Environment news

• Eigg beach runner stumbles on dinosaur bone

  26-08-2020 12:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The chance find was made on an isle where scientists have been hunting for the fossils for 200 years.
  
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• ‘Devastating’: Western Australia fears a black swan moment as bird flu threatens flagship species

  22-08-2026 22:00 via theguardian.com
  The state’s bird emblem is an indicator species for H5N1, with high visibility populations and low survival rates. Experts are warning of ‘significant mortality’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen the black swans start dying, Western Australians will know that bird flu has truly arrived.The birds are an “indicator species” because once they are infected with the H5N1 virus they are more likely to die than survive, according to the Univers
  
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• ‘Unsafe for swimming’: Ironman Leeds is latest casualty of heat-fuelled toxic algae

  22-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Athletes faced last-minute cancelling of 2.4-mile swim, as experts say pollution and extreme heat are causing bloomsAs far as athletic accomplishments go, few are held in higher regard than completing an Ironman triathlon.The amount of training required to tackle the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26-mile run that make up the course, as well as the expensive equipment required to train in the first place, means that only about 50,000 people in the world complete a full race and earn the t
  
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• Young country diary: Camping in my garden, nose to nose with a fox | Ada

  22-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Leeds, West Yorkshire: I missed it first time as my dad couldn’t wake me up. The second time round, he pulled my toeDad and I were boiling in the house because of the UK heatwave. So we decided to camp out and sleep in our garden instead. Before we went to bed, while playing catch, we could hear the swifts swoop around our house in the orange evening light.Once it had cooled down, Dad said it was time for bed and tucked me up. At some point in the night, Dad heard something and he tried to
  
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• ‘Its pretty much a guarantee you’ll get stung’: jellyfish keep swimmers out of Delaware beaches

  22-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Beach patrols report hundreds of stings a day as warmer waters and drought create favorable conditions for jellyfishAn unusually high number of jellyfish are crowding Delaware’s beaches this summer amid climate change and other environmental factors – keeping some beachgoers out of the ocean and stinging lifeguards as well as bathers.Beach safety patrols in the state have reported hundreds of daily stings as the jellyfish have increased with intensifying environmental factors, includ
  
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• ‘It’s pretty much a guarantee you’ll get stung’: jellyfish keep swimmers off Delaware beaches

  22-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Beach patrols report hundreds of stings a day as warmer waters and drought create favorable conditions for jellyfishAn unusually high number of jellyfish are crowding Delaware’s beaches this summer amid climate change and other environmental factors – keeping some beachgoers out of the ocean and stinging lifeguards as well as bathers.Beach safety patrols in the state have reported hundreds of daily stings as the jellyfish have increased with intensifying environmental factors, includ
  
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• Why am I called The Black Farmer? Because there are so few of us in Britain. I’d like that to change | Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones

  22-08-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Running a farm is tough – TV’s Clarkson’s Farm shows that – but I know many minorities would love the chance. And we would all benefit Who’d be a farmer? Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon is great entertainment but it also gives some indication of the stresses and challenges behind the farm gate. Would anyone who lacked the significant alternative income that Clarkson is lucky to have want that? Well, actually, yes.I’m an entrepreneur who owns a farm, as opposed
  
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• Subterranean salad: underground farmers seek solution to food crisis in disused UK mines

  22-08-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Researchers in North Yorkshire feel the clock ticking as they aim to transform British food productionIt has the vibe of a Bond villain’s underground lair but the workers in hi-vis and helmets aren’t weighing and packing hard drugs or parts for a death laser. It’s pak choi and lettuce.More than 1,000 metres down, researchers in North Yorkshire have created the world’s deepest underground farm and are running trials for a project that could transform UK food production. Co
  
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• Battery fires at recycling centres are costing UK £1bn a year, figures show

  22-08-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Experts say fires caused by wrongly discarded lithium batteries, such as thosein vapes, are putting lives at riskFires at recycling centres caused by wrongly discarded lithium batteries such as those found in vapes are occurring at the rate of more than 10 a week, according to new figures.Experts say the sheer volume of battery fires now occurring at waste facilities has reached a crisis that is putting lives at risk, costing £1bn a year and frustrating fire chiefs. Continue reading...
  
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• Home comforts: can remote work be better for the environment?

  22-08-2026 02:00 via theguardian.com
  Many Australians now have the option to work from home. But is it better or worse for the environment?Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprintGot a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at [email protected] normalisation of working from home and flexible work has been one of the Covid-19 pandemic’s few positive legacies.Today more than a third of Australians &nd
  
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• The US has a plan to save the Colorado River. Experts say it won’t be enough to stop the crisis

  21-08-2026 21:41 via theguardian.com
  The 10-year blueprint mandates water cuts of up to 40% for California, Arizona and NevadaIt’s official: after years of tense negotiations and missed deadlines, there is finally a plan to govern the future of the imperiled Colorado River - or at least the makings of one.With the previous framework set to expire in October, the US Bureau of Reclamation publicly released its proposal for a new plan on Friday. Continue reading...
  
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• 33m tons of toxic seaweed clogs Caribbean beaches – video

  21-08-2026 21:27 via theguardian.com
  A record amount of sargassum has piled up along coastlines of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Sargassum is a brown seaweed that causes lower oxygen levels and foul-smelling gases when it decomposes on beaches. Researchers and marine scientists have warned that the algae build-up starves underwater plant life of sunlight, affects human health and can leak arsenic into sand Continue reading...
  
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• Britain’s railway prepares for more extreme weather as intense El Niño develops

  21-08-2026 20:07 via theguardian.com
  Experts say more must be done to adapt to changing climate, after two trains derailed within 24 hours during a recent heatwaveRailway companies are racing to prepare for another brutal summer next year, as a developing El Niño could see 2027 break more heat-related records.Britain’s railway system has already been under stress from extreme heat this summer, with several operators reducing timetables and train speeds. Continue reading...
  
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• Biggest El Niño for a century forecast to bring UK more autumn rain and storms

  21-08-2026 16:10 via theguardian.com
  ‘Unprecedented’ weather pattern over Pacific Ocean to be felt worldwide, with severe droughts expected in some areasThe El Niño event developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest for more than a century and make 2027 another record-breaking year for heat, the UK’s Met Office has said.Increased rainfall and storms are forecast to hit the UK this autumn as a result of the “unprecedented” weather pattern, while the pulse in heat it generates m
  
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• Brazil’s vast iron mine that supplies the world and fractures the Amazon – in pictures

  21-08-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  The Grand Carajás project has made the country a mining superpower, but communities living in its shadow face pollution, displacement and silenced historiesContinue reading...
  
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• Proposed London datacentre will have annual carbon footprint of 27,000 flights to New York

  21-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Planning documents show datacentre in north Ockendon will be incompatible with UK net zero targetsA “hyperscale” datacentre in outer London would generate more than 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of 27,000 flights from London to New York, planning documents show.The East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC) in north Ockendon would be one of the largest datacentres in Europe if approved by Havering council, using 218 hectares of green
  
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• Proposed London datacentre ‘incompatible’ with net zero with 1m-tonne carbon footprint

  21-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Planning documents show annual emissions from North Ockendon project would be equivalent to 8,480 flights to New YorkA “hyperscale” datacentre in outer London would generate more than 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of 8,480 flights from London to New York, planning documents show.The East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC) in North Ockendon would be one of the largest datacentres in Europe if approved by Havering council, using 218
  
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• Cut cost of loans for solar panels on UK homes, ministers urged

  21-08-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Report says ‘solar bonds’ could fund wider access to clean energy, reducing household billsSolar panels could be cheaper for people on lower incomes if the government stepped in to reduce the cost of loans, a report argues.Solar panel installations can save households hundreds of pounds a year in energy bills, but at an initial cost of about £5,000 to £10,000 they are beyond the reach of many households. Continue reading...
  
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• Increased rainfall and storms to hit UK due to biggest El Niño for a century, says Met Office

  21-08-2026 09:42 via theguardian.com
  ‘Unprecedented’ weather pattern over Pacific Ocean to be felt worldwide with severe droughts expected in southern hemisphereThe El Niño event developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest for more than a 100 years, the UK’s Met Office has said.Increased rainfall and storms are forecast to hit the UK this autumn as a result of the “unprecedented” weather pattern, which will also cause severe droughts in the southern hemisphere, the Met Office
  
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• Increased rain and storms to hit UK due to biggest El Niño for a century, says Met Office

  21-08-2026 09:42 via theguardian.com
  ‘Unprecedented’ weather pattern over Pacific Ocean to be felt worldwide with severe droughts expected in southern hemisphereThe El Niño event developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest for more than a 100 years, the UK’s Met Office has said.Increased rainfall and storms are forecast to hit the UK this autumn as a result of the “unprecedented” weather pattern, which will also cause severe droughts in the southern hemisphere, the Met Office
  
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• Why dodgy doors are the latest casualty of the UK heatwaves

  21-08-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Sticking or unlockable doors are yet another problem caused by the hot summer, but winter can also bring difficultiesThursday was another busy day for Alan Hickman, a Bournemouth-based locksmith who works in the area around the New Forest (“though I’m currently dodging the bit between Ringwood and Eastleigh because that’s closed because of the forest fires”).Speaking on his way to see a man who can’t close his patio doors – “probably because they’v
  
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• Week in wildlife: Bat in a toilet, a speeding gull and a bird with shoes

  21-08-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Eco homes that can stay cool for sale in England and Wales – in pictures

  21-08-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From a triple-glazed barn conversion in a Welsh valley to a thermally regulated home in a busy area of London Continue reading...
  
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• What happens to people’s health when air pollution is reduced?

  21-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Growing evidence that cutting coal use and bans on high-polluting vehicles areleading directly to health benefitsFailing crops, wildfires and overloaded health systems are focusing minds on the local impacts of our changing climate.While carbon emissions reduction is normally framed as having a global benefit rather than a local gain, studies published in 2025 and 2026 from Greece have added to growing evidence that cutting coal use and air pollution can provide immediate health benefits to loca
  
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• Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show

  21-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  National Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and floodingAerial footage of an estate in Somerset has revealed the benefits of rewilding land in the face of extreme weather brought about by the climate crisis.The area of the National Trust’s Holnicote estate where rivers have been returned to their natural courses and wetlands have been restored have remained green and lush during the five heatwaves across the summ
  
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• Python named Jodie Foster first snake to receive pioneering cancer treatment

  21-08-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Chester zoo resident, 23, ‘back to her usual feisty self’ after electrochemotherapy for tumour in her jawA 15ft (4.5-metre) python is believed to be the first snake in the world to be given a pioneering, life-saving cancer treatment normally used on humans.The 50kg reticulated python, named Jodie Foster after the Hollywood star, has just turned 23 and lives at Chester zoo. Keepers first became concerned that she may be unwell when she began eating less and spending more time inactive
  
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• El Niño set to be 'strongest in living memory', says Met Office

  21-08-2026 02:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists say the growing El Niño weather pattern is an "unprecedented event" and means 2027 is likely to be the world's hottest year on record.
  
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• Rain to stop in time for weekend as sun returns

  21-08-2026 02:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The heavy downpours that have caused flash flooding will ease during Friday with sunshine returning for the weekend. But there are some chilly nights in store, as Ben Rich explains.
  
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• My family have fished this river for 300 years - now pollution has killed all the fish

  20-08-2026 22:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A tradition on a river once fished by US President Jimmy Carter could be coming to an end.
  
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• Glass deposit operator confirmed after months of wrangling

  20-08-2026 19:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Exchange for Change is running the new recycling programmes across the UK and will also run Wales's.
  
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