Major weather event' continues as heavy rainfall causes widespread disruptionHeavy rainfall caused flooding, transport disruption and the cancellation of events across many parts of Scotland over the weekend with a warning of more to come.An amber weather warning - the second highest - was in place between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon for parts of north-east Scotland, while a yellow warning was in place for much of northern Scotland. Continue reading...

The tiny army cutworm moth provides a surprisingly nutritious meal for the giant carnivores - but humans are getting in the wayThe barren mountain slopes of north-west Wyoming might seem like inhospitable territory for a hungry grizzly bear. Big game animals are few and far between, and blueberries don't grow from these rocky hillsides, high above the treeline.But for a couple of months each summer, this stark landscape becomes a high-calorie buffet for hundreds of grizzly bears in the Rocky Mountain west. And it's all thanks to a small, unassuming insect whose relationship with the grizzly is as essential as it is unexpected. Continue reading...

Manuel Paez Teran, known as Tortuguita' was isolated and alone as police shot him dead - and his family and friends say the full story is being kept from themManuel Paez Teran's last word was: Help." It wasn't spoken; it was sent by text. From another location in the same forest where Paez Teran - or Tortuguita"- was camping in a tent, someone texted back: What do you need?"Seconds later, Tortuguita - Spanish for Little Turtle"- was dead. Six Georgia state patrol troopers shot Paez Teran with at least 14 bullets, leaving 57 wounds. The 26-year-old had been sleeping in tents and tree houses in a public park for months, along with dozens of other forest defenders" in protest against a $90m police and fire department training center known as Cop City", planned for another part of the forest less than a mile away. Continue reading...

Shnappy, who weighs 50lbs and lives in Clove Lakes Park, has gone missing - and locals suspect poachers stole it for soupIt is the case of a missing turtle.And this is no ordinary beast. The huge snapping turtle, known to all as Shnappy, weighs an enormous 50lbs and is a fixture in the New York borough of Staten Island, where he has long resided in Clove Lakes Park. Continue reading...

I had ideas about gardening, but everything I planted died. Then I started looking at what was already around me, and a lightbulb went offI was working as a financial services lawyer in urban areas like New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong for 30 years. My family came back to New Jersey because my youngest daughter had really bad allergies to the pollution in Hong Kong at the time. The whole forager thing started because we bought this major fixer-upper, and I had ideas about gardening. But everything I planted died. I was working, I've got three kids, so I didn't have time to look after things.I started looking at what was already there. What grows naturally? I was captivated by how beautiful some of these native plants are. And then my neighbors who are naturalists came over and explained the ecological difference between invasive plants [which are non-native to the ecosystem and whose introduction causes harm to human or ecological health] and native plants, which are indigenous species that occur naturally in an ecoregion without human introduction. That was my first lightbulb moment. I started to totally geek out on knowing what different plants are. I would read plant books in the bathtub after a long day of work. Continue reading...

Climate campaigners dismiss government argument that controversial move will improve food securityRishi Sunak plans to restrict the installation of solar panels on swathes of British farmland, which climate campaigners say will raise bills and put the UK's energy security at risk.Last year, then prime minister Liz Truss attempted to block solar from most of England's farmland. The plans were deeply controversial and unpopular, and were dropped when she left office. Continue reading...

Humpbacks and fin whales at risk, as study predicts increased ship traffic could cause a 30-fold increase in fatal collisions over the next decadeOn a quiet summer evening last month, the crew of the Northern Expedition spotted a dark shape surfacing from the water off Canada's west coast. Earlier that day, crew on the passenger ferry had made a similar sighting, and only narrowly avoided striking the humpback whale by ordering the ferry's powerful engines to be reversed.This time, the momentum of the 150-metre vessel was too much. It struck the hulking cetacean, sending the dull, jarring sound of metal against tissue reverberating throughout the ship. The crew were devastated; the head of BC Ferries called the collision disturbing". Nobody knows if the whale survived. Continue reading...

McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, is largely covered with glass, making it a lethal obstacle for birdsAt least 1,000 birds died from colliding into a single building in Chicago on Thursday, 5 October, as they migrated south to their wintering grounds. Volunteers are still recovering bird carcasses within 1.5 miles of McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, which is largely covered with glass.It's the tip of an iceberg but it's it's a huge, huge amount of birds we found both dead and injured," said Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, adding that this was the highest number of bird strikes that the group recorded from the grounds of one building in a single day. Continue reading...

More than 100 leading companies urge PM to reinstate net zero measures to avoid hardship for manySome of the UK's biggest construction companies, property developers and estate agencies have written to Rishi Sunak to warn that his weakening and postponement of green policies will harm investment in housing and cause hardship for many people.More than 100 companies, including some of the UK's biggest construction specialists, have urged the prime minister to reinstate the net zero policies, or find alternatives that make upgrading Britain's homes affordable". Continue reading...

Education minister says cases are piling up' and that an immediate response is needed'France has been forced to shut seven schools over growing concerns over an infestation of bedbugs, the education minister has said.Bedbugs were detected at various levels in ... I believe 17 institutions, and currently as I speak to you, seven institutions are closed for this reason," Gabriel Attal told France 5 television. Continue reading...

Commander's Palace's response to municipal emergency of saltwater intrusion into drinking water? A boozy drink, of courseNew Orleans is famous for witty defiance in the face of looming misfortune and one iconic city watering hole is taking the latest turn of ominous events with a pinch of salt.The 130-year-old Commander's Palace restaurant has presented the Big Easy with its latest cocktail creation - linked to bad news for the environment and the healthier tipple of tap water. Continue reading...

While the US offers free school meals to its poorest students, many who don't qualify still struggle to pay. Some politicians are joining the fight to erase that debtWhen Talyn Summers was in middle school, their parents started receiving emails and text messages from their school multiple times a day. The problem? Summers had eaten school lunch but hadn't paid in full: they owed 30 cents.In a fairly well-off school district in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, Summers remembers feeling like their peers were completely oblivious to the fact that other students might be plagued by the shame of lunch debt". While the US offers free school meals to its poorest students, many who don't qualify still struggle to pay. According to the Education Data Initiative, more than 30 million students in the US can't afford their school meals. On average, those students owe $180.60 each year, for a national total of $262m in student lunch debt annually. Continue reading...

Leaders say they are open to post-election deal with Labour, in joint speech at opening of party's conference

After French capital hosted fashion week and Rugby World Cup there are concerns the problem will spreadParis is burning its luggage and bed linen as it battles a scourge" of bedbugs, stoking fears of infestation around the world as pest controllers report an uptick in inquiries and transport operators and hoteliers seek to assuage concerns.The city of light is reportedly under siege from the nocturnal bloodsuckers, leading the French transport minister, Clement Beaune, to meet transport operators. It's a real nightmare," says Yacine, a schoolteacher in Paris who declined to give his surname. I'm so afraid to take the Metro, I don't go to the cinema - it's very alarmant." Continue reading...

Dale Vince says he will concentrate his efforts on getting Tories voted out of government at next election

Study proposes government commission more research into environmental benefits of cattle feed additivesSweden is one step closer to making the use of methane-reducing cow feed additives such as seaweed government policy after experts recommended further investigation into the area.A report by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency into reduced methane emissions says development in the field has been rapid in recent years" and is among a number of new interesting additives with higher potential". Continue reading...

More than 30% of the continental US is experiencing drought after roasting this summer, but in the heart of Texas hill country, the conditions feel worseThe heat dome that roasted a wide swath of the US this summer has dissipated - but it has left behind a crisp, dehydrated landscape, particularly in Texas.Even as the weather cools, more than 30% of the continental US is experiencing drought, according to a newly released analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). Sizable portions of the Pacific north-west, midwest and much of the south find themselves grappling with drier-than-normal conditions. Continue reading...

Rio Grande communities feel like the sacrificial lamb' in a political war as climate activists and environmentalists call foulThe Biden administration's decision to waive environmental, public health and cultural protections to speed new border wall construction has enraged environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and community groups in the Rio Grande valley.It was disheartening and unexpected," said Laiken Jordahl, a borderlands campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), amid concerns of the impact on essential corridors for wild cats and endangered plants in the area. This is a new low, a horrific step backwards for the borderlands." Continue reading...

Climate activists condemn oil giant for paying influencers to showcase marketing game from new gasoline campaignClimate activists are calling out Shell for partnering with popular video gamers and online youth influencers to promote fossil fuels to a younger generation.The oil giant, which in July reported quarterly profits of more than $5bn (3.9bn), worked with Fortnite creators and paid popular gamers on multiple platforms to showcase its ultimate road trips" promotion, part of a marketing campaign for a new gasoline it calls V-Power Nitro+. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including an endangered rhino, a reindeer herd and a roaring stag Continue reading...

Cargill and ADM led push to weaken new protections for threatened ecosystems in South America, report saysCargill and ADM, two of the world's leading livestock feed companies, helped to scupper an attempt to end the trade in soya beans grown on deforested and threatened ecosystem lands in South America, a new report alleges.Soya is one of the cheapest available types of edible protein, and is in huge demand for feed for animals around the world; as our consumption of meat and dairy has risen globally, the need for soya has soared too. Continue reading...

The moment has arrived - and the swift parrot has taken the crown for 2023 after the votes for the final 10 candidates

Critically endangered parrot narrowly pips the tawny frogmouth, runner-up for the third time in the biennial Guardian/BirdLife Australia poll

Starting with 50 birds and ending 11 days later, with only 10 left in the running, Lenore Taylor announces the winner of the 2023 Guardian/BirdLife Australia bird of the year. The swift parrot soared to first place in the final round of voting, followed closely by the tawny frogmouth in second place (for the third poll in a row), and the gang-gang cockatoo placed third

Help BirdLife Australia build a picture of how our birds are faring by joining the Aussie Bird Count. You can't solve a problem you don't know you have

Toll likely to worsen as floods, storms, droughts and wildfires intensify due to climate crisis, according to Unicef and IDMC studyAt least 43 million child displacements were linked to extreme weather events over the past six years, the equivalent of 20,000 children being forced to abandon their homes and school every single day, new research has found.Floods and storms accounted for 95% of recorded child displacement between 2016 and 2021, according to the first-of-its-kind analysis by Unicef and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). The rest - more than 2 million children - were displaced by wildfires and drought. Continue reading...

Denser neighborhoods with more amenities associated with lower rates of obesity-related cancers in womenLiving in more walkable neighborhoods can lower the rate of obesity-related cancers in women, a new study has found.Living in a densely populated neighborhood with accessible amenities such as grocery stores and small businesses promotes walking, and women living in more walkable neighborhoods had a lower risk of at least five types of cancer, including postmenopausal breast, ovarian, pancreatic and colorectal cancers, as well as multiple myeloma. Continue reading...

The Icelandic and Spanish singers create their first collaboration together as Bjork alleges large-scale farming has had a devastating effect on wildlife' in her countryTwo of Europe's most innovative pop singers, Bjork and Rosalia, have collaborated on a new song to benefit activists fighting against industrial salmon farming in Bjork's native Iceland.The song's title has not been announced, but it will be released later this month; a 75-second preview has been published online. Continue reading...

Which animal is the scariest? According to a recent study, humans have ousted lions at the top of the predator pecking order. The experiment on a group of wild animals showed that they were twice as likely to run away when they heard a human voice compared with the sound of a lion snarling or roaring, with 95% of species in the study fleeing upon hearing a human speak.Prof Liana Zanette, lead researcher from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, said she was surprised by the response from wildlife, as well as the number of species who reacted with terror and fled after hearing human sounds. 'Lions should be the scariest thing out there - but humans were much scarier ... it shows we really are terrifying to animals,' Zanette said.

Government's findings were due in spring, but delays mean housebuilders avoid green costsDelays to the government's planned consultation on net zero regulations for housebuilding will mean more households being hit with hefty bills for energy, housing experts have said.The future homes standard (FHS), which will stipulate that housebuilders construct new homes to be low carbon, was supposed to be opened for consultation in March, but that slipped to a promise of publication in the summer. Continue reading...

North Sea regulator's warning casts further doubt on Britain meeting its legally binding climate targetsUK oil and gas companies need to do more if they are to meet an official target of halving their emissions from fossil fuel extraction by the end of the decade, the North Sea regulator has warned.The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said it would set out proposals to help give fossil fuel companies a greater focus on their climate pledges amid concerns the targets would be missed without further action. Continue reading...

The sound of super predator' human voices instils more terror around the waterhole than the big cats' roar, researchers discoverThe lion has long been regarded as the world's most fearsome terrestrial carnivore, but the king of beasts" has been toppled by humans, new research shows.Elephants, rhinos and giraffes are all now more afraid of people than other apex predators, according to a scientific paper that supports the idea that humans are the world's super predator". Continue reading...

... to be announced at 12.30pm AEDT. Follow our live blog from 11.30am for the red carpet, emotional speeches and all the reaction

Mountain's peak has been measured every two years since 2001 and height has varied by almost 5 metresMont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps, has shrunk by 2.2 metres since 2021 to its lowest height in recent memory.The mountain, which is capped by a ridge of ice covering the rock, was measured by a team of surveyors from the Haute-Savoie regional administration, aided by a drone. Continue reading...

Exclusive: No regulator is monitoring scale of impact of dangerous chemicals on wildlife or public healthA toxic cocktail of damaging chemicals created by road pollution is flowing into England's rivers and no regulator is monitoring the scale of its impact on wildlife or public health.More than 18,000 outfalls, such as pipes, and about 7,700 soakaways managed by National Highways discharge rainwater potentially contaminated with heavy metals, hydrocarbons, microplastics and other chemicals from the main road network into rivers and on to land. Continue reading...

Climate crisis funding for poor nations should reach $200bn to $400bn a year by same date, says pre-Cop28 reportFossil fuel exploration should cease globally by 2030 and funding to rescue poor countries from the impacts of the climate crisis should reach $200bn (165bn) to $400bn a year by the same date, according to proposals in a UN report before the next climate summit.Countries were still way off track" to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the report found, and much more action would be needed to make it possible to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels. Continue reading...

Bee and hornet hit ground with such force the attacker is sent scarpering, University of Exeter scientists findBumblebees are not fast or agile enough flyers to evade an attack from an Asian hornet and an airborne scrap would almost certainly result in victory for the latter.But University of Exeter scientists have found that when attacked, buff-tailed bumblebees have a dramatic but effective response: simply dropping out of the air like a brick", taking the hornet with them. Continue reading...

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The tragic felling of the tree is making land managers reflect on how this barren landscape should look in futureLast Wednesday night, Britain was robbed of one of its best-loved trees. Mike Pratt, the CEO of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, describes the venerable, now-recumbent sycamore at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall as a totem tree; a touch point in the landscape".But the tree, standing alone in a national park, also reminded some of how nature-depleted England is. As environmentalist Ben Goldsmith said at the time: That someone would have destroyed this iconic tree is beyond comprehension; but what's even more shocking is that this was pretty much the only tree in that entire landscape. Our national parks can and should be so much better." Continue reading...

Five people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted a performance of Les Miserables at the Sondheim theatre in London's West End.During a performance of the song Do You Hear the People Sing? members of the Just Stop Oil group stormed the stage with banners to boos from the audience.In a post on X, the group wrote: '4 people are locked to the stage of the French-revolution-themed show. Valjean steals bread to feed a starving child. How long before we are all forced to steal?'

Two utilities deemed standout poor performers' with so many complaints it skews industry's overall performanceUnder-fire Southern Water and Thames Water have been named the standout poor performers" in handling complaints from customers over the past year by a water watchdog.The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) found that customers of the two water companies, which together supply water and provide wastewater services to more than 20 million people in England, are being let down by a failure to understand and deal with the causes of high levels of complaints from their customers". Continue reading...

Luca Locatelli, an Italian photographer, has been researching the circular economy: an economic model geared to the elimination of waste, involving the circulation of products and materials and the regeneration of nature. His photographs document stories, practices and initiatives in Europe inspired by the movement, and nature-based production solutions and processes which tackle socio-environmental issuesLuca Locatelli's The Circle is on display at Gallerie d'Italia, Turin until 18 February 2024 Continue reading...

As our climate warms, urban trees will be needed more than ever. A study looks at how they can be protected

The carbon emissions driving the climate crisis and rapid arrival of an El Nino event are to blame, researchers sayGlobal temperatures soared to a new record in September by a huge margin, stunning scientists and leading one to describe it as absolutely gobsmackingly bananas".The hottest September on record follows the hottest August and hottest July, with the latter being the hottest month ever recorded. The high temperatures have driven heatwaves and wildfires across the world. Continue reading...

Thinktank says rapid growth of wind and solar is near rate required if world is to hit 2030 target as part of 1.5C pathwayCarbon emissions from the global electricity sector may peak this year, after plateauing in the first half of 2023, because of a surge in wind and solar power, according to a climate thinktank.A new report on global electricity generation found that the growth of renewables was so rapid that it was close to the incredibly fast rate required if the world is to hit the tripling of capacity by the end of the decade that experts believe is necessary to stay on the 1.5C pathway. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Governments must protect people for weeks after event, researchers say, citing reduced access to health services and increased exposure to pathogens

It's hard to overstate just how exceptionally high global temperatures are now, but we have the technology to avert disasterAbsolutely gobsmackingly bananas" is not standard scientific language, but these are not standard times, scientifically.New data shows average global temperatures in September were not just the hottest ever recorded, but 0.5C above the previous record for the month. They were about 1.8C above temperatures in pre-industrial times, before humans started pumping vast amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Study estimates cats and dogs consume about 9% of all land animals killed for foodIf all the world's dogs went vegan it would save more greenhouse gas emissions than those produced by the UK, according to research advocating the environmental benefits of plant-based pets.The study estimated cats and dogs consume about 9% of all land animals killed for food - about 7 billion animals annually - as well as billions of fish and aquatic animals. Plant-based diets lower greenhouse gas emissions and require less land and water. Continue reading...

Statement at UN human rights council voices disappointment' after host country refuses to change restrictive lawsThe UK has asked the United Arab Emirates, one of its closest Gulf allies, to explain how it will guarantee free speech around the UN Cop28 climate summit in Dubai after the country refused to change its restrictive laws.The refusal came after a four-yearly UN review of the UAE's human rights record. Continue reading...

Starbucks-developed seeds of arabica, which accounts for 70% of global coffee production, are cultivated to resist diseasesStarbucks recently announced that it has developed six new varieties of coffee seeds that can withstand the effects of climate change, which some experts say is critical" for the future of coffee.People in the US drink about 517m cups of coffee a day collectively, with the average American consuming three cups on a daily basis. But coffee, like many other crops, is under threat due to the climate crisis - subject to diseases, droughts and extreme weather conditions.This article was amended on 4 October 2023 to correct the number of Starbucks locations worldwide and the number of seeds given away each year. Continue reading...