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Numbers of red and grey squirrels rising, survey finds, but more greys are present in last remaining red strongholds
Campaigners are concerned about the rising presence of grey squirrels in England’s last remaining strongholds of reds.
An annual distribution survey of about 250 sites in woodlands and gardens across northern England shows that occupancy figures for red and grey squirrels are increasing – but they are rising more steeply for greys.
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Exclusive: Campaigners say company’s apparent abandoning of 2030 pledge is a ‘masterclass in greenwashing’
Coca-Cola has been accused of quietly abandoning a pledge to achieve a 25% reusable packaging target by 2030 in what campaigners call a “masterclass in greenwashing”.
The company has been previously found by researchers to be among the world’s most polluting brands when it comes to plastic waste.
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As ICJ hears landmark climate case, Grenada’s PM says vulnerable nations expect a long, hard fight for aid
It’s a macabre picture: tombs, headstones and wreaths, lovingly selected by family members, floating into the oblivion of the ocean, and with them the remains of loved ones uprooted from their final resting place. Some are dragged back to land, washed up on beaches on the Grenadian island of Carriacou, transforming the beautiful Caribbean shoreline into a chaotic graveyard.
This disturbing reality, says Grenada’s prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, is a poignant example of the gravity of the climate crisis and its impact on his country.
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Recordings by biologist Heike Vester reveal how oil and gas exploration as well as cruises, fishing boats and even whale-watchers are adding to the din underwater
From the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play, the sound of the static of the fjord fills the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes the explosion of seismic airguns – extremely loud blasts used in oil and gas exploration that can travel vast distances underwater.
And finally, dancing above it all – and at times drowned out by it – are the soaring vocalisations of whales.
Heike Vester at home in Bodø, Norway. Her love of whales comes partly from her interest in matrilineal societies. Photograph: Marthe Mølstre/The Guardian
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Vanuatu envoy makes claim as hearing gets under way at international court of justice in The Hague
A handful of countries should be held legally responsible for the ongoing impacts of climate change, representatives of vulnerable states have told judges at the international court of justice (ICJ).
During a hearing at the Peace Palace in The Hague, which began on Monday, Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change and environment, said responsibility for the climate crisis lay squarely with “a handful of readily identifiable states” that had produced the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions but stood to lose the least from the impacts.
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Goyt Valley, Derbyshire: Thriving in among the oak and chestnut, this wych elm is green-furred and almost animate, bulked up in its winter overcoat
Despite the many obituaries for British elms, their death has been greatly exaggerated, as Mark Twain might have said. North Derbyshire is full of them, despite elm disease. There are superb centurion elms in Buxton’s town centre, but my favourite is here on the path to Errwood Hall.
I confess that I’ve walked past it many times over the last half-century and hadn’t previously noticed it. That inattention speaks of the tree’s deepest and – if it’s not too contradictory – grandest quality: its ability to stand to one side, to live unseen in full view, to flourish outside our ken. It is all the more magnificent for living so truly unto itself.
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Scientists have various theories about resurgence of once scarce plant popular at Christmas in Victorian era
Now that deciduous trees have lost their leaves the colonies of mistletoe Viscum album that have been spreading across the country are more obvious. A species that was rare outside the south-east Midlands is now quite common in many areas where it is seen growing mostly on apple, lime, poplar and hawthorn trees.
The Victorian demand for mistletoe was once so great that the British crop from apple orchards was insufficient and hundreds of tonnes had to be imported from France. Every home had to have a sprig at Christmas as an excuse for a clandestine kiss.
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The sprawling Florida mansion sits in one of the most vulnerable places in the US to climate-driven disasters
A sprawling Florida mansion set beside a powdery white sand beach overlooking the azure Gulf of Mexico is currently the most expensive property listed for sale in the United States, yours for a mere $295m.
It is also in one of the most vulnerable places in the country to climate-driven disasters, and faces an almost inevitable flooding event in the coming years.
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Campaigners fear ruling on the toxic Matanza-Riachuelo basin will worsen the region’s many health crises and sends the message that environmental damage is not a priority
Two decades ago, the waters in Argentina’s basin flowed over abandoned shipwrecks and rusting cars. Animal residue from abattoirs bled into its rivers, along with household waste and toxins from factories, including arsenic, lead and cadmium.
Today, those living along the riverbanks, which snake around Buenos Aires’ southern edge and by the tourist district of La Boca, continue to complain of skin rashes, headaches, breathing problems and vomiting. They say their animals die inexplicably.
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An ambitious multi-part project will transform seven miles of seabed into an artistic destination with a cautionary message
Over the next few years, coastal waters just off of Miami Beach will be transformed by The ReefLine, an ambitious new project that aims to occupy seven miles of seabed within shouting distance of the sands. The ReefLine aims to one day create an enormous, art-studded underwater playland, including a sculpture park, snorkel trail and hybrid reef.
One of the first pieces of this project, Miami Reef Star – a gigantic 90ft star that will eventually be visible to landing aircraft descending over the waters – will be on exhibition during Art Basel Miami Beach. Set up in prototype on Miami Beach itself, it will be a part of Star Compass, a series of three large-scale installations curated by Ximena Caminos and Dodie Kazanjian. In addition to Reef Star, Star Compass will also include The Great Elephant Migration, a work consisting of 100 life-sized sculptures of elephants, and Voile/Toile – Toile/Voile by French conceptual artist Daniel Buren, which will stage an enormous sailboat race.
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