Environment news

• Daylight encounter hungry pine marten

  27-08-2016 06:30
  
  Strathnairn, Highlands Its rich chocolate fur looked luxuriant, and it was easy to see why it was so much prized in the middle ages as a trimming for robes of stateMid-afternoon, and I watched the pine marten hunting a woodland bank, sniffing and listening for prey such as voles. Above it was ripening the rich crop of rowan berries that would augment its diet in late autumn. It must have been hungry to be out hunting at this time of day, as pine martens are normally nocturnal. No doubt the poor
  
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• ‘Who’d guess they’re the same species?’ What Italy’s wall lizards reveal about genetic diversity and why it matters

  28-02-2026 08:00
  Understanding biodiversity within species is key to our understanding of why nature works the way it does, say researchersWords and photographs by Roberto García-RoaTwelve miles from the heart of Rome, Dr Javier Ábalos pauses his walk, lifts his sunglasses and points. To his right, perched on a rocky wall, sits a beautiful lizard. Its body is coated in charcoal-black tones speckled with striking yellow across a green dorsum, and its head, with a prominent jaw, is splashed with fluo
  
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• ‘I live in constant fear’: surge in giant sinkholes threatens Turkey’s farmers

  28-02-2026 08:00
  Falling groundwater, extreme heat and water-intensive farming are accelerating land collapse, forcing a rethink in agricultural practicesFatih Sik was drinking tea with friends at home when he heard a rumbling sound outside that grew to a loud boom, like a volcano had erupted nearby. From the window, he saw water and mud shoot into the sky, as high as the tallest trees, less than 100 metres away.The 47-year-old knew what it was, because it is common in Karapınar, Konya, a vast agricultural
  
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• Dirty water, death and decline: the inside story of a privatisation scandal

  28-02-2026 07:00
  There is no end in sight to the pollution caused by a ‘broken’ system. Experts say it could even be getting worseSarah Lambert took her usual morning swim for 40 minutes off Exmouth town beach before her volunteer shift helping disabled people get access to the water.A wheelchair user herself, Lambert’s regular sea swims twice a week between the lifeboat station and HeyDays restaurant were the perfect form of exercise for her disability. Continue reading...
  
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• Red Hill, Canberra: its walking tracks, scar trees and ochre earth underfoot will always transport me

  27-02-2026 15:00
  What is a favourite place if not one built upon our fondest memories?Would I like to write about my favourite place?The invitation inspired me to recall so many magical places – from north-east Arnhem Land to Mediterranean island hamlets with idyllic quayside tavernas, from the Melbourne Cricket Ground on grand final day to Dickensian London pubs, from picture postcard villages beneath snow-capped alpine peaks to the haunts of my literary giants and on to Joshua Tree and Hagia Sofia. Conti
  
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• Lynx could return to Scotland’s forests – but can rewilders win over wary Highlanders?

  27-02-2026 14:32
  With most Scots supportive of reintroducing the wild cat, charities are focusing on those whose jobs would be affectedCould lynx, the elusive wild cat driven to extinction in Britain more than 1000 years ago, become the new Loch Ness monster? “Whether Nessie’s there or not, she draws tourists,” said Margaret Luckwell, a resident of Moray, Scotland. “It would be the same with lynx. I’d love to see a lynx in the wild.”Luckwell’s view is a majority one amon
  
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• Lynx could return to Scotland – but can rewilders win over wary Highlanders?

  27-02-2026 14:32
  With most Scots supportive of reintroducing the wild cat, charities are focusing on those whose jobs could be affectedCould lynx, the elusive wild cat driven to extinction in Britain more than 1,000 years ago, become the new Loch Ness monster? “Whether Nessie’s there or not, she draws tourists,” said Margaret Luckwell, a resident of Moray, Scotland. “It would be the same with lynx. I’d love to see a lynx in the wild.”Luckwell’s view is a majority one amo
  
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• ‘The river won’: how campaigners in Brazilian Amazon stopped privatisation of waterway

  27-02-2026 12:00
  Local river defenders force U-turn by occupying grain terminal operated by one of US powerhouses of world trade“A victory for life.” That was the triumphal message from Indigenous campaigners in the Brazilian Amazon this week after they staved off a threat to the Tapajós River by occupying a grain terminal operated by Cargill, the biggest privately owned company in the United States.“The river won, the forest won, the memory of our ancestors won,” said the campaign
  
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• Week in wildlife: rescued dolphins, a white whale and a precious kākāpō chick

  27-02-2026 09:00
  This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• How extreme weather is leaving thousands of homes uninsurable

  27-02-2026 08:00
  In this week’s newsletter: The climate crisis is making insurance unaffordable for many – and it should worry all of us, even if we think we’re safe from floods, wildfires and hurricanes• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereI’m worried about insurance.Some homes are becoming uninsurable due to the rapidly escalating impacts of the climate crisis. And that should worry you too, even if you think your home is safe enough.Under water, in d
  
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• Seals, shipwrecks and a screaming swallower: Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 – in pictures

  27-02-2026 07:00
  The annual competition draws thousands of entries from across the world and brings together images from below the water’s surface that show the diversity and challenges of subaquatic lifeAll photographs courtesy of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 Continue reading...
  
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• Frozen in time: Antarctic ice cave to be used to save melting glacier samples

  27-02-2026 07:00
  Ice Memory Foundation’s specially dug ‘sanctuary’ offers storage for cores, which hold thousands of years of historyLast month the Ice Memory Foundation opened the first ever sanctuary for mountain ice cores in Antarctica, where samples will be stored for centuries to come.The cores, typically 10cm in diameter and a metre or more long, are stored in a specially excavated ice cave. The first to be laid down came from two Alpine glaciers that are rapidly shrinking. Continue readi
  
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• Country diary: A wet walk is worth it for the spoonbills | Elizabeth-Jane Burnett

  27-02-2026 06:30
  Isley Marsh, Devon: The birdlife is mostly staying still in the downpour, not least these large, striking waders that we’re lucky to have hereRain washes across the saltmarsh, numbing my lips and fingers. The deluge is unavoidable, as it has been all year. It’s been one of the wettest winters on record and harder to get around. Glimpsing a huddle of white feathers, I try to silence my squelching, not wanting to disturb the sheltering bird. Its wings flare, as though preparing for fli
  
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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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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
  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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• 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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