Willow warbler: our commonest, and most inconspicuous, summer migrant
The willow warbler, easily confused with other visitors, breeds throughout Britain, from Cornwall to Shetland What’s the commonest summer visitor to our shores? The swallow perhaps, or the swift? The house martin, or the blackcap? Actually it’s the willow warbler – a bird not all that many people have heard of, let alone heard. Yet […]
Woman attacked by bear while running marathon in New Mexico
Officials say female black bear attacked after cub ran up a tree Runner suffers bites, scratches and injuries to head, neck and upper body Wildlife officials say a bear attacked a woman who was running a marathon in a national preserve in northern New Mexico. Related: How a mama bear saved a woman and her […]
Top Peruvian Amazon tourist destination invaded by gold-miners
Interview with environmental activist Victor Zambrano on his work protecting the Tambopata National Reserve in Madre de Dios The World Travel and Tourism Council predicts that travel and tourism’s “total contribution” to Peru’s GDP will exceed 11% by 2026, but how well, in the long-term, is Peru protecting its best tourist assets? Among foreign tourists […]
Fundraising drive aims to save seabird paradise off Scotland
World heritage site of St Kilda, 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides, is suffering a dramatic fall in species due to warming seas A fundraising appeal to help preserve St Kilda, the acclaimed world heritage site off the west coast of Scotland, has begun after research showed catastrophic crashes in seabird numbers linked to […]
UK government needs a nuclear plan B, says Tim Yeo
Hinkley Point delays mean projects such as Bradwell in Essex should be fast-tracked, says former energy select committee chair Ministers need to talk to the Chinese about fast-tracking the planned reactor at Bradwell in Essex because the future of the £18bn Hinkley Point project is so uncertain, according to a leading pro-nuclear campaigner. Tim Yeo, […]
Trees of life: tiny beetles turn Californian forests into tinder for energy
Dry weather in California and growing fire risks are prompting a new effort to cull dead trees affected by bark beetles and use them to make electricity California’s record four-year drought has primed its coastal forests for a bug invasion. Millions of native bark beetles, which thrive in warm conditions, are burrowing into trees weakened […]
Carbon capture: UK pays firms £30m despite scrapping projects
Government is accused of pouring money away with payments to companies including Shell and Drax The government has handed out almost £30m to Shell and other companies for work on carbon capture and storage (CCS) despite scrapping their projects that could have played a role in beating climate change. The payments, revealed in a written […]
Wentworth activists GetUp to mischief with Malcolm Turnbull's election posters
Lobby group says ‘guerilla street nannas’ are out in the PM’s electorate hanging climate change posters below Turnbull’s own While the ordinary voters of Wentworth sheltered from the rain on Sunday afternoon, a small group of activists set out on a stealthy campaign against their local member, the prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Dubbed the “guerilla […]
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, […]