Environment

The evacuation in Maui, the second-largest Hawaiian island, filled up local shelters, but residents have now been told they can return home.

(Image credit: Courtesy of the County of Maui )

The native birds were bleeding from their mouths, according to rescuers at One Tree Hill near Adelaide

Nearly 60 native birds have died after they fell out of the sky in front of horrified onlookers and a nearby primary school in a suspected case of mass poisoning in South Australia.

Bird rescuers said it was like “something out of a horror movie” as dozens of birds fell, bleeding from their eyes and beaks at One Tree Hill near Adelaide.

Species’ expansion threatens South Australia’s habitat and biodiversity, report says

Animals including koalas and kangaroos could be culled in parts of South Australia, where high population numbers are damaging the landscape.

A report from a parliamentary inquiry has recommended the state’s environment minister make an immediate decision to declare koalas, western grey kangaroos, long-nosed fur seals and little corellas overabundant in some areas.

Steep fines and social credit penalties face people violating complex waste sorting rules – but some say the answer is all about pigs

For the last two weeks, Shanghai residents have grappled with a singular question: “What kind of trash are you?”

The question is aimed at the city’s daily 22,000 tonnes of household waste that, according to new rules implemented on 1 July, must be sorted into one of four colour-coded bins: dry, wet, recyclable and hazardous.

Heavy rains are predicted in Louisiana and Mississippi with the expected arrival of a tropical system swirling in the Gulf of Mexico. Flooding is a major concern in areas already saturated by water.

Scientists say there's a mass of seaweed stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to West Africa. They call it the biggest seaweed bloom in the world and that it's a signal of a new normal.

A Norwegian team has found some radioactivity leaking from the sub, which sank in 1989. But they say it poses no threat to the environment.

(Image credit: Ægir 6000/Institute of Marine Research Norway)

A review of "mussel-inspired chemistry" points to promising ways we can learn from mussels about how to clean up water.

(Image credit: Paul Kay/Getty Images)

Drilling at Preston New Road is last-ditch effort to convince regulators to relax safety rules

The first company to drill for shale gas in the UK plans to restart fracking at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire in a last-ditch effort to convince policymakers to relax safety rules.

Cuadrilla will drill a second well near Blackpool after it was forced to abandon the first, which caused multiple earth tremors.

Owners failed to assess environmental and community concerns, court rules, while US ambassador wades into debate in support of coal power

Kenya has been urged to halt construction of the country’s first ever coal-powered plant near the coastal town of Lamu, until an assessment is made of its environmental and cultural impact, in the latest setback to the $2bn project (£1.6bn).

Plans for the 981MW station, backed by a Chinese-led consortium, are in limbo after Kenyan judges revoked the environmental licence at the end of June. They ruled the authorities had failed to carry out a rigorous environmental assessment and to inform local people of potential impacts.

Ankara hits back at Greek and EU officials and vows to press ahead with offshore operations

Turkey has hit back at Greek and EU officials, denying claims it is acting illegally by drilling for gas in waters off Cyprus.

The country’s foreign ministry criticised EU condemnation of its efforts to tap the region for potentially lucrative energy resources, saying the bloc could not be considered an impartial mediator for the divided island.

By 2050, National Grid predicts, 35m electric cars will supply energy when needed

A fleet of 35m electric vehicles could help the UK reach its net-zero carbon target by forming large battery hubs to store renewable energy, according to the country’s energy system operator.

National Grid predicts that by 2050 millions of electric cars will use wind and solar power to charge up within minutes to act as battery packs for when the grid needs more energy.

John Barilaro wants to remove protection by either de-gazetting the entire park or reducing its size

The NSW deputy premier has vowed to introduce legislation to open up a national park in the state’s Riverina region to logging.

John Barilaro wants to remove protection of the 42,000 hectare Murray Valley national park by either de-gazetting the entire park or reducing its size.

Kickstart the domestic market so Asian countries rejecting Australian waste is no longer a problem, industry suggests

Australia could quickly solve the problem of Indonesia and other countries rejecting its waste if governments invested in recycling manufacturing as promised and required the use of recycled material in public projects, industry and environmental groups say.

Jakarta announced on Tuesday it would return 210 tonnes of Australian household rubbish – the latest demonstration of opposition in south-east Asia to receiving exported waste. Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia have each turned back shipments and warned they would not become dumping grounds for developed countries after China banned imports of foreign plastic rubbish.

Nearly 80% of cities to undergo dramatic and potentially disastrous changes, study finds

London will have a similar climate in three decades’ time to that of Barcelona today, according to research – but if that seems enticing, a warning: the change could be accompanied by severe drought.

Madrid will feel like present-day Marrakech by 2050, and Stockholm like Budapest, according to a report on the likely impacts of the climate crisis. Around the world, cities that are currently in temperate or cold zones in the northern hemisphere will resemble cities more than 600 miles (1,000km) closer to the equator, with damaging effects on health and infrastructure.

As sea levels rise, coastal flooding that used to happen only during storms is increasingly occurring on sunny days. That has local officials reconsidering everything from zoning to police budgets.

(Image credit: Wilfredo Lee/AP)

Hundreds of people died when a ruptured dam unleashed a wave of mining waste in the town of Brumadinho in January. Mining giant Vale said it is committed to fixing the damage.

(Image credit: Douglas Magno /AFP/Getty Images)

Inslee's campaign focuses on fighting climate change.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

High in fiber and protein, chickpeas are playing a starring role on menus. They're also good for soil health — and growing demand could help restore soils depleted by decades of intensive farming.

(Image credit: Anna Meyer)

Tourists warned not to feed the animals after plastic waste found in stomachs of several dead deer

Authorities in Japan’s ancient capital Nara are warning visitors not to feed the city’s wild deer – a major tourist attraction – after several of the animals died after swallowing plastic bags.

Large amounts of plastic waste were found in the stomachs of nine of 14 deer to have died since March, according to a local wildlife conservation group.