48 h. ago What I saw reporting on the American lives cut short by killer heat

In this week’s newsletter: Coroners can’t agree on how to count heat fatalities – and the dismantling of climate investments is leaving fragile communities exposed• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereDonald Trump’s decision to boycott Cop30, withdraw the US from the Paris agreement and illegally terminate a slew of investments in renewable energy will not change the reality of climate breakdown for Americans.In what has become an annual reporting tradition, I found myself in Arizona reporting on heat-related deaths during yet another gruelling heatwave, when temperatures topped 43C (110F) on 13 out of 14 straight days in Phoenix. Before embarking on this trip, I spent weeks combing through hundreds of autopsy reports, which I obtained from two county medical examiners using the Freedom of Information Act. Each death report gave me a glimpse into the person’s life, and I used clues from the case notes to track down friends and loved ones in the hopes of bett...

Events

53 h. ago Brooklyn Beckham poses for shirtless selfie as he shares a photo dump from life in LA after brother Cruz offered him a social media olive branch

The aspiring chef, 26, who is the oldest son of David and Victoria Beckham, showcased his tattoos as he posed kissing a white fluffy dog.

Culture

7 d. ago ‘We had to swim to safety. I didn’t think we would make it out alive’: the people fleeing climate breakdown – in pictures

Photographers Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer capture the families, farmers and fishers who have been forced to leave their homes by extreme weather – and the landscapes they left behind. Introduction by Dina NayeriIn 2009, Swiss photographers Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer set out to document the people suffering the first shocks of the climate crisis. They had just returned from China, where rapid, unregulated development has ravaged the natural landscapes. Back home, though, the debate still felt strangely theoretical. “In 2009, you still had people who denied climate change,” Braschler recalls. “People said, ‘This is media hype.’” So the couple, working with the Global Humanitarian Forum in Geneva and supported by Kofi Annan, began The Human Face of Climate Change, a portrait series that showed the people on the frontline of a warming world.Sixteen years later, climate change is no longer up for debate; the urgent discussions now revolve around solutions. Braschler an...

Society

8 d. ago Revealed: Europe’s water reserves drying up due to climate breakdown

Exclusive: UCL scientists find large swathes of southern Europe are drying up, with ‘far-reaching’ implicationsVast swathes of Europe’s water reserves are drying up, a new analysis using two decades of satellite data reveals, with freshwater storage shrinking across southern and central Europe, from Spain and Italy to Poland and parts of the UK.Scientists at University College London (UCL), working with Watershed Investigations and the Guardian, analysed 2002–24 data from satellites, which track changes in Earth’s gravitational field. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Man who 'deliberately drove at' girlfriend's brother and killed him jailed for life

Stephen Bates, 42, murdered Martin O'Donovan, 47, after a drunken birthday party brawl

Events

8 d. ago Africa’s forests transformed from carbon sink to carbon source, study finds

Alarming shift since 2010 means planet’s three main rainforest regions now contribute to climate breakdownAfrica’s forests have turned from a carbon sink into a carbon source, according to research that underscores the need for urgent action to save the world’s great natural climate stabilisers.The alarming shift, which has happened since 2010, means all of the planet’s three main rainforest regions – the South American Amazon, south-east Asia and Africa – have gone from being allies in the fight against climate breakdown to being part of the problem. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Body is found in search for missing farmer 'after son killed the 82

Officers confirmed that specialist teams were deployed to a field in the village of Langford, Bedfordshire last Saturday after receiving intelligence suggesting Brian Wright had died.

Events

1 week ago Man suspected of killing his missing farmer father and driving car at his brother before taking his own life in outbuilding

Police investigating the disappearance of an elderly farmer have launched a murder investigation after the body of his son was found in an outbuilding.

Events

2 w. ago End of fossil fuel era inches closer as Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff

Wealthy countries agree to triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final dealThe world edged a small step closer to the end of the fossil fuel era on Saturday, but not by nearly enough to stave off the ravages of climate breakdown.Countries meeting in Brazil for two weeks could manage only a voluntary agreement to begin discussions on a roadmap to an eventual phase out of fossil fuels, and they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Victoria Beckham's sibling you've never heard of! Posh's younger brother Christian, 46, appears in rare snap after shunning the limelight for a private life with his family

His decision to stay firmly out of the limelight means fans often forget Victoria has a younger brother.

Politics

2 w. ago Victoria Beckham's sibling you've never heard of! Posh's younger brother Christian appears in rare snap after shunning the limelight for a private life with his family

His decision to stay firmly out of the limelight means fans often forget Victoria has a younger brother.

Politics

2 w. ago Victoria Beckham's lesser known younger brother Christian is revealed in sweet family snap as he shuns the limelight for a private life with his wife Emma and their four young children

His decision to stay firmly out of the limelight means fans often forget Victoria has a younger brother.

Society

2 w. ago There’s a catastrophic black hole in our climate data – and it’s a gift to deniers | George Monbiot

Climate sceptics tell us that more people die of extreme cold than extreme heat. What’s the truth?I began by trying to discover whether or not a widespread belief was true. In doing so, I tripped across something even bigger: an index of the world’s indifference. I already knew that by burning fossil fuels, gorging on meat and dairy, and failing to make even simple changes, the rich world imposes a massive burden of disaster, displacement and death on people whose responsibility for the climate crisis is minimal. What I’ve now stumbled into is the vast black hole of our ignorance about these impacts.What I wanted to discover was whether it’s true that nine times as many of the world’s people die of cold than of heat. The figure is often used by people who want to delay climate action: if we do nothing, some maintain, fewer will die. Of course, they gloss over all the other impacts of climate breakdown: the storms, floods, droughts, fires, crop failures, disease and sea level rise. B...

Politics

2 w. ago Cop30 live: ‘We need to think about how to live without fossil fuels’ Brazilian president Lula tells summit

Brazilian president underlines need to reduce emissions as Turkey set to host next year’s summitOne big piece of news out of Belém last night was that Turkey will host Cop31 next year, with Australia leading the actual negotiations, under a deal to end an unprecedented stand-off between prospective host countries.The unusual arrangement, which was being negotiated overnight and is expected to be officially announced today, would see the event take place in Antalya, a 2000-year-old Mediterranean city that has become the country’s tourism capital. Turkey would manage the event while Australia would preside over the diplomatic wrangling to stop the planet from heating and keep people safe from the breakdown of a stable climate. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘My husband and daughter went down to the garage in case it flooded. Then I heard a strange noise’ – This is climate breakdown

She was sure that there would be warnings if there was any danger. But then the floods came. This is Toñi García’s storyLocation Valencia, SpainDisaster Floods, 2024Toñi García lives in Valencia. On 29 October 2024, devastating storms hit the Iberian peninsula, bringing the heaviest rain so far this century. The national alert system sounded at around 8.30pm local time; by then, however, flood waters had already broken through the city. Scientists say the explosive downpours were linked to climate change. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘We sent the kids home. Then all our cellphones went out’ – This is climate breakdown

When the Maui fires ripped through Hawaii, the community came together. For everyone it was a life-changing experience. This is Ryan’s storyLocation Maui, Hawaii, United StatesDisaster Maui wildfires, 2023Ryan Kirkham had been the principal at Maui preparatory school for 13 years when the Maui wildfires ignited in 2023, killing 102 people in Lahaina and costing almost $3.3bn in insured damages. Climate change is increasing the severity of droughts in the Hawaiian Islands, which correlates with an increased likelihood of wildfires. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago Keeping promises on renewables, energy efficiency and methane ‘would avoid nearly 1C of global heating’

Analysis published at Cop30 summit shows adhering to pledges offer world hope of avoiding climate breakdownSticking to three key climate promises – on renewables, energy efficiency and methane – would avoid nearly 1C of global heating and give the world hope of avoiding climate breakdown, analysis published at the Cop30 climate summit suggests.Governments have already agreed to triple the amount of renewable energy generated by 2030, double global energy efficiency by then, and make substantial cuts to methane emissions. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘I had already given my baby a name’ – This is climate breakdown

It started with a migraine but ended in hospital. When Gowend had dengue the first time she had no idea she was pregnant. This is Gowend’s storyLocation Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina FasoDisaster Ill with dengueGowend (not her real name) lives in Burkina Faso. In 2023, in the early stages of pregnancy, she was admitted to hospital and diagnosed as having had dengue fever, a viral illness transmitted by mosquitoes which is, in a small number of cases, potentially fatal. It has been linked with miscarriage by some studies. Dengue is on the rise in Africa and Asia, partly thanks to the warming climate, and is increasingly being detected in Europe, too. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘This is survival’: Jamaica leads calls from vulnerable nations at Cop30

Countries including Mauritius and Cuba reiterate life-or-death nature of cutting emissions, calling it ‘a moral duty’Cop30: click here for full Guardian coverage of climate talks in BrazilJamaica has led calls from vulnerable nations at the Cop30 climate summit to urge immediate action on climate breakdown as the conference entered its second week.As high-level ministers from governments around the world took over negotiations in Belém, Brazil, vulnerable nations lined up to say how important it was that wealthier countries cut emissions in order to limit the worst effects of global heating. In addition, they renewed a longstanding call for rich nations to do more financially to help poor countries deal with warming. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Gary Numan reveals brother died 'suddenly' causing him to break down in tears on stage

Music icon Gary Numan has revealed that the last two days have been the "hardest of my life" after losing his brother John, the "best brother a man could ever have"

Events