Canadian backpacker, 19, was found dead on K'gari island earlier this week surrounded by pack of wild dingoesThe autopsy of Piper James, whose body was found on K'gari surrounded by a pack of dingoes, has found physical evidence consistent with drowning and injuries consistent with dingo bites".The Canadian backpacker's trip to Australia ended in tragedy when the 19-year-old was found dead on a beach on Monday on the world heritage-listed island formerly known as Fraser Island off the Queensland coast. Continue reading...

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

Experts say climate crisis, corruption and lack or misuse of infrastructure among factors driving water conflictsWater-related violence has almost doubled since 2022 and little is being done to understand and address the trend and prevent new and escalating risks, experts have said.There were 419 incidents of water-related violence recorded in 2024, up from 235 in 2022, according to the Pacific Institute, a US-based thinktank. Continue reading...

Conservationists hail the desperately needed' measures and urge greater protection after up to 11% of endangered Tapanuli orangutans wiped outThe floods and landslides that tore through Indonesia's fragile Batang Toru ecosystem in November 2024 - killing up to 11% of the world's Tapanuli orangutan population - prompted widespread scrutiny of the extractive companies operating in the area at the time of the ecological catastrophe.For weeks, investigators searched for evidence that the companies may have damaged the Batang Toru and Garoga watersheds before the disaster, which washed torrents of mud and logs into villages, claiming the lives of more than 1,100 people. Continue reading...

More than 30,000 households left with defects after catastrophic failure' of Tory government schemesMembers of parliament have called for the Serious Fraud Office to investigate the UK's home insulation sector, after thousands of householders suffered ruined homes, big financial losses and months of disruption from the clear and catastrophic failure" of two Conservative government schemes.More than 30,000 households were left with defects, some of them severe, including mould, water ingress and damage to the fabric of walls, with about 3,000 dwellings so badly damaged they presented immediate health and safety risks to occupants. Continue reading...

Campaigners hail U-turn during legal challenge over proposed centre an embarrassing climbdown'The government has been forced to admit its own planning approval for a major AI datacentre should be quashed after it failed to fully consider the climate impact, in what campaigners described as an embarrassing climbdown".Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister, had overruled opposition from a local council to grant permission for a hyperscale datacentre on greenbelt land by the M25 in Buckinghamshire in line with Labour's pledge to enable faster private investment in AI. But her successor, Steve Reed, has admitted the reasons for not requiring an environmental impact assessment were inadequate" and that permission should be quashed". Continue reading...

Marineland seeks approval to sell belugas to United States after its China export proposal was rejected

Sheldon Whitehouse adds auto giant to investigation after US president claimed CEO requests changes to regulationsAs the Trump administration prepares to overturn the rule underpinning virtually all US climate regulations, a Senate committee is investigating whether the US's second-largest automaker lobbied for the rollback.In September, the Senate environment and public works committee launched investigations into two dozen oil companies, thinktanks, law firms and trade associations, focused on how the companies may have persuaded the White House to initiate the repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding. Now, the committee, of which the ranking member is the Democratic Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse, is expanding the investigation to include Ford Motor Company. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Beijing, Delhi, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro among worst affected, with demand close to exceeding supplyHalf the world's 100 largest cities are experiencing high levels of water stress, with 38 of these sitting in regions of extremely high water stress", new analysis and mapping has shown.Water stress means that water withdrawals for public water supply and industry are close to exceeding available supplies, often caused by poor management of water resources exacerbated by climate breakdown. Continue reading...

Pollution from wood burners kills thousands but proposed emissions limit would cut toxic particles by 10%New wood-burning stoves will carry a health warning highlighting the impact of the air pollution they produce, under UK government plans.Ministers have also proposed cutting the limit on the smoke emitted from wood burners by 80%. However, the measure would only apply to new stoves, most of which already meet the stricter limit. The new limit would cut the annual toxic emissions from wood burning in the UK by only 10% over the next decade, according to the consultation. Continue reading...

Cash, gold, mercury and firearms seized in operations in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and SurinamePolice and prosecutors from Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname have arrested nearly 200 people in their first joint cross-border operation targeting illegal gold mining in the Amazon region, authorities said.The operation was backed by Interpol, the EU and Dutch police specialising in environmental crime. It involved more than 24,500 checks on vehicles and people across remote border areas and led to the seizure of cash, unprocessed gold, mercury, firearms, drugs and mining equipment, Interpol said. Continue reading...

Road safety activists vindicated' after success of campaign supported by NHS trusts and headteachers

Extreme heat is getting worse and whether we like it or not ... there's ultimately a limit to what we can actually physically cope with,' scientist says

The removal of sulphur from shipping fuels caused a lot of extra sunlight' to get through atmosphere and hit reef in 2022Steps to clean up the shipping industry by removing sulphur from fuels intensified a major coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef by allowing more of the sun's energy to hit the oceanic wonder, according to a new study.Sulphur pollution can cause respiratory problems for humans and cause acid rain, but it also has a shading effect and can make clouds brighter, providing more shade to areas underneath. Continue reading...

Described by one researcher as looking already dead', the enigmatic creatures are one of the least understood species on the planetIt looks more like a worn sock than a fearsome predator. It moves slower than an escalator. By most accounts, it is a clumsy and near-sightless relic drifting in the twilight waters of the Arctic, lazily searching for food scraps.The Greenland shark, an animal one researcher (lovingly) said, looks like it's already dead", is also one of the least understood, biologically enigmatic species on the planet. Continue reading...

Manual for building design aims to encourage low-carbon construction as alternative to steel and concreteAn airport made of bamboo? A tower reaching 20 metres high? For many years, bamboo has been mostly known as the favourite food of giant pandas, but a group of engineers say it's time we took it seriously as a building material, too.This week the Institution of Structural Engineers called for architects to be bamboo-ready" as they published a manual for designing permanent buildings made of the material, in an effort to encourage low-carbon construction and position bamboo as a proper alternative to steel and concrete. Continue reading...

It's not just Tunbridge Wells - a country famous around the world for its rain is in danger of self-imposed droughtYou get up and go to the loo, only to find the flush doesn't work. You try the shower, except nothing comes out. You want a glass of water, but on turning the tap there is not a drop. Your day stumbles on, stripped of its essentials: no washing hands, no cleaning up the baby, neither tea nor coffee, no easy way to do the dishes or the laundry. Dirt accumulates; tempers fray.The water company texts: we are so sorry; colleagues are working to restore connection; everything should soon be normal. You want to believe them, but the more it's repeated, the more it becomes a kind of hold music. There's no supply the next day, and the day after, and the day after that. Each morning brings with it the same chest-tightening question: what will happen today? Buckets and bottles don't stop you feeling grubby and smelly, or from noticing the taint on your family and friends and neighbours. You're not quite the people you thought you were and nothing feels normal.Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Experts say big flaw is the lack of mandatory requirements, meaning developers could ignore the guidanceHousing where shops, schools, public transport and possibly pubs are close by, with green spaces and access to nature, and where heritage is preserved, should be the norm for all new developments, according to guidelines set out by the government.King's Cross in London, for example, where industrial buildings have been converted into shops, restaurants and public spaces, and where schools and care homes mingle with social and private housing near to a cleaned-up canal and nature reserve, could become the model, according to the new vision. Continue reading...

The storm will stretch 2,000 miles from south-west to east, disrupting travel and threatening power outagesA vast winter storm is set to descend across much of the US starting on Friday, sweeping snow, ice and brutal cold across nearly 2,000 miles from the south-west to the east coast and affecting more than 200 million people.The system is expected to disrupt travel, bring down trees and power lines, and create the risk of prolonged power outages, followed by dangerously cold air. Continue reading...

Huge spike in fats, oils and grease going to Malabar treatment plant follows 2017 changes to reporting regime and reduced inspections, critics say

Our nation's fascination with rubbish knows no bounds - as was proved by one recent online debateEven if you've never been anywhere near it, the Mumsnet message board is legendary. Since it launched in 2000, it has changed the vernacular - am I being unreasonable?" is not just a question, it's a shorthand for the type of person who asks it - and introduced us to the penis beaker (one maverick husband's postcoital hygiene regime, made infamous). It's a screenshot of society, a cultural thermometer; if it's happening on Mumsnet, it's big news. And one of the most popular recent threads is about bins.The post that kicked it off was written by a woman who lived opposite an empty house where tenants had moved out. The landlord popped round late at night to drag the bins out for collection, and the next morning, at 6.45am, she could hear the lorry approaching. The coast was clear, and she still had a backlog of rubbish from Christmas. Deciding it was a victimless crime, she slipped one of her bags in their bin, which easily had room. Enterprising? Without a doubt. Moral, though? Continue reading...

Felling of 500-year-old oak has provoked fury from public and Enfield council, which leases land to Mitchells & ButlersThe restaurant chain Toby Carvery is facing eviction from one of its sites after taking a chainsaw to an ancient oak tree without the permission of its council landlord.The partial felling last April of the 500-year-old oak on the edge of a Toby Carvery car park in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, provoked widespread public dismay and fury from Enfield council, which leases the land to the restaurant's owners Mitchells & Butlers Retail (M&B). Continue reading...

Critics accuse leading firms of sabotaging climate action but say data increasingly being used to hold them to accountJust 32 fossil fuel companies were responsible for half the global carbon dioxide emissions driving the climate crisis in 2024, down from 36 a year earlier, a report has revealed.Saudi Aramco was the biggest state-controlled polluter and ExxonMobil was the largest investor-owned polluter. Critics accused the leading fossil fuel companies of sabotaging climate action" and being on the wrong side of history" but said the emissions data was increasingly being used to hold the companies accountable. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sydney Water erects sign at Malabar beach near wastewater facility stating do not touch any debris ... we are cleaning the area'

Actor says it is more important than ever' to safeguard city's parks as report finds more than 50 are at riskDame Judi Dench has called for greater protections for London's parks and green spaces, as research finds more than 50 of the city's parks are at risk from development.The Oscar-winning actor has long loved trees, and in 2017 fronted a BBC documentary about her love for them. She plants a tree every time a close friend or relative dies, including for her late husband, Michael Williams, who died in 2001, and the actor Natasha Richardson, who was killed in a skiing accident in 2009, and one for her brother Jeffery Dench, who died in 2014. Continue reading...

Government opts against phasing out new boilers by 2035 in effort to cut energy bills by as much as 1,000 a year

Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being feltThe global attack on nature is threatening the UK's national security, government intelligence chiefs have warned, as the increasingly likely collapse of vitally important natural systems would bring mass migration, food shortages and price rises, and global disorder.Food supplies are particularly at risk since without significant increases" the UK would be unable to compete with other nations for scarce resources, a report to ministers says. Continue reading...

Even 25% increase in meat and dairy consumption would require 100m more acres of agricultural land, analysis saysThe Trump administration's new dietary guidelines urging Americans to eat far more meat and dairy products will, if followed, come at a major cost to the planet via huge swathes of habitat razed for farmland and millions of tons of extra planet-heating emissions.A new inverted food pyramid recently released by Donald Trump's health department emphasizes pictures of steak, poultry, ground beef and whole milk, alongside fruits and vegetables, as the most important foods to eat. Continue reading...

The Andaman coast was one of very few places in the world with a viable population but then dead dugongs began washing up. Now half have goneA solitary figure stands on the shore of Thailand's Tang Khen Bay. The tide is slowly rising over the expanse of sandy beach, but the man does not seem to notice. His eyes are not fixed on the sea, but on the small screen clutched between his hands.About 600 metres offshore, past the shadowy fringe of coral reef, his drone hovers over the murky sea, focused on a whirling grey shape: Miracle, the local dugong, is back. Continue reading...

Amateur conservationist and social media influencer Theerasak Pop' Saksritawee has a rare bond with Thailand's critically endangered dugongs. With dugong fatalities increasing, Pop works alongside scientists at Phuket Marine Biological Centre to track the mammals with his drone and restore their disappearing seagrass habitat. Translating complex science for thousands online, Pop raises an urgent alarm about climate change, pollution and habitat loss - before Thailand's dugongs vanish forever Continue reading...

Amateur conservationist and social media influencer Theerasak 'Pop' Saksritawee has a rare bond with Thailand's critically endangered dugongs. With dugong fatalities increasing, Pop works alongside scientists at Phuket Marine Biological Centre to track the mammals with his drone and restore their disappearing seagrass habitat. Translating complex science for thousands online, Pop raises an urgent alarm about climate change, pollution and habitat loss - before Thailand's dugongs vanish forever Continue reading...

Prosecution over death of Quinto Inuma Alvarado seen as test of ability to curb attacks on environmental defendersFive men are due to go on trial on Tuesday over the killing of an Amazonian Indigenous leader, in a legal case that could test whether Peru can hold perpetrators accountable for violence linked to illegal logging and drug trafficking in one of the world's most dangerous regions for environmental defenders.The Kichwa tribal leader Quinto Inuma Alvarado was killed on 29 November 2023, after repeatedly denouncing illegal activity within his community's territory. Continue reading...

Changing temperatures may be behind change in behaviour, which experts fear threatens three species' survivalPenguins in Antarctica have radically shifted their breeding season, apparently as a response to climate change, research has found.Dramatic shifts in behaviour were revealed by a decade-long study led by Penguin Watch at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, with some penguins' breeding period moving forward by more than three weeks. Continue reading...

Life of Eraring power station in Lake Macquarie extended to April 2029, Origin Energy says

Exclusive: Campaigners claim changes will let companies off the hook', as government prepares to unveil new white paper for water industryWater companies could be let off fines for polluting the environment under changes announced in the government's new white paper.The environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, hailed the changes as once-in-a-generation reforms" featuring tough oversight, real accountability and no more excuses". Continue reading...

Trust had $254m invested in companies such as Chevron, BP and Shell in 2024, a nine-year record, analysis showsThe Gates Foundation Trust holds hundreds of millions of dollars in fossil fuel extractors despite Bill Gates' claims of divestment made in 2019.End-of-year filings reveal that in 2024 the trust invested $254m in companies that extract fossil fuels such as Chevron, BP and Shell. This was a nine-year record and up 21% from 2016, Guardian analysis found. Adjusting for inflation, it was the highest amount since 2019. Continue reading...

Experts call for tighter regulation as GPS tracking reveals how people's behaviour affects the lives of some of the world's largest birdsMany people look up to admire the silhouette of raptors, some of the planet's largest birds, soaring through seemingly empty skies. But increasingly, research shows us that this fascination runs both ways. From high above, these birds are watching us too.Thanks to the development of tiny GPS tracking devices attached to their bodies, researchers are getting millions of data points on the day-to-day lives of these apex predators of the skies, giving us greater insight into where they hunt and rest, and how they die. Continue reading...

Police praise fast actions and bravery of boy's friends on Sunday as he faces fight for his life' in hospital

Talk about climate whiplash Continue reading...

Errors in measuring microplastic pollution can be corrected. Public trust in science also needs to be shored upIt is true that science is self-correcting. Over the long term this means that we can generally trust its results - but up close, correction can be a messy process. The Guardian reported last week that 20 recent studies measuring the amount of micro- and nanoplastics in the human body have been criticised in the scientific literature for methodological issues, calling their results into question. In one sense this is the usual process playing out as it should. However, the scale of the potential error - one scientist estimates that half the high-impact papers in the field are affected - suggests a systemic problem that should have been prevented.The risk is that in a febrile political atmosphere in which trust in science is being actively eroded on issues from climate change to vaccinations, even minor scientific conflicts can be used to sow further doubt. Given that there is immense public and media interest in plastic pollution, it is unfortunate that scientists working in this area did not show more caution. Continue reading...

Vegan restaurants are closing, RFK Jr is sounding the drum for carnivores, and the protein cult is bigger than ever. But eschewing animal products helps me ward off a sense of impotence - and despairLet's get this out of the way, because I'm itching to tell you (again): I'm vegan, and this is our time, Veganuary! Imagine me doing a weak, vitamin B12-depleted dance. Unlike gym-goers, vegans are thrilled when newbies sign up each January, for planetary and animal welfare reasons, but also, shallowly, for the shopping. This is when we can gorge on the novelties retailers dream up: Peta's round-up for this year includes the seductive Aldi pains au chocolat and M&S coconut kefir.I need retail therapy, because Veganuary has become quite muted and that's part of a wider inflection point in vegan eating that I'm sad about. Where have all the vegans gone?" Dazed asked in November, and now New York Magazine has investigated, with the tagline: Plant-based eating was supposed to be the future. Then meat came roaring back." It details a wave of vegan restaurant closures (plus the high-profile reverse ferret performed by formerly vegan Michelin-three-starred Eleven Madison Park to serving animal products for certain dishes"), declining sales of meat substitutes and a stubbornly static percentage of people identifying as vegan (around 1%). It's not new (rumours of veganism's demise have been swirling around since at least 2024) and it's not just a US phenomenon; many UK vegan restaurants have closed this year, including my lovely local. Continue reading...

Tony Cholerton created Robovacc to inoculate a timid tiger at London zoo - but says it could administer jabs to badgersIt began with the tiger who wouldn't come to tea. Cinta was so shy that she refused to feed when keepers at London zoo were around, and staff wondered how they would ever administer the young animal's vaccinations without traumatising her.So Tony Cholerton, a zookeeper who had been a motorcycle engineer for many years, invented Robovacc - a machine to quickly administer vital jabs without the presence of people. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis shows electricity bills were up 6.7% last year, and much higher in some states, and gas bills up 5.2%

In historic speech to mark UN's 80th anniversary, secretary general makes impassioned plea for multilateralism and international law amid drastic US funding cutsThe United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, will warn on Saturday of the peril posed by powerful forces lining up to undermine global cooperation" in an address to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN's first major meeting.Speaking in London's Methodist Central Hall - the site where eight decades earlier delegates from 51 countries came together for the inaugural session of the general assembly - the UN head will make an impassioned plea for the virtues of multilateralism and international law to prevail during a period of deepening global uncertainty. Continue reading...

As international treaty comes into force, bill to make it law in Britain is moving at glacial pace' through parliamentThe UK risks being shut out of a historic oceans summit because parliament has failed to ratify the UN's high seas treaty, environmental charities and campaigners have warned.The high seas treaty, formally known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, comes into force on Saturday, after two decades of talks. Continue reading...

Todoli foundation produces varieties from Buddha's hands to sudachi and hopes to help citrus survive climate changeIt was on a trip with a friend to the east coast of Spain that the chef Matthew Slotover came across the Garden of Eden", an organic farm growing citrus varieties he had never heard of. The Todoli Citrus Foundation is a nonprofit venture and the largest private collection of citrus in the world with more than 500 varieties, and its owners think the rare fruit could hold the genetic secrets to growing citrus groves that can deal with climate change.The farm yields far more interesting fruit than oranges and lemons for Slotover's menu, including kumquat, finger lime, sudachi and bergamot. Continue reading...

Australia's WorldTour race on my local roads fills me with pride, but as the years go on it feels like hosting international friends in a house that is visibly on fireSweat rolls off my brow as my legs roll powerless beneath me. Eyes fixed on my glowing bike computer screen, watching as my heart rate climbs faster than the power that can be produced by my legs. 150, 160, 170bpm. How long has that been? I wipe the bead of sweat obscuring the timer. Only five minutes.I can barely squeeze in each breath, and the walls feel like they're closing in. Yes, walls. Because it's not the sun's glare making this ride unbearable. Outside, it's freezing. It's October. But inside, we're sealed within sterile white walls and glass windows glistening with condensation, sweat puddling on the floor. Continue reading...

This week's furore is microplastics researchers' ozone moment. If they fail, the powerful plastics lobby will step into the breach

Flood warning raised to highest level with roads washed away and rain forcing evacuation of Kruger national parkLarge areas of north-eastern South Africa and neighbouring Mozambique have been inundated for several days with exceptionally heavy rainfall. Some locations in South Africa recorded hundreds of millimetres of rain over the weekend, such as Graskop in Mpumalanga, where 113mm fell in 24 hours, and Phalaborwa, which recorded about 85mm of rainfall. Rain has continued to fall across the region since the weekend.The deluge has been driven by a slow-moving cut-off low pressure system that has remained anchored over the region, repeatedly drawing in moisture and triggering intense downpours. Further heavy rainfall is expected on Friday and over the weekend. Maputo, Mozambique's capital, could expect daily rainfall totals to exceed 200mm by the end of Friday, while western parts of South Africa and north-western Eswatini may record more than 100mm. Continue reading...

Up to 30,000 customers of South East Water had no supply or low pressure at height of incidentWater has been restored to most homes across Kent and Sussex after almost a week of disruption.South East Water (SEW) said the outage, which began on Saturday, was the result of Storm Goretti causing burst pipes and power cuts. Continue reading...