Environment news

• UK households bin 168m Christmas lights and ‘fast tech’ items a year

  09-12-2025 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Consumers spent £1.7bn on festive lighting last year and much of it is treated as disposableUK households have thrown away an estimated 168m light-up Christmas items and other “fast-tech” gifts over the past year, a study suggests.The research by the non-profit group Material Focus found about £1.7bn was spent last year on Christmas lighting, including 39m sets of fairy lights. Continue reading...
  
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• Will net zero really cost UK households £500 a year?

  11-12-2025 18:25 via theguardian.com
  An official report lays out different scenarios for the cost of transitioning away from fossil fuels to net zero by 2050Britain’s official energy system operator has attempted to work out what achieving net zero carbon emissions will cost, with its figures showing surging spending in the coming years.The scale and speed of the shift to a low-carbon economy, and how to fund it, are hotly debated by political parties. Continue reading...
  
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• Orcas team up with dolphins to hunt salmon, study finds

  11-12-2025 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Northern resident killer whales appear to use dolphins as ‘scouts’, in asurprising cooperative hunting strategyOrcas and dolphins have been spotted for the first time working as a team to hunt salmon off the coast of British Columbia, according to a new study which suggests a cooperative relationship between the two predators.The research, published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, shows interactions between northern resident orcas (also known as killer whales) and Paci
  
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• Reaching net zero: what will it cost the UK and is it a price worth paying?

  11-12-2025 16:32 via theguardian.com
  An official report says the bill for switching to clean energy will rise sharply – and puts forward a slower, ‘falling behind” alternativeThe cost of hitting net zero targets has been laid bare by the UK’s energy system operator, showing a surge in spending over the coming years.But investing in clean generation projects, distribution networks and replacing fossil fuel cars and boilers could be many billions of pounds cheaper if the UK was less ambitious, according to Thu
  
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• Economic growth no longer linked to carbon emissions in most of the world, study finds

  11-12-2025 16:24 via theguardian.com
  Analysis marking 10 years since Paris climate agreement underscores effectiveness of strong government policiesThe once-rigid link between economic growth and carbon emissions is breaking across the vast majority of the world, according to a study released ahead of Friday’s 10th anniversary of the Paris climate agreement.The analysis, which underscores the effectiveness of strong government climate policies, shows this “decoupling” trend has accelerated since 2015 and is becomi
  
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• MP calls for ban on ‘biobeads’ at sewage works after devastating Camber Sands spillage

  11-12-2025 10:16 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Use of toxic plastic beads in treatment works is unnecessary and outdated, say conservationistsThe use of tiny, toxic plastic beads at sewage works should be banned nationwide, an MP and wildlife experts have said after a devastating spill at an internationally important nature reserve.Hundreds of millions of “biobeads” washed up on Camber Sands beach in East Sussex last month, after a failure at a Southern Water sewage treatment works caused a catastrophic spill. It has d
  
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• Snakes, spiders and rare birds seized by Border Force in month-long operation

  11-12-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Wildlife smuggling is serious organised crime that ‘fuels corruption and drives species to extinction’, Home Office saysMore than 250 endangered species and illegal wildlife products were seized at the UK border in a single month, new figures have revealed, including spiders, snakes and birds.The illicit cargo was uncovered as part of an annual crackdown on wildlife smuggling known as Operation Thunder, which is led by Interpol and the World Customs Organisation. Continue reading...
  
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• Endoscopy finds Neanderthal noses not as adapted to the cold as expected

  11-12-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Study on skull of Altamura Man could be blow to adaptation theories about Neanderthals and their extinctionOne sign of a really cold day is the sharp sting of freezing air in your nose. It was believed that the noses of Neanderthals were better adapted to breathing the cold air of the Ice Age and that when the climate became warmer they were outcompeted by modern humans. This is now being questioned.The opening in the Neanderthal skull is bigger than ours, with a larger nasal cavity behind it. T
  
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• Country diary: A lifelong love affair with common scoters | Mary Montague

  11-12-2025 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Tyrella Beach, County Down: These fine ducks are tricky to spot from the shore, but I feel lucky to be seeing them at allThe common scoter has long haunted the edges of my mind. I think of this handsome duck migrating from its summer breeding grounds in the boreal lakelands of Scandinavia. I watch for the tattered ribbons of its flight formations arriving to winter along this coast. I scrutinise the sea for flocks far offshore.Because even here in Dundrum Bay, where large winter flocks gather, a
  
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• Sea urchin species on brink of extinction after marine pandemic

  11-12-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Ecologically important Diadema africanum almost eliminated by unknown disease in Canary IslandsA marine pandemic is bringing some species of sea urchin to the brink of extinction, and some populations have disappeared altogether, a study has found.Since 2021, Diadema africanum urchins in the Canary Island archipelago have almost entirely been killed by an unknown disease. There has been a 99.7% population decrease in Tenerife, and a 90% decrease off the islands of the Madeira archipelago. Contin
  
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• ‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia

  11-12-2025 04:00 via theguardian.com
  Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’The climate crisis supercharged the deadly storms that killed more than 1,750 people in Asia by making downpours more intense and flooding worse, scientists have reported. Monsoon rains often bring some flooding but the scientists were clear: this was “not normal”.In Sri Lanka, some floods reached the second floor of buildings, while in Sumatra, in Indonesia, the floods we
  
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• Shell facing first UK legal claim over climate impacts of fossil fuels

  11-12-2025 01:20 via bbc.com
  Survivors of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines have filed a claim against the UK's largest oil company.
  
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• A dead whale shows up on your beach. What do you do with the 40-ton carcass?

  10-12-2025 17:00 via theguardian.com
  A fin whale washed ashore in Anchorage and was left there for months. Then a self-described ‘wacko’ museum director made a planWhen a whale dies, its body descends to the bottom of the deep sea in a transformative phenomenon called a whale fall. A whale’s death jump-starts an explosion of life, enough to feed and sustain a deep-ocean ecosystem for decades.There are a lot of ways whales can die. Migrating whales lose their way and, unable to find their way back from unfamiliar w
  
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• A tribute to resilience: what we can learn from the splendour of Accra Cultural Week

  10-12-2025 15:46 via theguardian.com
  Ghana’s capital is a party and entertainment hub but members of the diaspora would do well to experience its spectacular art scene• Don’t get The Long Wave delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAfter more than 50 editions surfing across the waves of the global Black diaspora with Nesrine, this will be my final dispatch for the Long Wave, as I move on to a new role on the Opinion desk at the Guardian. I am heartbroken to be leaving, but I am so thankful to all of our readers for b
  
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• How monogamous are humans? Scientists compile 'league table' of pairing up

  10-12-2025 08:11 via bbc.com
  When it comes to monogamy, humans more closely resemble meerkats and beavers than our primate cousins.
  
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• Synthetic chemicals in food system creating health burden of $2.2tn a year, report finds

  10-12-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Scientists issue urgent warning about chemicals, found to cause cancer and infertility as well as harming environmentScientists have issued an urgent warning that some of the synthetic chemicals that help underpin the current food system are driving increased rates of cancer, neurodevelopmental conditions and infertility, while degrading the foundations of global agriculture.The health burden from phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides and Pfas “forever chemicals” amounts to up to $2.2tn
  
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• Birdwatch: a rare winter sighting of the short-eared owl

  10-12-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Once fairly frequent winter visitors to southern England, they now stay close to their northern breeding groundsAn owl? Or just a gatepost? In my experience, it’s usually a gatepost. So as I drove home across the Somerset Levels, returning from my first starling murmuration of the year, I was convinced that the owl-shaped lump a few yards away was just that. It was also dark brown, unlike the barn owls I sometimes see, which glow like beacons long after sunset.Stopping the car, I lifted my
  
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• Country diary: An unlikely job for a farmer – preserving a roman fort | Andrea Meanwell

  10-12-2025 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Tebay, Cumbria: We have 30 acres of Roman remains underground here, but thanks to recent storms and a redirected river, I fear they’re not safeToday I am out in freezing temperatures photographing a riverbank. Mist, which we call “clag”, swirls over the higher ground and I cannot see any of our livestock that are overwintering on the hills.The reason I’ve turned photographer may come as a surprise: on Low Borrowbridge farm we have a Roman fort and civilian settl
  
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• ‘Even the animals seem confused’: a retreating Kashmir glacier is creating an entire new world in its wake

  10-12-2025 05:00 via theguardian.com
  Kolahoi is one of many glaciers whose decline is disrupting whole ecosystems – water, wildlife and human life that it has supported for centuriesFrom the slopes above Pahalgam, the Kolahoi glacier is visible as a thinning, rumpled ribbon of ice stretching across the western Himalayas. Once a vast white artery feeding rivers, fields and forests, it is now retreating steadily, leaving bare rock, crevassed ice and newly exposed alpine meadows.The glacier’s meltwater has sustained paddy
  
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• Iain Douglas-Hamilton, pioneering elephant conservationist, dies aged 83

  10-12-2025 04:37 via bbc.com
  His groundbreaking field research was instrumental in banning the international ivory trade and protecting elephants from poachers.
  
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• It’s two years since we were told ‘the age of fossil fuels will end’. When will Australia get prepared for what’s coming? | Clear Air

  10-12-2025 00:26 via theguardian.com
  The decline of the coal export industry could come even faster than expected, and we need to do more to manage the economic risksWant to get this in your inbox when it publishes? Sign up for the Clear Air Australia newsletter hereThe year is winding down and for some Australians that means thinking about Christmas or the beach. For others, it will mean considering how they will cope with the next heatwave or bushfire. Already, two states have been burning.The least bold prediction for the summer
  
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• The nine best eco-friendly holiday decor in the US to celebrate with less waste

  09-12-2025 21:15 via theguardian.com
  We found reusable wrapping clothes, garlands made from invasive species, and solar-powered lights that you’ll want to use season after seasonNine eco-minded gifts for Americans that actually make a differenceSign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better thingsThe holiday season is a time for joy, togetherness and generosity, but it can also be a time for overflowing waste bins. According to Oklahoma State University, families tend to generate about 25% mor
  
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• The Guardian view on waste: the festive season is a good time to think about rubbish | Editorial

  09-12-2025 19:49 via theguardian.com
  Weak regulation is to blame for disastrous failures in relation to pollution. But there are solutions if people get behind themA study suggesting that as many as 168m light-up Christmas ornaments and similar items could be thrown out in a single year, in the UK, is concerning if not surprising in light of longstanding challenges around recycling rates and waste reduction. Even if the actual figure is lower, there is no question that battery-powered and electrical toys, lights and gifts are proli
  
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• The 20 best gifts in the US for people who love the outdoors, tested in nature by our expert

  09-12-2025 16:28 via theguardian.com
  Wondering what to get the nature lover in your life? Our outdoor enthusiast curates the must-haves: Loop earplugs, Yeti Rambler and moreThe 163 best holiday gift ideas for 2025, vetted by the Guardian US staffSign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better thingsWhether you know someone who camps every weekend or just enjoys morning coffee outside, you already know: outdoorsy people can be particular about their gear. They want to stay both comfortable and safe in
  
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• Houseplant hacks: can grow lights help plants during winter?

  09-12-2025 11:00 via theguardian.com
  As the days grow shorter and darkness descends, tropical varieties can struggle. But there’s a clever fix that nature can’t provideThe problem
  In the dark days of winter, the whole house is darker, days are shorter, skies are greyer and our tropical houseplants receive far less light than they would in their natural habitat. Leaves fade and growth slows as plants struggle to photosynthesise.The hack
  Grow lights offer a clever fix, topping up what nature can’t provide. But with
  
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• UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says

  09-12-2025 10:00 via bbc.com
  The US and other governments derailed an agreement on a global environment study, its co-chair says.
  
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• ‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’

  09-12-2025 10:00 via theguardian.com
  UN GEO report says ending this harm key to global transformation required ‘before collapse becomes inevitable’The unsustainable production of food and fossil fuels causes $5bn (£3.8bn) of environmental damage per hour, according to a major UN report.Ending this harm was a key part of the global transformation of governance, economics and finance required “before collapse becomes inevitable”, the experts said. Continue reading...
  
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• Caribbean reefs have lost 48% of hard coral since 1980, study finds

  09-12-2025 07:00 via theguardian.com
  ‘Destructive’ marine heatwaves driving loss of microalgae that feed coral, says Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network Caribbean reefs have half as much hard coral now as they did in 1980, a study has found.The 48% decrease in coral cover has been driven by climate breakdown, specifically marine heatwaves. They affect the microalgae that feed coral, making them toxic and forcing the coral to expel them. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: A close encounter with a buzzard – but something’s not quite right | Ed Douglas

  09-12-2025 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Hargatewall, Derbyshire: Cycling towards a frosty Kinder Scout, I was waylaid by a raptor so settled she wouldn’t even move for a passing tractorNorth of Hargatewall, the country has an austere quality, a high limestone plateau with a tracery of walls the colour of old bones dividing oblongs of pasture. The hamlet’s name has nothing to do with gates or walls. It’s derived from Old English words meaning “herd farm by the spring” – a clue to the deep roots that
  
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• It’s the world’s rarest ape. Now a billion-dollar dig for gold threatens its future

  09-12-2025 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Tapanuli orangutans survive only in Indonesia’s Sumatran rainforest where a mine expansion will cut through their home. Yet the mining company says the alternative will be worseA small brown line snakes its way through the rainforest in northern Sumatra, carving 300 metres through dense patches of meranti trees, oak and mahua. Picked up by satellites, the access road – though modest now – will soon extend 2km to connect with the Tor Ulu Ala pit, an expansion site of Indonesia&r
  
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