Environment news

• Mott MacDonald signs World Green Building Council's net-zero commitment

  20-08-2020 02:02
  
  Five major companies including Mott MacDonald have signed up to the World Green Building Council's (WorldGBC) net-zero carbon commitment, which binds signatories to reach carbon neutral operations by 2030.
  
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• As a climate scientist, I know heatwaves in Australia will only get worse. We need to start preparing now | Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick

  08-01-2026 22:34 via theguardian.com
  During black summer, my daughters were too young to know what was happening. Now, amid another Australian heatwave, they deserve answersWhen the forecasts for this week started to roll in, my mind immediately drifted back to Australia’s black summer.I had taken my daughters down to the pool in our estate in western Sydney, hoping for a brief reprieve from the relentless heat. The Gospers Mountain fire was raging in the Blue Mountains, but on that particular day the smoke didn’t seem
  
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• ‘They are going after everything rural’: inheritance tax U-turn does little to dampen farmers’ anger at Labour

  08-01-2026 19:14 via theguardian.com
  At the Oxford farming conference there were signs the government has much to do to win back farmers’ trustFew symbols were more potent than the wooden coffin bearing the inscription “RIP British agriculture, 30th October 2024” that greeted Labour’s environment minister at the annual Oxford farming conference.It marked the date of Rachel Reeves’s first budget, when she announced plans to levy inheritance tax on farms. For the chancellor’s cabinet colleague Emma
  
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• Masses of toxic litter pours from Rhine into North Sea each year, research finds

  08-01-2026 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Citizen scientists help in University of Bonn study showing river carries up to 4,700 tonnes of ‘macrolitter’ annuallyThousands of tonnes of litter is pouring into the North Sea via the Rhine every year, poisoning the waters with heavy metals, microplastics and other chemicals, research has found.This litter can be detrimental to the environment and human health: tyres, for example, contain zinc and other heavy metals that can be toxic to ecosystems in high concentrations. Continue r
  
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• Dense, sticky and heavy: why Venezuela’s oil is valuable to Trump – video explainer

  08-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The Venezuelan oil industry is ‘a total bust’ according to Donald Trump, something he has promised to ‘fix’ after attacking Caracas and seizing the country’s leader. But with analysts estimating it could take up to 14 years and billions to fix, what is in it for the US president? Jillian Ambrose, the Guardian’s energy correspondent, explains why Venezuela’s dense, sticky oil is so valuable to Trump Continue reading...
  
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• If geoengineering is ever deployed in a climate emergency, transparency is key | Ines Camilloni

  08-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  We must not let geoengineering be shaped behind closed doors. Climate justice demands an inclusive approachAs the world faces the challenges of the climate crisis and critical threshold levels or tipping points may be reached soon, a disputable idea is gaining momentum as a potential solution: solar geoengineering – the deliberate reflection of sunlight to cool the planet. Advocates argue it could buy us time. Critics warn of unknown risks. Some see it as a possible emergency break if temp
  
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• Household burning of plastic waste in developing world is hidden health threat, study shows

  08-01-2026 11:01 via theguardian.com
  The practice is ‘much more widespread’ than previously realised, researchers say, with serious environmental impactThe household burning of plastic for heating and cooking is widespread in developing countries, suggests a global study that raises concerns about its health and environmental impacts.The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, surveyed more than 1,000 respondents across 26 countries. Continue reading...
  
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• Germany’s dying forests are losing their ability to absorb CO2. Can a new way of planting save them?

  08-01-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Vast swathes of the country’s trees have been killed off by droughts and infestations, in a trend sweeping across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answersEven the intense green of late spring cannot mask the dead trees in the Harz mountains. Standing upright across the gentle peaks in northern Germany, thousands of skeletal trunks mark the remnants of a once great spruce forest.Since 2018, the region has been ravaged by a tree-killing bark beetle outbreak, ma
  
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• Supermarkets could help UK shoppers eat more sustainable local fish – study

  08-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Shift from ‘big 5’ imports to British fish such as sprats and sardines would help diets and the planet, say researchersSupermarkets could help to support British consumers to move away from their reliance on mainly imported seafood – the “big 5” of cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns – to more sustainable, nutritious and locally caught fish such as sardines and anchovies, researchers say.A study by the University of East Anglia (UEA), which confirmed previou
  
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• Shifting offshore sandbanks pose unique navigation hazard

  08-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Sandbanks can shift position during winter storms, but sonar mapping means charts can now be updated immediately Offshore sandbanks are a particular navigation hazard because, unlike rocks and reefs, they have a habit of shifting position during winter storms.The Goodwin Sands is a 10-mile (16km) bank off the coast of Deal in Kent, close to the busy shipping lanes of the Dover strait. The sands have claimed about 2,000 vessels over the years. In 1634, two lighthouses were set up on South Forelan
  
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• Dog food accounts for 1% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, study finds

  08-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Study of 1,000 products finds wet, raw and meat-rich products have higher climate impact than dry kibbleDog food accounts for 1% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to research that found wet, raw and meat-rich products were associated with substantially higher emissions than dry kibble.The analysis revealed striking differences in the environmental impact of commercial dog foods, with the highest-impact foods being responsible for up to 65 times more emissions than the l
  
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• Country diary: Everything is frozen, but still the finches come | Amanda Thomson

  08-01-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Abernethy Forest, Cairngorms: Thanks to a local collaborative effort, linnets, bramblings, green and goldfinches are coming to this field in joyful flocksIt’s -6C and I’m off to what has been a regular haunt recently – a field planted by Speyside Fields for Wildlife. This is a small, community-run charity that works with local farmers, crofters and others to take over “spare” fields and land for wildlife-friendly crops.Some sites are planted with annuals such a
  
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• Fly-arousing orchid and zombie fungus among 2025 botanical and fungal finds

  08-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Scientists also name an overlooked snowdrop growing in the UK and a fruit that tastes like banana and guavaA zombie fungus that springs from a trapdoor and a flame-like shrub named after the fire demon in the Studio Ghibli film Howl’s Moving Castle are among the species of plant and fungi named by scientists in 2025.A list of 10 “weird and wonderful” new species was compiled by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew and their international partners, who together nam
  
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• What should Australians do when the heat is on? | Fiona Katauskas

  08-01-2026 00:44 via theguardian.com
  It might be time to face some cold, hard factsSee more of Fiona Katauskas’s cartoons here Continue reading...
  
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• US attack on Venezuela will decide direction of South America’s vast mineral wealth

  07-01-2026 18:37 via theguardian.com
  Outcome of aggression will determine whether rare earths and other resources drive energy transition – or strengthen US military power and oil interestsThe US’s first overt attack on an Amazon nation last weekend is a new phase in its extractivist rivalry with China. The outcome will decide whether the vast mineral wealth of South America is directed towards a 21st-century energy transition or a buildup of military power to defend 20th-century fossil fuel interests.Although this onsl
  
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• Kinshasa’s last baobab: how a tree designed for survival faces its biggest threat yet

  07-01-2026 17:00 via theguardian.com
  In this week’s newsletter: nature’s last stand against the DRC capital’s rampant development, plus looking back on last year’s stories of hopeAnyone who has ever seen a living baobab tree should find it hard to forget. Alongside the ubiquitous acacia – the thorny umbrella tree – baobabs are statuesque icons of Africa’s drier landscapes.The trees have influenced, anchored and fed communities for tens of thousands of years, influencing culture and traditio
  
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• We study glaciers. ‘Artificial glaciers’ and other tech may halt their total collapse | Brent Minchew and Colin Meyer

  07-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  How might we prevent sea-level rise? Satellite-based radar, solar-powered drones, robot submarines and lab-based ‘artificial glaciers’ could all play a roleSea levels are rising faster than at any point in human history, and for every foot that waters rise, 100 million people lose their homes. At current projections, that means about 300 million people will be forced to move in the decades to come, along with the social and political conflict as people migrate inland. Despite this lo
  
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• The LA wildfire victims still living in toxic homes: ‘We have nowhere else to go’

  07-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  A year after the Eaton fire, residents returning to Altadena confront lingering contamination and little official clarityOne year on from the Eaton fire, long after the vicious winds that sent embers cascading from the San Gabriel mountains and the flames that swallowed entire streets, a shadow still hangs over Altadena.Construction on new properties is under way, and families whose homes survived the fire have begun to return. But many are grappling with an urgent question: is it safe to be her
  
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• Revealed: how aviation emissions could be halved without cutting journeys

  07-01-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Getting rid of premium seats, ensuring flights are near full and using efficient aircraft could slash CO2, analysis suggestsClimate-heating emissions from aviation could be slashed in half – without reducing passenger journeys – by getting rid of premium seats, ensuring flights are near full and using the most efficient aircraft, according to analysis.These efficiency measures could be far more effective in tackling the fast-growing carbon footprint of flying than pledges
  
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• Carbon capture company lands nearly £1m in backing

  07-01-2026 07:10 via bbc.com
  The Carbon Removers, based near Dumfries, will use the funding to expand its operations across Europe.
  
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• Rare Iron Age war trumpet and boar standard found

  07-01-2026 07:02 via bbc.com
  The discoveries are "extraordinarily rare", say the archaeologists who helped find them.
  
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• ‘The soul of the city’: can Kinshasa’s last remaining baobab tree be saved?

  07-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Across Africa, baobabs have rich symbolic meaning, but the breakneck expansion of the DRC’s capital has reduced their number in the city centre to oneThe older inhabitants of Kinshasa can remember when trees shaded its main avenues and thick-trunked baobabs stood in front of government offices.Jean Mangalibi, 60, from his plant nursery tucked among grey tower blocks, says the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s frenzied expansion has all but erased its greenery. “
  
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• Specieswatch: tough times for reindeer as rain increases in warming Arctic

  07-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  When rain falls on snow it creates a layer of ice that impedes feeding, which in turn has reduced herds’ birthratesReindeer survive typically harsh Arctic winters by using their specially adapted hooves to scrape through the snow to nibble on the lichen and moss below. But paradoxically a warming climate is making it harder for them to reach this food, and research shows it has led to a drop in reindeer birthrates.When rain falls on snow, the snow melts and refreezes, creating layers of ic
  
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• Country diary: A palace of sunlight on a short winter’s day

  07-01-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland: There’s not much light to play with today, deep in midwinter, but this once-coveted fort still puts on a showMaybe it’s the invitation of the slowly lengthening days, but at this time of year I crave a long view. And here, on the approach to the ringfort of Grianán of Aileach, I have it. As the late afternoon sun squints over the fort’s high walls, it’s easy to understand why early medieval monarchs cherished this summit.I watch
  
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• Kent water failure was foreseen and could have been stopped, regulator says

  06-01-2026 15:48 via theguardian.com
  Problem at water treatment centre left 24,000 Tunbridge Wells homes without drinking water for two weeksA failure at a water treatment centre that left tens of thousands of Kent households without water was foreseen weeks before it happened and could have been stopped, the regulator has said.Twenty-four thousand homes in the Tunbridge Wells area were without drinking water for two weeks from 30 November last year due to a failure at the Pembury water treatment centre. Continue reading...
  
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• Trump taking ‘drill, baby, drill’ plan to Venezuela ‘terrible’ for climate, experts warn

  06-01-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  ‘Everybody loses’ if production supercharged in country with largest known oil reserves, critics sayDonald Trump, by dramatically seizing Nicolás Maduro and claiming dominion over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, has taken his “drill, baby, drill” mantra global. Achieving the president’s dream of supercharging the country’s oil production would be financially challenging – and if fulfilled, would be “terrible for the climate”, expe
  
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• We can safely experiment on reflecting sunlight away from Earth. Here’s how | Dakota Gruener and Daniele Visioni

  06-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Reflecting a small fraction of incoming sunlight to reduce global heating is not a new idea. It is time to safely experimentThe world is warming fast – and our options to avoid catastrophic harm are narrowing. 2024 was the first full year more than 1.5C hotter than the 19th-century average. Emissions are still rising, with fossil fuel use expected to hit a new high in 2025. Permanent carbon removal technologies – often cited as a fix – are removing just tens of thousands of ton
  
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• Electric car discounts are unsustainable, says industry group

  06-01-2026 10:48 via bbc.com
  The SMMT warned of a growing gap between consumer demand and the government's ambitions for EVs.
  
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• Violence, death and stolen land: people need to know the true cost of an avocado | Claudia Ignacio Álvarez

  06-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Behind the west’s huge appetite for the fruit lies the dark reality of environmental destruction and Indigenous exploitation in MexicoI grew up in San Andrés Tziróndaro, a Purépecha community on the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacán. My childhood was shaped by water, forests and music. The lake fed us. The forest protected us. In the afternoons, people gathered in the local square while bands passed through playing pirekua, our tr
  
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• How Christmas trees are getting a new lease of life

  06-01-2026 07:04 via bbc.com
  Some businesses are helping to recycle and reuse trees in a bid to reduce landfill and emissions.
  
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