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...

Leaders promise to fight back with court challenges as Trump rescinds finding foundational to US climate rulesClimate leaders gathered outside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters on Wednesday to condemn the Trump administration's plans to repeal the legal finding underpinning all federal climate regulations, and promised to fight against the rollback.This is corruption, plain and simple. Old-fashioned, dirty political corruption," said Sheldon Whitehouse, senator for Rhode Island, at the rally. This is an agency that has been so infiltrated by the corrupt fossil fuel industry that it has turned an agency of government into the weapon of the fossil fuel polluters." Continue reading...

Continuing extreme weather has caused deaths of 16 people, evacuation of thousands and destruction of homes

Capitalism cares about our species' prospects as much as a wolf cares about a lamb's. But democratise our economy and a better world is within our graspWe have an urgent responsibility. Our existing economic system is incapable of addressing the social and ecological crises we face in the 21st century. When we look around we see an extraordinary paradox. On the one hand, we have access to remarkable new technologies and a collective capacity to produce more food, more stuff than we need or that the planet can afford. Yet at the same time, millions of people suffer in conditions of severe deprivation.What explains this paradox? Capitalism. By capitalism we do not mean markets, trade and entrepreneurship, which have been around for thousands of years before the rise of capitalism. By capitalism we mean something very odd and very specific: an economic system that boils down to a dictatorship run by the tiny minority who control capital - the big banks, the major corporations and the 1% who own the majority of investible assets. Even if we live in a democracy and have a choice in our political system, our choices never seem to change the economic system. Capitalists are the ones who determine what to produce, how to use our labour and who gets to benefit. The rest of us - the people who are actually doing the production - do not get a say. Continue reading...

After state sees four deaths and 40 hospitalizations, public health officials and foraging experts urge cautionA wet winter in California has produced a surge of wild fungi - a shroom boom that would typically have foragers cheering. But among the chanterelles and porcinis, a much more dangerous fungus called the death cap - also known as the Amanita phalloides - is causing alarm.The state health department reports that, between late November 2025 and early February 2026, there have been four deaths and 40 hospitalizations linked to consumption of dangerous mushrooms, an outbreak the department describes as unprecedented". That's far above the average for the state, which typically sees fewer than five mushroom-poisoning cases annually. Continue reading...

Marineland Antibes, the French government and animal welfare groups all agree on the need to rehome the listless killer whales but no one can agree whereIn a sprawling aquarium complex in south-eastern France that once drew half a million visitors a year, only a few dozen people now move between pools that contain the last remaining marine mammals of Marineland Antibes. Weeds grow on walkways, the stands are empty and algae grows in the pools, giving the water a greenish hue.It is here that Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son pair of orcas, are floating. They were born in these pools, and for decades they performed in shows for crowds. But since the park's closure in January 2025, they no longer have an audience. When they are alone, they log", or float at the water's surface, according to a court-ordered report released last April. Continue reading...

A dozen red roses may say 'I love you', but many conventional bouquets carry an environmental price, having been imported by air, dipped in chemicals and wrapped in plastic. Guardian Australia's Petra Stock explains how you can choose flowers that show you care for both a valentine and the environment

The government has not made enough of a dent in emissions, but global trends and a shambolic opposition offer a rare opportunity to act

Continued global heating could set irreversible course by triggering climate tipping points, but most people unawareThe world is closer than thought to a point of no return" after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said.Continued global heating could trigger climate tipping points, leading to a cascade of further tipping points and feedback loops, they said. This would lock the world into a new and hellish hothouse Earth" climate far worse than the 2-3C temperature rise the world is on track to reach. The climate would also be very different to the benign conditions of the past 11,000 years, during which the whole of human civilisation developed. Continue reading...

The radical project is an attempt to preserve wildlife in one of Europe's most light-polluted countries, but can they persuade local people they will still feel safe?Two yellowing street lamps cast a pool of light on the dark road winding into the woods outside Mazee village. This scene is typical for narrow countryside roads in Wallonia in the south of Belgium. Having lights here is logical," says Andre Detournay, 77, who has lived in the village for four decades. I walk here with my dog and it makes me feel safe and gives me some protection from theft."Belgium glows like a Christmas decoration at night, as witnessed from space. It is one of the most light-polluted countries in Europe, with the Milky Way scarcely visible except in the most remote areas. Continue reading...

Lead author of Australian study says breeding slowdown is linked to climate-driven changes in magnificent' whale's foraging grounds

Wildfires that left 23 people dead were made about three times more likely by global heating, researchers sayThe climate crisis inflamed deadly wildfires that left 23 people dead in Chile and devastated forests in Argentina that host some of the world's oldest trees, scientists have found.The hot, dry and windy conditions that enabled the fires to blaze across huge areas in January were made about three times more likely by global heating, researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium found. Continue reading...

Three-year-old black coat female, known as BEY03F, crossed into LA county around 6am on 7 FebruaryA gray wolf wandered into Los Angeles county for the first time in more than a century on Saturday morning.This is the most southern verified record of a gray wolf in modern times," Axel Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the California department of fish and wildlife, said. Continue reading...

Climate groups vow to fight rollback of 2009 finding determining CO and other greenhouse gases harm healthIn what is set to be its most audacious anti-environment move yet, the Trump administration on Thursday will roll back the mechanism allowing the government to regulate planet-heating pollution, the White House press secretary has told reporters.President Trump will be joined by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to formalize the recession of the 2009 Obama-era endangerment finding," Karoline Leavitt said at a press conference on Tuesday. This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history." Continue reading...

Restaurants face one-star reviews and less business in an already precarious industry. Some restaurateurs fear speaking out as immigrants themselvesAmid calls for a national shutdown on 30 January, Anton Kinloch displayed a sign on the sidewalk outside Lone Wolf, his craft cocktail bar and restaurant in Kingston, New York. In large block letters he wrote: WE LOVE ICE IN DRINKS. WE DON'T LOVE ICE IN REAL LIFE. SOLIDARITY ALWAYS."Along with his wife and business partner, Lisa Dy, he had made the difficult decision to stay open, electing instead to donate a portion of the night's proceeds to a local immigrant advocacy group. With frigid temperatures and inclement weather stymying business in the region this winter, he simply could not afford the lost revenue. But he refused to stay silent in the aftermath of the brutal killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Minneapolis. Continue reading...

In Lancashire, I met people living with dangerous levels of Pfas, including in their food. The government is failing themLast week, on the morning the government published its Pfas action plan, I got a worried phone call from a woman called Sam who lives next door to a chemical factory in Lancashire. Sam had just been hand-delivered a letter from her local council informing her that after testing, it had been confirmed that her ducks' eggs, reared in her garden in Thornton-Cleveleys, near Blackpool, are contaminated with Pfas.Pfas - per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as forever chemicals" due to their persistence in the environment - are a family of thousands of chemicals, and I have been reporting on them for years. Some, including those found in the eggs Sam and her family have been eating, have been linked to a wide range of serious illnesses, including certain cancers. Continue reading...

US courts, scholars and Democrats are pushing back against the president's aggressive drive to boost fossil fuelsDonald Trump's aggressive drive to boost fossil fuels, including dirty coal, coupled with his administration's moves to roll back wind and solar power, face mounting fire from courts, scholars and Democrats for raising the cost of electricity and worsening the climate crisis.Four judges, including a Trump appointee, in recent weeks have issued temporary injunctions against interior department moves to halt work on five offshore wind projects in Virginia, New York and New England, which have cost billions of dollars and are far along in development. Continue reading...

Bill limits type of science used to determine health risks and gives industry major role in chemical review processA new Republican House bill proposes sweeping changes to US toxic chemical laws that would gut protections for consumers, workers and the environment, public health advocates mobilising against the legislation warn.Among other changes to the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), the bill would limit the type of science that is used to determine health risks, stop legally requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure chemicals won't harm people, give industry a prominent role in chemical review processes, and make it more difficult legally for the agency to ban toxic substances. Continue reading...

Birdwatchers flock to Montreal for rare sighting of vagrant' bird that has made its home during a bitterly cold winterOn a quiet Montreal street of low-rise brick apartment buildings on one side and cement barrier wall on the other, a crowd has gathered, binoculars around their necks and cameras at the ready. A European robin has taken up residence in the neighbourhood, which is sandwiched between two industrial areas with warehouses and railway lines and, a few blocks away, port facilities on the St Lawrence River.Ron Vandebeek from Ottawa, Ontario, is here on a frigid February morning hoping to see the rare bird, which was first spotted at the beginning of January. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysts say there will be oil spill catastrophe that could be far bigger than Exxon Valdez disasterDecrepit oil tankers in Iran's sanctions-busting shadow fleet are a ticking time bomb", and it is only a matter of time before there is a catastrophic environmental disaster, maritime intelligence analysts have warned.Such an oil spill could be far bigger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster that released 37,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea, they said. Continue reading...

Government also offers contracts for record number of solar schemes as it aims to create clean electricity system by 2030

Environmental groups said dicamba drift has damaged vegetable farms, trees and other critical plantsThe Environmental Protection Agency on Friday reapproved the weedkiller dicamba for use on genetically modified soybeans and cotton, a pesticide that has raised widespread concern over its tendency to drift and destroy nearby crops.The agency said dicamba was critical for farmers who would otherwise have their crops threatened by fast growing weeds. To ensure the pesticide is used safely, the agency said it imposed strong protections and limits on its use. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaign group calls on institutional shareholders to vote against re-election of bosses overseeing net zero row-backBank chairs who water down their lenders' climate commitments this year could face embarrassing shareholder revolts as campaigners try to hold bosses to account for environmental backtracking.ShareAction, a campaign group for responsible investment, will be issuing detailed reports to pension funds and asset managers in the coming weeks, outlining whether 34 of the world's largest lenders are sticking to their climate goals. Continue reading...

Proposals by California, Hawaii and New York lawmakers aim to hold fossil fuel industry accountable for soaring ratesAs climate disasters drive up the price of home insurance, three US states are considering empowering their state prosecutors to sue major polluters for their role in those rising costs.Lawmakers in California, Hawaii and New York have introduced measures which would authorize their attorneys general to sue fossil fuel companies on behalf of residents whose insurance premiums have soared amid climate disasters. Continue reading...

Providers report rise in demand as companies seek mental health benefits and increased sense of communityIn a growing number of workplaces, the soundtrack of the lunch break is no longer the rustle of sandwiches at a desk, but the quiet hum of bees - housed just outside the office window.Employers from Manchester to Milton Keynes are working with professional beekeepers to install hives on rooftops, in courtyards and car parks - positioning beekeeping not as a novelty but as a way to ease stress, build community and reconnect workers with nature in an era of hybrid work and burnout. Continue reading...

Animals, insects, flora and fauna - the world photographed in close-up in the annual competition dedicated to micro and macro photography. Cupoty 7 was won by underwater photographer Ross Gudgeon, triumphing over 12,000 entries from 63 countries Continue reading...

Grocery delivery firm will begin picking up broken tech across the UK and charging consumers to recycle itemsA UK dairy delivery business is to begin collecting unwanted or broken toys, mobile phones and laptops while dropping off milk, orange juice and butter in its latest attempt to expand.The Modern Milkman was founded by entrepreneur Simon Mellin in Burnley, north-west England, in 2019 and delivers groceries to more than 100,000 households across the UK. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ministers to act after last year's legislation outwitted' by failing firms paying millions to executivesThe government is to close loopholes which allow bosses of failing water companies to continue to receive large bonuses despite a ban passed last year, it can be revealed.Bosses of companies that illegally dumped sewage into England's rivers and seas and presided over water shortages which left thousands of people in misery have still been paid millions in bonuses despite the ban. Continue reading...

One expert says 2027 could be even hotter than the last three years, which have been the top three warmest on record

Move will hit Michigan, Illinois, New York and other states with highest levels of lead drinking water pipes the hardestThere is outrage among some politicians and activists after the US Congress voted to slash $125m for replacing toxic lead drinking water pipes that are particularly a threat to children.The move will hit Michigan, Illinois, Texas, New York and other states with the highest levels of lead pipes the hardest. The cut was part of a broader government funding bill and particularly controversial in the context of the fight over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding. Continue reading...

Portugal's far-right Chega party has said vote should be delayed as state of calamity declared in 69 areasHeavy rains and strong winds have continued to batter parts of Spain and Portugal, causing at least two deaths, forcing the evacuation of more than 7,000 people and prompting calls to postpone the second-round of Portugal's presidential election.Storm Leonardo, which has lashed the Iberian peninsula this week, has led the Portuguese government to extend the current state of calamity in 69 municipalities until the middle of February. Continue reading...

Data shows 29 hybrid and 98 diesel cars also sold, while the figure for battery electric vehicles was more than 2,000Just seven new petrol cars were sold in Norway last month, data shows.The country, which is the frontrunner in the uptake of electric vehicles, shifted a record low number of new fossil-fuel cars in January, information from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV) reveals. Continue reading...

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

When marine biologist Oceane Attlan saw the tiny Braun's wrasse, it was like recognising a familiar face, but you can't put a name on it'

Toxicity from farm chemicals increased for most species groups between 2013 and 2019, with insects worst affectedEcological harm from pesticides is growing globally, a study has found, with bugs, fish, pollinators and land-based plants among six species groups hit hardest.Insects suffered the greatest increase in harm from synthetic farm chemicals between 2013 and 2019, the study shows, with applied" toxicity rising by 42.9%, followed by soil organisms, which faced an increase of 30.8%. Continue reading...

President condemns environmental and health crime' as critics say Israel seeks to make southern Lebanon uninhabitableLebanon has accused Israel of spraying a herbicide linked to cancer on farmland in the south of the country as a health crime" that would threaten food security and farmers' livelihoods.The country's president, Joseph Aoun, condemned what he called an environmental and health crime" and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and he vowed to take all necessary legal and diplomatic measures to confront this aggression". Continue reading...

State culled a number of the non-native reptiles after thousands were cold-stunned' and dropped from treesWildlife officials in Florida say they euthanized more than 5,000 non-native iguanas in the state after hordes of the reptiles froze and fell from trees in this week's cold snap.The Florida fish and wildlife commission (FWC) authorized the first officially sanctioned cull of cold-stunned" iguanas as temperatures plunged below freezing in many areas of the state. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaigners say proposed cut from 11.9bn over past five years to 9bn over next five years will cost lives and livelihoodsThe UK plans to slash its aid to poor countries stricken by the climate crisis by more than a fifth, the Guardian has learned, despite promises to increase assistance and warnings from campaigners that the move will cost lives and livelihoods.Ministers plan to cut climate finance for the developing world from 11.6bn over the past five years to 9bn in the next five. In real terms, accounting for inflation, this would represent a cut of about 40% in spending power since 2021, when the 11.6bn budget was agreed. Continue reading...

CAA's guidance also including booking sites to enable passengers to make more informed travel decisions'Airlines and booking firms should give UK customers information about the environmental impact of their flights, the regulator has said.The Civil Aviation Authority urged booking sites to enable passengers to make more informed travel decisions" by setting out estimates for carbon emissions for flights landing or taking off from British airports. Continue reading...

In first-of-its-kind complaint, state accused four fossil fuel majors and US oil lobbying group of climate disinformationAmid rising concern about global heating and soaring energy costs, Michigan has sued big oil for allegedly fueling both crises - a move experts have hailed as groundbreaking.In a first-of-its-kind complaint, the state's attorney general, Dana Nessel, accused four fossil fuel majors and the top US oil lobbying group last month of acting as a cartel" to stifle the growth of renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs), while suppressing information about the dangers of the climate crisis. The conduct, the lawsuit alleged, violates federal and state antitrust laws. Continue reading...

Charity praises effort to stop Ramsgate's Pie Factory Music closing but calls for more youth services in coastal townsThe last remaining youth centre in one of England's most deprived coastal places has been saved from being sold after a long campaign by the charity that has for 13 years called it home.In November the Guardian revealed how the centre in Ramsgate on the Kent coast was facing being auctioned off by Kent county council, despite an independent report that estimated the centre was saving the council more than 500,000 a year in costs, including for services in mental health, youth justice and social care. Continue reading...

Shas Sheehan challenges refusal to remove 25,000 tonnes of waste causing grave environmental hazard' near schoolA 25,000-tonne illegal waste dump next to a primary school in Wigan presents a grave environmental hazard" and should be cleared, the chair of the Lords environment committee has told the government.Shas Sheehan challenged the refusal of the Environment Agency to clean up an illegal waste dump in Bolton House Road in the Greater Manchester town, given the agency was spending millions clearing up illegal waste deposited in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Continue reading...

Industry bigger than all but seven world economies, and accounts for more than third of China's economic growthChina's clean energy industries drove more than 90% of the country's investment growth last year, making the sectors bigger than all but seven of the world's economies, a new analysis has shown.For the second time in three years, the report showed the manufacture, installation and export of batteries, electric cars, solar, wind and related technologies accounted for more than a third of China's economic growth. Continue reading...

Company publicly denied allegations that primary forests were being cut down to fuel UK's biggest power plantSenior executives at Drax raised concerns internally about the validity of the energy company's sustainability claims while it publicly denied allegations that it was cutting down environmentally important forests for fuel, court documents have revealed.Britain's biggest power plant assured ministers and civil servants of the company's green credentials as it scrambled to defend itself against claims in a BBC Panorama documentary that it had burned wood sourced from old-growth" forests in Canada. Continue reading...