Environment news

• July ends 13-month streak of global heat records, but experts warn against relief

  08-08-2024 20:38
  
  Climate scientists say that the world is continuing to warm, despite brief respite in record breaking temperaturesEarth’s string of 13 straight months with a new average heat record came to an end this past July as the natural El Niño climate pattern ebbed, the European climate agency Copernicus announced on Wednesday.But July 2024’s average heat just missed surpassing last year’s July, and scientists said the end of the record-breaking streak changes nothing about the t
  
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• The Guardian view on wind energy and the UK: Labour plays catch-up | Editorial

  08-08-2024 19:40
  
  The new government has made a fast start in mobilising Britain’s most obvious natural asset, but big challenges remainIn its pomp during the 1970s, Ardersier port near Inverness was a behemoth of Scottish industry. During the North Sea oil and gas boom, thousands worked on one of the largest rig construction sites in the world. Disused since 2001, the port is making a triumphant comeback, to be reconfigured as a giant hub for the turbines that will harness wind power off the Scottish coast
  
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• ‘It’s nice to help a life to live’: meet Sri Lanka’s turtle guardians

  08-08-2024 15:00
  Volunteers are helping save baby sea turtles as the endangered species’ favourite nesting spots come under pressure from development, poaching and touristsPhotographs by Thilina KaluthotageIt’s a sweltering night on the western coast of Sri Lanka, and on Mount Lavinia beach there’s an unusual flurry of activity. Several young people in orange hi-vis vests are squatting in a circle, digging in the sand in the semi-darkness.The team of volunteers is patrolling a popular tourist b
  
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• ‘Massive disinformation campaign’ is slowing global transition to green energy

  08-08-2024 14:29
  UN says a global ‘backlash’ against climate action is being stoked by fossil fuel companiesFossil fuel companies are running “a massive mis- and disinformation campaign” so that countries will slow down the adoption of renewable energy and the speed with which they “transition away” from a carbon-intensive economy, the UN has said.Selwin Hart, the assistant secretary general of the UN, said that talk of a global “backlash” against climate action wa
  
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• Fossil fuel industry using ‘disinformation campaign’ to slow green transition, says UN

  08-08-2024 14:29
  Climate adviser says world leaders must show ‘maximum ambition’ to prevent people being harmed by climate crisisFossil fuel companies are running “a massive mis- and disinformation campaign” so that countries will slow down the adoption of renewable energy and the speed with which they “transition away” from a carbon-intensive economy, the UN has said.Selwin Hart, the assistant secretary general of the UN, said that talk of a global “backlash” agai
  
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• Dining across the divide: ‘Sometimes to be more environmentally friendly you have to sacrifice green land’

  08-08-2024 13:30
  
  They agreed it’s important to build communities and houses people want to live in, but what happened when they discussed renting v buying?Kyme, 27, YorkOccupation Asset engineer, looking after buildings for the railways Continue reading...
  
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• ‘It’s devastating’: summer in Canada’s Arctic region brings severe heatwaves

  08-08-2024 11:30
  Temperatures in Canada – and especially the Arctic – are climbing faster than the global average, with highs of 33CThe arrival of August in the Arctic typically hints that autumn, with its dwindling daylight and cold weather, will soon return.But on a recent afternoon, Sandy Gordon and her four children plunged into the silty waters of the Canada’s Mackenzie River, escaping a searing heatwave that has descended on the town of Inuvik. Continue reading...
  
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• How the stunning and steady flight of the kestrel is informing the future of drone design – video

  08-08-2024 08:00
  A new study is mapping the secrets to the remarkably steady flight of kestrels, which could inform future drone designs and help achieve steadier flight in fixed wing aircraft. Scientists later hope to adapt the data so it can be applied to larger aircraft Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: The mimicry of a sedge warbler drifts in this quiet place | Jim Perrin

  08-08-2024 06:30
  
  Maelor Saesneg, north-east Wales: This is lake country, haunting and fascinating, and strongly Welsh despite being a stone’s throw from EnglandThe English Maelor! It’s the appendix to Wales that dangles off the bulge of the Welsh north‑eastern border and reaches almost as far as Whitchurch in Shropshire. DH Lawrence regarded this as a strongly Welsh-flavoured county, and some of the earliest Welsh poetry, dating back perhaps to the sixth century, locates here. Remember the line
  
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• Sea, sand and sky-high fees: Italians tussle over their right to lie on the beach

  08-08-2024 06:00
  Much of Italy’s beachfront is in the hands of family-run concessions who operate exclusive clubs or charge big money for umbrellas and loungers. But a new EU law is rallying activists on both sidesPhotographs by Roberto Salomone“Most Italians don’t know they have the right to go to the beach for free,” says Manuela Salvi, planting her umbrella in the sand of a private beach club in Gaeta, a small seaside town in central Italy. “They are used to paying to go to the s
  
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• They went to space for eight days - and could be stuck until 2025

  08-08-2024 04:08 via bbc.com
  
  Two American astronauts face the sudden prospect of spending Christmas and New Year in space.
  
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• Racehorse poo analysis predicts future success

  08-08-2024 02:05 via bbc.com
  
  Scientists found gut microbes in a young foal directly correlate to long-term health and performance.
  
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• ‘Cruisezilla’ passenger ships have doubled in size since 2000, campaigners warn

  08-08-2024 00:01
  
  Experts say booming demand for holidays afloat mean ocean liners’ burden on the environment is growingThe huge passenger vessels sometimes known as “cruisezillas” are getting bigger than ever, according to new research which has found that the world’s biggest cruise ships have doubled in size since 2000.If the industry’s growth does not slow, the biggest ships in 2050 will be eight times larger, in terms of tonnage, than the Titanic – the largest ship on the s
  
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