From turning out the lights to letting leaves rot, these small steps can create big changes at home or in the wild

Datacentres, which do not have to report amount of water used to cool servers, leave Environment Agency with no idea of shortfallsThe artificial intelligence boom means the Environment Agency has no idea how much water England will be short of in future decades, as datacentres do not have to report how much they are using to cool their servers.England's public water supply could be short by 5bn litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to future-proof resources, the government environment regulator has warned, with a shortfall of a further 1bn litres a day for farming, energy generation and powering emerging technologies. Continue reading...

Extreme events such as floods and droughts are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe, study saysNew data from Nasa has revealed a dramatic rise in the intensity of weather events such as droughts and floods over the past five years.The study shows that such extreme events are becoming more frequent, longer-lasting and more severe, with last year's figures reaching twice that of the 2003-2020 average. Continue reading...

Board expresses support for offer but deal depends on regulatory approvals and treasurer's tick-off

Exclusive: Wensum and Tone found to have high concentrations of chemicals that are toxic to aquatic lifeDangerous modern pesticides used in agriculture and pet flea treatment have been detected for the first time in English rivers, research has found.Scientists have called for stricter regulation around high-risk farming pesticides and flea treatments for pets because of the deadly effects they have on fish and other aquatic life when they make their way into rivers. Continue reading...

Bill that aims to reduce plastic packaging by 30% in 12 years faces staunch opposition by some business interestsThe oil and petrochemical lobby is attempting to fend off a New York state proposal to slash plastic waste by arguing that it will disproportionately burden people of color, advocates and assembly sources say, despite widespread evidence that the plastic supply chain poses serious health risks to Black and brown communities.In New York state, advocates are fighting to pass a wide-ranging bill to reduce plastic packaging by 30% in 12 years while dramatically boosting recycling rates and phasing certain toxic compounds out of packaging. The packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure bill would place a fee on large businesses that distribute plastic packaging, with revenue benefiting taxpayers - a scheme called extended producer responsibility. Continue reading...

Nearly 13 years after Hurricane Sandy flooded lower Manhattan, the first section of East River Park, designed to withstand storm surges, opens Continue reading...

Six-year-old among dead as officials say they have never seen anything like this' amid heavy rains in north of stateFlash flooding caused by torrential rains killed at least six people - including a six-year-old child - in northern West Virginia, and rescue crews were searching for missing people on Sunday, while authorities were assessing damage to roads, bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure.Officials said 2.5-4in (6-10cm) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio county within about a half-hour on Saturday night. Continue reading...

Nature and farmers' groups cautiously welcome spending review as there were fears Treasury wanted bigger cutsLabour is cutting the farming budget in England by 100m a year, spending review figures show.Despite the decrease, the budget has been cautiously welcomed by nature and farming groups, as there were fears the Treasury had wanted to reduce the funding further. Continue reading...

The increase in Burmese pythons had resulted in loss of animals native to the EvergladesIt was a milestone moment in Florida's 25-year war on invasive Burmese pythons: an eye-popping announcement that biologists had removed 20 tons of the slithering invaders from waters in and around the Everglades in little more than a decade, as well as shattering their previous record for a single-season haul.The successes of the team at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida showcase the progress that has been made in efforts to reverse the snakes' takeover of the state's natural wilderness, even though experts concede they will probably never be completely eradicated. Continue reading...

Experts say Asian needle ant not especially dangerous' but warn some people have gone into anaphylaxisLast year, Dan Suiter, a professor of urban entomology at the University of Georgia, received at least three calls from people who had been stung by an Asian needle ant - or knew someone who had been - and went into anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.While there is no new evidence on the continued spread of the ants in the US - detected now in 20 US states - Suiter and his colleagues are determined to raise public awareness of the risks the species poses. Continue reading...

IADB's proposals involve lenders using public money to buy up renewable energy loans in poor countriesAn innovative plan to use public money to back renewable energy loans in the developing world could liberate cash from the private sector for urgently needed climate finance.Avinash Persaud, a special adviser on climate change to the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), who developed the proposals, believes the plan could drive tens of billions of new investment in the fledgling green economy in poorer countries within a few years, and could provide the bulk of the $1.3tn in annual climate finance promised to the developing world by 2035. Continue reading...

The bureau has forecast cooler temperatures, gusty winds, showers and alpine snow for the south-east on Tuesday

Report says billpayer funds are being used irresponsibly, after news that Thames Water paid bonuses from 3bn loanBonuses and dividends for water company bosses and shareholders should be approved by the regulator before they are paid, as billpayer funds are being used irresponsibly, MPs have said.They also recommended that the government consider ending the profit-driven water company model and making English companies non-profit, similar to how the system works in Wales, in the report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee. Continue reading...

Miccosukee Tribe partners with Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation to safeguard lands as part of moral obligation'Almost two centuries ago, Native American tribe members sought the protection of Florida's Everglades during the Seminole wars as they hid from government forces seeking to banish them to Indian territories that later became Oklahoma.Now, as the Trump administration continues its wholesale slashing of federal funding from conservation projects, the Miccosukee Tribe is stepping up to fulfill what it sees as a moral obligation" to return the favor. Continue reading...

Bord na Mona, which was once a peat extraction company, has now committed to one of the largest peatland restoration projects ever undertaken, targeting 33,000 hectares in over 80 bogs with the hope of reducing carbon emissions and increasing biodiversity. But many households still continue to cut turf, relying on it for heating as have previous generations Continue reading...

Richard Tice says voters will turn on government unless energy bills fall

Nonbinding vote at state conference sends strong signal to state and federal Nationals leaders

Among the dead in the internationally significant wetland are estuarine snails, shore crabs, baby flounder and a thick stew of polychaete worms'

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A slew of global leaders met in the south of France to discuss the future of the oceans. There was momentum' and enthusiasm', but there were critical voices tooThe sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope ... and we are all in the same boat." So said Jacques Cousteau, the French explorer, oceanographer and pioneering film-maker, who notably pivoted from merely sharing his underwater world to sounding the alarm over its destruction.Half a century later, David Attenborough, a year shy of his 100th birthday, followed Cousteau's trajectory. In the naturalist's acclaimed new film, Ocean, which highlights the destructive fishing practice of bottom trawling, he says he has come to the realisation that the most important place on Earth is not on land but at sea". Continue reading...

Kimberley Terrell's research into health and job disparities had triggered a backlash from state and Tulane leadersThis story is co-published with FloodlightEnvironmental advocates are questioning the actions of a private university in Louisiana after the resignation of a scientist who researches the health and job disparities in a heavily industrialized part of the state known as Cancer Alley.Kimberly Terrell served as a director of community engagement and a staff scientist with Tulane University's Environmental Law Clinic before resigning and accused university leaders of trying to censor the work she is doing to spotlight the harms to local communities plagued by industrial pollution. Continue reading...

Among other concerns, the US military parade will produce as much pollution as created to heat 300 homes for a yearDonald Trump's military parade this weekend will bring thousands of troops out to march, while dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers roll down the streets and fighter jets hum overhead.The event has prompted concern about rising autocracy in the US. It will also produce more than 2m kilograms of planet-heating pollution - equivalent to the amount created by producing of 67m plastic bags or by the energy used to power about 300 homes in one year, according to a review by the progressive thinktank Institute for Policy Studies and the Guardian. Continue reading...

Groups say president grievously wrong' after withdrawing from Biden-led deal to protect fish in Pacific north-westDonald Trump has pulled the US federal government from a historic agreement to recover the salmon population in the Pacific north-west, calling the plan radical environmentalism".A presidential memorandum issued by Trump on Thursday removes the US from a deal brokered by Joe Biden with Washington, Oregon and four Native American tribes to work to restore salmon populations and develop clean energy for tribes. Continue reading...

Environment minister Murray Watt is returning from oceans conference where he pledged to curb the scourge of plastics and ratify a treaty to protect the high seas Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton's free Clear Air newsletter hereThe federal environment minister, Murray Watt, is returning from a UN oceans conference where he pledged to curb the scourge of plastics and make good on Australia's promise to ratify a treaty to protect the high seas.The five-day meeting in Nice, France finished on Friday, and conservationists celebrated some key steps towards protecting wildlife in international waters. Continue reading...

Environment minister Murray Watt is restarting the process after the government shelved earlier proposed reforms Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton's free Clear Air newsletter hereA select group of environment and industry leaders will be brought together in a fresh attempt to build consensus on a long-awaited rewrite of federal nature laws, Guardian Australia can reveal.The environment minister, Murray Watt, will soon detail the next phase of consultation as he presses ahead with an ambition to enact sweeping changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) in the next 18 months. Continue reading...

Welfare of sows confined to farrowing crates was compromised and they displayed signs of extreme stress, experts sayThe use of restrictive pens to temporarily house pregnant pigs in the UK severely compromises their welfare, can traumatise them and should be banned, experts have said.Analysis by Animal Equality UK of footage collected from a farm in Devon showed that three pregnant sows in farrowing crates spent more than 90% of their time lying down, with one not standing up at all for a day. On average, between them they bit the bars (a sign of extreme stress) more than once an hour. Continue reading...

The Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division strives to provide full sensory experience' in country's national parksThe Trump administration appears poised to cut the US Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD), a little-known office that works to rein in noise and light pollution in national parks, a task that is seen as a vital environmental endeavor.Advocates say the division's work is quiet but important - many plants and animals rely on the darkness, and light pollution is contributing to firefly and other insect die-offs. The office led efforts to reduce light pollution at the Grand Canyon and snowmobile noise that drowned out sounds emanating from the Old Faithful geyser, among other initiatives. Continue reading...

The documentary shows the damage that fishing does to our planet. So why does the industry still hold governments to ransom?I have been saying this a lot recently: At last!" At last, a mainstream film bluntly revealing the plunder of our seas. At last, a proposed ban on bottom trawling in so-called marine protected areas" (MPAs). At last, some solid research on seabed carbon and the vast releases caused by the trawlers ploughing it up. But still I feel that almost everyone is missing the point.David Attenborough's Ocean film, made for National Geographic, is the one I've been waiting for all my working life. An epoch ago, when I worked in the BBC's Natural History Unit in the mid-1980s, some of us lobbied repeatedly for films like this, without success. Since then, even programmes that purport to discuss marine destruction have carefully avoided the principal cause: the fishing industry. The BBC's Blue Planet II and Blue Planet Live series exemplified the organisation's perennial failure of courage.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Sale covering 56,000 square miles set to go ahead despite opposition from Indigenous and environmental groupsThe Brazilian government is preparing to stage an oil exploration auction months before it hosts the Cop30 UN climate summit, despite opposition from environmental campaigners and Indigenous communities worried about the environmental and climate impacts of the plans.Brazil's oil sector regulator, ANP, will auction the exploration rights to 172 oil and gas blocks spanning 56,000 square miles (146,000 sq km), an area more than twice the size of Scotland, most of it offshore. Continue reading...

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

Climate change is real and Coalition's job is to determine how to cut emissions, shadow assistant minister to opposition leader Maria Kovacic says

Order aims to centralize efforts, which are now split among five agencies and two cabinet departmentsDonald Trump has ordered the US government to consolidate its wildland firefighting force into a single program, despite warnings from former federal officials that it could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic blazes in the middle of peak wildfire season.The order aims to centralize firefighting efforts, which are now split among five agencies and two cabinet departments. Trump's proposed budget for next year calls for the creation of a new Federal Wildland Fire Service under the US interior department. Continue reading...

Proposals this week to weaken EPA restrictions will help tiny group of owners while the American people will breathe dirtier air'Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claimed on Wednesday that its plan to eviscerate power plant pollution standards will save the US about $1bn a year. In reality, though, this represents a starkly uneven trade-off, experts say.The savings for Americans" will go entirely to power plant operators who won't have to cut their pollution, while at the same time climate and health benefits for all Americans that are 20 times larger in dollar terms will be deleted. Continue reading...

State says it would challenge president's resolution, setting up a battle over California's environmental measuresDonald Trump has blocked California's first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, signing a resolution on Thursday to stymie the state's ambitious attempt to tackle the climate crisis by pivoting to greener vehicles.

Intensive livestock farms such as those found across the US are spreading across the continent, according to new dataAmerican-style intensive livestock farms are spreading across Europe, with new data revealing more than 24,000 megafarms across the continent.In the UK alone, there are now 1,824 industrial-scale pig and poultry farms, according to the data obtained by AGtivist that relates to 2023. Continue reading...

Hosepipe bans possible as low reservoir levels make region second in England to enter drought statusYorkshire has become the second area of England to enter drought after the country recorded its driest spring in 132 years.Hosepipe bans could be possible if the region did not have significant rainfall in the coming weeks as, despite recent showers, reservoir stocks were continuing to dwindle. Yorkshire Water reservoir stocks dropped 0.51% over the last week to 62.3%, significantly below the average of 85.5% for this time of year. Continue reading...

From Northern Irish handkerchief-makers to Scilly Isles fisherman who know when to let stocks replenish, a new book showcases radical solutions to our environmental problems Continue reading...

The US president vowed to cut food costs, but experts warn metal tariffs may raise prices in a matter of monthsCanned foods make up a big part of 20-year-old Cale Johnson's diet: tuna, corned beef hash, beans, chicken soup, Spam and fruit. They're affordable and have a long shelf life, which is essential for many people in the US like Johnson, who earns a low income and works two part-time jobs in addition to being a full-time student in Omaha, Nebraska.In the days after Donald Trump's recent decision to double tariffs on steel and aluminum, Johnson says he's worried. Continue reading...

The 43% emission reduction target is not aligned with the Paris agreement - it should be at least 59%

Senior lecturer says staff and students have struggled to get answers from university leadership about arrangement

More than 200 health experts say regulatory proposals will lead to biggest increase in pollution in decadesUS power plants will be allowed to pollute nearby communities and the wider world with more unhealthy air toxins and an unlimited amount of planet-heating gases under new regulatory rollbacks proposed by Donald Trump's administration, experts warned.The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a plan on Wednesday that would repeal a landmark climate rule that aims to mostly eliminate greenhouse gases from power plants by the 2030s and would, separately, weaken another regulation that restricts power plants' release of hazardous air pollutants such as mercury. Continue reading...

Ed Miliband's vehicle for investing in renewables lost 30% of its pot to small modular nuclear reactors in the spending review

National energy company effectively loses 2.5bn to separate body tasked with spearheading nuclear renaissance

A 30-year-old from New Jersey sustained minor injuries in latest mishap involving tourists and wildlifeA bison gored a man at Yellowstone national park on Tuesday, park officials said, in the latest instance of an injury caused to a tourist who got too close to one of the large hoofed bovines.An unnamed 30-year-old man from Randolph, New Jersey, sustained minor injuries after being gored by the bison in the Upper Geyser Basin region of Yellowstone, the famed national park that spreads across three western states. The National Park Service said the man was treated by emergency medical personnel and that the incident was now under investigation. Continue reading...

Dan Tehan says Coalition's position on the Paris agreement and gas reservation scheme are also up for debate

Foreign competition and natural disasters have pushed US shrimp industry to the edge of survivalSandy Nguyen has strong opinions about where the best shrimp in the US is produced.A second-generation shrimper in New Orleans, Nguyen maintains our [Louisiana] shrimp tastes better than Florida shrimp or Mississippi shrimp or Texas shrimp". Her family moved to the Gulf coast from Vietnam during the Jimmy Carter administration, and her dad, like many such immigrants to the area, worked as a fisher. The business gave Nguyen a front-row seat to one of the nation's most abundant sources of seafood. Continue reading...

The DNA of rare small-clawed otters in captivity in Japan has been matched to wild populations in poaching hotspots in ThailandPosing for selfies on the laps of excited visitors, the otters of Tokyo's animal cafes have learned to play their part in their online stardom. In thousands of social media videos, the aquatic mammals wriggle through the outstretched hands of adoring customers who reward their attention with food.But the booming demand has raised major concerns among conservationists, with a study published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice linking the small-clawed otters in animal cafes in Japanese cities with wild populations in poaching hotspots in Thailand. Continue reading...

UK company offers alternative to land-based burials after success of memorials in Bali made from remains of petsDeath is killing our planet. That is the stark assessment of a new business offering an innovative alternative: having your loved one's ashes made into a reef and anchored to the British seabed.There are increasing concerns about the environmental cost of traditional funerals: a single burial generates 833kg of CO, while a typical cremation has a footprint of about 400kg of CO. In the US alone, 1.6m tonnes of concrete and 14,000 tonnes of steel is used each year for building graves. Chemicals from embalming processes seep into the soil. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Climate.gov, which supports public education on climate science, will soon no longer publish new contentA major US government website supporting public education on climate science looks likely to be shuttered after almost all of its staff were fired, the Guardian has learned.Climate.gov, the gateway website for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa)'s Climate Program Office, will imminently no longer publish new content, according to multiple former staff responsible for the site's content whose contracts were recently terminated. Continue reading...