Environment news

• Where to see the biggest solar eclipse since 1999

  31-07-2026 07:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK's biggest solar eclipse since 1999 arrives on 12 August. Here's where to see it safely.
  
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• Heatwave Britain: why are politicians so slow to act? – podcast

  06-08-2026 15:57 via theguardian.com
  As another summer of extreme heat rumbles on, warnings about excess deaths, ageing infrastructure and potential food shortages are growing louder. So how well prepared is the UK to cope, both now and in the years ahead? Jessica Elgot and Alexandra Topping examine why politicians have been so slow to act. Plus, Kemi Badenoch has distanced herself from the former neo-Nazi turned Tory council candidate Joshua Bonehill-Paine, only to offer him him an advisory role instead. What was she thinking?You
  
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• ‘It’s beautiful but fragile’: fears cruise ships threaten habitats in £150m redevelopment of Falmouth Docks

  06-08-2026 13:05 via theguardian.com
  Plans involve dredging and expanding the docks to allow larger cruise ships to visit with up to 200,000 passengers annuallyJanavi Kramer had just enjoyed a swim with friends and was sitting on a bench taking in a wonderful Cornish view – headlands plunging into deep water, bobbing boats, a bustling harbour town.“We’re lucky to have this space,” said Kramer, who is an artist and scientific illustrator. “We use it for work, recreation and pleasure and it’s so sc
  
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• ‘Do we really need huge cruise ships here?’: fears £150m Falmouth Docks plan threatens habitats – and town itself

  06-08-2026 13:05 via theguardian.com
  Plans involve dredging and expanding docks to allow larger cruise ships to visit with up to 200,000 passengers annuallyJanavi Kramer had just enjoyed a swim with friends and was sitting on a bench taking in a wonderful Cornish view – headlands plunging into deep water, bobbing boats, a bustling harbour town.“We’re lucky to have this space,” said Kramer, who is an artist and scientific illustrator. “We use it for work, recreation and pleasure and it’s so scary
  
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• ‘Like a jet taking off’: the cicada that can top 120 decibels and nearly break the pain threshold

  06-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The palm-sized greengrocer is bright, loud and abundant, and has long been a collectible item for Australian childrenRevealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the yearBefore marbles, stamps and trading cards, there were cicadas.There are thousands of cicada species globally, but for Australian children the craze centres on one particularly collectible item: the greengrocer. Continue reading...
  
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• All bodies of water in England polluted with toxic chemicals, official data shows

  06-08-2026 12:03 via theguardian.com
  Environment Agency assessments find just 14.3% of country’s surface waters in good ecological statusEvery single English water body is polluted with toxic chemicals, new government data shows, while just 14.3% of surface waters achieved good ecological status.Each of the country’s rivers, lakes and estuaries was assessed by the Environment Agency as part of a six-yearly evaluation of England’s water quality. The EA checked for a range of toxic chemicals, from Pfas – or &l
  
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• We need a wartime mindset to fight the threat of wildfires | Seth Klein

  06-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  While many leaders compare the wildfire crisis to the second world war, governments fail to adopt the real lessons of pre-emptive wartime actionAs France and Spain battle historic wildfires, comparisons to the second world war abound. “One of the continent’s biggest evacuation efforts since World War II,” reports the Associated Press. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has called the wildfires his country’s “most difficult situation since the second world war&rd
  
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• ‘They were told bikes were for men’: how Latin America’s city of cycling is breaking gender barriers

  06-08-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  With less than a third of cycling journeys taken by women, Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, is installing bike lanes, teaching cycling and making sure ‘stereotypes are left behind’Eliana González has a busy morning ahead of her, dropping off her son at school and picking up groceries. Her trusted vehicle to get around in Bogotá is a colourful cargo bike, adapted to carry her two children and occasionally her dog.“For me, my cargo bike is a way to carry my
  
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• Weatherwatch: Paving over front gardens is leading to hotter nights

  06-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Changing paved areas to grass and planting trees can reduce urban heat island effect by as much as 1C, study showsAdd together all the UK’s household gardens and they cover an area three times larger than all the country’s nature reserves combined. But as the demand for car parking increases, many front gardens are being paved over, with research showing that this loss of green is adding to the urban heat island effect, particularly at night.In 2005, about 7.5% of the UK’s fron
  
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• Country diary: Even in a heatwave, signs of last winter storms still linger | Nicola Chester

  06-08-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  South Devon: On holiday in deeply familiar places, we swim fully clothed, snack on overhanging cherries and see the fallen Teignmouth pierThe West Country unrolls down the M4, then M5, under the kind of vintage-yellow hue produced by 35mm camera film where the light’s leaked in. Many fields have been harvested as early as we’ve ever witnessed on this deeply familiar route. Burnt black patches remind us just how flammable the countryside is.We are exploring places we&rs
  
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• Adapting to global heating: which UK public services are struggling in hot weather?

  05-08-2026 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As NHS told to prepare for extreme weather, strain also felt in other areas including transport and farmingNHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette CooperThe NHS has been told it must become more resilient to increasingly frequent heatwaves supercharged by the climate crisis, as the UK government puts adaptation to extreme heat high on its agenda. But what other public services are already feeling the strain? Continue reading...
  
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• ‘The bizarreness of many of their reproductive strategies is … incredible’ – Invertebrate of the Year reader Q&A

  05-08-2026 18:27 via theguardian.com
  This week, we launched our third annual vote to honour nature’s unsung heroes. The Guardian’s natural history writer – and woodlouse fanboy – Patrick Barkham answered your questionsNarethosyne asks: It’s often said that insects will outlast humanity, as they’ve managed to survive in some very inhospitable environments for millions of years. Do you think that human stupidity might actually be able to kill even the hardiest of insects off if we don’t take
  
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• Reader Q&A: Our natural history writer Patrick Barkham is answering your questions on invertebrates – live

  05-08-2026 17:02 via theguardian.com
  This week, we launched our third annual vote to honour nature’s unsung heroes. The Guardian’s natural history writer – and woodlouse fanboy – Patrick Barkham is now answering your questionsAsk a question: log in or sign up herePatrick is now answering your questions about invertebrates and anything else about the natural world.What do the tardigrade and the earthworm have in common? They are, of course, the two previous winners of the Guardian’s Invertebrate of the
  
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• Alarming surge in bluetongue disease reported among UK sheep

  05-08-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Farmers advised to vaccinate after recent hot weather provides ideal conditions for virus-carrying midgesThere has been an alarming surge in the number of sheep affected by an outbreak of bluetongue in the UK, and farmers whose livestock are at risk are being urged to move them out of areas where midges are plentiful.The viral disease, which does not necessarily kill sheep but makes them ill and can have a long recovery time, presents as high fever and swelling of the lips and tongue. The tongue
  
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• ‘Alarming’ surge in bluetongue disease among UK sheep

  05-08-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Farmers advised to vaccinate after recent hot weather provides ideal conditions for virus-carrying midgesThere has been an “alarming” surge in the number of sheep affected by an outbreak of bluetongue in the UK, with farmers whose livestock are at risk being urged to move them out of areas where midges are plentiful.The virus, which does not necessarily kill sheep but makes them ill and can have a long recovery time, presents as high fever and swelling of the lips and tongue, with a
  
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• The herbicide haunting a New York farm town

  05-08-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Paraquat is banned in over 70 countries. Some farmers and their families in Hebron believe the pesticide is causing Parkinson’s disease and are demanding that New York ban itGordon Chaplin gingerly stepped out of the car at the top of the steep hill behind his farmhouse, sporting a bandage on his hand from a fall the day before. He gripped his cane as he shuffled through the knee-high grass. He stopped every few feet to catch his breath, leaning on his caregiver for support.Looking out at
  
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• ‘You’d want one as a pet’: the irresistibly cute solar-powered sea slug

  05-08-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The beady-eyed, Pokémon-like leaf sheep is far more ingenious than us land mammalsRevealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the yearInvertebrate of Year Q&A: discuss our countdown with Patrick BarkhamA neon green punk sheep that lives underwater. A solar-powered slug that can perform photosynthesis. If you are seeking beauty, brains and a wonderfully innovative lifestyle, then vote leaf sheep.The leaf or sea sheep, Costasiella kuroshimae, is a sea slug about the size of a grain of rice. L
  
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• Butterflies around the world are changing habitats – and experts say it’s ‘signalling a warning’

  05-08-2026 11:05 via theguardian.com
  New research shows early-warning species is on the move, expanding or contracting geographic range and changing altitudeButterflies, often considered a “sentinel of change”, are on the move across every continent they inhabit, shifting to survive as global heating reshapes their environment.About one in 10 species have already expanded or contracted their geographic range, or shifted in altitude, according to a global study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. Continue readin
  
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• The ‘Cockroach Lord’ who names new species after Tolkien and Pokémon characters

  05-08-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Cristian Lucañas has discovered multiple species of cockroach in the Philippines, and believes there’s far more to the much-maligned insect than meets the eyeWhen Cristian Lucañas tells people about his job, their response is normally a mix of shock and confusion. “The majority would actually be questioning why,” says Lucañas, 32, who is the only entomologist specialising in cockroaches in the Philippines, where he is known as the “Cockroach Lord&rdqu
  
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• El Niño could push 50m people into acute hunger before end of next year

  05-08-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurityAbout 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Niño weather system, according to forecasting.This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger, owing to years of drought in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices from the war in Iran. Continue reading...
  
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• Specieswatch: Wild deer release millions of tonnes of methane a year

  05-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Scientists find ruminants emit more of greenhouse gas individually than cows, although total contribution tiny compared with domesticated livestockWhen cows belch and fart they release methane, which is warming the planet, but how does this compare with the digestive gases emitted by wild animals? A new study shows that deer add the greatest amount of methane to the atmosphere, but compared with domesticated livestock their total contribution is minuscule.Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, whic
  
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• Reader Q&A: what have you always wanted to know about insects? Grill Patrick Barkham on the natural world

  05-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  This week, we launched our third annual vote to honour nature’s unsung heroes. The Guardian’s natural history writer – and woodlouse fanboy – Patrick Barkham will be here from 4pm BST (11am EDT) to discuss this year’s poll and why we must celebrate the spinelessAsk a question: log in or sign up hereWhat do the tardigrade and the earthworm have in common? They are, of course, the two previous winners of the Guardian’s Invertebrate of the Year poll. An annual co
  
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• Murderous heat, an endangered food supply, decimated landscapes: embrace the Mediterranean life | George Monbiot

  05-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  As climate disaster stares us in the face, the radical right says ‘Embrace the Mediterranean life’. Embrace death, more like itCan’t you leftists understand? Mass death is good for you. Reject the woke love of life! Welcome civilisational collapse! Watch it all burn, then dance in the ashes! This, roughly speaking, is how the dismissal of climate action is now being justified: the argument has shifted from science denial to outright nihilism.The new incendiary spirit is exempli
  
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• Invertebrate of Year Q&A: discuss our countdown with Patrick Barkham

  05-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  This week, we launched our third annual vote to honour nature’s unsung heroes. The Guardian’s natural history writer – and woodlouse fanboy – Patrick Barkham will be here from 4pm BST (11am EDT) to discuss this year’s poll and why we must celebrate the spinelessAsk a question: log in or sign up hereWhat do the tardigrade and the earthworm have in common? They are, of course, the two previous winners of the Guardian’s Invertebrate of the Year poll. An annual co
  
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• Calls to ban ‘toxic’ pet flea treatments that harm UK wildlife and environment

  05-08-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Over-the-counter treatments for cats and dogs contain chemicals that are banned in pesticides and pollute waterwaysOver-the-counter flea treatment for cats and dogs should be banned as millions of hazardous chemicals are unnecessarily applied to UK pets each year, a parliamentary report has concluded.Cats and dogs are widely treated with topical, or “spot on”, treatments that include insecticides to prevent fleas. Vets often recommend regular treatments as a preventive measure, even
  
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• Country diary: A beetle with a prehensile anus? Thanks to local wildlife recorders, I know one lives here | Gwyneth Lewis

  05-08-2026 06:30 via theguardian.com
  Troedyraur, Ceredigion: Let’s sing the praises of this network of volunteers who move slowly and look hard, gathering vital wildlife data – and finding fantastic speciesEven before we start a Wildwatch recording morning, Carys May of the West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre has made two identifications: an intimidating dark giant horsefly (Tabanus sudeticus) with huge eyes close together and a notch-horned cleg or horsefly (Haematopota pluvialis), which bit me.As we w
  
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• ‘I just want to find them’: deadly cloudbursts devastate Kashmir’s mountain communities

  05-08-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Increasingly erratic weather patterns due to climate change mean people are losing homes, crops and livestockAs rain lashed the Pir Panjal mountains before dawn on 19 July, Haji Mohammad Latief stepped outside his home in Murrah, a remote mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir. His daughter had asked him to move the family’s car to a safer place as the rain got heavier.“I had only just parked it,” Latief recalled. “When I turned around, I saw the water coming.&rd
  
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• Europe’s rivers are running dry, and the knock-on effects are disastrous | Yiannis Baboulias

  05-08-2026 06:00 via theguardian.com
  Droughts that were once a century now happen every year, and the impact on wildlife, industrial output and culture itself is catastrophicLast week, 186 passengers had to be evacuated from the cruise ship Viking Ullur, after it ran aground on a sandbank in the Danube. Others have been left stranded, unable to move between Vienna and Budapest. Passengers stood on deck, the Habsburg splendour around them out of reach as the river fell to 41cm in Budapest, within 8cm of its 2018 all-time low. Elsewh
  
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• Protesters occupy 200-year-old tree at US-Mexico border to stop its destruction: ‘She’s our Statue of Liberty’

  05-08-2026 01:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Demonstrators stage ‘tree sit’ in Arizona town to stop felling of ancient cottonwood grove to make way for border wallProtesters are staging a “tree sit” in a tiny Arizona town to prevent the destruction of a grove of ancient cottonwood trees as federal contractors race to build a row of two 30ft walls along the border with Sonora, Mexico.The gathering ramped up last week in the town of Lochiel, in the remote San Rafael valley of south-east Arizona. On 27 July, contractor
  
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• Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis

  04-08-2026 19:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damageEight of the biggest oil companies amassed profits of more than $90bn (£67bn) in just three months as the Iran conflict sent energy prices soaring and the emissions-fuelled climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves.The windfall war profits have reignited calls for oil and gas supermajors such as Saudi Aramco and BP to pay for the environmental damage c
  
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