-
Exclusive: More than 98% of fish and mussels tested in English waters contain mercury above EU safety limits
Britain is facing mounting pressure to ban mercury dental fillings, one of the few countries yet to prevent the practice, as new data reveals alarming contamination levels in the nation’s fish and shellfish.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can harm the nervous, digestive and immune systems, as well as the lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes, even at low levels of exposure. Its organic form, methylmercury, is particularly dangerous to unborn babies and can move through the food chain building up in insects, fish and birds.
Continue reading...
-
Campaigners say problem so common that some of the UK’s most irreplaceable ancient trees in danger of being lost
When Linda Taylor Cantrill finally found her dream family home in Exmouth, Devon, it wasn’t the location, the square footage or the local amenities that finally made up her mind – it was the 200-year-old oak tree in the garden.
“The way we felt about just standing in the shade of the tree was: ‘We need this house, because look how beautiful it is,’” she told the Guardian.
Continue reading...
-
Conservationists hail ‘remarkable’ rediscovery after 40 years, at nature reserve only accessible by boat
A tiny spider thought to have vanished for ever from the UK has been rediscovered on a remote area of a nature reserve accessible only by boat.
The Aulonia albimana, a member of the wolf spider family with orange legs, was found on the Isle of Wight in a spot grazed by a flock of Hebridean sheep.
Continue reading...
-
The discovery that affluent neighbourhoods have more diversity of nature has implications for human wellbeing – and sheds light on the structural injustices in cities
For a long time, ecology tended to ignore people. It mostly focused on beautiful places far from large-scale human development: deep rainforest or pristine grassland. Then, in the late 1990s, in the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona, scientists shifted their gaze closer to home.
A team of ecologists went out into their own neighbourhood to map the distribution of urban plants in one of the first studies of its kind. Equipped with tape measures and clipboards, they documented trees and shrubs, sometimes getting on all fours to crawl through bushes under the curious watch of local people.
Continue reading...
-
Ed Miliband says pushing for renewable energy and lower emissions will reduce household bills and boost economy
The UK government will go “all in” on clean energy and climate policy, the energy secretary has said, as he unveiled plans to put the UK back on track to reach its net zero commitments.
In the face of intensifying attacks on climate policy from the poll-leading Reform UK party and the Conservatives, the government insists that pushing for renewable energy and lower carbon emissions will reduce household bills and boost the economy.
Continue reading...
-
Poole, Dorset: The harbour here is globally significant for black-tailed godwits, which have flown south to feast on these mudflats
As soon as the summer days begin to shorten, I start anticipating the return of our winter visitors. I’ve always had a love for waders and wildfowl; some of my earliest birding memories are learning to identify species like wigeon and teal.
More than a decade later, after studying wildlife conservation and ecology on the south coast, I live in Poole on the Dorset coast. The wide expanse of Poole Harbour is the main draw for birders and wildlife lovers, but one of the harbour’s best sites is Holes Bay, slightlyinland, in sight of the centre of Poole, and beside a busy retail park.
Continue reading...
-
Melissa slams into Cuba while lingering over Jamaica as the Bahamas braces to be next
Hurricane Melissa has slammed into Cuba, after sweeping through Jamaica as a catastrophic category 5 storm, the strongest to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851.
The huge, slow-moving storm lashed Jamaica with intense winds and heavy rain that caused extensive damage. It will linger over Cuba as a category 3 hurricane, which could still unleash extensive destruction, and is forecast to move into the Bahamas.
Continue reading...
-
Both are cyclones, or circular storms, but they form in distinct places and vary in terms of scale and impact
Cyclones are circular storms. Those that form in the Atlantic are called hurricanes while those in the Pacific are typhoons. They are essentially similar, but the difference between the areas where they form makes them different in scale and impact.
Typhoons tend to be larger because of the vast size of the Pacific. The two have similar wind speeds but are reported differently. Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir Simpson scale, with a five indicating sustained winds of more than 157 mph (253 km/h). There is no equivalent international scale for Pacific cyclones, but various scales exist with categories such as “typhoon” for wind speeds of 74-114 mph and “super typhoon” for those with winds above 115 mph.
Continue reading...
-
In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss - and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing
Aurora Nikula, 5, is having a normal day at her nursery. She is making a cake out of sand and mud, adding in make-believe carrots, potatoes and meat. “It’s overcooked,” she says as she splashes water in, then adds another dollop of sand. “More sugar, it tastes better,” she says. A handful of mud goes in, and the dish evolves into a chocolate cake.
Aki Sinkkonen, a principal scientist with the Natural Resources Institute Finland, is watching. He’s also very interested in Aurora’s cake, but for different reasons. “Perfect,” he says, admiring the way she is mixing soil, sand and leaves and then putting it on her face. “She’s really getting her hands in it.”
Aki Sinkkonen (left) and Marja Roslund from the Natural Resources Institute Finland in the Humpula garden
Continue reading...
-
As rising tides eat away at the Saint-Pierre and Miquelon archipelago off Canada, plans to move the historic village to higher ground have divided residents
Franck Detcheverry, Miquelon’s 41-year-old mayor, trudges up a grassy hill. “The view isn’t too bad, huh?” he jokes. The ocean sparkles 40 metres below the empty mound. The sound of a man playing the bagpipes, as if serenading the sea, floats up from the shoreline. This hill will be the location of his new home and those of all his fellow villagers.
In the distance, about half a mile away, you can see the outline of the 400 or so buildings in the village of Miquelon. It sits only 2 metres above sea level on the archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Situated off the Canadian coast to the south of Newfoundland, it is an “overseas collectivity” of France, and the country’s last foothold in North America.
Continue reading...
