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Inquiry set up by academics and campaigners to rival ‘too limited’ government-established commission
A “people’s commission” on the future of the water industry will travel across England and Wales taking evidence from the public and environmental campaign groups fighting sewage pollution.
Academics and environmental campaigners who were central to exposing the routine dumping of raw sewage into rivers by water companies have set up the inquiry to rival the government-established independent commission.
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In her latest book, Mother Animal, the writer gives a personal account of the impact of ‘forever chemicals’ on her and her child during and after pregnancy
When Helen Jukes told her friends she was writing about motherhood and pollution, they advised her against it and warned she might make pregnant people more anxious than they already were. But she disagreed. Mother Animal, a personal account of Jukes’ pregnancy and early years of motherhood, details her growing realisation of how contaminated her body, and her baby, have become. And it’s something she thinks all would-be parents should be more aware of. There are chemicals from human industry in breast milk, amniotic fluid and bones, she writes. Toxicologists have found “forever chemicals” in embryos and foetuses at “every stage of pregnancy … in lung tissues, in livers”. It is inescapable.
Yet it is spoken about far too little. “I find it quite disrespectful to think that mothers wouldn’t be capable of handling [this] information,” she says when we meet at her home on the edge of the Peak District.
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Climate scientists caution, however, that even weakened currents would cause profound harm to humanity
Vital Atlantic Ocean currents are unlikely to completely collapse this century, according to a study, but scientists say a severe weakening remains probable and would still have disastrous impacts on billions of people.
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is a system of currents that plays a crucial role in the global climate. The climate crisis is weakening the complex system, but determining if and when it will collapse is difficult.
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Seeds of 177 species from across Africa to be stored in Norway to preserve crop diversity in case of disaster
More than 100,000 seeds from across Africa have been deposited in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the world’s repository for specimens intended to preserve crop diversity in the event of disaster.
Among the latest additions are seeds critical to building climate resilience, such as the tree Faidherbia albida, which turns nitrogen into ammonia and nitrates, and Cordia africana,the Sudan teak, a tree renowned for its strength and durability.
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Jurors had difficulty reaching a verdict in case of Diana Warner, who obstructed train in protest over power plant
A retired doctor has been found guilty of obstructing the railway during a climate protest, after jurors told the judge they were struggling to come to a verdict “as a matter of conscience”.
Dr Diana Warner, 65, told the Guardian she believed the jury had been unfairly “bullied” into the verdict by the judge, who responded that jurors should try the case “on the evidence, not your conscience”.
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The Marches, Shropshire: On a windswept day with wild energy in the skies, something is happening out on the heath
Spectral rain dogs chase through the wind across Old Racecourse Common above Oswestry. So much energy in the sky, so much fractured sunlight. Sheltered by a tangle of goat willow around North Common Pond, invisible birds set up a pod of sound made from scores of individual tweeps. A grunt may come from a hermit moorhen.
The pond surface, silvered and sepia, ripples with raindrops and sparkles with light around a wavering tracery of branches, a shadow screen reflecting the unstable nature of a seemingly solid world. Willow branches sway, some supporting tufts of beard lichen, their alter-images moving sinuously over the newty water below. In this trick of the light, the dual realities of air and water present something that is neither of the two. This chattering, shimmering pond, tucked away in a corner of the common, is like a derelict chapel with its ghost choir and mysterious rituals.
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Favourites such as cod, haddock and salmon could be replaced as UK waters warm up, scientists warn
UK waters, particularly the southern North Sea, are warming fast, making the North Atlantic one of the world’s marine “hot spots”. Scientists have been asked by the UK government to forecast what this means for British food supply and predict potentially dangerous tipping points that lie ahead.
While the UK already has milder winters because of warmer seas and heavier rain because of extra moisture in the atmosphere, this investigation is about what is happening under the waves. Already fishers are travelling ever further north to catch British favourites such as cod and haddock, and some salmon stocks face extinction.
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For decades, the Swiss city has been transforming its skyline, and now boasts some of the greenest rooftops in Europe
Susanne Hablützel breaks up her work day by staring out the window at a rooftop garden. The view is not spectacular: a pile of dead wood sits atop an untidy plot that houses chicory, toadflax, thistle and moss.
But Hablützel, a biologist in charge of nature projects in Basel, is enthralled by the plants and creatures the roof has brought in. “Tree fungi have settled in the trunks, and they are great to see – I love mushrooms. You can also see birds now – that wasn’t the case before.”
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The 1890 National Scholars program gives full rides to HBCU students in fields like botany, forestry and food safety
Dr Marcus Bernard was shocked to learn last week that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had suspended the 1890 National Scholars program that funds undergraduate students’ education in agriculture or related fields at about 20 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Bernard is dean of the college of agriculture, health and natural resources at one of those institutions, Kentucky State University. At Kentucky State, close to 40 of the scholars have enrolled since the project’s inception in 1992. Nationwide, the program has supported more than 800 students, according to the USDA.
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Snap helps more than 42 million people, and is considered the country’s most effective tool to fight hunger
During a recent grocery store visit, Audrey Gwenyth spent $159.01 on items such as eggs, Greek yogurt, edamame snaps, bagels, chia seeds, brownie mix, oatmeal, milk, cilantro rice and pork sausage. The entire bill was paid via her electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, card, which is how recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), pay for groceries at participating stores, farmers markets and restaurants.
“Because I’m a single mom and I don’t receive child support, I don’t have a lot of help in the world,” said Gwenyth, a mother of two toddlers, whose food budget is around $100 per week. She shares many of her EBT purchases on social media to help others make the most of their benefits. “I could not pay for food if it wasn’t for EBT. It’s been a lifesaver.”
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