Environment

This interactive map below exposes the links between those trying to thwart efforts to tackle global warming. Research by Mat Hope ,Editor of Desmog UK. Donald Trump is nothing if not distracting. And so he promises to be again this week on Tuesday, when world leaders gather in Paris for President Macron’s ‘One Planet’ summit. Timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the Paris Agreement on climate change, it is intended to be an opportunity to celebrate (and work out how...

The planet's oceans are choking on plastic. Despite plastic bag usage falling by 85 per cent following the introduction of the 5p charge, leading packaging industry figures oppose a tax on single-use plastic packaging.  The final episode of BBC's Blue Planet II aired tonight, highlighting the terrible impact man-made plastic waste is having on the world’s oceans. Meanwhile, food-packaging industry figures are opposing the Government’s suggested ‘single use plastic tax’. The final episode of the BBC’s hit natural history show,...

If you are reading this please take a minute - just one minute - out of your day and watch this video. - Because this is what global warming looks like. I want you to imagine, 200, 300, 400 years from now, human beings, maybe your relatives, starving to death like this due to irreversible climate change. There is no planet B. https://www.facebook.com/SchrodingersCatflap/videos/1741184365894281/ Photographer Paul Nicklen shot the heart-wrenching footage recorded the scene with conservation group Sea Legacy  and posted it on...

An endangered breed of tiger is "clinging to survival" due to the destruction of its forest habitat, warns new research. Living only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Sumatran tiger - officially listed as "Critically Endangered" - is the only surviving sub-species of 'Island tigers' which included the now-extinct Javan and Bali tiger. Conservationists say Sumatran tigers face "many challenges" to their continued existence in the wild, where they require a home range of 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres). These...

Traffic pollution in London is putting the health of unborn babies at risk, warns new research. And scientists say the situation will continue to deteriorate unless the capital's air quality is improved. Their study found that air pollution from road traffic is having a negative impact on babies’ well-being before they are even born. The findings, published by The BMJ, suggest that exposure to air pollution from road traffic in London during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of...

Urgent action must be taken to protect vital early years services, after research reveals funding in some areas has been cut by almost 50 per cent since 2010, says Barnardo’s. Department for Education figures reveal children’s centres have had funding cut from £1.2bn to an estimated £0.6bn over the last six years. Barnardo’s is calling on the Government to help financially stricken local authorities find new ways of providing a range of essential early intervention and family support services across...

The humble pigeon is far more intelligent than previously thought and can even have abstract thoughts, reveals new research. Rather than being bird brains, pigeons can understand both space and time, according to the study. Not only can they discriminate these abstract concepts, but researchers found that pigeons seem to use a different region of the brain than humans and primates to do so. In experiments, pigeons were shown a static horizontal line on a computer screen and had to...

Climate change poses the greatest threat to medium sized predators such as foxes as it forces them to spend more time hunting for food, British researchers found. Medium-sized carnivores which generally weigh between one and ten kilograms, are more vulnerable because they spend the most time foraging. As the climate affects their prey they must spend more time hunting to survive, scientists said. And they found failing to diversify their prey could put the species at greater risk of climate...

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria began with farmers pumping livestock with penicillin six decades ago, according to new research. Low doses given to animals to boost their growth from the 1950s in the US and Europe fuelled the evolution and spread of the superbugs, say scientists. Bacteria that can pass on genes resistant to ampicillin - one of the most commonly used antibiotics today - emerged years before human use, the study showed. The discovery comes weeks after the World Health Organisation called...