Hanford made the plutonium for US atomic bombs, and its radioactive waste must be dealt with. Enter Elon MuskIn the bustling rural city of Richland, in south-eastern Washington, the signs of a nuclear past are all around.A small museum explains its role in the Manhattan Project and its singular mission - [to] develop the world's first atomic bomb before the enemy might do the same". The city's high school sports team is still known as the Bombers, with a logo that consists of the letter R set with a mushroom cloud. Continue reading...

Winning images from the 2025 Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Environmental Photography award, selected from 10,000 images submitted globally. The contest aims to reward photographers who put their creativity to good use in raising awareness of the importance of environmental protection

The craze for Korean culture has brought fame to the women of the sea', but not always to their benefit. Now they want to reclaim their stories to inspire a new generationThere is an episode in the Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines where a woman dives into the sea and brings back a catch of abalone (sea snails), which she says will feed her family. The woman is a haenyeo. Haenyeo, or women of the sea", have been recorded as far back as the 17th century and are unique to the island of Jeju in South Korea, where they fish sustainably, diving time and again on a single breath to bring back shellfish and seaweed.Yet the scene, set in the 1960s, simply wouldn't happen today, says Myeonghyo Go, a haenyeo who lives in the village of Iho-dong on Jeju. The seaweeds here are disappearing, and seaweed is the food for abalone. Because we don't have the seaweeds, we don't have abalone," she says. Continue reading...

Even it now admits that brick by brick, these proposals will wreck habitats. This could be Starmer's most damaging mistake yetThe precedent is uncanny, and the failure to learn from it downright mystifying. Keir Starmer is rushing gladly towards the catastrophe Boris Johnson inflicted on himself in 2020. Had he set out to stymie Labour's chances of re-election, he couldn't be doing it better.In 2020, Johnson promised a whole new planning system" for England, which, he claimed, would promote economic growth". He said he wanted to see 300,000 new homes built every year. He sought to build, build, build", but falsely claimed that his plans were thwarted by newts, which he used as shorthand for environmental protections. He would sweep these protections away. Continue reading...

Bill would force major polluters to pay into fund for flood defences and home insulation - but has little chance of becoming lawFossil fuel companies and their shareholders and owners of superyachts and private jets should have to pay into a fund for flood defences and home insulation, according to a private member's bill to be launched on Thursday.The bill is part of a broader movement by campaigners to make polluters pay", demanding that oil and gas companies, and those who benefit from fossil fuels, should take on more of the direct responsibility for tackling the climate crisis, rather than funding such measures from general taxation. Continue reading...

A video shows the large flightless takah bird in hot pursuit of the tuatara - but the tables soon turnTwo of New Zealand's most rare and beloved animals - a large flightless takah bird and an ancient tuatara reptile - have been captured chasing and nipping at one another during a bush-floor melee.Nick Fisentzidis, a department of conservation ranger on the pest-free Tiritiri Matangi Island near Auckland, saw the takah attack the tuatara and quickly grabbed his phone to capture the rare footage. Continue reading...

EDO boss says Crisafulli government decision means many won't even know their rights, let alone have the chance to exercise them'

Civil society groups call on government to address risk of neocolonial exploitation in its supply chain strategyThe risk of neocolonial exploitation in the global rush for critical minerals must be addressed by the government as it formulates its official supply chain strategy, say civil society campaigners.They have said the scrabble for access is being greenwashed as wealthier economies around the world attempt to line up a host of minerals that are essential to the manufacture of hi-tech products, including cobalt, lithium and nickel. Continue reading...

Dare accepted the 10,000 prize for her latest novel, And So I Roar, the follow-up to her bestselling debut The Girl with the Louding VoiceNigerian writer Abi Dare has won the inaugural Climate fiction prize for her novel And So I Roar, the follow-up to her bestselling debut The Girl with the Louding Voice.Dare was announced as the winner of the 10,000 prize at a ceremony in London on Wednesday evening. Continue reading...

Government to analyse potential benefits of new generation of reactorsDenmark is reconsidering its 40-year ban on nuclear power in a major policy shift for the renewables-heavy country.The Danish government will analyse the potential benefits of a new generation of nuclear power technologies after banning traditional nuclear reactors in 1985, its energy minister said. Continue reading...

Government vetoes cross-party effort to protect threatened waterways from push to rip up environmental red tapeA cross-party attempt to protect England's rare and threatened chalk streams in the government's planning bill was rejected by Labour on Wednesday.The attempt to give the globally rare ecosystems the strongest protections as irreplaceable habitats failed after all the Labour MPs on the parliamentary committee examining the draft law rejected an amendment containing the extra provision. Continue reading...

Predicted dry, warm weather likely to increase pressure on rivers, whose flows are already far below normalExceptionally low river flows are predicted across the UK this summer as a drought becomes more likely, scientists have said.An update from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) says dry, warm weather is expected over the next three months, putting pressure on water resources. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Virgin Atlantic and Renault among companies that continued to publish misleading environmental claimsCompanies have continued to post misleading greenwashing adverts after being censured by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), according to an investigation.Greenpeace UK's investigative journalism unit, Unearthed, reports that Virgin Atlantic, Renault and Aqua Pura are among companies that continued to publish unfounded claims about the environmental credentials of their products after being told to remove such adverts by the advertising watchdog. Continue reading...

Research shows companies aligned' with strategies to meet climate goals have risen from 3% in 2019 to 23% in 2025European companies are increasingly lobbying for strong climate action, research has found, in a profound shift" that analysts say challenges the narrative that businesses see green rules as a threat to profits.The share of companies whose corporate lobbying is aligned" with pathways to meet global climate goals rose from 3% in 2019 to 23% in 2025, according to an analysis of 200 of the largest European companies by InfluenceMap, while the share of companies who were deemed misaligned" fell from 34% to 14%. Continue reading...

Chemical plant linked to air pollution and cancer risks in majority-Black region exploring all options for the future'A controversial chemical plant in the centre of Louisiana's Cancer Alley" region has indefinitely suspended all production following dire financial results, the facility's operators announced on Tuesday.The Denka Performance Elastomer plant in St John parish has long been associated with chronic air pollution issues and was the subject of a years-long Guardian reporting series examining the disproportionate cancer risk rates experienced by the majority-Black fence-line communities that surround the facility. Continue reading...

In a letter, Milieudefensie says it wants to stop firm developing new oil and gas projects to curb crisis'Climate campaigners in the Netherlands have promised to take Shell to court for a second time to force the energy company to stop developing new oil and gas projects.In a letter to Shell, the Dutch climate non-profit Milieudefensie vowed to take legal action because the company has 700 oil and gas projects in development that will continue to drive up carbon emissions despite efforts to slow global heating. Continue reading...

Parliamentary group launched alongside campaign for play sufficiency duty' that matches those in Wales and Scotland

US agriculture secretary says country is moving away from both methods of production, illegal in UK and EUChlorine-washed chicken and hormone-fed beef may not be essential for a US-UK trade deal, Donald Trump's agriculture secretary has indicated.Speaking to journalists at a press conference in London, Brooke Rollins said the market was moving away from the two controversial methods of production, which are illegal in the UK and the EU. Continue reading...

Enfield's Ergin Erbil under pressure to recuse himself from decisions over football club's property plansThe leader of Enfield council is under pressure to recuse himself from decisions over the property plans of Tottenham Hotspur, after accepting match tickets days before the felling of an ancient oak by a company financially linked to the football club.Labour's Ergin Erbil has been the public voice of the council's outrage at the felling on 3 April of a 500-year-old ancient oak by contractors for Mitchells & Butlers Retail (MBR), the pub chain that runs a Toby Carvery on land leased from the London borough. Continue reading...

Bioplastics, heralded for supposedly breaking down more quickly, can cause similar health problems to other plasticsStarch-based bioplastic that is said to be biodegradable and sustainable is potentially as toxic as petroleum-based plastic, and can cause similar health problems, new peer-reviewed research finds.Bioplastics have been heralded as the future of plastic because they break down quicker than petroleum-based plastic, and they are often made from plant-based material such as corn starch, rice starch or sugar. Continue reading...

It broke my heart to see a seal so injured by a 1 plastic toy. Now I campaign to ban them - and it has changed my lifeThere was an incident seven years ago that changed my life. I saw an adult grey seal with a plastic pink flying ring toy so deeply embedded in her neck that she was practically dead. It was stopping her from feeding because it was digging into her and she couldn't extend her neck - the wounds were horrific.It broke my heart. From that moment on, I became obsessed with seals and protecting them from the dangers of plastic flying rings. Continue reading...

The 1,274-hectare Bradford Pennine Gateway links eight nature sites and includes landscape that inspired sistersThe sweeping landscapes of the Pennines inspired the Bronte sisters, and now those lands are being protected as one of England's biggest nature reserves.A huge new national nature reserve, to be called the Bradford Pennine Gateway, is being announced by the government on Tuesday. It will give Bradford, one of Britain's largest and most nature-deprived cities, easier and more protected access to green space Continue reading...

Exclusive: Andrew Bowie says Kemi Badenoch could pull UK out of Paris climate agreementThe Conservative party's energy spokesperson has attacked leading climate scientists as biased and claimed Kemi Badenoch could take the UK out of the Paris climate agreement.Andrew Bowie, the acting shadow secretary for energy, told the Guardian that the target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 - passed into law by Theresa May - was arbitrary" and not based on science". Continue reading...

Wood barrels circle the world and can be used for more than a century. They tell a story, but they're imperiled by tariffsNo one at Tucson's Hamilton Distillers knows exactly what wood the cognac barrels holding whiskey are made of.Probably Spanish oak?" one employee ventures a guess. The age of the barrels is also a question mark. No one working here is old enough to vouch for that; the distillery believes they are anywhere from 100 to 125 years old, which is old in the grand scheme of barrels' lifespans, but not unusual. But it can say with certainty, using records of its vintages, that these barrels are on their fifth use - at least. Continue reading...

Karenia mikimotoi algae can suffocate fish, cause haemorrhaging and act as a neurotoxin, one expert says

Long-term reform is not going to be easy, but we have wasted 15 years and everyone has lost, especially the natural world

Cobalt Holdings aims to buy up supply of the metal from Glencore as slowing EV growth has pushed down pricesA cobalt trading company has said it will raise 174m in rare a stock market float in London, in a bet on demand for car batteries that defies investor nerves around the growth in electric cars.Cobalt Holdings said it will raise $230m (174m) in order to buy up a supply of the metal, a crucial element in electric car batteries, from the FTSE 100 mining company Glencore. The miner will invest $24m, taking a stake of about 10%, according to a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Monday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Campaigners call for energy profits levy to be made permanent to enable just transition' from fossil fuelsMaking permanent the UK's windfall tax on oil and gas producers would generate enough cash to enable North Sea workers to move to green jobs, research has found.Cutting current subsidies to fossil fuel producers would free up yet more funds to spend on the shift to a low-carbon economy, according to the report. Continue reading...

Wild Justice says bill would reduce environmental protections and calls on Angela Rayner to correct statement saying it will notA legal campaign group is planning a judicial review against the UK government's new planning bill, arguing it will result in a weakening of environmental protections which were fought for and created over decades.Wild Justice is calling on the housing minister, Angela Rayner, to correct a parliamentary statement in which she told MPs the bill, which applies mainly to England and Wales, would not reduce the level of protection. Her words were echoed in a letter to the Guardian from the nature minister, Mary Creagh, who stated it did not repeal habitat or species protections or give a licence to do harm. Continue reading...

Fourth most important food crop in peril as Latin America and Caribbean suffer from slow-onset climate disasterThe climate crisis is threatening the future of the world's most popular fruit, as almost two-thirds of banana-growing areas in Latin America and the Caribbean may no longer be suitable for growing the fruit by 2080, new research has found.Rising temperatures, extreme weather and climate-related pests are pummeling banana-growing countries such as Guatemala, Costa Rica and Colombia, reducing yields and devastating rural communities across the region, according to Christian Aid's new report, Going Bananas: How Climate Change Threatens the World's Favourite Fruit. Continue reading...

Sir Adrian Montague's appearance on Tuesday offers perhaps the last chance to scrutinise utility's dealingsHurrah, Sir Adrian Montague, the chair of Thames Water, is scheduled to make another of his rare public appearances. On Tuesday, he will be at the environment select committee, the forum where 18 months ago he gave a strong signal that the company's financial crisis was even worse than feared.The shareholders, in their standoff with the regulator over bills, wanted to know the business was investable", said Montague. Three months later those investors decided it wasn't and refused to put in another penny. That forced the current refinancing contest that has seen KKR, the US private equity group, chosen as preferred bidder at the end of March. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Decision on whether to work with turbine maker being overseen by ministers after British Steel rescueMinisters are weighing up proposals for a Chinese company to supply wind turbines for a major offshore windfarm in the North Sea.The government is in discussions with Green Volt North Sea over whether Mingyang, China's biggest offshore wind company, should supply the wind turbines. Mingyang has emerged as the preferred manufacturer, but the company has sought advice from ministers on whether to proceed. Continue reading...

Conservationists call for more funding and warn of danger to cherished' native species, from water voles to ladybirdsLess than 1% of the government's biosecurity budget goes on tackling invasive species, despite the danger they pose to British wildlife, figures suggest.Conservationists warned the funding to address non-native plants and animals was failing to match the risk they posed to cherished" native species, from water voles to ladybirds, as well as to waterways, homes, businesses and local green spaces. Continue reading...

Healthy peatlands can help tackle the climate crisis but degraded peat emits carbon and contributes to global heatingNew mapping of England's peatlands has revealed that 80% of the habitats are dry and degraded.Scientists mapped England's peatlands and peaty soils for the first time using satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and in-depth data analysis to create the most complete map to date, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said. Continue reading...

Workers at farm owned by UK's biggest pig meat producer Cranswick filmed killing piglets by banned blunt force trauma' Warning: graphic contentTesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons have suspended supplies from a Lincolnshire pig farm linked to abuse against pigs.Secretly filmed footage has shown farm workers at Northmoor Farm appearing to grab piglets by their hind legs and smashing them on to the hard floor - a banned method of killing known as blunt force trauma or piglet thumping". Continue reading...

The Danish drama is piercing in its ordinariness. In the real world, the climate crisis worsens and authoritarians take charge as we calmly look awayThe climate crisis has taken a new and frightening turn, and in the expectation of disastrous flooding, the entire landmass of Denmark is about to be evacuated. Effectively, the country will be shutting itself down and sending its 6 million people abroad, where they will have to cope as best they can. Huge numbers of northern Europeans are therefore being turned into refugees: a few might have the wealth and connections to ease their passage from one life to another, but most are about to face the kind of precarious, nightmarish future they always thought of as other people's burden.

Study finds dietary fiber effectively cuts levels of two most common and dangerous Pfas, with more research planned

As I stood there, awed by how disgusting and wasteful our species is, I realised that everyone needs to see thisLike all the best things in life, this story starts with an argument about bins. Admittedly, I could do better at recycling. I can try to chalk this up to having read too much about how all our plastic waste ultimately ends up in landfill sites in the poorest parts of south-east Asia. But I'm also lazy and so well-acquainted with cognitive dissonance that I could probably cry over the death scene in Bambi while comforting myself by chowing down on a giant haunch of venison.My partner, Leo, is the total opposite: diligent and principled. Which is why she finally lost it with me for failing to put a plastic yoghurt tub in the recycling. I went on the defensive, citing half-imagined reports about megadumps in the Philippines and inescapable doom. She retaliated by booking us on an educational tour of Southwark Reuse and Recycling Centre.Eleanor Margolis is a columnist for the i newspaper and Diva Continue reading...

As an oceanographer, I study how the ocean shapes our world. For Australia and other nations, the lesson is urgentAntarctica is often viewed as the last truly remote place on Earth - frozen, wild and untouched. But is it really as untouched as it seems?This vast frozen continent is encircled by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the only current in the world that connects all the oceans, showing how closely linked our planet really is. Continue reading...

The state government is aware of koala welfare problems but says it has no cost-effective' solutions

Forestry Corporation says suggestion that it can be compared to a criminal bikie gang is ridiculous'

On the remote Channel Islands, a draw for researchers and divers, preservation has transformed the ecosystemJust 14 miles (23km) off the southern California coast lies a vast underwater paradise.Giant sea bass the size of grizzly bears and schools of sardines glide together through swirling strands of golden kelp, whose long stalks preside over a world exploding with life and color. Playful harbor seals dance into the depths of undulating pink, green and orange plants, alongside spiny crustaceans and vibrant sea stars that embrace the volcanic rock that slopes to the sandy seafloor. Continue reading...

There is an appetite in this country for policy that will change lives. What is more fundamental than the water we use and bills we pay?

Sap-sucking insects top list of queries to gardening charity after causing significant harm to plantsAphids are plaguing gardeners this spring due to the warm weather, with higher numbers of the rose-killing bugs expected to thrive in the UK as a result of climate breakdown.The sap-sucking insects have topped the ranking of gardener queries to the Royal Horticultural Society, with many of its 600,000 members having complained of dozens of aphids on their acers, roses and honeysuckle plants. Continue reading...

Study finds human-caused climate change made four-day rainfall across central Mississippi valley 40% more likelyThe four-day historic storm that caused death and destruction across the central Mississippi valley in early April was made significantly more likely and more severe by burning fossil fuels, rapid analysis by a coalition of leading climate scientists has found.Record quantities of rain were dumped across eight southern and midwestern states between 3 and 6 April, causing widespread catastrophic flooding that killed at least 15 people, inundated crops, wrecked homes, swept away vehicles and caused power outages for hundreds of thousands of households. Continue reading...

Findings show for first time how plastic chemicals throw off the body's internal clock by up to 17 minutesChemicals in everyday plastics may disrupt the body's natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythm in a way similar to coffee, which increases the risk of sleep disorders, diabetes, immune problems and cancer, new in vitro research shows.The study looked at chemicals extracted from a PVC medical feeding tube and a polyurethane hydration pouch, like those used by long-distance runners. PVC and polyurethanes are also used in everything from kids toys to food packaging to furniture. Continue reading...

Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, found to have criminally damaged tree and Hadrian's Wall

Many saw the beloved tree that Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham cut down as a part of north-east England's DNAIt was just a tree," said a mystified Adam Carruthers, one of the two men who illegally cut down the tree at Sycamore Gap in the early hours of a stormy night nearly two years ago. It was almost as if someone had been murdered."Carruthers was right about the reaction to the felling. Many likened its loss to that of a good friend or relative. Its destruction prompted feelings of sadness, grief and then blind fury. Some people wept. Continue reading...

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

About 270,000 people died in Liberia's timber trade-fuelled civil war. I helped to rebuild and protect its forests. Now Europe is threatening to undermine all our hard workIt is sad when a ruthless military dictator funds his government by destroying ecologically important rainforest, logging tropical trees and displacing and robbing the people who live in and depend on the forests for their livelihoods and culture.This happened in my country, Liberia. Continue reading...