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Could Brexit be the best thing for Europe’s wildlife? | Jules Howard

The EU has a reputation for legislating to protect nature, whereas the UK drags its heels. Without us, perhaps animals and their habitats might get a better deal Nothing oozes status like a man with an endangered alligator lizard draped over his shoulder that he has bought illegally through a German reptile trade show. These […]

How a giant air freshener could save our polluted cities

Air pollution kills 28,000 people every year in the UK. But the solution might lie in a hi-tech tower that sucks up harmful particles High in the skies over London, the UK’s first air pollution monitoring squad have been using the latest sensors to chart the levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide in our atmosphere. […]

South Australia 'should seize chance to build nuclear dump'

The state would reap billions of dollars in revenue by hosting a dump, says royal commissioner and former governor Kevin Scarce South Australia should seize the opportunity to store the world’s high-level nuclear waste, the state’s nuclear royal commission has recommended. Related: Nuclear waste is zombie waste: Australia must not become a dumping ground | […]

Fugitive colour in a sea of bluebells: Country diary 100 years ago

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 11 May 1916 Nowhere, surely, do the bluebells grow more luxuriantly or look more ravishingly beautiful than they do under the beeches in the grounds of the Queen’s Cottage at Kew. Here the varying thicknesses of sheltering boughs make varying shades of colour in the sea of flowers […]

Europe's problem with diesel cars

New UK government tests confirm that diesel cars produce a lot more air pollution in real-world driving when compared with the legal tests. Those sold since 2009 emitted six times more nitrogen oxides, on average. Compared with the stricter standards applied to petrol cars, the average diesel sold between 2009 and 2015 emitted 19 times […]

Hinkley Point: UN report says UK failed to consult over risks

UN Economic and Social Council says Britain has not met its obligations to discuss the impact of nuclear accident with neighbouring countries The British government has run into a major new problem with the Hinkley Point C nuclear project, with a United Nations committee ruling that the UK failed to consult European countries properly over […]

The innovators: slow fashion that cuts waste and lasts longer

Designer Dan Vo is a proponent of the zero-waste movement within the fashion industry At first appearances, Dan Vo’s new range of wool jackets for men appear to be pieces of well-made clothing with the price tag to match. Behind that appearance however is a precise method of design, where every part of the jacket […]