Environment news

• US plan to exploit Venezuela’s oil could eat up 13% of carbon budget to keep 1.5C limit

  12-01-2026 18:38 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: ClimatePartner analysis shows how move would risk plunging Earth further into climate catastropheUS plans to exploit Venezuela’s oil reserves could by 2050 consume more than a tenth of the world’s remaining carbon budget to limit global heating to 1.5C, according to an exclusive analysis.The calculation highlights how any moves to further exploit the South American nation’s oil reserves – the largest in the world, at least on paper – would put increasing
  
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• Weather tracker: Canada issues warnings for freezing rain, heavy snow and strong winds

  12-01-2026 16:40 via theguardian.com
  Severe weather, driven by two low-pressure systems merging, is expected to bring power outages and hazardous road conditionsAtlantic Canada is under widespread weather warnings for snow, freezing rain and strong winds as a winter storm moves across the region. In Newfoundland, up to 40cm of snow fell on Sunday, along with wind gusts of about 74mph, creating blizzard-like conditions.The storm began late on Sunday and is forecast to persist until Tuesday morning. Freezing rain warnings are in plac
  
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• ‘It’s embarrassing’: riders say time is up for fossil fuel sponsorship of heat-affected Tour Down Under

  12-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Cyclists prepare for Australia’s big race by training in extreme temperatures – and they’ve noticed a contradiction in the relationship with SantosGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe first time Maeve Plouffe trained in the heat, she was in Paris in the lead-up to the Olympics. It was supposed to be an easy ride to help get used to the conditions. When she returned, she fainted from heat sickness.“That’s how badly I was affected,” she
  
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• ‘A serious amount of rain’: central Queensland flooding could isolate some communities for months

  12-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  ‘I don’t think anyone realised how bad it would get,’ says one resident, who says she might need a boat or a helicopterFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAshleigh Brieffies is standing on the front steps of her home in central Queensland on Monday afternoon as knee-deep water sweeps over the grounds of her property.“If it comes up another 2ft we’ll probably be underwater,” says Brief
  
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• The pet I’ll never forget: Dory the 10kg rabbit, who saved me from a diabetic coma

  12-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  My Flemish giant bunny loved chomping on carrots, computer cables and my skirting board – and being walked on a leash. When I suffered a medical emergency, she jumped into actionThe first time I saw a Flemish giant rabbit was at TruckFest in Peterborough in 2002. Among a sprawling maze of stalls at the East of England showground, I was led into a tent filled with the biggest rabbits I’d ever laid eyes on. I’d never heard of Flemish giants before, but I knew then that I needed o
  
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• ‘Fear of the next deluge’: flood-scarred Britons join forces to demand help

  12-01-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  As climate breakdown puts millions more people at flood risk, traumatised homeowners are finding common voiceDarren Ridley is always on high alert, constantly checking his phone for rain warnings – even in the middle of the night.“Our whole family is permanently on edge,” he says. “If we hear rain, day or night, we’re up and checking the house. I can’t sleep without replaying our flood plan in my head for weaknesses.” Continue reading...
  
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• Huge Roman villa found under popular park dubbed town's 'Pompeii'

  12-01-2026 07:13 via bbc.com
  The largest Roman villa ever found in Wales lies less than a metre under Margam Country Park.
  
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• Country diary: What is this intricate marvel that looks like a bran stick? | Susie White

  12-01-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Alnmouth, Northumberland: They were once the rocky abode of a burrowing worm, and are normally found at sea not on the beachEach time we visit this beach, the landscape of the strand has changed. Giant boulders are exposed or disappear completely. Bladderwrack accumulates in spongy piles – tricky to walk on – then is taken back by the sea to leave smooth clean sand. Sometimes there’s sea coal, at other times heaps of periwinkles and limpets. Wind and tides are forever shaping a
  
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• Country diary: What are these intricate marvels that looks like bran sticks? | Susie White

  12-01-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Alnmouth, Northumberland: They were once the rocky abode of a burrowing worm, and are normally found at sea not on the beachEach time we visit this beach, the landscape of the strand has changed. Giant boulders are exposed or disappear completely. Bladderwrack accumulates in spongy piles – tricky to walk on – then is taken back by the sea to leave smooth clean sand. Sometimes there’s sea coal, at other times heaps of periwinkles and limpets. Wind and tides are forever shaping a
  
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• ‘We want people to sit, pause, relax’: National Trust to open its libraries for public use

  12-01-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Charity plans to make stately homes more welcoming by inviting visitors to use furniture and reading roomsThere was a time, not so long ago, when a visit to a National Trust stately home could be a staid affair and sitting on the furniture tended to be discouraged, with pine cones or teasels often placed on chairs to remind people not to perch.This year, one of the aims of the conservation charity will be to make people feel more at ease in its grand houses and, where practical, allow them to si
  
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• Hard to digest: we still live in Fast Food Nation – podcast

  12-01-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Twenty-five years after I revealed the practices of the industrial food giants, the profits – and dangers – of mass producing meat and milk have only grownWritten and read by Eric Schlosser Continue reading...
  
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• Himalayas bare and rocky after reduced winter snowfall, scientists warn

  12-01-2026 01:38 via bbc.com
  Experts say dwindling snowfall during winter will impact the lives and livelihoods of millions.
  
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