by Tom Ambrose (now) and Andrew Sparrow (earlier) on (#70ECV)
Lucy Powell and Bridget Phillipson put their cases to party members at Labour's conference on WednesdayAt the Labour conference Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has just started his speech.Responding to the news that he will announce a total ban on fracking (see 9.19am), Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, said:
Our wildlife series Young Country Diary is looking for articles written by children, about their autumn encounters with natureOnce again, the Young Country Diary series is open for submissions! Every three months, as the UK enters a new season, we ask you to send us an article written by a child aged 8-14.The article needs to be about a recent encounter they've had with nature - whether it's a bug under some leaves, a rutting stag or a garden bird. Continue reading...
by Lourdes Medrano in the San Rafael Valley on (#70EMA)
The 30ft-high wall between the US and Mexico will cut through one of the last unbroken grasslands in the west, leaving residents alarmed over the potential impact on wildlife and water useOn a late summer day in September, the sound of cicadas pierced the profound silence in the sprawling grasslands and gently rolling hills of the San Rafael Valley in southern Arizona. But before long, the shrill buzzing gave way to the rumble of heavy machinery sculpting an unpaved road leading to the US-Mexico border.In the distance, a deer darted across the road and disappeared into a thicket of oak trees. A few miles later, a fenced-in worker camp came into view, next to a construction site full of trucks, bulldozers and cranes. Continue reading...
An alum of Noma in Copenhagen, Dan Giusti is on a mission to transform institutional cooking - but getting fellow chefs to buy in hasn't been easyAt the Dream Mott Haven charter school this summer, more than a hundred food-service professionals lined up in the cafeteria to enjoy a school lunch prepared by the culinary team from Brigaid.Some attendees giggled like schoolchildren as they carried fire-engine-red trays filled with plates of scratch-made pernil, fried plantains and arroz con gandules through the lunchroom, taking seats at the long cafeteria tables and commiserating with strangers like the first day of school. A kale caesar side salad and diced fresh watermelon ensured that the meal met US Department of Agriculture nutrition guidelines; according to a panel discussion before lunch, it also met strict budgetary guidelines - with ingredients totaling a mere $2.71 per meal. Continue reading...
Brown bear's nearly 100,000 votes leads him to victory despite suffering for most of season with broken jawThe merely chubby have been winnowed away," a naturalist intoned. We are left with a clash of titans."After a record-breaking week of public voting, Katmai national park and preserve in Alaska has announced the winner of its biggest Fat Bear Week yet". Continue reading...
The National Climate Risk Assessment is attacked in the Daily Telegraph, while wind turbines became a frightening obstacle for firefighting planes and solar panels a source of mountains of landfill waste
by Damien Gayle, environment correspondent on (#70E52)
Species' population has almost halved in a generation and urgent action is needed to protect it, analysis findsThey are an iconic part of Britain's natural world, inspiring myths, fairytales and at least one of its most-loved children's book characters. But the number of toads hopping through British grasslands, forests and gardens has almost halved in a generation.Vast numbers of toads are being lost every year," said Silviu Petrovan, a senior researcher at the University of Cambridge, who was lead author on the study showing just how uncommon the common toad is becoming. Continue reading...
Efficiency employees reportedly told to avoid climate change' and similar terms in their work in latest clampdownThe US Department of Energy has told employees in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to avoid using the words climate change" in what seems to be the latest incident in a crackdown on discussing the climate crisis in the US government.Please ensure that every member of your team is aware that this is the latest list of words to avoid - and continue to be conscientious about avoiding any terminology that you know to be misaligned with the Administration's perspectives and priorities," says an email from an agency acting director seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...
Investors in talks about supporting up to 15 government-backed nature restoration projects in ScotlandPrivate investors are in talks about spending tens of millions of pounds on government-backed nature restoration projects in Scotland, the country's conservation agency has said.NatureScot said its so-called nature investment partnerships were on course to raise more than 100m for up to 15 projects, as it sought to fend off detailed criticisms of its fundraising efforts by an economics thinktank. Continue reading...
An image of a magnificent frigatebird silhouetted against a total solar eclipse by Canadian photographer Liron Gertsman was chosen from more than 25,000 images as the grand prize-winner in 2025's largest bird photography competition. Young bird photographer of the year was awarded to Tomasz Michalski Continue reading...
In the name of pragmatism', green measures are being ditched, net zero derided. Be very clear: without slashing emissions we are in deep, deep troubleThe hope that followed the signing of the Paris climate agreement in 2016 has long gone as the global community has failed utterly to rein in emissions, which - barring a small pandemic-induced blip in 2020 - have headed remorselessly upwards ever since. And there is little sign of this changing anytime soon. Indeed, as global heating has accelerated over the past few years, instead of trying harder, the world is turning its back on measures to tackle the climate crisis.In the UK, Labour is considering the approval of two major new oilfields in the North Sea - Rosebank and Jackdaw - with both Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves reported to be backing the proposals, which would lock in reliance on fossil fuels at the expense of renewables. Alongside this, instead of the government introducing measures to reduce aviation emissions, such as a frequent-flyer levy and the taxing of aviation fuels, a Heathrow expansion has been greenlit and, just last week, a second runway at Gatwick. Continue reading...
Gas derived from farm waste can meet only 18% of current gas demand by 2050, despite claims of fossil fuel lobbyists, study findsGas derived from farm waste will never be an alternative to the widespread adoption of heat pumps, research shows, despite the claims of fossil fuel lobbyists.Biomethane, which comes mainly from digesting" manure, sewage and other organic waste, has been touted as a low-carbon substitute for fossil fuel gas, for use in home heating. Proponents say it would be less disruptive than ripping out the UK's current gas infrastructure and installing heat pumps. Continue reading...
The billionaire's last three cases are part of a growing global list from fossil fuel companies against government decisions to reduce carbon emissions
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#70D9G)
Capitals from London to Tokyo need urgent action to protect people from deadly high temperatures, analysts sayThe world's biggest capital cities are now sweltering under 25% more extremely hot days each year than in the 1990s, an analysis has found. Without urgent action to protect millions of people from high temperatures, more and more will suffer in the dangerous conditions, analysts said.From Washington DC and Madrid to Tokyo and Beijing, the analysis shows a marked rise in hot days as the climate crisis intensifies. Overall, the assessment by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), found the number of days above 35C in 43 of the world's most populous capital cities rose from an average of 1,062 a year from 1994-2003 to 1,335 from 2015-2024. Continue reading...
White House allocating 13.1m acres of public land to coal mining, which has been on rapid decline over past 30 yearsThe White House will open 13.1m acres (5.3m hectares) of public land to coal mining while providing $625m for coal-fired power plants, the Trump administration has announced.The efforts came as part of a suite of initiatives from the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, and Environmental Protection Agency, aimed at reviving the flagging coal sector. Coal, the most polluting and costly fossil fuel, has been on a rapid decline over the past 30 years, with the US halving its production between 2008 and 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Continue reading...
A fire has burned through a third of Namibia's vast Etosha national park, one of Africa's largest game reserves. The site in the north of the largely desert country is home to 114 mammal species, notably the critically endangered black rhinoceros, and is a popular tourist attraction.The fire, which has been burning since 22 September, has caused extensive ecological damage and razed about 34% of the park, according to the environment ministry.After an emergency cabinet meeting, the government announced that a further 500 soldiers would be deployed to assist troops, police, local people and firefighters at the scene
From California to North Carolina, high schools and colleges are offering classes in fire science, search and rescue, and ecological sustainabilityThis story is from the Hechinger ReportGavin Abundis watched as firefighter Adrian Chairez demonstrated how he uses pulleys and harnesses to rappel down buildings. You've probably seen it in the movies where they're going down Mission: Impossible style," Chairez said with a laugh one day this past winter as he prepared to step off a tower. We get to do that." Continue reading...
With three years to go, experts agree that the city has set bold goals and faces steep challengesHosting the summer Olympics used to be a dream for many global cities, but it is now seen by many as more of a nightmare. There's the cost of hosting - $10bn and up, in recent years - the displacement of local residents, the environmental toll, and the risk of being left, like Rio de Janeiro or Athens, with major debt and crumbling Olympic stadiums.In the decade since Los Angeles secured its bid for the summer 2028 games, the city's leaders have promised they will do it differently, and that Los Angeles is prepared to deliver world-class Olympics and Paralympic games in its sunny, ideal weather", all while keeping costs, environmental damage, and community disruption to a minimum. Continue reading...
Mercedes-Benz and other big manufacturers want to overturn the EU's 2035 ban on petrol cars. This would be as disastrous for jobs as for the climateThere is something rather old-fashioned about the way Germany views its car industry. When the prime minister of Bavaria, Markus Soder, calls the car the destiny of Germany and the heart of its economy, and says that without the car, collapse is imminent", the vehicle he seems to be describing is one with a combustion engine, running on fossil fuels or their derivatives. This nostalgic attachment to the heavy-duty, polluting industries of the 20th century is now colliding with the urgent realities of the climate crisis.Earlier this month, heads of European automotive companies gathered in the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, for a meeting with its president, Ursula von der Leyen. German car manufacturers came with two demands: to reverse the EU ban on the manufacture of new cars with CO2-emitting combustion engines that is due to come into force in 2035, and to loosen the annual quotas they have to meet for sales of electric vehicles between now and 2035.Tania Roettger is a journalist based in BerlinThis article was amended on 29 September 2025 to remove a potentially misleading reference to cleaner fuels" in the final paragraph Continue reading...
Vast tract of park that is home to 114 mammal species, including critically endangered black rhino, affectedNamibia has begun deploying hundreds of soldiers to fight a fire that has burned through a third of the vast Etosha national park, one of Africa's largest game reserves, officials said.The park in the north of the largely desert country is home to 114 species of mammals, notably the critically endangered black rhinoceros, and is a major tourist attraction. Continue reading...
by Mark Brown North of England correspondent on (#70BYP)
Two years after the tree was cut down, the National Trust says it wants to turn a sense of loss into a sense of hope'Artists are being asked for ideas to create a nationally important" work from the wood of the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree which, organisers hope, will be galvanising and inspiring.The National Trust has revealed details of a huge creative commission, offering the chance for artists, organisations or creative agencies to use half of the tree's timber to produce something incredible. Continue reading...
From supermarkets to restaurants, rising meat costs amid tight supply and strong demand are hitting Americans hardIf beef is what's for dinner, expect to pay more for it.The classic combination of tight supply and strong demand has pushed US cattle and beef prices to record highs, and there is little end in sight with farmers reluctant to expand their herds and selling off high-priced heifers to dig them out of debt. Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#70BMH)
Concerns over whether gas generators are making fair profits are prompting fresh proposals to reform the systemTravel 18 miles north of London and the grey bulk of a gas power plant comes into view near Rye House railway station in Hertfordshire.Rye House power station has generated electricity since 1993, making it Britain's longest-serving such power plant still in the market. But it also produces some of the most expensive electricity in the country. Continue reading...
Sentient Media reveals less than 4% of climate news stories mention animal agriculture as source of carbon emissionsFood and agriculture contribute one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions - second only to the burning of fossil fuels. And yet the vast majority of media coverage of the climate crisis overlooks this critical sector, according to a new data analysis from Sentient Media.The findings suggest that only about a quarter of climate articles in 11 major US outlets, including the Guardian, mention food and agriculture as a cause. And of the 940 articles analyzed, only 36 - or 3.8% - mentioned animal agriculture or meat production, by far the largest source of food-related emissions. Continue reading...
Humans have helped save the great apes from extinction, but are now the biggest threat to their survival as they compete for land in east Africa's Virunga mountains Photographs by Badru Katumba for the GuardianIt is sunrise on mount Muhabura, an inactive volcano on the Ugandan-Rwandan border, and Dr Benard Ssebide is in a rush to find a family of mountain gorillas before the tourists arrive. A mass of ferns, vines and thistles encroaches on the path, and the guides hack through brambles with machetes. Above, the forest whistles in the wind, glowing in the morning light.The higher you go, the more the mountain pushes back," Ssebide says, pausing for breath. Continue reading...
Consider the annihilation of agricultural land alongside the genocide - and grasp the chilling totality of this attempt to eliminate all lifeA landless people and a peopleless land: these, it appears, are the aims of the Israeli government in Gaza. There are two means by which they are achieved. The first is the mass killing and expulsion of the Palestinians. The second is rendering the land uninhabitable. Alongside the crime of genocide, another great horror unfolds: ecocide.While the destruction of buildings and infrastructure in Gaza is visible in every video we see, less visible is the parallel destruction of ecosystems and means of subsistence. Before the 7 October atrocity that triggered the current assault on Gaza, about 40% of its land was farmed. Despite its extreme population density, Gaza was mostly self-sufficient in vegetables and poultry, and met much of the population's demand for olives, fruit and milk. But last month the UN reported that just 1.5% of its agricultural land now remains both accessible and undamaged. That's roughly 200 hectares - the only remaining area directly available to feed more than 2 million people.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnistDo 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...
Plant in Beckton has run only five times and has been beset by multiple problems since it was builtLondon's desalination plant has cost more than half a billion pounds since 2010 and has run only five times, delivering 7.2bn litres of drinking water, roughly seven days of London's typical daily demand. Now Thames Water is planning a new 500m project to tackle drought in the capital.The Thames Gateway desalination plant at Beckton, built for 270m and now largely mothballed, has racked up an estimated 200m in debt interest, about 45m in idle upkeep and about 3m in operating costs, according to Thames Water figures. That puts the lifetime bill at about 518m, or about 7p for every litre the plant has ever produced, which is 28 times more than customers usually pay for their water. Continue reading...
Response from leaders and key climate figures comes after PM's aides advised non-attendance over concerns Reform may attack himLeading climate figures and Labour MPs have urged Keir Starmer to attend the crucial Cop30 climate summit this November, after aides advised him not to attend for fear of attracting the ire of the Reform party.Simon Stiell, the UN's climate chief, said: Cop30 is where leaders are expected to come and roll up their sleeves, make deals to help their nation's economy transition faster, creating more jobs, and guide the world on what next steps we take together." Continue reading...
Forest is remarkably resilient to climate change', but remains under threat from fires and deforestationThe biggest trees in the Amazon are growing larger and more numerous, according to a new study that shows how an intact rainforest can help draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and sequester it in bark, trunk, branch and root.Scientists said the paper, published in Nature Plants on Thursday, was welcome confirmation that big trees are proving more climate resilient than previously believed, and undisturbed tropical vegetation continues to act as an effective carbon sink despite rising temperatures and strong droughts. Continue reading...
Beloved specimen triumphs in Woodland Trust contest over King of Limbs' oak in WiltshireA much-loved ash tree in the heart of Glasgow has won the annual tree of the year competition organised by the Woodland Trust.While many trees that have featured in the competition are located in the remote British countryside, the Argyle Street ash is on one of the city's busiest roads. Continue reading...
Many eateries in the North Carolina city now welcome tourists after navigating complex insurance rules to surviveCurate, a Spanish tapas restaurant and one of the best-known eateries in Asheville, North Carolina, sat empty for two days after Hurricane Helene last September.Then co-owner Katie Button reopened it alongside World Central Kitchen to provide meals for many community members who were without electricity and running water. To do so, Curate installed a tank and brought in clean water at the cost of $1,000 a day, racking up $30,000 in water, tank rental and delivery fees. Continue reading...
University of California, Berkeley, study found that those who experience severe effects will see upto a $1m in costsThe climate emergency is significantly increasing costs for California households in the form of rising utility bills, lost wages and growing healthcare expenses, worsening the state's affordability crisis, according to a sweeping new report.The average American born in 2024 will likely face up to $500,000 in additional lifetime costs from climate crisis, and those who experience more severe effects will see up to $1m in costs, the Costs of Climate Change: Financial and Economic Impacts on California report states. Continue reading...
Petition says that US government's protection of fossil fuel interests has put people in harm's wayBy continuing to fund and support a fossil fuel-based energy system, the US is violating international law, a group of young people have argued to an international human rights body.The petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), filed late on Tuesday and shared exclusively with the Guardian, says the government's actions have violated the petitioners' human rights. Continue reading...
Super Typhoon Ragasa has caused widespread flooding and damaged roads in Hong Kong, which resumed international flights on Thursday but kept kindergartens and some schools closed. Ragasa, the strongest storm so far this year, killed 14 people in Taiwan and 11 in the Philippines, according to officials. More than 100 people were injured in Hong Kong
Disaster relief agency reportedly didn't answer two-thirds of calls after criticism for slow response during devastationThe US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema)'s acting administrator, David Richardson, was largely unreachable after deadly flooding swept through Texas in July, according to a new report.That meant the agency could not deploy search-and-rescue resources as quickly as possible. The federal agency had already faced criticism for its slow response to the disaster in which more than 130 people died. Continue reading...
Environment | The Guardian