Environment news

• The eco guide to the cod bounceback

  19-11-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  It was great news for fish and chips fans when North Sea cod was certified sustainable. Steady on though, there are still things to worry about at seaHere’s a food truth: most Britons are happy to say “cod and chips, please” without even thinking about the sustainability impact of our favourite Friday night supper. Our love of white flaky fish has been a nightmare for fish campaigners. North Sea cod stocks plummeted from 270,000 tonnes in the 1970s to 44,000 tonnes in the early
  
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• Why are British people so obsessed with bins? | Polly Hudson

  21-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Our nation’s fascination with rubbish knows no bounds – as was proved by one recent online debateEven if you’ve never been anywhere near it, the Mumsnet message board is legendary. Since it launched in 2000, it has changed the vernacular – “am I being unreasonable?” is not just a question, it’s a shorthand for the type of person who asks it – and introduced us to the penis beaker (one maverick husband’s postcoital hygiene regime, made infamou
  
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• Toby Carvery owner faces eviction from north London site for felling ancient oak

  21-01-2026 11:25 via theguardian.com
  Felling of 500-year-old oak has provoked fury from public and Enfield council, which leases land to Mitchells & ButlersThe restaurant chain Toby Carvery is facing eviction from one of its sites after taking a chainsaw to an ancient oak tree without the permission of its council landlord.The partial felling last April of the 500-year-old oak on the edge of a Toby Carvery car park in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, provoked widespread public dismay and fury from Enfield council, which leases the lan
  
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• ‘Every time I look at one, I smile!’: how axolotls took over the world

  21-01-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Our passion for these cute-looking salamanders means they are everywhere – except in the wild, where the species is under increasing threatAxolotls are the new llamas. Which were, of course, the new unicorns. Which triggered a moment for narwhals. If you are an unusual-looking animal, this is your time. Even humans who have never seen an axolotl – a type of salamander – in the smooth and slimy flesh will have met a cartoon or cuddly one. Mexican axolotls have the kind of look t
  
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• Plantwatch: Neighbouring plants warn each other about incoming stress

  21-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  A study of Arabidopsis thaliana plants found that plants growing together activated genes to protect themselves, while isolated plants did notPlants growing close to each other can warn each other about stresses in their lives.Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants were grown on their own or crowded so close together they were touching each other. When all the plants were then stressed with intense light, the isolated plants suffered severe damage, but the crowds of plants were able to cope w
  
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• Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from just 32 fossil fuel firms, study shows

  21-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Critics accuse leading firms of sabotaging climate action but say data increasingly being used to hold them to accountJust 32 fossil fuel companies were responsible for half the global carbon dioxide emissions driving the climate crisis in 2024, down from 36 a year earlier, a report has revealed.Saudi Aramco was the biggest state-controlled polluter and ExxonMobil was the largest investor-owned polluter. Critics accused the leading fossil fuel companies of “sabotaging climate action”
  
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• Country diary: I see 38 bird species in a day – but does it matter? | Richard Smyth

  21-01-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Swillington Ings, West Yorkshire: I’m counting, but not counting. The highlight, though, has to be those those gentleman thugs, the greater black-backed gullsLast week, three guys I know took a winter walk around this patch of water, wetland and waterside scrub, and saw 84 bird species. I’m going to write that out in full, like they used to on the football results when someone notched up an improbable score: eighty-four. Most people would be hard-pressed to name 84 bird spe
  
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• Judi Dench backs campaign to protect London’s green spaces from developers

  21-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Actor says it is ‘more important than ever’ to safeguard city’s parks as report finds more than 50 are at riskDame Judi Dench has called for greater protections for London’s parks and green spaces, as research finds more than 50 of the city’s parks are at risk from development.The Oscar-winning actor has long loved trees, and in 2017 fronted a BBC documentary about her love for them. She plants a tree every time a close friend or relative dies, including for her lat
  
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• No ban on gas boilers in UK warm homes plan but heat pumps get £2.7bn push

  20-01-2026 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Government opts against phasing out new boilers by 2035 in effort to cut energy bills by as much as £1,000 a yearAnalysis: Labour’s warm homes plan is all carrot and no stick for UK householdsThere will be no phaseout date for gas boilers in the government’s warm homes plan despite its pledge to wean the UK off fossil fuels, but billions of pounds will go towards heat pumps and insulation upgrades.Labour’s principal attempt to solve the UK’s cost of living crisis, t
  
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• Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn

  20-01-2026 20:03 via theguardian.com
  Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being feltThe global attack on nature is threatening the UK’s national security, government intelligence chiefs have warned, as the increasingly likely collapse of vitally important natural systems would bring mass migration, food shortages and price rises, and global disorder.Food supplies are particularly at risk since “without significant increases” the UK would be unable to
  
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• Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says

  20-01-2026 19:00 via theguardian.com
  Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expertThe world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy” that is harming billions of people, a UN report has declared.The overuse and pollution of water must be tackled urgently, the report’s lead author said, because no one knew when the whole system could collapse, with implications for peace and social cohesion. Continue reading...
  
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• Water winners: who will gain from the industry’s spending spree in England and Wales?

  20-01-2026 16:34 via theguardian.com
  As Labour shakes up regulation, suppliers are finally investing – but face problems such as contractor shortages and inflationWater firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaulWhen a sluice gate failed 24 metres below the water’s surface at Thames Water’s Queen Mother reservoir near London’s Heathrow airport, there were no easy fixes available. Emptying 37m cubic metres (1,307m cu ft) of water was not an option, meaning that helmeted divers were l
  
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• Huge amounts of extra land needed for RFK Jr’s meat-heavy diet guidelines

  20-01-2026 13:30 via theguardian.com
  Even 25% increase in meat and dairy consumption would require 100m more acres of agricultural land, analysis saysThe Trump administration’s new dietary guidelines urging Americans to eat far more meat and dairy products will, if followed, come at a major cost to the planet via huge swathes of habitat razed for farmland and millions of tons of extra planet-heating emissions.A new inverted food pyramid recently released by Donald Trump’s health department emphasizes pictures of steak,
  
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• Looking for Miracle: why have so many dugongs gone missing from Thailand’s shores?

  20-01-2026 12:03 via theguardian.com
  The Andaman coast was one of very few places in the world with a viable population but then dead dugongs began washing up. Now half have goneA solitary figure stands on the shore of Thailand’s Tang Khen Bay. The tide is slowly rising over the expanse of sandy beach, but the man does not seem to notice. His eyes are not fixed on the sea, but on the small screen clutched between his hands.About 600 metres offshore, past the shadowy fringe of coral reef, his drone hovers over the murky sea, f
  
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• The influencer racing to save Thailand’s most endangered sea mammal

  20-01-2026 11:58 via theguardian.com
  Amateur conservationist and social media influencer Theerasak ‘Pop’ Saksritawee has a rare bond with Thailand’s critically endangered dugongs. With dugong fatalities increasing, Pop works alongside scientists at Phuket Marine Biological Centre to track the mammals with his drone and restore their disappearing seagrass habitat. Translating complex science for thousands online, Pop raises an urgent alarm about climate change, pollution and habitat loss — before Thailand&rsq
  
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• Why have there been so many shark bites in Sydney? Experts say the conditions are a ‘perfect storm’

  20-01-2026 09:23 via theguardian.com
  Intense rainfall has caused the water to go murky in some areas, making them attractive spots for fish and sharks to feedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFour people have been attacked by sharks in New South Wales in 48 hours, including three incidents at Sydney beaches.Any shark bite incident is traumatic and Sydney swimmers have been warned to stay out of the water. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: Is the willow Britain’s finest tree? In one sense, it is | Mark Cocker

  20-01-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Buxton, Derbyshire: Others are taller, wider, older, but our varied stock of willows have a generosity that sets them apartUsually in this country when we think about important trees, we focus on height, girth, age, visual impact – in short, their material properties. Few therefore would probably name willow as a number one British species.Willows often have no central trunk as in our archetypal tree model, and few specimens are more than 7 metres tall. Yet there is a sphere in which willo
  
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• Antarctic penguins have radically shifted their breeding season – seemingly in response to climate change

  20-01-2026 06:01 via theguardian.com
  Changing temperatures may be behind change in behaviour, which experts fear threatens three species’ survivalPenguins in Antarctica have radically shifted their breeding season, apparently as a response to climate change, research has found.Dramatic shifts in behaviour were revealed by a decade-long study led by Penguin Watch at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, with some penguins’ breeding period moving forward by more than three weeks. Continue reading...
  
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• Is your body really full of microplastics? – podcast

  20-01-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Studies detecting microplastics throughout human bodies have made for alarming reading in recent years. But last week, the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, reported on major doubts among a group of scientists about how some of this research has been conducted.Damian tells Ian Sample how he first heard about the concerns, why the scientists think the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives, and where it leaves the field. He also reflects on
  
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• Water firms could be let off pollution fines as part of government overhaul

  19-01-2026 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Campaigners claim changes will let companies ‘off the hook’, as government prepares to unveil new white paper for water industryWater companies could be let off fines for polluting the environment under changes announced in the government’s new white paper.The environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, hailed the changes as “once-in-a-generation reforms” featuring “tough oversight, real accountability and no more excuses”. Continue reading...
  
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• Bill Gates charity trust’s holdings in fossil fuel firms rise despite divestment claims

  19-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Trust had $254m invested in companies such as Chevron, BP and Shell in 2024, a nine-year record, analysis showsThe Gates Foundation Trust holds hundreds of millions of dollars in fossil fuel extractors despite Bill Gates’ claims of divestment made in 2019.End-of-year filings reveal that in 2024 the trust invested $254m in companies that extract fossil fuels such as Chevron, BP and Shell. This was a nine-year record and up 21% from 2016, Guardian analysis found. Adjusting for inflation, it
  
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• Weather tracker: tropical storm brings torrential rain to Philippines

  19-01-2026 12:42 via theguardian.com
  Warnings in place for storm surges and flooding, with landslides and volcanic mudflows possible on LuzonThe Philippines is experiencing its first tropical storm of the year. Ada, also known as Nokaen, slowly developed into a tropical storm on Friday, travelling northwards along the east coast over the weekend and bringing torrential rain of up to 200mm a day and maximum wind gusts of up to 65mph near the storm’s centre.The system is expected to remain a tropical storm until Tuesday as it t
  
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• Scientists warn of ‘regime shift’ as seaweed blooms expand worldwide

  19-01-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Study links rapid growth of ocean macroalgae to global heating and nutrient pollutionScientists have warned of a potential “regime shift” in the oceans, as the rapid growth of huge mats of seaweed appears to be driven by global heating and excessive enrichment of waters from farming runoff and other pollutants.Over the past two decades, seaweed blooms have expanded by a staggering 13.4% a year in the tropical Atlantic and western Pacific, with the most dramatic increases occurring af
  
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• ‘We thought they would ignore us’: how humans are changing the way raptors behave

  19-01-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Experts call for tighter regulation as GPS tracking reveals how people’s behaviour affects the lives of some of the world’s largest birdsMany people look up to admire the silhouette of raptors, some of the planet’s largest birds, soaring through seemingly empty skies. But increasingly, research shows us that this fascination runs both ways. From high above, these birds are watching us too.Thanks to the development of tiny GPS tracking devices attached to their bodies, researche
  
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• Country diary: This is true water music – and the more you listen, the more you hear | Derek Niemann

  19-01-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Frome, Somerset: Get tuned in to the river’s sounds and you’re treated to a symphony of noise, from susurrating hisses to great belchesAfter three decades living alongside mute waterways in East Anglia, with their soundless glide over clay, I am learning a liquid language here, and all its boulder dialects, as our winter‑filled local stream gushes down its limestone gorge.My fellow country diarist and wild swimmer Amy-Jane Beer shares my passion for river music.
  
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• 15 years after Fukushima, Japan prepares to restart the world’s biggest nuclear plant

  19-01-2026 02:46 via theguardian.com
  A return to nuclear power is at the heart of Japan’s energy policy but, in the wake of the 2011 disaster, residents’ fears about tsunamis, earthquakes and evacuation plans remain The activity around the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant is reaching its peak: workers remove earth to expand the width of a main road, while lorries arrive at its heavily guarded entrance. A long perimeter fence is lined with countless coils of razor wire, and in a layby, a police patrol car monitors
  
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• It’s been a busy month for Anthony Albanese on the environment | Jess Harwood

  19-01-2026 01:28 via theguardian.com
  Talk about climate whiplash Continue reading...
  
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• The Guardian view on microplastics research: questioning results is good for science, but has political consequences | Editorial

  18-01-2026 18:58 via theguardian.com
  Errors in measuring microplastic pollution can be corrected. Public trust in science also needs to be shored up It is true that science is self-correcting. Over the long term this means that we can generally trust its results – but up close, correction can be a messy process. The Guardian reported last week that 20 recent studies measuring the amount of micro- and nanoplastics in the human body have been criticised in the scientific literature for methodological issues, calling their resul
  
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• Why am I a vegan? I do it for my mental health | Emma Beddington

  18-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Vegan restaurants are closing, RFK Jr is sounding the drum for carnivores, and the protein cult is bigger than ever. But eschewing animal products helps me ward off a sense of impotence – and despairLet’s get this out of the way, because I’m itching to tell you (again): I’m vegan, and this is our time, Veganuary! Imagine me doing a weak, vitamin B12-depleted dance. Unlike gym-goers, vegans are thrilled when newbies sign up each January, for planetary and animal welfare re
  
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• Australia’s koala paradox: why is the beloved marsupial endangered in parts but overabundant in others?

  18-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  There are so many koalas in some places that food is the issue – while elsewhere populations are threatened by habitat loss. And there are no easy fixesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereOn French Island in Victoria’s Western Port Bay, koalas are dropping from trees. Eucalypts have been eaten bare by the marsupials, with local reports of some found starving and dead. Multiple koalas – usually solitary animals – can
  
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