Environment news

• Weatherwatch: pollution can make clouds drier

  28-05-2018 22:30 via theguardian.com
  New findings contrast with some climate models that indicate aerosols make clouds ‘wetter’What’s in a cloud? Water, certainly, but also tiny particles known as “aerosols”. Whether they originate from wildfires, volcanoes, sandstorms, ship emissions or power stations, aerosols alter the properties of a cloud. By providing a surface for water to condense on to, they can help water droplets to form. But exactly how aerosols alter clouds is not clear. Now a new satellit
  
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• Lobsters and acidic seas: can shellfish help neutralise one of the greatest threats to the ocean?

  20-08-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Crustaceans are the subject of tests to see if alkalis added to seawater, so it absorbs more CO2, harm marine life. But Trump’s halt to funding threatens to scupper the researchFor many in the US region of New England, the lobster roll is synonymous with summertime. Loaded into a toasted bun, chunks of the sweet meat are served hot and soaked in butter, or chilled and slathered in mayonnaise with celery and herbs.The only thing more debated than the recipe is the price: the once-humble rol
  
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• The winner of the Guardian's Invertebrate of the year 2026 revealed

  20-08-2026 13:01 via theguardian.com
  In a much closer contest than previous years – when the tardigrade and the common earthworm won with popular landslides – the winner of the 2026 Guardian Invertebrate of the year has been decided.The competition was launched three years ago to celebrate overlooked and often derided invertebrates, which number at least 1.7m species – about 97% of all animals – with probably millions more still to be discovered and described.Watch presenter and naturalist Chris Packham run
  
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• Winner of Invertebrate of the Year 2026 crowned – and it is the size of a grain of rice

  20-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The leaf sheep, a neon green solar-powered slug, has inspired at least one Pokémon character and triumphs in global ballotSee the top 10 shortlist hereChris Packham: ‘Life as we know it hinges on invertebrates’A neon green solar-powered slug that lives underwater is the winner of the increasingly popular Invertebrate of the Year competition run by the Guardian.The leaf sheep, Costasiella kuroshimae, triumphed in the global ballot after hundreds of thousands of readers around t
  
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• Humans have learned to fear ‘bugs’, but we shouldn’t – life as we know it hinges on invertebrates | Chris Packham

  20-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  At this point of the crisis in our relations with the natural world, we’ve got to protect these creatures – and we are running out of timeRead more from the Guardian’s invertebrate of the year 2026Too many animals are regarded as “bugs”. And, if anything is a bug, it is a short step to it becoming a “pest”. Too many of us have a learned fear – it’s not innate – of anything with six legs or antennae.I’m a big fan of the invertebrat
  
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• How one American couple ditched their lawn and created a wildlife haven – and you could too

  20-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Novice gardeners James Reed McGuire and Crystal Fritz wanted to try something new when they moved out to the suburbs. Little did they know they were joining a nationwide movementWhen James Reed McGuire and Crystal Fritz first decided to replace their lawn with native plants, they did not really know what they were doing. As former city-dwellers who had moved from Chicago out to the suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, they had never done much gardening together beyond growing some planters of herb
  
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• Destructive and delicious: how an invasive deer in Hawaii is being turned into dinner

  20-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  The overpopulation of axis deer has taken an environmental toll, but Maui Nui Venison sees it as a resource instead of a pestIn 1868, the government of Hong Kong gave eight axis deer to Hawaii’s King Kamehameha V. They were a beautiful gift, these creatures that hail from south Asia, with their honey-colored pelts marked by a smattering of white spots. But their incursion into Maui started much later, in the 1950s, when they were brought to the island for recreational hunters.Now, more tha
  
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• Weatherwatch: Climate crisis fuelling steep fall in migratory bird numbers

  20-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Many species under threat use the African-Eurasian flyway, one of the planet’s largest mass-migration systemsIt may still feel like summer, but in the world of birds, autumn migration is already well under way. Cuckoos and swifts have already left us, and while swallows and many species of warbler will not depart our shores until September, many species of Arctic-breeding waders have begun to stop off at our coastal marshes to refuel for their long journey south.This year, however, there c
  
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• Watermelons in Bristol: how UK heatwaves are affecting growers

  20-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Most allotment holders say the heat has meant more work for smaller crops, although some have found a silver liningAfter a summer of repeated heatwaves and exceptionally dry weather in the UK, rain has brought some relief this week, but drought remains widespread and experts warn it will take weeks of sustained rainfall for water supplies to recover.For people growing their own fruit and vegetables, it has been a challenging and sometimes surprising season. The Guardian spoke to growers across E
  
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• Monstera magic: Barbican hands out cuttings as ‘green lung of the city’ closes

  20-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Five hundred people turn up to adopt plants from conservatory that will reopen in 2030 after renovation projectAbove the waxy monstera leaves and bright pink hibiscus flowers in the Barbican conservatory hangs a giant net to catch the panes of glass that are at risk of falling from the ceiling on the unwitting plant lovers below.This precarious situation has caused the estate to shutter its greenhouse on the third and fourth floors for three years so a full refurbishment can take place. But the
  
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• From bone-dry to soaked to the bone, welcome to the age of climate whiplash | Aditya Chakrabortty

  20-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  This punishingly hot and dry summer will probably be followed by another wet winter. But it’s nothing compared with what Britain will endure in years to comeThis summer could be the hottest, driest and deadliest in English history. Successive heatwaves have so far claimed almost 3,000 lives. Nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales is in drought, while key reservoirs are parched. Across this brown and stickily unpleasant land, from Grimsby down to St Ives, hosepipe bans are in for
  
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• Country diary: All hail the horsetail, a plant that could survive anything | Kate Blincoe

  20-08-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Newton Flotman, Norfolk: It looks like a toilet brush yet predates the dinosaurs. I can’t help but give it a stroke by the roadside, even if I get strange looksThe rural road is flanked with a bank of green fuzz. It’s jungly and verdant – lush in a landscape that has turned brown and yellow from drought. I run my hand over the green bristles erupting from a bamboo-like stem.Equisetum arvense, or field horsetail, looks fluffy, but it is wiry and rough. One could serve effec
  
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• The threatening thaw: climate professor on heatwave risks to tipping point of permafrost

  20-08-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Prof Gustaf Hugelius warns wildfires could accelerate release of methane and carbon as vast regions approach irreversible thresholdsHeatwaves and wildfires are not just scorching forests, they are adding to the tipping point risks in the world’s vast permafrost regions, which contain three times more carbon than all the living vegetation on Earth.This is a major concern for Gustaf Hugelius, a professor at the Bolin Centre of Climate Research at Stockholm University, Sweden, and a leading a
  
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• Taxpayers to fund clear-up of illegal dumps in West Yorkshire, Surrey and Kent

  19-08-2026 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Andy Burnham promises drive to tackle toxic waste, raise fines and use AI-powered drones to detect illegal activityIllegal dumps in West Yorkshire, Surrey and Kent will be cleared up using taxpayer money, Andy Burnham has announced, as the prime minister promises a new drive to tackle toxic waste.Ministers have identified dumps in Bradford, Runnymede and the Isle of Sheppey, which collectively contain about 22,000 tonnes of illegal waste, to be cleared in the next phase of the government’s
  
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• ‘Success story’ hailed as bluefin tunas caught off Yorkshire for first time since 1960s

  19-08-2026 18:36 via theguardian.com
  Researchers laud return of giant tuna to North Sea after being fished almost to point of extinction Researchers have lauded two giant bluefin tunas being caught off the coast of Yorkshire for the first time in more than six decades as a “success story” for marine conservation.The tunas, which were caught a day apart off the coast of Whitby earlier this week, have mostly been absent along the north-east coast of Britain since the 1960s. Continue reading...
  
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• Swimmers warned of toxic algae at newly designated Thames bathing site

  19-08-2026 18:32 via theguardian.com
  People told they and their pets should keep out of river at Ham amid anger over Thames Water’s treated sewage planSwimmers are being warned not to enter the water at the first official bathing site on the River Thames, in south-west London, because of toxic blue-green algae in the water.The blue-green algal blooms are rare in moving water but are likely to be caused by the extreme heat, low river flow, and nutrient pollution from sewage waste. Continue reading...
  
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• Reform says we need to choose between climate and economy. It's wrong | Larry Elliott

  19-08-2026 17:10 via theguardian.com
  The party’s deputy leader Richard Tice says we should stop worrying about extreme heat and enjoy it. This dangerous nonsense will wreck our finances and the planetSo now we know: the smart response to the UK’s summer of record temperatures is to do precisely nothing. According to Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, the climate crisis is just one of those things. Nothing can be done about it, so we should simply bask in the sunshine.It is reasonable to assume Tice would not
  
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• ‘A critical crossroads’: who is the woman vying to become the first Caribbean head of the UN?

  19-08-2026 15:55 via theguardian.com
  If elected, Guyanese politician, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett wants to prioritise climate issues and restore the United Nations as a force for goodDon’t already get The Long Wave in your inbox? Sign up hereAs the Guardian’s Caribbean correspondent, I sometimes encounter stories that everyone is talking about in the region, but are not on the radar of the international media. Today, I’m taking over the Long Wave to bring you one of those stories. This summer, Guyanese ambassador Ca
  
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• Labour ‘could lose up to 50 seats’ to Greens if new drilling in North Sea approved

  19-08-2026 11:28 via theguardian.com
  Greens say analysis shows government failure to take bold climate action could lead to big gains for party at electionUK politics live – latest updatesLabour could lose dozens of seats to the Green party if the government allows new drilling in the North Sea, according to internal research shared with the Guardian.Green party analysis suggests up to 50 Labour MPs – including key Andy Burnham ally Louise Haigh – could lose their seats at the next election if the government fails
  
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• UK relies on heat-stressed countries for fruit and veg it could grow itself – report

  19-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Food Foundation sounds alarm over supply risks and price shocks as about 40% of Britain’s food is importedThe UK is vulnerable to food price shocks because of its dependence on imports of fruit and vegetable from countries even more exposed to the climate crisis, researchers say.Much of Britain has sweltered under a record five heatwaves this year and endured drought and wildfires, with the hot, dry conditions damaging crops and reducing yields of domestic produce. Continue reading...
  
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• Plantwatch: Cities make a surprising refuge for threatened UK wildflowers

  19-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Nooks and crannies in urban areas provide a welcome alternative to intensive farming and other rural pressuresWildflowers are having a rough time in the countryside, mostly from the onslaught of intensive farming with fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides and less grazing. On top of that, there are building developments, competition from invasive plant species and the climate crisis to contend with.The UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows over the last century and over half of the country&
  
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• Country diary: It’s hard being a vicar in a long, hot summer | Simon Lockett

  19-08-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Madley, Herefordshire: The cool of our churches has been welcome to many, but my polyester robes are not made for the heatEvery summer, while roasting in my robes, I say to myself: “I must get a lighter set.” If I had a cotton cassock instead of a polyester cassock and alb, swaying to the singing of hymns might not raise my core temperature as much. In that regard, this year hasn’t been without its challenges.Even so, our churches have become “cool spaces”. In Madle
  
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• Carbon pollution has fuelled ‘massive expansion’ of marine heatwaves in Europe, study finds

  19-08-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Hottest periods this year in most sea regions would have been ‘virtually impossible’ in a preindustrial climateCarbon pollution has fuelled a “massive expansion” of marine heatwaves in Europe this summer, research has found, with some waters recording temperatures 6C higher than normal.The hottest fortnights of this year would have been “virtually impossible” in a preindustrial climate in three of the four sea regions studied, according to analysis by World We
  
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• Ulez led to better lung size and function among London children, study finds

  19-08-2026 00:30 via theguardian.com
  Researchers find capacity stunted by pollution was restored after introduction of ultra-low emission zoneChildren’s lungs grew bigger and stronger after the most polluting vehicles were restricted from entering London, a study has found.Examinations of London schoolchildren before and after the introduction of the city’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) found a restoration of lung capacity that had been stunted by exposure to pollution. Continue reading...
  
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• Introducing Ulez was my hardest decision as mayor of London – but now we know its astonishing impact | Sadiq Khan

  19-08-2026 00:30 via theguardian.com
  Critics said I was attacking motorists. It’s more important for me that the city’s children are no longer breathing dangerous levels of pollutionUlez led to better lung size and function among London children, study findsWhen I introduced London’s clean air zone – the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) – more than seven years ago, no city had ever attempted anything quite like it. At the time, the scheme in central London provoked fierce opposition. When I decided to ex
  
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• Rebecca Hendin on Richard Tice and the climate crisis – cartoon

  18-08-2026 17:34 via theguardian.com
  
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• Heavy rain on dry ground may cause UK floods but will not reverse drought

  18-08-2026 17:00 via theguardian.com
  ‘First meaningful rain for a long time’ is forecast but water firms continue to ask customers to restrict useFloods and drought could hit the UK at the same time this week, with heavy rain forecast to fall on hard, parched soil.While some parts of the UK will have the “first meaningful rain for a long time” in the coming days, it will not reverse widespread drought conditions that have put pressure on wildlife, farmers, firefighters and water resources. Continue reading..
  
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• Heavy rain on dry ground may cause UK floods as taps run dry for thousands

  18-08-2026 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Forecasters say ‘first meaningful rain for a long time’ will not reverse widespread drought conditionsFloods and drought could hit the UK at the same time this week, with heavy rain forecast to fall on hard, parched soil.While some parts of the UK will have the “first meaningful rain for a long time” in the coming days, it will not reverse widespread drought conditions that have put pressure on wildlife, farmers, firefighters and water resources. Continue reading...
  
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• Heavy rain forecast will not reverse widespread drought conditions in UK

  18-08-2026 15:44 via theguardian.com
  Forecasters say intense showers might cause flooding as rain falls on dry, hard groundFloods and drought could hit the UK at the same time this week, with heavy rain forecast to fall on hard, parched soil.While some parts of the UK will have the “first meaningful rain for a long time” in the coming days, it will not reverse widespread drought conditions that have put pressure on wildlife, farmers, firefighters and water resources. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘We humans are inept at taking care of baby animals’: why well-fed orphan bears die in the wild

  18-08-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Scientists surprised to find all but two of 12 grizzlies were dead within a year of ‘feelgood’ release, unable to sustain their high-calorie diet and inclined to approach humansThe orphaned grizzly bear cubs were bulked up with a generous diet of roadkill, watermelon, dog food and snacks donated by the public. Their contact with carers was limited to two people. Then, after up to a year in rehabilitation, they returned home to the wilds of British Columbia.“It’s a feelgoo
  
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