May heatwaves, deaths, ruined harvests: study of Europe’s summer paints grim picture for the future
EU Copernicus report shows surface air temperatures from June to August were 2.5C above decadal averageThe scorching heat that persistently baked western Europe this summer was the worst on record, a report has found, with more than half the continent…
‘Explosion of melt rates’: 20% of Swiss glaciers lost in five years
Alpine regions in Europe experiencing extreme glacier collapse due to heat-trapping effects of fossil fuel pollutionSwitzerland has lost almost one-fifth of its ice in just five years, research has found, in a dramatic reshaping of the Alpine country…
‘The toll is huge’: El Niño-driven wildfires overwhelm Indonesia’s orangutan population
The global climate phenomenon has triggered devastating infernos in the ape’s Indonesian heartlands, with long-term effects on the animals still unknownThe mother’s hands were peeling from walking on the torched ground. Her eight-month-old baby, which…
Two million people in England unaware their properties are at risk of flooding
Environment Agency warns residents of 6m at-risk properties to prepare for wet and windy three months aheadMore than two million people in England are unaware their properties are at risk of flooding, as the UK braces for a wet and stormy start to the…
Antarctic winter sea ice falls to third-lowest level on record as scientists warn of ‘now problem’
Coverage levels fall a million square kilometres short of the long-term average, with global heating likely driving lossesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAntarctica’s winter…
Anatomy of an inferno: inside the push to map, predict and prevent spread of increasing UK wildfires
Scientists are racing to understand how fires behave as hotter summers turn green landscapes into tinderboxesFrom the scorched heathlands of the New Forest to the smouldering valleys of south Wales and burned-out homes in Stourbridge, an extraordinary…
Readers reply: Which leader from history does the world need now?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsThis week’s question: Is it possible that 3 is the most common number in UK street…
What is El Niño, what causes it and can we reduce the risks?
This year’s ‘godzilla’ climate phenomenon has already broken temperature records. We ask a climate scientist what is happeningThis year’s huge El Niño, which comes less than two years since the last one, has already broken temperature records. To…
Why a supercharged El Niño is putting Hawaii in the bullseye of more storms
Hurricane Nolo is the latest storm to menace the islands as sees warming ocean temperatures fuel more severe weatherWith Hurricane Nolo, the islands of Hawaii are grappling with the third major tropical storm in recent months.Hurricanes Lala in August…
‘We can’t ride this storm’: the English farmers facing uncertainty after sustainability funding runs dry
After the available money ran out after just six hours, some fear they will have to reverse efforts to boost natureOn Tuesday morning, farmer Peter Hatley logged on to his computer at 10am. England’s 2026 sustainable farming incentive (SFI) was opening…