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Researchers say filters do not reduce toxicant exposure and are major contributor to plastic waste crisis
Cigarette filters do not work and are a major source of plastic pollution that should be banned by the UK government, experts have said.
In an editorial in Addiction, the journal for the Society for the Study of Addiction, researchers argue that ministers should use a forthcoming tobacco and vapes bill to “ban filters in the interests of public health and the environment”.
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Bird migrations rank as one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Thanks to GPS tracking, scientists are uncovering extraordinary insights into ancient and mysterious journeys – and new threats that are reshaping them.
Bird migrations rank as one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Thanks to GPS tracking, scientists are uncovering extraordinary insights into ancient and mysterious journeys – and new threats that are reshaping them.
As storm-chasing seabirds, Desertas petrels seek out hurricanes that draw deep-sea creatures to the surface. Only about 200 pairs remain, although the population is stable.
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Lobbyists attended 48% more meetings than Tories, as Labour accused of giving them ‘backstage pass’
Government ministers met representatives from the fossil fuel industry more than 500 times during their first year in power – equivalent to twice every working day, according to research.
The analysis found that fossil fuel lobbyists were present at 48% more ministerial meetings during Labour’s first year in power than under the Conservatives in 2023.
Ministers at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) met fossil fuel lobbyists 274 times, with industry figures present at almost a quarter of meetings.
During the same period DESNZ ministers met trade union representatives 61 times.
Ed Miliband, the secretary for energy and climate change, met fossil fuel lobbyists 250 times – with a third of all his meetings attended by industry figures.
Three fossil fuel companies: BP, Shell and Equinor, met ministers 100 times between them.
Fossil fuel lobbyistsattended almost every government meeting about the energy profits levy, a temporary windfall tax on the “extraordinary profits” of North Sea oil and gas companies.
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Analysis of 800,000 European cars found real-world pollution from plug-in hybrids nearly five times greater than lab tests
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) pump out nearly five times more planet-heating pollution than official figures show, a report has found.
The cars, which can run on electric batteries as well as combustion engines, have been promoted by European carmakers as a way to cover long distances in a single drive – unlike fully electric cars – while still reducing emissions.
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Researchers say carbon emissions change in Queensland tropical rainforests may have global climate implications
Australian tropical rainforest trees have become the first in the world to switch from being a carbon sink to an emissions source due to increasingly extreme temperatures and drier conditions.
The change, which applies to the trees’ trunks and branches but not the roots system, began about 25 years ago, according to new research published in Nature.
Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter
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Determined to find a solution to the discarded plastic nets, Ian Falconer found a way to convert them into filament for 3D printing, for use in products from motorbikes to sunglasses
Ian Falconer kept thinking about the heaps of discarded plastic fishing nets he saw at Newlyn harbour near his home in Cornwall. “I thought ‘it’s such a waste’,” he says. “There has to be a better solution than it all going into landfill.”
Falconer, 52, who studied environmental and mining geology at university, came up with a plan: shredding and cleaning the worn out nets, melting the plastic down and converting it into filament to be used in 3D printing. He then built a “micro-factory” so that the filament could be made into useful stuff.
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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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As the US government shutdown enters its third week, concerns mount over how the nation’s public lands will fare
Cars and RVs surged into Yosemite national park throughout the weekend, as visitors from around the world came to enjoy the crisp autumn weather, undeterred by a lack of park services and the absence of rangers.
National parks have largely been kept open through the lapse in US federal funding that’s left workers furloughed and resources for the parks system more scarce than usual. But as the US government shutdown enters its third week and legislators warn that their impasse could linger even longer than the one in Trump’s first term – which currently holds the record at 35 days – concerns are mounting over how the nation’s treasured public lands will fare.
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Sabine’s gulls and phalaropes among species that found themselves venturing unexpectedly close to land
A warm, dry year, followed by what feels like a final hurrah of summer as September gives way to October, has become the norm in recent years, at least where I live in Somerset. That’s usually good news for migrating birds, as they can head south safely, without the risk of sudden storms derailing their journey.
But autumn can still have a bite, weather-wise. Strong westerly gales during late August and the first two weeks of September meant that several pelagic seabirds – those that usually spend the autumn and winter months well out to sea – found themselves venturing unexpectedly close to land.
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Guardian Australia and BirdLife Australia proudly present this year’s free downloadable poster featuring the art of Pete Cromer
After well over 300,000 votes, the winner of the 2025 Australian bird of the year poll has been announced.
You can now download our aviary of fame poster featuring this and previous winners and runners up in the signature art of Pete Cromer.
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