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Moving summit gives world time to respond to coronavirus and may allow a new US leader to join talks
Green campaigners and climate leaders have vowed to keep up the pressure on governments around the world to make stringent new commitments on the climate crisis, as a vital UN climate summit was delayed until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Cop26 talks were scheduled to take place this November in Glasgow, but the UK hosts won a delay on Wednesday night from the UN and other nations, after weeks of speculation the talks would be cancelled.
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East Riding of Yorkshire council says coastal birds could be more aggressive due to lack of food
They are already the scourge of the seaside day tripper, mounting mobbing raids on those enjoying fish and chips.
Now, with the coronavirus lockdown and all but essential travel banned, coastal residents are being warned seagulls could be more aggressive than usual because of a drop in their preferred food source.
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Air quality index peaks at three across England and Wales, but wood fires and farming continue to cause pollution
We think of spring as the time of blossom and fresh new green growth, but it is often the most polluted time of year in western Europe. Last week, as winds turned easterly, particle pollution once again spread across western Europe. Spring smogs can cause particle pollution to reach the top value of 10 in the UK air quality index, but four to nine is more typical.
With the lockdown in place, the increases were less than normal. The air quality index peaked at three over most of England and Wales. A few places in south-east England, Yorkshire and north Wales reached four, the level where health advisory messages are issued. After three days, a welcome change of wind direction at the weekend pushed the polluted air southwards.
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People are increasingly looking to restore the soil’s ability to retain water, planting trees and hedges, and creating relief channels to tackle the recurring threat of high waters
There is ponding on nearly every field in the valley where the rivers Severn and Vyrnwy meet on the English-Welsh border. Swollen rivers have been sluggishly sitting in the valley for months. Inhabitants’ attempts to protect their homes from flooding are part of a losing battle played out across the country.
The UK’s flooding this year is a story of desperation – but also hope, says John Hughes, development manager at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, who works in the valley. Following widespread acceptance of the climate and ecological emergency, Hughes believes people are increasingly looking to nature for solutions.
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RSPB’s Big Garden Watch finds numbers rising, along with coal tits, wrens and long-tailed tits
The decline of the house sparrow in British gardens appears to be reversing, according to the latest RSPB national garden survey.
As well as a rise in house sparrows, the milder winter also brought long-tailed tits, wrens and coal tits to British gardens in huge numbers this year.
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Letah Wood, Northumberland: Sunlight slants through the beeches and the hillside is fresh and green with wild garlic
At the entrance to Letah Wood, a loud-voice wren trills from an ivy perch and silver birches reach up into a blue sky. Believed to be the last wild daffodil wood in Northumberland, it is owned and managedby the Woodland Trust. The Letah Burn cuts a meandering course down its length with a footpath criss-crossing it by stony fords.
There are remnants of coppicing and a honeysuckle vine winds round a hazel pole like a helter-skelter at a fair. As the vine grows and tightens it will mould and shape the hazel, something that walking-stick makers would patiently encourage for the natural barley sugar twists. Hazel, holly and yew are the understorey trees beneath soaring beeches and magnificent Douglas firs.
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Major review reports recovery of marine life but a redoubling of efforts is still needed
The glory of the world’s oceans could be restored within a generation, according to a major new scientific review. It reports rebounding sea life, from humpback whales off Australia to elephant seals in the US and green turtles in Japan.
Through rampant overfishing, pollution and coastal destruction, humanity has inflicted severe damage on the oceans and its inhabitants for centuries. But conservation successes, while still isolated, demonstrate the remarkable resilience of the seas.
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Relocation of soil beginning at ‘completely wrong time’ for wildlife, says Woodland Trust
HS2 is beginning an operation to remove soils from ancient woodlands at a catastrophic time of year for wildlife, according to the Woodland Trust.
Undertaking the controversial “translocation” operation – which also involves felling numerous trees – in six woods in April and not during winter as the high-speed railway originally said it would, was a “betrayal of trust” said the charity’s ecologist.
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Migration to European breeding grounds from Africa is harder due to evolutionary changes
The nightingale was feted by John Keats as a “light-winged Dryad of the trees”. But the much-celebrated small bird with a beautiful song may be increasingly endangered because its wings are getting shorter.
The nightingale makes an epic journey from sub-Saharan Africa to breed in Europe each summer but there are barely 7,000 nesting pairs left in England.
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Experts say new evidence from Cretaceous period ‘shows us what carbon dioxide can do’
Think of Antarctica and it is probably sweeping expanses of ice, and the odd penguin, that come to mind. But at the time of the dinosaurs the continent was covered in swampy rainforest.
Now experts say they have found the most southerly evidence yet of this environment in plant material extracted from beneath the seafloor in west Antarctica.
Continue reading...Despite a social media shout-out for rainbow artwork, the NHS has asked people to share their pictures online only
Experts are set to assess the value of face masks in helping slow the spread of coronavirus.
Some 2,921 people have died with coronavirus in UK hospitals, as PHE calls for more NHS staff testing.
A group is calling for a change in regulation so drones can spray disinfectant in public places
Most of the queries, from people flagging potential symptoms, were handled online.
The advice comes as the government faces growing criticism over a lack of testing for frontline staff.
However, experts say a fever and a cough are still the main ones to look out for.
A drug that could treat patients with coronavirus is to undergo clinical trials at 15 NHS centres.
UN boss António Guterres calls for an "immediate co-ordinated" global response to tackle the crisis.
Patients with life-limiting conditions were asked to sign a "do not resuscitate" form via a letter.
Solar towers, a sun-powered renewable energy source, offer plenty of advantages.
You don’t have to sacrifice family fun, entertainment and productivity to comply with current social-distancing and stay-at-home guidelines.
Researchers studying the Anak Krakatau eruption say up to 10 million tons of ice was generated in the upper atmosphere.
Dolphins are smarter (and stranger) than you may realize! Here are several ways they are exceptional.
Want to have a more obedient and more affectionate dog? It all begins with how connected you are as a team.
Wildlife may be making a comeback while humans stay home during the coronavirus lockdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a nationwide surge in Americans purchasing baby chickens.
Ecuador has become the first to build a "quiet park," a lush stretch of land straddling the Zabalo River where silence is protected.
The highly anticipated successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is scheduled to launch in spring 2021.
There's plenty to see in the April night sky, from approaching new Comet ATLAS to the Lyrid meteor shower.
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