Climate

Cop17, focused on protecting nature and restoring ecosystems, concludes on Saturday with critics saying system allows ‘one idiot’ to stall progress Calls are growing for major reforms to UN biodiversity summits as countries fail to deliver on their promises to halt the destruction of the natural world, with governments likely on track to continue their record of never having met a target in the 34-year history of…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-31T12:30:06Z

Allerton Project attracts abundant wildlife and its success can offers clues to reversing the sharp drop in populations Farmer Alastair Leake is standing in a field of sprouting winter wheat, pointing at his experiment. One side was ploughed before planting, with green shoots breaking through neat rows of upturned soil. On the other, the crop was drilled directly into the earth, emerging through a messy carpet of…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-31T12:00:43Z

A temporary injunction in the coastline battle for beaches to be publicly accessible, not sealed off for private developments, is just a step in fighting what islanders call a tourism model that disadvantages Jamaicans When the Australian human rights lawyer Eva Buzo emerged from the sea on to the shores of One Man Beach in Montego Bay on Sunday after her gruelling, nearly 11-hour-long swim, the thunderous pulse of…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-31T10:00:41Z

Slimbridge, Gloucestershire: A chance meeting led me and my partner into an afternoon of discovery and generosity that is nothing like a certain YouTube documentary on birding “What did you just see?” a bearded man asked, through the open window of his old Mini Cooper. “Just some crows in that tree.” Continue reading...

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-31T05:30:33Z

More than 100,000 species are traded globally, whether illegally smuggled, sold as ornaments or in fisheries, timber and fashion industries, study finds The number of plant and animal species in use or sold in the wildlife trade is more than twice as high as previously thought, researchers have discovered. A study, published in Science Advances , warns that there are huge gaps in global assessments of how wildlife…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T18:00:19Z

Keen to join in the revelry but don’t have a costume? You can still fashion a get-up without buying – or wasting – anything Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com The thrill of an event like Halloween doesn’t come from a brand new…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T14:00:19Z

Andrea Egan calls for same political focus on teachers, care sector and NHS and says Jackdaw decision ‘a serious misstep’ The leader of the UK’s biggest trade union has called for the same political focus to be given to NHS, education and care sector workers as there has been on those employed in North Sea oil and gas. Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison, said too often public sector workers were treated as…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T13:04:03Z

Voters are feeling the pinch of Trump’s anti-climate agenda as energy costs rise, but a shake-up in Congress could shift things If the polls can be believed, the US could see a blue wave in the midterms, giving Democrats a chance to take back the House and Senate, and gaining up to four governor’s seats. These wins could give Democrats new power to resist Donald Trump’s anti-climate agenda, and to push forward…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T11:30:52Z

Turkey has been hit by powerful thunderstorms and a fatal tornado this week with more heavy rain expected Heavy rain and strong winds will continue to affect parts of south-eastern Europe and Turkey over the next few days, as an area of low pressure in the region has allowed for the formation of powerful thunderstorms. During a particularly intense thunderstorm in Antalya, a coastal city in the south-west of Turkey…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T10:07:16Z

Ex-energy secretary Ed Miliband’s agenda appears undermined as money is diverted from renewables to defence Britain is unlikely to hit its targets on green heating after the cuts announced by John Healey this week, experts have warned, as critics of Ed Miliband claim the former energy secretary’s green agenda is being dismantled. The chancellor unveiled more than £3bn worth of cuts to the energy department’s budget…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T10:00:50Z

After UK’s hottest summer on record, Ardingly near Haywards Heath is just 19% full – and next-closest reservoir is unusable due to broken treatment works “You can see the water level at Ardingly going down and down. I don’t remember ever seeing it this low,” says Caroline Allan, a lifetime resident of Haywards Heath, the nearest town to one of England’s most depleted reservoirs. The Ardingly reservoir, managed by…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T09:00:49Z

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T08:00:48Z

In this week’s newsletter: There are too many meetings, and not enough decisions, say experts – and time is running out • Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up here When things are not going well at an environmental summit, organisers often tell delegates that the “world is watching” in an attempt to focus minds. But spend any time at biodiversity Cop17 in Armenia and it is clear that the world’s…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T07:00:46Z

Scientists call for incentives to preserve vegetation as study highlights benefits of plentiful planting in London Your front garden could be a first line of defence against air pollution, according to a year-long field study in two London neighbourhoods. The UK’s 26m gardens cover nearly 5% of the country’s land area, but they account for a much larger share in urban areas. In Greater London, domestic gardens cover…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T06:00:46Z

Loch Insh, Cairngorms: In my three decades in Scotland I’ve adjusted to the darkness of this time of year, and found glory in the quality of light It is the one clear day in a fortnight of heavy cloud, wind and rain, so I am out by the loch, basking in the rays of light, breathing them in, hoarding for the weeks to come. This time of year makes them all the more precious. Here in the Highlands, once we are past the…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T05:30:45Z

There is no end in sight for the drivers of illegal mining, while police action appears ineffective Cora Bailey has been encountering illegal miners ever since she first started treating injured animals in the townships around Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, in 1991. But as the price of gold has soared, so too has activity in the abandoned mine shafts that mark the area. In late September, dozens of zama zamas –…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T05:00:45Z

As many as 8 million people have been affected by food shortages, electricity blackouts and health clinic closures Extreme drought driven by an historic El Niño is affecting as many as 8 million people in Papua New Guinea, causing a cascade of issues from shortages of food and water, to electricity scarcity and schooling disruption. An influential coalition that includes churches, trade unions and business groups…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-30T01:45:56Z

Oxford study shows Manx shearwaters get lost when their body clocks get out of sync Seabirds returning from foraging trips can be thrown hundreds of miles off course by a form of jet lag that arises when their body clocks get out of sync with local time, researchers say. Tracking data from Manx shearwaters on the west coast of the UK revealed that when the birds returned home to their colonies after trips over the…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-29T18:00:27Z

Exclusive: Backbenchers voice alarm over ‘intolerable position’ faced by Miatta Fahnbulleh over oilfield decision Furious Labour MPs have been lobbying the prime minister and chancellor not to overrule the energy secretary should she decide to block the Rosebank oilfield. MPs say they are alarmed at the cabinet splits that have emerged over the issue after sources told the Guardian that Miatta Fahnbulleh was minded…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-29T06:00:26Z

This year thousands of the golden-coloured butterfly have arrived in Britain in what one expert calls ‘a bold attempt at colonisation’ The Queen of Spain has invaded. The enigmatic British visits of this gorgeous golden-coloured butterfly with distinctively shaped, squared-off hindwings have been recorded by lepidopterists for four centuries. Usually there are barely a handful of sightings each summer of a butterfly…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-29T06:00:25Z

Tebay, Cumbria: Historically it’s been a tricky thing for hill farms to do, but we’ve always run ours on organic principles, and now we’re fully converting From 1 November we have change happening on our farm. We have decided to become an organic farm and have started the two-year conversion process with the Soil Association . We’ve always run the farm on organic principles, but now, with our small shop selling our…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-29T05:30:23Z

Here are some of our writers’ best ways to stay toasty and occupied, even during cold weather, from teas to pajamas How to start whimsymaxxing: 22 weird and wonderful products we love Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things Welcome to Filter finds , a series where Filter contributors share the things they love most – and think you might, too. When the weather starts to…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-28T14:15:04Z

In wet weather, garden snails can seek shelter in letterboxes – and find a feast there waiting for them We’ve all heard of snail mail – a term popularised since the advent of electronic mail – but who knew that snails eat mail? It might sound far-fetched but it’s true. We have it on good authority from the ecologist Simon Mustoe, who said snails ate his letter from Sir David Attenborough , a BBC report announcing…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-28T14:00:04Z

The radical Stern report showed that a low-carbon future is also good economics. But it seems that capitalism needs a reminder Saving the only planet we have makes good economic sense. There is, after all, no money to be made on a dead Earth. There may be costs involved now, but they are worth paying to protect our children from certain destruction. These propositions seem self-evident now. But two decades ago…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-28T08:00:01Z

Scientists uncover ancient hills and swamps that disappeared as sea levels rose across northern Adriatic Venice is famed for being a floating city, but research shows the land it sits on once lay many miles inland. Dramatic changes in sea level over 10,000 years have reshaped the northern Adriatic coastline, with much of the land that our ancestors roamed now lying beneath the waves. Samuele Ongaro, at the…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-28T06:00:04Z

A striking transformation takes place along the coast of Qingdao in autumn, when a native seepweed turns a brilliant shade of red. The ‘red beach’ phenomenon can be seen in the salt marshes and wetlands on the coast of China’s Shandong province, where the Suaeda glauca plant matures and absorbs water, changing it from green to crimson between September and November Continue reading...

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-28T06:00:04Z

Wharram and York, North Yorkshire: It’s the nervy few days before a ceremony that will honour our local waterways, and I have work to do I visit the source of the tiny stream called the Gypsey Race now and then, drawn by the everyday miracle of its water welling to catch sunlight like a plaything and alchemise it into colours and sparks. Today, though, is different, because I’ve come to ask for something. Something…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-28T05:30:00Z

President has taken an axe to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, stalling climate research on and response to extreme weather events Sweeping cuts to the premier US climate agency under Donald Trump have severely hampered the country’s capacity to forecast, research and respond to extreme weather events, former government officials and scientists have warned, as the US faces a cascade of hazards fueled…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T21:34:54Z

Emissions from exported oil would not count against carbon budget, insiders say – reasoning likely to draw dismay from climate campaigners The giant Rosebank oilfield can be approved without breaching the UK’s emission targets, according to government insiders, in a boost to those in the cabinet who are pushing for it to be given the go-ahead. The Guardian revealed last week that Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T19:17:55Z

Extreme heat accelerated disappearance of Triglav glacier from mountain revered as a symbol of Slovenian identity The final ice patch has vanished from Slovenia’s Triglav glacier, the latest Alpine casualty of Europe’s scorching summer. The once mighty ice mass lost 93% of its surface area between 1983 and 2003, shrinking to cover less than a hectare of overheated rock, but went on to surprise researchers who feared…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T17:08:47Z

Chris Packham says £24bn earmarked for projects with ‘ludicrously uncertain results’ should be redirected to help lower bills and cut emissions Campaigners are calling on the chancellor to cut the government’s £24bn spending plans for “fairytale” carbon capture technologies in favour of funding green schemes that can reliably cut emissions and lower energy bills. The environmentalist Chris Packham is leading an…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T13:28:00Z

Both private and public schools in tech regions are limiting the use of tech in classrooms. But will low-income districts be able to follow suit? German Gil spends most of his waking hours looking at screens. Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2015, the software engineer has bounced between startups and giants including Netflix , Facebook and GitHub. But when it came to the education of his daughter…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T12:00:38Z

Boiler upgrade scheme, which provides grants of up to £9,000 for sustainable alternatives, expected to be slashed in budget When Bill Tuck first started installing air source heat pumps six years ago, other heating engineers were skeptical about whether the green technology would take off. “Now, the conversation is completely different,” he said. “I’m getting approached by them saying: ‘Mrs Jones, my customer for 15…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T11:59:42Z

My mother was a keen swimmer, and she lived with depression. I wonder if she found the same respite in the water that has helped heal me since she passed away It was early morning in late September, off the coast of Kaş in Turkey. Watching the slightly choppy sea from a boat, the last thing I felt like doing was embarking on another 5km (3-mile) swim. Mind fog had sapped my energy, and my mood was decidedly…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T11:00:37Z

All it took was one or two careless teenage girls giving the vermin a taste of their snacks and they became the most well-fed animals imaginable I’ve written a fair amount about my boarding school years in Nigeria in the 90s, but never about the rats that accompanied my school experience. Picture it: thousands of girls from across the country, each bearing a suitcase or two of a term’s worth of “provisions” –…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T07:00:06Z

Letter to PM argues series of wrong choices on North Sea oil, Heathrow, EVs and heat pumps will scupper net zero plans Andy Burnham will “sleepwalk” into climate disaster if he fails to get a grip on a series of important policies whose combined impact could scupper plans to reach net zero, campaigners have said. Big decisions on North Sea drilling , the expansion of Heathrow airport , electric vehicles (EVs) and…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T07:00:06Z

Investigation finds dozens of ministers and civil servants moved into AI roles as government developed datacentre expansion plans The UK’s policy on datacentres and AI was developed without any meetings with environmental groups, an investigation has found. The nonprofit organisation Spotlight on Corruption said a “considerable revolving door” shaped the government’s development of “AI growth zones”, a central plank…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T07:00:04Z

Calf of Man, Isle of Man: Such is the wealth of Manx fungi, a map is being built to plot it all. We took a special trip as part of that project The bird observatory on the Calf of Man was sulking under a low cloud base as we stepped ashore at South Harbour. The dank mist was perfect for our surprise visit to the island, as it was not for the birds we had come across, but fungi – in particular, waxcaps. My wife, Liz…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T05:30:02Z

Oxfam says investing by rich in disaster recovery widens inequality and gives incentive to delay climate action The world’s wealthiest people are not just profiting from the polluting causes of climate breakdown, they are also increasingly cashing in on the catastrophic consequences, according to a study by Oxfam. The global equality organisation has found that the richest 0.1% of the world’s population are heavily…

The Guardian — Environment · 2026-10-27T05:00:02Z