The lifeboat rescue teams hanging by a thread
As one of our best-loved charities, the RNLI attracts enormous public support. But is it making life difficult for Britain’s independent lifeboat crews? It’s a sunny day on the Isle of Wight. Mark Birch is building an extension for a local shop when his pager goes off. He scans the device briefly then turns and […]
The eco guide to reusables
Single-use packaging is still normal practice, but every reusable receptacle saves about 100 disposable versions I recently bought a set of top-of-the-range reusables. For coffee I got a KeepCup (keepcup.com), which fits neatly under any coffee machine, ensuring baristas don’t hate you during the morning rush. For water, famously available for free from a tap, […]
The Barrier Reef is in danger – but it’s still one of the world’s great sights
In Cairns, north Queensland, coral bleaching isn’t the real worry – it’s the fear that tourists won’t come because they think the reef is already dead Anyone in the Cairns tourism industry who might be feeling a sense of panic about the largest destruction of coral on the Great Barrier Reef since divers first strapped […]
Obama at Yosemite attacks 'lip service' to natural beauty amid climate inaction
President extols national parks on visit to Yosemite Obama says climate change ‘no longer a threat, it’s a reality’ Biggest US coal company funded groups questioning climate change Barack Obama warned on Saturday that climate change could ravage many of America’s vaunted national parks, criticizing political opponents who “pay lip service” to areas of natural […]
Colorado mother fights off mountain lion that attacked five-year-old son
Boy playing outside home suffers injuries to face, head and neck Lion killed as presumed to be ‘either injured or very ill’, authorities say Authorities say a mother fought off a mountain lion that attacked her five-year-old son in Colorado on Friday night. Related: Disney World to post alligator warning signs in wake of child’s […]
Curiosity rewarded in a New Forest clearing
Knightwood Inclosure, New Forest This clearance was done so long ago that many of the stumps dotting the area are punctured with holes made by wood-boring larvae We crossed the ditch together into the clear-felled area of this inclosure. At once, she dropped at my feet and disappeared into the heather. She didn’t budge as […]
EDF’s top managers tell MPs that Hinkley Point should be postponed
Senior figures at French energy company declare in letter that delay is needed until issues including reactor design are solved Senior managers at EDF have told MPs that they remain convinced that the French state-controlled group should postpone the Hinkley Point project until it has solved a litany of problems, including the reactor design and […]
Rajshahi: the city that took on air pollution – and won
In Bangladesh, one of the world’s most polluted cities has led the way globally in ridding itself of harmful PM10 particles Once, Rajshahi’s sweltering summers were made worse by a familiar problem on the Asian subcontinent: windows would have to be shut, not because of the wind or monsoon, but because of the smog. Dust […]
Seven climate records set so far in 2016
From soaring temperatures in Alaska and India to Arctic sea ice melting and CO2 concentrations rising, this year is smashing records around the world 1) Arctic sea ice is melting at a rate that by September could see it beat the record low set in 2012. The maximum extent of sea ice in winter was […]
Shattered records show climate change is an emergency today, scientists warn
Unprecedented temperature levels mean more heatwaves, flooding, wildfires and hurricanes as experts say global warming is here and affecting us now May was the 13th month in a row to break temperature records according to figures published this week that are the latest in 2016’s string of incredible climate records which scientists have described as […]