Louisiana tries to rebuild after floods: 'Thousands of people lost everything'
Torrential rains that began a week ago brought 6.9 trillion gallons of water down, damaging some 40,000 homes and leaving 4,000 people in shelters As floodwaters receded Thursday, a week after torrential rains decimated parts of Louisiana, communities throughout the region turned themselves inside out: people dragged carpet, furniture, sheetrock into their yards, in a […]
Behaviour, not appearance, make a dog dangerous | Brief letters
Tax avoidance | Dangerous Dogs Act | French infrastructure planning | Pithy letters The news that “firms giving advice on aggressive tax avoidance could face large fines” (17 August) is welcome. However, fines will be borne by the companies and the worry is that they will be treated, as they are now, as part of […]
Alaskan village threatened by rising sea levels votes for costly relocation
Shishmaref residents decided to leave island rather than add more defenses against coastal erosion but community may not be able to afford $180m move The residents of a small coastal Alaskan village have voted to move to the mainland because of rising sea levels, but they may not have the funds to do it. The […]
California Blue Cut fire's explosive growth may be due to climate change
The fire has ripped through communities with alarming velocity not seen before, possibly due to California’s drier winters, warmer springs and hotter summers Related: Share your photos and experiences of California’s Blue Cut wildfire James Webb huddled on the hill with his dog and watched the fire advance, the flames licking through the cherry trees, […]
'For as long as it takes': Native American protesters defy North Dakota pipeline construction
Hundreds of Native American and environmental activists descend on the site where a $3.7bn pipeline is being constructed, and 18 have been arrested so far ‘We are protectors, not protesters’: why I’m fighting the North Dakota pipeline Joey Montoya, like other protesters near Cannon Ball, at the northern boundary of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation […]
How can companies cut their water footprint? – send us your questions
Join us on this page on Tuesday 23 August, 1-2pm (BST), for a debate about how business can reduce the water in its supply chain 3.55pm BST André Fourie, head of water security and environmental value, SABMiller Arjen Hoekstra, professor in water management, University of Twente 3.55pm BST Food, clothing, electrical goods, energy – everything […]
Fire starters: California cracks down on those who ignite blazes, arsonist or not
As the state struggles with a worsening wildfires, authorities are taking a more aggressive posture toward people who accidentally or intentional cause them William Rupp climbed onto the roof of his family’s mobile home in remote Shasta County, California, armed with just a garden hose. One of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history – […]
New online trawler tracking tool aims to help end overfishing
Developers hope the tool, that enables anyone with internet access to track fishing vessels worldwide, will create greater transparency in the oceans Anyone with internet access and a passion for seafood will soon be able to track commercial fishing trawlers all over the world, with a new tool that its developers hope will help end […]
Kenya's Ogiek people forced from homes amid 'colonial approach to conservation' | Rachel Savage
Indigenous hunter-gatherers are being violently evicted from what they claim are their ancestral lands as unrest takes hold over land rights in Kenya’s forests They came without warning, forcing people from their homes with no time to collect their possessions. A deaf old man was attacked when he didn’t hear the orders to leave. Then […]
Owners of stranded oil rig to meet with Isle of Lewis residents
Transocean was criticised for failing to attend earlier meeting after 17,000-tonne rig ran aground in Scotland on 8 August The owners of a 17,000-tonne oil rig that has been stranded on the coast of the Isle of Lewis in Scotland for more than a week are to meet members of the local community for the […]