https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/lifestylegeneral/teacher-wins-first-ever-glasgow-tree-hugging-championships-in-city/ar-AA1rXjUT

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gdnd4je8ko.amp

The Amazon has had its worst forest fires in two decades. More than 62,000 square kilometres have been burned this year already – an area bigger than countries like Sri Lanka or Costa Rica.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgxv8n7wd0o

Part of BBC's Click programme this week is about using ground rock to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, start at 14 min 30 sec: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0023m4d/click-clones-and-phones

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/26/government-funded-social-network-attacking-pesticide-critics

And many others

https://youtu.be/dPhKzGx1Sc0?si=kV_nwKP-bw6y-hOC

Saplings have been grown from the Sycamore Gap tree and are available to communities around the UK.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/hadrians-wall-and-housesteads-fort/trees-of-hope

Watch on BBC Iplayer with Paul
Whitehouse

The dirty truth of the muck in our rivers

In it as Margaret Thatcher privatised the water industry she boasted how we’d be “better protected”

This will probably not be a surprise to anyone who takes an interest in the environment.

https://www.endsreport.com/article/1889418/water-companies-selling-sludge-fertiliser-containing-banned-forever-chemical-farmers

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/12/pantanal-waterway-project-would-destroy-paradise-on-earth-scientists-warn-aoe

And they seem to have no idea it could add to planet`s problems!!

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200305-why-your-internet-habits-are-not-as-clean-as-you-think
We all realise these days there`s a Carbon Footprint to our computer and mobile usage;this fairly easy-to-read article puts some figures on it and suggests simple ways to reduce your footprint.
I`ve cut down on the emojis in mobile SMS texts since I discovered they charged for each one separately from the text they are in. I`m sure they up your footprint

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/18/butterfly-emergency-declared-as-uk-summer-count-hits-record-low-conservation

I’ve recently upgraded my mobile phone and Apple have at last introduced the long awaited USB-C charging connection (as opposed to their lightning charging connection). This was because of an EU directive. There was hundreds of tons of discarded chargers and leads being dumped into landfill each year and something needed to be done. The USB-C connection has the added bonus of being a universal connector for all phones/tablets etc. the only proviso being , using the correct wattage output plug adaptor for the item being charged. A success story.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cze5759g5e5o

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gdnd4je8ko.amp

A new one on me, but apparently today is Plastic Overshoot Day, the day when annual plastic production exceeds global capacity to manage it.
We don't appear to be able to manage what we already have, so plastic overshoot day should probably be 1st January. https://plasticovershoot.earth/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/03/uk-methane-hotspots-landfills-last-coalmine

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/31/water-companies-natural-england-sites-special-scientific-interest

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qg52r7jzxo

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/30/country-diary-a-spectacular-summer-for-ragwort-and-thats-no-bad-thing?CMP=twt_b-gdncountrydiary

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/these-trees-can-actually-walk-through-the-forest/articleshow/112604223.cms

https://theconversation.com/investigation-reveals-global-fisheries-are-in-far-worse-shape-than-we-thought-and-many-have-already-collapsed-237306?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton

The Climate Change Committee’s assessment is that only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the country’s 2030 target are currently covered by credible plans. Our 2030 target is the first one set in line with a Net Zero trajectory.

You have probably already heard this. However, I have come across the annual report from the Climate Change Committee which has more detail.
https://www.theccc.org.uk/2024/07/18/uk-off-track-for-net-zero-say-countrys-climate-advisors/

The Committee’s ten recommendations are:

Make electricity cheaper. Removing policy costs from electricity prices will support industrial electrification and ensure the lower running costs of heat pumps compared to fossil-fuel boilers are reflected in household bills.

Reverse recent policy rollbacks. Remove the exemption of 20% of households from the 2035 fossil-fuel boiler installation phase-out, address the gap left by removing obligations on landlords to improve the energy efficiency of rented homes and reinstate the 2030 phase-out of new fossil-fuel car and van sales. The damage of these rollbacks can be limited by quickly reinstating these policies.

Remove planning barriers for heat pumps, electric vehicle charge points and onshore wind.

Introduce a comprehensive programme for decarbonisation of public sector buildings.

Effectively design and implement the upcoming renewable energy CfD auctions. Ensure funding and auction design for the Sixth and Seventh Allocation Rounds are appropriate to deliver at least 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030.

Accelerate electrification of industrial heat. Strengthen the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to ensure that its price is sufficient to incentivise decarbonisation and that support is available for a rapid transition to electric heat across much of industry.

Ramp up tree planting and peatland restoration. Tree planting must be scaled up in the 2020s for abatement to be sufficient for later carbon budgets and Net Zero. There must be no more delays to addressing the barriers to delivery.

Finalise business models for large-scale deployment of engineered removals.
Finalise and open to the market the business models for engineered removals.

Publish a strategy to support skills. Support workers in sectors which need to grow or transition and in communities that may be adversely impacted.

Strengthen NAP3 with a vision that sets clear objectives and targets and reorganise government adaptation policy. Adaptation must become a fundamental aspect of policymaking across all departments and be integrated into other national policy objectives.

Progress report to Parliament
https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-2024-report-to-parliament/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/09/biomass-power-station-produced-four-times-emissions-of-uk-coal-plant-says-report?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&twclid=2-pssws6ktpdn2tljkc6mcdeay

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/this-startup-is-using-dead-leaves-to-make-paper-without-cutting-trees/

https://climate.movementforgood.com/index.php?cn=279000&ct=environment_and_climate&utm_source=Tree+Council+Community&utm_campaign=fac51da7d3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_08_08_01_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-fac51da7d3-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D#nominateACharity

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clmydgke2mko.amp

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/08/watchdog-launches-investigation-into-defra-over-approval-of-bee-killing-pesticide-under-tories

Alastair Driver (Director of Rewilding Britain): "Very important that as many people as possible sign this petition to ban indiscriminate pesticides. The dearth of insects is a major issue not only for the natural environment but for farming and horticulture. We cannot keep making excuses every time."
https://action.greenpeace.org.uk/ban-bee-killing-pesticides?source=EM&subsource=NBREBEPEEM03GX&utm_source=Thank+you+email+share&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Pardot+Bees+Petition+-+Feb+22+[BW]++PE&utm_term=

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/20/fossil-fuel-use-reaches-global-record-despite-clean-energy-growth?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Something positive - or at least optimistic.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/14/english-elm-hybrids-disease-busting?utm_source=SubscriberCRM+Integration&utm_campaign=12c7388fb0-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_11_25_03_01_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_74965a44a4-12c7388fb0-88473949

Ridiculously lenient fine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmjj5gl6m0po

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/forever-chemicals-plastic-uk-rivers-b2561466.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTZPSZSexJ8

This is long but worth reading.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/may/28/where-the-wild-things-are-the-untapped-potential-of-our-gardens-parks-and-balconies?CMP=share_btn_url

Currently in the US but could come to the UK
https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/revolutionary-electric-car-charging-technology-tesla

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-04-29-nature-degradation-could-cause-12-loss-uk-gdp

Although this article is old it has popped up again after a Lego octopus was found by a family

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/04/monopoly-houses-toy-soldiers-lego-museum-of-plastic-lost-at-sea

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68610073

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/20/dirty-secret-insiders-say-uk-water-firms-knowingly-breaking-sewage-laws

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/16/nature-silent-bernie-krause-recording-sound-californian-state-park-aoe

https://rescuehoadswood.org/about/

https://theconversation.com/pet-flea-and-tick-treatments-contain-pesticides-that-end-up-washing-into-the-environment-heres-how-226685#

European court rules human rights violated by climate inaction https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68768598

https://action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/130179/petition/1

A lazy headline, but an interesting article.
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/cicada-broods-maps-2024-b2505683.html

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/04/just-57-companies-linked-to-80-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions-since-2016

Sounds like good news

https://www.aol.co.uk/uk-records-highest-ever-share-142110430.html

Anyone up for this? See what your use of plastic amounts to.

https://thebigplasticcount.com/?

"The Government has so far supported the industry with £22 billion ..."
https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/government-cannot-prove-biomass-sustainably-sourced-says-national-audit-office-b1134480.html?twclid=2-42o24txdpfnsyj5npijbovmzs