Environment news

• Crisp climate

  16-10-2018 01:08 via bbc.co.uk
  Ships are the lifeblood of global trade, but their fuel is highly polluting. What's the answer?
  
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• ‘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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• ‘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...
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• 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
  
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• ‘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.
  
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• ‘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.
  
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• Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study

  25-02-2026 20:00 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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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• 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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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 via theguardian.com
  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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• Citizen scientists discover a Great Barrier Reef coral giant ‘like a rolling meadow’

  24-02-2026 23:00 via theguardian.com
  Volunteer group Citizens of the Reef made the find as part of the Great Reef CensusFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCitizen scientists have discovered what they believe is one of the largest coral colonies ever documented on the Great Barrier Reef.The coral spans approximately 111 metres in maximum length and covers an estimated area of 3,973 sq m – about half the size of a soccer field. Continue reading...
  
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• Australia’s most costly anti-climate policy hits taxpayers for $30m a day as calls mount to wind back fuel tax credits | Adam Morton

  24-02-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  The government will hand over $10.8bn this financial year under the scheme that makes it cheaper for miners and other industries to use diesel and petrolWant to get this in your inbox when it publishes? Sign up for the Clear Air Australia newsletter hereIt’s the most costly anti-climate policy in the Australian government budget, working against efforts to cut emissions. This financial year, taxpayers will hand over nearly $10.8bn to make it cheaper for miners, farmers and some other indus
  
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• ‘If we see you again, we kill you’: how a Colombian wildlife hotspot turned into a death zone

  24-02-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Armed groups and a state-owned refinery’s oil leaks have displaced Barrancabermeja’s fishing community and poisoned a paradise once full of manatees and jaguars
  Standing on her wooden canoe, a machete in her hand, Yuly Velásquez hacks away at reeds matted with blackened sludge. Close by, a burst oil pipe has released a slick of crude into the San Silvestre wetlands in Barrancabermeja, Colombia’s oil city, choking the water and its wildlife.“The destruction is immen
  
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• ‘It’s more exciting than Tesco’: can traditional fishing lure Cornwall’s young people?

  24-02-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Taster days and training are offering teenagers an escape from a future of part-time, seasonal work – and giving a boost to a declining industryIt’s mid-morning on a rare calm day in Newlyn, Cornwall. Will Roberts is back at the quayside with a catch of mackerel to unload, having set off from the harbour before dawn. At 22, he is something of a rarity here, one of a handful of young fishers running his own small commercial boat from the port.“It’s a magical feeling when y
  
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