Environment news

• Green campaigners fear UK to renew subsidies to Drax power station

  06-02-2025 21:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Billions of pounds from energy bill payers to run out in 2027 but could be extended as soon as MondayGreen campaigners fear ministers are poised to award billions of pounds in fresh subsidies to Drax power station, despite strong concerns that burning trees to produce electricity is bad for the environment.Drax burns wood to generate about 8% of the UK’s “green” power, and 4% of overall electricity. This is classed as “low-carbon” because the harvested trees are rep
  
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• 'Build baby build', says PM as he sets out nuclear plan

  06-02-2025 21:23 via bbc.com
  
  The government wants to make it quicker and easier to build mini nuclear power stations in England and Wales.
  
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• How long could the Santorini 'seismic crisis' last?

  06-02-2025 21:16 via bbc.com
  
  Scientists say it is unclear how many more earthquakes will come to the idyllic Greek island.
  
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• Humpback whale song and human language are more similar than you might think. Here’s why

  06-02-2025 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Researchers have found a pattern indicating certain ‘words’ are used more often than others – but humans won’t be speaking whale any time soonFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHumpback whale song is structured in a similar way to human language – with shorter sounds used far more often than more complex ones – a structure which helps infants quickly learn how to communicate from the
  
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• Starmer pledges to ‘build, baby, build’ as green groups criticise nuclear plans

  06-02-2025 18:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Greenpeace says PM has ‘swallowed industry spin whole’ after plans unveiled to expand in England and WalesKeir Starmer has channelled his inner Donald Trump and promised to “build, baby, build” in his push for more nuclear power stations, despite warnings from environmental groups about the industry’s record for soaring costs and long delays.A day after the prime minister unveiled his plans to revamp planning rules to bring in a series of small modular reactors (SMR
  
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• The Observer view on Heathrow runway: Rachel Reeves is flying in face of dire climate threat | Observer editorial

  06-02-2025 17:51 via theguardian.com
  
  On almost every level the chancellor’s decision to expand the London airport looks naive, if not foolishFor 20 years, politicians, industry leaders and campaigners have fought in courts, parliament and public meetings over the idea of building a new runway for Heathrow. For some, a third runway would not only boost passenger numbers at the airport but would be a symbol of the country’s determination to seek economic regeneration. For others, it would demonstrate, in vivid terms, our
  
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• ‘We water, rest, water’: the green belt of vegetable plots cooling a city

  06-02-2025 14:02 via theguardian.com
  
  A green belt circling the capital of Burkina Faso is preparing the country for the climate crisisAs far as the eye can see is a hodge-podge of trees, vegetable plots and water tanks. Up close it may look like a gigantic allotment, but this unusual project actually stretches for 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres), a green belt that now completely rings the city of Ouagadougou.The green belt began life many years ago in the 1970s, with the aim of building a protective wall against the encroaching desert
  
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• Jeff Bezos fund ends support for climate group amid fears billionaires ‘bowing down’ to Trump

  06-02-2025 13:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Concerns raised as $10bn Bezos Earth Fund halts funding for Science Based Targets initiative, which monitors companies’ decarbonisationJeff Bezos’s $10bn climate and biodiversity fund has halted its funding of one of the world’s most important climate certification organisations, amid broader concerns US billionaires are “bowing down to Trump” and his anti-climate action rhetoric.The Bezos Earth Fund has stopped its support for the Science Based Targets initiative (
  
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• Air pollution reduces people’s ability to focus on everyday tasks, study finds

  06-02-2025 12:27 via theguardian.com
  Even brief exposure to particulate matter found to impede selective attention and emotional recognitionA person’s ability to focus on everyday tasks is affected by short-term exposure to air pollution, a study has found.Researchers analysed data from cognitive tests completed by 26 participants before and after they were exposed either to high levels of particulate matter (PM) using smoke from a candle, or clean air for an hour. Continue reading...
  
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• Hottest January on record mystifies climate scientists

  06-02-2025 10:41 via theguardian.com
  
  EU monitor says global temperatures were 1.75C above preindustrial levels, extending run of unprecedented highsA run of record-breaking global temperatures has continued, even with a La Niña weather pattern cooling the tropical Pacific.The Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month was the warmest January on record, with surface-air temperatures 1.75C above preindustrial levels. Continue reading...
  
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• Lost cities of the Amazon: how science is revealing ancient garden towns hidden in the rainforest

  06-02-2025 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Archaeologists using 3D mapping are uncovering the remains of thousands of green metropolises with composted gardens, fisheries, and forests groomed into orchards For decades, archaeologists have believed that human occupation of the Amazon basin was far older, vaster and more urbanised than the textbooks suggested. But hard evidence was scant, artefacts were scattered, and there were too few people on the ground to fully assess the magnitude of what lay cached in the dense forest. Then they fou
  
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• Snake catchers find 102 red-bellied black snakes found in a single mulch pile in Sydney – video

  06-02-2025 07:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Dylan Cooper and Cory Kerewaro from Reptile Relocation Sydney have removed 102 red-bellied black snakes from a single mulch pile on a property in western Sydney. Upon arrival they had expected to remove only four red-bellies which had been seen by the owner of the Horsley Park home. But during summer it can be common for some female snakes to congregate and share the same birthing site Continue reading...
  
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• Man finds 102 red-bellied black snakes in a single mulch pile in western Sydney – video

  06-02-2025 07:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Dylan Cooper and Cory Kerewaro from Reptile Relocation Sydney have removed 102 red-bellied black snakes from a single mulch pile on a property in western Sydney. Upon arrival they had expected to remove only four red-bellies which had been seen by the owner of the Horsley Park home. But during summer it can be common for some female snakes to congregate and share the same birthing site Continue reading...
  
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• 102 red-bellied black snakes found in a single mulch pile in western Sydney – video

  06-02-2025 07:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Dylan Cooper and Cory Kerewaro from Reptile Relocation Sydney have removed 102 red-bellied black snakes from a single mulch pile on a property in western Sydney. Upon arrival they had expected to remove only four red-bellies which had been seen by the owner of the Horsley Park home. But during summer it can be common for some female snakes to congregate and share the same birthing site Continue reading...
  
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• Weatherwatch: volcanic eruptions pose challenge for wind energy, says study

  06-02-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Climate models show 1815 Tambora eruption in Indonesia would have resulted in 9% drop in wind energyIt’s well known that major tropical volcanic eruptions inject gases and tiny particles high into the atmosphere that can cause global cooling, but now research shows that they can also reduce surface wind speeds, posing a serious challenge for wind energy production.When the Indonesian volcano Mount Tambora erupted in April 1815 it caused “the year without a summer” in 1816, resu
  
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• ‘It’s not just a few ships doing it’: how the world’s plastic ends up on a Guernsey beach

  06-02-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The work of local volunteer Richard Lord is being referenced by international aid organisationsEvidence of the extent of the world’s plastic litter problem is washing up on Guernsey’s beaches with every tide.But it does not go unnoticed. It is being removed and catalogued. A group of Guernsey beachcombers, united under the Facebook group Found on the Beach in Guernsey, “womble” across the island’s bays on a daily basis and share their evidence with the marine biolog
  
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• Country diary: A night of renewal before the start of Celtic spring | Mary Montague

  06-02-2025 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Rotten Mountain, Co Fermanagh: It is tradition to come together and make St Brigid’s crosses on this night. And with Storm Éowyn causing havoc, it felt especially important to mark the changing of a seasonDespite its name, Rotten Mountain has an austere beauty. As I drove to this townland (a small geographical area) last Friday, the sunset was turning the winter-faded moorland to a pale gold, and rushes growing in the boggy meadows were tipped with bronze.I was headed to Danny
  
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• Dog treat made from lab-grown meat on sale in UK as retailer claims a ‘world first’

  06-02-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Chicken used in dog treat was cultivated from single sample of cells taken from one egg, says manufacturer MeatlyA dog treat made from lab-grown meat has gone on sale at Pets at Home in a move the retailer claims is a world first.Chick Bites are made from plant-based ingredients combined with cultivated meat, which is produced by growing cells and does not require the raising or slaughter of animals. Continue reading...
  
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• Record January warmth puzzles climate scientists

  06-02-2025 04:10 via bbc.com
  
  January was expected to be cooler than the same month last year, but was 0.1C warmer, which experts are struggling to explain.
  
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• Urgent action needed to ensure UK food security, report warns

  06-02-2025 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  The UK’s food supply has been threatened by recent events, such as the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemicUrgent action is needed to secure the UK’s food supply in the face of climate change-induced extreme weather, the imposition of tariffs and global insecurity, a report has warned.Days after the US president, Donald Trump, warned Europe would be next for tariffs on trade after he imposed tax levies on Canada, China and Mexico, the report said the UK’s post-second world
  
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• Keir Starmer unveils plan for large nuclear expansion across England and Wales

  06-02-2025 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister vows to ‘push past nimbyism’ and calls on tech firms to help build small modular reactors to power AI datacentresKeir Starmer will unveil plans for a historic expansion in nuclear power across England and Wales, pledging to use Labour’s large majority to make new sites across the country available for new power stations.The announcement follows the prime minister’s call for tech companies to work alongside the government to build small modular reactors (SMR
  
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