Environment news

• The Guardian view on climate-linked disasters: Spain’s tragedy will not be the last | Editorial

  01-11-2024 19:30 via theguardian.com
  More than 200 deaths and widespread destruction in Valencia are the latest sign of danger in a warming worldThe death toll from floods in Spain’s Valencia region has topped 200. A huge clean-up is under way amid desperate conditions, with severe weather warnings still in place. The storms which caused this devastation – with roads turned into muddy rivers, thousands of homes deluged and cars swept into piles – were unprecedented. The gota fría, or “cold drop”
  
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• ‘Very bad precedent’: China and Russia team up to undermine krill fishing restrictions in Antarctica

  01-11-2024 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservationists warn actions and ambitions of two super powers could lead to overexploitation of vital food source for whales, penguins and sealsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChina and Russia are working together to block new Antarctic marine parks and loosen krill fishing restrictions, undermining a major international convention designed to protect the region from overexploitation, according to analysts and con
  
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• Finland exports snow-saving mats to ski resorts hit by climate crisis

  01-11-2024 14:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Preserving previous year’s snow for start of season can combat increasingly unpredictable wintersBefore the arrival of electric fridges and freezers, people across Finland would saw a block of ice from a river or lake before the spring thaw, thickly cover it in an insulating layer of sawdust and stack it in barns, pits or ice cellars to protect produce from the warm air of the summer months.Amid global heating and increasingly unpredictable shorter winters, a modern twist on the traditiona
  
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• The clean-up begins after devastating floods in Valencia – in pictures

  01-11-2024 14:39 via theguardian.com
  
  More than 200 people have died in Valencia and neighbouring provinces after floods hit the east of Spain. According to the country’s national weather agency, Valencia received a year’s-worth of rain on 29 October, causing flash floods that destroyed homes and swept away vehicles Continue reading...
  
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• ‘More toxic than ever’: Lahore and Delhi choked by smog as ‘pollution season’ begins

  01-11-2024 12:45 via theguardian.com
  As air pollution hits toxic levels, one proposal is to introduce a ‘smog diplomacy’ initiative between Pakistan and IndiaAs the smog descended over Lahore, people began to feel the familiar symptoms. First came the scratchy throat and burning eyes, then the dizziness, tightness in the chest and the dry racking cough.“It’s become a physical ordeal just to go outdoors,” said Jawaria, 28, a master’s student living in the Pakistani city. Continue reading...
  
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• Forest keepers: Arhuaco balance modern and ancient ways – photo essay

  01-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As leaders gather in Colombia for the global Cop16 nature summit, photographer Dougie Wallace captures the Indigenous Arhuaco, who are deeply involved in protecting the country’s biodiversity – and who have produced the region’s first Indigenous film-makerThe Arhuaco live in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast, which they consider the heart of the world. They are so respected that in recent years it has become tradition for each new Colombian president to be
  
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• A Trump presidency could ‘cripple’ the Paris climate agreement, warns UN chief

  01-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  António Guterres says treaty will endure but urges US to remain amid reports of Republican plan to withdraw from the climate negotiating framework entirelyThe world needs the US to remain in the international climate process to avoid a “crippled” Paris agreement, the UN secretary general has warned, amid fears that Donald Trump would take the country out of the accord for a second time.António Guterres said the landmark 2015 agreement to limit global heating would endur
  
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• A second US exit could ‘cripple’ the Paris climate agreement, warns UN chief

  01-11-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  António Guterres says treaty will endure but urges US to remain amid reports that Trump plans to withdraw from the climate negotiating framework entirelyThe world needs the US to remain in the international climate process to avoid a “crippled” Paris agreement, the UN secretary general has warned, amid fears that Donald Trump would take the country out of the accord for a second time.António Guterres said the landmark 2015 agreement to limit global heating would endure
  
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• ‘It’s massive’: farmers shocked at budget – but is concern over inheritance tax overblown?

  01-11-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Countryside defenders from NFU to Clarkson are up in arms – but experts say only richest estate owners will be affectedFor Will Oliver, an arable farmer in Leicestershire, Labour’s first budget in 14 years was a shock: despite the signals beforehand that inheritance tax was going to be a key source of tax revenue, his reaction was still one of disbelief.“I didn’t think they were going to do it,” he said. “This is big. It’s massive.” Continue readin
  
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• Why were the floods in Spain so bad? A visual guide

  01-11-2024 08:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Scores of people have died as country is hit by deadliest floods in decadesAt least 150 people have died in Spain after torrential rains triggered the country’s deadliest floods in decades, unleashing a deluge of muddy water that turned village streets into rivers, destroyed homes and swept away bridges, railways tracks and cars.An unknown number of people remain missing, while thousands of others are without electricity or phone service. The majority of those killed were in the coastal re
  
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• Week in wildlife in pictures: roving parrots, rabid seals and a prickly pest

  01-11-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Inventory counts air pollution cost of space launches and re-entries

  01-11-2024 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Researchers report rise in material falling back to Earth and growing emissions from satellite megaconstellationsIt is easy to understand how the flame and power of rocket launches could cause air pollution. Less obvious is the air pollution caused by rocket parts, spacecraft and satellites re-entering the atmosphere.A new global inventory has catalogued air pollution from space activities from 2020 to 2022. The inventory includes time, position and pollution from 446 launchers as they ascended
  
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• Country diary: Sometimes all we can do is savour the monumental timelessness of our landscape | Phil Gates

  01-11-2024 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Forest-in-Teesdale, County Durham: I can see signs of fiery volcanoes, scouring glaciers, and the earliest plant life. This is a place to consider the miracle of our surroundingsThe rocks along this popular scenic stretch of the Pennine Way, upstream from Wynch suspension footbridge, have been worn smooth by hiking boots. In summer, many visitors come to admire Teesdale’s famous assemblage of rare wild flowers; in autumn and winter, after heavy rain, spectacular waterfalls beckon.Stea
  
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• Jacaranda season in Sydney – in pictures

  01-11-2024 01:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Sydney’s jacaranda trees are in full bloom, blanketing the city in purple and attracting crowds of people trying to capture that perfect frameAustralia’s best photos of the month – October 2024Five things to see at the 2025 Sydney festival Continue reading...
  
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