Scientists in Kansas believe Kernza could cut emissions, restore degraded soils and reshape the future of agricultureOn the concrete floor of a greenhouse in rural Kansas stands a neat grid of 100 plastic plant pots, each holding a straggly crown of strappy, grass-like leaves. These plants are perennials - they keep growing, year after year. That single characteristic separates them from soya beans, wheat, maize, rice and every other major grain crop, all of which are annuals: plants that live and die within a single growing season.These plants are the winners, the ones that get to pass their genes on [to future generations]," says Lee DeHaan of the Land Institute, an agricultural non-profit based in Salina, Kansas. If DeHaan's breeding programme maintains its current progress, the descendant of these young perennial crop plants could one day usher in a wholesale revolution in agriculture. Continue reading...

There's much more to do, but we should be encouraged by the progress we have madeToday marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris climate treaty, one of the landmark days in climate-action history. Attending the conference as a journalist, I watched and listened and wondered whether 194 countries could ever agree on anything at all, and the night before they did, people who I thought were more sophisticated than me assured me they couldn't. Then they did. There are a lot of ways to tell the story of what it means and where we are now, but any version of it needs respect for the complexities, because there are a lot of latitudes between the poles of total victory and total defeat.I had been dreading the treaty anniversary as an occasion to note that we have not done nearly enough, but in July I thought we might be able celebrate it. Because, on 23 July, the international court of justice handed down an epochal ruling that gives that treaty enforceable consequences it never had before. It declares that all nations have a legal obligation to act in response to the climate crisis, and, as Greenpeace International put it, obligates states to regulate businesses on the harm caused by their emissions regardless of where the harm takes place. Significantly, the court found that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is fundamental for all other human rights, and that intergenerational equity should guide the interpretation of all climate obligations." The Paris treaty was cited repeatedly as groundwork for this decision. Continue reading...

Announcement draws anger from Labour MP over refusal to remove tonnes of rubbish dumped near school in WiganThe Environment Agency is to spend millions of pounds to clear an enormous illegal rubbish dump in Oxfordshire, saying the waste is at risk of catching fire.But the decision announced on Thursday to clear up the thousands of tonnes of waste illegally dumped outside Kidlington has drawn an angry response from a Labour MP in Greater Manchester whose constituents have been living alongside 25,000 tonnes of toxic rubbish for nearly a year. Continue reading...

Still rare only 20 years ago, the charismatic animals are in almost every UK river and a conservation success storyOn a quiet Friday evening, an otter and a fox trot through Lincoln city centre. The pair scurry past charity shops and through deserted streets, the encounter lit by the security lamps of shuttered takeaways. Each animal inspects the nooks and crannies of the high street before disappearing into the night, ending the unlikely scene captured by CCTV last month.Unlike the fox, the otter has been a rare visitor in towns and cities across the UK. But after decades of intense conservation work, that is changing. In the past year alone, the aquatic mammal has been spotted on a river-boat dock in London's Canary Wharf, dragging an enormous fish along a riverbank in Stratford-upon-Avon, and plundering garden ponds near York. One otter was even filmed causing chaos in a Shetland family's kitchen in March. Continue reading...

This week's best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Potentially precedent-setting case brought after Jordan Brown hit with capsicum spray outside mining and resources conference in Melbourne in 2019

Levels during boarding and taxiing were far above those defined as high by the World Health OrganizationA study has revealed the concentrations of ultrafine particles breathed in by airline passengers.A team of French researchers, including those from Universite Paris Cite, built a pack of instruments that was flown alongside passengers from Paris Charles de Gaulle to European destinations. The machinery was placed on an empty seat in the front rows or in the galley. Continue reading...

Analysis marking 10 years since Paris climate agreement underscores effectiveness of strong government policiesThe once-rigid link between economic growth and carbon emissions is breaking across the vast majority of the world, according to a study released ahead of Friday's 10th anniversary of the Paris climate agreement.The analysis, which underscores the effectiveness of strong government climate policies, shows this decoupling" trend has accelerated since 2015 and is becoming particularly pronounced among major emitters in the global south. Continue reading...

Manchester Metropolitan University again wins top spot for climate and social justice in league tableMore universities have severed ties with fossil fuel companies, banning them from recruitment fairs and refusing to advertise roles in the industry, according to the latest higher education league table.The analysis found that eight more universities had signed up to end recruitment ties with the fossil fuel industry - an increase of 80% since last year. This means 18 higher education institutions, or 12% of the sector, now refuse to advertise roles with fossil fuel companies to their students. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Use of toxic plastic beads in treatment works is unnecessary and outdated, say conservationistsThe use of tiny, toxic plastic beads at sewage works should be banned nationwide, an MP and wildlife experts have said after a devastating spill at an internationally important nature reserve.Hundreds of millions of biobeads" washed up on Camber Sands beach in East Sussex last month, after a failure at a Southern Water sewage treatment works caused a catastrophic spill. It has distressed and alarmed local people and conservationists, as not only are the beads unsightly but they pose a deadly threat to wildlife. Continue reading...

Wildlife smuggling is serious organised crime that fuels corruption and drives species to extinction', Home Office saysMore than 250 endangered species and illegal wildlife products were seized at the UK border in a single month, new figures have revealed, including spiders, snakes and birds.The illicit cargo was uncovered as part of an annual crackdown on wildlife smuggling known as Operation Thunder, which is led by Interpol and the World Customs Organisation. Continue reading...

Updated estimate reflects more accurate technology and extensive survey work, rather than a true increase in the koala population

Ecologically important Diadema africanum almost eliminated by unknown disease in Canary IslandsA marine pandemic is bringing some species of sea urchin to the brink of extinction, and some populations have disappeared altogether, a study has found.Since 2021, Diadema africanum urchins in the Canary Island archipelago have almost entirely been killed by an unknown disease. There has been a 99.7% population decrease in Tenerife, and a 90% decrease off the islands of the Madeira archipelago. Continue reading...

In 2023, court ruled in favor of 16 plaintiffs that officials violated their constitutional right by promoting fossil fuelsThe young Montanans who scored a landmark triumph in the lawsuit Held v Montana are calling on the state's highest court to enforce that victory.In a groundbreaking legal decision in August 2023, a Montana judge ruled in favor of 16 youth plaintiffs who had accused state officials of violating their constitutional rights by promoting fossil fuels. The state's supreme court affirmed the judge's findings in late 2024. But state lawmakers have since violated her ruling, enshrining new laws this year that contradict it, argue 13 of the 16 plaintiffs in a petition filed on Wednesday. Continue reading...

A fin whale washed ashore in Anchorage and was left there for months. Then a self-described wacko' museum director made a planWhen a whale dies, its body descends to the bottom of the deep sea in a transformative phenomenon called a whale fall. A whale's death jump-starts an explosion of life, enough to feed and sustain a deep-ocean ecosystem for decades.There are a lot of ways whales can die. Migrating whales lose their way and, unable to find their way back from unfamiliar waters, are stranded. They can starve when prey disappears or fall to predators such as orcas. They become bycatch, tangled in fishing lines and nets. Mass whale deaths have been linked to marine heatwaves and the toxic algae blooms that follow. Continue reading...

Kolahoi is one of many glaciers whose decline is disrupting whole ecosystems - water, wildlife and human life that it has supported for centuriesFrom the slopes above Pahalgam, the Kolahoi glacier is visible as a thinning, rumpled ribbon of ice stretching across the western Himalayas. Once a vast white artery feeding rivers, fields and forests, it is now retreating steadily, leaving bare rock, crevassed ice and newly exposed alpine meadows.The glacier's meltwater has sustained paddy fields, apple orchards, saffron fields and grazing pastures for centuries. Now, as its ice diminishes, the entire web of life it supported is shifting. Continue reading...

The decline of the coal export industry could come even faster than expected, and we need to do more to manage the economic risks

The 550lb bear living under Ken Johnson's home for two weeks is unmoved by lure', with caramel and cherry smellsA hefty 550lb black bear has laid claim to the crawl space under an Altadena home, marking the latest in a series of bear incursions into the Los Angeles community.On 25 November, homeowner Ken Johnson noticed the bear leaving the crawl space and later contacted California's department of fish and wildlife for assistance removing it from below his home. Despite sweet-scented lures and ammonia-towels, the bear has remained in place for more than two weeks. Continue reading...

Weak regulation is to blame for disastrous failures in relation to pollution. But there are solutions if people get behind themA study suggesting that as many as 168m light-up Christmas ornaments and similar items could be thrown out in a single year, in the UK, is concerning if not surprising in light of longstanding challenges around recycling rates and waste reduction. Even if the actual figure is lower, there is no question that battery-powered and electrical toys, lights and gifts are proliferating as never before. Despite a great deal of commentary aimed at dialling down consumptionoverthe festive season, especially surplus packaging andrubbish, strings of disposablelights and flashing figures have gained in popularity. Homes, front gardens and shopping streetsgrow sparklier by the year.Batteries and electrical devices present particular difficulties when it comes to disposal, because they cause fires. But they are just one part of a more generalproblem of excessive waste - and weakregulatory oversight. British plastic waste exportsrose by 5% in 2024 to nearly 600,000 tonnes. A new report on plastics from the Pew Charitable Trustswarns that global production is expected to riseby 52% by 2040 - to 680m tonnes - outstrippingthecapacity of waste management systems around theworld. Continue reading...

Green light intended to limit amount consumers pay for windfarms to turn off during periods of high generationThree major UK electricity superhighways" could move ahead sooner than expected to help limit the amount that households pay for windfarms to turn off during periods of high power generation.Current grid bottlenecks mean there is not enough capacity to transport the abundance of electricity generated in periods of strong winds to areas where energy demand is highest. Continue reading...

Federal judge declared January executive order unlawful, ruling in favor of a coalition of state attorneys generalA federal judge on Monday struck down Donald Trump's executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all leasing of windfarms on federal lands and waters was arbitrary and capricious" and violated US law.Judge Patti Saris of the US district court for the district of Massachusetts vacated Trump's 20 January executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it unlawful. Continue reading...

Market operator says capital cost of infrastructure under optimal path would be $128bn in today's dollars, but price of delay is even higher

UN GEO report says ending this harm key to global transformation required before collapse becomes inevitable'The unsustainable production of food and fossil fuels causes $5bn (3.8bn) of environmental damage per hour, according to a major UN report.Ending this harm was a key part of the global transformation of governance, economics and finance required before collapse becomes inevitable", the experts said. Continue reading...

Consumers spent 1.7bn on festive lighting last year and much of it is treated as disposableUK households have thrown away an estimated 168m light-up Christmas items and other fast-tech" gifts over the past year, a study suggests.The research by the non-profit group Material Focus found about 1.7bn was spent last year on Christmas lighting, including 39m sets of fairy lights. Continue reading...

Destructive' marine heatwaves driving loss of microalgae that feed coral, says Global Coral Reef Monitoring NetworkCaribbean reefs have half as much hard coral now as they did in 1980, a study has found.The 48% decrease in coral cover has been driven by climate breakdown, specifically marine heatwaves. They affect the microalgae that feed coral, making them toxic and forcing the coral to expel them. Continue reading...

Tapanuli orangutans survive only in Indonesia's Sumatran rainforest where a mine expansion will cut through their home. Yet the mining company says the alternative will be worseA small brown line snakes its way through the rainforest in northern Sumatra, carving 300 metres through dense patches of meranti trees, oak and mahua. Picked up by satellites, the access road - though modest now - will soon extend 2km to connect with the Tor Ulu Ala pit, an expansion site of Indonesia's Martabe mine. The road will help to unlock valuable deposits of gold, worth billions of dollars in today's booming market. But such wealth could come at a steep cost to wildlife and biodiversity: the extinction of the world's rarest ape, the Tapanuli orangutan.The network of access roads planned for this swath of tropical rainforest will cut through habitat critical to the survival of the orangutans, scientists say. The Tapanuli (Pongo tapanuliensis), unique to Indonesia, was only discovered by scientists to be a separate species in 2017 - distinct from the Sumatran and Bornean apes. Today, there are fewer than 800 Tapanulis left in an area that covers as little as 2.5% of their historical range. All are found in Sumatra's fragile Batang Toru ecosystem, bordered on its south-west flank by the Martabe mine, which began operations in 2012. Continue reading...

Study of 11,000 births in New Hampshire shows residents' reproductive outcomes near contaminated sitesDrinking water contaminated with Pfas chemicals probably increases the risk of infant mortality and other harm to newborns, a new peer-reviewed study of 11,000 births in New Hampshire finds.The first-of-its-kind University of Arizona research found drinking well water down gradient from a Pfas-contaminated site was tied to an increase in infant mortality of 191%, pre-term birth of 20%, and low-weight birth of 43%. Continue reading...

Sun-dimming risks putting the planet's thermostat under Donald Trump's control. Better to adopt the precautionary principle with high-stakes scienceIt is fitting that this week's UN environment talks are in Nairobi, with Africa shaping the global climate conversation. The continent's diplomats are dealing with the vexed question of whether it is wise to try to cool the planet by dimming the sun's rays. While not on the formal summit agenda, on the sidelines they are arguing that it's time to stop promoting solar geoengineering technology as a solution to global heating. It's hard to disagree.African nations have acted because they don't want their continent to become a test bed for unproven schemes to spray particles into the high atmosphere to reflect sunlight away from Earth for a small, uncertain cooling gain. They point to environmental, ethical and geopolitical risks. That's why the continent is pushing for a global non-use" agreement that would rule out public funding, outdoor experiments, patenting and official promotion of these technologies.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...

Leader John Swinney says independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long termThe future of Scottish renewables will underpin the Scottish National party's Holyrood election campaign, the party leader, John Swinney, has said, as he claimed independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long term.At what was billed as the first campaign event before next May's elections to the Scottish parliament, Swinney declared: It's Scotland's energy" - mirroring the famous 1970s slogan It's Scotland's oil", which bolstered the SNP's first Westminster breakthrough. Continue reading...

Charity worker had joined 40 demonstrators bearing witness' to the loss of three lime trees in FalmouthA charity worker suffered a head injury when police tried to remove her from a protest against trees being felled in a Cornish seaside town.Debs Newman, 60, was bearing witness" to the loss of three mature lime trees in Falmouth when she was seized by officers. Continue reading...

Species extinct as breeding birds in Britain since 1416 to be reintroduced in Barking and Dagenham as part of rewilding effortAbove the roar of traffic, the rumble of the tube and the juddering construction noise of a towering new datacentre in Dagenham, east London, will soon rise a beautiful and unlikely melody: the bill-clattering of white storks.The birds will next year make a historic return to the UK capital as part of an ambitious rewilding effort to bring charismatic nature into busy city communities. Continue reading...

Blazes in NSW and Tasmania have already led to a firefighter losing his life and close to 40 homes being destroyed as an ominous fire season begins

At a time when the UK and other countries are finally taking bold steps for climate, Canada is preparing a new oil pipelineLast week, the United Kingdom did something all too rare: it chose leadership by backing science and prioritizing public safety. The Labour government announced it would ban new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, strengthen a windfall tax and accelerate phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies.These are not symbolic gestures. They are an acknowledgment that the global energy system is shifting and that mature economies must shift with it.Tzeporah Berman is a Canadian environmental activist, campaigner and writer Continue reading...

Backlog delaying shovel-ready' ventures will be cleared with aim of building virtually zero-carbon power system by 2030Britain's energy system operator is pulling the plug on hundreds of electricity generation projects to clear a huge backlog that is stopping shovel-ready" schemes from connecting to the power grid.Developers will be told on Monday whether their plans will be dismissed by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) - or whether they will be prioritised to connect by either the end of the decade or 2035. Continue reading...

In Voices from the Kitchen, Marc Meyer pulls the curtain back on the harrowing journeys of the people who run his restaurantsThroughout his lifetime, the celebrated chef and author Anthony Bourdain was unequivocal in his belief that the restaurant industry in the US could not function without immigrant labor. These indispensable workers, Bourdain argued, were not only willing to do the jobs that most US-born citizens would look down upon, but also they did them better and faster.People have differing opinions on what we should do about immigration in the future," Bourdain told the Houston Press in 2007. But let's be honest, at least, about who is cooking in America now. Who we rely on - have relied on - for decades. The bald fact is that the entire restaurant industry in America would close down overnight, would never recover, if current immigration laws were enforced quickly and thoroughly across the board." Continue reading...

Make America healthy again' leaders call for Lee Zeldin to quit for favoring chemical companies over US familiesMake America healthy again" (Maha) movement leaders have put out a petition calling for Donald Trump to fire Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin, who, since being appointed in late January, has quickly moved to undo toxic chemical regulations and fast-track pesticide approvals.The petition represents the latest salvo in a growing Maha-Maga feud over the Trump administration's policies around toxic chemicals and pesticides. Trump campaigned on cleaning up the nation's water and food supply, a priority for the Robert F Kennedy Jr-led Maha movement that helped propel the US president to office. Continue reading...

Education program sponsored by Shell's Queensland Gas Company is climate obstruction dressed up as education', advocacy group says

The impending collapse of UK carsharing is an embarrassment for a government attempting to curb the dominance of carsZipcar, the world's largest carsharing club, is leaving the UK. The company, which operates about 3,000 shared vehicles in Britain, has announced plans to shutter its UK operations at the end of the month. The news comes as a bitter blow to the hundreds of thousands of Britons who regularly rely on carsharing, and is a major setback in efforts to reduce emissions and traffic congestion.I'm particularly gutted. This year I finally learned to drive, specifically in order to become a Zipcar member for the rare occasions when I need a vehicle. As newly qualified drivers aren't allowed to hire Zipcars until they've held a licence for a year, I bought a secondhand VW Beetle to tide me over, counting the days until I could flog it and sign up for Zipcar instead. Now, with the service shutting up shop, I fear I will be stuck maintaining a costly lump of steel that I need for less than 1% of the year.Phineas Harper is a writer and curator Continue reading...

Cameras capture lone creature collecting materials for its lodge in riverside nature reserveA wild beaver has been spotted in Norfolk for the first time since beavers were hunted to extinction in England at the beginning of the 16th century.It was filmed dragging logs and establishing a lodge in a perfect beaver habitat" on the River Wensum at Pensthorpe, a nature reserve near Fakenham in Norfolk. Continue reading...

Several additional people, including children, have severe liver damage amid 21 cases of amatoxin poisoningCalifornia officials are warning foragers after an outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms that has killed one adult and caused severe liver damage in several patients, including children.The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms, the health department said on Friday. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste. Continue reading...

Drag queen, environmentalist, diversity and inclusion advocate and social media star arrives in San FranciscoPattie Gonia, the drag queen and environmentalist, arrived in San Francisco on Friday afternoon and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge with $1m more than when she set out on her journey last week.The diversity and inclusion advocate completed the 100-mile trek from Point Reyes national seashore to San Francisco in full drag with her voluminous red wig and smokey eye. The effort was part of a campaign she launched to raise $1m for eight non-profits that aim to expand access and make the outdoors a more equitable place". Continue reading...

Exclusive: extremely unhelpful' policy seen as deterrent to clearing thousands of dump sites across EnglandMillions of pounds in landfill tax owed to the government has to be paid by the Environment Agency (EA) if it clears any of the thousands of illegal waste dumps across the country.Of the 15m that taxpayers are paying for the clearance of the only site the agency has committed to clearing up - a vast illegal dump at Hoad's Wood in Kent - 4m is landfill tax. Continue reading...

Drone attack that Ukraine blamed on Russia blew hole in painstakingly erected 1.5bn shield meant to allow for final clean-up of 1986 meltdown siteThe protective shield over the Chornobyl disaster nuclear reactor in Ukraine, which was hit by a drone in February, can no longer perform its main function of blocking radiation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has announced.In February a drone strike blew a hole in the new safe confinement", which was painstakingly built at a cost of 1.5bn ($1.75bn) next to the destroyed reactor and then hauled into place on tracks, with the work completed in 2019 by a Europe-led initiative. The IAEA said an inspection last week of the steel confinement structure found the drone impact had degraded the structure. Continue reading...

Designer Michael Schmidt's 36-piece collection was made from the wool of rams who have shown same-sex attractionWhen a ram tips its head back, curls its upper lip, and takes a deep breath - what is known in the world of animal husbandry as a flehmen response" - it is often a sign of arousal. Sheep have a small sensory organ located above the roof of the mouth, and the flehmen response helps to flood it with any sex pheromones wafting about.Usually, rams flehmen when they encounter ewes during the mating period, according to Michael Stucke, a farmer with 30 years of experience raising sheep in Westphalia, Germany. But on Stucke's farm, the rams flehmen all the time". Continue reading...

Ads to be removed from Adelaide Metro buses after advertising regulator rules they breach its environmental claims code

RSPB says growing trend for honouring species that are in decline is not matched by action on conservationBritain's street names are being inspired by skylarks, lapwings and starlings, even as bird populations decline.According to a report by the RSPB, names such as Skylark Lane and Swift Avenue are increasingly common. Using OS Open Names data from 2004 to 2024, the conservation charity found that road names featuring bird species had risen by 350% for skylarks, 156% for starlings and 104% for lapwings, despite populations of these having fallen in the wild. Continue reading...

The anti-coagulant rodenticides also unintentionally harm wildlife across the state, including endangered speciesThe administration of Gavin Newsom, the California governor, is moving to loosen restrictions around the most toxic rat poisons, even as a new state report shows the rodenticides are unintentionally poisoning wildlife across the state, including endangered species.Blood-thinning, anticoagulant rodenticides were significantly restricted when a 2024 state law approved after 10 years of legislative wrangling required the California department of pesticide regulation to limit the substances' use unless data showed species collaterally harmed or killed by it had rebounded. Continue reading...

Conservationists say changes, coupled with underfunding, will curb take-up and leave less land protected for nature

This week's best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Big farmers grab the lion's share of US government support, and recent cuts have chipped away at small growers' markets and marginsThe most significant food system failure since the pandemic was not a natural disaster: in October, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) was temporarily suspended for the month of November due to the government shutdownMore than 40 million people had to ration food, skip meals and make sacrifices we might associate with the Great Depression, not 21st-century America. Churches, community groups and neighbors sprang into action. They checked on single moms juggling multiple jobs, elderly friends living alone, people with disabilities and large families with children too young for school lunch programs. And though food stamps were restored, the Trump administration is now threatening to pull Snap funds from Democratic-led states. Continue reading...