Two miles under the dark ocean off California, 20,000 pearl octopuses use the gentle heat of nearby volcanic springs to help their babies hatch fasterScientists have solved the mystery of why tens of thousands of octopuses cluster on the foothills of a giant underwater mountain, two miles down off the coast of California. The pearl octopuses, so named because from a distance they look like scattered gems, seek out warm water seeping through the seabed and use it to speed up the hatching of their eggs.

New study published in Nature says period was as destructive as record 2016 El Nino drought and heatwaveThe first half of Jair Bolsonaro's presidency was so destructive for the Amazon that it was comparable to the record 2016 El Nino drought and heatwave in terms of carbon emissions, according to scientists.Annual emissions from the world's largest rainforest roughly doubled in 2019 and 2020, compared with the 2010 to 2018 average, according to a new study published in Nature, as swaths of forest were deliberately cleared and burned for cattle ranching and farming during the first two years of the far-right leader's time in office. Continue reading...

Some kinds of tree leaf could become too hot to be able to conduct photosynthesis, researchers warnTropical forests could become so hot that some kinds of leaves will no longer be able to conduct photosynthesis, according to a study published in the journal Nature.The photosynthetic machinery in tropical trees begins to fail at about 46.7C on average. The research suggests that forests may be nearing dangerous temperature thresholds sooner than expected. Continue reading...

UK Oil and Gas says work is to resume at Avington site in national park after decision from Planning InspectorateThe Liberal Democrats and green groups have accused the government of an environmental crime" after it emerged that potentially large-scale oil drilling is to take place inside the South Downs national park, despite widespread local opposition.In a statement, UK Oil and Gas, which is part of the consortium wishing to drill at the Avington site near Winchester, said work was to resume in the hope of extracting potentially significant" amounts of the estimated 59m barrels there, lasting up to 2025. Continue reading...

Experts shocked as analysis finds no traces of eel DNA in area once teeming with the endangered fishEel experts say they are shocked to find no evidence of the animal in the network of drainage ditches that make up its traditional habitats in the Somerset Levels, which once teemed with the critically endangered fish.DNA sampling by the Sustainable Eel Group and Somerset Eel Recovery Project in the drainage ditches found no traces of eel DNA. Continue reading...

Biden's bill includes $60bn for environmental investments, but groups that would benefit most face hurdles in accessing fundsWhen President Joe Biden passed the Inflation Reduction Act a year ago, Adrien Salazar was skeptical.The landmark climate bill includes $60bn for environmental justice investments - money he had fought for, as policy director for the leading US climate advocacy coalition Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (GGJA). Continue reading...

Agencies say toxic blue-green algae, thought to be driven by farm runoff and sewage, recorded at levels not seen since 1970sNorthern Ireland's Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles, has been hit by recorded levels of potentially toxic blue-green algae that regional agencies say have not been seen since the 1970s.Campaigners say the lake is dying in plain sight" as vast algal blooms choke the aquatic life and bird and insect wildlife plummets.

Prof Richard Kingsford and his Waterbirds Aerial Survey team's work over forty years has influenced Murray-Darling Basin conservation and helped create three new national parks

It has taken 20 years for passionate group of volunteers to save Cleveland Pools, first built in 1815A beautiful Georgian lido in Bath, reputed to be the UK's oldest public outdoor swimming pool, is to reopen to the public next month.The first swimmers will be able to take a bracing dip at Cleveland Pools (heated water will follow at a later date) on 10 September. Continue reading...

Report says hundreds of billions of dollars and millions of work hours in productivity are at risk due to hotter conditions

In today's newsletter: Japan's decision to release radioactive water from the tsunami-hit power plant has divided groups - is it entirely safe or staggeringly stupid? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Today's newsletter comes to you from Manchester, original home of the Guardian (est 1821), and me, Helen Pidd, your friendly north of England editor. I'll be writing the daily briefing alongside Nimo for the next few weeks. Continue reading...

IPPR wants government to take a stake in green technology firms to help Britain keep up with EU and USThe UK risks losing out to the US and EU in the global race to a net zero economy unless the government increases green investment by taking a stake in the companies of the future, a thinktank has said.The left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research said Britain needed a national investment fund" (NIF) that would back new firms and secure a share of any future profits for the public as it called for the state to adopt a Dragons' Den" type approach to supporting enterprises. Continue reading...

Events that inject smoke and gas into high atmosphere help to cool planet but are no solution to climate crisis, says studyExplosive volcanic eruptions and wildfires have offset global heating by around a fifth over the last eight years, a study shows. In particular the eruption of Calbuco in southern Chile in 2015 and the 2019-20 Australian wildfires injected vast amounts of smoke and gas into the high atmosphere, which helped to cool the planet by absorbing heat leaving the Earth and reflecting sunlight back to space.Pengfei Yu from Jinan University in China and his colleagues used data gathered by high altitude balloons over the Tibetan plateau and the US to model the cooling impact of stratospheric volcanic eruptions - those that inject ash into the high atmosphere - and wildfires. Continue reading...

Areas largely untouched by 2019-20 fires including Sydney basin, coastal regions and the Hunter at increased risk, experts warn

Burning of fossil fuels made fires at least twice as likely, and the fire-prone weather at least 20% more intense, study showsThe conditions that caused Canada's extreme spate of wildfires this year, which resulted in parts of the US and Canada to be blanketed in toxic smoke, were made at least twice as likely due to the human-caused climate crisis, scientists have found.The 2023 Canadian wildfire season has been the largest, and most devastating, on record, with nearly 14m hectares (34m acres) burned, an area larger than Greece. The extent of these fires, more than double the size of the previous record, caused more than a dozen fatalities and thousands of evacuations, and sent a plume of smoke that unfurled as far as Norway and, for a time in June, turned the sky above New York City orange. Continue reading...

As scientists in the drought-stricken state worry about water use, winemakers believe grapes are the perfect crop for the dry landThe high desert of Arizona may seem like an odd place for wine tasting. But you wouldn't know it from the crowds that gathered at the Verde Valley Wine festival, two hours north of Phoenix, on a hot day in May.As the sun beamed down, hundreds of wine lovers jostled for a spot to enjoy their drinks in the shade. On the edge of a lawn, producers offered up tastings, to-go bottles and cases of wine - much of it grown just down the road. Continue reading...

First half of year had slowest pace of final approvals in Clean Energy Council's six years of tracking, but backing for power storage was more promising

A fourth tailings dam for the mine was approved in June, in a decision that is currently being challenged in the Victorian civil and administrative tribunal

Former environment secretary must gain permission for each new client to avoid giving unfair advantage'The former environment secretary George Eustice has been told to ask permission from the post-government jobs watchdog every time his new consultancy firm takes on a client to avoid giving them unfair access to his former department.The senior Conservative MP, who is standing down at the next election, was given permission by the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) to set up a company to advise businesses on farming technology and the water sector. Continue reading...

As temperatures rise across Oceania, droughts are becoming more extreme and strong winds drive catastrophic firesHawaii was never paradise. Since the day my ancestors first stepped ashore, our islands have been devastated by hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that buried whole towns.But fires are something new. We were not prepared. Our officials were not prepared, for a raging inferno of 1,000-degree heat that moved at lightning speed, reducing our historical town of Lahaina - once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom - and 2,000 homes to ash. More than 1,300 people are still missing. At this stage, many will not be found. Cadaver dogs whine with frustration. They are uncovering mostly ash.Kiana Davenport is a writer of Native-Hawaiian and Anglo-American descent. She is the author of eight novels and three anthologies: Prize-Winning Pacific Stories Continue reading...

Crustacean native to Americas is devastating shellfish production in Po delta, where it has no natural predatorsItalian fishing communities in the north of the country are fighting an invasion of predatory blue crabs which risks jeopardising the economy of whole regions, authorities have said.The crab, originally from the coast of north and south America, has spread across several lagoon-like locations in Italy over the past year, preying on local shellfish and posing a threat to the country's role as one of the world's leading clam producers. Continue reading...

Release plans approved by UN nuclear authority have caused outcry in China and concern for the reputation of Japan's seafoodJapan is to begin releasing wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from Thursday, in defiance of opposition from fishing communities, China and some scientists.The prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Tuesday he had asked the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), to swiftly prepare for the water discharge" in accordance with plans approved by nuclear regulators, adding that the release would begin on Thursday, weather and ocean conditions permitting". Continue reading...

Report argues chickens should be kept in much smaller flocks and given more spaceThe industrial poultry farming sector needs to be radically restructured to stop the spread of bird flu, says a report that argues wild birds are victims rather than the main vectors of the disease.Bird flu is spiralling out of control and being spread by intensive poultry farms, according toreport by the campaign group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF). Continue reading...

Thousands in Los Angeles County still without power; Palm Springs continues to be hit by flooding; impact in Texas expected on Tuesday

Brights zoo hopes publicity around unnamed female, who lacks distinctive patches, will draw attention to plight of giraffes in wildOne of the rarest sights in the animal kingdom has appeared in the unlikely setting of a Tennessee zoo, which has hosted the birth of what is thought to be the world's only singularly colored giraffe.The female giraffe, born on 31 July, is a uniform brown color, lacking the distinctive patched pattern that giraffes - along with their exceptionally long necks - are known for. Brights zoo said the giraffe is already 6ft tall and is under the care of her mother and zoo staff. Continue reading...

Extreme heat prompts Texas to ask residents to conserve power on Sunday night as Missouri advises residents to check on neighborsSweltering temperatures are lingering in a large swath of the central US, causing misery from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.Record high temperatures were recorded on Sunday in Texas and other states. People were told to chug extra water while mowing lawns or exercising outdoors, and to check on neighbors to ensure air conditioning is available. The extreme heat prompted Texas's electric power grid manager to ask residents to voluntarily conserve power for three hours on Sunday night. Continue reading...

Referendum result protecting Yasuni reserve will benefit huge range of species as well as uncontacted' Indigenous peoplesEcuadorians have voted in a historic referendum to halt the development of all new oilwells in the Yasuni national park in the Amazon, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.Voters opted to safeguard the unique biosphere by a margin of nearly 20% with more than 90% of the ballot counted - with more than 58% in favour and 41% against, according to Ecuador's National Electoral Comission. Voting took place in the first round of presidential elections on Sunday. Continue reading...

Falmouth sighting of cross between common and striped dolphins thought to be UK firstRare hybrid dolphins have been spotted off the coast of Cornwall in what is thought to be a UK first.The pair of cetaceans, seen in Falmouth, are a cross between a common dolphin and a striped dolphin. Continue reading...

They have milky blue blood that can detect toxins - and people in lab coats want itEvery day in bright clinical rooms in countries all over the world, horseshoe crabs are strapped into specially designed harnesses and drained of a third of their blood by people in lab coats. Then they are put back into rivers and oceans to swim-scuttle out their days.Horseshoe crabs are prehistoric and they look it: a fossilised Roomba most of the way through eating a stingray. The horseshoe crab looks mainly like it should not be alive right now. Continue reading...

Australia is experiencing an unseasonably warm winter and experts are noticing some odd side effects in Australian flora. 'These warming temperatures are changing the way that plants would normally act and it can lead to decreases in population as there aren't enough pollinators out ready to pollinate the flowers,' explains orchid conservationist Alex McLachlan. Some orchid species, like the Caladenia valida, are flowering a month ahead of schedule at the Cranbourne botanic gardens in MelbourneSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Weather ballon climbs to 5,300 metres before temperature falls to 0C amid late summer heatwaveA Swiss weather balloon had to climb to an unprecedented 5,300 metres (17,400ft) before the temperature fell to 0C (32F), meteorologists have said, as a late summer heatwave and wildfires continue to pummel swathes of continental Europe.A man was found dead in a blaze raging north of Athens on Monday as the Greek government warned of an extreme" risk of fire across the country, while more than half of mainland France was placed under an amber heat alert. Continue reading...

Archaeologists fear dangerous precedent if court approves new beach facilities at site of Phaselis on the Mediterranean coastThe construction of tourist facilities on two beaches that were part of the ancient city of Phaselis - a tentative nominee for Unesco world heritage status - has caused outrage at what is claimed to be the latest example of the Turkish culture ministry sacrificing heritage for tourism.The Alacasu and Bostanlk beaches, on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast in the province of Antalya, were part of Phaselis, a Greek and Roman settlement thought to be the birthplace of Plato's student Theodectes. Despite having ruins dating back to the second century BC, the beaches have never been subject to an archaeological dig. Continue reading...

Deal with Victorian government includes $50m to support orderly retirement' of coal-fired plant to provide certainty to workers, the community and industry

Allegations of breach date back to March 2022, while owner Newcrest claims the mine near Orange in NSW is now in compliance

In the desert town of Rancho Mirage, close to Palm Springs, a city that typically gets around 4.6 inches (12 cm) of rain in an entire year could receive 6-10 inches from this one storm. "It's quite amazing. I've never seen anything like this. And the tropical storm hasn't even hit us yet," said one resident.

Vigils are planned to honor the memory of the whale who was captive for 53 years as her death ripples across the countryOn Friday, as the captive orca whale known as Tokitae was dying in Miami, an unusual phenomenon took place in the waters where she was taken from her pod back in 1970. A rare superpod meetup of three clans - the J, K and L pods - happened off the west side of San Juan Island, in Washington state.It could have been a coincidence. But for activists like Howard Garrett, who has worked for decades to advocate for the release of Tokitae, there was deep meaning in the meetup. Gatherings like this are often a cultural social ritual to mark a significant event in their community, and we believe they are welcoming Toki home," he wrote on the Orca Network Facebook group. She is finally home, maybe not the way we wanted, but her family seems to know she is with them once again, in ways we may never comprehend." Continue reading...

A judge last week ruled the young plaintiffs have the right to a clean environment - and experts say this changed the climate litigation landscapeIn a groundbreaking legal decision, a Montana judge last week ruled in favor of young people who had accused state officials of violating their constitutional rights by promoting fossil fuels.In a 103-page court order, Judge Kathy Seeley of the first judicial district court, affirmed the plaintiffs' claim that a stable climate is included in a right to a clean and healthful environment", guaranteed in the state's constitution. Continue reading...

I wondered whether a bot could transform the cooking experience - so I let it plan my meals for a dayI consider myself a pretty great home cook. I like to dream up my meals, building flavors without relying on a recipe, like the lamb chops with a mustard-red wine-thyme pan sauce I recently threw together without instructions after finding the meat on sale.So when I learned earlier this year about BuzzFeed's new AI-powered kitchen companion, Botatouille, I was intrigued. I know it's a controversial tool, as Botatouille's announcement came amid widespread media layoffs - including at BuzzFeed, where the company's CEO announced that the platform would be using AI to enhance" its content. But the name made me chuckle, and its promise of not just offering recipes but being a companion in the kitchen was an interesting prospect. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Assessment that used to happen annually will now take six years despite rising concerns Continue reading...

Referendum alongside presidential election will decide whether to halt extraction in Amazon national parkAs Ecuadorians go to the polls on Sunday they must not only decide between eight presidential candidates but also vote on an unprecedented referendum question that could set a new course for the oil-reliant nation.The poll will decide whether to halt drilling at the Yasuni Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) oilfield, also known as oil block 43, which lies in an Amazon national park and one of the world's richest pockets of biodiversity. Ecuador's largest protected area is also home to the Waorani people and the country's last Indigenous communities in voluntary isolation, the Tagaeri and Taromenane. Continue reading...

Remote sensing technology shows 70% of tree coverage moved uphill between 2000 and 2010Mountain treelines are rising in response to the climate crisis, a study has found.Scientists from the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China, used remote sensing to map the highest points of patches of tree coverage on mountains. They found that 70% of mountain treelines had moved uphill between 2000 and 2010. Continue reading...

Land reformists dispute assumptions behind plan to address climate crisis by increasing private funding

Scheduled monument built in 1720s lies on estate bought up by investment company Abrdn for 7.5m in 2021

The beloved orca, born into the L-pod of resident killer whales in the Pacific north-west, was awaiting release into her home watersThe whale who began her life in the cold waters of the Pacific north-west only to end up in a small enclosure at the Miami Seaquarium has died. On Friday afternoon, a social media post announced that Toki - who was also known by her performing name Lolita, and the name the Lummi tribe gave her, Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut - had died. She was believed to be 57.A Facebook post from the Miami Seaquarium reported she died from what was believed to be a renal condition. Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family," the Seaquarium post said. Those of us who have had the honor and privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit." Continue reading...

Analysis of EU and US shows livestock farmers receive about 1,000 times more public funding than plant-based and cultivated meatThe gigantic" power of the meat and dairy industries in the EU and US is blocking the development of the greener alternatives needed to tackle the climate crisis, a study has found.The analysis of lobbying, subsidies and regulations showed that livestock farmers in the EU received 1,200 times more public funding than plant-based meat or cultivated meat groups. In the US, the animal farmers got 800 times more public funding. Continue reading...

Contaminants from the fires could damage marine life, and hardy non-native grasses might grow and kindle the next fireAs the toll from Maui's catastrophic wildfires continues to climb, experts warn the disaster also poses a grave threat to the coral reefs and delicate ocean ecosystems that surround the devastated town of Lahaina.Layers of charred soils and toxic contaminants were left among the wreckage, where thousands of buildings and blackened cars lie in smoldering ruins. The conflagration that claimed more lives than any other US wildfire in the last century burned to the shoreline, littering underwater habitats with scorched boats and debris. The ashen aftermath could end up wreaking more havoc if allowed to slip into the aquatic environment. Continue reading...

Agency plans a case-by-case' approach that allows for flexibility, but critics say this is not a new definition - it is a lack of definition'The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office responsible for protecting the public from toxic substances has changed how it defines PFAS for a second time since 2021, a move critics say they fear will exclude thousands of forever chemicals" from regulation and largely benefit industry.Instead of using a clear definition of what constitutes a PFAS, the agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics plans to take a case-by-case" approach that allows it to be more flexible in determining which chemicals should be subjected to regulations. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including an endangered white-headed duck, a Harrison Ford snake and a sick cat Continue reading...

Australia needs policy changes, more vehicle chargers and a bigger focus on regional areas to catch on low-emissions transport, Solar Citizens says

In 2020, Honolulu officials had sued eight oil and gas companies over the steep costs of abating damages from extreme weatherHawaii's supreme court on Thursday heard attempts by fossil fuel companies to dismiss a climate accountability lawsuit. The hearing came as the deadly fires in Maui capture global headlines.This is the first time the court has been in session since the fires in Maui last week," the Hawaii supreme court chief justice said as the hearing began, before calling for a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in the blazes. Continue reading...