Environment news

• Trump signs orders to allow coal-fired power plants to remain open

  08-04-2025 23:01
  
  Move aimed at addressing rise in power demand for datacenters, AI and EVs, but environmentalists call it a step backDonald Trump signed four executive orders on Tuesday aimed at reviving coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel that has long been in decline, and which substantially contributes to planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.Environmentalists expressed dismay at the news, saying that Trump was stuck in the past and wanted to make utility customers “pay more for yesterday&rsq
  
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• Stressed, scared, overwhelmed: the election issues weighing on young Australian voters

  08-04-2025 17:00
  
  More than 900 young people tell Guardian Australia they worry about money, housing and healthcare – and feel a sense of dread about the climate emergency, social cohesion and rise of the far rightPolls tracker; election guide; full federal election coverageAnywhere but Canberra; interactive electorates guideListen to the first episode of our new narrative podcast series: GinaGet our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcast“There is a general sense – it sounds me
  
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• Massive swarms of bogong moths once resembled rain clouds – then their numbers crashed to earth

  08-04-2025 17:00
  
  Guardian Australia is highlighting the plight of our endangered native species during an election campaign that is ignoring broken environment laws and rapidly declining ecosystemsExplore the series – Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this electionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe bogong moth was once so abundant it was mistaken for weather. During Sydney’s Olympic Games in 2000, a swarm of bogong moths attracted by stadium lights was so hu
  
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• It’s up to each of us to help save life on Earth – I love this challenge | Bob Brown

  08-04-2025 17:00
  
  Taking action against species extinction can be risky but it’s better than surrenderExplore the series – Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this electionGet Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an emailExtinction. In 1844 Ketill Ketilsson won the race to grab the last pair of great auks. They were nesting on Iceland’s Eldey Island. Millions of these penguin-like birds had been slaughtered for feather-stuffed quilts to keep
  
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• Bogong moths and the traditional owners scaling mountains to track them – video

  08-04-2025 17:00
  
  Deberra, as the insects are known in the Taungurung language, are a vital food source for animals across Victoria's alpine country — so their rapid decline has implications for the entire ecosystem. The bogong moth is one of the more than 2,000 Australian species listed as being under threat in what scientists are calling an extinction crisis Continue reading...
  
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• Titanic scan reveals ground-breaking details of ship's final hours

  08-04-2025 14:00 via bbc.com
  
  The 3D replica corroborates eye witness accounts about what happened after the liner hit an iceberg.
  
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• Experts dispute claim dire wolf brought back from extinction

  08-04-2025 13:20 via bbc.com
  
  Independent experts say three white wolf puppies are not dire wolves, as claimed by US company Colossal
  
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• Clean energy's share of world's electricity reaches 40%, report says

  08-04-2025 12:17 via bbc.com
  
  More clean electricity was generated in 2024 but there was a rise in the amount of coal and gas burnt too.
  
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• Cool runnings: how to cut time and waste by making the most of your freezer

  08-04-2025 08:00
  
  From planning ahead and avoiding freezer burn to creating flavour bombs in ice trays, here are some expert tipsPreparing meals in advance and portioning out meat, fruit and vegetables to be frozen can save money, avoid waste and cut the time you spend cooking. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: There’s no better plasterer than a nuthatch | Nic Wilson

  08-04-2025 06:30
  
  Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire: I’m watching one prepare her nest, daubing and filling every gap with whatever claggy muck she can get her bill onThe bowling club car park is almost deserted. Above my car, three wood pigeons peck at ash flowers that hang like clusters of tiny fists, while I watch the trees through my binoculars from the driver’s seat, hoping I’ve arrived in time to catch a “mud‑dabber” in action for the third consecutive sprin
  
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• Streams of medicines: what’s hiding in the UK’s waterways? – podcast

  08-04-2025 06:00
  
  The UK is known for its national parks: areas of outstanding natural beauty with rolling hills and crystal-clear streams and lakes. But research has shown that England’s most protected rivers are full of pharmaceuticals.In episode one of a two-part series, biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay about the problem of chemical pollution in our waterways, and how it could be contributing to what the World Health Organization has described as ‘the silent pandemic&rsquo
  
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• Steppes and the city: how smog has become part of Mongolians’ way of life – in pictures

  08-04-2025 06:00
  
  Harsh weather is normal in Mongolia but the climate crisis has made conditions even more extreme. As millions of animals die and age-old traditions become harder to maintain, nomadic herders are forced into towns, where coal-fired heating has led to a health crisis‘Everyone is breathing this’: how just trying to stay warm is killing thousands a year in the world’s coldest city Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Everyone is breathing this’: how just trying to stay warm is killing thousands a year in the world’s coldest city

  08-04-2025 06:00
  In Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, coal fires heat almost every home. But as extreme weather drives families off the steppes into the city the air is becoming more deadlySteppes and the city: how smog has become part of Mongolians’ way of life – in picturesThe eldest child was away training for the army when his family died in their sleep. All six of them, two adults and four children, were poisoned by carbon monoxide gas seeping out from their coal-fired stove into their home
  
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• ‘Everyone is breathing this’: how just trying to stay warm is killing thousands a year in the world’s coldest capital

  08-04-2025 06:00
  
  In Ulaanbaatar, coal fires heat almost every home. But as extreme weather drives families off the Mongolian steppes into the city the air is becoming more deadlySteppes and the city: how smog has become part of Mongolians’ way of life – in picturesThe eldest child was away training for the army when his family died in their sleep. All six of them, two adults and four children, were poisoned by carbon monoxide gas seeping out from their coal-fired stove into their home in Ulaanbaatar
  
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• Clean energy powered 40% of global electricity in 2024, report finds

  08-04-2025 01:01
  
  Thinktank says solar has been fastest-growing energy source for last 20 years, but remains dwarfed by hydro powerThe world used clean power sources to meet more than 40% of its electricity demand last year for the first time since the 1940s, figures show.A report by the energy thinktank Ember said the milestone was powered by a boom in solar power capacity, which has doubled in the last three years. Continue reading...
  
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