Environment | The Guardian

Breeding event known as Cuttlefest takes place in waters off Point Lowly but this year scientists warn the effect of toxic algae could be catastrophic'

Fossil fuel reliance likely to continue and Cop28 target of limiting global heating to below 1.5C will be missedMost global governments have failed to act on the 2023 UN pledge to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade, according to climate analysts.The failure to act means that on current forecasts the world will fall far short of its clean energy goals, leading to a continued reliance on fossil fuels that is incompatible with the target of limiting global heating to below 1.5C. Continue reading...

Only a small sliver of riverside land is accessible to the public. Rights of way shouldn't depend on the goodwill of landownersIn a country often said to be racked by division, criticising the condition of rivers is one of England's few unifying pastimes. Sewage dumping, which occurred for nearly 4m hours in English rivers and coastal waters last year, has become a potent source of anger, inspiring campaigners to push for cleaner water. Despite the concern that people show for England's rivers, however, it is remarkably difficult to stroll along their banks, let alone take a dip.The Guardian's recent reporting on the River Dart in Devon has shown that large stretches of its bank are privately owned, and many of these are difficult to access. The researcher Lewis Winks, who used Land Registry data to map the Dart's ownership, found the 47-mile long river has no fewer than 108 separate owners. The Duchy of Cornwall owns 28 miles of riverbank; two aristocratic estates own a further 13; 11.6 miles are owned via offshore companies. Continue reading...

Young birds were closely monitored and protected from predators after six summers without fledging successA pair of Montagu's harriers have raised four chicks in an English wheat field, the first success for Britain's rarest breeding bird since 2019.The fledglings took their maiden flights this week after being closely monitored by the RSPB and the local farmer, with a protective wire-mesh fence installed around the nest to repel predators such as foxes. Continue reading...

Indian conglomerate's claim about exporting coal and its role for developing nations is meaningless sustainability waffle' and amounts to greenwashing, one says

Concerns poorer countries could be priced out of negotiations in Belem as room rates soar amid shortageThe UN climate bureau has held an urgent meeting about concerns that sky-high rates for accommodation at this year's Cop30 summit in Brazil could price poorer countries out of the negotiations.Brazil is preparing to host Cop30 this November in the rainforest city of Belem, where representatives of nearly every government in the world will gather to negotiate their joint efforts to curb the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Experts say thawing of permafrost due to climate breakdown is causing increase in rock collapses across AlpsHundreds of hikers and tourists were evacuated and dozens of trails closed after a series of rockfalls on the slopes of Cima Falkner in the Brenta Dolomites in the north of Italy, as experts warned of a sharp rise in landslides in the area linked to thawing permafrost.In recent days, visitors reported hearing loud booms followed by rockfalls and thick clouds of dust rising from Monte Pelmo in the Val di Zoldo after rocky pinnacles broke away and crashed down into the valley below in the municipality of Selva di Cadore in Italy's Belluno province. Continue reading...

Test is one of only about 200 chalk streams in the world and councillors says biodiversity in and around it has declinedLocal politicians have recognised the right of a famous chalk stream, the Test in Hampshire, to flow freely and unpolluted.Councillors on Test Valley borough council voted unanimously to acknowledge the intrinsic rights" of the rivers within its boundaries, including the Test, which is renowned for its trout and fly fishing. Continue reading...

Disgust at the CEO's rightwing activism is casting a pall but conservatives are no more likely to buy EVsUS liberals have become so disgusted with Tesla since Elon Musk's rightward turn that they are now not only far less likely to purchase the car brand but also less willing to buy any type of electric car, new research has found.The popularity of Tesla among liberal-minded Americans has plummeted since Musk, Tesla's chief executive and the world's richest person, allied himself with Donald Trump and helped propel the president to election victory last year. Continue reading...

Incidents across northern Europe on 26 and 27 July have left scientists trying to understand why so many of the deep-diving whales have appearedA series of strandings of one of the world's deepest dwelling and most rarely seen types of whale in the last few days has left experts baffled over why they might have appeared in such numbers.Beaked whales are used to deep ocean waters and are so rarely seen that some species have only ever been identified through dead specimens. But on 26 and 27 July there were reports from western Ireland, Orkney in Scotland and the Netherlands of these whales being stranded, raising concerns that human actions could be implicated in the animals' deaths. Continue reading...

Not a single licence granted since first beavers let loose in March, raising questions over application processWhen the first pair of beavers to be legally released in England crawled sleepily from their crates into the ponds of Purbeck Heath in Dorset, it seemed like a watershed moment for wildlife in the UK.Wildlife charities rejoiced as ministers finally agreed for the nature-boosting rodents to be released, subject to licence, into the wild. Nature-friendly farmers kept an eager eye out for the application forms, hoping they could host the fascinating creatures on their land. Continue reading...

Research links poor housing, access to cooling and other economic factors to higher mortality rates during heatwavesEthnic minorities and people living in the most deprived areas of England are at increased risk of dying due to excess heat, according to research.A study, published in BMJ Public Health, is the first of its kind to assess the role of socio-environmental factors in the risk of heat-related deaths. Continue reading...

Pesticide-free movement has grown, but many local authorities still spray weedkiller linked to wildlife declines and cancerMore than half of councils in the United Kingdom continue to use pesticides in parks, playgrounds, pavements, playing fields and housing estates, research revealed on Wednesday.But increasingly, local authorities are taking action to end or reduce their use of pesticides, according to research by the Pesticide Action Network. Continue reading...

Floods have caused extensive damage in Beijing and northern China, killing 30 people and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate.

River Action says failure to publish and put into practice policy on nationalisation of failing water firms is unlawfulA river charity is taking legal action against the environment secretary, Steve Reed, accusing him of an unlawful failure to publish his policy on taking failing water companies into temporary nationalisation.Lawyers for River Action argue that Thames Water has breached its duties and violated its licence conditions seriously and repeatedly, making it the clearest possible case for special administration. Continue reading...

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to revoke key scientific finding that allows for US climate regulationDonald Trump's administration on Tuesday proposed revoking a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for US action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule rescinds a 2009 declaration that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. Continue reading...

Former energy officials raise alarm about tariffs, cuts and other policies creating uncertainty in geothermal industryGeothermal is one of the most promising clean energy sources in the US, providing 24/7 renewable power that could meet rising energy demand from AI datacentres. But former Department of Energy officials are alarmed that Donald Trump is fumbling its potential.Compared with other clean energy sources such as solar and wind, geothermal enjoys rare bipartisan support. The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has praised the technology, calling it an awesome resource that's under our feet". And Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act preserved tax credits for geothermal. Continue reading...

Developing snorkelling trails is part of my job, but I never tire of the teeming underwater life and seeing some of the least crowded parts of Britain's coastPeople always ask me: isn't it too cold to snorkel in Scotland? And I reply that while it's obviously much cooler than it would be in Spain, the sea does warm up from May, when the temperature rises from about 9C to as high as 12-15C by August and September.I go snorkelling in Scotland all year round. I work for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, developing snorkel trails on the Scottish coast and creating guides to the places you can go to enjoy snorkelling in a particular area. But even so, the Wildlife Trust always recommends wearing a wetsuit. Continue reading...

Pollution incidents reported between 2014 and 2019 were compared against scientific study that used satellite imagery to count slicksJust 474 out of more than 90,000 oil slicks from ships around the world were reported to authorities over a five-year period, it can be revealed, and barely any resulted in any punishment or sanctions.The figure, obtained from Lloyd's List by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations, shows the pollution incidents reported between 2014 and 2019, compared against a scientific study using satellite imagery that counted the number of slicks from ships over the same period. Continue reading...

Ofwat finds company breached its legal obligations in how it operated its wastewater treatment works

Research shows difficulties ahead for ministers if they are to keep manifesto pledge to extend riverside public accessCampaigners in Devon are calling for a right to the riverbank after finding their local river, the Dart, has 108 separate owners, with an eighth of it owned via offshore companies.Locals used site visits, angling maps, Companies House records and Land Registry data to find out who owns the River Dart. Continue reading...

Independent MP Jacqui Scruby says she saw fresh koala scratchings on trees just metres from clear-felling' in parts of proposed Great Koala national park

Government launches licensing round for 52 fossil fuel blocks, potentially undermining a flagship conservation initiative and affecting an estimated 39 million peopleThe Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is opening crucial gorilla habitats and pristine forests to bids for oil and gas drilling, with plans to carve up more than half the country into fossil fuel blocks.The blocks opened for auction cover 124m hectares (306m acres) of land and inland waters described by experts as the world's worst place to prospect for oil" because they hold vast amounts of carbon and are home to some of the planet's most precious wildlife habitats, including endangered lowland gorillas and bonobo. Continue reading...

Authorities relocated 80,000 residents from China's capital after registering rainfall of up to 543 mm in some districtsMore than 30 people have been killed by heavy rain and flooding in Beijing and a neighbouring region, state media have reported, as tens of thousands more were evacuated from China's capital.State broadcaster CCTV said that as of midnight on Monday, 28 people had died in Beijing's hard-hit Miyun district and two others in Yanqing district as of midnight. Both are outlying parts of the sprawling city, far from the downtown. Continue reading...

Environment secretary says Defra will be launching changes to post-Brexit scheme for sustainable farmingFarmers in England will get new payments for cleaning up the waterways near their land, the environment secretary has said.Agricultural pollution affects 40% of Britain's lakes and rivers, as fertiliser and animal waste washes off the land into waterways. Continue reading...

Two huge swarms have made themselves at home inside author Pip Harry's house - but learning to live together revealed bees can be excellent housemates

Undocumented migrants form the backbone of the salad bowl of the world' - Trump's crackdown has led to hyper-vigilanceDriving into the Salinas valley, about two hours south of San Francisco, hand-painted signs fly by, advertising cherries, pistachios, avocados and garlic.From above, the valley looks like a quilt stitched together out of a thousand shades of green - the fields of lettuce, spinach and strawberries that give the region its nickname, the salad bowl of the world". Continue reading...

Microplastics have been found in the placentas of unborn babies, the depths of the Mariana Trench, the summit of Everest and the organs of Antarctic penguins. But how do they travel through the world, and what do they do to the creatures that carry them? Here is the story of how plastic contaminates entire ecosystems - and even the food we eat. Illustrations by Claire Harrup Continue reading...

Experts welcome move by NSW government, saying nets are ineffective at preventing shark bites and indiscriminately' kill marine life

Exclusive: Solar-powered units reciting biblical passages have appeared in the Javari valley, despite strict laws protecting Indigenous groups

Alga from east Asia is major threat to biodiversity, say experts as they warn of environmental catastropheThousands of tonnes of an aggressive invasive seaweed from east Asia are piling up on the beaches of the strait of Gibraltar and Spain's southern coast in what local environmentalists say is a major threat to the region's biodiversity.Since May, the local authority in Cadiz has removed 1,200 tonnes of the alga Rugulopteryx okamurae from La Caleta, the city's most popular beach, including 78 tonnes in a single day. Continue reading...

The vast salt lake in the South Australian outback is dry for most of its life, having only filled to capacity three times in the past 160 years. So when water does arrive, this enormous landscape becomes a riot of colour Continue reading...

The public-spirited sport of spogomi is catching on across Britain, which boasts its world champion teamArmed with gloves, metal tongs and plastic rubbish sacks, hordes of determined litter-pickers will descend on Hackney Marshes in east London this weekend.Spogomi, a Japanese litter-picking sport, has come to the UK. Invented in 2008, it was intended as a competition to encourage people to clean up public spaces. It is now played in schools across the country as people gamify collecting rubbish. Continue reading...

Water firms claim wet wipes, which shed microplastics and cause blockages, are main source of sewage pollutionWet wipe producers should be charged to remove their pollution from England's waterways, the author of a government review into reforming the sector has said.Sewage has been a critical factor in the devastating pollution of our waterways, but other sources of pollution include microplastics, consumer products such as wet wipes, and the byproducts of modern manufacturing, such asPfas (forever chemicals"), as well as fertiliser and pesticides from farming. Many of these have been linked to harmful effects on human health and the natural environment. Continue reading...

New technology also helps fruit yield, while strawberry, raspberry and blackberry output has risenBritish blueberries are the latest fruit to benefit from the warmest spring on record, with the harvest up by almost a quarter so far this year.Growers say the weather has produced an early crop with more and larger berries, while new varieties can bring higher yields and better resilience. About 5,133 tonnes are expected by the end of August, up significantly from almost 4,187 tonnes by the same point last year. Continue reading...

Two men led inquiry into 2019 debacle involving incorrect hurricane projections that tarnished federal agency's recordTwo high-ranking officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were placed on administrative leave on Friday, fueling speculation that the Trump administration was retaliating against them for actions taken during the president's first term.Jeff Dillen, who was serving as deputy general counsel, and Stephen Volz, who heads the agency's satellites division, led the investigation into whether agency administrators abdicated their scientific ethics when they altered the forecast of a deadly hurricane to match statements made by the president. Continue reading...

High temperatures and humidity across north-eastern coast increase risk of heat exhaustion, illnesses and deathMore than a 100 million people in the US will face dangerous conditions over the weekend as a heat dome that has scorched much of the center of the country nudges eastward.Heat advisories were in place on Friday all across the north-eastern coast from Portland, Maine, to Wilmington, North Carolina, with the daytime heat index temperatures 10 to 15F above average in some places. Continue reading...

After efforts to make conditions better for the elusive creatures in Studland Bay, sightings are greatly increasingThe divers emerged from the water smiling with satisfaction. They had found what they were looking for in the undersea meadows off the south coast of England.Seahorses are tricky to spot," said Mark Fox. The seagrass sways and they blend into it pretty well. It helps if it's sunny and not too choppy but you have to get your eye in. When you see them, it's brilliant." Continue reading...

Experts say there's plenty of precedent both in the US and abroad for state-supported food infrastructureWhen Zohran Mamdani sailed to a surprising but decisive victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary last month, he did so propelled by a platform laser-focused on making the country's largest city more affordable for working people. Among his proposed policies for achieving that vision - which include free childcare and a rent freeze for tenants - is the proposal to create a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on keeping food prices low rather than on making a profit.Without having to pay rent or property taxes, they will reduce overhead and pass on savings to shoppers," Mamdani said on his website. They will buy and sell at wholesale prices, centralize warehousing and distribution, and partner with local neighborhoods on products and sourcing." Continue reading...

Biodiversity is linked to people's diversity, and nature lends itself to people who are different, says author Joe HarknessWhen Joe Harkness received a message from a friend about macerating moth abdomens to check their genitalia to identify the species, it sparked an idea for a new book about wildlife obsessions. But over time, this developed into a completely different book: a clarion call to embrace neurodiversity in the fight against the extinction crisis.Across Britain, 15% of people are thought to be neurodivergent. In the process of writing Neurodivergent, By Nature, Harkness discovered that an estimated 30% of conservation employees were neurodivergent. Why? Continue reading...

Instead of just a choral group in a chapel, now it's a rock group in a mausoleum,' says one unspooked supporterRodney Anonymous, lead singer of the punk rock band The Dead Milkmen, has performed in venues around the world. His favorite place to play live is filled with the dead at the Laurel Hill cemetery in Philadelphia, where he used to ride his bike as a kid.The acoustics are great, and when there's a full moon, there's no place like it, the singer said. The band, whose songs include Punk Rock Girl and Bitchin' Camaro, have played at the burial grounds at least five times since 2012, and have plans to appear again next year. Continue reading...

PM of St Vincent and the Grenadines says ruling will strengthen the Caribbean's negotiating power when it comes to climate change reparationsLeaders in the Caribbean have hailed the outcome of the international court of justice (ICJ) climate change case as a historic legal victory" for small island states everywhere.Several countries in the region had provided evidence to the ICJ case, which ended this week with a landmark advisory opinion that could see states ordered to pay reparations if they fail to tackle fossil fuels and prevent harm to the climate system. Continue reading...

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

It is quite a good arrangement

Tests conducted at 500 UK sites show particle pollution exceeded health guidelines on 6% of school daysKeeping the classroom window closed is not the answer to reduce the amount of pollution coming into schools, a recent study has found.A project called SAMHE (Schools' Air quality Monitoring for Health and Education) operated air pollution monitors in nearly 500 classrooms for an academic year and found that days with high outdoor pollution led to higher pollution inside the classrooms. Continue reading...

Campaign group Slow Ways developing app for disabled people, parents with children, older people and othersVolunteers have mapped 10,000 walking routes across Great Britain in an attempt to make rural walking more accessible.The group has been researching and mapping these walking routes since 2020, and has now made them available on a dedicated website. Continue reading...

Lack of certainty' and step back in green ambition has made it hard for previously feasible projects to proceed, mining company says

Most comprehensive study of its kind highlights dangers of vehicle emissions and woodburning stovesExposure to certain forms of air pollution is linked to an increased risk of developing dementia, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind.The illness is estimated to affect about 57 million people worldwide, with the number expected to increase to at least 150m cases by 2050. Continue reading...

Deaths in Cyprus bring overall toll on the eastern Mediterranean island and neighbouring Turkey to 12Two people have been killed in a huge blaze in Cyprus, bringing the death toll from a series of wildfires on the eastern Mediterranean island and in neighbouring Turkey to 12 amid a brutal heatwave that has pushed temperatures to more than 44C (111F).Police said two charred bodies were found on Thursday in a burnt-out car that had been caught up in the Cyprus blaze, which began outside Limassol on Wednesday and, fanned by strong winds, rapidly engulfed a string of mountain villages north of the city. Continue reading...

Electric carmaker struggles to emerge from sales rut on continent despite updating its bestselling Model Y