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Climate•The Guardian•

Climate crisis likely behind devastating Nepal-Tibet floods that killed more than 1,300, first study finds

Scientists say global heating was a destabilising factor in collapse of 200,000 sq metre glacier in August Climate breakdown probably weakened the glacier that collapsed causing catastrophic floods and killing hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet last month, the first scientific study of the disaster has found. Researchers identified unusually warm conditions before the glacier’s collapse, which sent an avalanche of 110m cubic metres (3,885 cu ft) of snow and ice into the valley below. This tri

Climate•The Guardian•

Nato leader warns of ‘most dangerous and complex security environment in a generation’

Mark Rutte asked UK and Europe to ‘provide the hard power Nato needs’ in face of geopolitical uncertainty Nato needs “more UK and more Europe” to deal with the most dangerous security environment faced by the west in a generation, the secretary general of the 32-country military alliance said this afternoon on a visit to the UK. Mark Rutte praised Britain for promising to increase defence spending in line with US demands after a meeting with prime minister Andy Burnham – but argued that the mili

Climate•The Guardian•

Planning permission for new Scottish AI datacentres suspended for up to a year

MSPs vote for strict environmental impact assessments and will delay decisions until national strategy is developed Holyrood has voted to pause planning applications for all new AI datacentres for up to a year until the Scottish government has developed a national strategy. On Wednesday, MSPs backed a Scottish Labour motion to halt new schemes for up to 12 months while rules on hyperscale datacentres are developed in what could be a blow to the British government’s AI strategy. Continue reading

Climate•The Guardian•

People protecting nature and land set up self-defence units amid threat of murder

Defenders of forests and rivers killed at rate of one every three days in 2025, with 85% of deaths in Latin America Nature and land defenders were murdered at the rate of one every three days last year, prompting many communities to set up self-defence units, according to the latest annual death toll by the independent watchdog Global Witness. Organised crime groups or professional killers were implicated in more than a third of the 124 killings of defenders in 2025 as narco-trafficking activiti

Climate•The Guardian•

Queenslanders’ rights to oppose mining projects ‘gutted’ by new laws, activists say

As minister says process needs to be ‘streamlined’, Greens and Lock the Gate say the legislation is ‘corrupt’ and tears up environmental protections Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Queenslanders’ right to object to mining projects – including coal – would be “gutted” by new legislation that would ban opponents from being heard in court without the minister’s approval and then only if they owned a property withi

Climate•The Guardian•

Air pollution linked to higher suicide risk, international research suggests

Analysis of 29 studies highlights potentially heightened danger from small particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide Air pollution is associated with an increased risk of suicide and suicidal thoughts, according to research. Environmental pollution is known to be associated with poorer mental health but its role in suicide risk is less well understood. Scientists at Queen’s University Belfast examined whether air, noise, light, and water pollution could influence the risk of death by suicide and

Climate•The Guardian•

Indonesian wildfires threaten leading orangutan research site in Borneo

Critically endangered Bornean orangutans flee forests as staff at Cabang Panti work round the clock to stave off blaze Wildfires in Indonesia are sweeping through a critical research site for Bornean orangutans and are now threatening a celebrated research camp, home to one of the world’s longest-running studies of wild apes. In the past few days, the fires have burned within 200 metres of Rangkong research station, a satellite of Cabang Panti research station, which lies about four miles north

Climate•The Guardian•

Scrap windfall tax on oil and gas firms early, North Sea industry urges

Labour should replace levy in 2027 rather than 2030 as energy bills are poised to surge over the winter, says lobby group The North Sea oil and gas industry has called on Labour to scrap the windfall tax on fossil fuel firms three years early, as Britain heads into a winter with energy bills expected to reach their highest level since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the industry’s trade body, wants the tax replaced in 2027, rather than in 2030, with a narrower levy tha

Climate•The Guardian•

Conservation ‘gateway drug’: farmers embrace ancient craft of hedge laying

Grant applications in England surge as interest grows in habitat that captures carbon and helps reduce flood risk The ancient craft of hedge laying is experiencing a strong revival as farmers use techniques that peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries to boost wildlife, capture carbon and help tackle flooding. Hedge laying, which restores and revives mature hedges to keep them fresh, was among the four most popular categories of capital grants selected by farmers out of a total pot of £225m provid

Climate•The Guardian•

Panama canal traffic to be cut again as drought from El Niño worsens

Latest daily reductions will further choke one of the world’s most important shipping lanes The Panama canal plans to again cut maritime traffic due to worsening drought caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon, further choking up one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. The canal handles 5% of global maritime trade and about 40% of US container traffic; it is favoured by shippers because it usually reduces cost and transit times, especially for companies trading between China, Asia and

Climate•The Guardian•

Australia’s dependence on gas generation during evening energy peak falls by almost 70%

Batteries now meet almost half of the grid’s dispatchable power needs during hours of highest demand Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s dependence on gas for power during the evening, when the grid is under the most pressure, has fallen by almost nearly 70% over the past year as batteries surged in, replacing the fossil fuel. Gas generation during the busy early evening, between 5pm and 8pm, fell by 67% in the year to August, as large-scale batteries conti

Climate•The Guardian•

Peter’s farm is on ‘flood country’. As Australia’s sea levels rise, safe land is vanishing and costs are huge

Climate Council forecasts more than 267,000 coastal properties will be damaged by flooding by 2100, costing hundreds of billions of dollars Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast When grazier Peter Lake moved to the Clarence Valley in the New South Wales northern rivers region in 2007, he knew was “buying in flood country with … eyes open”. His cattle farm, about halfway between Yamba and Grafton, borders the Coldstre

Climate•The Guardian•

Nepal says big polluters must ‘wake up’ as it calls for climate compensation over flood disaster

Foreign minister Shisir Khanal tells the Guardian the world’s biggest economies need to help Nepal, which contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions Nepal is demanding $20m in climate compensation for the recent devastating floods, as a senior minister called on the world’s most polluting countries to “wake up” and accept shared responsibility for a disaster that led to the death or disappearance of more than 6,000 people. Scientists believe the climate crisis had a role to p

Climate•The Guardian•

Australian ski resorts to close up to a month early due to global heating and El Niño

‘Challenging’ weather conditions and lack of snowfall are being blamed after a winter that broke multiple heat records Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Major Australian alpine resorts are closing their ski operations up to a month early after a winter that broke multiple records for heat with limited snow falls being washed away by rain. Predictions in June that a building El Niño could combine with global heating for a challenging ski sea

Climate•The Guardian•

China’s falling emissions amid Iran war spark hope of decarbonisation watershed

Oil consumption plummets and EV sales soar as analysts say demand may not fully return even if crude price falls China’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by 1% after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran, thanks to a sharp reduction in oil consumption and a steady rise in the use of electric vehicles and public transport, analysis shows. The report reveals the role of clean energy in cushioning the price shocks caused by the strait of Hormuz crisis to the world’s biggest oil importer. It also

Climate•The Guardian•

Barclays faces complaint over backing for power plant near world’s largest mangrove forest

Bangladeshi complainants allege Rampal power station’s pollution and climate risks threaten the Sunderbans, a world heritage site Barclays Bank is facing a formal complaint over its financial links to a coal-fired power station near the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and home to millions of people in Bangladesh and India. Three complainants from the region have submitted a case to the UK government’s Office for Responsible Business Conduct, alleging that the British bank breache

Climate•The Guardian•

Burnham blames Brexit and Thatcher for ‘wrong turns’ in first Commons speech as PM

The prime minister said Britain needed to be brutally honest about the mistakes of the last 40 years of UK politics Andy Burnham has blamed Brexit and Margaret Thatcher for a decade of low growth in the UK, arguing that Britain needs to be brutally honest about having taken “a series of wrong turns” in the last 40 years. In his first Commons appearance since he took over as prime minister about six weeks ago, Burnham told MPs he wanted to build a new sense of optimism so “we can make this next d

Climate•The Guardian•

‘The mountains are changing’: What the floods tell us about the future of India’s Himalayas

As families await news of missing loved ones, the disaster is a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is creating a fast-growing threat. Plus, the town considered India’s ‘Jurassic Park’ • Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up here It has been hard not to despair while watching the ruinous floods swallow parts of Nepal, and harder, still knowing that the agony compounds each passing day for dozens of Indian families whose members remain unaccounted for. Social media is awas

Climate•The Guardian•

Bhutan hosts first ‘conscious food summit’ amid threats to global supplies

Organisers say people must revive spiritual relationship with food amid double threat of climate crisis and conflict Mending the broken food system under the threat of climate-driven weather extremes will require more than economic fixes and intensive agriculture, according to the organisers of a pioneering summit this week, who say the world must revive its spiritual relationship with food. Delegates from more than 60 countries and the UN will gather for the next five days in Paro in the tiny H

Climate•The Guardian•

Monday briefing: Nepal and Tibet’s floods are a warning for the future

In today’s newsletter: As rescuers search for survivors after catastrophic floods, the disaster offers a stark warning about the climate risks facing the region, and the world Good morning. Over the weekend, rescue workers in Nepal and Tibet raced to find people who are still trapped in villages affected by catastrophic flash floods. As of this morning, the death toll stands at 903, and more than 4,000 people are missing. For those of you reading this in a place where life continues as usual, th