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A former UK government scientific adviser warned amid the ‘shattering’ heat that worse is still to come
Met Office has just offered an update on temperatures across the UK, with several stations already reporting temperatures above 30C – and it’s not even 11am.
It’s 30.4C in Wych Cross, 30.3C in Charlwood, 30.2C at Kenly Airfield.
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From chefs to paramedics, workers tell the Guardian how they are coping and unions outline the changes needed in the workplace
In the sweltering kitchen of the Plimsoll pub in north London, the head chef, Joshua Swinney, has a frozen tea towel wrapped around his neck to combat the heat.
As temperatures exceeded 35C (95F) in the capital, workers who were not lucky enough to be in air-conditioned offices sweltered in the heat.
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Hit by heatwaves and low rainfall, food producers are finding novel solutions to help crops and cattle survive
Ponds and collection tanks, drought-resistant crops and a certain rodent. As the climate crisis brings more extreme weather to Britain, farmers are experimenting with new tactics to tackle drought – and flooding.
The string of heatwaves and drought conditions experienced across vast swathes of Britain this summer has brought a series of challenges for food producers, particularly those growing crops more suited to the UK’s traditional climate.
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Twenty-one birds released on Bodmin Moor where it is hoped they will one day return to produce their own young
They took a little coaxing at first – after all, they had got used to a safe, comfortable aviary tucked away in woodland on the edge of Bodmin Moor. But after a few minutes, the birds stepped out into freedom and the bolder ones were soon soaring into the blue, the first white storks to be released into the wilds of Cornwall.
Yan Swiderski, the founder of the Cornwall Stork Project, had tears in his eyes. “I do feel a bit emotional,” he said. He sounded a little like a proud father wanting to play down the achievements of his offspring – and failing. “They’re a little bit clumsy at the moment. They aren’t used to flying free … but they do look majestic, don’t they?”
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Calshot, Hampshire: Underwater meadows are vanishingly rare habitats, so I join a group who are gathering eelgrass seed to help restore them
It’s 6.30am and I’m wading knee-deep in the River Solent, searching for common eelgrass (Zostera marina) seed. I meander through the shallows, scanning the underwater meadow for something no bigger than my little finger.
I’ve been shown photos of the seed-bearing spathes, but at first the sheer expanse of leaves is overwhelming. I try combing my fingers through them, feeling for the fleshy flowering spikes, but come up empty-handed.
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This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
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We’ve gone in search of the invertebrate of the year. Now it’s your chance to choose
It’s time to vote for the 2026 invertebrate of the year. For the third year running, we’ve been profilng some of the most spectacular, fascinating and yet overlooked inhabitants of our planet; the huge category of animals (more than 1.3million different species) that have no spine. This group includes all sorts of creatures from jellyfish to bumblebees via parasites, spiders and worms. They carry out some of the most critical functions at the very base of all of our ecosystems, but it’s the vertebrates - pandas, lions, whales - that scoop up everyone’s attention.
Please vote for your favourite from these amazing species... or if you don’t have time to vote, just don’t forget to look down, or up, or under a stone or into a pond; some of the most marvellous creatures you’ve never heard of may be a few millimetres away.
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Of the 1.3m spineless wonders in the world, you told us your favourites. Now it’s time to pick the winner
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It’s raining in Melbourne as I write this, and on my way to work I saw pale pink earthworms everywhere, scattered and exposed all over the footpath like soft-bodied streamers.
It was a visible reminder, as I dodged to avoid squishing the inaugural winners, in 2024, of the invertebrate of the year contest, of the magnificent array of 1.7m invertebrate species we share the planet with.
Could England and Wales ever run out of water?
The return of the caspian tiger: how a species feared extinct has come back to Kazakhstan
‘Unprecedented, dangerous territory’: US north-west reckons with a summer of historic wildfires
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Wildfire smoke and ash can reshape aquatic ecosystems long after the flames have been extinguished
Wildfires are an increasing problem in Europe and elsewhere. While their immediate effect on air quality is obvious, they can also trigger less visible but significant environmental effects, including algal blooms.
An algal bloom is the rapid growth of algae and other plant-like microorganisms. These blooms can become so dense that they change the colour of the lake and seas. Although most are harmless, some produce dangerous toxins. When their blooms die, their decomposition depletes oxygen in the water, creating so-called dead zones.
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More than 2,600 villages have been flooded in Assam this year, in a climate disaster made worse by uncontrolled deforestation and mining in the region
It was a normal July morning in the Indian state of Assam. After finishing her chores and eating breakfast, Gitali Phukon, a resident of the town of Gaurisagar, left her home to buy groceries. After two days of rainfall that had made the unpaved roads muddy and slippery, the sun was shining.
But less than an hour later, she returned home to a nightmare: the Mitong River, which runs through the town, was overflowing and water was gushing through the streets.
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