Report finds ‘deep-rooted, systemic’ failures that need stronger regulation, but critics say it is not bold enough
Thames Water bidder pulls out of rescue deal
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The “deep-rooted, systemic” problems in the water industry in England and Wales are the fault of companies, the government and industry regulators, according to a much-anticipated review, which was immediately criticised for failing to recommend bold action by sewage pollution campaigners.
An interim review into the water industry written by Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, and commissioned by the government found there was “no simple, single change, no matter how radical, that will deliver the fundamental reset that is needed for the water sector”.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
06/03/2025 - 03:18
06/03/2025 - 02:00
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides
Daniel Janzen only began watching the insects – truly watching them – when his ribcage was shattered. Nearly half a century ago, the young ecologist had been out documenting fruit crops in a dense stretch of Costa Rican forest when he fell in a ravine, landing on his back. The long lens of his camera punched up through three ribs, snapping the bones into his thorax.
Slowly, he dragged himself out, crawling nearly two miles back to the research hut. There were no immediate neighbours, no good roads, no simple solutions for getting to a hospital.
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06/02/2025 - 23:49
Climate minister says greenlighting North West Shelf project until 2070 is not the leadership Pacific countries expect as Australia seeks to host summit
Vanuatu’s climate minister has expressed disappointment over Australia’s decision to extend one of the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas projects and said it raises questions over its bid to co-host the Cop31 summit with Pacific nations.
The UN is expected to announce which country will host the major climate summit in the coming weeks, with Australia pushing for the event to be held in Adelaide as part of a “Pacific Cop”.
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06/02/2025 - 17:35
Doug Burgum says Biden order that banned drilling in 23m-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska will be reversed
Millions of acres of Alaska wilderness will lose federal protections and be exposed to drilling and mining in the Trump administration’s latest move to prioritize energy production over the shielding of the US’s open spaces.
Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, said on Monday that the government would reverse an order issued by Joe Biden in December that banned drilling in the remote 23m-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), the New York Times reported.
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06/02/2025 - 09:00
Using passive design and local materials such as ice cream buckets, these modern community spaces offer a respite from urban heat and hustle
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06/02/2025 - 07:00
The Emmy award winning comic teams up with renowned scientist Michael Oppenheimer for a new video campaign
David Cross is many things: a famed comic, an Emmy award winner, and a New York Times bestseller. But he is not a climate scientist.
That fact might make him the perfect person to communicate the urgency of global heating to mass audiences.
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06/02/2025 - 07:00
The president’s funding cuts and bullying are about dividing Americans and tightening his grip on power
The author and environmentalist Wallace Stegner called our national parks “America’s best idea”.
Certainly, these jewels – 85m acres of parkland throughout all the 50 states – are beloved by the public. So are America’s public libraries, arts organizations and museums.
Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture
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06/02/2025 - 05:00
National Weather Service offices are reeling from job cuts and a hiring freeze imposed by Trump
More than a dozen National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices along the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico coast are understaffed as the US plunges into an expected active season for ruinous storms, data seen by the Guardian shows.
There is a lack of meteorologists in 15 of the regional weather service offices along the coastline from Texas to Florida, as well as in Puerto Rico – an area that takes the brunt of almost all hurricanes that hit the US. Several offices, including in Miami, Jacksonville, Puerto Rico and Houston, lack at least a third of all the meteorologists required to be fully staffed.
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06/02/2025 - 00:00
Campaigners say the publication of key KPMG report must be a condition to MPs extending subsidies scheme
The owner of the Drax wood-burning power station should be forced to disclose full details of its tree consumption, campaigners have argued, as MPs review the billions in renewables subsidies the North Yorkshire plant receives.
A delegated legislation committee will decide on Monday whether to pass the government’s plans to extend billpayer-funded subsidies to the country’s biomass power generators, of which Drax is by far the biggest.
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06/02/2025 - 00:00
Make UK tells government that prices threaten to derail industrial strategy as Energy UK calls for charges to be ‘rebalanced’
The UK government is being pressed to wipe billions from the energy costs facing households and heavy industry by reforming the high taxes levied on electricity bills.
These policy levies mean the UK pays some of the highest energy bills in the world, and are simultaneously disadvantaging British industry and stifling the efforts of households to transition to lower-carbon heating systems, according to industry trade groups.
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