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Britain among 10 countries to build 100GW grid in North Sea linking countries through subsea cables
The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has said he wants the North Sea to become the “largest reservoir of clean energy worldwide”, as he announced plans to accelerate efforts to link up offshore wind power projects with Europe.
The UK and nine other European countries have agreed to accelerate the rollout of offshore windfarms in the 2030s and build a power grid in the North Sea, in a landmark pact to turn the ageing oil basin into a “clean energy reservoir”.
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The variety and scope of entries to the global Walk of Water photography contest reflect the intimate connection between water and humanity
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Environmental charity to prioritise water capture and storage as it urges gardeners to prepare for ‘new normal’
The Royal Horticultural Society has unveiled emergency plans to protect its gardens from major water shortages in the future.
The environmental charity, which owns and operates five renowned public gardens in England, said on Saturday it will invest in more water-capture and water-management projects in 2026 after severe droughts last year.
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Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: As chief clothes-washer in our home, I see egrets and snowdrops and wonder how anything living in the marsh or riverbank can stay so clean
The dazzling white of snow gave way to sludge underfoot. Then came the heavy rain, returning us to mud and the drabness of late winter.
A ghost rises beside the lake, taking form as it separates itself from the low mist. Against the grey of the sky, the impossible brilliance of its perfect white, metre-wide wingspan is jolting. It’s a little egret, a small, white heron with impressive wings.
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An extraordinary mosaic of wildlife has made Britain’s urban jungle its home
London is the only place in the UK where you can find scorpions, snakes, turtles, seals, peacocks, falcons all in one city – and not London zoo. Step outside and you will encounter a patchwork of writhing, buzzing, bubbling urban microclimates.
Sam Davenport, the director of nature recovery at the London Wildlife Trust, emphasises the sheer variation in habitats that you find in UK cities, which creates an amazing “mosaic” of wildlife.
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Experts say climate crisis, corruption and lack or misuse of infrastructure among factors driving water conflicts
Water-related violence has almost doubled since 2022 and little is being done to understand and address the trend and prevent new and escalating risks, experts have said.
There were 419 incidents of water-related violence recorded in 2024, up from 235 in 2022, according to the Pacific Institute, a US-based thinktank.
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Researchers found a new way to filter and destroy Pfas chemicals at 100 times the rate of current systems
New filtration technology developed by Rice University may absorb some Pfas “forever chemicals” at 100 times the rate previously possible, which could dramatically improve pollution control and speed remediations.
Researchers also say they have also found a way to destroy Pfas, though both technologies face a steep challenge in being deployed on an industrial scale.
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Therapy lights, sunrise alarm clocks and infrared saunas can all help shake the winter blues as the weather drops
As a lifelong Canadian, I’m no stranger to that familiar sinking feeling in my chest as the days get shorter, dimmer and colder. I suffer from seasonal affective disorder (Sad), which also affects about one in 20 people in the US.
“Sad is a type of depression that happens at certain times of the year, usually in the fall and winter when there’s less sunlight,” said Dr Stefanie Mazer, a licensed psychologist and founder of the psychology practice Mindwise, Inc. Changes in sunlight can affect your body’s internal clock and levels of serotonin and melatonin, which influence mood and sleep, Mazer explained. People with Sad often feel low energy, sadness and irritability, with noticeable changes in sleeping or eating.
For gentle wake-ups in the morning:
Hatch Restore 3 Sunrise Alarm Clock
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The most popular posts on r/animalid are exotic lizards and rare birds – but it’s the haziest trail cam screenshots that feel the most dangerous, the most spectacular
I spent the first decade of my life in Vancouver Island, Canada, in an area rich with parks, lakes and forests. Deer would occasionally wander into our neighbourhood and nibble on the blossoms in our front yard. In that neck of the (literal) woods, mountains and deer also mean cougars.
My sister and I would play at a local park, then walk home along a track parallel to a dense forest. My older sister, being three and a half years ahead of me in life and therefore lightyears ahead of me in wisdom, would helpfully declare that if we encountered a cougar it would attack me, not her, as I’m the smaller prey.
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Electric van sales are behind government targets, but those fleets that have switched are seeing a real difference
Swinging a fully laden electric van around a training centre in Bishop’s Stortford feels easy, with instant acceleration that belies the racks of heavy equipment in the back. Perhaps too easy, as the sudden shriek of its proximity sensor suggests the Guardian was a whisker away from a bill for some new paintwork.
The van in question belongs to Openreach, BT’s fibre broadband subsidiary. It is one of 6,000 electric vans out of 23,400 in Britain’s second-largest commercial fleet – and a further 1,000 are expected to be added by March.
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