Environment news

• Reform says we need to choose between climate and economy. It's wrong | Larry Elliott

  19-08-2026 17:10 via theguardian.com
  The party’s deputy leader Richard Tice says we should stop worrying about extreme heat and enjoy it. This dangerous nonsense will wreck our finances and the planetSo now we know: the smart response to the UK’s summer of record temperatures is to do precisely nothing. According to Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, the climate crisis is just one of those things. Nothing can be done about it, so we should simply bask in the sunshine.It is reasonable to assume Tice would not
  
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• ‘A critical crossroads’: who is the woman vying to become the first Caribbean head of the UN?

  19-08-2026 15:55 via theguardian.com
  If elected, Guyanese politician, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett wants to prioritise climate issues and restore the United Nations as a force for goodDon’t already get The Long Wave in your inbox? Sign up hereAs the Guardian’s Caribbean correspondent, I sometimes encounter stories that everyone is talking about in the region, but are not on the radar of the international media. Today, I’m taking over the Long Wave to bring you one of those stories. This summer, Guyanese ambassador Ca
  
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• Labour ‘could lose up to 50 seats’ to Greens if new drilling in North Sea approved

  19-08-2026 11:28 via theguardian.com
  Greens say analysis shows government failure to take bold climate action could lead to big gains for party at electionUK politics live – latest updatesLabour could lose dozens of seats to the Green party if the government allows new drilling in the North Sea, according to internal research shared with the Guardian.Green party analysis suggests up to 50 Labour MPs – including key Andy Burnham ally Louise Haigh – could lose their seats at the next election if the government fails
  
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• UK relies on heat-stressed countries for fruit and veg it could grow itself – report

  19-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Food Foundation sounds alarm over supply risks and price shocks as about 40% of Britain’s food is importedThe UK is vulnerable to food price shocks because of its dependence on imports of fruit and vegetable from countries even more exposed to the climate crisis, researchers say.Much of Britain has sweltered under a record five heatwaves this year and endured drought and wildfires, with the hot, dry conditions damaging crops and reducing yields of domestic produce. Continue reading...
  
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• Plantwatch: Cities make a surprising refuge for threatened UK wildflowers

  19-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Nooks and crannies in urban areas provide a welcome alternative to intensive farming and other rural pressuresWildflowers are having a rough time in the countryside, mostly from the onslaught of intensive farming with fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides and less grazing. On top of that, there are building developments, competition from invasive plant species and the climate crisis to contend with.The UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows over the last century and over half of the country&
  
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• Country diary: It’s hard being a vicar in a long, hot summer | Simon Lockett

  19-08-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Madley, Herefordshire: The cool of our churches has been welcome to many, but my polyester robes are not made for the heatEvery summer, while roasting in my robes, I say to myself: “I must get a lighter set.” If I had a cotton cassock instead of a polyester cassock and alb, swaying to the singing of hymns might not raise my core temperature as much. In that regard, this year hasn’t been without its challenges.Even so, our churches have become “cool spaces”. In Madle
  
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• Carbon pollution has fuelled ‘massive expansion’ of marine heatwaves in Europe, study finds

  19-08-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Hottest periods this year in most sea regions would have been ‘virtually impossible’ in a preindustrial climateCarbon pollution has fuelled a “massive expansion” of marine heatwaves in Europe this summer, research has found, with some waters recording temperatures 6C higher than normal.The hottest fortnights of this year would have been “virtually impossible” in a preindustrial climate in three of the four sea regions studied, according to analysis by World We
  
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• Ulez led to better lung size and function among London children, study finds

  19-08-2026 00:30 via theguardian.com
  Researchers find capacity stunted by pollution was restored after introduction of ultra-low emission zoneChildren’s lungs grew bigger and stronger after the most polluting vehicles were restricted from entering London, a study has found.Examinations of London schoolchildren before and after the introduction of the city’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) found a restoration of lung capacity that had been stunted by exposure to pollution. Continue reading...
  
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• Introducing Ulez was my hardest decision as mayor of London – but now we know its astonishing impact | Sadiq Khan

  19-08-2026 00:30 via theguardian.com
  Critics said I was attacking motorists. It’s more important for me that the city’s children are no longer breathing dangerous levels of pollutionUlez led to better lung size and function among London children, study findsWhen I introduced London’s clean air zone – the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) – more than seven years ago, no city had ever attempted anything quite like it. At the time, the scheme in central London provoked fierce opposition. When I decided to ex
  
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