Drax Claimed Record £999m in Subsidies for Burning Trees in 2025, Thinktank Says
Drax Group received a record £999 million (≈$1.3 billion) in 2025 subsidies for its North Yorkshire biomass plant, which generated about 4.5% of Britain’s electricity and cost each household roughly £13 (≈$16) per year. A climate think‑tank flagged that the wood pellets may include old‑growth timber, prompting a whistle‑blower case and a regulator‑found lapse in data governance, for which Drax paid £25 million (≈$32 million) in compensation. The UK government has responded by halving future subsidies, demanding 100% sustainably sourced wood, and threatening penalties. Drax argues the plant will save £3.1 billion (≈$4 billion) versus gas plants between 2027‑2031.
Critical Atlantic Current Significantly More Likely to Collapse than Thought
New research published in *Science Advances* shows the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is far more likely to collapse than earlier estimates suggested. By applying ridge‑regression to align climate models with real‑world ocean data, scientists narrowed projected slowdown to 42‑58%...
Over-the-Counter Pet Flea Treatments Could Be Banned Under New UK Rules
The UK government has launched an eight‑week consultation to limit over‑the‑counter flea and tick treatments for cats and dogs to veterinary practitioners or pharmacists. The move targets pesticide‑based products containing fipronil and imidacloprid, which have been detected in the majority...
How Big Oil Is Cashing in on Iran War - The Latest
The world’s 100 largest oil and gas companies generated more than $30 million per hour in unearned profit during the first month of the US‑Israeli war on Iran. Crude prices averaged $100 a barrel in March, driving an estimated $23 billion windfall...
‘Suddenly, Boom, It’s Completely Warm’: Summers Are Getting Longer – Especially in Sydney, Study Finds
A new study in Environmental Research Letters shows summer periods are lengthening worldwide, adding an average of six days per decade. The expansion is most pronounced in Sydney, where summers are growing by about 15 days each decade—roughly two‑and‑a‑half times...
Troubled Lake Erie Is Being Transformed Into a Vast Water Research Facility
Lake Erie is being turned into the world’s largest digitally connected freshwater research platform, with hundreds of sensor buoys monitoring water quality across 7,750 sq mi. The initiative, led by the Cleveland Water Alliance and partners such as Case Western Reserve University,...
Golden Eagles Could Be Reintroduced to England After More than 150 Years
Golden eagles, extinct in England since 2015, are slated for reintroduction after a Forestry England feasibility study identified eight northern recovery zones. The UK government has earmarked roughly $1.25 million of the broader $75 million species‑recovery budget to fund juvenile releases as...
US Agency Proposes Rolling Back Rules for Safe Disposal of Toxic Coal Ash
The EPA announced a proposal to roll back rules that govern the safe disposal of coal‑ash waste, reversing standards tightened under the Biden administration. The draft would ease groundwater monitoring, limit requirements to line new storage sites, and broaden the...
Wild Chimpanzees Recorded Waging ‘Civil War’ with Coordinated Attacks Between Two Groups
Primatologists have documented the first confirmed case of a “civil war” among wild chimpanzees in Uganda’s Ngogo community. After a stable social structure from 1995 to 2015, the group fractured into western and central factions, leading to 24 coordinated attacks...
‘Non-Survivable’: Heatwaves Are Already Breaching Human Limits, with Worse to Come, Study Finds
A new study published in Nature Communications re‑examined six extreme heatwaves from 2003 to 2024 and applied a survivability model that accounts for temperature, humidity, age and shade. The analysis shows that all six events produced periods that were non‑survivable...
‘The Water Is No Longer Our Friend’: How Dredging Is Pushing Lagos Lagoon Towards Ecosystem Collapse – Photo Essay
Sand dredging in Lagos Lagoon has carved out deep channels, eroding the seabed by nearly 6 metres over a 5 km stretch. The unregulated extraction, driven by a construction boom, has turned the water turbid, destroyed fish breeding grounds and pushed local...
Using AI to Speed up Australia’s Environmental Approvals Risks ‘Robodebt-Style’ Failures, Scientists Say
Conservation scientists warn that a $13 million (≈$8.6 million USD) AI pilot to accelerate Australia’s environmental approvals could produce “robodebt‑style” mistakes. The Biodiversity Council says the EPBC Act’s vague language and scarce species data make automated decisions unreliable. Experts argue clearer standards and...
Beavers Thriving After Being Reintroduced to English Wild – Video
A year after four Eurasian beavers were released into Dorset's Purbeck Heaths, they have built a 35‑metre dam that is reshaping the local ecosystem. The dam has spurred growth in plants, insects, amphibians, birds and bats, and wildlife cameras have...
Sydney Councils Fear New Datacentres Could Cause Blackouts, Block Housing and Affect Locals’ Health
Sydney councils have warned that a surge in datacentre construction is triggering brownouts, threatening local power reliability and crowding out residential projects near transit hubs. Lane Cove cited increased blackouts, while Ryde highlighted a cluster of twelve facilities competing with...
How a Lush Miami Park Was Designed to Keep Flooding at Bay – in Pictures
Bayshore Park, a 19.4‑acre former golf‑course site in Miami Beach, opened last year as a climate‑resilient public space. Designed by Savino & Miller, the park captures runoff from an 85‑acre watershed, storing up to 65.62 acre‑feet of water—enough for a three‑day storm—while providing recreation, native...
