Arctesthes avatar moth, which won nearly half of the votes, was discovered in 2012 and is critically endangeredA tiny critically endangered moth, named after the Avatar films because of the proposed mining activity threatening its primary habitat, has been crowned New Zealand's bug of the year.The Avatar moth won by a wide margin, earning 5,192 of the more than 11,000 total votes cast. It won 2,269 more votes than the runner-up, the mahoenui giant wt, one of the world's largest insects. Other contenders included the wonderfully spiky hellraiser mite, the country's heaviest spider - the black tunnelweb - and a giant earthworm that glows in the dark. Continue reading...

The deregulation agenda being pushed by Germany's chancellor and Italy's prime minister is economically and ethically flawedWhen the European Union launched its green deal in 2019, putting into law the goal of climate neutrality by the middle of the century, it showed strategic foresight as well as global leadership. Russia's war in Ukraine has starkly underlined the extent to which the continent's energy security - and its future prosperity - is dependent on the transition away from fossil fuels. Lately, however, EU leaders' environmental approach appears to be echoing the youthful St Augustine's plea on chastity: make us greener, but not yet.The recent European Industry Summit in Antwerp made unusually big headlines thanks to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's xenophobic outburst over immigration. But it was also notable for fierce attacks on one of the most important pillars of EU environmental policy. The bloc's emissions trading system (ETS) - which makes polluters pay for the C02 they emit - has achieved dramatic results in driving down overall emissions since 2005 and encouraging green innovation. Worryingly, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, appeared to sympathise with demands from Sir Jim and other CEOs for a radical relaxation of the rules. Continue reading...

Law defines animals including horses, donkeys and mules as pets and is backed by opposition partiesItaly could soon ban horse meat as part of a law that would define equine animals including horses, donkeys and mules as pets, making it illegal to kill them.The bill has been drafted by Michela Vittoria Brambilla, a politician with Noi Moderati, a member of Giorgia Meloni's ruling coalition, and is backed by opposition parties. Continue reading...

A bill banning the sale and use of plastic and metallic glitter has yet to go through in Brazil as the capital's sandy shores bear cost of carnival's shineWhether it is embellishing elaborate costumes, delicately applied as eye makeup, or smeared across bare skin, glitter is everywhere at Rio de Janeiro's carnival in Brazil. The world's largest party, which ended on Wednesday, leaves a trail of sparkles in its wake.At one bloco last weekend, a huge sound truck and dancers in leopard print led thousands of revellers down the promenade at Flamengo beach. Among them was Bruno Fernandes, who had jazzed up an otherwise minimalist outfit of navy swimming briefs by smearing silver glitter over his body. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cross-party group deeply concerned' power plant may have misled ministers and regulators over source of wood pelletsEd Miliband is under pressure from MPs to suspend subsidies worth 2m a day paid to the owner of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire after court documents cast doubt on the company's sustainability claims.A cross-party group of 14 MPs and peers have called on the energy minister to halt the subsidies for Britain's biggest power plant while the financial watchdog investigates the company's claims about how it sources the millions of tonnes of wood pellets burned to generate electricity. Continue reading...

Abandoned beaches, public health warning signs and seagulls eating human waste are now features of the popular coastline in New ZealandA tide of anger is rising in New Zealand's capital, Wellington, as the city's toilets continue to flush directly into the ocean more than two weeks after the catastrophic collapse of its wastewater treatment plant.Millions of litres of raw and partially screened sewage have been pouring into pristine reefs and a marine reserve along the south coast daily since 4 February, prompting a national inquiry, as the authorities struggle to get the decimated plant operational. Continue reading...

Some European leaders have criticised the organisation's murky funding and political mandate - key US politics stories from Wednesday 18 February at a glanceDozens of world leaders and national delegations will meet in Washington DC on Thursday for the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump's Board of Peace, as major European allies declined to join the group and criticised the organisation's murky funding and political mandate.The White House has indicated that the summit for the US president's new ad hoc council at the renamed Donald J Trump Institute of Peace will heavily function as a fundraising round, with Trump announcing on social media that countries have pledged more than $5bn toward rebuilding Gaza, which has been devastated in the war with Israel and remains in a humanitarian crisis. Continue reading...

Activist group says some members have been visited by agents, including by agency's terrorism taskforceEnvironmental group Extinction Rebellion said on Wednesday it was under federal US investigation and that some of its members had been visited by FBI agents, including from the agency's taskforce on extremism, in the last year.Asked for comment, the FBI said it could neither confirm nor deny conducting specific investigations, citing justice department policy. Continue reading...

Almost 70% of companies, including BYD and Toyota, beat their initial target for the average emissions efficiency of the new cars they sold

A fried snack sustained protesters, and the aid continues amid fear and promises that ICE will leave the cityThe images coming out of Minneapolis over the past two months have looked like something from a Hollywood dystopian horror film: masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents armed with guns, pepper spray, and teargas coming to blows with everyday citizens bearing phones, whistles, signs and, perhaps most surprisingly, food to feed their fellow protesters.For Fatoun Ali and other Somali community members, sambusa was the weapon of choice. Last December, before prejudiced threats turned to bloodshed in the streets, they deployed this tasty east African staple - a fried, flaky, triangular-shaped pastry typically filled with ground meat, vegetables and spices (similar to south Asian samosas) - to combat the xenophobic rhetoric rapidly spreading across the Twin Cities. She estimates they bought and handed out hundreds of the simple snacks near community hubs, all in hopes of introducing others to the largest Somali diaspora community outside Africa. Continue reading...

While most hybrids are said to use one to two litres of fuel per 100km, a study claims they need six litres on averagePlug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs) use much more fuel on the road than officially stated by their manufacturers, a large-scale analysis of about a million vehicles of this type has shown.The Fraunhofer Institute carried out what is thought to be the most comprehensive study of its kind to date, using the data transmitted wirelessly by PHEVs from a variety of manufacturers while they were on the road. Continue reading...

Lawsuit from health and environmental justice groups challenges the EPA's rollback of the endangerment finding'More than a dozen health and environmental justice non-profits have sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its revocation of the legal determination that underpins US federal climate regulations.Filed in Washington DC circuit court, the lawsuit challenges the EPA's rollback of the endangerment finding", which states that the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere endangers public health and welfare and has allowed the EPA to limit those emissions from vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources since 2009. The rollback was widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis. Continue reading...

By repealing the EPA's determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health, the president is denying reality itselfThe climate crisis is killing people. These deaths are measurable, documented and ongoing. Concluding otherwise is just playing pretend. Studies explain the mechanics, but lived experience supplies the truth. The people who suffer the consequences see the fire rising and water closing in. They need their government's help.Despite that, the president of the United States stood at a microphone last Thursday and abdicated his duty to them. It has nothing to do with public health," he claimed about the climate crisis while announcing that the federal government would repeal the Environmental Protection Agency's endangerment finding", a determination that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare. This is all a scam, a giant scam."Jamil Smith is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...

Report records 65 unprovoked attacks - but annual drowning deaths in US alone exceed 4,000The number of people killed or bitten by sharks in unprovoked attacks globally increased significantly in 2025, a report published on Wednesday has found, while a single Florida county maintained its crown as the so-called shark bite capital of the world.The International Shark Attack File, compiled by the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida, recorded 65 unprovoked attacks worldwide, up from 47 during 2024, and an increase on the five-year average of 61. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Pensthorpe was believed to be home to just one individual but pair have been filmed grooming each otherNo one knows where they came from or how they ended up in Norfolk. But one thing is certain: now, there are two of them.Until last week, experts believed there was only one wild beaver living in Pensthorpe nature reserve, about 20 miles outside Norwich. But just in time for Valentine's Day, two were caught on camera going for a late-night swim together and grooming each other by the riverbank. Continue reading...

Less than a decade ago, the Balkan country had just one breeding pair of the eastern imperial species of raptor left. Now things are changing, thanks to the dogged work of conservationistsAt the start of every spring, before the trees in northern Serbia begin to leaf out, ornithologists drive across the plains of Vojvodina. They check old nesting sites of eastern imperial eagles, scan solitary trees along field margins, and search for signs of new nests.For years, the work of the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (BPSSS) has been getting more demanding - and more rewarding. In 2017, Serbia was down to a single breeding pair. Last year, BPSSS recorded 19 breeding pairs, 10 of which successfully raised young. Continue reading...

Figures from Aviva also show number of homes being built in risky areas is risingOne in nine new homes in England built between 2022 and 2024 were constructed in areas that could now be at risk of flooding, according to new data.The figures show the number of homes being built in risky areas is on the rise - a previous analysis showed that between 2013 and 2022, one in 13 new homes were in potential flooding zones. Continue reading...

Thousands of lawsuits accuse the agrochemical maker of failing to warn people that its weedkiller could cause cancerThe agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25bn settlement on Tuesday to resolve thousands of US lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer.The proposed settlement comes as the US supreme court is preparing to hear arguments on Bayer's assertion that the Environmental Protection Agency's approval of Roundup without a cancer warning should invalidate claims filed in state courts. That case would not be affected by the proposed settlement. Continue reading...

Users of Birdex get points for each bird they see and can compete with friends, with 200,000 sightings logged so farA new app has launched that aims to gamify birdwatching by allowing people to collect digital cards of UK bird species whenever they record seeing one.Users of Birdex accumulate points for each bird they see, with less common and rare species yielding the greatest rewards. It is possible to add friends and compete over bird sightings. The app has got birdwatchers talking online - though it has raised hackles among some for its use of AI-generated artwork. Continue reading...

Aftermath of Storm Nils causes chaos across country with flooding under way or expected on Garonne, Maine and Loire riversFrance has issued red alerts for flooding in three departements as the aftermath of Storm Nils causes chaos across the country.Flood waters have inundated homes and isolated villages after the Garonne River overflowed its banks, with hydrologists warning that rain is falling on soils that have hit record-breaking levels of saturation. Continue reading...

Huge project by Norwegian-owned Scottish Sea Farms gets go-ahead amid concerns over the environmental cost of fish farming and threat to traditional way of lifeAt Collafirth, north Shetland, Sydney Johnson is unloading two-dozen bags of scallops by throwing them over his head like medicine balls to the pier above. Johnson, who has just finished a 10-hour shift on his boat, the Golden Shore, is concerned that plans for a new salmon farm will put fishers like him and his two sons out of business.They say it's just one farm," says Johnson. But it's one farm more. There's only so much water and we're at saturation point." Continue reading...

Australian Antarctic Program scientists say virus on Heard Island has spread to new species

Legal bid by shareholder advocacy group over alleged misleading net zero' and clean energy' claims fails

President says it is inappropriate for UK to be dealing with Gavin Newsom after Ed Miliband meets governor in LondonDonald Trump has vented his fury against a green energy deal between the British government and California's governor, Gavin Newsom, a likely future Democratic presidential candidate.The UK's got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum," Trump said in an interview with Politico, using the derogatory nickname he reserves for Newsom. Gavin is a loser. Everything he's touched turns to garbage. His state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster." Continue reading...

Island's reservoirs hit record lows even before tourist season starts as Cypriots are warned every drop counts'

The Congo River basin is one of the planet's most biodiverse ecosystems. But it is also home to a growing population and relentless trade in timber and charcoalYou can't be scared of the storms," says Jean de Dieu Mokuma as the sun sets on the Congo River behind him. With the current, once your voyage has begun, there is no turning back." Mokuma, along with his wife Marie-Therese and their two young children, is piloting a cargo of timber downstream lashed on to a precarious raft and tied to a canoe.Families wake up at dawn on rafts of logs and merchandise that are being transported down the Congo River by boat to Kinshasa, the DRC capital Continue reading...

Analysis reveals big regional disparities as critics say Labour's proposed levy could slow uptake of EVsDrivers in the south-west of England would pay nearly four times as much as those in London as a result of Labour's mileage-based tax on electric cars, according to analysis of official data.The 3p-a-mile road charge, announced in the autumn budget and due to take effect in 2028, is expected to raise 1.1bn a year, partly offsetting the loss of fuel duty revenues as drivers switch from petrol to electric vehicles. Continue reading...

The president's destructive policies enrich fossil fuel billionaires, while Beijing has bet big on the green transitionDevastating wildfires, flooding and winter storms were among the 23 extreme weather and climate-related disasters in the US which cost more than a billion dollars last year - at an estimated total loss of $115bn. The last three years have shattered previous records for such events. Last Wednesday, scientists said that we are closer than ever to the point after which global heating cannot be stopped.Just one day later, Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin, the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, announced the elimination of the Obama-era endangerment finding which underpins federal climate regulations. Scrapping it is just one part of Mr Trump's assault on environmental controls and promotion of fossil fuels. But it may be his most consequential. Any fragment of hope may lie in the fact that a president who has called global heating a hoax" framed this primarily as about deregulation - perhaps because the science is now so widely accepted even in the US. Continue reading...

Wetter winters are set to become the norm, so unless we're farmers or flood victims, we need some coping strategies to keep our spirits upThere's a lot of complaining about the weather currently and I get it, it's wet. Here in York the river is getting above itself yet again and the council has fenced off large puddles in the park for health and safety reasons, to widespread mockery. Things currently taking in water include the letterbox (yesterday the postman told me with a manic laugh that he was leaving for the Philippines), the hens, my shoes and our car, which is growing moss around the windows. On the inside.But does it merit all the moaning? I don't mean farmers, for whom it's a catastrophe, flood victims or the poor folk of Cardinham, North Wyke and Astwood Bank, who endured a biblical 40 days straight of rain. They're entitled to rend their garments and corral their pets into boats, two by two. But maybe the rest of us, just dealing with it being quite wet", could get a grip. When life gives you rain, make rain-ade (do not drink rain; it's full of forever chemicals)! After all - OK, not the cheeriest thought - this could be as good as it gets in future, given accelerating climate breakdown. At the very least, these wet patches will probably happen more often, so we need coping strategies. Here are mine. Continue reading...

Critics accuse administration of cooking the books' by claiming US would save $1.3tn from climate finding reversalThe Trump administration claims its latest move to gut climate regulations and end all greenhouse gas standards for vehicles will save Americans money. But its own analysis indicates that the new rule will push up gas prices, and that the benefits of the rollback are unlikely to outweigh the costs.On Thursday, the president and his environmental secretary, Lee Zeldin, announced the finalized repeal of the endangerment finding, a legal determination which underpins virtually all federal climate regulations. He claimed the rollback would save the US $1.3tn by 2055. Continue reading...

Some districts are adding programs in clean energy and sustainability, while one state is infusing environmental lessons into culinary education and constructionOn one end of the classroom, high school juniors examined little green sprouts - future baby carrots, sprigs of romaine lettuce - poking out of the soil of a drip irrigation system they built a few weeks prior.On the opposite end of the room, a model of a hydropower plant showed students how the movement of water can stimulate electrical currents. In this class in South Carolina's Greenville county school district, students primarily learn about one topic: renewable energy. Continue reading...

After a fast kick-off in Australia, e-scooter hire crackdowns fuelled by safety concerns have seen shared ebikes pull ahead

Senators said repeal was particularly troubling' and was counter to EPA's mandate to protect human healthMore than three dozen Democratic senators have begun an independent inquiry into the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following a huge change in how the agency measures the health benefits of reducing air pollution that is widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis.In a regulatory impact analysis, the EPA said it would stop assigning a monetary value to the health benefits associated with regulations on fine particulate matter and ozone. The agency argued that the estimates contain too much uncertainty. Continue reading...

Bouquets imported to Europe found to be heavily contaminated, often with chemicals banned in EU and UKStay away from roses this Valentine's Day, environmental campaigners have warned after testing revealed them to be heavily contaminated with pesticides.Laboratory testing on bouquets in the Netherlands, Europe's flower import hub, found roses had the highest residues of neurological and reproductive toxins compared with other flowers. Continue reading...

Environmental groups say cynical and devastating' reversal of endangerment finding has grave implicationsThe Trump administration has dismantled the basis for all US climate regulations, in its most confrontational anti-environment move yet.The 2009 endangerment finding determined that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare and should therefore be controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). By revoking it on Thursday, officials eliminated the legal foundation enabling the government to control planet-heating pollution. Continue reading...

Mayor of Brendola in Vicenza says he has received complaints from residents who live near industrial zonesAn Italian town is seeking a crew of sniffers to identify bad smells in its quest to improve air quality.Bruno Beltrame, the mayor of Brendola, a small town in the northern province of Vicenza, said he began the recruitment campaign for six odour evaluators" after complaints about unpleasant smells" from people living in neighbourhoods close to industrial zones. Continue reading...

Auditorium to remove bacon and sausages from cafe during stage run after request from campaign groupCampaigners are calling on theatre bosses to stop serving bacon, sausages and ham in their cafes - at least while Peppa Pig and her family are performing in the same building.Grimsby Auditorium in Lincolnshire said this week it would remove pork from the menu when Peppa Pig's Big Family Show opens next month, after a request from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta UK). The campaign group is sending the venue vegan ham as an alternative. Continue reading...

Exclusive: High levels of banned forever chemical' have been detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sitesA string of toxic pollution hotspots has been uncovered across Cumbria and Lancashire, with high levels of the banned cancer-causing forever chemical" Pfos detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites.The contamination, spread across a large area, was uncovered by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian after a freedom of information request revealed high concentrations of Pfos in Environment Agency samples taken in January 2025. Continue reading...

NAACP alleges artificial intelligence firm is violating Clean Air Act and polluting Black communities in MississippiElon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI is facing a second lawsuit alleging it is illegally emitting toxic pollutants from its enormous datacenters, which house its supercomputers and run the chatbot Grok.The new pending suit alleges xAI is violating the Clean Air Act and was filed Friday by the storied civil rights group the NAACP. The group's 40-page notice of intent to sue alleges xAI has been polluting Black communities near its facility in Southaven, Mississippi. The pollution comes from more than a dozen portable methane gas generators that xAI set up without permits, the notice alleges. Continue reading...

Negotiators disbanded on Friday without a plan for the basin supplying water to 40m people, thrusting the region into uncertaintyThe future of the American west hung in the balance after seven states remained at a stalemate over who should bear the brunt of the enormous water cuts needed to pull the imperiled Colorado River back from the brink.Negotiators, who have spent years trying to iron out thorny disagreements, ended their talks on Friday without a deal - one day before a critical deadline to form a plan that had been set for Saturday. Continue reading...

Images confirm xAI is continuing to defy EPA regulations in Mississippi to power its flagship datacentersElon Musk's artificial intelligence company is continuing to fuel its datacenters with unpermitted gas turbines, an investigation by the Floodlight newsroom shows. Thermal footage captured by Floodlight via drone shows xAI is still burning gas at a facility in Southaven, Mississippi, despite a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruling reiterating that doing so requires a state permit in advance.State regulators in Mississippi maintain that since the turbines are parked on tractor trailers, they don't require permits. However, the EPA has long maintained that such pollution sources require permits under the Clean Air Act. Continue reading...

Thomas Woldbye says part of airport's problem is UK passengers walk on the left while others walk on the rightHeathrow airport has revealed a crowding problem that a third runway cannot solve: British and foreign travellers walk on different sides, and keep colliding, according to its chief executive.Thomas Woldbye said that while Heathrow serviced more passengers in a smaller overall area than comparable European hubs, part of the London airport's trouble was the differing continental sense of direction. Continue reading...

EPA's records show one environmental consent decree filed in last year - 26 were filed in year one of first Trump termEnforcement of environmental laws against major polluters has virtually ground to a halt under the Trump administration, a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency records from January 2025 to January 2026 shows.Major polluters typically include companies that are among the largest in the oil, gas, coal and chemical industries. Continue reading...

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

Choice could prove difficult for Thames Water, which is trying to push through a water recycling scheme nearbyThe first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London has been shortlisted as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across the country.The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, was shortlisted as a new river bathing water after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year. Continue reading...

Number of males at RSPB Abernethy rises to 30, after huge amount of work' by conservationists in Highlands forestsAfter decades of decline, there are signs of hope for the capercaillie, one of Britain's most endangered birds.Populations of the charismatic grouse, which in the UK is found only in the Caledonian pine forests of the Scottish Highlands, have increased by 50%, from 20 males in 2020 to 30 in 2025 at RSPB Abernethy. Continue reading...

Japan says vessel failed to comply with order to stop, with incident coming weeks after row with China over TaiwanAuthorities in Japan have seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain in a move that is likely to inflame an ongoing diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing.The seizure, which occurred on Thursday about 105 miles (170km) from the south-western port city of Nagasaki, came after the skipper refused an order to stop for an onboard inspection, according to media reports. Continue reading...

Report by Tony Blair Institute urges government to drop some green policies amid criticism of decarbonisation goalTony Blair's thinktank has accused Ed Miliband of driving up energy prices in his push to make Britain's energy supply more environmentally friendly.The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) published a report on Friday criticising the government's green policies and urging the energy secretary to drop some of them altogether, including almost completely decarbonising the electricity system by 2030. Continue reading...

Rollback of government's ability to limit climate-heating pollution will make families sicker and less safe', environmental advocate saysThe Trump administration has revoked the bedrock scientific determination that gives the government the ability to regulate climate-heating pollution. The move was described as a gift to billionaire polluters" at the expense of Americans' health.The endangerment finding, which states that the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endangers public health and welfare, has since 2009 allowed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to limit heat-trapping pollution from vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources. Continue reading...

Award was presented as president directed Pentagon to buy billions of dollars' worth of energy from coal plantsDonald Trump was crowned the undisputed champion of beautiful clean coal" during a White House ceremony on Wednesday, during which the president received a trophy after ordering the US defense department to purchase billions of dollars' worth of power from coal plants.The award was reportedly granted by the Washington Coal Club, an advocacy group with financial ties to the coal industry. Continue reading...