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Great Eastern Brood set to emerge in the last two weeks of May and into early June, with hordes of bugs to push up from undergroundBrood X, otherwise known as the great cicada hatching of 2021, is drawing closer as soil temperatures in some parts of America move closer to 64F (18C) – the trigger, according to scientists, for trillions of the insects to...

Nearly 59m hectares of forests have regrown since 2000, showing that regeneration in some places is paying offAn area of forest the size of France has regrown around the world over the past 20 years, showing that regeneration in some places is paying off, a new analysis has found.Nearly 59m hectares of forests have regrown since 2000, the research found, providing the potential to...

Residents of Hangzhou warned to stay indoors as search continues for leopard escaped from safari parkResidents in a Chinese city were told to stay indoors as authorities released flocks of chickens as bait to track down a leopard that escaped from a safari park, state media have reported.The leafy lakeside city of Hangzhou has been on edge since late last week, when residents began...

New wind and solar power projects in China, Europe and the US spurred 45% rise in capacityThe world’s renewable energy industry grew at its fastest pace since 1999 last year, despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and may have established a standard for growth in the future, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).The global energy watchdog revealed that the delivery of...

Mayor overseeing a green regeneration in city where temperatures can already surpass 40CLike every Athens mayor, Kostas Bakoyannis is acutely aware of the illustrious heritage of one of the world’s oldest cities. After all, he says, it is busts of Pericles and his mistress Aspasia that adorn the entrance of the neoclassical town hall. From the windows of his cavernous office, he can glimpse...

Researchers create bat with similar performance from what they say is cheap and sustainable materialCricket has been bowled a googly by scientists who have suggested the traditional willow used to make bats could be replaced by bamboo to increase their sustainability and boost the sport’s reach.“Willow has been the principal material for cricket bats for centuries,” said Dr Darshil Shah at the University of...

Taps are now shut off two days a week, and worse is to come unless action is taken on climate crisis Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake is so low that parts of it have dried and turned to grass. Jetties that normally float are sprawled awkwardly on dry land, and tour boats are crowded at the tail ends of pontoons still in the water.Usually one...

Energy giant objects to use of its logo on posters and online advertising that use phrases like ‘generating pollution for generations’Energy giant AGL has launched legal action against Greenpeace Australia Pacific over a campaign that targets the company as Australia’s biggest corporate greenhouse gas emitter.It comes after the environment group launched a report and campaign with posters and online advertising that feature AGL’s logo...

More than 15 rare birds, whose population is at about 160 in the state, showed up at Cinda Mickol’s home – and they’ve made a messGiant California condors are rare – but not at Cinda Mickols’ home.More than 15 condors, an endangered bird whose population hovers at around 160 in the state and under 500 in the US, have recently taken a liking to...

Charred tree – which may be thousands of years old – looks like chimney spouting smoke in national forestScientists have discovered a giant sequoia still smoldering in California’s Sequoia national forest, months after wildfires tore through the region last August.The tree was found, charred but still standing, by researchers in the lower part of the national forest this week. While turning down a sharp...

Environmental groups say Prince Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein shot bear, named Arthur, in a protected areaEnvironmental groups have accused a prince from Liechtenstein’s royal family of shooting and killing the largest bear in Romania, in contravention of a ban on the trophy hunting of large carnivores.The Romanian NGO Agent Green and the Austrian NGO VGT alleged in a statement that the bear, who...

Googly-eyed device to be tested in gillnet fisheries after study finds it deters long-tailed ducks Scarecrows may be outstanding in their field, but now scientists have created an unusual floating version that could help reduce the number of vulnerable seabirds caught by fishing nets.The device, known as a looming-eyes buoy (LEB), and developed in collaboration with engineers from Fishtek Marine, was trialled in Küdema...

Guardian investigation finds carbon credits generated by forest protection schemes are based on flawed systemWhat is carbon offsetting and how does it work?The forest protection carbon offsetting market used by major airlines for claims of carbon-neutral flying faces a significant credibility problem, with experts warning the system is not fit for purpose, an investigation has found.Money from carbon offsets can provide vital financial support...

Even short, temporary increases in airborne particles can damage brain health, research suggestsTemporary rises in air pollution may impair memory and thinking in older men, according to research that indicates even short-term spikes in airborne particles can be harmful to brain health.Scientists found that the men’s cognitive performance fell following rises in air pollution during the month before testing, even when peak levels remained...

A new film rejects the popular narrative and recasts the former president, 96, as hugely prescient thinker, particularly on climate changeWhen I reach Jimmy Carter’s grandson by Zoom, he answers wearing a Raphael Warnock campaign T-shirt. Jason Carter is a lawyer and politician himself, mid-40s, animated and well-read, with blue eyes reminiscent of his grandfather’s. He’s just got off the phone with his 93-year-old...

Six out of 10 polls published in past two weeks put Greens ahead of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic UnionA green wind of change is blowing through Germany’s political landscape as a poll-of-polls on Monday puts the Green party above Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) only five months before national elections.The aggregate poll, published by Pollytix Strategic Research, puts the Greens in the...

Unique species in ‘the world’s most biodiverse desert’ are at risk from a warming planet and the lucrative plant poaching tradeIn May 2020, 10mm of rain fell at Sendelingsdrif Rest Camp in South Africa’s most north-westerly corner. After enduring nine years of almost zero rain, Pieter van Wyk, a 32-year-old self-taught botanist who heads up the Richtersveld national park’s nursery, was elated to see...

Global heating is now setting the parameters of political debateThese are heady days to be a German Green. Last month, Die Grünen chose 40-year-old Annalena Baerbock as their candidate for chancellor in September’s federal election. Since then there has been a huge influx of new members excited by the prospect of what is shaping up to be a generational shift in the country’s politics....