Storms Helene and Milton have triggered rise of misinformation stoked by Trump and fellow RepublicansMeteorologists tracking the advance of Hurricane Milton have been targeted by a deluge of conspiracy theories that they were controlling the weather, abuse and even death threats, amid what they say is an unprecedented surge in misinformation as two major hurricanes have hit the US.A series of falsehoods and threats have swirled in the two weeks since Hurricane Helene tore through six states causing several hundred deaths, followed by Milton crashing into Florida on Wednesday. Continue reading...

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

Piece that will premiere at book festival includes mine's cavernous' effects, music by colliery bands and interviewsIt was odd, but really fun," said Adam Cooper about his time spent helping to record the sound of an empty coalmine. To put it in one word, I'd say it sounds cavernous. But it also has its own complexities and depth to it."Cooper and his colleagues spent time down an old drift mine to capture the sound of carbon" for a new musical commission that will premiere this weekend. Continue reading...

The supposedly green project - brainchild of the previous Tory government - will increase emissions, not reduce themThis will be Keir Starmer's HS2: a hugely expensive scheme that will either be abandoned, scaled back or require massive extra funding to continue, after many billions have been spent. The government's plan for carbon capture and storage (CCS) - catching carbon dioxide from major industry and pumping it into rocks under the North Sea - is a fossil fuel-driven boondoggle that will accelerate climate breakdown. Its ticket price of 21.7bn is just the beginning of a phenomenal fiscal nightmare.There might be a case for a CCS programme if the following conditions were met. First, that the money for cheaper and more effective projects had already been committed. The opposite has happened. Labour slashed its green prosperity plan from 28bn a year to 15bn, and with it a sensible and rational programme for insulating 19m homes.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Some Florida residents rode out Hurricane Milton despite evacuation orders, staying in their homes after the second major hurricane in two weeks. Milton slammed into Florida as a category 3 storm, killing at least 10 people, spawning tornadoes and leaving more than 3 million homes and businesses without power

The man was aboard a fishing vessel that became disabled off Madeira Beach, Florida, hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall, a Coast Guard press officer says. The man was able to radio the Coast Guard in nearby St Petersburg before contact was lost

Climate change deniers such as Florida's Ron DeSantis lament the impact of such events but won't acknowledge the underlying problemThe preparations for Hurricane Milton were on a mammoth scale, as the clean-up will be. The storm thankfully lost some of its force before it slammed into Florida, making landfall on Wednesday night as a category 3 hurricane. But many more lives would surely have been lost without the massive evacuation and the deployment of thousands of national guard troops and personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.This was the second direct hit on the state in less than a fortnight, after Hurricane Helene, which killed at least 225 people in the US. The hotter ocean temperatures which worsened these storms are hundreds of times likelier because of human-made global heating, a new analysis has shown. Climate change may have increased the rain dumped on parts of the south by Helene by 50%, scientists believe. Another study has suggested such double punches could arrive every three years thanks to the continuingburning of fossil fuels.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...

Shimmery cellulose-based alternative looks safer for soil than conventional microplastics, Australian-led research finds

Wheat haul in England estimated to be down by 21%, with Britain's wine producers also hit hardEngland has suffered its second worst harvest on record - with fears growing for next year - after heavy rain last winter hit production of key crops including wheat and oats.The cold, damp weather, stretching from last autumn through this spring and early summer, has hit the rapidly developing UK wine industry particularly hard, with producers saying harvests are down by between 75% and a third, depending on the region. Continue reading...

Firefighters are stoic about the risks they face but say climate change has affected every part of the jobA short drive and a world away from the tourist-thronged old town of Split, past retirees clambering out of cruise ships and stag parties stumbling into beachside bars, Ivan Sanader studied a smouldering hillside that stank of smoke.The night before, he had fought a fire that charred the slope and threatened to engulf a roadside restaurant. Now, the commander of a mobile firefighter centre in Croatia was issuing orders to stop it flaring back up. Continue reading...

Former Sydney Morning Herald reporter part of community protest to protect endangered species in Bulga state forest

Large, cattle-like tauros will shape landscape and strengthen wildlife as huge, extinct herbivore once didA herd of beefy, long-horned tauros are to be released into a Highlands rewilding project to replicate the ecological role of the aurochs, an extinct, huge herbivore that is the wild ancestor of cattle.The tauros have been bred in the Netherlands in recent years to fill the niche vacated by the aurochs, which once shaped landscapes and strengthened wildlife across Europe. Continue reading...

Our leaders may prefer complexity because it means they can defer taking action - but doing something about emissions reduction or slow wage growth is actually not that complexAfter spending any time analysing policy you quickly realise that politicians expend a supreme level of effort to avoid doing the obvious, and instead they do complex things that neither solve a problem nor appease their opponents.For politicians, the problem with clarity is that it demands action. Complexity provides safety because action can more easily be avoided. And so the obvious and clear are painted as extreme", while the complex is regarded as mature".Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Continue reading...

Milton, which fluctuated in intensity as it approached Florida, was a category 3 hurricane as it made landfall.'It will continue to move across central Florida throughout the night and into the early morning hours,' said Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

As Hurricane Milton approaches many cities were largely deserted but some people decided to shelter in placeMost left when they were told to. But some chose to stay, even though officials warned Hurricane Milton would turn their homes into coffins.Along Florida's Gulf coast, where millions of people were urged to get out of harm's way, cities were largely deserted on Wednesday afternoon as time ran out to evacuate. Those who remained were advised to shelter in place as best they could. Others who fled spoke of their dread at what, if anything, they would return to once the storm had passed. Continue reading...

As Milton makes landfall in Florida, experts warn the climate crisis is fueling more powerful storms

Advocates believe governor is unfit for emergency planning due to policies that fuel the crisis worsening stormsRon DeSantis, Florida's Republican governor, is back in the spotlight as he briefs residents on the arrival of Hurricane Milton, amid warnings it could be one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the state.DeSantis, who dropped his presidential campaign in January, is as governor responsible for implementing Florida's emergency plan by coordinating agencies, marshaling resources and urging residents to follow evacuation orders. Continue reading...

Brown bear 128 Glazer defeated male bear that killed her cub this summer in Katmai national parkFor the second year in a row, a brown bear named 128 Grazer won the Fat Bear Contest at Alaska's Katmai national park and preserve - she also got her revenge.This summer a behemoth male killed her cub. On Tuesday, Grazer beat the bear, who is named Chunk, by more than 40,000 votes cast by fans watching live cameras at explore.org of the preserve. Continue reading...

Climate disasters risk pulling society apart. To survive we need solidarity - and only one ticket in the US election offers thatEven as the good people of Florida's west coast pulled the soggy mattresses from Helene out to the curb, Milton appeared on the horizon this week - a double blast of destruction from the Gulf of Mexico that's a reminder that physics takes no time off, not even in the weeks before a crucial election. My sense is that those storms will help turn the voting on 5 November into a climate election of sorts, even if - as is likely - neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump spend much time in the next 25 days talking about CO or solar power.That's because these storms show not only the power of global heating (Helene's record rains, and Milton's almost unprecedented intensification, were reminders of what it means to have extremely hot ocean temperatures). More, they show what we're going to need to survive the now inevitable train of such disasters. Which is solidarity. Which is something only one ticket offers. Continue reading...

Prof Pedro Arrojo-Agudo says regulator Ofwat complacent' about water firms putting their shareholders before publicThe privatised English water system has been singled out for criticism by the UN special rapporteur on the human right to clean water.Prof Pedro Arrojo-Agudo said water systems should be managed as a publicly owned service, rather than run by private companies set up to benefit shareholders. Continue reading...

The mining tycoon says his iron ore business will stop using fossil fuels by the end of the decade without carbon offsets or carbon capture and storage

Once a champion of initiatives to protect nature, the EU is now giving in to pressure from farmers and the far rightWhen diplomats struck a deal to save nature in 2022, pledging to halt biodiversity loss by the end of the decade, Europe was seen as a credible leader in fraught negotiations. The EU cajoled others into stepping up their game as it championed a target to protect 30% of the land and sea by 2030.But two years later, as delegates meet in wildlife-rich Colombia for Cop16 - the international summit to save nature - Europe's own enthusiasm for saving species appears to be endangered. Continue reading...

Government criticised over list of potential countries for sourcing biomass, which also includes AfghanistanA plan by the British government to burn biomass imported from countries including North Korea and Afghanistan has been described as bonkers", with critics saying it undermines the credibility of the UK's climate strategy.A bioenergy resource model, published in late summer, calculates that only a big expansion in the import of energy crops and wood from a surprising list of nations would satisfy the UK's plan to meet net zero. Continue reading...

Superpower Institute says analysis of Queensland, NSW and Victorian sites shows need for independent reporting of greenhouse gas emissions

Analysis shows Gulf's heat that worsened Helene 200-500 times more likely because of human-caused global heatingAs Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida, fueled by a record-hot Gulf of Mexico, a new analysis has shown how the Gulf's heat that worsened last month's Hurricane Helene was 200 to 500 times more likely because of human-caused global heating.Helene, one of the deadliest storms in US history, gathered pace over the Gulf before crashing ashore with 140mph (225km/h) winds. Continue reading...

Selected from a record-breaking 59,228 entries from 117 countries and territories, the winners of the Natural History Museum's prestigious wildlife photographer of the year competition have been announced, with an exhibition opening on Friday 11 October. The Canadian marine conservation photojournalist Shane Gross was awarded wildlife photographer of the year 2024 for his image of tadpoles, The Swarm of Life, captured while snorkelling through lily pads in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia Continue reading...

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IEA says faster clean energy rollout being led by solar power in China with country set to boast half of world's renewables by 2030China is expected to account for almost 60% of all renewable energy capacity installed worldwide between now and 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.The IEA's highly influential renewable energy report found that over the next six years renewable energy projects will roll out at three times the pace of the previous six years, led by the clean energy programmes of China and India. Continue reading...

The Joides Resolution has contributed to our understanding of climate crisis, the origin of life, earthquakes and eruptions. But funding cuts mean it may have sailed its last expeditionIn the early summer of this year, a ship set sail around the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. But this wasn't any ordinary ship. For almost 40 years the Joides Resolution drilled into the ocean floor to collect samples and data that helped scientists to study Earth's history and structure. Expeditions on the vessel have made a vital contribution to our understanding of the climate crisis, the tectonic plates theory, the origin of life on Earth and natural hazards such as earthquakes and eruptions. Yet the two-month voyage around Svalbard was to be its last.The National Science Foundation (NSF), the US agency that provided scientists at Texas A&M University with funds for the ship, announced last year it would not give money for the drilling vessel past September 2024. It was a declaration that shocked the global scientific community and meant that Svalbard would be the ship's final outing.The vibration isolated television is attached to the drillpipe and is used to image the seafloor before drilling begins. Photograph: Lisa Crowder/IODP JRSO Continue reading...

Emma Pinchbeck will take over as chief executive of Climate Change Committee next monthThe government's official climate watchdog has appointed the head of the energy industry's trade association to lead its work helping to drive the UK's emissions to net zero by 2050.Emma Pinchbeck, the head of Energy UK, will take up the role of chief executive of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) from early next month after four years at the helm of the trade association. Continue reading...

Dam removal concluded a decades long fight on 2 October, which also saw Chinook salmon return to the watersWith California's Klamath Dam removal project finally completed, new before and after photos show the dramatic differences along the river with and without the dams. The photos were taken by Swiftwater Films, a documentary company chronicling the dam removal project - a two decade long fight that concluded 2 October.The tribally led effort to dismantle the dams is an expression of our sacred duty to maintain balance in the world," Yurok tribal chairman Joseph L James said in a statement. That is why we fought so hard for so long to tear down the dams and bring the salmon home." Continue reading...

Timor-Leste president's trip comes amid mounting pressure for Labor to finalise an agreement

President to announce in Wisconsin EPA rule aimed at ensuring drinking water is safe for all AmericansA decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis raised alarms about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, Joe Biden is setting a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans.Biden announced the final Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule during a visit to the swing state of Wisconsin in the final month of a tight presidential campaign. The announcement highlights an issue - safe drinking water - that Kamala Harris has prioritized as vice-president as well as during her presidential campaign. The new rule supplants a looser standard set by former president Donald Trump's administration that did not include a universal requirement to replace lead pipes. Continue reading...

An entire family was killed less than a month before wedding day as Hurricane Milton bears down on FloridaAs the country turns its attention to Hurricane Milton, which is expected to bring life-threatening conditions to parts of Florida after it makes landfall later this week, communities in much of the south-east US are still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene almost two weeks ago.In western North Carolina, home to many mountain communities such as Green Mountain, entire towns were destroyed and washed away during the storm. Residents became isolated as roads became impassable. Electricity and cellphone service went out. Continue reading...

As Floridians prepare to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton, debris from Helene still litter swaths of the stateLess than two weeks after Hurricane Helene lashed the Florida coastline, an even more powerful hurricane is hurtling toward the state.It's the kind of double hit becoming more common as the climate crisis persists, further complicating hurricane preparation, experts say. Continue reading...

Complaint against NW Natural, the state's biggest provider, marks first time a utility faces climate deception chargesOregon's most populous county has sued the state's biggest gas provider for allegedly sowing climate doubt, marking the first time a utility has faced charges of climate deception.Last year, Multnomah county sued 17 fossil fuel companies and interest groups for allegedly deceiving the public about the climate crisis. The lawsuit came two years after a record-shattering heat dome killed 69 people across the county. Continue reading...

Ofwat says firms must lower bills next year after poor performance on issues such as sewage spills and leaks

Tanya Plibersek claims Labor is protecting 52% of its ocean territory, but experts say that is misleading'

Critically endangered flowers get stay of execution after local environmental group threatens legal action against Victorian government

Harvesting in Bulga state forest, inland from Port Macquarie, is just 400km from global nature-positive summit the government is hosting

Wasps released on Nightingale Island have protected Wilkins' bunting by halting spread of mould-causing insectsA tiny parasitic wasp has given a lifeline to one of the world's rarest bird species by killing off an invasive insect that was threatening its survival.The Wilkins' bunting lives on Nightingale Island, part of the Tristan da Cunha group; the world's most remote inhabited archipelago. It eats the fruit of the Phylica arborea, the island's only native tree. Continue reading...

Demand for beef, soy, palm oil and nickel hindering efforts to halt demolition by 2030, global report findsThe destruction of global forests increased in 2023, and is higher than when 140 countries promised three years ago to halt deforestation by the end of the decade, an analysis shows.The rising demolition of the forests puts ambitions to halt the climate crisis and stem the huge worldwide losses of wildlife even further from reach, the researchers warn. Continue reading...

Energy system operator expects winter power supplies to outstrip demand by almost 9% this yearThe risk of winter blackouts in Great Britain has tumbled to its lowest in four years even after the shutdown of the UK's last coal plant, thanks to investments in low-carbon electricity sources.The National Energy System Operator (Neso) expects Britain's winter power supplies to outstrip demand by almost 9% this year in its base case scenario, the greatest margin since the winter of 2019 to 2020. Continue reading...

News comes after Iron Gate dam was removed to let river near California-Oregon border return to natural flowFor the first time in more than a century, salmon are swimming freely along the Klamath River and its tributaries, just days after the largest dam removal project in US history was completed.Researchers determined that Chinook salmon began migrating on 3 October into previously inaccessible habitat above the site of the former Iron Gate dam, one of four towering dams near the California-Oregon border that were demolished as part of a national movement to let rivers return to their natural flow and to restore ecosystems for fish and other wildlife. Continue reading...

Reports of strategy reset leave campaigners saying company is prioritising profits over planetGreen groups have reacted with fury to reports that BP has dropped a target to cut its oil output in the next five years, saying the company was prioritising profits over the health of the planet.Campaign groups including Greenpeace and Reclaim Finance slammed the move that would potentially result in the oil company scrapping its plan to reduce oil and gas output by 25% by 2030 under a strategy reset by the company. Continue reading...

Local people and businesses left in lurch' after council says it cannot afford to support or develop Alpe du Grand SerreA large French Alpine ski resort has announced it is to close, citing a lack of funds to become a year-round destination, as low- and medium-altitude mountain areas around Europe struggle with a truncated season due to global heating and declining snowfalls.Local councillors voted not to reopen Alpe du Grand Serre in the Isere this winter, saying they could no longer pay for the mountain lifts or pay to complete a programme to diversify as an all-year tourist destination. Continue reading...

Malmesbury sanctuary pays tribute to jolly' bird, which is thought to have drowned after falling into swollen river at nightThe tale of Irwin the missing emu has ended sadly, with the jolly" big bird's body found in a river close to the sanctuary where he was last seen alive a week ago.Staff at the Malmesbury animal sanctuary in Wiltshire believe Irwin slipped into the swollen river while playing with other emus and drowned. Continue reading...

World Meteorological Organization says water is canary in the coalmine of climate change' and calls for urgent actionRivers dried up at the highest rate in three decades in 2023, putting global water supply at risk, data has shown.Over the past five years, there have been lower-than-average river levels across the globe and reservoirs have also been low, according to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) State of Global Water Resources report. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Leaders warn damage to artwork at Dendrobium coalmine in NSW could be a second Juukan Gorge'

The federal government, state governments and larger non-profits have had a slower - and, say some residents, insufficient - responseThe first thing members of the Pansy Collective, based in Asheville, North Carolina, did following the start of Hurricane Helene was reach out to each other, ensuring that everyone was OK, and helping people who needed to evacuate. As soon as they were able to get down from the Blue Ridge Mountains, where Asheville is nestled, they drove more than 200 miles to Durham to gather supplies and bring them back to Asheville.The Pansy Collective is just one of several mutual-aid disaster-relief organizations that have mobilized across Florida and the Carolinas since Hurricane Helene made landfall on 26 September. Continue reading...