Environment news

• Pine marten babies born on Exmoor for first time in 100 years

  31-07-2026 19:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nine females and 10 males were introduced to the area by the Two Moors Pine Marten Project last year.
  
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• Andy Burnham has barely acknowledged the climate crisis. If only Britain’s workers had that luxury | John Harris

  16-08-2026 13:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Nurses collapsing, builders with heatstroke, bus drivers in cabs that reach 44C. The new PM wanted to spend the summer talking about the cost of living – he should change his plansI don’t think I have ever written before about a British strike directly related to the climate emergency. But that’s exactly what began late last week in north London, with a zeitgeisty connection to Andy Burnham’s fixation on buses: picket lines outside depots and massed walkouts, while the te
  
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• ‘It is not only a future certainty – the disaster is already here’: why we need climate fiction

  16-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  As wildfires rage across Europe and Britain swelters through its hottest summer on record, literary fiction has a vital role to play in capturing the severe consequences of climate crisisEarlier this summer, I travelled through Europe on a book tour. Everywhere I went, the heat broke records. In Italy, Germany and Spain, I sought refuge from the afternoon sun in air-conditioned hotels. In normally temperate Zurich, it averaged 37 degrees. I jumped into the Limmat for relief. On my final day
  
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• ‘If only people knew’: the fascinating lives of flies

  16-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Most people associate the insects with filth, but they are vital to the food cycle and sometimes even prettyVote for your favourite invertebrateEvery spring, billions of flies commute thousands of miles in a huge web around the world. They may begin life in Iran and then spend the rest of it in the UK. They may hatch in India but undertake seasonal migrations to the fertile regions of Mongolia, China and Siberia.Most of us assume that bees carry out pollination. But look closely at the creatures
  
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• Which plants will survive and can I use grey water? Gardening as UK summers get drier

  16-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  As parts of Beth Chatto’s visionary drought-tolerant gardens in Essex turn brown, the head gardener offers adviceHer debut book, in 1978, was titled The Dry Garden. Since then, the late Beth Chatto created a rich legacy with her expertise as a plantswoman and by setting up one of the oldest unwatered public gardens in England.Once a car park but transformed in 1992 into an experiment to test what plants were drought-tolerant in Essex, the driest county in the UK, Chatto’s gravel gard
  
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• From tourism to power generation and productivity, Europe feels economic cost of heatwaves

  16-08-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Low river levels have stalled German freight traffic and forced closure of nuclear plants in FranceAcross Europe this scorching summer, workers have struggled in the heat as wildfires raged and critical infrastructure was shut down.Here we look at the impact of the heatwaves on several major economies across mainland Europe – with the help of analysis from economists at the Dutch bank Triodos, who estimate a total of €180bn could be wiped off EU GDP by the heatwaves. In the UK, the gr
  
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• Gorging on bearcam: the livestream of big beasts eating that draws millions

  16-08-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ahead of Fat Bear Week, avid fans are glued to the spectacle of brown bears devouring salmon at Brooks Falls in AlaskaOne of this summer’s biggest onscreen hits has had big beasts, great escapes and choppy waters, but it’s not Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey – it’s a livestream of Alaskan brown bears catching salmon.The Brooks Falls bearcam at Katmai national park in the US was watched 7.3m times between 22 June and 4 August – up 70% from the same period last
  
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• Fire rangers of Mongolian steppe: climate crisis spurs revival of ancient knowledge – photo essay

  16-08-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Fire has always be part of life on the grasslands, but has grown worse due to rising temperatures and severe droughts. In response, people have turned to their nomadic heritage to help tackle the blazesSodnomjamts Damchaabadgar squats in a shallow, rocky depression, working quietly with his hands. Inches above the rim of the pit, the wind whips across the grasslands. But in the marginal shelter of the dig site the air remains calm – essential for delicate operations.Damchaabadgar, a resear
  
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• Destroyed crops, riverbed cyclists and a ‘Rock of Starvation’: how drought has devastated the Danube

  16-08-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  The Guardian travelled 100 miles along the EU’s longest river, where some residents are struggling to secure drinking waterFor centuries, the rock was seen as a warning. When it began to emerge from the Danube, beneath Gellért Hill in Budapest, it meant the river had fallen so low that floating mills could no longer operate, crops were probably failing, and hunger would almost certainly follow. That is why, in the Hungarian capital, where over time the boulder became little more tha
  
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• Hawaii braces for potential first direct hit by a hurricane in 34 years

  16-08-2026 05:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  In a worst-case scenario, category one Lala could dump up to 25in (63cm) of rain on Big Island.
  
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• The influencers getting bitten while chasing the perfect shark shot

  16-08-2026 01:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tayane Dalazen was on a shark-diving trip in Brazil when she was attacked.
  
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• Firefighters battle wildfire tearing through Belgian nature reserve

  15-08-2026 19:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The fire burning through the major park was described as the country's worst in recent years.
  
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• ‘Once I started zooming in, I never stopped’: the mesmerising art of macro photography

  15-08-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Converts describe a demanding form of capturing nature very close up that has grown in popularity in last few yearsVote here for your favourite invertebrate of the year“I always just pray ‘please don’t fly away’,” says Dara Ojo. As a wildlife photographer, he can handle spending minutes, hours and sometimes days waiting for the shot, but insects are not always very cooperative.Ojo is one of an increasing number of photographers turning their lenses towards something
  
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• Hollywood actor seeks help from vicar for series

  15-08-2026 15:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rev Paul Cawthorne helped Michael Sheen identify sites where toxic waste was dumped in the 1970s.
  
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• Cornish sardines back on menu for penguins

  15-08-2026 13:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The move follows a chance conversation at the wildlife attraction and replaces imported fish.
  
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• Natalya Lobanova on the positives to be gained from the UK’s latest heatwave – cartoon

  15-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
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• Gen Z flocks to BirdTok as birding takes flight: ‘It’s a craving for something real’

  15-08-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Social media and Shazam-like birdsong apps drawing young people to hobby as they seek a gentler connection to the outside worldSorry Elon, but they’re not your kind of tweets. Social media users are flocking to TikTok to join a burgeoning trend for birding videos as the hobby attracts a younger demographic.With the internet ever more cluttered with polarising, shouty and AI content, evidence is emerging of Britons preferring a gentler, more melodic window on the world in the shape of foota
  
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• Draft dark skies guidance drawn up for the Highlands

  15-08-2026 10:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The plan to reduce light pollution could be put out for public consultation at a later date.
  
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• It’s the SUV tyranny: where have all the normal family cars gone? | Coco Khan

  15-08-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  They rule the roads and, in their wake, even old-style saloons have been supersized. It’s an illusion of consumer choiceRecently, while traipsing from showroom to showroom in search of a used car for my growing clan, the iconic line from Christopher Nolan’s seminal Batman movie The Dark Knight came to mind: “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” And by villain, of course, I mean an SUV driver.Because, if you haven’t shopped
  
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• Solar eclipse inspires talk of Pac-man and Shinto myths

  15-08-2026 08:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Thousands turned out to watch the solar eclipse in the South West; here's what they made of it.
  
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• The Great Stink of 2026? Hot, dry summer leaves London holding its nose

  15-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Experts say putrid stench shows overhaul of sewers is needed – like the one prompted by the Great Stink of 1858London was “reeking with ineffable and intolerable horrors” after weeks of temperatures exceeding 30C and minimal rainfall. This was Disraeli’s description of the Great Stink of 1858, but something similarly disgusting has been happening this summer.Once again, an exceptionally hot and dry spell has exposed the putrid stench of untreated human waste. Continue rea
  
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• Country diary: Down the road from the Edinburgh fringe … a true local tradition of costume and whisky | Doc Rowe

  15-08-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  South Queensferry, West Lothian: The Burryman procession is one of Scotland’s most remarkable customs – and a changing of the guard is about to occurWhile the Edinburgh festival grabs the headlines, just 10 miles away, one of Scotland’s most remarkable traditions takes place every August – the Burryman procession.In this, part of the Ferry Fair, a local volunteer is covered in thousands of hooked burdock seedheads, which are attached in dense patches like Velcro. He spend
  
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• Bin sins: common recycling mistakes and how to avoid them

  15-08-2026 02:00 via theguardian.com
  With so many bins, and ever more complex packaging, recycling in Australia can be complicated and confusing. Here’s what not to doChange 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] consider themselves good recyclers. But while more than 90% say recycling is important, many admit to doing it wrong.Abou
  
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• Burnham criticised for EV and North Sea drilling approach as wildfires heighten climate fears

  14-08-2026 20:51 via theguardian.com
  Reduction in EV sales targets could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions as UK faces impact of global heatingAndy Burnham has been criticised for moving to cut electric vehicle (EV) sales targets and accept North Sea drilling at a time of devastating wildfires caused by the climate emergency.The prime minister for the first time acknowledged on Friday that the climate crisis was behind hundreds of wildfires that have ripped across the parts of the UK. Continue reading...
  
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• Burnham criticised for EV and North Sea approach amid climate crisis

  14-08-2026 20:51 via theguardian.com
  Cut in electric vehicle sales targets could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions in UK, say green campaignersAndy Burnham has been criticised for moving to cut electric vehicle (EV) sales targets and accept North Sea drilling at a time of devastating wildfires caused by the climate emergency.The prime minister for the first time acknowledged on Friday that the climate crisis was behind hundreds of wildfires that have ripped across the parts of the UK. Continue reading...
  
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• Burnham criticised for EV and North Sea drilling decisions as wildfires heighten climate fears

  14-08-2026 20:41 via theguardian.com
  Reduction in EV sales targets could add millions of tonnes of CO2 to emissions as UK faces impact of global heatingAndy Burnham has been criticised for moving to cut electric vehicle (EV) sales targets and accept North Sea drilling at a time of devastating wildfires caused by the climate emergency.The prime minister for the first time acknowledged on Friday that the climate crisis was behind hundreds of wildfires that have ripped across the parts of the UK. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘It’s due to climate’: the people of Stourbridge on the town’s wildfires

  14-08-2026 19:17 via theguardian.com
  Thursday has been described by residents as ‘horrendous’, ‘distressing’ and ‘one of the scariest days of my life’People in Stourbridge have described the fires that devastated more than a dozen homes as “horrendous” and “distressing”, with one describing blazes that surpassed the height of residential houses.Multiple fires spread across the West Midlands on Thursday as temperatures reached record highs of 38.1C in the UK, during the cou
  
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• Rare breeding bat found roosting near reservoir

  14-08-2026 18:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Nathusius' pipistrelle is believed to be the first confirmed discovery of its kind in the area.
  
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• 'Days of the farmers' union dictating policy are over' - Muir

  14-08-2026 18:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir says he will continue to engage with the Ulster Farmers' Union.
  
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• Electric vehicle sales targets could be cut after pressure from car makers

  14-08-2026 17:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government says it is considering cutting the new electric car sales target from 80% to 50% by 2030.
  
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