Experts say Asian needle ant ‘not especially dangerous’ but warn some people have gone into anaphylaxis
Last year, Dan Suiter, a professor of urban entomology at the University of Georgia, received at least three calls from people who had been stung by an Asian needle ant – or knew someone who had been – and went into anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.
While there is no new evidence on the continued spread of the ants in the US – detected now in 20 US states – Suiter and his colleagues are determined to raise public awareness of the risks the species poses.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
06/16/2025 - 07:00
06/16/2025 - 02:59
IADB’s proposals involve lenders using public money to buy up renewable energy loans in poor countries
An innovative plan to use public money to back renewable energy loans in the developing world could liberate cash from the private sector for urgently needed climate finance.
Avinash Persaud, a special adviser on climate change to the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), who developed the proposals, believes the plan could drive tens of billions of new investment in the fledgling green economy in poorer countries within a few years, and could provide the bulk of the $1.3tn in annual climate finance promised to the developing world by 2035.
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06/16/2025 - 01:17
The bureau has forecast cooler temperatures, gusty winds, showers and alpine snow for the south-east on Tuesday
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Nippy weather was expected to continue across south-eastern Australia, after a cooler than usual start to June and record-setting cold in some outback towns.
Cooler temperatures, gusty winds, showers and alpine snow were forecast for the south-east into Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Qian Zhou, with alpine snow expected in Victoria, Tasmania, and south-eastern New South Wales. Rainfall was expected for south-west Western Australia from Tuesday.
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06/15/2025 - 18:01
Report says billpayer funds are being used irresponsibly, after news that Thames Water paid bonuses from £3bn loan
Bonuses and dividends for water company bosses and shareholders should be approved by the regulator before they are paid, as billpayer funds are being used irresponsibly, MPs have said.
They also recommended that the government consider ending the profit-driven water company model and making English companies non-profit, similar to how the system works in Wales, in the report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee.
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06/15/2025 - 15:50
Six-year-old among dead as officials say they have ‘never seen anything like this’ amid heavy rains in north of state
Flash flooding caused by torrential rains killed at least six people – including a six-year-old child – in northern West Virginia, and rescue crews were searching for missing people on Sunday, while authorities were assessing damage to roads, bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure.
Officials said 2.5-4in (6-10cm) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio county within about a half-hour on Saturday night.
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06/15/2025 - 05:00
Miccosukee Tribe partners with Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation to safeguard lands as part of ‘moral obligation’
Almost two centuries ago, Native American tribe members sought the protection of Florida’s Everglades during the Seminole wars as they hid from government forces seeking to banish them to Indian territories that later became Oklahoma.
Now, as the Trump administration continues its wholesale slashing of federal funding from conservation projects, the Miccosukee Tribe is stepping up to fulfill what it sees as a “moral obligation” to return the favor.
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06/15/2025 - 01:06
Underground fungi may be one of Earth s most powerful and overlooked allies in the fight against climate change, yet most of them remain unknown to science. Known only by DNA, these "dark taxa" make up a shocking 83% of ectomycorrhizal species fungi that help forests store carbon and thrive. Their hotspots lie in tropical forests and other underfunded regions. Without names, they re invisible to conservation efforts. But scientists are urging more DNA sequencing and global collaboration to bring these critical organisms into the light before their habitats, or the fungi themselves, disappear forever.
06/15/2025 - 01:00
Bord na Móna, which was once a peat extraction company, has now committed to one of the largest peatland restoration projects ever undertaken, targeting 33,000 hectares in over 80 bogs with the hope of reducing carbon emissions and increasing biodiversity. But many households still continue to cut turf, relying on it for heating as have previous generations
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06/15/2025 - 01:00
Richard Tice says voters will turn on government unless energy bills fall
A useful enemy? Why Tories and Reform are calling net zero policy into question
Labour will back down on its policies aimed at achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions, the deputy leader of the Reform has predicted.
Richard Tice, the energy spokesperson for Reform and MP for Boston and Skegness, told the Guardian his party would withdraw from the 2015 Paris agreement that tries to limit global heating to 1.5C.
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06/14/2025 - 23:07
Nonbinding vote at state conference sends strong signal to state and federal Nationals leaders
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The New South Wales Nationals have voted to abandon Australia’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the party’s weekend state conference in Coffs Harbour, increasing pressure on the federal Nationals leader, David Littleproud, to follow suit.
Attendees at the conference said the motion, moved by the Tweed state electorate council, passed easily with 60 to 65% support, after vigorous debate for nearly an hour among the 300-odd delegates.
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