Large parts of Dartmoor have been denuded of wildlife, harmed by farming and a mess of government schemes that are costly in every way
Britain’s uplands are dying. What should be some of the very best places for nature are the absolute worst. Across vast tracts of some of our most beautiful landscapes, life is rapidly ebbing away. Where once there was purple heather, bilberry and buzzing insect life, there are now over-grazed, sheep-infested ecological disaster zones. For a nation of nature lovers, it’s a disgrace.
One of the very worst areas is the Dartmoor commons. These exemplify everything that is wrong about England’s upland management. In a recent Natural England survey of Dartmoor’s protected sites, only 26 out of 22,494 hectares (55,583 acres) were found to be in an ecologically favourable condition – that’s 0.1%. All the blanket bogs and all the heathland surveyed are in an appalling state, and in many places these once wonderful habitats are in decline.
Chris Packham is a naturalist, broadcaster and campaigner
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
07/15/2025 - 05:30
07/15/2025 - 05:00
The $1.6bn Biden-era plan for a gas-powered blast furnace at a steel mill in Middletown, Ohio, is indefinitely on hold
A Biden-era plan to implement a gas-powered blast furnace at a steel mill in Ohio, which would have eliminated tons of greenhouse gases from the local environment year over year and created more than a thousand jobs, has been put on hold indefinitely by the Trump administration.
Experts and locals say the setback could greatly affect the health and financial state of those living around the mill.
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07/15/2025 - 05:00
Lawmakers send letter railing against ‘suffocating’ smoke days after voting for Trump plan likely to boost pollution
A group of Republican lawmakers has complained that smoke from Canadian wildfires is ruining summer for Americans, just days after voting for a major bill that will cause more of the planet-heating pollution that is worsening wildfires.
In a letter sent to Canada’s ambassador to the US, six Republican members of Congress wrote that wildfire smoke from Canada had been an issue for several years and recently their voters “have had to deal with suffocating Canadian wildfire smoke filling the air to begin the summer”.
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07/15/2025 - 04:00
NO2 and PM2.5 levels down significantly since 2015 but climate crisis may be driving rise in harmful surface ozone
The UK’s air pollution has dropped since 2015, scientists have found, but they have warned that dangerous levels are still reached too often.
Researchers found that nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is mainly produced by traffic, fell by 35% on average at monitoring sites. Fine particles called PM2.5, which are small enough to get deep into lungs and are caused by burning wood and driving cars with internal combustion engines, dropped by 30%.
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07/15/2025 - 00:02
Class action led by two community leaders argued government had legal duty of care to prevent or deal with damage linked to global heating
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Two Torres Strait community leaders are shocked and devastated after the federal court dismissed a landmark case that argued the Australian government breached its duty of care to protect the Torres Strait Islands from climate change.
The lead plaintiffs, Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai from the islands of Boigu and Saibai, sought orders requiring the government to take steps to prevent climate harm to their communities, including by cutting greenhouse gas emissions at the pace climate scientists say is necessary.
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07/13/2025 - 14:12
Grand Canyon Lodge consumed by two wildfires that have burned more than 45,000 acres in area
The historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the monument’s North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said on Sunday. The blaze has forced officials to close access to that area for the season.
The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, the park superintendent, Ed Keable, told park residents, staff and others in a meeting on Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing also were lost.
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07/11/2025 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 12 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00116-7
Climate-smart ocean planning in small island developing states—exploring pathways in Dominica
07/11/2025 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 12 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00138-1
Rethinking the Blue Economy: Integrating social science for sustainability and justice
07/11/2025 - 06:00
Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge used as fertilizer move into crops and nearby water sources
The Trump administration has killed nearly $15m in research into Pfas contamination of US farmland, bringing to a close studies that public health advocates say are essential for understanding a worrying source of widespread food contamination.
Researchers in recent years have begun to understand that Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge spread on cropland as a fertilizer contaminate the soil with the chemicals, which then move into crops and nearby water sources.
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07/09/2025 - 23:00
npj Ocean Sustainability, Published online: 10 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00141-6
The rise and flows of blue carbon credits advance global climate and biodiversity goals
