Environment news

• The eco guide to the cod bounceback

  19-11-2017 07:00
  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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• Shooting restricted for six British wild birds to halt population decline

  23-03-2026 16:00
  Woodcocks and pochard, pintail and goldeneye ducks among threatened species protected by proposalsHunters will be banned from shooting a rare and beautiful duck under new proposals to halt the decline of six British wild birds.The new rules would restrict the shooting of species including the distinctive woodcock, and the striking pintail, goldeneye and pochard ducks, all of which are classed as under threat and have seen their populations fall sharply in recent years. Continue reading...
  
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• Europe’s ‘staggering’ clean power gains undermined by failure to phase out fuel-burning machines

  23-03-2026 16:00
  The EU’s reluctance to replace petrol cars and gas boilers keep it hooked on foreign fuels, say industry groupsEurope has made “staggering progress” in producing clean power but neglected efforts to phase out fuel-burning machines, the head of an industry group said as the global oil crisis deepens.Adrian Hiel, director of the Electrification Alliance, said the EU has “radically transformed” its power supply and must now focus on getting “more electricity into
  
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• ‘There’s biological treasure here’: Chile’s endemic seals gain protection with new marine park

  23-03-2026 13:00
  Sixty years after the discovery of a colony of Juan Fernández fur seals, previously thought to be extinct, a landmark agreement extends ‘no take’ zone around the wildlife-rich archipelagoSix decades ago, pioneering oceanographer and conservationist Sylvia Earle made a bittersweet discovery while diving off Chile’s oceanic islands with the US National Science Foundation vessel, the Anton Bruun. She found the remains of a baby fur seal, one of the world’s most isolat
  
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• Secrets of the karst: new species found in Cambodia’s limestone caves – in pictures

  23-03-2026 12:01
  A survey has revealed the vast array of wildlife – some never seen before – living within the south-east Asian country’s karst ecosystems. The work was led by international wildlife conservation charity Fauna & Flora in collaboration with Cambodia’s environment ministry and field expertsI discovered three new geckos in Cambodia’s limestone caves – and that’s not all we found Continue reading...
  
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• Predatory feral ferrets removed from an island for the first time ever

  23-03-2026 09:00
  Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland is ferret-free after £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NIPredatory feral ferrets have been removed from an island for the first time ever, in a boost for Northern Ireland’s largest seabird colony.Rathlin Island is ferret-free after a £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NI involving islanders, charities, volunteers and a red labrador called Woody. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: A truly special combination of beach, hill and church | John Gilbey

  23-03-2026 06:30
  Mwnt, Ceredigion: There are many isolated spots along this stretch of coastline. On a rare sunny day, I take a walk to one of them Looking south from the low cliffs of Gwbert, the steep rock stacks beyond the mouth of the Afon Teifi are blurred by an early haze. Below me, a fishing boat heads out to check on the crab pots that dot the coast, pursued by an intent gathering of gulls. To the west, as the shadows harden, the low whale-back of Cardigan Island is marked by curved bands of tightly fold
  
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• Tehran’s toxic cloud: satellite images show oily fires burned for days

  23-03-2026 06:00
  Residents reported headaches, eye and skin irritation and breathing difficulties as Israeli bombings blanketed Tehran with pollutantsMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesSatellite images of Tehran show toxic fires caused by Israeli bombings on oil depots were still burning days after the strikes, which have caused fears of serious health complications for millions of residents in the Iranian capital.Clouds of smoke from bombings on 7 March on multiple facilities blanketed the city with
  
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• Earth being ‘pushed beyond its limits’ as energy imbalance reaches record high

  23-03-2026 05:00
  State of the Climate report finds Earth’s energy has moved dangerously out of balance, with oceans absorbing vast majority of trapped heatOur home planet is struggling with a record energy imbalance, which is warming oceans to unprecedented levels, making weather more extreme and threatening health and food supplies, the World Meteorological Organization has warned.The United Nations body confirmed 2015 to 2025 were the hottest 11 years ever measured, but a still bleaker message was that t
  
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• Truck convoy brings cattle feed relief to north-west Queensland after months of flooding – video

  23-03-2026 03:51
  A convoy of seven trucks and one semi-trailer carrying cattle feed has brought much-needed relief to flood-affected graziers in north-west Queensland. Many in the area have not been able to leave their farms for weeks as flood waters forced road closures. Tens of thousands of cattle have also been lost in the floods that have affected the region since January. The charity group Rapid Relief Team organised the free cattle feed as well as a community catchup event. It was the first time since Janu
  
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• I discovered three new geckos in Cambodia’s limestone caves – and that’s not all we found

  23-03-2026 01:01
  The whole ecosystem inside a cave feeds off guano, dead bats, or any dead animals on the ground. It’s not for the faint-heartedIt can be daunting entering a cave. It is an underground world that possibly hasn’t been explored before. The first smell that hits you is guano (or bat poo). Some of these caves host millions of bats – you can hear them chirping above, hanging in the darkness, and occasionally flying around. It always seems like night-time inside a cave because it&rsqu
  
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• Weather extremes gripping US bear climate crisis ‘fingerprint’, experts say

  22-03-2026 13:00
  There are flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama and a severe heatwave in the west coastSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US is experiencing a striking mix of weather extremes this March. Flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama, flip-flopping temperatures in the north-east and, perhaps most concerning, a severe heatwave affecting the west coast are raising questions about how strange these patterns really are, and what role the climat
  
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• ‘She gave her life to protect the richness of Congo’: inside the deadly assault on Upemba wildlife park

  22-03-2026 13:00
  Survivors describe how rangers and staff were targeted by an armed group during a raid on DRC’s national park earlier this monthNearby Congolese soldiers had received warnings of the attack in the morning. But the soldiers did not arrive until late in the evening, long after the killings were over.It happened before dawn on Tuesday 3 March, as a dozen rangers at Upemba national park headquarters were being briefed by their commander before the day’s routine anti-poaching patrol. At 5
  
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• ‘It was our little idyll – until the solar farm landed’: the battle raging in the heart of the British countryside

  21-03-2026 13:00
  In one corner, clean energy champion Ed Miliband. In the other, residents – and Reform politicians – outraged at plans for more large-scale solar farms in Lincolnshire than anywhere else in the UKAs night descends on the grand offices of Lincolnshire county council, everything appears orderly and calm. Paintings of long-forgotten councillors and dignitaries stare out into an empty drawing room. The council chamber is silent and dark. Bored receptionists glance at their phones wh
  
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• 5m tonnes of CO2 emitted in just 14 days of US war on Iran, analysis finds

  21-03-2026 13:00
  Exclusive: War in the Middle East is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combinedThe US-Israel war on Iran is a disaster for the climate, according to an analysis that finds it is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined.As warplanes, drones and missiles kill thousands of people, level infrastructure and turn the Middle East into a gigantic environmental sacrifice zone, the first analysis of the climate cost has found the conflict led to 5m tonne
  
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• ‘A toad is a perfect tenner’: experts recommend wild candidates for new banknotes

  21-03-2026 07:00
  Animals will feature on £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, the Bank of England says, but which creatures should make the cut?Native British wildlife will feature on the next set of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, the Bank of England has announced, but it has yet to be decided which creatures will make the cut.While politicians from Nigel Farage to Ed Davey have sought to confect outrage about ditching Winston Churchill and Jane Austen for badgers or blackbird
  
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• Country diary: The weeds in my garden aren’t disposable – they’re edible | Michael White

  21-03-2026 06:30
  Cranbrook, Kent: Fat hen, chickweed and stinging nettles often end up in the compost heap, but they deserve a try in the kitchenBy March, traditional gardeners have worked hard to eradicate weeds in their vegetable plots in preparation for spring sowing. A quick glance across my unkept patch reveals a different approach, highlighted by its mosaic of vibrant greens obscuring the dark soil. But I have an excuse.Many weeds are edible and, with a little shift in perspective, can be transformed from
  
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• Key takeaways: should you BYO containers when buying food?

  21-03-2026 00:00
  Asking for coffee in a reusable cup or reusing shopping bags is second nature for many, but bringing your own containers for takeaway can take getting used to. Here are some tips to get started Change 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] the advent of cheap, single-use take away packaging, legend has it t
  
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• Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64%, offering hope for at-risk species

  20-03-2026 18:41
  The insects covered its largest area since 2018, despite threats from habitat loss, climate crisis and pesticidesThe population of monarch butterflies in Mexico increased 64% this winter, compared with the same period in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for an insect considered at risk of extinction.The figures, released this week by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico, showed that the area occupied by monarchs expanded to 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) of forest from 1.79 hectares (4.42 acres) the
  
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• ‘Yes to fields of wheat, no to fields of iron’: how the world’s greenest country soured on solar

  20-03-2026 15:00
  In Denmark, the spread of solar panels has become a divisive issue among voters, especially in rural areasIn one telling of the story, the golden fields of a proud farming nation are under attack. Besieged by an industrial sprawl of solar panels, they are being smothered at the behest of an urban elite.That narrative has failed to thrive in conservative heartlands such as Texas and Hungary, which have embraced solar power while lambasting green rules. But it is taking root in Denmark, the most c
  
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• ‘It’s not sustainable’: US farmers reeling as Iran war pushes fertilizer costs up

  20-03-2026 12:00
  Closure of strait of Hormuz – a key fertilizer production and transportation route – has squeezed farmers as prices jumpRodney Bushmeyer has been farming as long as he can remember. Bushmeyer’s father was a farmer, as was his grandfather.The family-run Bushmeyer Farms in Illinois dates back more than 100 years, when his ancestors came to the US from Germany. They acquired the first 80 acres cost-free as homesteaders, cleared the land, and worked it. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Agriculture of life’: the Rio families growing bananas to protect the world’s largest urban forest

  20-03-2026 12:00
  In the middle of the city, traditional growers blend crops with native species to preserve Pedra Branca state park’s biodiversityThe sound of the scythes wielded by brothers Jorge and Ubirajara Cardia breaks the silence in the hills of Vargem Grande, in the south-west zone of Rio de Janeiro city. Quilombola from the Cafundá Astrogilda community, they harvest bananas the same way their ancestors used to. Every week, they select the bunches of prata, maçã, and Cavendish
  
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• ‘Hybrid organ’: how a union of trees and fungi could revolutionise forest management

  20-03-2026 11:00
  A US startup supplies spray for fast-growing loblolly pines with the hope of increasing biodiversity – and reducing the need for artificial fertiliserAt a commercial tree nursery near Evans, western Louisiana, 5m pine seedlings are packed on to 12 vast circular irrigation tables, each as wide as a football field. Last September, many of these young trees were sprayed with what looked like muddy water.The substance was in fact a liquid extract teeming with hundreds of species of wild soil f
  
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• Week in wildlife: wild boar babies, fenland ponies and a slug with strange genitalia

  20-03-2026 09:00
  This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Smokeless’ fuels produce more ultrafine particles that get embedded in lungs, study shows

  20-03-2026 07:00
  The tiny size of the particles means they can become deposited deep in people’s lungs, causing a health riskNew research has found that burning “smokeless” or low-smoke fuels may be causing new air pollution hazards on streets and in homes.These fuels are sold as alternatives to burning coal, wood and peat at home, but tests reveal their smoke contains large quantities of tiny ultrafine particles, smaller than the wavelength of light, that can deposit themselves deep in our lun
  
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• People in North Yorkshire town found to have ‘alarming’ levels of toxic Pfas chemicals in blood

  20-03-2026 07:00
  Exclusive: Testing in Bentham, home to UK’s highest recorded Pfas levels, finds one in four have blood levels in greatest risk categoryAlarming levels of toxic forever chemicals have been found in the blood of people living in a town previously revealed to be contaminated with the UK’s highest recorded level of Pfas.Pfas, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and commonly known as forever chemicals because of their persistence in the environment, have been linked to a wide ra
  
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• Country diary: The messy chaos of nesting herons | Mary Montague

  20-03-2026 06:30
  Stranmillis University College, Belfast: There’s a fuss going on high up in the trees, as these early breeders have already got going with this year’s broodA robin is singing. Moonlight gleams through the trees. These woods are home to a breeding colony of grey herons and, until recently, their incessant yells were part of the dawn chorus. Today, the quietness of an established heron nest high in a beech tree is good news. Herons share parental care and one of the pair is up there &n
  
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• US states sue Trump over his move to scrap greenhouse gases ruling

  19-03-2026 20:09 via bbc.com
  
  The lawsuit seeks to overturn the Trump administration's reversal last month of the 2009 ruling that underpins all US policies aimed at lowering emissions.
  
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• Meet the Seattle families living communally to bring down costs – in pictures

  19-03-2026 19:00
  As Americans face a housing crisis, this development shows how communal living can bring homeownership within reach – and foster connection Continue reading...
  
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• Sex garden to ‘break taboos’ at Chelsea flower show as gnome ban ends

  19-03-2026 16:00
  Lovehoney sponsors Aphrodite-themed ‘pleasure garden’ full of flowers associated with love and sexIt is one of the most prestigious events of the UK social calendar, but the great and good attending Chelsea flower show may be in for a shock this year as the Royal Horticultural Society unveils a sex-themed garden sponsored by a company that sells vibrators.Lovehoney, a sex toy company, is sponsoring an Aphrodite-themed “pleasure garden” full of flowers and plants associate
  
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