Environment news

• ‘A gift that falls from the sky’: why farmers are using Etna’s ash as fertiliser

  26-02-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Falling volcanic ash has for years been viewed as a nuisance. But a Sicilian project has discovered its agricultural potential and wants to spread the wordIn the Sicilian town of Giarre overlooking Mount Etna, Andrea Passanisi, a tropical and citrus fruits producer, uses an unusual fertiliser on his 100-hectare (247-acre) stretch of land: volcano ash.Like hundreds of farmers and citizens of rural towns perched on the slopes of Europe’s highest and most active volcano, the 41-year-old&rsquo
  
  Read more

• Riding the wave: can surf tourism save Peru’s ancient reed-boat fishing culture?

  26-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  As fish stocks dwindle, surf tourism may offer a lifeline to traditional caballitos de totora fishers, whose vessels are thought to be among the first ever used to ride wavesJust before dawn, in a scene that has repeated itself over thousands of years on the north coast of Peru, fishers drag boats made of bound reeds to the water’s edge and, kneeling on them, use paddles shaped from split bamboo to row out into the Pacific Ocean to catch their breakfast. A few hours later, these surfer fis
  
  Read more

• Country diary: A tale of two oak trees | Paul Evans

  26-02-2026 07:43 via theguardian.com
  The Marches, Shropshire: Our ancestors were captivated by how browsing by elk and bison affected tree growth. Now I am too by the human version – coppicingOn the lane that runs below Old Oswestry hillfort, an old oak draws me up a rise with a gate-leaning view across the Shropshire plain. Under the dark, kinked boughs of this English oak, Quercus robur, through a clearing sky, the Wrekin floats above mist on the far horizon. And floaty seems to capture the mood of this world, lifted from t
  
  Read more

• ‘Magic beneath the surface’: pioneering geothermal plant launched in Cornwall

  26-02-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  A new mini power station and lithium extraction facility near Redruth are set to bolster green energy and create jobsJust outside the perimeter fence stand the hulking remains of grand stone engine houses, a testament to Cornwall’s proud tin and copper mining history.But inside is a shiny new mini power station and lithium extraction plant that is once again accessing rich underground resources in the far south-west of Britain. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• A deafening nuclear fusion reactor: why you wouldn’t want to hear the sun

  26-02-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Sunrise is a majestic spectacle – but we should be grateful for the miles of vacuum between us and the starDawn on a still morning is a majestic spectacle, as sunlight spills silently across the landscape and the Earth gradually emerges from darkness. Sunrise has inspired countless pieces of music striving to express this soundless experience in audible form. But if we could actually hear the sun, it would be deafening.The sun is a giant nuclear fusion reactor, converting hydrogen into hel
  
  Read more

• Can degrowth save the climate? – podcast

  26-02-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Since the 1960s, global GDP has been rapidly rising and living standards have reached record highs. But something else has been rocketing up too – carbon emissions. For years, scientists and economists have been asking: is it possible to grow without heating and polluting the Earth? And as the climate becomes more unstable, the issue is only becoming more urgent. Madeleine Finlay hears from two economists arguing for a change in how we measure a country’s success. Nick Stern is profe
  
  Read more

• Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water

  26-02-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Centuries-old wells restored to provide drinking water as parts of the country head towards “day zero” when no water will be availableA loud cheer and sounds of clapping reverberated around Bansilalpet, a neighbourhood in Hyderabad, when the first trickle of clean water dribbled out of the ground. After an 18-month effort to clear out 3,000 tonnes of rubbish and restore the stone walls and adjacent area, the 17th-century Bansilalpet stepwell had become a source of clean drinking wate
  
  Read more

• ‘A devastating force’: how recent storms turned to tragedies across the western Mediterranean

  26-02-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Atmospheric machine-gun has fired storm after deadly storm at the region this year, leaving a trail of widespread destructionFor Andrés Sánchez Barea, in Spain, it was the fear that arose when water started to spurt from plug sockets. For Nelson Duarte, in Portugal, it was the helplessness that hit as violent winds smacked down trees and tore tiles from roofs. For Amal Essuide, in Morocco, it was the reality that dawned when a corpse was pulled onboard a boat in the flooded medina.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• ‘A devastating force’: how recent Mediterranean storms turned to tragedies

  26-02-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Atmospheric machine-gun has fired storm after deadly storm at the region this year, leaving a trail of widespread destructionFor Andrés Sánchez Barea, in Spain, it was the fear that arose when water started to spurt from plug sockets. For Nelson Duarte, in Portugal, it was the helplessness that hit as violent winds smacked down trees and tore tiles from roofs. For Amal Essuide, in Morocco, it was the reality that dawned when a corpse was pulled onboard a boat in the flooded medina.
  
  Read more

Follow @UK_Environment on Twitter!