Environment news

• Beginnings of Roman London discovered in office basement

  12-02-2025 19:00 via bbc.com
  
  The discovery has been described as one of the most important pieces of Roman history in the City of London.
  
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• ‘The far right wants us to play by their rules’: Can German Greens survive ‘witch-hunt’?

  12-02-2025 17:03 via theguardian.com
  
  As AfD says Germany is in grip of ‘eco-dictatorship’, Green party tones down mention of climate actionThe crowd had crammed into a concert hall in central Berlin to hear crunch-time election pitches from Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock, the high-profile Green ministers in charge of Germany’s economy and diplomacy. But to the surprise of some supporters, it took half an hour for anyone in the environment-rooted party to mention the climate.Germany’s Greens are fighting
  
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• Avian flu spread sees 1.8 million farmed birds culled

  12-02-2025 15:56 via bbc.com
  
  There have been 33 outbreaks so far on farms, but the risk to humans remains low, the government says.
  
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• Security, housing ... environment? Why Germany’s Greens are not focusing on climate crisis

  12-02-2025 15:40 via theguardian.com
  As far-right AfD says Germany is in grip of ‘eco-dictatorship’, Green party tones down mention of climate actionThe crowd had crammed into a concert hall in central Berlin to hear crunch-time election pitches from Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock, the high-profile Green ministers in charge of Germany’s economy and diplomacy. But to the surprise of some supporters, it took half an hour for anyone in the environment-rooted party to mention the climate.Germany’s Greens ar
  
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• Philippines storm survivors join climate protest outside Shell HQ in London

  12-02-2025 13:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Greenpeace protest draws attention to worsening typhoons and demands accountability from major pollutersFor two days and two nights, Ronalyn Carbonel and her four children clung to the roof of their home as a huge storm raged around them. With the wind battering her village of Rizal, about 10 miles east of Manila in the Philippines, and water swirling through the rooms below them, they had no choice but to wait, hoping that someone would come to rescue them and hundreds of their neighbours.&ldqu
  
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• Nominate your invertebrate species of the year

  12-02-2025 13:40 via theguardian.com
  
  We’re asking readers from around the world to nominate their favourite spineless species for our second Invertebrate of the Year competition They are the unsung heroes of the planet – the silent majority, the innovators, the grafters, our overlooked friends and protectors.Invertebrates make up the vast majority of animals on Earth – at last 1.3 million species. They are a wondrously diverse bunch, including insects, arachnids, snails, crustaceans, corals, jellyfish, sponges and
  
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• My no-plastic life: I tried to cut out single-use items for a month – and it almost broke me

  12-02-2025 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Sourcing fruit and veg without wrapping was hard enough, but finding an eco-friendly way to brush my teeth was its own world of pain. And as for my 6pm crisps fix – forget itThe scale of plastic pollution is so terrifying, I mostly try to avoid thinking about it, but some facts stop me in my tracks. According to the UN Foundation, there is already enough plastic in the oceans to fill 5m shipping containers – and if production continues at its current rate, by the middle of this centu
  
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• Thames Water investigated over delayed river clean-up schemes

  12-02-2025 09:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Regulator Ofwat’s enforcement case into whether company breached obligations follows Guardian investigationBusiness live – latest updatesThames Water is being investigated by the water regulator for England and Wales, Ofwat, after it delayed environmental improvement schemes.The investigation comes after the Guardian revealed that the UK’s largest water company intentionally diverted millions of pounds pledged for environmental clean-ups towards other costs, including bonuses a
  
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• Seven ways to save cash by making the most of the food you have at home

  12-02-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Save money and cut waste with our tips, from pickling and fermenting to keeping an inventory and careful storageFirst, you must know what you have on hand. Do a thorough inventory of your pantry and make a list of items, noting their expiry dates. Operate a “fifo” rotation system: first in, first out. Arrange items so those with the shortest shelf life are at the front. Continue reading...
  
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• England’s wildlife watchdog failing to protect crucial sites, say campaigners

  12-02-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In three years Natural England has designated just two new SSSIs, which protect areas from developmentThe government’s wildlife watchdog for England is failing to halt the decline of nature after a sharp fall in the number of new places given top protection, according to campaigners.On average over the past 15 years, Natural England has designated four new sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) each year. SSSIs are nationally or internationally important places for rare wildlife and
  
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• Britons urged to join hunt for rare daffodil breeds amid extinction fears

  12-02-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  RHS is asking people to look for under-threat varieties such as the Sussex Bonfire and Mrs William CopelandBritons have been asked to hunt for rare pink, white and “bonfire yellow” daffodils in order to save threatened varieties from extinction.The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which is running the daffodil count, is hoping to build a map of the spring blooms. It is asking people to log where daffodils are flowering in their area along with basic information such as colour, type
  
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• Birdwatch: a nostalgic sighting of a roadrunner in Nevada

  12-02-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  I was keen to catch up the species, and my son spotted one by scrubby vegetation before we’d even got out of the car“Beep beep.” If you’re of a certain age you’ll probably recall the old TV cartoon featuring the Road Runner and his hapless adversary Wile E Coyote. But you might not be aware that it was based on a real bird: the greater roadrunner found in the arid regions of northern Mexico and the US south-west.While on a business trip to Las Vegas I was keen to ca
  
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• Country diary: A performance by a heron that’s worthy of applause | Phil Gates

  12-02-2025 06:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Wolsingham, Weardale: They’re unlikely to survive winter without eating fish, but catching one is an act that requires some highly refined skillsJanuary was a brutal month. It brought storms, snow, ice and, when the thaw came, a turbulent River Wear. Finding food must have been a struggle for the heron that we’re watching through the riverbank alders today. The river is tranquil, but this is a tense moment: the final stage in catching a fish.Motionless, it stares into the water, then
  
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• Hunt for rare daffodils that are feared lost

  12-02-2025 02:39 via bbc.com
  
  As daffodils burst into bloom, experts want help in finding rare treasures hiding in plain sight.
  
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• Oil clean-up 'scam' warnings ignored by Shell, whistleblower tells BBC

  12-02-2025 02:24 via bbc.com
  
  The oil giant faces allegations it ignored warnings that a clean-up scheme was beset by corruption.
  
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• Solomon Islands landowners seek compensation over catastrophic oil spill

  12-02-2025 01:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Claim over the 2019 Rennell Island disaster, which saw more than 300 tonnes of fuel leak into the water, filed in the Solomons High courtThe companies allegedly responsible for the one of the worst environmental disasters in Solomon Islands’ history are being sued over the catastrophic oil spill that caused harm to an ecologically sensitive island.The claim over the 2019 Rennell Island disaster was filed in the Solomons high court last week, just days before the statute of limitations expi
  
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• Many birds-of-paradise species emit light through their plumage, study finds

  12-02-2025 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Researchers found that most birds-of-paradise are biofluorescent – meaning they absorb light through their bodiesBirds-of-paradise are known for their bright and colourful plumage, but it turns out they are even more dazzling than previously thought.Researchers have found 37 of the 45 species show biofluorescence – in other words, patches of their plumage or other body parts absorb UV or blue light, and emit light at lower frequencies. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘An act of betrayal’: Japan to maximise nuclear power 14 years after Fukushima disaster

  12-02-2025 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Tokyo wants to drop attempts to lessen its reliance on nuclear power, according to a draft energy planMore than a decade after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, Japan is again turning to nuclear power as it struggles to reach its emissions targets and bolster its energy security.In a draft strategic energy plan due to be approved by the cabinet this month, the trade and industry ministry signalled it was ditching attempts to lessen Japan’s reliance on nuclear power
  
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