NEW Summer 2025 was the UK's hottest on record This year's average summer temperature of 16.1C was made around 70 times more likely because of climate change, the @metoffice.gov.uk has found www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/new...
Environment Editor at The Times. Clean it Up water campaign. Planet Hope podcast host. When not working, usually running. adam.vaughan@thetimes.co.uk Signal: adamvaughan.53
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NEW Summer 2025 was the UK's hottest on record This year's average summer temperature of 16.1C was made around 70 times more likely because of climate change, the @metoffice.gov.uk has found www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/new...
NEW Almost 8,000 potentially illegal spills happened on dry days during the first half of the year and South West Water was responsible for more than a quarter. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Guess the biggest source of NOx road air pollution in central London. Taxis? Buses? Private cars? Nope, it's now vans. Once the biggest polluter, taxis have rapidly gone electric. Meanwhile vans fleets are only slowly being electrified. Story š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Thanks for chatting to me on this āŖ@robintransition.bsky.socialā¬
Farewell to the Lewes Pound, the UKās last local currency. "I donāt think any of us thought it would change the world, but it was just something everybody got behind,ā said Miles Jenner, head brewer at Harveys Brewery. Story š www.thetimes.com/business-mon...
How Britain is adapting to a ānew normalā of hot and dry summers Shutters, tall grasses and painted railways are among the solutions being tested to cope with future heatwaves and adapt to climate change Story š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
š¤¦āāļø AI slop websites are publishing climate denial, and the people doing it even included the prompt they gave a chatbot to write the nonsense. Great story by @desmog.com www.desmog.com/2025/08/27/a...
The UK has experienced a āsolar surgeā this year as a run of sunny days and new panels on rooftops generated record amounts of electricity. Solar power output has broken records for the last five months in a row, @ember-energy.org found.
Ocean acidification could take the bite out of sharksā teeth www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
Story here: www.thetimes.com/uk/weather/a...
The UK's new normal is here: hotter and drier summers. The summer of 2025 will almost certainly be the warmest on record (we'll get confirmation next week). As this @metoffice.gov.uk graph shows, it looks set to break the record by a big margin too www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/new...
Chris Walters has been appointed the new CEO of water regulator Ofwat Two years ago he said: ā āon average, bills are really, really modestā ā "even a pretty significant percentage increase is actually a very modest increase in absolute terms" www.endsreport.com/article/1844...
US under Trump is not content with hampering international action on climate change. Itās also lobbying other countries to oppose an ambitious plastic pollution treaty www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
Thanks Laurie, yes same figs are in my story in absolute terms though, the number of heat pumps is still very low
Britainās biggest energy companies have called on the government to subsidise cheaper loans to help nearly a million people switch to heat pumps and other green technologies @energy-uk.org.uk says middle income households risk being "left behind" www.linkedin.com/pulse/subsid...
@climeworks.bsky.social could be getting into CO2 removals in the UK Energy secretary Ed Miliband has begun talks to set up the UKās first commercial project to suck carbon dioxide directly from the air and store it in old gas fields under the Irish Sea www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Englandās water companies are causing more than 100 potentially illegal raw sewage spills a day into rivers and seas ā¢ 6,177 dry day spills by 9 firms in Jan & Feb ā¢ 6x times as many as previous BBC estimate ā¢ Anglian Water worst on 1,347 Story š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
that's a fun frame for it
More than 170 countries are meeting in Geneva tomorrow Their task: thrash out a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution What would it mean for the average person if the final deal is ambitious? Here's what experts think š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Reminds me of writing this piece on urban wildlife inc foxes a decade ago www.theguardian.com/environment/...
City foxes are more likely to bin-raid than suburban and rural ones And London is the hotspot for bin-raiding foxes Not hugely surprising, but interesting preprint by a Uni of Hull & Uni of Lincoln team www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
New podcast: why rivers need rights A discussion of the river Test being granted 'personhood' by the local council, the wider nature rights movement and how our waterways got into such a mess open.spotify.com/episode/7eKN...
"A ādrill, baby, drillā policy calls for more capacity for climate tracking and assessment, not less." Good piece by Ralph Keeling of @keelingcurve.bsky.social www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
World's biggest offshore windfarm gets final major consent Berwick Bank east of the Scottish Borders coast would be 4.1GW (4.1GW is astonishing. I'm old enough to remember everyone getting excited about the London Array's 0.64GW in 2013!) www.sse.com/news-and-vie...
Gardeners urged to use more drought-resistant plants to help pollinators www.linkedin.com/pulse/garden...
Loving the smog breathing exercise Headspace should snap this up...
98% That's the decrease in the annual number of single-use plastic bags in the UK since a 5p charge started 10 years ago (it's now 10p) Not all environmental problems are that easy to tackle, but change is possible Resharing the Mail's 2015 splash, which has aged well www.gov.uk/government/p...
Good news alert In 2024, renewables supplied more than half of the UK's electricity for the first time over a year, reaching a record share of 50.4% Renewables and nuclear combined hit a new high of 64.7% assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6889ec...
"Public relations giant Edelman is helping #COP30 host-nation Brazil hone its media strategy for this yearās UN climate conference ā even though it also works for Shell, one of the worldās biggest fossil fuel companies" reports @mcivillini.bsky.social www.climatechangenews.com/2025/07/30/p...
2025 has seen the second warmest first half of the year on record after 2024 ā and is on track to be the second or third warmest year since records began in 1850. My latest State of the Climate report over at Carbon Brief: www.carbonbrief.org/...
Paths of poison across our oceans: of 90411 oil spills from ships, only 474 were reported in a 5 year period - satellite analysis exposes high density "slick belts" coinciding with shipping lanes. Our latest article with @pulitzercenter.bsky.social journalist Saroj Pathirana out now:
England & Wales' main way of tracking the health of rivers is painting an "unduly pessimistic picture", says a review for the UK govt It suggests moving to a "surface water biodiversity audit" where the diversity of species is the main marker of health sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetai...
Ofwat expressed concern over Anglian Water's environmental record. It recorded 11 serious pollution incidents in both 2022 and 2023, exceeding its targets. Since 2019 it has been prosecuted by the EA more than 10 times for pollution incidents. Story š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Anglian Water ordered to pay a Ā£63 millon enforcement package for sewage pollution failures at its wastewater treatment works www.ofwat.gov.uk/consultation... The company's leadership also had bonuses banned this year for recent failings
A bit of joy on a Monday morning, beautifully-presented
NEW: The Environment Agency has been forced to cancel thousands of water pollution tests over the past three months due to staff shortages Joint investigation by @unearthednews.bsky.social and @desmog.com out today unearthed.greenpeace.org/2025/07/24/e...
21% of people in England, Scotland & Wales would find new pylons and subtations in their local area "unacceptable", finds survey for govt. 68% are fine with new network infra. The rest don't know. Interesting findings for 2030 clean power target: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6880e1...
This is a great photo essay by Zed Nelson of the ways people fake natural environments www.theguardian.com/environment/...
The UNās highest court has said countries are legally obliged to fight climate change, in a decision that could increase the chance of nations hit by extreme weather claiming damages from other governments. @thetimes.com story here www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
The UN's highest court, the ICJ, has issued its advisory opinion on climate change Judge Iwasawa Yuji just spent 2 hours reading it. He said the question of states' obligations on climate are an "existential problem of planetary proportions" Full opinion here: www.icj-cij.org/sites/defaul...
The fossil fuel industry has ārun out of roadā as renewable energy projects become the cheapest way of generating electricity, according to the chief of the United Nations, @antonioguterres. āThe fossil fuel age is flailing and failing,ā he said. š www.un.org/sg/en/conten...
Partha Dasgupta, who produced a review on the economics of biodiversity, is one of the worldās foremost intellectuals on how we value nature. You might be surprised, then, to hear he thinks we need to be more emotional &less intellectual about nature loss. š link.thetimes.co.uk/view/633483f...
The doubling of the boss of Southern Waterās pay to Ā£1.4 million has been called āoutrageousā by ministers, as questions arise about whether Labourās bonus ban is being skirted by inflated pay. Story š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
In another words, this new target is actually even slightly worse than the business as usual trajectory that Ofwat set us on last December This is the Ofwat that an independent review is expected to recommend abolishing tomorrow
UK environment secretary Steve Reed has been out today trumpeting a goal to cut sewage spills 50% by 2030 against 2024 levels But Ofwat said last year that water co spending would cut spills 45% by 2030 against 2021 levels Reed goal gets you 225,199 sewage spills in 2030 Ofwat gets you 204,893!
That's against a 2021 baseline.
A little reminder as we wait for the Cunliffe report about water regulation on Monday... Ofwat expects the Ā£104bn spent over the next 5 years to cut sewage spills from storm overflows by 45%. Sewage spills won't be effectively 'ended' until 2050. www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/u...
Very well!
NEW Water company serious pollution incidents surged by 60 per cent last year www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
If this doesn't result in some mad "net zero will take away your tumble dryer" headlines, I'll eat my running cap. It's a consultation about minimum energy efficiency standards for boring white goods that will cut elec bills. But, hey, there's a culture war to wage... www.gov.uk/government/c...
UK gov has launched a new map of the clean energy projects it's supporting, from Sizewell C to Hornsea 3 clean-energy-map.energysecurity.gov.uk Meanwhile an opposition party is trying to increase uncertainty for clean energy investors (which would drive up borrowing costs & eventually energy bills)
At Shark Bay off Western Australia, a group of dolphins have learnt to hunt with sponges on their beaks, to protect themselves from rocks as they flush out fish But why do just 5% of the bay's dolphin population use this odd method? Scientists now think they know www.thetimes.com/world/austra...
Clarification. EA treats West and East Midlands as 1 area, not 2. So actually it's 1 more area, total of 4 now.
@thetimes.com: "At a time when the world around us seems increasingly polluted and unsightly, good news on the environment is as rare as it is joyous. Britain should therefore celebrate the findings that its air is now dramatically cleaner than it was a decade ago" www.thetimes.com/comment/the-...
We face nationalisation if weāre not let off fines, Thames Water warns. āIs Thames not effectively holding a gun to the government and the taxpayersā head?" says Labour MP Helena Dollimore. š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Britainās air has become dramatically cleaner in the past decade as levels of two major pollutants have fallen by about a third, scientists at the University of Reading have found. (darker purple circles are bigger decreases) @ben-cooke.bsky.social reports www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
2 more areas of England have moved into drought 3 were already in drought, taking total to 5 In a worst case scenario, officials think another 3 areas could slip into drought www.gov.uk/government/n... www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
*apologises*
Thames Water CEO Chris Weston says the company's creditors think it could take up to 15 years to turn the ācrisis modeā firm around
Today NASA backtracked on its statement earlier this month that the National Climate Assessments would be hosted on their website. āNASA has no legal obligations to host globalchange.govās data,ā a spokeswoman said today. āWe never did and will not host the data.āwww.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/c...re
Thames Water chair Sir Adrian Montague apologies to Efracom for the committee having to call it back. Thames was the only water company in Efracom's water inquiry to be required to appear twice in front of the MPs. Montague says KKR's was "by far the strongest" bailout bid
Labour and the Tories have traded blows about Britainās carbon emissions goal, with energy and net zero secretary, Ed Miliband, accusing the Conservatives of being āanti-science and anti-jobsā. www.linkedin.com/pulse/uk-ene...
In a worst-case scenario, the Environment Agency told The Times that up to five more areas in England could tip into drought status. Story: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Shadow acting energy secretary Andrew Bowie responds by taking the olive branch, snapping it and burning it... Says language Miliband and Steve Reed are using is "alienating people", "offensive and risible" Says it's "shameful" Labour is piggybacking on Met Office report.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband "climate and nature moment" speech full of olive branches, namechecks climate leadership by former Tory leadership, Cameron, May and Johnson. Weāve been at our best on this issue when weāve worked cross-party, he says.
Three regions of England are already in drought. Up to five more could tip into drought later this year in a worst case scenario, the Environment Agency fears. Comes as Thames Water imposes a hosepipe ban next week. At that point circa 7.5 million people will be under a ban.
Reminder of this little tidbit in @thecccuk.bsky.social seventh carbon budget report **The committee said the UKās petrol stations are likely to eventually become ācost-ineffectiveā, potentially hastening a final switch to electric models. ** www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Britainās largest independent petrol station operator says it is on track to install ultrarapid electric vehicle charging hubs at 500 sites by 2030. Motor Fuel Group aims to have 3,000 charging bays by 2030. @emilygosden.bsky.social reports: www.thetimes.com/business-mon...
Urgh, the grimness of this! "White storks used plastic and human debris as nesting material in 91% of nests." New study on birds in Portugal www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Labour goes on the offensive on net zero ā¢ Steve Reed says Reform stance "unpatriotic" ā¢ Ed Miliband says action to slow climate change "betrayal ā¢ While @metoffice.gov.uk report finds record-breaking heat now the norm @thetimes.com story š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Interesting Chris. Plenty here in Sussex too - and loadsa hoverflies, bees, butterflies this year. Quite a contrast to last year
šSome good news for a change. Itās been a bumper year for ladybirds, with a loveliness of the insects stopping playing at the cricket this week. www.linkedin.com/pulse/easier...
The UK is experiencing an extraordinary year for wildfires. š„ more call-outs for firefighters in the first six months than any year to date š„ larger area burnt by wildfires than any EU country bar Romania š„ "Itās a warning sign," says Thomas Smith at LSE www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
At least half of the bestselling car brands in Britain are being investigated by the government for suspected #dieselgate ādefeat devicesā that dupe official tests to make models appear less polluting. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
A veteran water company boss has said the amount of money paid out by water firms in dividends was ābloody criminalā. Colin Skellett, who was chief executive of Wessex Water for 36 years, said regulator Ofwat had turned a blind eye to excessive dividends. š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
NEW: Getting to net-zero will be much cheaper than thought for the UK ā and unchecked global warming far more costly, says OBR Quick piece / thread with 4 key charts showing, yet again, why climate action is far less costly than inaction š§µ www.carbonbrief.org/... 1/6
Environment Agency will get Ā£189 million for tackling water pollution in 2025/26, funded by charges on water companies, govt announces Up from Ā£114m in 2022/23 Interested in whether campaigners think this is enough... www.gov.uk/government/n...
Slightly unconventional opening to a conference River Wandle water poured into a bowl at River Summit in Morden Environment minister Emma Hardy due to speak shortly. Will she meet with the water creatures?
Fittingly watery bike ride near the Wandle on my way to the river summit at Morden today Beautiful
Yorkshire Water becomes first big water company this year to impose a hosepipe ban due to dry conditions - starts 11 July As first revealed by The Times a week ago www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
A mass lobbying exercise of UK MPs on climate change and nature is taking place on Wednesday at 9.30am www.theclimatecoalition.org/act-now-chan... Will it get as much coverage as the NFU's mass lobby over IHT on 19 November? I doubt it, unless WWF's Tanya Steele rides into Westminster on a bison...
it's just people voluntarily reducing their electricity consumption at certain times, when their energy supplier alerts them to times of need www.neso.energy/industry-inf...
One of the few good things to come out of the energy crisis 1.98 million people in the UK took part in electricity time-shifting last winter Up from 1.6 million two years ago Great way to make the grid more flexible. Ignore the scaremongering about "rationing"
I reported this on 5 May 2023 so you heard it here firstā¦ only taken two years to come to fruition š
NEW Nigel Topping chosen as new chair of @thecccuk.bsky.social, pending formalities Will bring experience from business world & UN climate talks to the role Follows years-long delay after former Tory minister Lord Deben quit as chair and @piersforster.bsky.social steered ship in interim capacity
UK flower growers supplying weddings have faced a punishing year because of the dry and hot conditions, prompting farmers to warn that they are battling increasingly unpredictable weather. thetimes.com/uk/environme... (Photo: stunning UK flower arrangement at #Groundswell2025)
Only by restoring nature can we make our food more secure, says environment secretary Steve Reed Speaking at #groundswell2025 he says more details of reformed of SFI, the nature-friendly farming subsidy scheme, will come this summer, with applications opening next year
Filmmakers cut footage of fishing boats destroying seagrass meadows from Sir David Attenboroughās Ocean film because it was deemed too shocking. "It was a bit too harsh for the public,ā said Zafer Kizilkaya. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Bad news - it looks like MethaneSat is dead "the satellite has lost power, and that is likely not recoverable" That's huge shame for the team, and for monitoring of this potent greenhouse gas www.methanesat.org/project-upda...
"Beijing is selling clean energy to the world, Washington is pushing oil and gas. Both are driven by national security." This is a very slickly-done overview from the NYT on the energy paths China and the US are pursuing ā and what it means for climate change www.nytimes.com/interactive/... (š)
the dry conditions on land aren't helping, and neither are the high sea surface temperatures as you say, risk of flash floods...
"Exceptional" That's how @oceanterra.org describes Europe's boiling heatwave It's unusual because - it's early in summer - it's widespread in extent - the temperatures are extreme Worse is yet to come without CO2 cuts and adaptation, scientists warn www.thetimes.com/world/europe...
To be clear, the review is not to check whether people who rent rather than pay a mortgage are considered "safe".... š It's to check the panels work safely with the way UK homes are wired
Renters may be able to use plug-in solar panels after a safety review in the UK. "Balcony solar panels" have grown rapidly in Germany and other European countries. Could the UK be next? www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Not just hot. Very hot. The UK is currently 5.3C warmer than average for this time of year. In some places, it's 11C warmer than average. 11! istheukhotrightnow.com
The Times has covered new analysis out today by @carbonbrief.org which reveals that more than Ā£500m of UK's record Ā£3bn climate aid from last year came from controversial changes in the way the UK now calculates such aid. FOIs by @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social Covered by @adamvaughan.bsky.social
Despite impending drought, no one knows just how much water the UK's thirsty data centres are using - and the demand will only grow as more are built. Important piece by @adamvaughan.bsky.social including @foxglovelegal.bsky.social research www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
How much water do Britain's data centres use? Bafflingly, there is no official figure. So here's my best estimate after weeks of reporting: circa 10 billion litres of water a year. And that's before any big UK AI boom. Story in @thetimes.com š www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Ed Miliband set to reject proposal for Ā£20bn-plus undersea power cable from Morocco to England www.ft.com/content/a4bd...
UK government confirms sandeel fishing will remain banned in English waters in the North Sea, after an UK-EU court spat over the post-Brexit trade deal www.gov.uk/government/n... (More background here: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...)