Wild Justice says bill would reduce environmental protections and calls on Angela Rayner to correct statement saying it will notA legal campaign group is planning a judicial review against the UK government's new planning bill, arguing it will result in a weakening of environmental protections which were fought for and created over decades.Wild Justice is calling on the housing minister, Angela Rayner, to correct a parliamentary statement in which she told MPs the bill, which applies mainly to England and Wales, would not reduce the level of protection. Her words were echoed in a letter to the Guardian from the nature minister, Mary Creagh, who stated it did not repeal habitat or species protections or give a licence to do harm. Continue reading...

Fourth most important food crop in peril as Latin America and Caribbean suffer from slow-onset climate disasterThe climate crisis is threatening the future of the world's most popular fruit, as almost two-thirds of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean may no longer be suitable for growing the fruit by 2080, new research has found.Rising temperatures, extreme weather and climate-related pests are pummeling banana-growing countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, reducing yields and devastating rural communities across the region, according to Christian Aid's new report, Going Bananas: How Climate Change Threatens the World's Favourite Fruit. Continue reading...

Sir Adrian Montague's appearance on Tuesday offers perhaps the last chance to scrutinise utility's dealingsHurrah, Sir Adrian Montague, the chair of Thames Water, is scheduled to make another of his rare public appearances. On Tuesday, he will be at the environment select committee, the forum where 18 months ago he gave a strong signal that the company's financial crisis was even worse than feared.The shareholders, in their standoff with the regulator over bills, wanted to know the business was investable", said Montague. Three months later those investors decided it wasn't and refused to put in another penny. That forced the current refinancing contest that has seen KKR, the US private equity group, chosen as preferred bidder at the end of March. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Decision on whether to work with turbine maker being overseen by ministers after British Steel rescueMinisters are weighing up proposals for a Chinese company to supply wind turbines for a major offshore windfarm in the North Sea.The government is in discussions with Green Volt North Sea over whether Mingyang, China's biggest offshore wind company, should supply the wind turbines. Mingyang has emerged as the preferred manufacturer, but the company has sought advice from ministers on whether to proceed. Continue reading...

Conservationists call for more funding and warn of danger to cherished' native species, from water voles to ladybirdsLess than 1% of the government's biosecurity budget goes on tackling invasive species, despite the danger they pose to British wildlife, figures suggest.Conservationists warned the funding to address non-native plants and animals was failing to match the risk they posed to cherished" native species, from water voles to ladybirds, as well as to waterways, homes, businesses and local green spaces. Continue reading...

Healthy peatlands can help tackle the climate crisis but degraded peat emits carbon and contributes to global heatingNew mapping of England's peatlands has revealed that 80% of the habitats are dry and degraded.Scientists mapped England's peatlands and peaty soils for the first time using satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and in-depth data analysis to create the most complete map to date, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said. Continue reading...

Workers at farm owned by UK's biggest pig meat producer Cranswick filmed killing piglets by banned blunt force trauma' Warning: graphic contentTesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons have suspended supplies from a Lincolnshire pig farm linked to abuse against pigs.Secretly filmed footage has shown farm workers at Northmoor Farm appearing to grab piglets by their hind legs and smashing them on to the hard floor - a banned method of killing known as blunt force trauma or piglet thumping". Continue reading...

The Danish drama is piercing in its ordinariness. In the real world, the climate crisis worsens and authoritarians take charge as we calmly look awayThe climate crisis has taken a new and frightening turn, and in the expectation of disastrous flooding, the entire landmass of Denmark is about to be evacuated. Effectively, the country will be shutting itself down and sending its 6 million people abroad, where they will have to cope as best they can. Huge numbers of northern Europeans are therefore being turned into refugees: a few might have the wealth and connections to ease their passage from one life to another, but most are about to face the kind of precarious, nightmarish future they always thought of as other people's burden.

Study finds dietary fiber effectively cuts levels of two most common and dangerous Pfas, with more research planned

As I stood there, awed by how disgusting and wasteful our species is, I realised that everyone needs to see thisLike all the best things in life, this story starts with an argument about bins. Admittedly, I could do better at recycling. I can try to chalk this up to having read too much about how all our plastic waste ultimately ends up in landfill sites in the poorest parts of south-east Asia. But I'm also lazy and so well-acquainted with cognitive dissonance that I could probably cry over the death scene in Bambi while comforting myself by chowing down on a giant haunch of venison.My partner, Leo, is the total opposite: diligent and principled. Which is why she finally lost it with me for failing to put a plastic yoghurt tub in the recycling. I went on the defensive, citing half-imagined reports about megadumps in the Philippines and inescapable doom. She retaliated by booking us on an educational tour of Southwark Reuse and Recycling Centre.Eleanor Margolis is a columnist for the i newspaper and Diva Continue reading...

As an oceanographer, I study how the ocean shapes our world. For Australia and other nations, the lesson is urgentAntarctica is often viewed as the last truly remote place on Earth - frozen, wild and untouched. But is it really as untouched as it seems?This vast frozen continent is encircled by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the only current in the world that connects all the oceans, showing how closely linked our planet really is. Continue reading...

The state government is aware of koala welfare problems but says it has no cost-effective' solutions

Forestry Corporation says suggestion that it can be compared to a criminal bikie gang is ridiculous'

On the remote Channel Islands, a draw for researchers and divers, preservation has transformed the ecosystemJust 14 miles (23km) off the southern California coast lies a vast underwater paradise.Giant sea bass the size of grizzly bears and schools of sardines glide together through swirling strands of golden kelp, whose long stalks preside over a world exploding with life and color. Playful harbor seals dance into the depths of undulating pink, green and orange plants, alongside spiny crustaceans and vibrant sea stars that embrace the volcanic rock that slopes to the sandy seafloor. Continue reading...

There is an appetite in this country for policy that will change lives. What is more fundamental than the water we use and bills we pay?

Sap-sucking insects top list of queries to gardening charity after causing significant harm to plantsAphids are plaguing gardeners this spring due to the warm weather, with higher numbers of the rose-killing bugs expected to thrive in the UK as a result of climate breakdown.The sap-sucking insects have topped the ranking of gardener queries to the Royal Horticultural Society, with many of its 600,000 members having complained of dozens of aphids on their acers, roses and honeysuckle plants. Continue reading...

Study finds human-caused climate change made four-day rainfall across central Mississippi valley 40% more likelyThe four-day historic storm that caused death and destruction across the central Mississippi valley in early April was made significantly more likely and more severe by burning fossil fuels, rapid analysis by a coalition of leading climate scientists has found.Record quantities of rain were dumped across eight southern and midwestern states between 3 and 6 April, causing widespread catastrophic flooding that killed at least 15 people, inundated crops, wrecked homes, swept away vehicles and caused power outages for hundreds of thousands of households. Continue reading...

Findings show for first time how plastic chemicals throw off the body's internal clock by up to 17 minutesChemicals in everyday plastics may disrupt the body's natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythm in a way similar to coffee, which increases the risk of sleep disorders, diabetes, immune problems and cancer, new in vitro research shows.The study looked at chemicals extracted from a PVC medical feeding tube and a polyurethane hydration pouch, like those used by long-distance runners. PVC and polyurethanes are also used in everything from kids toys to food packaging to furniture. Continue reading...

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, found to have criminally damaged tree and Hadrian's Wall

Many saw the beloved tree that Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham cut down as a part of north-east England's DNAIt was just a tree," said a mystified Adam Carruthers, one of the two men who illegally cut down the tree at Sycamore Gap in the early hours of a stormy night nearly two years ago. It was almost as if someone had been murdered."Carruthers was right about the reaction to the felling. Many likened its loss to that of a good friend or relative. Its destruction prompted feelings of sadness, grief and then blind fury. Some people wept. Continue reading...

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

About 270,000 people died in Liberia's timber trade-fuelled civil war. I helped to rebuild and protect its forests. Now Europe is threatening to undermine all our hard workIt is sad when a ruthless military dictator funds his government by destroying ecologically important rainforest, logging tropical trees and displacing and robbing the people who live in and depend on the forests for their livelihoods and culture.This happened in my country, Liberia. Continue reading...

Mayor to make major policy shift and say scale of housing crisis requires breaking tabooSadiq Khan is announcing plans to build on parts of London's green belt, in a dramatic shift in housing policy aimed at tackling the most profound housing crisis in the capital's history".In a major speech on Friday, the mayor of London is expected to say the scale of the challenge, which could need about 1m new homes built in the next decade, requires a break from longstanding taboos. Continue reading...

Healesville sanctuary releases 21 critically endangered birds in hopes a new wild population will thrive

Voters have spoken with clarity. We want a renewable-powered future

Judge grants payments between $5,000 and $104,000 after second world war-era tank leak contaminated water supplyA federal judge has awarded more than $680,000 to 17 families who say they were sickened by a leak from a second-world-war era fuel tank into a US navy drinking water system in Hawaii in 2021.The bellwether cases set the legal tone for another 7,500 military family members, civilians and service members whose lawsuits are still awaiting resolution. Continue reading...

US agency will no longer update major weather database in latest showing of Trump's influence on climate resourcesThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) will no longer track the cost of climate crisis-fueled weather disasters, including floods, heatwaves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change.Noaa falls under the US Department of Commerce and is tasked with daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring. It is also parent to the National Weather Service. Continue reading...

Richard Di Natale says party can regain lost seats, while Bob Brown and Christine Milne praise Adam Bandt's leadership against nasty misrepresentations'

Sacred site of the Arabana people could get its most significant top-up in a generation as floods spread across the outback

Producers promoted chemical recycling - processes used to break plastics into constituent molecules - but knew of limitationsPlastic producers have pushed advanced recycling" as a salve to the plastic waste crisis despite knowing for years that it is not a technically or economically feasible solution, a new report argues.Advanced recycling, also known as chemical recycling, refers to a variety of processes used to break plastics into their constituent molecules. The industry has increasingly promoted these technologies, as public concern about the environmental and health effects of plastic pollution has grown. Yet the rollout of these technologies has been plagued by problems, according to a new analysis from the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), a fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group. Continue reading...

With less than a month before the start of the 2025 hurricane season, residents are still recovering from catastrophic damage from the past two yearsIdalia. Debby. Helene.Not visiting friends, not neighbors. All hurricanes that have not yet faded into memory for the residents of Taylor county in Florida, where all three powerful storms hit in just two years. Continue reading...

Commoners say restrictive grazing may be raising risk of fires like one that scorched 500ha of moorlandThe spot where the wildfire broke out could hardly have been worse. Cut Hill is one of the remotest and highest peaks on Dartmoor, miles from any road, a place of tussocky, ankle-turning terrain.And the weeks of hot weather meant the molinia, the moorland grass, was as tinder dry as farmers can remember it at this time of year. Once it took hold, on Sunday, the fire raged. Continue reading...

The University of Queensland system is intended to give policymakers idea of how species traverse the oceans and what it will take to save them

Fossil fuel company retains chosen board members, with former Shell executive Ann Pickard re-elected at meeting interrupted by whistle-blowing activists

Fast and unplanned growth of cities providing ideal conditions for the creatures to thrive, say researchersScorpions are taking over" Brazilian cities, researchers have warned in a paper that said rapid urbanisation and climate breakdown were driving an increase in the number of people being stung.More than 1.1m stings were reported between 2014 and 2023, according to data from the Brazilian notifiable diseases information system. There was a 155% increase in reports of stings from 2014 to 2023, according to research published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. Continue reading...

Mount Augustus snail, among largest in world, can live for decades and eats slugs and earthworms

New York Times reports Elon Musk's Doge agency has created spreadsheet of federal grants earmarked for cutsThe Trump administration is reportedly eyeing dozens of grants across the National Park Service for termination, according to reporting from the New York Times, one of several moves destabilizing the US's investment in public lands.According to the newspaper, staff members at Elon Musk's unofficial department of government efficiency" have created a spreadsheet of federal grants earmarked for cuts, with total funding cuts amounting to some $26m. Continue reading...

Exposure to small particulate matter from fires contributes to thousands of annual deaths in US, according to studyWildfires driven by the climate crisis contribute to as many as thousands of annual deaths and billions of dollars in economic costs from wildfire smoke in the United States, according to a new study.The paper, published on Friday in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, found that from 2006 to 2020, the climate crisis contributed to about 15,000 deaths from exposure to small particulate matter from wildfires and cost about $160bn. The annual range of deaths was 130 to 5,100, the study showed, with the highest in states such as Oregon and California. Continue reading...

Loss of the vast Hornsea 4 offshore wind project is bad news but it reveals a big flaw in setting a deadline

First stage of initiative will introduce keystone' species to beaver enclosures in Derbyshire and NottinghamshireElk could return to the UK after 3,000 years under plans by the Wildlife Trusts to reintroduce the keystone" species into Britain's landscapes.The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust wants to introduce elk into two existing beaver enclosures in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, with the hope of demonstrating that the large semiaquatic deer should be released to roam free in the wild. Continue reading...

Environment Agency recommends rationing water as UK sees driest start to spring in 69 yearsCrops are already failing in England because of drought conditions this spring, farmers have said.People should start to ration their water use, the Environment Agency said, as water companies prepare for a summer of drought. The government has also asked the water CEOs to do more to avert water shortages, and the EA said hosepipe bans are on the horizon if a significant amount of rain does not fall. Continue reading...

Reported closure of program for home appliances comes amid president's hatred of water-conserving showersUS customers could face higher energy bills, experts have warned, amid reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to end the Energy Star program whose blue labels have certified energy efficiency on home appliances for more than 30 years.If you wanted to raise families' energy bills, getting rid of the Energy Star label would be a pretty good way," said Steven Nadel, executive director of the non-profit research organization the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Continue reading...

Characterised by darkness and cold temperatures, the extreme environment of Antarctica's deep sea is largely unexplored. Now, after a special marine science voyage, a team aboard Australia's national icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, has collected some remarkable species from the waters around the Denman Glacier

Australian Ethical, which holds $56m worth of QBE shares, calls on insurer to overhaul its policies which allow it to underwrite oil and gas projects without restriction before AGM

A Russian drone attack has inflicted tens of millions of pounds of damage to the site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, according to experts. The photographer Julia Kochetova has gained access to the area Continue reading...

Political uncertainty under Trump has dampened the market, even as red states see a boom in renewable energyRenewable energy in the US has surged to unprecedented levels, with the combined power generated by solar, wind and geothermal more than tripling over the past decade, according to a new report by a network of state environmental groups.The growth has slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions, made the nation's energy system more resilient and prevented thousands of premature deaths from power plant pollution, according to the report by Environment America.The amount of solar energy produced in 2024 - enough to power 28m homes - was nearly eight times higher than a decade earlier. Solar power production increased 27% from 2023 to 2024.Wind produced even more energy - enough to power 42m homes in 2024. The amount of power from wind has more than doubled over the past decade.Wind, solar and geothermal energy accounted for 19% of all retail sales of electricity last year, according to the federal data used to produce the report.The amount of utility-scale battery storage in the US grew 63% from 2023 to 2024 - and a more than 80-fold increase over the past decade.Nearly 3.3m electric vehicles were on US roads at the end of 2023 - a 25-fold increase from 2014. The number of electric vehicle charging ports, meanwhile, grew to more than 218,000 at the end of 2024 - six times more than there were in 2015 and a 24% increase from just the year before. Continue reading...

Jaguars, giant armadillos and ocelots among species threatened by shrinking habitat in one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the worldIn the Gran Chaco forest, vast green expanses - home to jaguars, giant armadillos and howler monkeys - have turned to fields of dust. The forest once brimmed with life, says Bashe Nuhem, a member of the Indigenous Qom community, but then came a road, and soon after that logging companies. It was an invasion. Loggers came without any consultation and families moved away. Those that stayed were left with only a cemetery of trees," she says.The Gran Chaco is South America's second-largest forest after the Amazon; its 100m hectares (247m acres) stretch across Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. It is also one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world - host to more than 3,400 species of plants, 500 birds, 150 mammals, 120 reptiles and 100 amphibians. Continue reading...

Party intends to block projects despite net zero industries contributing nearly 1bn to local economy, analysis shows

Trials will test ways to block sunlight and slow climate crisis that threatens to trigger catastrophic tipping pointsReal-world geoengineering experiments spanning the globe from the Arctic to the Great Barrier Reef are being funded by the UK government. They will test sun-reflecting particles in the stratosphere, brightening reflective clouds using sprays of seawater and pumping water on to sea ice to thicken it.Getting this critical missing scientific data" is vital with the Earth nearing several catastrophic climate tipping points, said the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria), the government agency backing the plan. If demonstrated to be safe, geoengineering could temporarily cool the planet and give more time to tackle the root cause of the climate crisis: the burning of fossil fuels. Continue reading...

On average, five fatal whale strikes occur in the country's waters each year, the highest in the world - and just a fraction of the total number killed, say researchers