Environment news

• Will Cop30 in Belém help or harm the Amazon?

  25-04-2025 17:03
  Trees are being cleared for rainforest mega-event – but state governor says a ‘new history’ is under wayFake metal trees have been set into the concrete ground of the Amazonian host city of this year’s climate summit, prompting scandalised contrasts with the once-living vegetation that has been cleared in preparation for Cop30 in Brazil.But in an unlikely convergence of views, both the centre-right state governor and leftwing social movements insist this is a storm in a p
  
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• Freedom from China? The mine at the centre of Europe’s push for rare earth metals

  10-01-2026 13:00
  Swedish producer is trying to to accelerate the process of extracting the elements vital for hi-tech productsIt is deep winter with temperatures dropping to -20C. The sun never rises above the horizon, instead bathing Sweden’s most northerly town of Kiruna in a blue crepuscular light, or “civil twilight” as it is known, for two or three hours a day stretching visibility a few metres, notwithstanding heavy snow.But 900 metres below the arctic conditions, a team of 20 gather ever
  
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• Quebec’s Lake Rouge vanished – but was it a freak natural event or caused by human actions?

  10-01-2026 07:00
  Experts and community trying to untangle mystery of outburst that saw water travel almost 10km overland into a bigger lakeManoel Dixon had just finished dinner one night last May when a phone dinged nearby with a Facebook message.Dixon, 26, was at his family’s hunting camp near their northern Quebec home town of Waswanipi. They knew the fellow hunter who was messaging Dixon’s father, but what he wrote didn’t make sense. Continue reading...
  
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• Country diary: Look up! Tonight’s the night to see Jupiter at its brightest | Nigel Brown

  10-01-2026 06:30
  Ynys Môn (Anglesey): The wolf moon is spectacular enough, but look east and you’ll see a celestial titan the size of a pinprickAs unmissable as new year’s fireworks, the wolf moon held the heavens for the first few nights of January, casting an unearthly radiance over everything, night almost as bright as day. Now, as that moon wanes, prepare to be wowed by a true planetary A-lister: Jupiter.Named after the king of the sky gods in Roman mythology, Jupiter rises each evenin
  
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• World’s richest 1% have already used fair share of emissions for 2026, says Oxfam

  10-01-2026 06:00
  Richest 1% took 10 days while wealthiest 0.1% needed just three days to exhaust annual carbon budget, study showsThe world’s richest 1% have used up their fair share of carbon emissions just 10 days into 2026, analysis has found.Meanwhile, the richest 0.1% took just three days to exhaust their annual carbon budget, according to the research by Oxfam. Continue reading...
  
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• Public urged to grow unusual plants to safeguard diversity of UK blooms

  09-01-2026 14:00
  Plant Heritage says gardening trends mean many species in danger of disappearing as they are no longer offered for saleMore than half of garden plants previously grown in the UK are no longer offered for sale as flower fashions and modern gardening trends have reduced the diversity of blooms.Plant Heritage is asking the public to choose unusual plants for their gardens, and maybe even start their own national collections of rare blooms, in order to stop some cultivated plants from dying out. Con
  
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• Some want to ban geoengineering research. This would be a catastrophic mistake for our planet | Craig Segall and Baroness Bryony Worthington

  09-01-2026 12:00
  We’ve already geoengineered the planet through the careless release of greenhouse gases. Now we need a plan to manage the risks we’ve set in motionA few months ago, Marjorie Taylor Greene, then a Georgia representative, held a hearing on her bill to ban research on “geoengineering”, which refers to technological climate interventions, such as using reflective particles to reflect away sunlight. The hearing represented something of a first – a Republican raising alar
  
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• Week in wildlife: rare gorilla twins, racing camels and a psychedelic spider

  09-01-2026 09:00
  This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Profound impacts’: record ocean heat is intensifying climate disasters, data shows

  09-01-2026 09:00
  Oceans absorb 90% of global heating, making them a stark indicator of the relentless march of the climate crisisThe world’s oceans absorbed colossal amounts of heat in 2025, setting yet another new record and fuelling more extreme weather, scientists have reported.More than 90% of the heat trapped by humanity’s carbon pollution is taken up by the oceans. This makes ocean heat one of the starkest indicators of the relentless march of the climate crisis, which will only end when emissi
  
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• How falcon thieves are targeting the UK’s protected birds

  09-01-2026 08:00
  In this week’s newsletter: Conservationists have seen nests raided around the country to match demand from the Middle East• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereEarlier this week we published an investigation that found hundreds of UK peregrine falcon nests have been raided in the past decade, in order to feed a growing appetite to own prized birds for racing and breeding in the Middle East.This piece has been a year in the making, working with a great te
  
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• Why is Trump interested in Greenland? Look to the thawing Arctic ice | Gaby Hinsliff

  09-01-2026 07:00
  Forecasts suggest that global heating could create a shortcut from Asia to North America, and new routes for trading, shipping – and attackAnother week, another freak weather phenomenon you’ve probably never heard of. If it’s not the “weather bomb” of extreme wind and snow that Britain is hunkering down for as I write, it’s reports in the Guardian of reindeer in the Arctic struggling with the opposite problem: unnaturally warm weather leading to more rain that
  
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• Exhaust pipe position affects how much air pollution we breathe, research finds

  09-01-2026 07:00
  Cars that emit fumes closer to pavement result in pedestrians experiencing40% more pollutionSome vehicles are much more polluting than others and the design of exhaust pipes could affect how much air pollution we breathe when we walk along a busy road, research has found.Diesel vehicles still dominate exhaust pollution 10 years after the International Council on Clean Transportation revealed that many diesel cars were highly polluting, emitting far more nitrogen oxides on the road than in offici
  
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• ‘A colossal own goal’: Trump’s exit from global climate treaties will have little effect outside US

  09-01-2026 07:00
  For much of the last 30 years, the rest of the world has been forced to persevere with climate action in the face of US intransigenceOutrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisationsDonald Trump’s latest attack on climate action takes place amid rapidly rising temperatures, rising sea levels, still-rising greenhouse gas emissions, burgeoning costs from extreme weather and the imminent danger that the world will trigger “tipping poi
  
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• Country diary: Mermaid’s purses bring riches to the beach | Tom Allan

  09-01-2026 06:30
  North Sands, Salcombe, Devon: They’re my daughter’s favourite find, and I’ve never seen such a concentration. These ones have only just hatchedIt’s two hours to high tide, and the beach has been reduced to a half moon of smooth sand. The sea is grey, grey-blue and green, and even here in the estuary it’s lined with ragged swell. Winter swimmers in trunks and swimming costumes are wading in, hunching their bare shoulders.Without much sand to run on, my four-year
  
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• As a climate scientist, I know heatwaves in Australia will only get worse. We need to start preparing now | Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick

  08-01-2026 22:34
  During black summer, my daughters were too young to know what was happening. Now, amid another Australian heatwave, they deserve answersWhen the forecasts for this week started to roll in, my mind immediately drifted back to Australia’s black summer.I had taken my daughters down to the pool in our estate in western Sydney, hoping for a brief reprieve from the relentless heat. The Gospers Mountain fire was raging in the Blue Mountains, but on that particular day the smoke didn’t seem
  
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• ‘They are going after everything rural’: inheritance tax U-turn does little to dampen farmers’ anger at Labour

  08-01-2026 19:14
  At the Oxford farming conference there were signs the government has much to do to win back farmers’ trustFew symbols were more potent than the wooden coffin bearing the inscription “RIP British agriculture, 30th October 2024” that greeted Labour’s environment minister at the annual Oxford farming conference.It marked the date of Rachel Reeves’s first budget, when she announced plans to levy inheritance tax on farms. For the chancellor’s cabinet colleague Emma
  
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• Masses of toxic litter pours from Rhine into North Sea each year, research finds

  08-01-2026 17:00
  Citizen scientists help in University of Bonn study showing river carries up to 4,700 tonnes of ‘macrolitter’ annuallyThousands of tonnes of litter is pouring into the North Sea via the Rhine every year, poisoning the waters with heavy metals, microplastics and other chemicals, research has found.This litter can be detrimental to the environment and human health: tyres, for example, contain zinc and other heavy metals that can be toxic to ecosystems in high concentrations. Continue r
  
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• Dense, sticky and heavy: why Venezuela’s oil is valuable to Trump – video explainer

  08-01-2026 13:00
  The Venezuelan oil industry is ‘a total bust’ according to Donald Trump, something he has promised to ‘fix’ after attacking Caracas and seizing the country’s leader. But with analysts estimating it could take up to 14 years and billions to fix, what is in it for the US president? Jillian Ambrose, the Guardian’s energy correspondent, explains why Venezuela’s dense, sticky oil is so valuable to Trump Continue reading...
  
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• If geoengineering is ever deployed in a climate emergency, transparency is key | Ines Camilloni

  08-01-2026 12:00
  We must not let geoengineering be shaped behind closed doors. Climate justice demands an inclusive approachAs the world faces the challenges of the climate crisis and critical threshold levels or tipping points may be reached soon, a disputable idea is gaining momentum as a potential solution: solar geoengineering – the deliberate reflection of sunlight to cool the planet. Advocates argue it could buy us time. Critics warn of unknown risks. Some see it as a possible emergency break if temp
  
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• Household burning of plastic waste in developing world is hidden health threat, study shows

  08-01-2026 11:01
  The practice is ‘much more widespread’ than previously realised, researchers say, with serious environmental impactThe household burning of plastic for heating and cooking is widespread in developing countries, suggests a global study that raises concerns about its health and environmental impacts.The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, surveyed more than 1,000 respondents across 26 countries. Continue reading...
  
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• Germany’s dying forests are losing their ability to absorb CO2. Can a new way of planting save them?

  08-01-2026 10:00
  Vast swathes of the country’s trees have been killed off by droughts and infestations, in a trend sweeping across Europe. A shift towards more biodiverse cultivation could offer answersEven the intense green of late spring cannot mask the dead trees in the Harz mountains. Standing upright across the gentle peaks in northern Germany, thousands of skeletal trunks mark the remnants of a once great spruce forest.Since 2018, the region has been ravaged by a tree-killing bark beetle outbreak, ma
  
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• Supermarkets could help UK shoppers eat more sustainable local fish – study

  08-01-2026 07:00
  Shift from ‘big 5’ imports to British fish such as sprats and sardines would help diets and the planet, say researchersSupermarkets could help to support British consumers to move away from their reliance on mainly imported seafood – the “big 5” of cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns – to more sustainable, nutritious and locally caught fish such as sardines and anchovies, researchers say.A study by the University of East Anglia (UEA), which confirmed previou
  
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• Shifting offshore sandbanks pose unique navigation hazard

  08-01-2026 07:00
  Sandbanks can shift position during winter storms, but sonar mapping means charts can now be updated immediately Offshore sandbanks are a particular navigation hazard because, unlike rocks and reefs, they have a habit of shifting position during winter storms.The Goodwin Sands is a 10-mile (16km) bank off the coast of Deal in Kent, close to the busy shipping lanes of the Dover strait. The sands have claimed about 2,000 vessels over the years. In 1634, two lighthouses were set up on South Forelan
  
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• Dog food accounts for 1% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, study finds

  08-01-2026 07:00
  Study of 1,000 products finds wet, raw and meat-rich products have higher climate impact than dry kibbleDog food accounts for 1% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to research that found wet, raw and meat-rich products were associated with substantially higher emissions than dry kibble.The analysis revealed striking differences in the environmental impact of commercial dog foods, with the highest-impact foods being responsible for up to 65 times more emissions than the l
  
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• Country diary: Everything is frozen, but still the finches come | Amanda Thomson

  08-01-2026 06:30
  Abernethy Forest, Cairngorms: Thanks to a local collaborative effort, linnets, bramblings, green and goldfinches are coming to this field in joyful flocksIt’s -6C and I’m off to what has been a regular haunt recently – a field planted by Speyside Fields for Wildlife. This is a small, community-run charity that works with local farmers, crofters and others to take over “spare” fields and land for wildlife-friendly crops.Some sites are planted with annuals such a
  
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• Fly-arousing orchid and zombie fungus among 2025 botanical and fungal finds

  08-01-2026 01:01
  Scientists also name an overlooked snowdrop growing in the UK and a fruit that tastes like banana and guavaA zombie fungus that springs from a trapdoor and a flame-like shrub named after the fire demon in the Studio Ghibli film Howl’s Moving Castle are among the species of plant and fungi named by scientists in 2025.A list of 10 “weird and wonderful” new species was compiled by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew and their international partners, who together nam
  
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• What should Australians do when the heat is on? | Fiona Katauskas

  08-01-2026 00:44
  It might be time to face some cold, hard factsSee more of Fiona Katauskas’s cartoons here Continue reading...
  
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• US attack on Venezuela will decide direction of South America’s vast mineral wealth

  07-01-2026 18:37
  Outcome of aggression will determine whether rare earths and other resources drive energy transition – or strengthen US military power and oil interestsThe US’s first overt attack on an Amazon nation last weekend is a new phase in its extractivist rivalry with China. The outcome will decide whether the vast mineral wealth of South America is directed towards a 21st-century energy transition or a buildup of military power to defend 20th-century fossil fuel interests.Although this onsl
  
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• Kinshasa’s last baobab: how a tree designed for survival faces its biggest threat yet

  07-01-2026 17:00
  In this week’s newsletter: nature’s last stand against the DRC capital’s rampant development, plus looking back on last year’s stories of hopeAnyone who has ever seen a living baobab tree should find it hard to forget. Alongside the ubiquitous acacia – the thorny umbrella tree – baobabs are statuesque icons of Africa’s drier landscapes.The trees have influenced, anchored and fed communities for tens of thousands of years, influencing culture and traditio
  
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• We study glaciers. ‘Artificial glaciers’ and other tech may halt their total collapse | Brent Minchew and Colin Meyer

  07-01-2026 12:00
  How might we prevent sea-level rise? Satellite-based radar, solar-powered drones, robot submarines and lab-based ‘artificial glaciers’ could all play a roleSea levels are rising faster than at any point in human history, and for every foot that waters rise, 100 million people lose their homes. At current projections, that means about 300 million people will be forced to move in the decades to come, along with the social and political conflict as people migrate inland. Despite this lo
  
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