Tires take decades to decompose, and millions are improperly dumped every year. An intrepid group sets out to clear Kentucky’s ‘conveyor belt of trash’
In the 1980s, Russ Miller and his wife moved to a far edge of eastern Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, where they built a homestead on a ridge hugged by three sides of the river. It’s the kind of place you can only get to with a hand-drawn map. A place so remote that the farther and farther you drive to get to it, the more unsure you are that you are in the right place.
They would spend leisurely afternoons drifting the river in inner tubes, until they started noticing what floated alongside them: heaps of discarded junk.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
07/17/2025 - 06:00
07/17/2025 - 05:00
Exclusive: 17% increase in military spending will add emissions equivalent to those of some entire countries
Donald Trump’s huge spending boost for the Pentagon will produce an additional 26 megatons (Mt) of planet-heating gases – on a par with the annual carbon equivalent (CO2e) emissions generated by 68 gas power plants or the entire country of Croatia, new research reveals.
The Pentagon’s 2026 budget – and climate footprint – is set to surge to $1tn thanks to the president’s One Big Beautiful Act, a 17% rise on last year.
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07/17/2025 - 04:22
Industry says party’s threat to strip wind and solar subsidies if it enters power undermines national interest
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Britain’s green energy industry has accused the Reform UK party of undermining the national interest by threatening to strip public subsidies for wind and solar projects if it comes to power.
Groups representing Britain’s biggest clean energy investors said the populist party was “putting politics before prosperity” after Reform’s deputy leader gave “formal notice” to large developers that it would axe any deals struck in an upcoming renewables subsidy auction this summer.
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07/17/2025 - 02:02
Diners jump at chance to snuggle with cubs but wildlife experts accuse firm of ‘exploiting wild animals for selfies’
A restaurant in northern China has been criticised by animal welfare groups for offering an unusual item on the menu: lion cub cuddles.
According to a screenshot of a menu circulating on social media, Wanhui – a restaurant in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province – has a four-course set afternoon menu costing 1,192 yuan ($166/£124) that includes playtime with the in-house animals.
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07/17/2025 - 01:00
From microscopic images inside a human kidney to self portraits of enduring epilepsy and endometriosis, this year’s selection is as moving as it is dazzling
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07/17/2025 - 00:00
Laurence Tubiana urges governments to consider levies on energy-hungry technology
Governments should consider taxing artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies to generate funds to deal with the climate crisis, one of the architects of the Paris agreement has said.
Laurence Tubiana, the chief executive of the European Climate Foundation and a former French diplomat, is co-lead of the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force, an international initiative to find new sources of funds for climate action by taxing highly polluting activities including aviation and fossil fuel extraction.
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07/16/2025 - 22:30
After devastating wildfires scorched the Brazilian Pantanal, an unexpected phenomenon unfolded—more jaguars began arriving at a remote wetland already known for having the densest jaguar population on Earth. Scientists discovered that not only did the local jaguars survive, but their numbers swelled as migrants sought refuge. This unique ecosystem, where jaguars feast mainly on fish and caimans and tolerate each other’s presence unusually well, proved remarkably resilient. Researchers found that this floodplain may serve as a natural climate sanctuary, highlighting its crucial role in a changing world.
07/16/2025 - 21:51
Victoria’s environment protection authority launches investigation over pollution of Banyule Creek in Rosanna
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A creek in Melbourne’s north-east has turned a lurid blue after chemicals used in construction of a major road project washed into the waterway.
The Environment Protection Authority began investigating after a community member reported blue discoloration in the waters of Banyule Creek, south of Lower Plenty Road in Rosanna, on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the EPA said.
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07/16/2025 - 17:15
Using a speech to the National Press Club as a rallying cry to federal parliament to finally agree on a rewrite of the quarter-century old Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, Ken Henry, now the chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation, said that Australia's environmental protection laws are 'broken' and should be reformed. 'We have had all the reviews we need,' Henry said. 'All of us have had our say. It is now up to parliament. Let’s just get this done'
Fixing Australia’s broken environment laws hold key to productivity, ex-Treasury head says
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07/16/2025 - 10:36
Durham is thought to be first UK local authority to rescind its statement, in a move condemned as a ‘very dark day’
A Reform-led council is thought to have become the first in the UK to rescind its climate emergency declaration, a move condemned as “a very dark day” for the authority.
Durham county council, which has had an overwhelming Reform majority since the May local elections, passed a motion to rescind a declaration made in 2019. More than 300 local authorities have declared a climate emergency.
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