Environment
Southeast Asia’s toxic haze spurs calls for legal action against polluters
ASEAN's consensus-driven approach and a lack of enforcement mechanisms make legal action difficult, experts say.
22 Oct 2026
EnvironmentAt least four dead after storm brings flooding to southern France
The deaths include two women found drowned in a cellar in the Bouches-du-Rhône region.
22 Oct 2026
EnvironmentHow Jackdaw ignites row over climate and costs
The UK government approves production from Jackdaw amid intense debate about the project's environmental and economic impact.
22 Oct 2026
EnvironmentTwo storms in two days as Austen and Boelo target UK
The Met Office have named a new storm, Boelo, which is set to bring another round of stormy weather to the UK over the weekend.
22 Oct 2026
EnvironmentWhy is a peat fire so bad? BBC is in Indonesia to find out
The BBC's Liza Tambunan is in central Kalimantan, to explain what peat is and why Indonesia is facing its worst wildfire season in a decade.
21 Oct 2026‘Huge wave’ of carbon storage projects causes alarm in small-town USA as oil firms eye billions in subsidies
Dozens of projects are in development across US despite concerns over environmental and health risksThe plan to bury carbon under remote Indiana farmland is supposed to be a slam dunk for the climate, according to its supporters – all generously funded by US tax dollars.But as far as Melissa Harrison and some other residents of Clymers, Indiana, are concerned, it just might be the end of their tow
21 Oct 2026More than 1 million mice used in Australian research annually, ‘overdue’ study finds
Advocates say having national data about numbers of rats and mice used in research can help boost public trust in scienceGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 1 million mice and nearly 47,000 rats are used in scientific research in Australia annually, according to the first ever nationwide count.Dr Malcolm France, a veterinarian who compiled the data, described the c
21 Oct 2026EPA quietly backtracks on claims US has phased out toxic Pfas compounds
Agency changes wording on website as Texas-based firm continues manufacture of plastic container barriersThe Environmental Protection Agency has quietly backtracked on a claim that the US has phased out two of the most dangerous Pfas compounds – Pfoa and Pfos.The EPA has found that virtually no level of exposure to either in drinking water is safe, and the International Agency for Research on Canc
21 Oct 2026Melting Ron DeSantis statue unveiled to call out his inaction on climate crisis
Florida governor has consistently opposed any legislation to curb planet-heating emissions, calling it a ‘radical climate agenda’A life-sized statue of Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, was unveiled and promptly began melting in front of an audience in Tallahassee in a symbolic protest at his rejection of action on the climate crisis.The silvery statue, revealed to an audience of onlookers last
21 Oct 2026Colorado wildlife overpass cut vehicle-animal collisions by 91%, report finds
Elk, bear, frogs and other animals have used the overpass, which connects 39,000 acres of habitat, since its completionColorado officials have tracked herds of elk, bears, pronghorn and even northern leopard frogs ambling across its new wildlife overpass. According to a newly released report, the overpass, which acts as a bridge over a busy stretch of interstate, has helped cut wildlife-vehicle co
21 Oct 2026Trendy LA neighborhood’s war over wild coyote erupts after child attacked
Coyote euthanized after reportedly roaming Atwater Village comfortably for months and attacking one-year-old boyOne Los Angeles neighborhood has been at war over a wild coyote, and over the weekend it all came to a head.For months, the animal had been roaming the trendy Atwater Village, showing up in broad daylight, sleeping in back yards and approaching residents. At least one person had reported
21 Oct 2026Great white shark leaps from water and photobombs California beachgoers
Videos show shark launching several feet from water as a group of friends pose for photos along Marina state beachA great white shark put on a spectacular display for California beachgoers over the weekend, leaping from the water off Marina state beach and photobombing visitors.Videos circulating online show a great white shark launching several feet out of the water in the background as a group o
21 Oct 2026US extreme weather survivors are a growing group – now they want to be a political force
At a gathering in Texas, near where floods killed 136 people last year, survivors are united on the need for urgent actionIt may be a club none of its members actually want to be in, but the growing number of people in the US affected by extreme weather disasters are starting to organize into a political force.Severe wildfires, floods storms and other calamities now touch the lives of huge numbers
21 Oct 2026New lab to become centre for investigating uplands
The research facility in Penrith will also help train the next generation of environmental scientists.
21 Oct 2026Five ways El Niño is affecting the weather around the world
As the strongest El Niño on record continues to intensify, what impacts on weather patterns are already being felt across the globe? Sarah Keith-Lucas looks at the evidence.
21 Oct 2026Northern Ireland needs 'courage and leadership' to tackle climate change
The new chair of the Climate Change Committee is spending two days in Northern Ireland on a fact-finding mission.
21 Oct 2026Moment giant fin whale's huge mouth engulfs thousands of gallons of water
Videographer Rhys Morgan captured footage of the worlds second largest whale lunge feeding on his drone.
21 Oct 2026Giant tunnel proposed to clean up Windermere's sewage problem
The plan would eliminate sewage spills into Windermere, blamed for turning the water green.
21 Oct 2026How much gas could Jackdaw provide? And will it cut your energy bills?
BBC Verify looks at what the Jackdaw decision means for bills, energy security and the environment.
21 Oct 2026Orionid meteor shower to peak in UK skies into Thursday
Clear skies permitting, skygazers could be able to spot as many as 10-20 meteors per hour as the shower peaks this week.
21 Oct 2026Will Jackdaw cut your energy bills?
BBC Verify's Ben Chu explains why energy prices are so high, and what Jackdaw could mean for your bills.
21 Oct 2026Burnham approves Jackdaw – and Labour’s unity on climate action is imperilled with the stroke of a pen | Zoe Williams
This foolish decision undermines hopes that this government will take the necessary steps the climate crisis demands When the news broke that the UK government had approved the Jackdaw gasfield, I was at a Guardian climate event at the Royal Geographical Society. Appropriately, the theme suggested by readers was what can the public actually do in the face of what feels like paralysing climate doom
21 Oct 2026The Guardian view on drilling in Jackdaw: a truly pragmatic approach would focus on Britain’s green transition | Editorial
Opening the North Sea gasfield will deliver minimal benefits for households, while sending a dismal signal before next month’s Cop summitThis week a report from the UN Environment Programme concluded that holding global temperatures to a 1.5C warming limit – the centrepiece commitment of the Paris climate agreement – is no longer achievable. If the disastrous consequences of a significant overshoo
21 Oct 2026‘Climate vandalism’: Jackdaw gasfield approval condemned - The Latest
Climate campaigners have condemned the UK government’s decision to allow the drilling of the Jackdaw gasfield. Critics argue the move will put climate targets at risk, while failing to reduce energy bills and the cost of living crisis. But there could be a significant victory for green activists when it comes to the much larger Rosebank oilfield, with the energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, leani
21 Oct 2026