Environment news

• Collapsing bird numbers in North America prompt fears of ecological crisis – research

  01-05-2025 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Study using citizen data finds three-quarters of nearly 500 species in decline, with steepest trend in areas where they once thrivedBird populations across North America are falling most quickly in areas where they are most abundant, according to new research, prompting fears of ecological collapse in previously protected areas.Analysis of nearly 500 bird species across North America has found that three-quarters are declining across their ranges, with two-thirds of the total shrinking significa
  
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• Ben Jennings on the opposition to net zero – cartoon

  01-05-2025 19:17 via theguardian.com
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• Losing its sparkle: Colombia’s emerald capital weighs the cost of its precious stones

  01-05-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  As big companies and informal miners blame each other for the damage to rivers and forests, mining risks long-term harm to those living nearbyThe small town of Muzo, nestled deep in Colombia’s emerald-rich valleys of Boyacá province, is a place where the soil holds great wealth. Brick-red homes and tin-roof shacks cling to the mountainside, their bases resting on black sand and dark mud. Below, the Río Minero weaves through the valley, its waters tainted by the silt and debri
  
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• I worked with Tony Blair when he put climate at the heart of UK policy. He must not now undermine that | David King

  01-05-2025 14:26 via theguardian.com
  I support the Climate Paradox report from the Tony Blair Institute, but his foreword risks compromising what must be achievedDavid King was chief scientific adviser to the UK government under Tony Blair, and is founder and chair of the global Climate Crisis Advisory GroupI have always been proud of the progress the UK made between 2003 and 2007 in formulating a credible response to the climate change. Under Tony Blair’s leadership, the UK placed climate at the heart of global diplomacy. At
  
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• Why unlimited green energy is closer than people think – video

  01-05-2025 13:39 via theguardian.com
  Most countries have no fossil fuel reserves, but no country in the world is without renewable energy resources. For a country such as Iceland, the world leader in renewables, this statement is clear to see. The island nation has made good use of its volcanoes and glaciers, which help provide 100% of its electricity and almost all its heat energy. But what about other countries that don't have Iceland's unique geology to rely on. Josh Toussaint-Strauss finds out how the world has managed to reach
  
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• UK banks put £75bn into firms building climate-wrecking ‘carbon bombs’, study finds

  01-05-2025 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Britain is key financial hub for destructive fossil fuel mega-projects, according to researchBanks in the City of London have poured more than $100bn (£75bn) into companies developing “carbon bombs” – huge oil, gas and coal projects that would drive the climate past internationally agreed temperature limits with catastrophic global consequences – according to a study.Nine London-based banks, including HSBC, NatWest, Barclays and Lloyds are involved in fin
  
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• ‘A ruthless agenda’: charting 100 days of Trump’s onslaught on the environment

  01-05-2025 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Guardian reporters map out how Trump is eviscerating efforts to protect the natural world – from ‘drill, baby, drill’ to mass firings100 days of Trump: inside Trump’s whirlwind start to his second termDonald Trump has never been mistaken for an environmentalist, having long called the climate crisis a “giant hoax” and repeatedly lauding the supposed virtues of fossil fuels.But the US president’s onslaught upon the natural world in this administration&rsq
  
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• Motorists abandon cars as 'worst wildfire in decades' rages near Jerusalem – video

  01-05-2025 11:18 via theguardian.com
  Police and military personnel were seen helping people evacuate the highway connecting Jerusalem to Tel Aviv as wildfires raged. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared the situation a national emergency as the fire threatened to reach the city. Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue agency said they treated about 23 people, 13 of whom were taken to hospitalIsrael facing ‘national emergency’ as it battles worst fires in a decade, says Netanyahu Continue reading...
  
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• Solar panels to be fitted on all new-build homes in England by 2027

  01-05-2025 10:17 via theguardian.com
  Government to press ahead with net zero plans as Keir Starmer rejects Tony Blair’s criticisms of climate policyAlmost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair’s criticism of net zero policies.Housebuilders will be legally required to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027 under the plans. Continue reading...
  
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• Arctic plant study reveals an ‘early warning sign’ of climate change upheaval

  01-05-2025 08:30 via theguardian.com
  A warming tundra has seen unexpected shifts, raising the alarm about fragile ecosystems and those who rely on themScientists studying Arctic plants say the ecosystems that host life in some of the most inhospitable reaches of the planet are changing in unexpected ways in an “early warning sign” for a region upended by climate change.In four decades, 54 researchers tracked more than 2,000 plant communities across 45 sites from the Canadian high Arctic to Alaska and Scandinavia. They d
  
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• Nature nurture: the Devon estate where rewilding and mental health go hand in hand

  01-05-2025 08:01 via theguardian.com
  A restoration project at Sharpham near Totnes aims to tackle the loss of the natural world while helping people build mental resilienceTwo landscapes separated by a wide sweep of river tell a story of change. On one side is traditional farmland, close-cropped grazing, uniform grasses, neatly tended hedges and a sparsity of trees, a farmscape ubiquitous across England. On the riverbank opposite, rougher, less uniform grasses grow unevenly between trees, thistle and brambles, in a chaos of natural
  
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• Attenborough at 99: naturalist ‘goes further than before’ to speak out against industrial fishing in new film

  01-05-2025 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The celebrated presenter warns of ‘modern day colonialism at sea’ as he highlights the destruction caused by overfishing and bottom trawlingWhen David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II documentary aired eight years ago, its impact was so strong it was credited with bringing about a revolution in the way people use plastics. Now film-makers are hoping he can do the same for other destructive environmental practices that the world’s best-known living naturalist describes as &ld
  
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• Mosquitoes in Scotland as far north as Shetland

  01-05-2025 07:06 via bbc.com
  The extent of Scotland's mosquito population is being understood thanks to a successful citizen science project.
  
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• The BBC is utterly beholden to the right. Why else would it fear a podcast about heat pumps? | George Monbiot

  01-05-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The broadcaster behaves like Starmer’s government: suppress the left, cave to your critics, and undermine your own survivalIt’s no longer even pretending. Last week, the BBC, already the UK’s most prolific censor, instructed the presenter Evan Davis to drop the podcast he hosted in his own time about heat pumps. It was a gentle, wry look at the machines, with no obvious political content. But the BBC, Davis says, saw it as “steering into areas of public controversy”
  
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• Dying satellites can drive climate change and ozone depletion, study finds

  01-05-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Aluminium emissions from satellites as they fall to Earth and burn up is becoming more significant as their numbers soarRight now there are more than 9,000 satellites circumnavigating overhead, keeping track of weather, facilitating communications, aiding navigation and monitoring the Earth. By 2040, there could be more than 60,000. A new study shows that the emissions from expired satellites, as they fall to Earth and burn up, will be significant in future years, with implications for ozone hol
  
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