Environment news

• Organic eggs have worse impact on climate than eggs from caged chickens

  29-07-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Adopting organic free-range model in UK could lead to greenhouse emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2, study suggestsOrganic eggs are twice as bad for the climate as eggs from chickens living in cages, research suggests.According to the study, switching the UK’s entire egg production to an organic free-range model would lead to greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 2,316,000 tonnes of CO2 (tCO2e), while production through a fully caged system would emit 1,184,000 tCO2e. Continu
  
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• Pedro Sánchez says next 12 hours will be ‘decisive’ in battle to contain wildfires – Europe live

  29-07-2026 13:36 via theguardian.com
  Authorities fear progress in containing the fires in the Gironde and Madrid regions may be set back by temperatures expected to hit the low 40sin BrusselsThe European Union’s crisis-management team is expecting difficult weeks ahead, fearing a further outbreak of wildfires in Italy and Greece as the summer goes on.“A firefighter will focus on protecting people. They will focus on protecting houses, protecting a business, a company, because this is something that matters for all our s
  
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• Hotter summers may force RHS to move hydrangeas to north of England

  29-07-2026 13:22 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: British garden staple becomes plant most frequently reported as suffering in heat, charity reportsWith their lush foliage and blooms which turn pink, purple or blue depending on the soil, hydrangeas are a firm favourite in Britain.The shrubs bloom throughout summer and have historically thrived in the mild, damp British climate. But hotter summers and heatwaves such as the one hitting parts of England this week are putting the flower at risk in the south of the country, the Royal Hort
  
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• Caribbean bears brunt of £43bn climate-fuelled damage to developing islands

  29-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Findings can inform conversations about global climate reparations and financing for mitigations, researchers sayCaribbean nations suffered $53.2bn (£40bn) of damage from climate-fuelled disasters between 2000 and 2024, research into the cost of the climate crisis to developing small islands has found.The figure is more than 90% of the total $57bn in economic damage caused by floods, storms and drought across 39 developing island nations in the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Ind
  
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• Wildfires are raging – and the world has junked 45 climate pledges. Disaster looms, and little wonder | Bill McGuire

  29-07-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Five years ago, I wrote an open letter asking climate scientists to speak out against fossil fuels. Now governments are in retreat, it is surely time to act France and Spain race to contain huge wildfires before fresh heatwave beginsSuch is the astonishing scale of the wildfires burning at the gates of Bordeaux and Madrid, that if they had happened 20 – even 10 – years back, they may well have shocked the world into taking action on the climate crisis. But like the proverbial frog in
  
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• France and Spain brace for fresh heatwave as warnings issued over risk of new wildfires – Europe live

  29-07-2026 10:53 via theguardian.com
  Authorities fear progress in containing the fires in the Gironde and Madrid regions may be set back by temperatures expected to hit the low 40sMétéo-France’s weather forecast shows temperatures up to 39C near Bordeaux – just where the largest wildfire continues to blaze – 38C in Lyon, 37C in Paris and Toulouse.Over in Spain, it will be even hotter, with Aemet expecting 42C in Pamplona, 41C in Cordova and Saragossa, 40C in Ciudad-Real and Toledo, and 37C in Madrid.
  
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• Ships stuck in strait of Hormuz pose ‘super-spreader’ biodiversity threat, scientists warn

  29-07-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Biologists say cargo ships stranded in Gulf may carry highly potent invasive species around the world as trade resumesThe closure of the strait of Hormuz has created conditions for an extreme global biodiversity threat, with scientists warning that thousands of stranded ships could spread invasive marine species across the world’s oceans once they begin sailing again.More than 1,500 commercial vessels have been stuck in the Gulf since the strategic waterway closed on 28 February after the
  
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• Birdwatch: A song thrush connects me with the great-grandfather I never knew

  29-07-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  No other bird speaks to us quite so directly, its serenade conjuring memories of old family talesI wake early on these bright summer mornings. And now that the birds in my garden have mostly fallen silent, only one is still serenading me at this hour: the aptly named song thrush. Its measured, deliberate repetitions – which this particular bird has provided without a break since the turn of the year – are unmistakable.Whenever I hear a song thrush, I’m taken back in time. First
  
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• Country diary: In poet John Clare’s garden, I contemplate my ancestor who lived here too | Nic Wilson

  29-07-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Helpston, Cambridgeshire: I picture Henry as a young lad, hiding in flowerbeds, chasing butterflies, learning to love natureIf there’s one thing better than a gatekeeper butterfly, it’s wild marjoram playing host to a flurry of gatekeepers. Almost impossible to count for all the rising, fluttering and resettling, their warm orange and brown wings with white double-dots in a black eye-spot are only a wing-flick away from mottled invisibility: now you see me, now you don’t.I&rsqu
  
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• ‘The heat took him from me’: India’s death toll rises amid escalating heat crisis

  29-07-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  As extreme heat claims the lives of workers in India’s poorest areas, many fear the true mortality rate is being dangerously undercountedThe morning air was already hot and cloying when Palli Mahalaxmi rose at about 5am. It was May, and in the summer heatwave that had engulfed this corner of southern India, even night-time did not give the villagers respite.A single ceiling fan hung above Mahalaxmi, her husband and her son as they slept in a small windowless room made of thick concrete. Ma
  
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• The Guardian view on noise pollution: keep it down | Editorial

  28-07-2026 19:23 via theguardian.com
  New research linking the issue to Parkinson’s disease adds to the evidence of serious health repercussions from traffic volume and other sourcesThe roar of late-night traffic is not just annoying for those trying to sleep. It can also have profound effects on their health. A pioneering new study, published this month, has found a clear link between road noise and Parkinson’s disease. The research, which followed more than 3 million Danish participants, found a modest but consistent e
  
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• ‘They’re part of folklore’: storks return to Derbyshire after 600-year absence

  28-07-2026 19:22 via theguardian.com
  Conservationists are thrilled at the arrival of three juvenile birds at Willington Wetlands, hoping more will followA long orange beak poked curiously out from its wooden crate, followed by a sleek head and slender body. Then the first white stork of the morning flapped its wings and took to the air. Moments later a second emerged tentatively to stalk through the long grass, followed closely by a final sibling who stretched its wings and explored the length of the enclosure.The trio of juvenile
  
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• Almost 4,000 people evacuated from tourist sites near Bordeaux as wildfires rage in France and Spain

  28-07-2026 18:42 via theguardian.com
  Return of winds and extreme heat threaten firefighters’ attempts to bring blazes under controlNearly 4,000 people have been evacuated from tourist sites on France’s Atlantic coast as the return of winds and extreme heat jeopardises firefighters’ battles to contain wildfires raging in France and Spain.The precautionary evacuation order in France, which covers campsites, holiday villages and other tourist accommodation around the resort of Lacanau to the west of Bordeaux, exacerb
  
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• It’s time to prosecute climate crimes – with laws that already exist | Aaron Regunberg

  28-07-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Some have called for Nuremberg-style trials against big oil. But there are laws already on the books to describe companies’ conductThe sky outside is hazy orange, and my five-year-old son is screaming bloody murder. “Sorry, buddy, we have to stay inside,” I say. “It’s not safe to breathe out there.” I had told him we’d be going to the beach today. Something inside me tears a little as I wonder how many promises he’ll see similarly broken in the com
  
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• New evacuation from tourist sites near Bordeaux as France and Spain fight wildfires

  28-07-2026 15:59 via theguardian.com
  French authorities order evacuation of almost 4,000 people from Lacanau resort amid return of heatwaveEurope live – latest updatesThe evacuation of nearly 4,000 people from tourist sites on France’s Atlantic coast is under way as the return of winds and extreme heat jeopardised firefighters’ battles to contain wildfires raging to the west of Bordeaux.The precautionary evacuation order, which covers campsites, holiday villages and other tourist accommodation around the resort of
  
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• My climate anxiety was crippling. Could a stand-up comedy class help?

  28-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The daily dread of political and planetary free fall had become untenable. What if I channeled my anxiety into something lighter?If you had told me six months ago that I would soon be performing standup comedy to dozens of strangers, I would have assumed it was a bad dream.Public speaking ranks about as high as driving in rush hour traffic through downtown Boston on my list of favorite activities. That I would choose to do standup, with its potential for public humiliation, is basically unimagin
  
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• I took a standup class to cope with the end of the world

  28-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  My climate dread was becoming unbearable. I never thought I would do comedy, but what if I channeled my anxiety into something lighter?If you had told me six months ago that I would soon be performing standup comedy to dozens of strangers, I would have assumed it was a bad dream.Public speaking ranks about as high as driving in rush hour traffic through downtown Boston on my list of favorite activities. That I would choose to do standup, with its potential for public humiliation, is basically un
  
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• Climate anxiety was consuming me. Then I learned to laugh about it

  28-07-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The daily dread pushed me to enroll in a standup class. Could I channel my anxiety into something lighter?If you had told me six months ago that I would soon be performing standup comedy to dozens of strangers, I would have assumed it was a bad dream.Public speaking ranks about as high as driving in rush hour traffic through downtown Boston on my list of favorite activities. That I would choose to do standup, with its potential for public humiliation, is basically unimaginable. Continue reading.
  
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• Could ‘Godzilla’ El Niño bring the hottest year on record? – video explainer

  28-07-2026 12:50 via theguardian.com
  The Earth keeps getting hotter and experts fear this year's El Niño, nicknamed 'Godzilla' because of its predicted intensity, could raise global temperatures by up to 3.6C. Environment correspondent Damien Gayle spoke to climate scientists to understand how the weather phenomenon and the climate crisis pose a huge threat to the planet‘Super’ El Niño could cause global food price shock lasting into 2028, analysts sayEl Niño is back with a vengeance – and fea
  
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• How one man’s near-death experience led to the discovery of the first Jurassic sea dragon in Wales

  28-07-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Matthew Myerscough’s remarkable find is one of many detailed in his new book. But his journey into fossil hunting began years earlier, when he was caught in an avalancheWhen Matthew Myerscough walks along a beach, he cannot help hunting for fossils. “I think my fossil radar is always on – even if I’m not looking, it’s hard sometimes to not see things,” says the 40-year-old civil engineer, who has discovered thousands of fossils on British beaches.It was while
  
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• ‘Ash fell from the sky’: Tourists describe fleeing ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires in France

  28-07-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Hundreds of thousands of residents and holidaymakers in France and Spain have been forced to evacuateWildfires have forced about 375,000 people to leave their homes in France and Spain.In France, nearly 260,000 have had to flee, while in neighbouring Spain 116,000 have been evacuated as the wildfires continue to wreak havoc across southern Europe. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: Dark against the gold wheat stubble, the hares sit tall like a hieroglyph | Amy-Jane Beer

  28-07-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  North Yorkshire: It’s been a remarkable breeding season for these gorgeous creatures with ripped physiques and all-seeing eyes“Just seen a gorgeous hare and thought of you. They’ve had an unbelievable breeding season.”Like most farmers, my friend Richard is always busy and often exasperated. But he’s also refreshingly cognisant of his privilege and determined not to blow the opportunity to make a difference. Nature is always part of his management, and now and then
  
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• ‘We have lost everything’: extreme rainfall across Asia brings flash floods and typhoons

  28-07-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  From Afghanistan to Taiwan, unprecedented deluge highlights devastating impact of climate breakdown“It rained for 10 days and 10 nights, non-stop – I’d never seen anything like it,” says Anar Gul, a construction worker who lives in the remote district of Dur Baba in eastern Afghanistan.The houses in his village are built from stone and mud, which makes them extremely vulnerable to heavy rains. After days of rain, Gul’s kitchen collapsed and his neighbour, Sayed Afsa
  
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• France and Spain race to contain huge wildfires before fresh heatwave begins

  28-07-2026 04:37 via theguardian.com
  Coming days are ‘absolutely critical’ for firefighters before temperatures rise again this week, officials say Firefighters in France and Spain are racing to bring huge wildfires under control before another heatwave this week that will complicate efforts to tame the flames.Spain’s interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said Monday and Tuesday were “absolutely crucial days” before temperatures rise again from Wednesday, prompting prime minister, Pedro Sá
  
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• What do the heatwaves in Europe and North America tell us about our future? | Fiona Katauskas

  28-07-2026 02:54 via theguardian.com
  The signs are thereSee more of Fiona Katauskas’s cartoons here Continue reading...
  
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• The prehistoric species fighting for survival in Lough Neagh

  28-07-2026 01:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Restrictions have been placed on fishing the critically-endangered European eel in Lough Neagh to try to restore the species
  
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• Is it time to stop using glue and labels on paper?

  28-07-2026 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labels and adhesives can prevent paper from being recycled but there's new tech aimed at changing that.
  
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• Gates smashed and crops destroyed as farmers threatened by gangs hunting hares

  27-07-2026 23:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some barricade the entrances to their fields with concrete blocks and fallen trees.
  
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• Wildfire now nine miles from French city of Bordeaux, mayor warns

  27-07-2026 22:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Thomas Cazenave says they are preparing if further evacuations are issued, as the mayor of a nearby town called the situation "catastrophic".
  
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• Wildfires 'stark reminder' of extreme climate challenge, says William

  27-07-2026 21:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The prince's warning comes as wildfires rage in parts of Europe and the UK during a spell of extreme heat.
  
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