Environment news

• The Guardian view on solar geoengineering: Africa has a point about this risky technology | Editorial

  08-12-2025 19:08 via theguardian.com
  Sun-dimming risks putting the planet’s thermostat under Donald Trump’s control. Better to adopt the precautionary principle with high-stakes scienceIt is fitting that this week’s UN environment talks are in Nairobi, with Africa shaping the global climate conversation. The continent’s diplomats are dealing with the vexed question of whether it is wise to try to cool the planet by dimming the sun’s rays. While not on the formal summit agenda, on the sidelines they are
  
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• Cornish activist injured as police remove her from tree-felling protest

  08-12-2025 18:30 via theguardian.com
  Charity worker had joined 40 demonstrators ‘bearing witness’ to the loss of three lime trees in FalmouthA charity worker suffered a head injury when police tried to remove her from a protest against trees being felled in a Cornish seaside town.Debs Newman, 60, was “bearing witness” to the loss of three mature lime trees in Falmouth when she was seized by officers. Continue reading...
  
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• White storks to make historic return to London in 2026

  08-12-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Species extinct as breeding birds in Britain since 1416 to be reintroduced in Barking and Dagenham as part of rewilding effortAbove the roar of traffic, the rumble of the tube and the juddering construction noise of a towering new datacentre in Dagenham, east London, will soon rise a beautiful and unlikely melody: the bill-clattering of white storks.The birds will next year make a historic return to the UK capital as part of an ambitious rewilding effort to bring charismatic nature into busy cit
  
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• ‘I’m a prisoner of hope’: Olafur Eliasson on using art to bring us together to save the world

  08-12-2025 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Inside Presence, the Icelandic-Danish artist’s epic new show in Brisbane, what you see changes based on where you stand or how you look – crucial when it comes to tackling the climate crisisI gasp as it comes into view: an enormous sun looming above, its surface roiling with what looks like thousands of tiny atomic explosions. It seems to notice me as well: when I stop, it stops too. It’s both awe-inspiring and unnerving.In the mirrors around the glowing orb, I spot Icelandic-D
  
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• Canada’s environmental ‘realism’ looks more like surrender | Tzeporah Berman

  08-12-2025 14:00 via theguardian.com
  At a time when the UK and other countries are finally taking bold steps for climate, Canada is preparing a new oil pipelineLast week, the United Kingdom did something all too rare: it chose leadership by backing science and prioritizing public safety. The Labour government announced it would ban new oil and gas licences in the North Sea, strengthen a windfall tax and accelerate phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies.These are not symbolic gestures. They are an acknowledgment that the global energy
  
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• Weather tracker: Atmospheric rivers to bring heavy rain and snow to Pacific north-west

  08-12-2025 13:05 via theguardian.com
  Flood and weather alerts in place across western half of region as parts of Iraq and Iran also face significant rainWeather alerts are in effect across the Pacific north-west this week as a series of atmospheric rivers are forecast to deliver multiple rainfall events and heavy mountain snow from western British Columbia in Canada, to Washington and Oregon in the US.More than 200mm (8ins) of rainfall is expected across the western half of Washington state and north-west Oregon by Friday, with bet
  
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• The one change that worked: I started bringing my own takeaway box to every meal – and sparked a mini movement

  08-12-2025 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Every year, 1bn tonnes of food are wasted. I value my meals and the work that has gone into them, so I am now always prepared and ready to take home delicious leftoversI’ve always loved catching up with friends and family over a meal out. Not only is it a chance to find out the latest gossip and what everyone’s up to, but it’s also an opportunity to try out new foods and share that experience together.But looking back, I’ve realised that I’ve been guilty of contribu
  
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• Campaign group formed to fight wind farm plans

  08-12-2025 09:45 via bbc.com
  If proposals are approved, 20 turbines will be built between Arkengarthdale and Teesdale.
  
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• ‘Zombie’ electricity projects in Britain face axe to ease quicker grid connections

  08-12-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Backlog delaying ‘shovel-ready’ ventures will be cleared with aim of building virtually zero-carbon power system by 2030Britain’s energy system operator is pulling the plug on hundreds of electricity generation projects to clear a huge backlog that is stopping “shovel-ready” schemes from connecting to the power grid.Developers will be told on Monday whether their plans will be dismissed by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) – or whether they will be pr
  
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• Country diary: Time for a Christmas cut of holly – and we’ve both come armed | Susie White

  08-12-2025 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Allendale, Northumberland: Every winter I return to it with my secateurs, but hollies certainly know how to protect themselvesIt has become an annual ritual, the cutting of branches from this shapely holly for a winter wreath. A mixture of the wild and of things garnered from my garden, I push twigs and vines into a metal frame packed with moss from drystone walls. Resinous rosemary and pine, silver seedheads of clematis, trails of ivy, lichens, ferns, honesty – each year is different with
  
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