Take that Antony Greem

In early 2023, the planet's worst coral bleaching event began. More than two years later, 80% of the planet's reefs have been affected by successive marine heatwaves hitting ecosystems from the Great Barrier Reef to the Mesoamerican Reef Continue reading...

Chemical fingerprint' shows 46% of wood samples certified as sustainable did not come from labelled country of originNearly half of birch wood certified by leading sustainability schemes is misidentified and does not come from the labelled country of origin, according to new testing. The analysis raises fears that large quantities of sanctioned wood from Russia and Belarus are still illegally entering Britain.New research by World Forest ID, a consortium of research organisations that includes Kew Gardens and the World Resources Institute, scrutinised the accuracy of dozens of harvesting-origin claims on birch products, which had almost entirely been approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) sustainability schemes. Continue reading...

Labour must deliver the green transition voters want, leaving Reform and the Tories on the side of economic decline and dictatorsWhich former British prime minister described the climate emergency as a clock ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and turbines and furnaces and engines ... quilting the Earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO"?The florid style gives it away. You'd guess Boris Johnson even if you'd forgotten that the master of Brexit bombast also had a sideline in net zero evangelism. It wasn't the most memorable part of his repertoire and it didn't catch on as a Conservative catechism.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

An ashen pallor and an eerie stillness all that remains where there should fluttering fish and vibrant colours in the reefscape, one conservationist saysThe world's coral reefs have been pushed into uncharted territory" by the worst global bleaching event on record that has now hit more than 80% of the planet's reefs, scientists have warned.Reefs in at least 82 countries and territories have been exposed to enough heat to turn corals white since the global event started in January 2023, the latest data from the US government's Coral Reef Watch shows. Continue reading...

Ocean-inspired artworks created using kelp-based pigment will be sold to raise funds for conservationLast year in early summer, Alex Glasgow could be seen hauling up a long string of orangey-black seaweed on to the barge of his water farm, located off the west coast of Scotland near Skye. Growing on the farm was what Glasgow described as perhaps the quickest-growing biomass on the planet": seaweed.The weed from Glasgow's farm, KelpCrofters, is used in everything from soil fertiliser to artisanal soaps to glass-making and is part of a burgeoning industry - not just in Scotland, but around the world. Continue reading...

Dozens of miniature horses and their human running mates have taken part in the Great Northern Gallop, an adventure race through dense forests and across rugged beaches in New Zealand's Far North. Participants run or walk 100km over four days for the event, which raises money for the welfare of miniature horses Continue reading...

Presenter believes decision was taken due to the technology's link with net zero after he was told he risked accusations of political biasThe BBC presenter Evan Davis has been told he can no longer host a podcast about heat pumps due to the corporation's concerns that discussing the technology risks treading on areas of public controversy".The presenter of BBC Radio 4's PM programme had hosted 20 episodes of the Happy Heat Pump Podcast, which launched in 2024. It has covered issues around installing the technology, the cost, noise levels and the alternatives for people replacing their gas boilers. Continue reading...

Former VP said the administration was creating its own preferred reality' and slammed it for green energy U-turnAl Gore said there were important lessons" to be learned from similarities between the early rise of Nazi Germany and the recent actions of the Trump administration, in scathing comments made Monday during remarks about climate change.During a speech at an event to mark the beginning of San Francisco's Climate Week, the former vice-president and established climate advocate, said that the Trump administration was trying to create their own preferred version of reality", akin to the Nazi party during the 1930s in Germany, Politico reported. Continue reading...

As temperatures rise and countries back off their decarbonization efforts, we must confront a reality central banks can't correctInflation is, at base, a tax on consumption - and it hits the poor the hardest, since they consume more of their incomes and the rich consume less.That's one reason for concern over Donald Trump's tariffs, which will disproportionately affect the poor. When the 90-day pause on the tariffs expires, it is reasonable to expect prices to rise, and by a lot.Mark Blyth is a political economist and professor at Brown University. Nicolo Fraccaroli is a visiting scholar at Brown University. The views expressed here are the writers' own and not their institutions' Continue reading...

The Guardian is joining forces with dozens of newsrooms around the world to launch a year-long exploration of the silent majority' of people who want to fight climate changeThe Guardian US is launching a year-long collaborative reporting project that seeks to explore a pivotal but little-known fact about the climate crisis: the overwhelming majority of the world's people want their governments to take stronger action.The 89 Percent Project is a partnership between the Guardian US, Covering Climate Now, Agence France-Presse and dozens of other newsrooms across the globe. The collaboration builds on a slate of recent scientific studies finding that between 80-89% of the world's population want stronger climate action. This overwhelming global majority, however, does not realize that they are a majority; most think their fellow citizens don't agree. Experts agree breaking this spiral of silence" could be pivotal to spurring critical climate action. Continue reading...

The tree, believed to be city's oldest, had already been damaged by the region's increasingly arid climateAn ancient English oak believed to be Berlin's oldest tree is suffering the effects of a prolonged dry spell in the German capital, local authorities have said, compounding already significant damage to its once lush canopy and branches.Dicke Marie" (Fat Marie), as Berliners affectionately call the tree located in the northern Tegel Forest, has been deprived of essential moisture in recent years as a result of extended periods of sparse rainfall blamed on the climate crisis, according to natural resource officials. Continue reading...

Energy giant to start production off Northern Territory coast at development projected to add more than 270m tonnes of CO2 to atmosphere

Potential danger to humans and wildlife from harmful pesticide discovered in fish at 10 times safety limitResidues of the insecticide DDT have been found to persist at alarming rates" in trout even after 70 years, potentially posing a significant danger to humans and wildlife that eat the fish, research has found.Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, known as DDT, was used on forested land in New Brunswick, Canada, from 1952 to 1968. The researchers found traces of it remained in brook trout in some lakes, often at levels 10 times higher than the recommended safety threshold for wildlife. Continue reading...

Island country deals with drought and hurricane damage as it pushes for reparations from countries that benefited from slaveryWhen category 4 Hurricane Beryl hit the Caribbean last June, the three-island nation of Grenada bore the brunt of its wrath. At the time, the country's prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, described the destruction as almost Armageddon-like". On the small island of Carriacou, it was estimated by officials that more than 90% of the buildings were damaged or destroyed. Agriculture and infrastructure for electricity and communication were almost completely wiped out.Nearly a year on, there are some signs of recovery and rebuilding, but hollowed-out buildings, roofless houses and charred, dying mangroves tell the story of a community that is still coming to grips with the devastation. Continue reading...

Organizers team up with pro-democracy groups for flurry of actions to demand right to free, healthy livesHundreds of marches, pickets and cleanup events are taking place across the US in the run-up to Earth Day on Tuesday, as environmental and climate groups step up resistance to the Trump administration's authoritarianism and its war on the planet".A fortnight after the Hands Off" mobilization brought millions to the streets, national and grassroots organizers are teaming up with pro-democracy groups for All Out on Earth Day" - a wave of actions to demand the right to live free, healthy lives. Continue reading...

Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari led a successful legal battle to protect the Maranon River in the Peruvian Amazon

Seven winners of environmental prize include Amazonian river campaigner and Tunisian who fought against organised waste trafficking

Numbers have plummeted in recent years, but the problem is no one really knows why nesting pairs fail to rear youngReaching the vantage point is a tricky business.First, there's a hop across a fence into Scratch Arse quarry - the stone workers used to find it such a cramped space to work in that their backsides would bump into the rock face. Then, a tiptoe through the slopes of early spider orchids and wild cabbage before a dizzying scramble down to the edge of the cliff. Continue reading...

Cuts to science, environmental and safety agencies are a rejection of hard-won knowledge gained from studying the disaster that occurred 15 years agoLast month, I joined nearly 500 former and current employees of National Geographic, where I was executive vice-president and chief science and exploration officer for 17 years, urging the institution to take a public stance against the Trump administration's reckless attacks on science. Our letter pointed out that the programs being dismantled are imperative for the success of our country's economy and are the foundation of our progress and wellbeing. They make us safer, stronger and more prosperous." We warned that gutting them is a recipe for disaster.In the face of this danger, none of us can remain silent.Terry Garcia was National Geographic's executive vice-president and chief science and exploration officer for 17 years. He also served as the assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy administrator of Noaa, as well as its general counsel Continue reading...

Lack of investment and vision has dogged UK industry, while China has literally forged aheadThe fate of incoming Labour business and industry secretaries seems to be to launch emergency rescue packages for industries that would otherwise face imminent closure.Witness Jonathan Reynolds at last Saturday's extraordinary parliamentary recall arguing for the legal right to take over the running of British Steel from its Chinese owner, Jingye, in order to save up to 3,500 jobs and Britain's strategic capacity to make steel. And witness Tony Benn, in 1974, offering a financial lifeline to 3,000 workers forming a cooperative to save motorcycle manufacture at the failed BSA plant in Meriden, near Coventry. Continue reading...

The energy secretary has accused Reform UK's leader of peddling dangerous falsehoods about renewable power

If green policy is going to survive the culture wars, it needs a new pitch - cleaner air, cheaper bills and healthier citiesFor a decade, green activists in Britain have been congratulating themselves on their luck. Unlike in many countries in Europe, where motorists, farmers and rightwing groups have been driving anti-climate action, the UK has long enjoyed a comfortable political consensus on the subject. But conditions for a greenlash are assembling.Most Britons still say they support climate efforts, but the price of decarbonising may at last be about to hit our wallets. Meanwhile, the Conservative party has come a long way since it sported a little green oak tree as its logo. Last month, Kemi Badenoch declared a full culture war against net zero, which she said couldn't be achieved without a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us".Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

Native seed demand far outpaces supply for the state's ambitious conservation plan. This group combs the landscape to address the deficitDeep in California's agricultural heartland, Haleigh Holgate marched through the expansive wildflower-dotted plains of the San Luis national wildlife refuge complex in search of something precious.She surveyed the native grasses and flowering plants that painted the Central valley landscape in almost blinding swaths of yellow. Her objective on that sweltering spring day was to gather materials pivotal to California's ambitious environmental agenda - seeds. Continue reading...

Bases in Norfolk, Devon and Hampshire face MoD investigation over possible leaching of dangerous PFAS into environmentThree UK military bases have been marked for investigation over fears they may be leaking toxic forever chemicals" into drinking water sources and important environmental sites.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will investigate RAF Marham in Norfolk, RM Chivenor in Devon and AAC Middle Wallop in Hampshire after concerns they may be leaching toxic PFAS chemicals into their surroundings. The sites were identified using a new PFAS risk screening tool developed by the Environment Agency (EA) designed to locate and prioritise pollution threats. Continue reading...

Peer-reviewed study's findings raises fresh question on the toxic substances' impact on fertilityMicroplastics have been found for the first time in human ovary follicular fluid, raising a new round of questions about the ubiquitous and toxic substances' potential impact on women's fertility.The new peer-reviewed research published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety checked for microplastics in the follicular fluid of 18 women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment at a fertility clinic in Salerno, Italy, and detected them in 14. Continue reading...

Fears produce could be permanently devalued by price war, as it creates unrealistic expectations about costs'Supermarkets have been criticised for using vegetables as the latest weapon in their burgeoning price war, charging as little as 8p for a 2kg bag of potatoes in an attempt to lure shoppers over Easter.Growers said they feared the massive discounts, which are also deployed at Christmas, could permanently devalue their produce. Continue reading...

Questions arise over election proposal to axe penalties for high-emitting cars after revelations Toyota RAV4 model used in analysis has been discontinued

Wind power developer eyes legal remedies to order that blocks renewable energy projects and eliminates green job opportunitiesThis story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.The buildout of renewable energy projects in downstate New York - the region that includes the Hudson valley and below - is often complicated. The space for these projects is limited, particularly in New York City, and they're often expensive. Continue reading...

Prof Shane Ahyong discovered brutish' mantis shrimp so unusual it needed its own new genus

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

In an exclusive extract from Friederike Otto's new book, she says climate disasters result from inequality as well as fossil fuelMy research as a climate scientist is in attribution science. Together with my team, I analyse extreme weather events and answer the questions of whether, and to what extent, human-induced climate change has altered their frequency, intensity and duration.When I first began my research, most scientists claimed that these questions couldn't be answered. There were technical reasons for this: for a long time, researchers had no weather models capable of mapping all climate-related processes in sufficient detail. But there were other reasons that had less to do with the research itself. Continue reading...

Thousands go to hospital with respiratory problems after massive dust cloud blows in from Saudi ArabiaIraq was hit by its most severe sandstorm of 2025 this week, turning skies from blue to an orange haze. Visibility dropped to less than half a mile, causing travel disruptions, with two major airports halting flights, and streets in Basra, the largest city in southern Iraq, deserted. Respiratory problems sent thousands to hospital. The storm also affected Kuwait, where wind gusts exceeded 50mph, and visibility in some areas was diminished to zero.This massive dust cloud originated in Saudi Arabia before being blown into Iraq. While dust storms are common in Iraq, the climate crisis is expected to intensify them across the region in the future, fuelled by desertification in Saudi Arabia and Syria. Continue reading...

Online exhibition collects soundscapes from nature reserves and sites such as Machu Picchu and Taj MahalThe sounds of wind turbines, rare whales and the Amazonian dawn chorus are among the noises being preserved as part of an exhibition of soundscapes found in world heritage sites.The Sonic Heritage project is a collection of 270 sounds from 68 countries, including from famous Unesco-designated sites such as Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal, as well as natural landscapes such as the monarch butterfly sanctuary in El Rosario, Mexico and the Colombian Amazon. Continue reading...

Environmentalists warn new proposal from US wildlife agencies could lead to habitat destruction and extinctionThe Trump administration is planning to narrow protections for endangered species, in a move that environmentalists say would accelerate extinction by opening up critical habitats for development, logging, mining and other uses.The proposal is the latest deregulatory effort by Donald Trump, who has made it a priority to dismantle endangered species protections as part of a broader quest to boost energy extraction and industrial access, even in the US's most sensitive and vulnerable natural areas. Continue reading...

Toby Carvery owner apologises over tree's felling as football club faces questions about whether it knew of decisionAn ancient London oak controversially felled earlier this month was assessed to be a fine specimen" last year by tree experts working for Tottenham Hotspur as part of the football club's plans to redevelop parkland next to the site.Mitchells & Butlers Retail (MBR), which owns the Toby Carvery in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, apologised on Thursday for the upset" caused by the felling of the tree. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Henry Dimbleby joins farmers in voicing fears of lower standards and a poor deal for British food producersBritain's rural communities could be destroyed", the former government food tsar has said, if ministers sign a US trade deal that undercuts British farming standards.Ministers are working on a new trade deal with the US, after previous post-Brexit attempts stalled. Unpopular agreements signed at the time with Australia and New Zealand featured tariff-free access to beef and lamb and were accused of undercutting UK farmers, who are governed by higher welfare standards than their counterparts. Australia, in a trade deal signed by Liz Truss in late 2021 that came into effect in 2023, was given bespoke sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards aimed to not be more trade-restrictive than necessary to protect human life and health". Continue reading...

Liberals in the US make up about 15% of the prepping scene and their numbers are growing. Their fears differ from their better-known rightwing counterparts - as do their methodsOne afternoon in February, hoping to survive the apocalypse or at least avoid finding myself among its earliest victims, I logged on to an online course entitled Ruggedize Your Life: The Basics.Some of my classmates had activated their cameras. I scrolled through the little windows, noting the alarmed faces, downcast in cold laptop light. There were dozens of us on the call, including a geophysicist, an actor, a retired financial adviser and a civil engineer. We all looked worried, and rightly so. The issue formerly known as climate change was now a polycrisis called climate collapse. H1N1 was busily jumping from birds to cows to people. And with each passing day, as Donald Trump went about gleefully dismantling state capacity, the promise of a competent government response to the next hurricane, wildfire, flood, pandemic, drought, mudslide, heatwave, financial meltdown, hailstorm or other calamity receded further from view. Continue reading...

Lawsuit focuses on day-one executive order claiming to unleash American energy' by boosting oil industryConservationists on Wednesday sued the Trump administration over its attempts to boost the oil industry by rolling back green policies.Filed by the environmental non-profit Center for Biological Diversity, the litigation focuses on Trump's day-one unleashing American energy" executive order. In an effort to boost already booming US energy production, the emergency declaration directed federal agencies to identify all policies and regulations that unduly" burden fuel producers and create action plans" to weaken or remove them. Continue reading...

Salmon is often marketed as the sustainable, healthy and eco-friendly protein choice. But what you may not realise is that most of the salmon you buy is farmed, especially if you live in the UK, because Scottish salmon producers are no longer required to tell you.Josh Toussaint-Strauss finds out why it is important for consumers to know where their salmon comes from, and examines the gap between the marketing of farmed salmon and the reality for our health, the environmental and animal welfare

From the rock sea-spurrey, which appears to grow out of solid rock, to the slender centaury that lives on a landslip, these plants exist where they do for good reasonI first encountered coastal wildflowers when I was 11. I was visiting my grandmother's friend in Devon and a lady said: Here, dear," and dug up a clump of Warren crocuses - a rare plant that, at the time, was only thought to grow in the seaside resort of Dawlish Warren. She gave them to me to grow in my garden at home. But of course they didn't grow away from the sea.That was when I realised there was something special about coastal wildflowers. They fascinate me because, as well as being beautiful flowers, they often grow in tough locations. Take the rock sea-spurrey: a delicate little plant that appears to grow out of solid rock, such as a crevice in a cliff base. It can put up with being splashed with sea spray and baked by the summer sun. And yet it seems to thrive in that difficult, harsh environment. Continue reading...

Up and down the country, volunteers are coming together to plant more of these nature-rich reservesThe 30-metre ridge runs across the moor near Yar Tor on Dartmoor, one of several faint lines that crisscross the land like aeroplane contrails. Although the open moorland looks wild, we are standing on some of the UK's oldest farmland. These ridges, called reaves, are the ghosts of farming's most wildlife-rich legacy: hedges.These reaves sadly have no function today other than to delight us. Or some of us," says ecologist Rob Wolton. But Dartmoor's reaves are the skeletons upon which more recent hedges were built: hundreds of thousands of miles of them. After Ireland, the UK is believed to be the most hedge-dense country in the world, and Wolton says the majority of them are more than 280 years old. Recent laser scanning shows England has enough hedges to wrap around the world almost 10 times. They are, by far, the country's biggest nature reserve, which is why community groups, farmers and charities are rallying together to plant hedges of the future that will offer the same support to wildlife as the ancient hedges of the past. Continue reading...

No breach, self-regulatory Australian Press Council rules; plus BBC embarks on big bureau expansion

When asked if he accepts we are already seeing the impacts of climate change, the opposition leader responded 'there's an impact', but said the real question is what Australia can do about it. Pressed further, Dutton said 'I don't know' and 'I'm not a scientist' when asked if he was willing to say 'this is climate change happening right now'

Residents of California city's high-risk areas will be required to remove plants within 5ft of homes under fire safety rulesThe city of Berkeley has a new message for residents of its most fire-prone neighborhoods: it's time to cut back your gardens.People living in the most high-fire-risk areas of the California city will be required to remove plants and other flammable materials close to their homes as part of strict new wildfire safety rules the city moved to adopt this week. Continue reading...

The colossal squid, the heaviest invertebrate in the world, has been filmed alive in the wild for the first time since it was identified a century ago. The individual - captured on film near the South Sandwich Islands in the south Atlantic Ocean -is a baby, at just 11.8in (30cm) in length

A young Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, the heaviest invertebrate on earth, was filmed in the Atlantic OceanThe colossal squid, the heaviest invertebrate in the world, has been filmed alive in the wild for the first time since it was identified a century ago.Growing up to 23ft (seven metres) long and weighing up to half a tonne, the squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, is the heaviest invertebrate on the planet. The individual captured on film near the South Sandwich Islands, in the south Atlantic Ocean, is a baby, at just 11.8in (30cm) in length. Continue reading...

Enfield council disputes restaurant chain's claim 500-year-old tree in Whitewebbs Park was mostly dead'Toby Carvery has been threatened with legal action by a council over the felling of an ancient oak in a park in north London.The restaurant chain is facing national outrage after its decision to fell the up to 500-year-old tree without warning on 3 April. Continue reading...

Conservation groups call for immediate action to protect wildlife as two-year wait for Labor's promised creation of park continues

Country may be home to as many as 13,000 bears, the highest total by far in Europe outside RussiaRomania may be home to as many as 13,000 brown bears, almost twice as many as previously thought, the country's forestry research institute has said, as officials promised new laws to allow communities to deal with crisis bear situations".The institute's study of 25 counties in the Carpathian mountains was the first to use DNA samples from material such as faeces and hair. Previous estimates based on prints and sightings put the bear population at fewer than 8,000. Continue reading...