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In one corner, clean energy champion Ed Miliband. In the other, residents – and Reform politicians – outraged at plans for more large-scale solar farms in Lincolnshire than anywhere else in the UK
As night descends on the grand offices of Lincolnshire county council, everything appears orderly and calm. Paintings of long-forgotten councillors and dignitaries stare out into an empty drawing room. The council chamber is silent and dark. Bored receptionists glance at their phones while a handful of admin staff hunch over glowing screens. But a rebellion is brewing in the office of the council leader, Sean Matthews, who took charge last May, when Reform replaced the Conservative old guard. The affable former royal protection officer is plotting an apparently radical campaign of civil disobedience against a series of giant solar farms planned for Lincolnshire.
Despite a quarter of a century in the Metropolitan police, Matthews is willing to break the law to stop solar developers. He is planning to lie down in front of the bulldozers. “They can arrest me – I’ve arrested plenty of people,” he says, leaning forward on a sofa. “It’s much bigger than me and my criminal record. For goodness sake, it’s the future of the county, it’s the future of our land. I am passionate about that and I will do what I can.”
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Exclusive: Testing in Bentham, home to UK’s highest recorded Pfas levels, finds one in four have blood levels in greatest risk category
Alarming levels of toxic forever chemicals have been found in the blood of people living in a town previously revealed to be contaminated with the UK’s highest recorded level of Pfas.
Pfas, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and commonly known as forever chemicals because of their persistence in the environment, have been linked to a wide range of serious illnesses, including some cancers. They are used in a variety of consumer products but one of their most prolific uses is in firefighting foam.
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The insects covered its largest area since 2018, despite threats from habitat loss, climate crisis and pesticides
The population of monarch butterflies in Mexico increased 64% this winter, compared with the same period in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for an insect considered at risk of extinction.
The figures, released this week by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Mexico, showed that the area occupied by monarchs expanded to 2.93 hectares (7.24 acres) of forest from 1.79 hectares (4.42 acres) the previous winter, the largest coverage since 2018.
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A US startup supplies spray for fast-growing loblolly pines with the hope of increasing biodiversity – and reducing the need for artificial fertiliser
At a commercial tree nursery near Evans, western Louisiana, 5m pine seedlings are packed on to 12 vast circular irrigation tables, each as wide as a football field. Last September, many of these young trees were sprayed with what looked like muddy water.
The substance was in fact a liquid extract teeming with hundreds of species of wild soil fungi. Brad Ouseman, the nursery manager, is confident he will see results from this fungal inoculation, which is intended to improve yields and reduce the need for artificial fertilisers.
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The tiny size of the particles means they can become deposited deep in people’s lungs, causing a health risk
New research has found that burning “smokeless” or low-smoke fuels may be causing new air pollution hazards on streets and in homes.
These fuels are sold as alternatives to burning coal, wood and peat at home, but tests reveal their smoke contains large quantities of tiny ultrafine particles, smaller than the wavelength of light, that can deposit themselves deep in our lungs.
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In Denmark, the spread of solar panels has become a divisive issue among voters, especially in rural areas
In one telling of the story, the golden fields of a proud farming nation are under attack. Besieged by an industrial sprawl of solar panels, they are being smothered at the behest of an urban elite.
That narrative has failed to thrive in conservative heartlands such as Texas and Hungary, which have embraced solar power while lambasting green rules. But it is taking root in Denmark, the most climate-ambitious nation on Earth. “We say yes to fields of wheat,” said Inger Støjberg, the leader of the rightwing populist Denmark Democrats in a speech in 2024. “And we say no to fields of iron!”
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Stranmillis University College, Belfast:There’s a fuss going on high up in the trees, as these early breeders have already got going with this year’s brood
A robin is singing. Moonlight gleams through the trees. These woods are home to a breeding colony of grey herons and, until recently, their incessant yells were part of the dawn chorus. Today, the quietness of an established heron nest high in a beech tree is good news. Herons share parental care and one of the pair is up there – right on time for these early breeders – brooding a clutch of eggs.
Another heron calls out as it swoops through a gap in the trees. The intense storms that preceded this year’s breeding season felled several trees – and their traditional nest sites. The incoming heron lands in a nearby pine tree, where its mate is guarding a messy bundle of twigs. This pair are still building their nest. Both male and female herons have long black crest feathers, and lacy plumes on the throat and back but, in this case, I’ve no trouble identifying the sexes. The male preens his mate before mounting her. There’s a few seconds of wing-flapping, squirming and tail-wagging. After he slides off, the female tucks her bill into her breast feathers and closes her eyes.
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Animals will feature on £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, the Bank of England says, but which creatures should make the cut?
Native British wildlife will feature on the next set of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, the Bank of England has announced, but it has yet to be decided which creatures will make the cut.
While politicians from Nigel Farage to Ed Davey have sought to confect outrage about ditching Winston Churchill and Jane Austen for badgers or blackbirds, public consultations by the Bank show that people favour the switch to wildlife. Regularly changing images on the notes is a measure to foil counterfeiters.
Chris Packham is a naturalist, broadcaster, campaigner and author
Naturalist Lucy Lapwing is the author of Love is a Toad: Exploring Our Relationship With Nature
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Asking for coffee in a reusable cup or reusing shopping bags is second nature for many, but bringing your own containers for takeaway can take getting used to. Here are some tips to get started
Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint
Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com
Before the advent of cheap, single-use take away packaging, legend has it that Australian families used to bring saucepans to their local Chinese restaurant to pick up their Friday night take-out. Until the early 1980s, when concerns about ink contamination outlawed it, fish and chips came wrapped in old newspapers.
These days, Australians’ love affair with caffeine has made reusable coffee cups ubiquitous, and most of us have a stack of tupperware at home for school lunches. Yet fronting up to the salad bar or deli counter with your own container still feels a bit weird.
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Closure of strait of Hormuz – a key fertilizer production and transportation route – has squeezed farmers as prices jump
Rodney Bushmeyer has been farming as long as he can remember. Bushmeyer’s father was a farmer, as was his grandfather.
The family-run Bushmeyer Farms in Illinois dates back more than 100 years, when his ancestors came to the US from Germany. They acquired the first 80 acres cost-free as homesteaders, cleared the land, and worked it.
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