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Unless global heating is reduced to 1.2C ‘as fast as possible’, warm water coral reefs will not remain ‘at any meaningful scale’, a report by 160 scientists from 23 countries warns
The earth has reached its first catastrophic tipping point linked to greenhouse gas emissions, with warm water coral reefs now facing a long-term decline and risking the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, according to a new report.
The report from scientists and conservationists warns the world is also “on the brink” of reaching other tipping points, including the dieback of the Amazon, the collapse of major ocean currents and the loss of ice sheets.
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The volcanic island of Surtsey emerged in the 1960s, and scientists say studying its development offers hope for damaged ecosystems worldwide
The crew of the Ísleifur II had just finished casting their nets off the coast of southern Iceland when they realised something was wrong. In the early morning gloom in November 1963, a dark mass filled the sky over the Atlantic Ocean. They rushed to the radio, thinking that another fishing vessel was burning at sea, but no boats in the area were in distress.
Then, their trawler began to drift unexpectedly, unnerving the crew further. The cook scrambled to wake the captain, thinking they were being pulled into a whirlpool. Finally, through binoculars, they spotted columns of ash bursting from the water and realised what was going on: a volcano was erupting in the ocean below.
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Mary Lawlor, UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders, accuses US, UK and other governments of paying lip service to climate goals while criminalizing activists
Human rights defenders organizing to prevent climate catastrophe are facing a surge in reprisals, as governments around the world denigrate, delegitimize and criminalize activists in spite of worsening global heating, a top United Nations official has told the Guardian.
Mary Lawlor, the UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders since 2020, has documented hundreds of cases where states have sought to smear and silence climate defenders engaged in peaceful protest, non-violent civil disobedience and litigation.
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Lord Stern says fossil-fuelled growth is futile as the damage it causes ends in economic self-destruction
Investment in climate action is the economic growth story of the 21st century, while growth fuelled by fossil fuels is futile because the damage it causes ends in self-destruction, the economist Nicholas Stern has said.
The plummeting costs of clean technologies, from renewable energy to electric cars, plus the healthier and more productive societies they enable, meant investments could simultaneously tackle the climate crisis and faltering economic growth, and bring millions of people out of poverty, he said.
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People urged to savour sights, sounds and smells of the season as poll shows a disconnect during darker months
There may be a bite in the wind and the nights are certainly drawing in but a conservation charity and a television wildlife champion have launched a campaign aimed at getting more people connecting with nature in the autumn and winter months.
The National Trust is launching a “Wild Senses” campaign on the back of the new BBC series Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles in which the wildlife expert and camera operator Hamza Yassin celebrates the UK’s seasons and encourages viewers to notice, appreciate and reconnect to wildlife everywhere.
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Allendale, Northumberland: Their sheer presence makes them a source of delight, and they’ve taken root in unlikely places. Now it’s time to collect their seeds
In the first storm of autumn, their huge, pliable stems rock and sway, but none are toppled. These hollyhocks, grown 10ft tall since spring, are survivors, delighting me for many months. I’m loth to cut them down, shrivel-leaved as they are, because they still give so much height.
My grandchildren ran between them in the summer holidays. Red admirals and peacocks settled on their floppy petals. Bumblebees nosed up into their large flowers, sheltered from the rain by the downward facing trumpets of hibiscus-like blooms. Angle shades moths came to the light of the moth trap, their caterpillars having fed on hollyhock leaves.
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The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and scientists are only beginning to learn what they do
Microplastics have been found almost everywhere: in blood, placentas, lungs – even the human brain. One study estimated our cerebral organs alone may contain 5g of the stuff, or roughly a teaspoon. If true, plastic isn’t just wrapped around our food or woven into our clothes: it is lodged deep inside us.
Now, researchers suspect these particles may also be meddling with our gut microbes. When Dr Christian Pacher-Deutsch at the University of Graz in Austria exposed gut bacteria from five healthy volunteers to five common microplastics, the bacterial populations shifted – along with the chemicals they produced. Some of these changes mirrored patterns linked to depression and colorectal cancer.
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After charging, there was a power system malfunction but MG closed the case and insisted a safety check was at our own expense
Our MG5electric car became dangerously out of control, but MG won’t do anything about it.
The car suffered a power system malfunction after we had used a charger at amotorwayservice station.
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A runway show in Gikomba, east Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market, has attempted to highlight the impact of mass clothing imports – and offer a solution
Antony Njoroge paces back and forth, camera in hand, as people bombard him with questions. “What do we do with this? Where should I put it? The light’s better over here! Tony, one second please.” The film-maker and his co-producer Sally Ngoiri are putting the final touches to an event that they never imagined would actually come to life when they first thought up the idea back in May: the first fashion show to be staged in Gikomba, Nairobi, east Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market.
Show and documentary producers Antony Njoroge, left, and Sally Ngoiri
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One more deluge could bankrupt Tenbury Wells yet its application for flood defence funding has been rejected
Walking through the centre of Tenbury Wells is like stepping into a postcard. The independent shops are painted in cheerful colours and flowers spill out of planters. Bunting festoons the lampposts, and the pubs are full, their steamed-up windows glowing orange.
You would not know that just a few months ago, the Worcestershire town was a wreck, destroyed by flood water, with windows smashed and shops gutted. The inhabitants have worked hard to make it pristine again, a vision of the England seen on chocolate boxes and in Christmas films.
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