Firefighters in southern France are tackling the country's biggest wildfire of the year so far. At least one person has died, with almost a dozen others injured and homes destroyed, according to local authorities.The Aude prefecture said the fire was moving 'very quickly' and that nearly 2,000 firefighters were trying to bring it under control. The blaze has already burned through 13,000 hectares (32,100 acres), the local fire chief Christophe Magny told BFM TV Continue reading...
They are choosing to abstain from using artificial intelligence for environmental, ethical and personal reasons. Maybe they have a pointI tried to write a letter recently but my hand didn't quite cooperate: the result was a maniacal scrawl. I rarely put literal pen to paper any more and it seems my overreliance on a keyboard means I may have lost the ability to write legible cursive. I'm not alone: handwriting is disappearing. It's possible my kid will never be taught joined-up writing at school. While typing is more efficient, studies suggest typing notes rather than writing may have a negative impact on the brain's ability to learn.A keyboard feels like stone age technology now; as AI becomes more embedded in our lives, what impact will that have on our brains? We're still figuring that out. The people who make money from the tech keep telling us we need it, or we'll fall behind. Mark Zuckerberg, for example, recently said if you don't wear AI-powered smart glasses, you will find yourself at a significant cognitive disadvantage" in the near future. However, a recent study suggests an overreliance on ChatGPT could harm critical thinking abilities. And then, of course, there's all the other collateral damage of AI - from its massive environmental impact to its exploitation of underpaid creatives' labour. Continue reading...
Researchers found moths and hover flies are more negatively affected by urbanisation than beesGardeners have been urged to work with their neighbours to support moths and hover flies after research found them to be particularly sensitive to urban landscapes.While bees get most of the attention when it comes to supporting pollinators in our cities, researchers found that their less glamorous - but no less important - counterparts from other orders are even more acutely affected by urbanisation. Continue reading...
ASA says online ads from Aira and EDF Energy omitted key facts about eligibility for government grantsTwo more misleading" adverts promoting heat pumps have been banned by the UK's advertising watchdog.A week after the Advertising Standards Authority banned an Octopus Energy ad that claimed consumers could have a heat pump installed for as little as 500, it has taken action against adverts from the home heating supplier Aira and from EDF Energy. Continue reading...
Environment secretary urged to stop drought order that could damage the ecology of River Test in HampshireSouthern Water has applied for a drought order that would allow it to draw larger quantities of water than usual from an internationally prized chalk stream and rare salmon habitat.The environment secretary, Steve Reed, has been urged to intervene and stop the water company from significantly and potentially permanently damaging the river and the ecology within". Continue reading...
by Written by Tess McClure and read by Sara Lynam. Pr on (#6Z4NZ)
Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2025, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we've chosen it.This week, from February: across the globe, vast swathes of land are being left to be reclaimed by nature. To see what could be coming, look to Bulgaria.By Tess McClure. Read by Sara LynamThe Oath documentary: www.theguardian.com/world/video/2025/jul/30/the-oath-to-be-a-palestinian-doctor-in-israels-healthcare-system Continue reading...
Australia's political landscape is barely recognisable from four years ago. Will Labor abandon its risk-averse past and take an aggressive stance on emissions?
Marine Conservation Society calls for swift action as its litter surveys show some forms of plastic are on the riseVolunteer beach cleaners are finding more vapes than ever before as plastic pollution chokes Britain's coastline.The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) on Wednesday launches its annual beach clean, which last year involved more than 15,000 volunteers who completed more than 1,200 litter surveys. Continue reading...
Delegates at UN treaty talks must not allow negotiations to be derailed again by fossil fuel interestsPlastic pollution has reached the most remote and inaccessible parts of our beleaguered planet. It has been found in Greenland's ice cap, near the summit of Mount Everest, and in the deepest depths of the western Pacific Ocean. Nature programmes have sounded the alarm over a human-made crisis that has become an environmental scourge and a serious threat to our health. Yet global production of plastics is on course to triple to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060, after increasing by more than 200 times over the past 75 years.This gloomy backdrop should inject a sense of urgency into UN-convened talks in Switzerland this week, aimed at agreeing a binding global plastics treaty. In 2022, when 173 countries committed to work towards such an accord, there was widespread relief that at last a multilateral route was to be taken towards solving a quintessentially global problem. Sadly, as delegates gather in Geneva, there are reasons to be fearful.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...
Large-scale search and rescue operation under way after at least four people killed in Himalayan regionA torrent of mud from a flash flood has smashed into a town in India's Himalayan region, tearing down a mountain valley before demolishing buildings and killing at least four people, with about 100 others missing.Videos broadcast on Indian media showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away blocks of flats in the tourist region of Dharali in Uttarakhand state. Continue reading...
The Great Barrier Reef has seen the sharpest annual drop in the amount of live coral recorded by scientists in its northern and southern sections since monitoring started four decades ago, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Marine Science. The report is the first to comprehensively document the devastating impacts of the early 2024 mass coral bleaching event - the most widespread and severe event on record
Brazilian nightshade and climbing asparagus can be made into biomass pellets, scientists say, presenting an opportunity for an alternative source of energy
Settlement follows another one reached with Ohio in 2023 for similar claims related to forever chemicals'Chemours, DuPont and Corteva have agreed to pay $875m over 25 years to the state of New Jersey to settle environmental claims including pollution linked to Pfas, or forever chemicals", the companies said on Monday.Lawsuits accusing major chemical companies of polluting US drinking water with toxic Pfas chemicals led to more than $11bn in settlements in 2023, with experts predicting that new federal regulations and a growing awareness of the breadth of the contamination will spur more litigation and settlements. Continue reading...
Bad weather hampers search for Alec Luhn after he set out for solo hike in remote Folgefonna national parkRescuers in Norway have continued the search for an award-winning environmental journalist who has gone missing in bad weather during a solo hike in the remote Folgefonna national park, home to one of the country's biggest glaciers.Alec Luhn, a US-born reporter who has worked for the New York Times and the Atlantic, and was a regular Russia correspondent for the Guardian from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after he failed to catch a flight to the UK from Bergen. Continue reading...
Coalition of non-profits, tribes and local governments sued EPA chief for halting climate justice grantsThe Trump administration's decision to abruptly terminate a $3bn program helping hundreds of communities prepare for climate disasters and environmental hazards is unconstitutional and should be overturned, a court will hear on Tuesday.A coalition of non-profits, tribes and local governments is suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the agency's administrator, Lee Zeldin, for terminating the entire Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) block grant program - despite a legally binding mandate from Congress to fund the Biden-era initiative. Continue reading...
The climate damage done by avoidable flying is huge, yet the government sees more planes as the answer to its economic woesAugust is peak flying time, and airports are on many minds. The government has signalled its support for colossal expansions, whose extra flights would bust its carbon pledges. The excuse is that supertechnology will magic away the extra CO2 pumped into the atmosphere, though it must know that clean, green flying is still futurology. Here's the pity of it: until now this government has rightly boasted of its green credentials, making massive investments in sustainable energy and retro-insulating cold homes. Expanding air travel is not on any green agenda.Heathrow has just submitted proposals for a 50bn third runway, as approved by Labour in 2009 and the Tories who voted it through parliament in 2018. Covid applied the brakes but now Heathrow is back with gold-plated, shovel-ready" plans. Its owners, including Qatar, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, expect the planning bill to prevent newts or judicial reviews blocking the runway. Their pitch to an investment-hungry government is that expanding Europe's busiest airport would create 100,000 new jobs, propelling growth with 750 extra daily flights. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Inside a critical summit of 179 countries at the UN in Geneva to secure a treaty that will combat plastic pollutionGood morning. Not only does plastic waste clog up waterways, beaches and strangle sea life, it also causes havoc inside the human body. Tiny fragments - invisible to the human eye - are probably swimming around your lungs, blood and liver right now.This represents a growing and underrecognised danger" to human health, the latest report in the Lancet warns, as 10 days of tense talks kick off in Geneva today, with 179 countries due to hash out a kind of Paris agreement for plastic pollution".Weather | Gusts of more than 100mph from Storm Floris have brought travel disruption, power cuts and the widespread cancellation of events across large parts of the UK. Disruption to the rail network in Scotland is expected until around 4pm on Tuesday, ScotRail has said.UK news | A member of the House of Lords urged ministers to crack down on Palestine Action at the request of a US defence company that employs him as an adviser. Police are planning to arrest anyone demonstrating in support of Palestine Action this weekend.Politics | The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, is not telling the truth about the real failures of 14 years of Conservative government", the former Conservative prime minister Liz Truss has said.Tommy Robinson | The far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson has been arrested by British police on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after a man was allegedly assaulted at a London railway station.Gaza | More than 100 critically ill and injured children in Gaza hope to come to the UK as soon as possible after the government announced a scheme to provide those in severe need with NHS care. Continue reading...
Chinese fast fashion retailer penalised month after 40m fine from French regulator in JulyThe Italian authorities have fined Shein 1m (870,000) for making misleading or omissive" environmental claims about its products, the second time in as many months the Chinese fashion retailer has been targeted by European regulators.Environmental sustainability and social responsibility messages on Shein's website were in some cases vague, generic, and/or overly emphatic" and in others were misleading or omissive", said Italy's competition authority, AGCM. Continue reading...
Professor Richard Thompson, a marine litter expert, says delegates must act decisively to look next generation in the eye'Delegates at the UN plastic pollution treaty talks in Geneva must secure an ambitious global agreement so they can look future generations in the eye, one of the world's leading marine litter experts has said.Prof Richard Thompson, who was named one of Time's 100 most influential people this year for his groundbreaking work on plastic pollution, said decisive action was needed to protect human health and the planet. Continue reading...
by Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Raina in Srinagar on (#6Z3WG)
Wular Lake once supported 5,000 people who harvested the plant's edible roots, until the lake silted up after floods. Now the lotuses are backWe threw seeds into the lake hundreds of times, but nothing grew. It's only now, after the silt was cleared, that we see the flowers again after nearly 33 years," says Bashir Ahmad, a 65-year-old who fishes in Kashmir's Wular Lake for his livelihood.Wular was once among Asia's largest freshwater lakes. It lies in the Kashmir valley, about 18 miles (30km) north-west of Srinagar, at the foot of the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountain ranges. It was renowned for its high-quality lotus plants, and sustained the livelihoods of more than 5,000 people who harvested and sold nadru - the edible lotus stem cherished as a delicacy in Kashmiri households and which features in wazwan, the region's traditional multi-course celebratory meals. Continue reading...
by Gabrielle Canon, Sam Levin and agencies on (#6Z3HY)
At least three people injured and over 450 structures under threat by Gifford blaze, with only 3% of perimeter containedA huge wildfire in central California has threatened hundreds of homes, with blazes churning through the brush-covered hillsides in Los Padres national forest.At least three people were reported injured, and more than 450 structures were under threat by the Gifford fire, officials said on Monday. Continue reading...
More than 700 active wildfires burning across Canada and about two-thirds are currently out-of-controlBillowing smoke from hundreds of out-of-control wildfires - most of which are in the Canadian Prairies - have caused severe air quality alerts across Canada and the United States.Detroit, Michigan, and the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto, recorded some of the worst air quality in the world on Monday, according to a ranking by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company. Continue reading...
Governors Island, a 172-acre island in New York Harbor only accessible by ferry, attracts nearly a million visitors each year. More recently, it has evolved into an educational hub and incubator for solutions to facing the city's climate and environmental challenges Continue reading...
by Words and photographs by Douwe den Held and Anasta on (#6Z3PK)
A licence to dig in the Cajas region has been welcomed by some as an answer to economic woes. Yet many fear it will devastate a fragile ecosystem and set the tone for further projects in the countryGolden grasses, mossy hummocks and scattered lakes unfurl across the highlands of Macizo del Cajas, Azuay province. The vastness of this high-altitude Ecuadorian moorland combines with its near-silence to create an empty, alien atmosphere.But this unique landscape teems with life. The paramo - a high-altitude tropical ecosystem that stretches across the northern Andes - is a living sponge, quietly drawing moisture from the clouds that drift at more than 3,000 metres (9,800ft) above sea level. Continue reading...
Visitors to pay up to NZ$40 to access certain attractions in coming years amid overhaul of conservation lawsNew Zealand plans to start charging international tourists fees to enter its famous natural sites and will make it easier for businesses to operate on conservation land as part of a controversial proposal to unleash" growth on ecologically and culturally protected areas.The government plans to start charging foreign visitors NZ$20-40 ($12-24) per person to access some sites. Initially, those would probably include Cathedral Cove/Te Whanganui-a-Hei, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Sound and Aoraki Mount Cook. The fees are likely to be imposed from 2027.This story was amended on 5 August 2025 to reflect new information provided by the government that fees will apply to Milford Sound, not Milford Track. Continue reading...
Citizen Zoo to map habitats in the capital and consult boroughs and the public about reintroduction of the birdsAn urban rewilding group is seeking the public's views on the potential return of white storks to London as part of a project to see if the birds could make a home in the capital.White storks could once be seen flying in Britain's skies and building their huge nests on roofs and in trees, but they disappeared centuries ago as a breeding bird as a result of hunting and habitat loss. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6Z2XZ)
Plastic production has increased more than 200 times since 1950 and hits health at every stage from extraction to disposal, says review in the LancetPlastics are a grave, growing and under-recognised danger" to human and planetary health, a new expert review has warned. The world is in a plastics crisis", it concluded, which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age and is responsible for at least $1.5tn (1.1tn) a year in health-related damages.The driver of the crisis is a huge acceleration of plastic production, which has increased by more than 200 times since 1950 and is set to almost triple again to more than a billion tonnes a year by 2060. While plastic has many important uses, the most rapid increase has been in the production of single-use plastics, such as drinks bottles and fast-food containers. Continue reading...
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy in July moved 147 brush-tailed bettongs from an 8,000 hectare fenced 'safe haven' to the surrounding sanctuary. With the conservancy managing the population of cats and foxes in the area, they're hoping the bettongs will be able to survive and thrive Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6Z2PM)
Industry data shows suppliers have scaled back premium-priced deals based on renewables as demand fallsThe number of green energy tariffs available to British households has plummeted during the cost of living crisis as bill payers choose affordability over sustainability, according to industry data.Energy suppliers have pulled tariffs advertised as green" from the market since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered a global energy crisis that pushed gas and electricity bills to record highs. Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent on (#6Z2AF)
Scientists record longest streak of temperatures higher than 30C in region in records going back to 1961Cold Nordic countries are being seared by truly unprecedented" heat, as hot weather strengthened and lengthened by carbon pollution continues to roast northern Europe.A weather station in the Norwegian part of the Arctic Circle recorded temperatures above 30C (86F) on 13 days in July, while Finland has had three straight weeks with 30C heat. Continue reading...
To counter attacks on net zero, challenges including the need for grid upgrades will have to be graspedWith net zero policies under attack from elected far-right populists as well as autocratic petrostates, and another summer of record-breaking temperatures in Europe, the failure to decarbonise the world's power supply is as gravely concerning as ever. But the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, struck an optimistic note in a recent speech in New York. The world, he said, is on the cusp of a new era ... The sun is rising on a clean energy age." Pointing to falls in the cost of onshore wind and solar, and the risk of further gas-price shocks in future, he called on big technology companies - whose datacentres are one reason for soaring energy use - to adopt a target of 100% low-carbon electricity by 2030.Given US president Donald Trump's personal hostility to renewable energy, Mr Guterres may be right that it makes more sense to demand action from US businesses at this point. In Scotland earlier this week, Mr Trump launched his latest misleading tirade, urging European leaders to stop the windmills".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...
Containment slips for megafire in Grand Canyon and large blaze in Utah as hot and dry weather fans flamesTwo wildfires burning in the western United States - including one that has become a mega-fire" on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon - are so hot that they are spurring the formation of fire clouds" that can create their own erratic weather systems.In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 sq miles (424 sq km) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental US and one of the top 10 largest in recorded Arizona history. Getting around it would be roughly like driving from New York City to Washington DC. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6Z1W5)
US banks have already pulled out of NZBA, the UN environment programme's finance initiativeBarclays has become the second UK bank to withdraw from a UN-backed net zero target-setting group, claiming that a wave of defections by international lenders meant it was no longer fit for purpose.It marks a fresh blow for the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), after HSBC left in early July. It came months after a wave of exits by US banks, which departed in the run-up to Donald Trump's inauguration in January. Continue reading...
New peer-reviewed research found an average of seven pesticides in each of 10 butterflies testedA 2024 mass monarch butterfly die-off in California was probably caused by pesticide exposure, new peer-reviewed research finds, adding difficult-to-obtain evidence to the theory that pesticides are partly behind dramatic declines in monarchs' numbers in recent decades.Researchers discovered hundreds of butterflies that had died or were dying in January 2024 near an overwintering site, where insects spend winter months. The butterflies were found twitching or dead in piles, which are common signs of neurotoxic pesticide poisoning, researchers wrote. Continue reading...
The US president promotes classical architecture and loathes ugly' wind turbines. Keir Starmer would dismiss him as a nimby, but on this Trump has a pointTrigger warning. Some readers may find this disturbing. Not everything Donald Trump says is mad and a lie. Not all of it is about money. Some of it is even worth saying. When he came to office, one of Trump's first actions was extraordinary. He directed his fire at what he saw as the ugliness of American architecture. He demanded that at least federal buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings, and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States". All plans had to be submitted to Washington for his approval.There was more than an element of psychological obsession in such bureaucracy. American classicism - born of an admiration for France's republicans - was a cult throughout the 19th century. The White House was based on a Dublin mansion. This week it was announced that it is to get what it has always lacked, a sumptuous new ballroom in which to receive and entertain foreign dignitaries. It is to be classical, with no nonsense about trying to make it look modern. That a president should seek to revive both regional and European style in the face of America's relentless modernism is a breath of fresh air.Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnistDo 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...
Thistle-shaped Depastrum cyathiforme was last seen in France in 1976, but has now been found on South UistFor nearly 50 years, there has been no trace of Depastrum cyathiforme, a stalked jellyfish that resembles a thistle flower.The distinctive jellyfish was feared globally extinct after being last spotted in Roscoff, northern France, in 1976. Continue reading...
William Thomas of Kerr county tells hearing illness meant he did not take part in emergency planning meetingsA key emergency official was sick and asleep for most of the day before devastating flash flooding swept through Texas hill country and killed more than 130 people over the Fourth of July weekend.Kerr county's emergency management coordinator, William B Thomas, had not spoken publicly since the floods, one of the state's worst ever natural disasters. Questions have swirled about his absence and the lack of sufficient warnings to residents about the impending storm before the Guadalupe river surged to record levels in the early hours of 4 July. Continue reading...