Environment news

• Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study

  25-02-2026 20:00
  Changes threaten ecosystems as flowering falls out of sync with fruit-eating, seed-dispersing animals and pollinatorsTropical flowers are blooming months earlier or later than they used to because of climate breakdown, with potentially “cascading impacts across ecosystems”, according to a study of 8,000 plants dating back 200 years.Researchers looked at flowers from a range of countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana and Thailand, home to the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, b
  
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• Fly-tipping across England reaches record high

  25-02-2026 17:09
  Fines for illegal dumping decreased over past year with only 0.2% of incidents resulting in court actionFly-tipping incidents across England have reached the highest level since current records began, with most offences continuing to involve household waste.In 2024-25, 1.26m fly-tipping incidents were recorded by local authorities, an increase of 9% on the 1.15m reported in the year before, according to data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Wednesday.
  
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• One in four councils to miss food waste collection deadline

  25-02-2026 16:52 via bbc.com
  Local authorities blame the delays on a lack of funding and a shortage of bin lorries.
  
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• Germany accused of ditching climate targets as it scraps renewables mandate

  25-02-2026 16:11
  Coalition government agrees to remove parts of controversial law and allow homes to rely on fossil fuels Germany’s coalition government has been accused of abandoning its climate targets after agreeing to scrap parts of a contentious heating law mandating the use of renewables in favour of a draft law allowing homeowners to rely on fossil fuels.While the previous law required most newly installed heating systems to use at least 65% renewable energy, often with a heat pump, the amended legi
  
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• Lost species to be released as Labour seeks to stave off Greens’ election threat

  25-02-2026 16:00
  Push for good nature news before polls with reintroduction of white-tailed eagles, pine martens and beavers in England White-tailed eagles, pine martens and beavers will be released across England before the May elections as the Labour government attempts to staunch the flow of nature-loving voters to the Green party.Plans to reintroduce these lost species to the country have been mooted for years, but the previous Conservative government failed to get them over the line after opposition from la
  
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• Toxic waste from screens ends up in endangered dolphins, study finds

  25-02-2026 14:00
  Gene-altering chemicals found in humpback dolphins and finless porpoises, raising alarm they may end up in human food chainToxic e-waste chemicals from television, computer and smartphone screens have been found in the brains and bodies of endangered dolphins and porpoises in the South China Sea.Research published in Environmental Science & Technology detected significant levels of gene-altering liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and finless porpoises. Continue
  
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• Targets and watchdog for nature as Senedd passes new law

  25-02-2026 14:00 via bbc.com
  A new law designed to better protect nature and reverse the loss of wildlife in Wales is passed.
  
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• Tech legend Stewart Brand on Musk, Bezos and his extraordinary life: ‘We don’t need to passively accept our fate’

  25-02-2026 13:00
  He was at the heart of 1960s counterculture, then paved the way for the libertarian mindset of Silicon Valley. At 87, Brand is still keen to ensure the world is maintained properly – not just today, but for the next 10,000 yearsStewart Brand thinks big and long. He thinks on a planetary scale – as suggested by the title of his celebrated Whole Earth Catalog – and on the longest of timeframes, as with his Long Now Foundation, which looks forward to the next 10,000 years of human
  
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• Why scientists fear Emperor penguins' annual moult may be killing them

  25-02-2026 11:01 via bbc.com
  Each year the birds must stay on floating ice long enough to replace their weather-beaten feathers.
  
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• Chronic ocean heating fuels ‘staggering’ loss of marine life, study finds

  25-02-2026 11:00
  Fish levels fall by 7.2% with as little as 0.1C of warming per decade, northern hemisphere research showsChronic ocean heating is fuelling a “staggering and deeply concerning” loss of marine life, a study has found, with fish levels falling by 7.2% from as little as 0.1C of warming per decade.Researchers examined the year-to-year change of 33,000 populations in the northern hemisphere between 1993 and 2021, and isolated the effect of the decadal rate of seabed warming from short shif
  
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• Scotland's plan to install heat pumps 'too slow' - climate advisers

  25-02-2026 07:29 via bbc.com
  Independent climate change advisors say the Scottish government needs to ramp up the rollout of heat pumps immediately.
  
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• How ancient Scottish rocks throw ‘snowball Earth’ theory up in the air

  25-02-2026 07:00
  Researchers discover rare periods of a few thousands years when climate unexpectedly awoke from slumberDuring the ”snowball Earth” period about 700m years ago, Earth’s climate shut down. The planet was encased in ice and insulated from seasonal variations: spring, summer, autumn and winter all stopped. Or at least that was the theory.Recent examination of some ancient rocks from the west coast of Scotland have now overturned that thinking, suggesting there were periods during s
  
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• Group expands legal claim over South West Water sewage pollution

  25-02-2026 07:00
  Thousands more people across Devon and Cornwall could join case against water firmA group legal claim against South West Water alleging sewage pollution into coastal waters is harming businesses and individuals has been expanded across Devon and Cornwall.Thousands more individuals could now join the first environmental community group legal action against a water company over the impact of sewage pollution. Continue reading...
  
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• I did it. I actually saw a Cetti’s warbler | Lev Parikian

  25-02-2026 06:30
  Walthamstow Wetlands, London: They’re professional skulkers, loud but highly elusive. And yet there one is, out of the reeds, to be remembered for everIt’s weather you’d emigrate to avoid. Gloomy and cold – Tupperware sky and drizzle in the air. But tranquil, at least. Small mercies. Walthamstow Wetlands – a 211-hectare nature reserve centred on 10 reservoirs in north-east London. Jewel in the Lee Valley’s crown, and as good a place for waterbirds as any in th
  
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• Scotland’s new emissions strategy ‘too reliant on science fiction’, critics say

  25-02-2026 06:00
  UK Climate Change Committee voices concern over Scotland’s progress on decarbonising buildings and reliance on unproved technologies Scotland has finally produced realistic short-term plans on cutting its climate emissions, but there is “real concern” about the credibility of its overall strategy, the UK’s climate policy watchdog has found.Nigel Topping, the chair of the UK Climate Change Committee, said there were “flashing amber lights” about the quality and
  
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• Humans – not Mimmo the dolphin – need managing in Venice lagoon, say scientists

  25-02-2026 06:00
  Researchers say solitary bottlenose has adapted well to city waters, but tighter controls on boat traffic and human behaviour are needed Italian scientists monitoring the movements of a dolphin in the Venice lagoon have said humans are the ones who need managing, rather than wildlife.Known as Mimmo, the bottlenose dolphin has been spotted on several occasions since it made its first appearance in June last year, prompting a research team from the University of Padova to spring into action. Conti
  
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• Anger over plans to abolish New Zealand’s dedicated environment ministry

  25-02-2026 02:41
  Critics say proposal to fold department into a new ‘mega ministry’ will dilute accountability and put nature protections at risk New Zealand’s government is seeking to abolish its dedicated environment ministry to cut down on bureaucracy, a move critics say could dilute environmental protections.Under the plan, the department would be folded into a new “mega-ministry” that will cover housing, urban development, transport, local government and the environment. Contin
  
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