Environment news

• Shell under pressure to reduce spending

  08-04-2016 09:41
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell is under pressure from shareholders to cut annual spending below $30 billion (21.3 billion pounds) after buying BG Group to ensure it can maintain its dividend given the slow oil price recovery. Shell and other large oil companies slashed budgets, scrapped huge projects and cut tens of thousands of jobs last year in the face of a slump in oil prices from a June 2014 peak of nearly $116 a barrel to below $40. Shell reduced spending by $8.4 billio
  
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• Just two flavours of chips and pub theme nights: how these isolated Queensland towns have survived being cut off for weeks

  19-03-2026 15:00
  Birdsville and Bedourie locals are used to being trapped by flooding – but if they run out of Tim Tams and chocolate, ‘that’s a big problem’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTo many city dwellers, becoming trapped for weeks where you live would be a terrifying prospect. Not so for the remote outback towns of Birdsville and Bedourie on the edge of the Munga-Thirri Simpson desert. Five weeks after flooding cut off roads into the towns, the residents
  
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• Stop mowing the lawn – and five more ways to save Britain’s ‘charming’ and ‘polite’ gatekeeper butterflies

  19-03-2026 13:46
  Conservation can be hard work. But not when it comes to helping these little orange and brown beautiesYou’ve almost certainly seen gatekeeper butterflies, even if you don’t know them by name. The gatekeeper is, says naturalist and butterfly enthusiast Matthew Oates, “a charming butterfly; a charming meditation of soft oranges and browns”. Traditionally found in the “scrub edges” (the borders between grassland and woods) and at hedge margins, they are frequentl
  
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• UK to cut climate aid to developing countries by 14% to £2bn a year in ‘refocus’

  19-03-2026 08:00
  Move will put national security and lives overseas at risk, critics say, as overall UK aid budget is slashed to 0.3% of gross national incomeClimate aid to developing countries from the UK will be cut by about 14% to roughly £2bn a year under government plans, in a move critics said would put national security and lives overseas at risk.The move follows bitter rows with the Treasury, which wanted deeper cuts owing to pressure on spending resulting from the war in Iran. Continue reading...
  
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• We need to be honest about Iran – and how our rampant greed for oil is causing mayhem | George Monbiot

  19-03-2026 07:00
  Oil has empowered capitalism, and some of the world’s most exploitative regimes. Move away from it and we can solve some of the key issues we faceI realise this is a serious breach of etiquette. But could we perhaps abandon good manners and contextualise Donald Trump’s attack on Iran? The intense western interest in the Middle East and west and central Asia, sustained for more than a century, and the endless attempts by foreign governments to shape and control these regions, are not
  
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• Thousands of seabirds dying on western Europe’s coasts

  19-03-2026 07:00
  Puffins, guillemots and razorbills are being washed up dead or dying on Europe’s Atlantic coast in what scientists call a ‘wreck’Thousands of seabirds – mostly puffins, but also many guillemots and razorbills – are being washed up dead or dying on the Atlantic coasts of western Europe, in what scientists call a “wreck”.This year’s events, the consequence of a series of severe storms during the late autumn and winter, are the worst since 2014, when
  
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• Stopping gas dictating UK energy price could cut bills by £200, thinktank says

  19-03-2026 07:00
  Iran war has increased gas price, with effects on UK energy bills that could be avoided, Common Wealth saysHousehold energy bills could be reduced by up to £203 a year by stopping expensive fossil gas setting the price of energy in the UK, according to a report.Under the existing system, gas – the most expensive form of electricity production in the UK system – set the price of energy 85% of the time in 2024 in the UK, even though it generates only about a quarter of Britain&rs
  
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• Possum found in Hobart airport gift shop's toy section – video

  19-03-2026 01:48
  A possum surprised Hobart airport staff after wandering into a departures gift shop, where it settled among plush toys on Wednesday. A spokesperson said the animal appeared calm, and was safely escorted out of the terminal without incident Continue reading...
  
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• ‘They called me a water terrorist’: exiled Iranian scientist wins global prize

  18-03-2026 17:15
  Prof Kaveh Madani, winner of the Stockholm water prize, was accused of sabotage with his environmental work Eight years before he got the call telling him he had won the Stockholm water prize, Prof Kaveh Madani was being interrogated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, accused of being a spy for the CIA, MI6 or the Mossad.Today he is in exile and on Wednesday won the world’s most prestigious water prize for combining “groundbreaking research on water management with policy, diploma
  
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• Butterflies crossing oceans, moths navigating by the stars: unravelling the mysteries of insect migrations

  18-03-2026 09:00
  Trillions of insects embark, largely unnoticed, on epic journeys every year across mountain ranges, deserts and seas, and it is only now, as their numbers suffer huge declines, that scientists are tracking their movementsOn a cloudless sunny day in October 1950, ornithologists Elizabeth and David Lack stood on a mountain pass in the Pyrenees and observed a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle – clouds of migrating insects.Up to 500 butterflies were fluttering past them every hour through the 2,200
  
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• Plantwatch: the Natal crocus co-opts fire, bees and ants to reproduce

  18-03-2026 07:00
  Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it tricks ants into moving its seeds with a scent that mimics their larvaePlants are superb at enticing animals to pollinate their flowers or carry off their seeds. But one plant co-opts an astonishing combination of fire, bees and ants to mastermind its reproduction.The South African Natal crocus, Apodolirion buchananii, has a gloriously bright white flower that emerges from the ground before its leaves appear in early spring. But the flower only blooms shor
  
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• Government to lift paywall from large parts of the Land Registry

  18-03-2026 07:00
  Exclusive: finding out who owns land will become simpler under plans to make the best use of green spaces and hit net zero targetsFinding out who owns land in England is to become much simpler because a paywall will be lifted from large parts of the Land Registry, the government is to announce.A small number of landowners control the majority of land but finding out who owns what is difficult to piece together, even for government departments, owing to the way the Land Registry operates. Freeing
  
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• Country diary: Return to ‘bitey horse field’ – this time with a plan | Derek Niemann

  18-03-2026 06:30
  Frome, Somerset: A small patch of land, leased by the council, will be the site of a new community project. And so we descend, ready to rewrite its futureWho crawled along Snail’s Bottom? Who found beauty on Bonnyleigh Hill? Who measured Little Acre Farm? This small patch of Somerset – like everywhere else in Britain – is a storied landscape, every feature named and memorialised by mostly forgotten individuals. Our job over the next two hours is to take one such name, one such
  
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• ‘Fear is good’: my scary subterranean journey into Underland, the film of Robert Macfarlane’s dazzling book

  18-03-2026 06:00
  As the hit travelogue about the worlds beneath us becomes a film, its maker takes us on a voyage through Las Vegas storm drains and the caves of Yucatán – via Goatchurch Cavern in the bowels of SomersetJust off the B3134 in Somerset is a portal to the underworld. The smaller of two openings to Goatchurch Cavern, it’s called the Tradesman’s Entrance – and through it I am squeezing. After tumbling on my bum over damp smooth rock, lacerating a jumpsuit in the process,
  
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• Help us shape the Guardian Climate Forum 2026

  17-03-2026 15:57
  This year, Guardian Live events will host the Guardian Climate Forum 2026, a live gathering focused on discussing solutions, accountability and the shared task of building a greener, fairer future. And we want to shape this landmark event with your helpThe climate crisis is one of the defining challenges of our age. But it is also a story of ingenuity, resilience and collective action. Across the world, communities are rethinking energy, food, transport and finance. Campaigners are holding power
  
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• Surfing’s big break: how climate crisis insurance may save El Salvador’s waves

  17-03-2026 15:00
  Fearing that extreme weather threatened its epic breaks, Oriente Salvaje is piloting the first surf insurance policy to protect livelihoods and ecosystemsIn the late 1990s in El Salvador, Rodrigo Barraza went in search of every surfer’s dream: a pristine wave, far from the crowds. Down a rough dirt track hours from any city, he found it: a little-known surf spot on the country’s eastern shores, where long lines of waves form a crisp right-hand break, surrounded by thousands of hectar
  
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• ‘Brisbane is getting a taste of it’: fire ants at New Farm shows invasive species is on the march – and an outbreak may follow

  17-03-2026 15:00
  The detection at a popular park of ‘one of the worst invasive species to reach Australia’ is causing concern that suppression efforts are crackingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Newmarket women’s football side was gearing up for its clash against crosstown club New Farm United in Brisbane’s inner northern suburbs on Saturday morning when a message pinged in the team’s group chat.Just hours before kick-off, the game was postponed, to a
  
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• Saving the pint: behind the race to climate-proof beer in the US

  17-03-2026 13:00
  Water shortages and rising heat is putting pressure on beer ingredients, but US brewers and farmers are adaptingWith St Patrick’s Day this week, millions of Americans are raising a glass. Beer remains the country’s most popular alcoholic drink with more than 6bn gallons consumed each year. But from water shortages to rising temperatures, the climate crisis is putting pressure on beer’s most essential ingredients.At Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon, beer is either stacked high
  
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• Sky monkeys, pink tutus and bum nuts: behind the scenes at the Eden Project as it turns 25

  17-03-2026 09:00
  Our photojournalist explores the Cornish landmark on the eve of its anniversary and meets some of its staff, visitors, plants and creatures“Give me a sleeping bag and I’ll happily sleep here overnight,” says Kim Mackintosh as she wanders amid the vibrant flora of the Mediterranean biome at the Eden Project on the eve of the tourist attraction’s 25th anniversary.Loupe in hand, the leader of the biome’s horticulture team is marvelling at an array of plants that have r
  
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• A total hoot! Beautiful birds – in pictures

  17-03-2026 08:00
  From fluffy owlets to rosy-hued flamingos, Claire Rosen’s portraits of live birds took her on a journey that touched on colonialism, wallpaper design … and chickens Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: A wildflower display of astonishing richness | Mark Cocker

  17-03-2026 06:30
  Drosopigi, the Mani, Greece: This rocky region’s abundance of flora takes the breath away – not least a long and winding trail of Chios chamomileThe Greek name for this southernmost tip of the Peloponnese is linked to a Byzantine fort at Cape Tigani (called Megali Maina), but it may well also draw on the region’s desolate, mountainous rocky country that persists throughout the entire peninsula.The fierce Maniot people were well described by Patrick Leigh Fermor in his book Mani
  
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• Revealed: the world’s worst mega-leaks of methane driving global heating

  17-03-2026 06:00
  Exclusive: Fixing a leak can be simple and equivalent to closing a coal power station, making lack of action maddening, say analystsThe world’s worst mega-leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane in 2025 have been revealed by an analysis of satellite data.The super-polluting plumes from oil and gas facilities have a colossal heating impact on the climate but often result from poor maintenance and can be simple to fix. The assessment found dozens of mega-leaks, each having the same global
  
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• Reduced physical activity due to global heating will lead to rise in health issues, study says

  17-03-2026 00:30
  Researchers project that reduced activity could contribute to half a million additional premature deaths annually by 2050Rising temperatures are making physical activity undesirable and even dangerous in many parts of the world, and as global heating worsens, it will further affect how much people are able to move.Researchers analysed data from 156 countries between 2000 and 2022 and modelled how rising temperatures may affect physical activity globally by 2050. Continue reading...
  
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• The Guardian view on SUVs: London’s mayor is right to push back on supersize cars | Editorial

  16-03-2026 19:40
  Huge vehicles are popular with drivers, but their wider impacts on road safety and the environment must be tackledNo one who walks, cycles or drives around London, or many of the world’s big cities, could fail to notice the vastly increased size of the typical car. A type of vehicle once associated with rural settings and outdoor lifestyles is now ubiquitous. Heavily marketed as sports utility vehicles (SUVs), supersize cars are among the key consumer trends of recent decade
  
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• Trump’s war is bringing economic calamity to the UK – and another shock to our politics | Gaby Hinsliff

  16-03-2026 19:08
  Hard choices lie ahead for Downing Street if higher fuel prices spark resentment and trigger a renewed cost of living crisisSeventy years ago this winter, the streets of Britain fell eerily quiet. After one last panic buying spree, many garages shut, and traffic even in the heart of London dwindled away. The formal introduction of petrol rationing had begun, limiting drivers to 200 miles’ worth a month – with exceptions for farmers, doctors and vicars – after the Suez crisis bl
  
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• Realtime pollution alerts needed on Windermere, campaigners say after boy nearly dies

  16-03-2026 17:00
  Exclusive: Claire Earley’s son Rex spent six weeks in hospital after contracting E coli from contaminated lakeRealtime pollution alerts are needed across Windermere urgently, campaigners have said, as the mother of a seven-year-old boy who kayaked on the lake described how he nearly died after contracting a dangerous strain of E coli from contaminated water.Claire Earley’s son Rex spent six weeks in hospital, and underwent two emergency operations, after a family kayaking trip on Win
  
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• Oldest-known whale song recording provides new insight into ocean sounds

  16-03-2026 14:05
  Recording of humpback whale from 1949 could also provide new understanding of how the huge animals communicateA haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it is the oldest such recording known.The song is that of a humpback whale, a marine giant beloved by whale watchers for its docile nature and spectacular leaps from the water, and was recorded by scientists in March 1949
  
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• ‘We cannot replace USAID, but we can do big things’: conservation plots a future without American money

  16-03-2026 13:00
  The Trump administration’s cuts to biodiversity funding have imperiled species, habitats and the people who defend both. Now the world is seeking a new way forwardOn 22 January 2024, at the inauguration of the current Liberian president, Joseph Boakai, the US-based Liberian poet Patricia Jabbeh Wesley paid tribute to the west African nation’s tropical forests – one of the places where, she said, “our fathers came / centuries ago, and planted our umbilical cords / deep in
  
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• Farmers 'hammered' by fertiliser and fuel rises

  16-03-2026 07:13 via bbc.com
  Andrew Williamson, who farms near Bridgnorth, says he is concerned how the Iran war is affecting prices.
  
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• Country diary: A saliva test for George the pony, and a rethink on worm control | Kate Blincoe

  16-03-2026 06:30
  Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: Deworming horses is as important as ever, but not at the expense of dung beetles – which are coming out of hibernation nowI slide a medical spatula into George the Connemara pony’s mouth, carefully finding the interdental gap in his teeth after his incisors. He begins licking and chewing, working out if it is edible. My job is to hold it in place for at least 30 seconds to get a good sample of his saliva on the absorbent swab, which will be analysed to see
  
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