The scourges of picnics have arrived early and in greater numbers amid ideal conditions for colonies to thrive
If dodging swooping gulls trying to steal your chips wasn’t already enough, you might be spending your bank holiday trying to keep wasps away from your ice cream too.
Britain is in the middle of a wasp boom. Not only have they arrived earlier than expected, but there are more of them than in recent summers. Experts say 2025 is an excellent year for them.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
08/19/2025 - 23:00
With the number of very hot days rising as well as average temperatures, more and more animals are vulnerable. But while some species can adapt, others are seeing huge population declines
The residents of Tecolutilla, Mexico, knew the heatwave was bad when they heard the thuds. One by one, the town’s howler monkeys, overcome with dehydration and exhaustion, were falling from the trees like apples, their limp bodies smacking the ground as temperatures sizzled past 43C (110F) in spring last year.
Those that survived were given ice and intravenous drips by rescuers. At least 83 of the primates were found dead in the state of Tabasco, though local veterinarians estimated hundreds throughout the region probably perished.
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08/19/2025 - 18:57
Optimism may be hard to come by but the evidence shows some progress on emissions is not just possible – it’s happening before our eyes
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There is something of a reality check under way on the response to the climate crisis. It’s no secret that countries and corporations are far from living up to the goals set by international leaders at the landmark 2015 Paris agreement.
Unless there is a significant course correction, the ramifications will be far-reaching and often destructive. The second coming of Donald Trump and growing global instability has made a top-down injection of urgency at the pace needed harder to imagine. Optimism is harder to come by.
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08/19/2025 - 11:38
Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans
Brazil has issued an urgent call for all countries to come forward with strengthened national plans on the climate, in a last-ditch attempt to meet a key September deadline.
Only 28 countries have so far submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases – including China and the EU – still to produce their plans.
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08/19/2025 - 10:00
Scientist warns long suspension poses potential risks to some wetland areas and native species of fish and birds
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Environmental flows in the Murray-Darling necessary to keep wetlands and fish healthy have come to an abrupt halt due to a legal stoush between the commonwealth and the New South Wales government.
The commonwealth environmental water holder, Simon Banks, announced on Monday that he would no longer be releasing water into the river system because “as a model licence holder” he was no longer confident he was complying with NSW law.
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08/19/2025 - 08:33
PM says wildfires are proof climate emergency is getting worse, and that sustained non-partisan effort is needed
The wildfires that have devoured 382,000 hectares of land in Spain and killed four people underscore the need to “readjust and recalibrate” the country’s preparation and response capacities as part of a non-partisan effort to tackle the impacts of the climate emergency, the prime minister has warned.
Speaking during a visit to the south-western region of Extremadura on Tuesday, Pedro Sánchez said that while the record-breaking 16-day heatwave that had fanned the flames was over, “difficult hours” lay ahead as firefighters continued to battle huge blazes across parts of the country.
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08/19/2025 - 07:56
Deaths from short-term exposure to fine particulates spewed by forest fires underestimated by 93%
Choking smoke spewed by wildfires is far more dangerous than previously thought, a new study has found, with death tolls from short-term exposure to fine particulates underestimated by 93%.
Researchers found that 535 people in Europe died on average each year between 2004 and 2022 as a result of breathing in the tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 that are released when wildfires rage.
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08/19/2025 - 03:20
The Lib Dem leader is seeking a review of the laws to prevent the ‘en masse’ arrests
Parents in England are skipping meals and turning to buy-now-pay-later services such as Klarna in order to afford school uniforms before the autumn term, according to a survey.
Almost half (47%) of the 2,000 parents who took part in the poll said they were worried about uniform costs, which can run into hundreds of pounds due to expensive branded items, while more than a quarter (29%) said they had forgone food or heating to pay for uniforms.
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08/19/2025 - 01:01
Before It’s Gone is a series about the climate crisis and water scarcity in Morocco by photographer M’hammed Kilito, who highlights the degradation of countless oases
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08/19/2025 - 01:00
Hot summer also causing trees to shed their leaves as concerns raised over ‘food gap’ for wildlife in autumn
Autumn is the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”, according to the poet John Keats – but anyone hoping for a glut of blackberries this September may be sorely disappointed.
In many parts of the UK brambles have been bursting with fruit since mid-summer, with some now bearing only shrivelled berries. And it is not the only hallmark of autumn that appears to have come early: trees are dropping their leaves, apples are ripe and acorns are hitting the ground.
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