The demilitarised zone between North and South Korea has become an ecological oasis with nearly 6,000 species documented, including rare cranes, deer and bears
Standing on top of a small mountain, Kim Seung-ho gazes out over an expanse of paddy fields glowing in their autumn gold, the ripening grains swaying gently in the wind. In the distance, North Korea stretches beyond the horizon.
“It’s so peaceful,” says the director of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute. “Over there, it used to be an artillery range, but since they stopped firing, the nature has become so beautiful.”
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
08/21/2025 - 00:00
08/20/2025 - 23:34
Planting more trees can help cool the planet and reduce fire risk—but where they are planted matters. According to UC Riverside researchers, tropical regions provide the most powerful climate benefits because trees there grow year-round, absorb more carbon dioxide, and cool the air through processes like evapotranspiration, or “tree sweating.”
08/20/2025 - 21:00
Helen Pidd grew up in Morecambe, and life in seaside towns has only got harder since she was a teenager. She went back to find out why
As a teenager, the Today in Focus presenter Helen Pidd could not wait to leave her home town on the Lancashire coast. But today she looks back with fondness at her time spent at the fairground or misbehaving on the beachfront, and watching bands at the local music venue.
She returned this summer to find out what life was like for young people today – and found things were not as she remembered. All of her old haunts had shut down and young people spoke about a town in which they had nothing to do.
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08/20/2025 - 14:12
Temperatures are expected to spike with a trio of heat, thunderstorms and fire risks compounding dangers
Californians are bracing for the first major heatwave of the year, a multiday scorcher that could bring triple-digit temperatures, pose significant threats to public health and sharply heighten wildfire risks.
After a notably cooler summer, temperatures are expected to spike across the American south-west starting on Wednesday and extending through the weekend, as severe conditions expand north along the coast into British Columbia by the end of the week.
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08/20/2025 - 10:18
North Carolina anticipates the most brutal surf conditions after storm reportedly rebuilds inner eye wall
Hurricane Erin’s arrival is being felt all along the east coast, where higher tides and powerful surf have triggered expanded warnings for flooding and tropical storm conditions.
Coastal residents are bracing for the possibility of a dangerous storm surge reaching up to 4ft (1.2 metres), along with severe beach erosion. The hurricane is expected to generate “life-threatening” waves ranging from 15 to 20ft, with North Carolina beaches anticipating the most brutal waves.
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08/20/2025 - 09:03
Shut the System says its supporters carried out actions at offices of JP Morgan Chase, Allianz and Barclaycard
The City of London police are investigating claims by environmental activists to have carried out acts of sabotage on the offices of major insurers and financial institutions.
Activist group Shut the System said its supporters had cut cables and glued electrical service cabinets at JP Morgan Chase and Allianz, in what it described as the start of “a period of sustained sabotage” against fossil fuel finance.
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08/20/2025 - 07:00
Residents cite pollution, loss of fishing and diminished tax revenue as liquefied natural gas production for export accelerates
This story was originally published by Floodlight, a non-profit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action
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08/20/2025 - 04:00
Research shows steep increases over past 30 years, after summer of strandings across Europe
The number of marine mammals stranded in Scotland has risen dramatically in the past 30 years, a study has found.
From 1992 to 2022, 5,147 cetaceans died on Scottish shores, and a new paper shows steep increases in the rate of strandings of up to 800% in some species, continuing exponentially every year.
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08/20/2025 - 04:00
The Guardian’s former north of England editor returned to Morecambe after 25 years to discover the place where she grew up has even fewer amenities for young people – and the feeling of being ‘left behind’ is stronger than ever
Share your experiences of living in a coastal town
Photographs by Polly Braden
If you had asked me as a teenager whether I saw my future in Morecambe, I’d have laughed you out of our faded seaside town. I’d been plotting my escape since I was 14. The sea was grey, the sand was treacherous and the wind was always messing up my hair. I was totally unmoved by the view across the bay of the Lake District fells.
It felt like half of the world was cut off. You could go left or right on the prom but never straight ahead, unless you wanted to end up stuck in mud waving frantically for the coastguard. A whole compass point was out of reach.
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08/20/2025 - 03:00
Natural climate variation is most likely reason as global heating due to fossil fuel burning has continued
The melting of sea ice in the Arctic has slowed dramatically in the past 20 years, scientists have reported, with no statistically significant decline in its extent since 2005.
The finding is surprising, the researchers say, given that carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning have continued to rise and trap ever more heat over that time.
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