28 m. ago Top genome scientists to map DNA sequence of invertebrate winner 2025

Sanger Institute’s Tree of Life team say genomes offer invaluable insight into how species will fare under climate crisisVoting is now open! Vote for your favourite here“We are following the ‘invertebrate of the year’ series with bated breath,” began the email that arrived in the Guardian’s inbox last week.Mark Blaxter leads the Sanger Institute’s Tree of Life programme, a project that sequences species’ DNA to understand the diversity and origins of life on Earth. But far more importantly, Blaxter and his team are superfans of our invertebrate of the year competition and have offered to map the genome sequence of whoever wins this year. Continue reading...

Politics

1 hour ago Climate crisis on track to destroy capitalism, warns top insurer

Action urgently needed to save the conditions under which markets – and civilisation itself – can operate, says senior Allianz figureThe climate crisis is on track to destroy capitalism, a top insurer has warned, with the vast cost of extreme weather impacts leaving the financial sector unable to operate.The world is fast approaching temperature levels where insurers will no longer be able to offer cover for many climate risks, said Günther Thallinger, on the board of Allianz SE, one of the world’s biggest insurance companies. He said that without insurance, which is already being pulled in some places, many other financial services become unviable, from mortgages to investments. Continue reading...

Events

31 h. ago From the archive: ‘The treeline is out of control’: how the climate crisis is turning the Arctic green – podcast

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2022: In northern Norway, trees are rapidly taking over the tundra and threatening an ancient way of life that depends on snow and iceBy Ben Rawlence. Read by Christien Anholt Continue reading...

Events

45 h. ago The world is experiencing record heat – this is why it’s about to get worse

The climate crisis is already displacing millions of people from their homes as they seek to escape extreme weather events, desertification and drought, writes Alicja Hagopian. With Donald Trump ordering billions of dollars of cuts to climate aid projects, the poorest and most vulnerable countries face even greater risks

Politics

49 h. ago ‘The ice is not freezing as it should’: supply roads to Canada’s Indigenous communities under threat from climate crisis

Northern Ontario is seeing a ‘shorter window’ on only overland routes for vital deliveries to remote First NationsAt first there was no answer on the satellite phone. But on the third call, Donald Meeseetawageesic heard his sister’s voice. “We need somebody to come and tow us out,” he told her.It was a warmer-than-normal night in early March and Meeseetawageesic, the elected band councillor for Eabametoong First Nation, was stranded in a 4x4 truck on the dark winter road leading to his community. The tyres were stuck in the deep snow and the temperature outside was below freezing. Help was about 60km (37 miles) away. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Work and money worry young people more than culture wars or climate, UK poll finds

Class, education and gender found to influence difference in views but anxiety about finances was a common themeYoung people are more worried about their finances, work pressures and job insecurity than social media, the climate crisis and culture war debates, research shows.The polling also challenges the simplistic characterisation of generational conflict, revealing that differences within gen Z, whether around class, education or gender, are often more pronounced than the differences between generations. Continue reading...

Economics

3 d. ago How hurricanes Otis and John exposed Acapulco’s big divide and left residents ‘scared for our lives’

The last two big storms to hit Mexico have left the city vulnerable to organised crime and in fear of the next climate shockFlora Montejo always dreamed of buying her own home. After almost three decades working as a nurse, the 68-year-old invested her retirement savings in a two-storey house in San Agustín, a working-class suburb of the Mexican resort town of Acapulco.Montejo’s retirement dream was shortlived. Not long after moving into her newly remodelled home, Hurricane John dumped record levels of rainfall on Acapulco, triggering landslides and flash floods after calm creeks turned into roaring rivers. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Mathematician Adam Kucharski: ‘Our concepts of what we can prove are shifting’

The epidemiologist who advised on Ebola and Covid discusses the value of evidence in light of AI and social media, and how the notion of fact has long been divisiveAdam Kucharski is a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. As a mathematician and epidemiologist, he has advised multiple governments on outbreaks such as Ebola and Covid. In his new book Proof: The Uncertain Science of Certainty, he examines how we can appraise evidence in our search for the truth.What inspired you to investigate the concept of proof?Alice Stewart, an influential epidemiologist, used this nice phrase that “truth is the daughter of time”. But in many situations, whether you’re accused of a crime or thinking about a climate crisis, you don’t want to wait; there’s an urgency to accumulate evidence and set a bar for action. We’re entering an era where questions around information – what we trust and how we act – are increasingly important, and our concepts of what we can prove are...

Politics

5 d. ago Why Sunshine on Leith actor George MacKay is singing about climate crisis in his new film

An apocalyptic musical raises questions about survival for the shape-shifting actor

Events

5 d. ago Dining across the divide: ‘I see the welfare state as bloated, corrupt’

One is a long-term Labour voter, the other has had his head turned by Reform. Will they agree on dogs, disability benefits and the climate crisis?Philip, 73, BristolOccupation Retired marketing director Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago South Korea wildfires become biggest on record as disaster chief points to ‘harsh reality’ of climate crisis

Officials point to ultra-dry conditions as death toll reaches 26 and fires threaten Unesco heritage sites Authorities in South Korea are battling wildfires that have doubled in size in a day in the country’s worst ever natural fire disaster.At least 26 people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed in the south-eastern province of North Gyeongsang, with the country’s disaster chief saying the fires had exposed the “harsh reality” of global heating. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago From Meanjin to Warrane, Apple Maps adds more than 250 Indigenous place names in Australia

App to also show land borders for Indigenous protected areas and reserves following similar updates in Canada and the United States in 2023Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMillions of Australians will be able to request directions from Warrane (Sydney Cove) to Meanjin (Brisbane), tracing the original custodians of the land along the way, via a new feature on one of the world’s leading navigational apps.In a major collaboration with Indigenous groups, Apple Maps will now include more than 250 dual placenames for cities and towns across the country, with more to be added.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago The European Union urges citizens to stockpile supplies to last 3 days in case of crisis

The European Union is urging citizens across the continent to stockpile food, water and other essentials to last at least 72 hours as war, cyberattacks, climate change and disease increase the chances of a crisis

Events

7 d. ago Trump’s ‘climate’ purge deleted a new extreme weather risk tool. We recreated it

The Guardian has recreated a searchable climate future risk tool developed by Fema but then deleted When Donald Trump won November’s election, a small team working on a key new US government tool charting impacts of the climate crisis scrambled into action. They hastily renamed the resource to remove the word “climate” and quietly released it without fanfare in December, before Trump’s return to the White House. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Tackling climate crisis will increase economic growth, OECD research finds

Third of global GDP could be lost this century if climate crisis runs unchecked, says reportTaking strong action to tackle the climate crisis will increase countries’ economic growth, rather than damage their finances as critics of net zero policies have claimed, research from the world’s economic watchdog has found.Setting ambitious targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and setting out the policies to achieve them, would result in a net gain to global GDP by the end of the next decade, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in a joint report with the UN Development Programme. Continue reading...

Economics

8 d. ago From foul to fuel: how a seaweed problem could power the Caribbean

As the climate heats up, Grenada’s beaches have become swamped with rotting sargassum. But biotech can turn it into fuel, fertiliser and plasticPhotographs by Haron ForteauIt is hard to describe the putrid stench of the decaying sargassum seaweed blanketing miles of shoreline in Soubise, a fishing village in Grenada. The pungent odour wafts into passing vehicles, persisting long after they have left the Caribbean island’s coves, where the ocean has deposited masses of the seaweed, which turns red then black as it rots.Many residents of Soubise, one of the areas worst affected, say they have learned to live with the problem, which has plagued the island, and others like it, for years. Last week scientists in Florida said they thought they had identified a weather phenomenon in 2009 as the “tipping point” of the problem, which they said is caused by shifting winds churning up the ocean and bringing deepwater nutrient concentrations to the surface.Lindon Marast says the seaweed clogs t...

Politics

9 d. ago Tesla’s EU sales almost halve this year; Hyundai announces $21bn US investment to avoid tariffs – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsShell chief executive Wael Sawan’s pay package rose by 8.5% last year, to £8.6m, attracting criticism from environmental campaigners.Sawan’s pay rose from £7.9m in 2023, Shell’s annual report shows this morning, due to increased bonus payments such as through its long-term incentive plan.“After a year of unchartered climate extremes and huge energy bills, which are set to spike again in many countries this year, Wael Sawan’s obscene pay packet will feel like a slap in the face for millions.“It’s maddening to know that Big Oil bosses like Sawan are raking it in, as they double down on the oil and gas that’s fuelling climate devastation, and continue to profit from an energy crisis that’s leaving so many of us poorer.” Continue reading...

Economics

9 d. ago UK experts urge prioritising research into 24 types of deadly pathogen families

UK Health Security Agency’s tool highlights viruses and bacteria, many not yet seen in the country, that could pose biosecurity riskDeadly disease-causing organisms from pathogen families that include bird flu, plague and Ebola pose a threat to health in the UK and should be prioritised for research, government experts have said.The first tool of its kind from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) lists 24 types of viruses and bacteria where a lack of vaccines, tests and treatment, changes due to the climate crisis or growing drug resistance pose a biosecurity risk. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Christians worldwide urged to take legal action on climate crisis

Handbook outlines practical ways faith organisations can ‘speak truth to power’ to help protect planetChristians around the world are being encouraged to take legal action against polluters and those who finance them.In a new climate justice handbook, the World Council of Churches sets out practical ways faith organisations can help protect young people and future generations from the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Glacier meltdown risks food and water supply of 2 billion people, says UN

Unesco report highlights ‘unprecedented’ glacier loss driven by climate crisis, threatening ecosystems, agriculture and water sourcesRetreating glaciers threaten the food and water supply of 2 billion people around the world, the UN has warned, as current “unprecedented” rates of melting will have unpredictable consequences.Two-thirds of all irrigated agriculture in the world is likely to be affected in some way by receding glaciers and dwindling snowfall in mountain regions, driven by the climate crisis, according to a Unesco report. Continue reading...

Events