Environment | The Guardian

The Guardian's picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Advocates warn firings and funding freezes already risk poisoning drinking water and decimating fish populationDonald Trump's and Elon Musk's attacks on federal agencies and funding freezes will be cataclysmic" for the environment of the sensitive Great Lakes region if not reversed, industry and environmental advocates in the region warn.Initial actions taken since Trump returned to the White House in January - and put Musk in charge of slashing the federal government - already risk poisoning drinking water, decimating fish populations, and risking the jobs and health of tens of millions of people who rely on the lake system, they add. Continue reading...

Witnessing near-miss roadkill on a daily basis makes me wonder if we can be better neighbors to wildlifeHeart racing, I hold my breath and brace to witness the impact.The spindly fawn crosses first, tottering its way across the two-lane artery that borders my house. I watch a truck approaching in the opposite direction and wait for it to slow down. Will it? Continue reading...

Some of the caves I dive in are hundreds of thousands of years old and the marine life is unique. But they can be very dangerous placesCave diving is like swimming through the history of the planet. There are remains of both humans and animals but also stalactites and stalagmites. These cannot form when the cave is flooded, so you can see when parts of it were submerged and when it was dry.Yet when I'm in a cave, time does not tick. There is no natural light, so the cave looks the same, whether it's midday or midnight. If you cave dive without the right training, equipment and mindset, it can be a very dangerous place. I have a very meditative focus when I'm down there. I live in the now. I cannot think about anything else but what is happening in the cave. I find that very soothing and relaxing. Continue reading...

Deal will restrict fishing near colonies on Robben Island and Bird Island for 10 years, after long debate between industry and conservationistsEfforts to stop the critically endangered African penguin from going extinct took a step forward on Tuesday after South African conservationists and fishing industry groups reached a legal settlement on no-fishing zones around six of the penguins' major breeding colonies.Sardine and anchovy fishing will not be allowed for 12 miles (20km) around the penguin colony off Cape Town on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and Bird Island, across the bay from Gqeberha, also known as Port Elizabeth. There will be more limited closures around four other colonies, according to a court order formalising the agreement. Continue reading...

Charity says thousands of signs on capital's estates deter children from being active, and is covering some of them upA campaign to bring down thousands of no ball games" signs across London - and eventually across the UK - has launched with a more ball games" takeover on a Lambeth housing estate.The new signs, which show basketball hoops, were designed by the inequality charity London Sport, working with the advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, and are being put over no ball games" signs on the Mursell estate in Stockwell with support from Lambeth council. Continue reading...

Flying lobsters, cuttlefish ink and stargazy pie ... Jon Tonks got on his kayak to spend 18 months photographing the incredible fishing communities around England's south-west coast Continue reading...

Ana Toni also criticises the UK's plans to slash overseas aid to fund defence spendingCountries looking to boost their national security through rearmament or increased defence spending must also bolster their climate efforts or face more wars in the future, one of the leaders of the next UN climate summit has warned.Some countries could decide to include climate spending in their defence budgets, suggested Ana Toni, Brazil's chief executive of the Cop30 summit. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Almost 300,000 hours of raw effluent poured into waterways, figures show, up from 196,000 in 2023A record 50% more raw sewage was discharged into rivers in England by Thames Water last year compared with the previous 12 months, data seen by the Guardian reveals.Thames, the largest of the privatised water companies, which is teetering on the verge of collapse with debts of 19bn, was responsible for almost 300,000 hours of raw sewage pouring into waterways in 2024 from its ageing sewage works, according to the data. This compares with 196,414 hours of raw effluent dumped in 2023.The Amersham balancing tanks in Buckinghamshire, which are supposed to safely store excess sewage after heavy rain, discharged 4,842 hours of raw sewage in 2024.Amersham was the scene of the longest unbroken individual discharge, when the equivalent of 154 days of raw sewage spilled into the River Misbourne, a chalk stream, last year.Marlborough sewage treatment works dumped raw sewage for 2,786 hours.At the Chesham sewage treatment works there were 2,681 hours of sewage discharges. Continue reading...

Made up of blobby tissue and living deep in the ocean, the distinctive species beat the longfin eel and pygmy pipehorse in the annual contestIt was once crowned the world's ugliest animal" and now the disgruntled-looking gelatinous blobfish has a new gong to its name: New Zealand's fish of the year.The winning species of blobfish, Psychrolutes marcidus, lives in the highly pressurised depths off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia and has developed a unique anatomy to exist. Blobfish do not have a swim bladder, a full skeleton, muscles or scales. Instead, their bodies are made up of blobby tissue with a lower density than water that allows them to float above the seafloor. Continue reading...

Break in cross-party consensus on issue to be announced on TuesdayKemi Badenoch is dropping her party's commitment to reaching net zero by 2050, as she launches the Conservatives' widest policy review in a generation.The Tory leader will give a speech on Tuesday in which she will argue that hitting Britain's legally binding climate target is impossible", abandoning one of the most significant policies enacted by her recent predecessor Theresa May. Continue reading...

Revealed: Edelman worked for Brazilian trade group accused of pushing for environmental rollbacks in AmazonEdelman, the world's largest public relations agency, is in talks to work with the Cop30 team organising the UN climate summit in the Amazon later this year despite its prior connections to a major trade group accused of lobbying to roll back measures to protect the area from deforestation, the Guardian and the Centre for Climate Reporting can reveal.The summit is set to take place in November in the city of Belem on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, which has been ravaged by deforestation linked to Brazil's powerful agriculture industry. For the first time, the talks will be at the epicenter of the climate crisis", the summit's president wrote last week. As the Cop comes to the Amazon, forests will naturally be a central topic," he added. Continue reading...

Village joins continental network alongside nearby Knepp estate, as birds previously extinct in Britain flourishThe Saxons knew the West Sussex village of Storrington as Estorchestone, the abode of the storks".But the graceful white birds disappeared from its skies more than 600 years ago, when they became extinct in Britain. Continue reading...

Judges dismiss appeal from campaigners who argued eye-watering' cost of loan was not in public interestThe court of appeal has upheld Thames Water's 3bn emergency bailout loan, in a decision published on Monday.Appeal court judges dismissed an appeal from environmental campaigners and a small group of Thames creditors after a three-day hearing last week. Continue reading...

Energy security and net zero secretary travels to Beijing for countries' first formal climate meetings since 2017Ed Miliband has accused the previous Conservative government of negligence for failing to engage with China on climate issues, as he travelled to Beijing for the countries' first formal climate meetings since 2017.The secretary of state for energy security and net zero was in Beijing to announce a new annual UK-China climate dialogue. The first summit will take place in London later this year. China's minister of ecology and environment, Huang Runqiu, is expected to attend. Continue reading...

In the 1960s, the Swiss had some of the dirtiest water in Europe. Now, their cities boast pristine rivers and lakes - and other countries are looking to follow their leadIn the first days of spring, people flock to Lake Geneva's broad, tree-lined promenade, their faces tilted towards the sun. Dior, Cartier and Rolex are among the high-end shopfronts overlooking the water. Rene Rottenberg, 75, has just finished his 400m swim through this upmarket urban jungle - a ritual he repeats up to five times a week, even in midwinter.For the retired gynaecologist, being able to swim in the crystal-clear water is the greatest luxury. It's just so fun," he says. The place is beautiful." Continue reading...

The toxic smog that settles over the Mongolian capital every winter has been a suffocating problem for well over a decade that successive governments have failed to dispel. In the depths of winter, the city's daily average of pollutants that can enter the lungs and bloodstream can be 27 times higher than the level considered safe by the World Health Organization. Respiratory illness cases have risen steadily, with pneumonia the second leading cause of death for children under five Continue reading...

New evidence of particles damaging crops strengthens the case for an international plastics treatyNew and concerning findings from environmental scientists about the impact of microplastics on crops and marine algae add to a growing body of evidence about the disruption caused to living systems by plastic pollution. The results, from a team led by Prof Huan Zhong at Nanjing University, China, are not definitive and require corroboration. But analysis showing that plastics could limit photosynthesis (the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy) must be taken seriously. If the researchers are correct, and staple crops are being reduced by about 12%, there are huge implications for global agriculture and food supplies. This could inject new urgency into efforts to tackle plastic pollution.There is no single route by which microplastic particles inhibit plants from growing. The overall effect is attributed to a combination of blocked sunlight and nutrients, and damage to soil and cells. This can lead to reduced levels of chlorophyll - the pigment enabling photosynthesis. When the researchers modelled the crop losses caused by an effect of this size, they found Asia was hardest hit, potentially contributing to food insecurity and worsening hunger.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...

Researchers use innovative cameras to identify fish species hindering coral reef restorationMarine scientists in Florida working to help reverse a calamitous decades-long decline in coral reefs caught fishy porch pirates" in the act with an innovative underwater doorbell-style surveillance camera.The footage showed that three corallivorous species - redband parrotfish, foureye butterflyfish and stoplight parrotfish - were responsible for eating more than 97% of coral laid as bait by the researchers at an offshore reef near Miami. Continue reading...

Trump administration accused of quid pro quo' for fast-tracking controversial fossil fuel proposal in MichiganDonald Trump's administration is being accused by activists of a quid pro quo as it attempts to fast-track a controversial fossil fuel pipeline proposal in Michigan that would in part be built by a donor with deep financial ties to the president.While Canadian oil giant Enbridge owns the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline that it is attempting to replace in the Great Lakes region, the contractor is Tim Barnard, who, along with his wife, gave $1m to Trump's campaign last year, Federal Election Commission records show. Continue reading...

Decomposing organic matter in catchments flooded by Cyclone Alfred removed oxygen from water, suffocating aquatic life

Energy summit in Houston makes clear US is nowhere close to curbing fossil fuels, but tariffs are causing disquietThis week, the world's most influential fossil-fuels conference, which has been dubbed the Coachella of oil", featured an industry displaying outward glee but barely managing to conceal its anxiety.As recently as last year, sustainability was a major focus at the annual Houston convention, known as CeraWeek, with fossil-fuel companies touting climate plans. But in the wake of Donald Trump's re-election, the industry is undergoing a vibe shift, forgoing talk of the energy transition and instead parroting the president's focus on energy dominance". Continue reading...

After years of helping Scottish criminal investigations and despite fearing for his life in India, Vishal Sharma's asylum claim has been rejectedWhen Vishal Sharma, an experienced merchant seaman, arrived in London from India in November 2017, he was looking forward to a good job on a Belgian tanker, the MT Waasmunster, assisting engineers. He had a 15-month contract and a transit visa, enabling him to travel to Milford Haven in Wales, where the 174-metre vessel was anchored.But in a last-minute change of plan, his Mumbai agent told him to head to Southwick in West Sussex, England, to board a scallop trawler, the Noordzee. Continue reading...

Salford University findings show gulls are predators - not just opportunists snatching people's snacks

Gulls are known for being ravenous - check out a selection of things they like All images from the Gulls Eating Stuff project From profiteroles to moles: project uncovers gulls' surprising diet Continue reading...

Co-leader says deprioritisation of net zero is extremely dangerous' as he rejects nimby-in-chief' characterisationLabour's push for economic growth at the expense of climate and nature is extremely dangerous", the co-leader of the Green party has said.Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley between Norfolk and Suffolk, was one of the five Green MPs elected to parliament last July in their best ever result. He said and his colleagues knew they would be holding Labour to account, but did not expect to be as disappointed as they have been. Continue reading...

Sam Jones, who left Australia on Friday, posted a 900-word statement questioning outrage in country where slaughter of wombats' is permitted

Former agency leaders, including two Republicans, say rollbacks by Lee Zeldin could cause severe harms'Three former Environmental Protection Agency leaders sounded an alarm on Friday, saying rollbacks proposed by the EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, endanger the lives of millions of Americans and abandon the agency's dual mission to protect the environment and human health.Zeldin said on Wednesday he planned to roll back 31 key environmental rules on everything from clean air to clean water and climate change. The former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy called Zeldin's announcement the most disastrous day in EPA history". Continue reading...

Backing of Greens is tantamount to approval of chancellor-in-waiting's proposal to relax debt brakeGermany's conservative chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, has said he has secured the support of the Green party for his radical plan to increase spending on defence and infrastructure after marathon talks that went through the night, paving the way for its approval in parliament.Germany is back," Merz said in Berlin on Friday. Germany is making its large contribution to the defence of freedom and peace in Europe." Continue reading...

Our homesteading journey began with self-sufficiency and a dream, but it evolved through loss and social media fame

Ed Miliband visits Beijing as part of plan to create global axis working in favour of climate action

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

I will be the first UK energy secretary since 2017 to visit. It is negligence towards today's and future generations not to engage China on this critical topicThe climate crisis is an existential threat to our way of life in Britain. Extreme weather is already changing the lives of people and communities across the country, from thousands of acres of farmland being submerged due to storms such as Bert and Darragh to record numbers of heat-related deaths in recent summers.The only way to respond to this challenge is with decisive action at home and abroad. Domestically, this government's clean-energy superpower mission is about investing in homegrown clean energy so we can free the UK from dependence on fossil fuel markets while seizing the immense opportunities for jobs and growth. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Officials explore restricting incentive to allocate greater funds to farms with less money and more natureThe richest farmers will not be able to apply for post-Brexit nature funding under plans for England being considered by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).Farming groups and climate experts have warned that such a plan would leave farmers in the cold" and make it more difficult for the UK to reach net zero by 2050. Continue reading...

What's happening to our native wildlife across the country is just as horrific as what we witnessed in that video - it's just occurring behind closed doors

Cuttings of tree captured by John Constable being planted on restored Devon floodplainCaptured by John Constable in one of his most celebrated paintings, the black poplar tree was once as common as oak and beech in Britain.Now the rarest and most threatened native species in the country, the National Trust is creating a living gene bank of the black poplar to ensure Constable's The Hay Wain does not become a tribute to an extinct breed. Continue reading...

Montana-based hunting influencer flies out of Australia on Friday after home affairs minister said he couldn't wait to see the back of this individual'A US hunting influencer who caused outrage in Australia after grabbing a baby wombat from its mother has left the country after the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said immigration authorities were checking if she had breached the conditions of her visa.A government source told the Guardian that Montana-based Sam Jones left the country on Friday morning. Continue reading...

Researchers say environmental impact from Kakhovka dam explosion comparable to Chornobyl nuclear disasterThe destruction of a large Ukrainian dam in 2023 triggered a toxic timebomb" of environmental harm, a study has found.Lakebed sediments holding 83,000 tonnes of heavy metals were exposed when the Kakhovka dam was blown up one year into Russia's invasion, researchers found. Continue reading...

Nearly 200 groups urge Congress to reject fossil fuel industry immunity efforts, fearing long-term damage to climate lawsuits

Former hospitality workers reflect on how the pandemic spurred job pivots - and big life changes - five years laterFive years ago on 16 March, the sound of my cellphone buzzing on the nightstand jolted me awake around 8am. Unless you're a morning prep cook or a baker, restaurant workers aren't typically early risers. Sleeping late isn't a luxury when you work in restaurants; it's a necessity - essential to managing the job's rigorous mental and physical demands.I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're laying everyone off at the restaurant," the gravelly voice on the other end said. Someone from HR will be in touch with you shortly." It was the general manager of the midtown Manhattan steakhouse where I had been waiting tables for over two years. Like most hard-nosed restaurant managers, he wasn't known for being very sentimental. But that morning, he seemed genuinely remorseful. Continue reading...

Federal judge Tanya Chutkan issues restraining order pending new filings over billions in axed research grantsA federal judge considering the Trump administration's abrupt cancellation of climate research grants worth billions of dollars told government lawyers they had to produce some kind of evidence" of wrongdoing to back up such drastic actions.Climate United, which coordinates investment in clean energy projects, sued to seek access to $7bn that was frozen before it was cancelled on Tuesday night by Lee Zeldin, the New York Republican congressman turned administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Continue reading...

Noaa, my former employer, is an integral part of our daily lives, tracking hurricanes, supporting safe flights and helping farmersAcross the United States, from rural communities to coastal cities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) is an integral part of our daily lives, safeguarding communities and fostering economic vitality.Whether it is tracking the path of hurricanes, managing our nation's fisheries, providing critical information to air traffic controllers and airlines, or helping farmers plan for weather extremes, Noaa's science, services and products have a significant impact on every American. Continue reading...

The Guardian's picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...

DDT use nearly wiped out the raptor by the 1970s. Now peregrine numbers are collapsing again in many countries and no one is quite sure whyFor the past six years, Gordon Propp, who builds sets for British Columbia's film industry, has kept a close watch over 13 peregrine falcon nests in and around Vancouver, including 10 on the city's bridges.A self-described wildlife enthusiast and citizen scientist, Propp has had a lifelong fascination with these raptors. To see a creature that high up the food chain adapting to an urban environment, to me, that's quite remarkable," says Propp. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Research shows drop in produce prices as households consume more imported and ultra-processed foodFarmers' incomes have remained stagnant since the 1970s despite improvements in productivity and a fall in the workforce, research has found.This has been driven by falling prices for farm produce; as the UK has become more reliant on imports, supermarkets have taken over grocery shopping, and households are eating more ultra-processed food, according to the report by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. Continue reading...

From a high chair to the ocean floor, Can the Seas Survive Us? in Norfolk's Sainsbury Centre explores our watery world and the climate crisisOne of the most striking things that will be on display at an exhibition in Norfolk this weekend is an oak chair. Ordinary enough, except that it is elevated high in the air. Why? Because this is where it will need to be in 2100, given rising sea levels in the Netherlands, where it was made by the artist Boris Maas.Entitled The Urge to Sit Dry (2018), there is another like it in the office of the Dutch environment minister in The Hague, a constant reminder of the real and immediate threat posed to the country by rising sea levels.The Dutch artist Boris Maas with his 2018 work The Urge to Sit Dry, which uses wooden blocks to lift the chair to the height it needs to be to sit above predicted sea levels Continue reading...

Company says new solar agreements will now mean 80% of Boyne smelter's energy needs are covered by renewable sources

Video footage, described as callous' and pretty dreadful', shows Sam Jones grabbing the joey from its mother at nightA US hunting influencer who shared video of herself snatching a baby wombat away from its mother is being investigated for a potential breach of her Australian visa.The footage, with scenes described as callous" by the RSPCA and pretty dreadful" by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, showed the Montana-based influencer Sam Jones grabbing the wombat joey at night as it was walking with its mother.Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Thunderstorms and high winds forecast for San Francisco Bay while southern California under flood watchA powerful atmospheric river storm was set to wallop California on Wednesday evening, drenching large swaths of the state with rain and bringing several feet of snow to the mountains - the latest in a wave of intense storms that new research shows are getting worse.Much of northern California was under a winter storm warning because of the gusty winds and heavy snow in the forecast that the National Weather Service (NWS) said would lead to difficult to impossible travel conditions". Severe thunderstorms and high winds were predicted across the San Francisco Bay area, according to reports. Continue reading...

South Australia's EPA did not open a formal investigation into the source of the lead poisoning, despite referral from the Department of Primary Industries