
But there are alternatives....


But there are alternatives....

Choice could prove difficult for Thames Water, which is trying to push through a water recycling scheme nearby
The first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London has been shortlisted as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across the country.
The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, was shortlisted as a new river bathing water after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year.
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This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
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Number of males at RSPB Abernethy rises to 30, after ‘huge amount of work’ by conservationists in Highlands forests
After decades of decline, there are signs of hope for the capercaillie, one of Britain’s most endangered birds.
Populations of the charismatic grouse, which is found only in the Caledonian pine forests of the Scottish Highlands, have increased by 50%, from 20 males in 2020 to 30 in 2025 at RSPB Abernethy.
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Report by Tony Blair Institute urges government to drop some green policies amid criticism of decarbonisation goal
Tony Blair’s thinktank has accused Ed Miliband of driving up energy prices in his push to make Britain’s energy supply more environmentally friendly.
The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) published a report on Friday criticising the government’s green policies and urging the energy secretary to drop some of them altogether, including almost completely decarbonising the electricity system by 2030.
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Pressure, frictional heating and a disordered layer of molecules on top of the ice make skating possible
Ice skating is counterintuitive: why should a narrow blade make it easier to slide over the ice? The science is surprisingly complex, but unscientific people worked out the practical application a long time ago.
William FitzStephen described how Londoners entertained themselves in freezing conditions in 1173: “Crowds of young men go out to play on the ice. Some of them fit shinbones of cattle on their feet, tying them round their ankles … and are carried along as fast as a flying bird.”
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Doubling of fish biomass and rebounding of endangered species shows government measures starting to work, biologists say
The Yangtze River in China, which has been in ecological decline for 70 years, is showing signs of recovery thanks to a sweeping fishing ban.
The ban was made more effective by the implementation of “evolutionary game theory”, which included finding alternative employment for fishers.
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Stanhope, Weardale: One of the best gifts I’ve ever received is a microscope. Sixty years on, it’s still a wonder to watch a mini rainforest in action
It was hard to resist running my fingers over the velvet carpet of moss that smoothed the drystone wall’s jagged capstones. Six months ago, after four heatwaves and prolonged drought, these same mosses resembled brown, wizened threads of dried tobacco. Today they were an inch-tall emerald forest again, studded with yellow moss bell toadstools, saturated with overnight rain.
Wall-top mosses are resilient, and so is the microscopic life that thrives on them. I collected a few soggy green cushions to investigate later, for “here be monsters”, though most are less than a millimetre long.
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Scientists believe we’re seeing the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs – and it’s a risk to the global economy. Governments and companies need to work together on solutions
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It feels like groundhog day: another week, another warning about the seriousness of the biodiversity crisis. This time it was the financial sector’s turn, as on Monday a major report, approved by more than 150 governments, said that many companies face collapse unless they better protect nature.
From healthy rivers to productive forests, the natural world underpins almost all economic activity. But human consumption of the Earth’s resources is unsustainable, driving what many scientists believe is the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs. And companies are not immune to the consequences.
‘We’ve lost everything’: anger and despair in Sicilian town collapsing after landslide
‘It sounds apocalyptic’: experts warn of impact of UK floods on birds, butterflies and dormice
Indonesia takes action against mining firms after floods devastate population of world’s rarest ape
‘We thought they would ignore us’: how humans are changing the way raptors behave
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Stuart Vevers wants the luxury brand to keep championing upcycled materials and reduce landfill waste
Stuart Vevers, the British designer of the American mass luxury brand Coach, is working to keep sustainability in the spotlight at New York fashion week. Not an easy task, when environmental concerns are slipping down the global agenda and fashion, perennially a mirror to the world we live in, has reverted to putting profits first.
“I’m an optimist, but it’s not a blind optimism. There’s a lot of tension in optimism, because the world is challenging and I am not ignoring that. My optimism comes from believing that the young people of today are going to make this world better,” he said before Wednesday’s show, held in the historic Cunard building in downtown New York.
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Marineland Antibes, the French government and animal welfare groups all agree on the need to rehome the listless killer whales but no one can agree where
In a sprawling aquarium complex in south-eastern France that once drew half a million visitors a year, only a few dozen people now move between pools that contain the last remaining marine mammals of Marineland Antibes. Weeds grow on walkways, the stands are empty and algae grows in the pools, giving the water a greenish hue.
It is here that Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son pair of orcas, are floating. They were born in these pools, and for decades they performed in shows for crowds. But since the park’s closure in January 2025, they no longer have an audience. When they are alone, they “log”, or float at the water’s surface, according to a court-ordered report released last April.
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Znanstvenici su otkrili iznenađujući novi način na koji se tijelo može boriti protiv inzulinske rezistencije i dijabetesa – poticanjem posebne vrste dobrih imunoloških stanica u masnom tkivu znanih kao rezidentni makrofagi.
Nova studija otkriva da magnezij može sniziti razinu glukoze natašte kod starijih osoba s nedostatkom magnezija, no zaustavljanje napredovanja dijabetesa može zahtijevati više od ispravljanja razine jednog minerala.
Američki znanstvenici su otkrili mikrobni potpis dječje Crohnove bolesti koji se razlikuje od sastava crijevnih bakterija kod djece s drugim gastrointestinalnim stanjima, pri čemu pacijenti s Crohnovom bolešću imaju više proupalnih i manje zaštitnih bakterija. Studija također otkriva različite bakterije kod onih s težim simptomima i aktivnošću Crohnove bolesti.
Bavljenje raznim intelektualno stimulirajućim aktivnostima tijekom života, poput čitanja, pisanja i učenja jezika, povezano je s nižim rizikom od Alzheimerove bolesti i sporijim kognitivnim padom, pokazuju rezultati nove studije.
Popularni lijek za dijabetes i mršavljenje tirzepatid (Mounjaro ili Zepbound) može smanjiti rizik od dijabetičke retinopatije, vodećeg uzroka gubitka vida, tvrdi nova studija. Rezultati mogu pružiti utjehu pacijentima koji su zabrinuti za zdravlje svojih očiju dok uzimaju ovaj lijek.
Pretilost doprinosi otprilike 1 od svaka 4 smrtna slučaja od zaraznih bolesti u SAD-u, procjenjuje se u novoj velikoj studiji. Naime, osobe s pretilošću imaju veći rizik od hospitalizacije ili smrti od zaraznih bolesti, od gripe i COVID-19 do gastroenteritisa i infekcija mokraćnog sustava.
Propisivanje acetilsalicilatne kiseline prilikom prvog prenatalnog pregleda svim trudnicama povezano je s ukupnim smanjenjem razvoja teške preeklampsije, pokazuju rezultati nove studije. Preeklampsija je ozbiljna komplikacija trudnoće koja uključuje trajno visoki krvni tlak i znakove oštećenja organa poput proteina u mokraći ili abnormalnosti jetre.
Znanstvenici sa Case Western Reserve University napravili su značajan napredak u razumijevanju Barrettovog jednjaka, prekanceroznog stanja koje dramatično povećava rizik od razvoja adenokarcinoma jednjaka, jednog od najbrže širećih i najsmrtonosnijih oblika raka.
Posljednjih godina mnogi medijski izvještaji i utjecajni ljudi na društvenim mrežama naglašavali su opasnosti od konzumiranja previše ugljikohidrata. Iako prehrana bogata ugljikohidratima može biti štetna, konzumiranje previše masti može uzrokovati više zdravstvenih problema, tvrdi nova studija.
Dijabetes tipa 2 i visoki krvni tlak (hipertenzija) dijele genetsku vezu, pokazuje novo istraživanje. Naime, ljudi s jednim stanjem imaju veću vjerojatnost da će razviti drugo stanje.