Environment | The Guardian

In today's newsletter: Widespread flooding, snow and power outages have left thousands of households and travellers facing the aftermath of a cold snap - with more disruption to comeGood morning.British winters have grown markedly milder over the past century: analysis has shown that the average UK winter has gotten 1C warmer and 15% wetter in the last century. Last February was the warmest in recorded history. There have been fewer and fewer snow days and the Met Office found that ground frost periods are three weeks shorter compared to the 1970s.Canada | Justin Trudeau has said he will step down as Canada's prime minister. His resignation throws open the doors to a fierce political battle to be the country's next leader, with polls showing the Liberals losing badly to the official opposition Conservatives.Child sexual exploitation | Keir Starmer has condemned Elon Musk's increasingly erratic attacks on the government, suggesting that his lies and misinformation" on grooming gangs were amplifying the poison" of the far right. Ministers meanwhile promised to implement a key demand of a 2022 child sex abuse inquiry so that professionals who do not report claims of abuse will be sanctioned.US politics | The US Congress certified Donald Trump's presidential election victory on Monday, in an event heavy with symbolism four years to the day since he incited a violent mob to disrupt a similar ceremony. Kamala Harris presided over a joint Senate and House of Representatives session to validate the result.Foster care | The UK is facing a fostering crisis where retiring carers are not being replaced by younger people, while the number of children entering care homes is rising, a charity has warned. The decline in foster carers is due to the impact of the pandemic, the costof living crisis, biological children staying at home for longer, spare rooms being used as home offices and changing family situations, Barnardo's children's charity said.Tibet | A magnitude 6.8 earthquake has struck near one of Tibet's holiest cities, the China Earthquake Networks Centre has said, killing 53 people, injuring 62 and damaging buildings around Shigatse, according to state media. Continue reading...

NSW police hopeful' of finding 23-year-old Hadi Nazari alive in remote national park as they track movements since he was last seen on Boxing Day

Officials warn of fire risks and potential outages as gusts could reach 80mph in Los Angeles county and VenturaSouthern California could experience a life-threatening, destructive" windstorm this week, with forecasters warning of major fire risks unusual for January and potential power outages.The gusts are expected to intensify on Tuesday into Wednesday, potentially reaching 80mph (129km/h) across much of Los Angeles county and Ventura to the north, according to a National Weather Service alert on Monday. In the foothills and mountains, there could be isolated winds over 100mph (160km/h). Continue reading...

Ban includes entire Atlantic coast, eastern Gulf of Mexico, Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, and part of Bering SeaJoe Biden has banned offshore drilling across an immense area of coastal waters, weeks before Donald Trump takes office pledging to massively increase fossil fuel production.The US president's ban encompasses the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska. Continue reading...

The ex-president was a pioneer on renewable energy and land conservation but his 1980 defeat was a fork in the road'When a group of dignitaries and journalists made a rare foray to the roof of the White House, Jimmy Carter had something to show them: 32 solar water-heating panels.A generation from now," the US president declared, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people." Continue reading...

Future homes standard' will not mandate replacing boilers with environmentally friendly alternativeThe government is to scrap the 2035 ban on gas boilers in its new housebuilding standards.The previous Conservative government had laid plans to phase out gas heating for homes by banning the sale of new gas boilers by 2035, so people replacing their gas boilers after that date would instead have to buy a heat pump or other environmentally friendly way of heating homes. Continue reading...

British chef Mike Keen paddled up the coast of Greenland eating only what local people did, and the health benefits led him to question the global food systemFor a period of two months last year, a typical day for chef Mike Keen would see him skipping breakfast and lunch in favour of snacks such as dried capelin (a small bait fish), dried halibut, jerky-like dried whale and a local Greenlandic whale skin and blubber treat called mattak.Mike Keen eats fermented seal blood in Sermilik fjord, east Greenland. Photograph: Mike Keen Continue reading...

Exploring the aberration, absurdity, madness and ingenuity of skiing, an activity that raises both questions and concerns despite its global success. It continues to fascinate and intrigue in the face of social and environmental upheavals. There are more than 2,000 resorts scattered across the world, attracting hundreds of millions of skiers, but there are also profound questions about its future amid climate challenges and societal changes Continue reading...

Conditions to become more unsettled as winds begin to shift and clouds move in, officials warn

Video removed as Life Saving Victoria carries out 145 rescues - We don't remember when we've been that busy'

Hot and humid conditions increase difficulty of finding Hadi Nazari, 23, after he failed to show up at campsite

While the EU and US hesitate, the UK can become world leader in this burgeoning - and cruelty-free - innovationIf the pet food industry were a country, it would rank as the world's 60th biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. In countries such as the US, researchers estimate that pet food accounts for about a quarter of total meat consumption. And as the number of pets grows, the environmental impact looks set to increase. But the British government may have unlocked a solution. This year, the UK became the only country in Europe to approve the use of lab-grown meat in pet food.Lab-grown meat may sound futuristic, but the process is actually straightforward. It starts with the harvesting of a small number of animal cells, then the cells are fed essential nutrients to help them replicate and grow, similar to a yeast culture on a petri dish. But unlike a whole living animal, there are fewer limitations on size, there are no welfare concerns, and the setup does not require such vast land, water and energy resources.Lucy McCormick is an analytics manager at the Guardian and a writer on economics, politics and current affairs Continue reading...

Ports including in Saudi Arabia and the US projected to be seriously damaged by a metre of sea level riseRising sea levels driven by the climate crisis will overwhelm many of the world's biggest oil ports, analysis indicates.Scientists said the threat was ironic as fossil fuel burning causes global heating. They said reducing emissions by moving to renewable energy would halt global heating and deliver more reliable energy. Continue reading...

Environmental groups urge government to keep tougher green targets despite industry claim they are unsustainableCarmakers sold a record number of electric cars in the UK last year, prompting environmental groups to urge the government to stick to tougher green targets even as the industry argues they are unsustainable.The number of new cars sold in the UK rose by 2.6% in 2024 to 1.95m, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) lobby group. Of those, 19.6% were electric, up from 16.5% a year earlier. Continue reading...

Millions from Kansas to Florida will be hit by wintry blast with potential for disaster' next week, meteorologists sayA strong snow and ice storm followed by brutally cold conditions will soon smack the eastern two-thirds of the United States as frigid air escapes the Arctic, plunging as far south as Florida, meteorologists forecast.Starting Saturday, millions of people are going to be hit by moderate to heavy snow from Kansas City to Washington - including a high chance of at least 8in (20cm) of snow between central Kansas and Indiana - the National Weather Service warned Friday. Continue reading...

Factory closures highlight the turbulent shift to a green economy, exposing political challenges and the urgent need for a equitable move to net zeroOne of the biggest political battles of the future began to take shape in 2024, yet it did not centre on Westminster. Instead, try Grangemouth in central Scotland, Port Talbot in south Wales and Luton in the south of England. Their stories were not front-page staples, but each was of huge significance - locally, nationally andeconomically.Grangemouth is Scotland's sole oil refinery, whose owners confirmed in September that it would shut, to be replaced by a terminal taking in imported fuel - withnearly 400 workers losing their jobs. In the lastdays of September, the only remaining blastfurnaceat Port Talbot was shut down, as part of a restructuring that will cost 2,800 employees their jobs. At the end of November, staff at Vauxhall in Luton were told the plant would shut, ending 120 years of the carmaker's association with the town and putting between 1,100 and 2,000 jobs at risk. Oneresult was twodays of protests in the town a weekbeforeChristmas.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...

After four dams were blasted from the Klamath River, the work to restore the ecosystem is under wayExplosions roared through the canyons lining the Klamath River earlier this year, signaling a new chapter for the region that hugs the Oregon-California border.In October, the removal of four hydroelectric dams built on the river was completed - the largest project of its kind in US history. Continue reading...

Families Like Ours has become national talking point but some scientists say events depicted could not happenFeaturing scenes of huge crowds boarding ferries, protest and desperation as six million Danes become climate refugees and life as they know it rapidly collapses, the new TV series by the Oscar-winning director Thomas Vinterberg is a potential look into the future", he says.Familier som vores (Families Like Ours) - a drama which depicts a flooded Denmark shut down and evacuated - has been viewed nearly 1m times and become a national talking point. At its premiere at the Venice international film festival, it evoked tears, shouts and a standing ovation, with one critic describing it as grimly prophetic". Continue reading...

The trendy green nut is drought-resistant and sustainable - making it appealing to farmers and consumers alikePistachios have long polarized the world's taste buds - the flavor is bold, nothing like the subtlety of an almond or a walnut. You either love them or hate them.But one side of the pistachio debate appears to be reigning supreme. Pistachios were named nut of the year in 2023, unsurprising to anyone who had an eye on pop culture. Pistachio is now a popular flavor of latte. Pistachio butter and cream became food trends on social media. Vibrant pistachio green even made several appearances on the runway, with fashion designers being inspired by the unique, earthy hue. Continue reading...

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

Policymakers and insurers act as if Britain's coastlines are fixed, but the waters are advancing faster than beforeThe increasing speed of sea level rise hardly seems to register with policymakers in Britain - even though with the UK weather getting more violent, destructive storm surges are increasingly likely. The future looks bleak for properties on fast-eroding cliffs and large areas of rich agricultural land on the east coast, already at or even below sea level.The evidence that things are rapidly getting worse is clear. Sea levels have risen 24cm (9in) (7ft 3in) since 1880 but the rise has accelerated from an average of 1.4mm a year in the 20th century to 3.6mm annually by 2015. Previous conservative estimates of sea level rise of 60cm by the end of this century now look very optimistic and on current emission levels will be 2.2 metres by 2100 and 3.9 metres 50 years after that. Continue reading...

Experts say sighting of orca in Puget Sound with second deceased calf is devastating' for ailing populationAn apparently grieving killer whale who swam more than 1,000 miles (1,600km) pushing the body of her dead newborn has lost another calf and is again carrying the body, a development researchers say is a devastating" loss for the ailing population.The Washington state-based Center for Whale Research said the orca, known as Tahlequah, or J35, was spotted in the Puget Sound area with her deceased calf. Continue reading...

Engineers assess damage as heavy rains cause first major breach of Bridgewater canal since 1970sEngineers are assessing the scale of damage to a canal built more than 250 years ago after flood waters caused a dramatic collapse of part of its elevated embankment in Cheshire.The Bridgewater canal, which was previously used to transport coal but is now a leisure waterway, caved in near Dunham Massey, in the first major breach of the waterway for 54 years. Continue reading...

Emergency services turn focus to recovery efforts after major incident declared on New Year's Day stood downSome people say the way your year starts is how the year is going to be, so I'm expecting some adventures. I'll be like Indiana Jones," said Alina Abroutkouki.The 40-year-old interior designer spent the first night of the new year sleeping in Didsbury mosque, hours after being evacuated from her nearby home by boat. Continue reading...

Pragmatism will win over purism, unless the government favours early closure for car manufacturersThe main timetable is set: no new petrol and diesel cars will be allowed to be sold in the UK after 2030, and sales of all new hybrids will be forbidden from 2035. But that phasing still leaves open the critical matter - for the automotive industry, and for a couple of manufacturers in particular - of which new hybrids will be allowed to be sold until the last day of 2034.Just the variety that comes with a socket - plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)? Or should old-style hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, which have smaller batteries charged by a main internal combustion engine, also be permitted? Continue reading...

UK has more than halved amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels but gas still had largest share at 28%The UK's electricity was the cleanest it has ever been in 2024, with wind and solar generation hitting all-time highs, according to a report.The analysis by Carbon Brief found that in the past decade the UK had more than halved electricity generated from coal and gas and doubled its output from renewables. Continue reading...

Indian government accused of PR stunt after moving 337 tonnes of toxic waste that had been held in containersForty years after one of world's deadliest industrial disasters struck the Indian city of Bhopal, a cleanup operation has finally begun to remove hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste from the site.However, local campaigners have accused the Indian government of greenwashing, arguing that the 337 tonnes of waste removed this week represents less than 1% of the more than 1m tonnes of hazardous materials left after the disaster and that the cleanup has done nothing to tackle chemical contamination of the area. Continue reading...

State's beloved but under-pressure sea cows were barely recorded in the area before seas warmed in the late 1700sManatees, long considered among Florida's most beloved and enchanting inhabitants, are not native at all, and only came to the Sunshine state for warm temperatures and clear blue waters like any other visitor, researchers have found.The surprise revelation by scientists at the University of South Florida (USF) and George Washington University (GWU) upends decades of thinking about the origins of the threatened species, once plentiful around the Florida peninsula, the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Continue reading...

Across Toronto, a team sets out at dawn to rescue migrating birds that have collided with buildings, and keep a record of the thousands each year that don't make itEvery morning at dawn, a dozen volunteers scour the streets of Toronto picking up small birds. Some days they will find hundreds of them, most already dead or dying. A few they are able to save. Live birds are put in brown paper bags and driven to wildlife recovery centres, while dead birds are put in a large freezer. If no one picks them up, their carcasses are swept up by street cleaners.One of my first days was really horrific," says Sohail Desai, a volunteer with the charity Fatal Light Awareness Program (Flap) Canada, which has about 135 people patrolling the streets across Toronto. Desai was walking close to his house in the North York area in Toronto when a flock of golden-crowned kinglets flew into a 15-storey glass building. Continue reading...

Bowhead whales may not be the only species that can live to 200 years old. Researchers have found that the industrial hunting of great whales has masked the ability of these underwater giants to also live to great agesIn Moby-Dick, Herman Melville's epic novel of 1851, the author asks if whales would survive the remorseless human hunt. Yes, he says, as he foresees a future flooded world in which the whale would outlive us and spout his frothed defiance to the skies".Moby Dick was a grizzled old sperm whale that had miraculously escaped the harpoons. But a new scientific paper is set to prove what oceanic peoples - such as the Inuit, Mari and Haida - have long believed: that whales are capable of living for a very long time. Indeed, many more than we thought possible may have been born before Melville wrote his book. Continue reading...

Hadi Nazari, 23, last seen on Boxing Day descending the challenging Hannels Spur track

Society to retire plants no longer suited to UK's changing climate after 14% fewer days of ground frost recordedFig and almond trees are thriving in Britain as a result of fewer frosts, the Royal Horticultural Society has said.The lack of frost, one of the effects of climate breakdown, means plants used to warmer climes have been doing well in RHS gardens. Almond trees from the Mediterranean were planted at Wisley in Surrey several years ago, and without frost this year have fruited well for the first time. Continue reading...

Rise in greenhouse gases responsible for average temperatures rising to 1.46C above average, with one climate scientist saying this is the norm now'

I want to give my kids that overarching sense of a single summer going on all through childhood, a door to a memory they can open any time

Emboldened red states could advocate for rightwing reforms from steep tax cuts to slashes to educationRepublican state lawmakers and conservative leaders around the United States see Donald Trump's re-election as a mandate that will help them enact rightwing policies in Republican-run states across the US.The policies include steep tax cuts, environmental legislation, religion in schools and legislation concerning transgender medical care and education, among other hot-button social issues. Continue reading...

New research suggests parasitic infections in US south are far more widespread than previously acknowledgedFor years, Marecitta Dorsey's four children - ages seven to 14 - suffered regular bouts of nausea, vomiting and sore stomachs. Their unexplained symptoms were bad enough to keep them out of school a few days each month.My eldest would tell me, I feel like my tummy's burning,'" recalled Dorsey. Every week I was taking at least one kid to the doctor because of something with their stomach." Continue reading...

With the climate crisis hitting Britain, we must build resilience at a local level by rewilding, saving water and fighting floodsImagine, for a moment, if 2025 was the year that the UK achieved its legally binding targets of reducing dangerous carbon emissions to zero. Imagine if the Extinction Rebellions of 2019 had achieved their goal, and the government had bowed to the pressure of climate activism to meet this target. In this counterfactual reality, the world would be much saner than our own. But as the new year arrives, we're forced to confront a stark reality. Britain is nowhere near achieving zero carbon in the next 12 months.When Extinction Rebellion (XR) was founded in 2018, the 2025 target was conceived as a clarion call to action. It was based on the need to decarbonise quickly, to mitigate the worst impacts of climate decline, and to fulfil our historical responsibility as one of the world's largest polluters. With the new year upon us, it's clear that decarbonisation at the scale and speed we imagined isn't a feasible goal within our existing political and economic frameworks. And this failure brings with it some uncomfortable truths that everyone concerned about the climate crisis must face head-on. And that means, in effect, everyone: for even if you don't feel affected by this crisis, it still affects you. Continue reading...

Products banned on health and environmental grounds, while Milan outlaws outdoor smokingBelgium has become the EU first country to ban the sale of disposable vapes in an effort to stop young people from becoming addicted to nicotine and to protect the environment.The sale of disposable electronic cigarettes is banned in Belgium on health and environmental grounds from 1 January. A ban on outdoor smoking in Milan came into force on the same day, as EU countries discuss tighter controls on tobacco. Continue reading...

Pied tamarin has narrow range and is found only around borders of Manaus in the Amazon rainforestThe fate of one of the world's most threatened primates will be on the line in the coming months when Brazilian authorities decide whether to incorporate the pied tamarin into the urban planning policies of Manaus.Conservationists say the inclusion is crucial not just to protect the critically endangered monkey but as an indicator of the Amazonian city's willingness to create green spaces that will benefit the lives of its people. Continue reading...

Behaviour experts say misinformation shared in media and by other stakeholders is impeding uptakeExperts from a nudge unit" have been hired to help ministers fight misinformation about heat pumps to try to encourage take-up of the devices.The appliances run on electricity instead of gas and are regarded as a way of decarbonising homes at scale. A target of installing 600,000 a year by 2028 is part of a drive to achieve Britain's commitment to reach net zero by 2050. Continue reading...

From cheaper energy to recyclable packaging and phasing out Australia Post motorbikes - here's what has and hasn't been achieved

Five entire families can be killed, totalling 30 wolves, in move campaigners say is illegal under EU lawSweden's wolf hunt starts on Thursday, with the country aiming to halve the population of the endangered predator.The Swedish government has given the green light for five entire wolf families, a total of 30 wolves, to be killed in a hunt campaigners say is illegal under EU law. Under the Berne convention, protected species cannot be caused to have their populations fall under a sustainable level. Continue reading...

Phenomenon known as sea sparkles' or red tide' is caused by masses of noctiluca scintillans, a pink-coloured algae

Western European population has risen 25% with ban and some UK sites have seen promising increasesThere are signs of hope for the turtle dove, one of the most endangered birds that has been plummeting towards extinction in Britain.After a temporary ban on the annual shoot of the migratory birds as they pass through France, Spain and Portugal, which began in 2021, there has been a remarkable 25% increase in its western European population, which includes the 2,000 individuals clinging on in England. Continue reading...

The president-elect said he will stop the wave of frivolous litigation from environmental extremists' but the ability to block suits will be limited, experts sayDonald Trump has promised to deregulate the energy sector, boost fossil fuels, dismantle environmental rules and otherwise attack climate progress. However, experts and advocates say that lawsuits that aim to hold the fossil fuel sector responsible for deceiving the public about the climate crisis still have a clear path forward".The overwhelming evidence of the industry's lies and ongoing deception does not change with administrations," said Richard Wiles, president of the non-profit Center for Climate Integrity, which tracks and supports the litigation. There are more than 30 accountability lawsuits active around the US brought by states and municipalities accusing fossil fuel interests of covering up the climate risks of their products or seeking damages for impacts. Climate deception lawsuits against big oil have a clear path forward no matter who is in the White House." Continue reading...

Arbor Day Foundation non-profit to plant trees in six of the worst-hit states over the next four yearsSome costs of the recently ended supercharged 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, those that can be quantified at least, are astounding.A succession of storms that ravaged large areas of the US killed at least 375 people, the most in the mainland US since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Some estimates pegged damage and economic loss at $500bn. Continue reading...

PM will have to respond to Climate Change Committee's recommendations on future emissions cuts with drastic changes in many sectors of economyKeir Starmer will face a key test of his claims to leadership on the climate early next year, when the UK's statutory advisers issue their latest advice on future cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.The independent Climate Change Committee will set out recommendations on the UK's seventh carbon budget on 26 February. At the core of the budget will be an overall cap on emissions for the years 2038 to 2042, needed to meet the legal obligation of reaching net zero emissions in 2050. Continue reading...

Gulf province councillor says growing numbers are leaving, in what climate activist describes as a humanitarian crisis'Two years ago fisher Siri James lived on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea, in a small village near Pariva beach. But as the tides continued to rise, James was forced to move further in from the shore.It's not easy moving inland, I was born and raised by the seas, I am a fisherman. I know the flow of tides and currents, I know when the wind will come strongly and when it will rain - but now I don't understand why everything is changing," says James, who is in his early 40s. Continue reading...

Seven local authorities in England have waste figures highlighted as government launches circular economy measuresNew government data published on Monday showed that 95% of non-recycled waste in Essex is sent to landfill, as ministers launched their plans for a circular economy.The data revealed that seven local authorities in England reported sending more than 40% of their residual waste to landfill in 2022 to 2023, with Essex county council at the top of the list. Continue reading...

Part of their body is hollow, this amplifies the sound. The longer you listen to their sound, the more they seem to sync upOf all the languages' words for cicada, Croatian's might be the best: cvrak, pronounced: tvr-chak. The sound it makes is tvr-chi tvr-chi". I have a Croatian friend who taught me part of a poem - Cicada - when we were in high school. It is by Vladimir Nazor, who was Croatia's first head of state.The first stanza includes the satisfyingly low on vowels and onomatopoeic phrase: cvri, cvri cvrak" (pronounced tvrchi, tvrchi tvrchak") - which translates as chirp, chirp cicada".And the cicada chirps, chirps on the knot of the black spruce