National Drought Group meets and water companies prepare to take drastic action as supplies dwindle
A nationally significant water shortfall is gripping England, the government has warned, as experts say the conditions could last until mid-autumn.
The National Drought Group met to discuss actions to save water across the country, and Steve Reed, the environment secretary, briefed the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, about the risks posed by the dry weather.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
08/12/2025 - 00:00
08/11/2025 - 14:00
Excrement contains nutrients needed for crop growth and a new source of them could cut farming’s huge CO2 output
Charcoal made from human waste could help solve fertiliser shortages as well as reduce pollution and energy use, a study has found.
Biochar is a form of charcoal made from organic matter treated at high heat, which is often used on farming soil as a fertiliser. The process also removes carbon from the atmosphere, making it a useful carbon sink.
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08/11/2025 - 12:00
Fish once as large as grizzly bears have become far smaller in recent years due to overfishing, dams and climate crisis
The size of megafish in the Mekong River has shrunk alarmingly in recent years owing to overfishing, a study has found. The length of the largest and most endangered freshwater giants, some as big as grizzly bears, decreased by 40% in seven years.
Some fish, like the Mekong giant catfish, have been studied for over a longer period and show a decline in weight of 55% in the past 25 years, dropping from an average of 180kg (397lb) to 80kg.
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08/11/2025 - 11:33
Lee fire is one of largest blazes in state history after burning 130,000 acres, while Elk fire surpassed 14,000 acres
Firefighters in Colorado responding to one of the largest blazes in the state’s history are facing gusty winds and dry conditions that are expected to continue to drive extreme fire behavior.
More than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed, and while crews have gained containment on one fire, another has grown amid fire-friendly weather.
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08/11/2025 - 10:37
Singapore firm using secretive international legal system to seek compensation for climate concerns blocking plans
The UK government is being sued in a secretive “corporate court” after a proposal for a new coalmine in Cumbria was quashed by the high court. If successful, UK taxpayers would have to fund a substantial compensation payment to the mine’s investors.
It is the first such case to be filed against the UK government by a fossil fuel company as a result of climate policy. The case uses investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) rules agreed in a 1975 trade agreement between the UK and Singapore, where the major investor in the coalmine is incorporated.
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08/11/2025 - 08:15
Portuguese firefighters have been battling wildfires across southern Europe, as scientists warn of a 'molotov cocktail' of climatic conditions across the Mediterranean.
Southern Europe swelters under deadly heatwave as temperatures pass 40C
Europe live – latest updates
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08/11/2025 - 07:25
Heavy rainfall cut power and closed roads across Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin
Heavy rainfall in half a dozen midwest US states forced motorists to abandon their vehicles, cut power to thousands of households and closed busy roadways over the weekend.
The National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings for parts of Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. After rainfall began on Saturday in some areas forecasters predicted “repeated rounds of heavy rain”, along with hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes into Monday.
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08/11/2025 - 07:00
Some Salisbury, Maryland, residents say the contaminated water from Perdue Farms’s local plant has sickened them
Wastewater from an industrial soya bean farm and processor has poisoned a Maryland town’s drinking water with Pfas, several lawsuits allege, raising questions about residents’ health and “forever chemical” pollution from industrial agricultural operations nationwide.
Perdue Farms acknowledged that its 300-acre Salisbury, Maryland, operation is polluting local waters, but the chemicals’ sources have not been confirmed. It appears the Pfas is in part also coming from some combination of sludge used as fertilizer and pesticides, attorneys for plaintiffs say.
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08/11/2025 - 06:46
Danish company makes $9bn cash call as it says business model has been derailed by US policies
Europe’s largest wind power company has blamed Donald Trump for derailing its business model, after it announced a $9bn (£6.7bn) fundraising and its market value plunged by almost a third.
The share price for Denmark’s Ørsted tumbled to an all-time low after it told investors on Monday that the “extraordinary situation” facing the industry meant it would need to tap shareholders to cover the costs of its plans.
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08/11/2025 - 06:16
Four-year-old boy dies of heatstroke in Italy as scientists warn of ‘molotov cocktail’ of climatic conditions
Deadly heat of up to 44C is searing southern Europe, as scientists warn of a “molotov cocktail” of climatic conditions that is fuelling vast wildfires across the Mediterranean.
In Italy, where temperatures of 40C are expected in Florence later this week, a four-year-old boy died of heatstroke, and a red alert warning was issued for seven major cities, including Bologna and Florence.
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