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Climate advisers warn that current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate
Britain must prepare for global heating far in excess of the level scientists have pegged as the limit of safety, the government’s climate advisers have warned, as current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate.
Heatwaves will occur in at least four of every five years in England by 2050, and time spent in drought will double. The number of days of peak wildfire conditions in July will nearly treble for the UK, while floods will increase in frequency throughout the year, with some peak river flows increasing by 40%.
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The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual competition hosted by the Natural History Museum in London, which awards top honours in various categories for outstanding photography
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American officials have threatened supporters of measure to reduce emissions with tariffs and other retaliatory action
Donald Trump’s government is putting intense pressure on vulnerable countries to vote against measures that would force shipping companies to pay for their carbon emissions.
US officials have written to countries that support the measure and besieged them with phone calls threatening to impose tariffs, withdraw visa rights and take other retaliatory action.
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The Advertising Standards Authority agrees with River Action that the food safety body’s 2023 advert misled the public
The UK’s advertising watchdog has upheld a complaint that Britain’s biggest farm assurance scheme misled the public in a TV ad about its environmental standards.
The Red Tractor scheme, used by leading supermarkets including Tesco, Asda and Morrisons to assure customers their food meets high standards for welfare, environment, traceability and safety,is the biggest and perhaps best known assurance system in Britain.
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Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable, Guardian investigation finds
Millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales face devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable, a Guardian investigation has found.
New analysis from the insurance industry, seen by the Guardian, reveals the extent of concern in the sector, with bosses warning that large swathes of housing and commercial property in densely populated areas will be at greater risk.
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Allegations related to flood control projects have sparked widespread anger and protests in the Philippines
Philippine health worker Christina Padora waded through July’s waist-high flood water to check on vaccines and vital medications stored in the village clinic, something she had regularly done during previous typhoons.
But this time she didn’t make it. Taking hold of a metal pole that she failed to see was connected to a live wire, the 49-year-old was fatally electrocuted in the water.
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Hampstead, London: Spring has the dawn chorus, autumn has “vismig”, the changing of the guard of millions of birds – an early start for me, then, to try and glimpse this remarkable phenomenon
I’ve monitored the autumn forecast. Mushrooms and conkers, good, occasional blackberries; acorns crunching underfoot, moderate; spiders’ webs and cosy jumpers intensifying; severe crumble-making, veering west.
And migrating birds. Storm Amy has passed, and with air pressure rising, there’s the whiff of a seasonal treat: visible migration – “vismig” for short. They travel in their millions – summer visitors outgoing southwards, winter arrivals incoming from the north. Swallows, pipits, thrushes, finches and more. A remarkable population shift to mark changing seasons. Many fly by night, but some are diurnal, and at the right time and place, you might see a slice of this unrivalled phenomenon. Spring has its dawn chorus; vismig is autumn’s gift.
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Garden getting you down? Tempted to just pave or concrete over the whole thing and put your feet up? There are more enjoyable and eco-friendly alternatives, from miniature meadows to giant borders
When faced with a muddy swamp, or a lawn that needs mowing (again), the most nihilistic among us may dream of concreting over the whole garden – and some turn that dream into reality. A recent report by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), which represents garden centres and suppliers, has warned that within the next five years, nearly a quarter of UK householders plan to pave or deck over at least part of their garden, and of those, nearly a third plan to cover more than half of the area. The HTA estimates this could mean a loss of about 8% of the UK’s total private green space, or 409 sq km.
“Paving over gardens with impermeable surfaces has and will continue to undermine urban resilience,” says Prof Alistair Griffiths, the director of science and collections at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Water can’t get through concrete, asphalt and paving, which contributes to surface flooding and overwhelms the sewer system, leading to pollution runoff. Loss of vegetation also contributes to global heating. “We’ve got these increased extremes of heat and if you lose green space, you lose that cooling effect,” he adds. Then there’s the loss of biodiversity that comes from paving over green space – not to mention the impact of a dead, grey landscape on people’s mental health. One RHS study showed that people who nurtured a couple of containers of flowers and a small tree in an urban street lowered their stress hormones as much as if they’d attended eight weekly mindfulness sessions.
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After charging, there was a power system malfunction but MG closed the case and insisted a safety check was at our own expense
Our MG5electric car became dangerously out of control, but MG won’t do anything about it.
The car suffered a power system malfunction after we had used a charger at amotorwayservice station.
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A runway show in Gikomba, east Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market, has attempted to highlight the impact of mass clothing imports – and offer a solution
Antony Njoroge paces back and forth, camera in hand, as people bombard him with questions. “What do we do with this? Where should I put it? The light’s better over here! Tony, one second please.” The film-maker and his co-producer Sally Ngoiri are putting the final touches to an event that they never imagined would actually come to life when they first thought up the idea back in May: the first fashion show to be staged in Gikomba, Nairobi, east Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market.
Show and documentary producers Antony Njoroge, left, and Sally Ngoiri
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