Pollution | The Guardian

Exclusive: utility company wants to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from Thames and replace it with treated effluent Levels of a toxic “forever chemical” rose to 13 times the legal limit during Thames Water pilots for a controversial multimillion pound water recycling scheme that will pump millions of litres of treated sewage into the River Thames during drought. The data from …

Ocean Conservancy says last year’s cleanup collected 13.9m pieces of rubbish from beaches and rivers worldwide More than 1.3m plastic bottles were collected from beaches, rivers and waterways last year during the world’s largest single-day volunteer ocean cleanup. About 630,000 people took part in the International Coastal Cleanup in 2025, removing almost 13.9m pieces of rubbish from more than 15…

Although mobiles blared in public are nothing new, this crop of headphone-dodging irritants are truly maddening. It’s time to take them on ‘Interesting cities can’t be quiet”, runs one of grime DJ and music industry thinker Elijah’s epigrams – and in its essential spirit, he is right. Silent, tidy, prim cities should be treated with suspicion. Any such atmosphere denotes that something has gone w…

Hélène Duguy is taking on companies accused of failing to stop Pfas pollution in the area of France she calls home The factories were just part of the landscape for Hélène Duguy growing up in the heart of an area known as France’s “Chemical Valley”. “Those factories are visible from my mother’s apartment,” says Duguy, 34, whose mother still lives in St-Genis-Laval, south of Lyon. Continue reading…

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions considers whether there is sufficient global physical capacity for all our discarded and worn-out purchases • This week’s question: If all car tyres were filled with CO2, would this cut atmospheric carbon significantly? If consumer capitalism continues at its current rate, will we reach a point at which there is literally no…

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions probes an intriguing scientific question in relation to the climate emergency Readers reply: Is it inevitable that consumerism will literally fill up the planet? If all the vehicles on the planet had their tyres pumped up with CO 2 , would this lock up enough carbon to lower the amount in the air significantly? Would there b…

An 1857 decree to drain swamps and plant a monoculture, detritus from the trees and global heating combined to produce the conditions for the Gironde inferno The ruinous fires that overran parts of France this summer have burned more land than ever recorded, forced more people from their homes than at any point since the second world war and caused what scientists suspect is the country’s first f…

Similar initiatives have been launched from Barcelona to Bogotá, but they have misinformation, political pressure and vested interests stacked against them Ten years ago, Alastair Harper was an advocate for young people’s health sitting in a stuffy meeting room in London planning an air pollution campaign. “My phone started buzzing,” he said. “I took the call, and then told the room I needed to l…

Athletes faced last-minute cancelling of 2.4-mile swim, as experts say pollution and extreme heat are causing blooms As far as athletic accomplishments go, few are held in higher regard than completing an Ironman triathlon. The amount of training required to tackle the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26-mile run that make up the course, as well as the expensive equipment required to train i…

Exclusive: Planning documents show annual emissions from North Ockendon project would be equivalent to 8,480 flights to New York A “hyperscale” datacentre in outer London would generate more than 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of 8,480 flights from London to New York, planning documents show. The East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC) in North Ockendon wo…

Improvements in fire management however could mitigate increases by more than 70%, study shows Wildfires are projected to burn 39% more of Europe by the end of the century even in the best-case scenario for stopping the planet from heating, a study has found , unless action is taken to manage them better. The increase in hot, dry and windy weather that leads to small fires turning into raging inf…

Regulations that would block sale of older tires praised by environmental groups amid rightwing backlash California has become the first state in the nation to mandate that replacement tires be energy efficient, a major auto industry regulation set to block the sale of older tires and make vehicles on the road greener. State regulators have said the new rules will reduce emissions and drivers’ fu…

Andy Burnham promises drive to tackle toxic waste, raise fines and use AI-powered drones to detect illegal activity Illegal dumps in West Yorkshire, Surrey and Kent will be cleared up using taxpayer money, Andy Burnham has announced, as the prime minister promises a new drive to tackle toxic waste. Ministers have identified dumps in Bradford, Runnymede and the Isle of Sheppey, which collectively …

People told they and their pets should keep out of river at Ham amid anger over Thames Water’s treated sewage plan Swimmers are being warned not to enter the water at the first official bathing site on the River Thames, in south-west London, because of toxic blue-green algae in the water. The blue-green algal blooms are rare in moving water but are likely to be caused by the extreme heat, low riv…

Researchers find capacity stunted by pollution was restored after introduction of ultra-low emission zone Children’s lungs grew bigger and stronger after the most polluting vehicles were restricted from entering London, a study has found. Examinations of London schoolchildren before and after the introduction of the city’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) found a restoration of lung capacity that h…

A broad group of diseases in the agricultural powerhouse is top of mind for the midterm elections In Iowa , one of the key battleground states in November’s midterm elections , just about every political candidate agrees on one thing: something must be done about the state’s rising rates of cancer. The midwestern state has the second-highest rate of cancer nationwide and, together with Utah and W…

Molendotech will collate data from daily tests that detect E coli and other bacteria amid reports of swimmers falling ill A UK firm behind a rapid bacterial water testing kit is planning to launch live water quality maps, as scores of beachgoers report falling ill after swimming. Molendotech, a company which has been spun out of the University of Plymouth, sells a portable test that detects E col…

Over-the-counter treatments for cats and dogs contain chemicals that are banned in pesticides and pollute waterways Over-the-counter flea treatment for cats and dogs should be banned as millions of hazardous chemicals are unnecessarily applied to UK pets each year, a parliamentary report has concluded. Cats and dogs are widely treated with topical, or “spot on”, treatments that include insecticid…

A Guardian investigation finds irrigation canals polluted with microplastics in Turkey, a major destination for UK waste • ‘Nobody cares’: Turkish farmers bear the burden of UK’s plastic waste problem High levels of microplastics and other plastic contamination have been discovered in a waterway close to a major recycling hub in Turkey supplied with plastic waste by British companies. The pollute…

To safely get rid of your detergents, paints, pesticides and bleaches without harming the environment, keep in mind handy rules such as the ‘three Ps’ Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com From bleaches, disinf…