Chinese fast fashion retailer penalised month after 40m fine from French regulator in JulyThe Italian authorities have fined Shein 1m (870,000) for making misleading or omissive" environmental claims about its products, the second time in as many months the Chinese fashion retailer has been targeted by European regulators.Environmental sustainability and social responsibility messages on Shein's website were in some cases vague, generic, and/or overly emphatic" and in others were misleading or omissive", said Italy's competition authority, AGCM. Continue reading...
Professor Richard Thompson, a marine litter expert, says delegates must act decisively to look next generation in the eye'Delegates at the UN plastic pollution treaty talks in Geneva must secure an ambitious global agreement so they can look future generations in the eye, one of the world's leading marine litter experts has said.Prof Richard Thompson, who was named one of Time's 100 most influential people this year for his groundbreaking work on plastic pollution, said decisive action was needed to protect human health and the planet. Continue reading...
by Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Raina in Srinagar on (#6Z3WG)
Wular Lake once supported 5,000 people who harvested the plant's edible roots, until the lake silted up after floods. Now the lotuses are backWe threw seeds into the lake hundreds of times, but nothing grew. It's only now, after the silt was cleared, that we see the flowers again after nearly 33 years," says Bashir Ahmad, a 65-year-old who fishes in Kashmir's Wular Lake for his livelihood.Wular was once among Asia's largest freshwater lakes. It lies in the Kashmir valley, about 18 miles (30km) north-west of Srinagar, at the foot of the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountain ranges. It was renowned for its high-quality lotus plants, and sustained the livelihoods of more than 5,000 people who harvested and sold nadru - the edible lotus stem cherished as a delicacy in Kashmiri households and which features in wazwan, the region's traditional multi-course celebratory meals. Continue reading...
by Gabrielle Canon, Sam Levin and agencies on (#6Z3HY)
At least three people injured and over 450 structures under threat by Gifford blaze, with only 3% of perimeter containedA huge wildfire in central California has threatened hundreds of homes, with blazes churning through the brush-covered hillsides in Los Padres national forest.At least three people were reported injured, and more than 450 structures were under threat by the Gifford fire, officials said on Monday. Continue reading...
More than 700 active wildfires burning across Canada and about two-thirds are currently out-of-controlBillowing smoke from hundreds of out-of-control wildfires - most of which are in the Canadian Prairies - have caused severe air quality alerts across Canada and the United States.Detroit, Michigan, and the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto, recorded some of the worst air quality in the world on Monday, according to a ranking by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company. Continue reading...
Governors Island, a 172-acre island in New York Harbor only accessible by ferry, attracts nearly a million visitors each year. More recently, it has evolved into an educational hub and incubator for solutions to facing the city's climate and environmental challenges Continue reading...
by Words and photographs by Douwe den Held and Anasta on (#6Z3PK)
A licence to dig in the Cajas region has been welcomed by some as an answer to economic woes. Yet many fear it will devastate a fragile ecosystem and set the tone for further projects in the countryGolden grasses, mossy hummocks and scattered lakes unfurl across the highlands of Macizo del Cajas, Azuay province. The vastness of this high-altitude Ecuadorian moorland combines with its near-silence to create an empty, alien atmosphere.But this unique landscape teems with life. The paramo - a high-altitude tropical ecosystem that stretches across the northern Andes - is a living sponge, quietly drawing moisture from the clouds that drift at more than 3,000 metres (9,800ft) above sea level. Continue reading...
Visitors to pay up to NZ$40 to access certain attractions in coming years amid overhaul of conservation lawsNew Zealand plans to start charging international tourists fees to enter its famous natural sites and will make it easier for businesses to operate on conservation land as part of a controversial proposal to unleash" growth on ecologically and culturally protected areas.The government plans to start charging foreign visitors NZ$20-40 ($12-24) per person to access some sites. Initially, those would probably include Cathedral Cove/Te Whanganui-a-Hei, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound and Aoraki Mount Cook. The fees are likely to be imposed from 2027.This story was amended on 5 August 2025 to reflect new information provided by the government that fees will apply to Milford Sound, not Milford Track. Continue reading...
Citizen Zoo to map habitats in the capital and consult boroughs and the public about reintroduction of the birdsAn urban rewilding group is seeking the public's views on the potential return of white storks to London as part of a project to see if the birds could make a home in the capital.White storks could once be seen flying in Britain's skies and building their huge nests on roofs and in trees, but they disappeared centuries ago as a breeding bird as a result of hunting and habitat loss. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6Z2XZ)
Plastic production has increased more than 200 times since 1950 and hits health at every stage from extraction to disposal, says review in the LancetPlastics are a grave, growing and under-recognised danger" to human and planetary health, a new expert review has warned. The world is in a plastics crisis", it concluded, which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age and is responsible for at least $1.5tn (1.1tn) a year in health-related damages.The driver of the crisis is a huge acceleration of plastic production, which has increased by more than 200 times since 1950 and is set to almost triple again to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060. While plastic has many important uses, the most rapid increase has been in the production of single-use plastics, such as drinks bottles and fast-food containers. Continue reading...
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy in July moved 147 brush-tailed bettongs from an 8,000 hectare fenced 'safe haven' to the surrounding sanctuary. With the conservancy managing the population of cats and foxes in the area, they're hoping the bettongs will be able to survive and thrive Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6Z2PM)
Industry data shows suppliers have scaled back premium-priced deals based on renewables as demand fallsThe number of green energy tariffs available to British households has plummeted during the cost of living crisis as bill payers choose affordability over sustainability, according to industry data.Energy suppliers have pulled tariffs advertised as green" from the market since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered a global energy crisis that pushed gas and electricity bills to record highs. Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent on (#6Z2AF)
Scientists record longest streak of temperatures higher than 30C in region in records going back to 1961Cold Nordic countries are being seared by truly unprecedented" heat, as hot weather strengthened and lengthened by carbon pollution continues to roast northern Europe.A weather station in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle recorded temperatures above 30C (86F) on 13 days in July, while Finland has had three straight weeks with 30C heat. Continue reading...
To counter attacks on net zero, challenges including the need for grid upgrades will have to be graspedWith net zero policies under attack from elected far-right populists as well as autocratic petrostates, and another summer of record-breaking temperatures in Europe, the failure to decarbonise the world's power supply is as gravely concerning as ever. But the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, struck an optimistic note in a recent speech in New York. The world, he said, is on the cusp of a new era ... The sun is rising on a clean energy age." Pointing to falls in the cost of onshore wind and solar, and the risk of further gas-price shocks in future, he called on big technology companies - whose datacentres are one reason for soaring energy use - to adopt a target of 100% low-carbon electricity by 2030.Given US president Donald Trump's personal hostility to renewable energy, Mr Guterres may be right that it makes more sense to demand action from US businesses at this point. In Scotland earlier this week, Mr Trump launched his latest misleading tirade, urging European leaders to stop the windmills".Do 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...
Containment slips for megafire in Grand Canyon and large blaze in Utah as hot and dry weather fans flamesTwo wildfires burning in the western United States - including one that has become a mega-fire" on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon - are so hot that they are spurring the formation of fire clouds" that can create their own erratic weather systems.In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 sq miles (424 sq km) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental US and one of the top 10 largest in recorded Arizona history. Getting around it would be roughly like driving from New York City to Washington DC. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6Z1W5)
US banks have already pulled out of NZBA, the UN environment programme's finance initiativeBarclays has become the second UK bank to withdraw from a UN-backed net zero target-setting group, claiming that a wave of defections by international lenders meant it was no longer fit for purpose.It marks a fresh blow for the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), after HSBC left in early July. It came months after a wave of exits by US banks, which departed in the run-up to Donald Trump's inauguration in January. Continue reading...
New peer-reviewed research found an average of seven pesticides in each of 10 butterflies testedA 2024 mass monarch butterfly die-off in California was probably caused by pesticide exposure, new peer-reviewed research finds, adding difficult-to-obtain evidence to the theory that pesticides are partly behind dramatic declines in monarchs' numbers in recent decades.Researchers discovered hundreds of butterflies that had died or were dying in January 2024 near an overwintering site, where insects spend winter months. The butterflies were found twitching or dead in piles, which are common signs of neurotoxic pesticide poisoning, researchers wrote. Continue reading...
The US president promotes classical architecture and loathes ugly' wind turbines. Keir Starmer would dismiss him as a nimby, but on this Trump has a pointTrigger warning. Some readers may find this disturbing. Not everything Donald Trump says is mad and a lie. Not all of it is about money. Some of it is even worth saying. When he came to office, one of Trump's first actions was extraordinary. He directed his fire at what he saw as the ugliness of American architecture. He demanded that at least federal buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings, and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States". All plans had to be submitted to Washington for his approval.There was more than an element of psychological obsession in such bureaucracy. American classicism - born of an admiration for France's republicans - was a cult throughout the 19th century. The White House was based on a Dublin mansion. This week it was announced that it is to get what it has always lacked, a sumptuous new ballroom in which to receive and entertain foreign dignitaries. It is to be classical, with no nonsense about trying to make it look modern. That a president should seek to revive both regional and European style in the face of America's relentless modernism is a breath of fresh air.Simon Jenkins 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...
Thistle-shaped Depastrum cyathiforme was last seen in France in 1976, but has now been found on South UistFor nearly 50 years, there has been no trace of Depastrum cyathiforme, a stalked jellyfish that resembles a thistle flower.The distinctive jellyfish was feared globally extinct after being last spotted in Roscoff, northern France, in 1976. Continue reading...
William Thomas of Kerr county tells hearing illness meant he did not take part in emergency planning meetingsA key emergency official was sick and asleep for most of the day before devastating flash flooding swept through Texas hill country and killed more than 130 people over the Fourth of July weekend.Kerr county's emergency management coordinator, William B Thomas, had not spoken publicly since the floods, one of the state's worst ever natural disasters. Questions have swirled about his absence and the lack of sufficient warnings to residents about the impending storm before the Guadalupe river surged to record levels in the early hours of 4 July. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6Z131)
The groups have long been at odds over culling of badgers in England as a way to control TB in cattleThe first farmer-led programme to vaccinate badgers against tuberculosis is beginning in Cornwall with an aim to prevent transmission of the disease to cattle.The programme is significant because farmers and scientists have long been at loggerheads over the culling of badgers as a way to control TB. The three-year trial will start with 70 farms and involve farmers trapping, testing and vaccinating badgers, with training provided by scientists. An earlier pilot study of the approach showed TB rates in badgers fell from 16% to zero in four years. Continue reading...
EPA tries to rescind endangerment finding' - part of drill, baby, drill' agenda that experts say poses grave threatThe Trump administration is attempting to unmake virtually all climate US regulations in one fell swoop.At an Indiana truck dealership on Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a proposal to rescind the 16-year-old landmark legal finding which allows the agency to limit planet-heating pollution from cars and trucks, power plants and other industrial sources. Continue reading...
Local Communist party secretary says there were gaps' in city's readiness for extreme weather after at least 40 killedA Beijing city official has issued a rare public acknowledgment of official failings in the authorities' response to the severe flooding that hit China's capital this week.Yu Weiguo, a Communist party secretary for Miyun, the northern district worst affected by this week's extreme weather, said in a press conference on Thursday that there were gaps" in the city's readiness for the deadly floods. Continue reading...
State's fish and wildlife department posted a video showing an adult female guarding a nest of eggsAdult winter-run Chinook salmon have been spotted in northern California's McCloud River for the first time in nearly a century, according to the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW).The salmon were confirmed to be seen near Ash Camp, tucked deep in the mountains of northern California where Hawkins creek flows into the McCloud River. A video posted by CDFW and taken by the Pacific states marine fisheries commission shows a female Chinook salmon guarding her nest of eggs on the river floor. Continue reading...
Newly appointed expedition botanist Matthew Jeffery feels daunted' but inspired by his unique globetrotting role collecting wild speciesIt was described as the best job in the natural world": an expedition botanist for Cambridge University Botanic Garden who would follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and go on plant-collecting adventures around the world.Within days of the job advertisement going viral, six people had sent it to Matthew Jeffery and suggested he apply. Continue reading...
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'
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6Z0F9)
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...
by Jonathan Barrett and Graham Readfearn on (#6Z030)
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...
by Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo and Kim Willsher in Pralo on (#6YZZV)
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...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6YZSR)
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...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#6YZRW)
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...