Environment news

• Bomb the Arctic, dam the Mediterranean and build a second moon: five outlandish plans to remodel our climate

  05-07-2026 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Humans have long sought to geoengineer the Earth’s environment. Tim Flannery outlines a few of the wildest ideas from the 20th centuryAn increasing number of scientists think we have let the climate crisis fester for so long that our only hope to stave off ever-intensifying catastrophes is to use technological interventions. Cloud brightening, injecting sulphur into the atmosphere and the use of tiny mirrors in space – all of which might reduce the amount of sunlight reaching Earth&r
  
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• Why put solar panels on green space when we could put them over car parks?

  05-07-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions considers a hot topic within renewable energyThis week’s replies: Are there places on Earth where humans haven’t been?I would like to know why we build solar farms over green space, when we could just put them over massive car parks as a popular current internet meme suggests. Chris, MiddlesbroughPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to [email protected]. A selection will be published n
  
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• Empty reservoirs, ladybirds and sunstroke: remembering the UK heatwave of 1976

  05-07-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As Britain reached its hottest June temperature on record, readers recall the summer when temperatures hit 36CThe recent heatwave in the UK broke the previous June record of 35.6C, recorded during the 1976 heatwave.In Lingwood, Norfolk, a provisional temperature of 37.7C was recorded on Friday 26 June, breaking the previous record reached on 28 June 1976 and on 29 June 1957. Continue reading...
  
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• British swallowtail split from European cousins much earlier than thought, study finds

  05-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Finding that Norfolk butterfly has been distinct subspecies for 200,000 years could transform conservation approachThe endangered swallowtail butterfly Papilio machaon britannicus, which is only regularly found breeding in Britain on the Norfolk Broads, has been a distinct subspecies for at least 200,000 years, according to a study.Smaller, darker in colour and much rarer than the continental swallowtail, britannicus was previously considered to have developed its distinctive form during its con
  
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• Not cool: the air conditioning scams offering fake deals in the heatwave

  05-07-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  By using websites copied from stores such as Aldi, fraudsters hope hot and bothered buyers will miss the red flagsWith the UK heatwave expected to increase temperatures over the next week, you decide to invest in an air conditioning unit. But they are expensive, and stocks are running out in the shops as everyone else has had the same idea.After a quick search, you see that there are other options online, and some from names that you recognise. Continue reading...
  
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• From ‘heat panic’ to ‘sacrificed at the altar’: Europe’s air conditioning culture wars heat up

  05-07-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Cooling down has become political amid record highs, as experts say row is distracting from work of protecting livesAs the afternoon heat rose to a dizzying 41.7C (107F) in eastern Brandenburg on Sunday, taking German temperatures to unprecedented highs, Mario, 65, took precautions but did not panic. Two years ago, a fierce heatwave had prompted him to buy a powerful device that few Germans own: an air conditioning unit.“The summers are slowly getting warmer,” says the retired handym
  
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• ‘They ate the shrimp, they even ate the crab’: Thai fishers count the cost of a voracious invader

  05-07-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Huge numbers of blackchin tilapia, a fish native to west Africa, are wreaking havoc among Thailand’s river ecosystems. Experts – and some chefs – are seeking sustainable solutionsThe menu at Kor-Tae seafood restaurant, in Thailand’s Samut Prakan province, is filled with Thai classics – from tom yum talay, a fragrant hot and sour soup, to spicy larb salads. But the restaurant’s chef is also experimenting with a more controversial ingredient: blackchin tilapia.&
  
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