Environment news

• The nine best eco-friendly holiday decor in the US to celebrate with less waste

  09-12-2025 21:15
  We found reusable wrapping clothes, garlands made from invasive species, and solar-powered lights that you’ll want to use season after seasonNine eco-minded gifts for Americans that actually make a differenceSign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better thingsThe holiday season is a time for joy, togetherness and generosity, but it can also be a time for overflowing waste bins. According to Oklahoma State University, families tend to generate about 25% mor
  
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• The Guardian view on waste: the festive season is a good time to think about rubbish | Editorial

  09-12-2025 19:49
  Weak regulation is to blame for disastrous failures in relation to pollution. But there are solutions if people get behind themA study suggesting that as many as 168m light-up Christmas ornaments and similar items could be thrown out in a single year, in the UK, is concerning if not surprising in light of longstanding challenges around recycling rates and waste reduction. Even if the actual figure is lower, there is no question that battery-powered and electrical toys, lights and gifts are proli
  
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• The 20 best gifts in the US for people who love the outdoors, tested in nature by our expert

  09-12-2025 16:28
  Wondering what to get the nature lover in your life? Our outdoor enthusiast curates the must-haves: Loop earplugs, Yeti Rambler and moreThe 163 best holiday gift ideas for 2025, vetted by the Guardian US staffSign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better thingsWhether you know someone who camps every weekend or just enjoys morning coffee outside, you already know: outdoorsy people can be particular about their gear. They want to stay both comfortable and safe in
  
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• Houseplant hacks: can grow lights help plants during winter?

  09-12-2025 11:00
  As the days grow shorter and darkness descends, tropical varieties can struggle. But there’s a clever fix that nature can’t provideThe problem
  In the dark days of winter, the whole house is darker, days are shorter, skies are greyer and our tropical houseplants receive far less light than they would in their natural habitat. Leaves fade and growth slows as plants struggle to photosynthesise.The hack
  Grow lights offer a clever fix, topping up what nature can’t provide. But with
  
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• ‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’

  09-12-2025 10:00
  UN GEO report says ending this harm key to global transformation required ‘before collapse becomes inevitable’The unsustainable production of food and fossil fuels causes $5bn (£3.8bn) of environmental damage per hour, according to a major UN report.Ending this harm was a key part of the global transformation of governance, economics and finance required “before collapse becomes inevitable”, the experts said. Continue reading...
  
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• UK households bin 168m Christmas lights and ‘fast tech’ items a year

  09-12-2025 09:00
  Consumers spent £1.7bn on festive lighting last year and much of it is treated as disposableUK households have thrown away an estimated 168m light-up Christmas items and other “fast-tech” gifts over the past year, a study suggests.The research by the non-profit group Material Focus found about £1.7bn was spent last year on Christmas lighting, including 39m sets of fairy lights. Continue reading...
  
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• Caribbean reefs have lost 48% of hard coral since 1980, study finds

  09-12-2025 07:00
  ‘Destructive’ marine heatwaves driving loss of microalgae that feed coral, says Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network Caribbean reefs have half as much hard coral now as they did in 1980, a study has found.The 48% decrease in coral cover has been driven by climate breakdown, specifically marine heatwaves. They affect the microalgae that feed coral, making them toxic and forcing the coral to expel them. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: A close encounter with a buzzard – but something’s not quite right | Ed Douglas

  09-12-2025 06:30
  Hargatewall, Derbyshire: Cycling towards a frosty Kinder Scout, I was waylaid by a raptor so settled she wouldn’t even move for a passing tractorNorth of Hargatewall, the country has an austere quality, a high limestone plateau with a tracery of walls the colour of old bones dividing oblongs of pasture. The hamlet’s name has nothing to do with gates or walls. It’s derived from Old English words meaning “herd farm by the spring” – a clue to the deep roots that
  
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• It’s the world’s rarest ape. Now a billion-dollar dig for gold threatens its future

  09-12-2025 06:00
  Tapanuli orangutans survive only in Indonesia’s Sumatran rainforest where a mine expansion will cut through their home. Yet the mining company says the alternative will be worseA small brown line snakes its way through the rainforest in northern Sumatra, carving 300 metres through dense patches of meranti trees, oak and mahua. Picked up by satellites, the access road – though modest now – will soon extend 2km to connect with the Tor Ulu Ala pit, an expansion site of Indonesia&r
  
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• 2025 ‘virtually certain’ to be second- or third-hottest year on record, EU data shows

  09-12-2025 04:00
  Copernicus deputy director says three-year average for 2023 to 2025 on track to exceed 1.5C of heating for first timeThis year is “virtually certain” to end as the second- or third-hottest year on record, EU scientists have found, as climate breakdown continues to push the planet away from the stable conditions in which humanity evolved.Global temperatures from January to November were on average 1.48C higher than preindustrial levels, according to the Copernicus, the EU’s eart
  
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