Release into Helman Tor reserve marks historical first for keystone species hunted to extinction in UK 400 years ago
Shivering and rain-drenched at the side of a pond in Cornwall, a huddle of people watched in hushed silence as a beaver took its first tentative steps into its new habitat. As it dived into the water with a determined “plop” and began swimming laps, the suspense broke and everyone looked around, grinning.
The soggy but momentous occasion marks the first time in English history that beavers have been legally released into a river system, almost one year after the government finally agreed to grant licences for releases.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
02/09/2026 - 14:00
02/09/2026 - 13:50
The disruption and distress caused by record downpours must focus minds on the need for climate preparedness
With flood warnings still in place across south-west England and Wales on Monday, followed by another fortnight of wet weather forecasts, the sodden ground across swathes of the UK is not likely to dry up any time soon. Reports that Aberdonians have not seen so much as a sliver of sun since 21 January prompted an outburst of stoicism on BBC radio, with one resident commenting: “You have to get on with it, brighter days are coming”.
Before then, however, north-east Scotland is braced for more heavy rain. For farmers and businesses in the affected areas, the impact goes far beyond inconvenience. Marketing consultant Sam Kirby told the Guardian that she had to work from a car park in Cornwall following Storm Goretti, because her broadband wasn’t working. And Goretti was the first of three January storms.
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02/09/2026 - 12:22
City faced one of longest periods of subzero cold since 1961, forcing ‘code blue’ and extreme weather warnings
Deadly cold tests New York’s ability to protect its homeless communities
The death toll related to New York City’s dangerous and enduring cold has risen to 18, officials said on Sunday.
The climbing number of fatalities came as a stark reminder of the danger of the subzero temperatures gripping the area, which has been subjected to one of the longest stretches of subzero cold since 1961.
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02/09/2026 - 09:00
Thinktank analysis suggests Japan campaigns to prolong the carbon industry in Australia and hinder move to clean energy
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Australian government ministers met Japanese gas company executives more than 20 times in the last term of parliament as Labor encouraged investment in the fossil fuel industry.
The list of meetings is detailed in a report by the thinktank InfluenceMap that argues Japanese liquefied natural gas (LNG) companies have worked with Australian gas interests to lobby for favourable local government policy to prolong the life of the industry and slow a shift to clean energy in Asia Pacific.
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02/09/2026 - 07:00
Corteva will discontinue a mixture of Agent Orange and glyphosate, but another of its herbicides will still use Vietnam war-era defoliant
The chemical giant Corteva will stop producing Enlist Duo, a herbicide considered to be among the most dangerous still used in the US by environmentalists because it contains a mix of Agent Orange and glyphosate, which have both been linked to cancer and widespread ecological damage.
The US military deployed Agent Orange, a chemical weapon, to destroy vegetation during the Vietnam war, causing serious health problems among soldiers and Vietnamese residents.
This article was amended on 9 February 2026 to add comment from a Corteva spokesperson.
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02/09/2026 - 03:00
Exclusive: António Guterres says world’s accounting systems should place true value on the environment
Economic growth is still heating the planet. Is there any way out?
The global economy must be radically transformed to stop it rewarding pollution and waste, UN secretary general António Guterres has warned.
Speaking to the Guardian after the UN hosted a meeting of leading global economists, Guterres said humanity’s future required the urgent overhaul of the world’s “existing accounting systems” he said were driving the planet to the brink of disaster.
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02/09/2026 - 02:17
Forests around the world are quietly transforming, and not for the better. A massive global analysis of more than 31,000 tree species reveals that forests are becoming more uniform, increasingly dominated by fast-growing “sprinter” trees, while slow-growing, long-lived species are disappearing. These slower species act as the backbone of forest ecosystems, storing carbon, stabilizing environments, and supporting rich webs of life—especially in tropical regions where biodiversity is highest.
02/08/2026 - 11:42
Environmental groups said dicamba drift has damaged vegetable farms, trees and other critical plants
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday reapproved the weedkiller dicamba for use on genetically modified soybeans and cotton. It is a pesticide that has raised widespread concern over its tendency to drift and destroy nearby crops.
The agency said dicamba was critical for farmers who would otherwise have their crops threatened by fast-growing weeds. To ensure the pesticide is used safely, the agency said it imposed strong protections and limits on its use.
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02/08/2026 - 09:00
Exclusive: Campaign group calls on institutional shareholders to vote against re-election of bosses overseeing net zero row-back
Bank chairs who water down their lenders’ climate commitments this year could face embarrassing shareholder revolts as campaigners try to hold bosses to account for environmental backtracking.
ShareAction, a campaign group for responsible investment, will be issuing detailed reports to pension funds and asset managers in the coming weeks, outlining whether 34 of the world’s largest lenders are sticking to their climate goals.
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02/08/2026 - 09:00
Proposals by California, Hawaii and New York lawmakers aim to hold fossil fuel industry accountable for soaring rates
As climate disasters drive up the price of home insurance, three US states are considering empowering their state prosecutors to sue major polluters for their role in those rising costs.
Lawmakers in California, Hawaii and New York have introduced measures which would authorize their attorneys general to sue fossil fuel companies on behalf of residents whose insurance premiums have soared amid climate disasters.
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