boost the number of electric vehicle charging points in the US, amid concerns that the transition to zero-carbon transportation isn't keeping pace with goals to tackle the climate crisis.The funding will be distributed in grants for dozens of programs across 22 states, such as EV chargers for apartment blocks in New Jersey, rapid chargers in Oregon and hydrogen fuel chargers for freight trucks in Texas. In all, it's expected the money, drawn from the bipartisan infrastructure law, will add 7,500 chargers to the US total. Continue reading...

Three additional mulch samples from park above Rozelle interchange tested positive for bonded asbestos, NSW government says

Despite the successful reintroduction of Przewalski's horse, hunting, overgrazing and the climate crisis have pushed many of the country's other species into crisisHunched against the early winter chill, Dashpurev Tserendeleg points out the horses on a nearby mountain slope, while a small throng of students and tourists peer through binoculars and take pictures on their phones.With their stocky bodies and thick necks, they resemble ponies more than horses. Known to Mongolians as takhi and to the rest of the world as Przewalski's horse, they are the only equine breed never to be domesticated - and the fruits of one of the most successful ever wildlife reintroduction schemes.Przewalski's mares running with their foals in Hustai national park Continue reading...

Record levels of heat were absorbed last year by Earth's seas, which have been warming year-on-year for the past decadeAstounding" ocean temperatures in 2023 supercharged freak" weather around the world as the climate crisis continued to intensify, new data has revealed.The oceans absorb 90% of the heat trapped by the carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, making it the clearest indicator of global heating. Record levels of heat were taken up by the oceans in 2023, scientists said, and the data showed that for the past decade the oceans have been hotter every year than the year before. Continue reading...

Government analysis finds climate change could see a quarter of Port Philip council area facing inundation from a 1.1-metre sea level rise and one-in-100-chance storm

IEA report says 50% growth last year keeps hope of achieving Cop28 climate target of tripling clean energy capacityGlobal renewable energy capacity grew by the fastest pace recorded in the last 20 years in 2023, which could put the world within reach of meeting a key climate target by the end of the decade, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).The world's renewable energy grew by 50% last year to 510 gigawatts (GW) in 2023, the 22nd year in a row that renewable capacity additions set a new record, according to figures from the IEA. Continue reading...

Ministers hope to build fleet of reactors to meet quarter of electricity demand by 2050 but critics highlight long delays and rising costsThe government has set out plans for what it claims will be Britain's biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years, despite concerns about faltering nuclear output and project delays.Ministers published a roadmap on Friday that recommits the government to building a fleet of nuclear reactors capable of producing 24GW by 2050 - enough to meet a quarter of the national electricity demand. Continue reading...

Scientists warn further spread could threaten fragile ecosystem, as tests show seals died of H5N1 on South Georgia islandA virology team has confirmed the first bird flu infections in elephant and fur seals in the sub-Antarctic region, as the highly contagious H5N1 virus continues to spread around the world.Researchers previously reported the mass deaths of seals and that a number of elephant seals on South Georgia island - a UK overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean - had been exhibiting symptoms of avian flu. But while seabird cases were confirmed, the seal infections were classed as suspected, pending lab results. Continue reading...

Critics call cattle-raising project on Hawaii ranch a billionaire's strange sideshow' and bad for the environmentThe social media tycoon Mark Zuckerberg's latest business venture raising world-class" beef cattle on his sprawling luxury Hawaiian hideaway has been derided as out of touch and environmentally irresponsible.The Meta billionaire posted a picture of himself on Wednesday eating a steak - medium rare, no sides - from his Ko'olau ranch, a 1,400-acre compound on Kauai, Hawaii's oldest island. Continue reading...

Beads, believed to be remnants of a floating dock and made of polystyrene, can harm environment and aquatic life, say expertsThe shores of Lake Tahoe were dusted with white after winter weather hit the area over the weekend. It wasn't snow, however, but thousands of small plastic styrofoam beads.A storm released the pollutants, the remains of a floating dock, on to the shoreline of Incline Village beaches. Staff with Clean Up the Lake, a local non-profit, and at least two dozen volunteers staged a major cleanup to clear the area, which has faced a host of environmental problems in recent years amid a surge in tourism and popularity. Continue reading...

Climate Council finds average Australian car needs more petrol to travel same distance as more efficient models common overseas

Campaign pushes idea oil is vital' to global security and capitalizes on war in Gaza to escalate production, climate advocates sayThe American oil lobby has launched an eight-figure media campaign this week promoting the idea that fossil fuels are vital" to global energy security, alarming climate experts.US natural gas and oil play a key role in supplying the world with cleaner, more reliable energy," the new initiative's website says. Continue reading...

Decline a step in the right direction' but far below rate needed to meet pledge to cut emissions in half by 2030, report findsClimate-altering pollution from greenhouse gases declined by nearly 2% in the United States in 2023, though not fast enough to meet Joe Biden's targets, a new report finds.The decline, while a step in the right direction'', is far below the rate needed to meet the president's pledge to cut US emissions in half by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, said a report on Wednesday from the Rhodium Group, an independent research firm. Continue reading...

Problems with Thames Water-run sewers from recent rains force pupils at 46,000-a-year school to learn remotelyEton college has been forced to delay the start of school term after the toilets in its boarding houses backed up because of flooding in the Thames Water sewers caused by recent heavy rains.The 46,000-a-year private school apologised to parents, saying pupils would begin the year learning remotely online, after the water company informed it of the issue. Continue reading...

Alexander Darwall is challenging decision last year to overturn ban on wild camping on the moorsThe right to wild camp on Dartmoor could be under threat again after the supreme court granted permission for a wealthy landowner to bring a case against it.Last year, the Dartmoor National Park Authority won an appeal against a decision to ban wild camping on the moors. Continue reading...

I want people to be excited about the animals I find and get them involved in conservationI am a British tourist, and I spend my holidays searching for species that are believed to be extinct. On my last trip to Papua New Guinea in 2022, I found a Louisiade pitta bird, which had been the focus of failed professional expeditions for years. It hadn't been seen alive since 1898.We went around playing recordings of a related pitta, which sounds a bit like a chicken being strangled, until we received a reply. Imagine if you went around a haunted house rattling chains and then you heard a ghost rattling them back - that is what it was like. Continue reading...

The fish deaths on Plantation Point near Jervis Bay come less than a week after another man was caught spearing a blue groper at Cronulla

Increased flooding blamed on years of government delays over sponge cities' rulesIncreased sewage pollution, urban flooding and water supply interruptions are the result of a decade of failures by the Conservative ministers, according to water experts who are demanding an independent inquiry into water be set up by the next government.The repeated failure of the Tories to implement rules to create sponge cities" has led to much more visible sewage pollution, more flooding and increasing instances of water being cut off for householders and businesses, they say. Continue reading...

Testing reveals low-risk' contamination in samples taken from mulch near Rozelle playground, Transport for NSW says

The sharp-tailed sandpiper migrates from Siberia to a Port of Hastings site that Tanya Plibersek last week blocked a state plan to develop

Chancellor has been accused of not sufficiently opposing the scheme since taking his cabinet positionGas drilling at a site in the Surrey Hills can go ahead after the court of appeal ruled that no further attempts to stop the project could be brought to court.The Loxley site, just outside the village of Dunsfold, has been at the centre of a protracted legal battle over plans by the energy company UK Oil and Gas (Ukog) to sink an exploration well. Continue reading...

As Norway becomes the first country to approve deep-sea mining, scientists are alarmed but supporters insist it will aid the energy transitionRead more: Norway votes for deep-sea mining despite environmental concernsMining the deep sea involves the extraction of solid mineral resources from the seabed, at depths greater than 200 metres. Vast areas of this unexplored abyss, particularly in the Pacific Ocean, are littered with polymetallic nodules, rich in manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt and other trace minerals. Minerals are also found near hydrothermal vents and within seamounts (underwater mountains). Continue reading...

Enfield council's move to lease part of north London park to Tottenham Hotspur prompts local anger and judicial reviewThe expansion of women's football has been pitched against public green space and a rewilded golf course in a growing dispute between Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and local residents.The club are expected to submit a planning application for a world-leading" women's football academy with all-weather pitches, floodlights and a turf academy" on a section of Whitewebbs Park a few miles from their stadium in north London. Continue reading...

Political row as Galicia says central government kept news of spill quiet for weeksOfficials in northern Spain have issued alerts after millions of tiny plastic pellets spilled by a cargo ship off Portugal last month washed up on beaches, raising fears of environmental damage and triggering a political row.Spanish state prosecutors have also launched an investigation after receiving information suggesting the non-biodegradable pellets could be toxic. Continue reading...

Parliament votes 80-20 in favour while scientists warn mining could devastate marine lifeNorway has taken a step closer to becoming the first country in the world to open up its seabed for commercial deep-sea mining after giving it the go-ahead in a highly contentious parliamentary vote on Tuesday.The decision comes despite warnings from scientists that it could have a devastating impact on marine life, and opposition from the EU and the UK, which have called for a temporary ban on deep-sea mining because of environmental concerns. Continue reading...

French energy company to invest a further 1.3bn in its British nuclear fleet up to 2026EDF is planning to extend the life of four nuclear power stations in the UK and increase investment in its British nuclear fleet.The French energy company, which manages Britain's eight nuclear power stations, said it would make a decision on whether to extend the life of the four plants with advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR) - Torness, Heysham 1 and 2, and Hartlepool - by the end of the year. This would require regulatory approval. Continue reading...

Rapid reduction in fossil fuel burning urgently needed to preserve liveable conditions, say scientists, as climate damage deepens2023 smashed" the record for the hottest year by a huge margin, providing dramatic testimony" of how much warmer and more dangerous today's climate is from the cooler one in which human civilisation developed.The planet was 1.48C hotter in 2023 compared with the period before the mass burning of fossil fuels ignited the climate crisis. The figure is very close to the 1.5C temperature target set by countries in Paris in 2015, although the global temperature would need to be consistently above 1.5C for the target to be considered broken. Continue reading...

Man jumped into rushing flood waters and tied 74-year-old woman to a tree after she was swept 100 metres downstream

Exclusive: First months of conflict produced more planet-warming gases than 20 climate-vulnerable nations do in a year, study showsThe climate costs of war and militaries can no longer be ignoredThe planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza were greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, new research reveals.The vast majority (over 99%) of the 281,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO equivalent) estimated to have been generated in the first 60 days following the 7 October Hamas attack can be attributed to Israel's aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis by researchers in the UK and US. Continue reading...

Two Siamang gibbons rescued from the illegal pet trade have been rehabilitated in a new Indonesian centreThe forest chorus of South Sumatra in Indonesia has some of its finest singers back: a pair of rare Siamang gibbons, rescued from the illegal pet trade, have been released into the wild.Siamang gibbons (Symphalangus syndactylus) are known for their distinctive large throat sacs. But their powerful, haunting voices, used for communication and marking territory, are a blessing and a curse. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor calls proposal an investment in the future' after Keir Starmer hinted at a rollbackKeir Starmer has been urged not to backtrack on his plans to spend 28bn on green projects by Labour's Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham.He told the Labour leader to stick to your guns" after Starmer said he may scale down the investment given the financial picture he would inherit if he became prime minister. Continue reading...

EPA says funds to be given to 280 school districts to help secure a healthier future where our children can breathe cleaner air'The US has announced nearly $1bn in grants to replace diesel-powered school buses with electric and lower-emitting vehicles.The Environmental Protection Agency will disburse funds to 280 school districts serving 7 million children across the country in an effort to curb harmful air pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Continue reading...

Government hopes to soon be able to announce measures for resolving outstanding criminal convictions, business minister Kevin Hollinrake saysJames Chapman, a former political editor of the Daily Mail who worked as special adviser for David Davis when he was Brexit secretary for about a year until he left convinced that Brexit was a terrible mistake, says he does not think the back to square one" line really works as an attack line against Labour.The trouble with Sunak's latest slogan is that I suspect a large number of voters think Britain is so broken under the Tories that going back to square one" sounds like a wholly positive idea Continue reading...

Multiple safety and cybersecurity failings at nuclear waste site were revealed by Guardian last monthThe top director responsible for safety and security at Sellafield is to leave the vast nuclear waste dump in north-west England, it has emerged.Mark Neate, the Sellafield environment, safety and security director, is to leave the organisation later this year. Continue reading...