Environment

Nasa’s most powerful rocket ever has launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first attempted launch in August was called off due to technical concerns. The same thing happened for a second attempt at the start of September. Third time lucky. Artemis I is part of Nasa’s plan to eventually return humans to

The United Nations Secretary General sparked a few moments of laughter at COP27 when he started to read from the wrong speech. His staff quickly brought him the correct papers and he explained he was meeting a group of young delegates later in the day and that that speech was for that event.

Scientists say climate change is making more than half of all infectious diseases worse; and the World Health Organisation says humanity needs to “get ready” to fight against this threat to global health security. As the planet warms, new viruses are emerging and pandemics are becoming more likely as animals and disease-carrying mosquitoes move to

The UK’s former prime minister says he is at the COP27 climate summit in a “supportive role” to the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Boris Johnson was asked whether he was worried when Mr Sunak initially said he wouldn’t be attending the conference in Egypt due to preparations for the UK government’s Budget on 17

Just saying no to fossil fuels isn’t working, says climate expert Prof Myles Allen. Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Prof Allen used a lump of coal to explain how burning fossil carbon will result in one degree of global warming. It was the first time a prop has been used on the programme. He

For years the question of what to do with old fishing nets was a real headache. Fishermen sometimes dumped them at sea, or they were brought to shore and discarded in landfill. Now thanks to a scheme organised by Keep Britain Tidy, old trawling nets are for the first time being recycled here in the

An uncrewed Blue Origin mission came to an abrupt end when the capsule’s emergency escape system was triggered by a failure on its booster rocket. The capsule was carrying a payload of research items and returned to Earth, though the New Shepherd rocket “impacted the ground” according to the company. The Federal Aviation Administration, which

Throughout August, wildfires raged across parts of China, triggered by a record long heatwave and drought. Thousands of firefighters were mobilised across the country. Around the south-western city of Chongqing, which was one of the worst-hit areas, local off-road motorcyclists joined the effort, transporting emergency workers and essential supplies to areas that were otherwise hard

Around 8,500 cyclists prevented motorists from using a stretch of Germany’s autobahn, during a protest calling for better public transport and cycle lanes. The demonstration took place between Frankfurt and Wiesbaden – a distance of 40km (25 miles). It was organised by Verkehrswende Hessen – a group seeking to make transport in the German state

The number of white storks is falling in many countries. The extreme heat this summer is just the latest of many hazards they face – in Europe, in Africa, and on the long migration routes in between. Nick Thorpe sent this report from Hungary, on a sudden spike in stork deaths there.

Some 2,000 islanders in Guna Yala will become one of the first indigenous communities in Latin America to relocate because of climate change. Islander Magdalena Martínez, who has campaigned for new housing on the mainland, tells the BBC how she feels about leaving the island she grew up on. The Panama government estimates all islands

Earlier this year, footage emerged of a hippo being tested for Covid at a wildlife park near Shanghai. Now, clips of fish and crabs getting PCR tests have been going viral on Chinese social media. Officials in the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen ordered “both fishermen and their seafood” to be tested after some 40

A bed of rock emerges from the waters of Lake Garda, after a drought brought its water levels down to a 15-year low. Italy’s largest lake, a popular tourist destination, has been severely affected by hot temperatures and a lack of significant rainfall for months. Parts of northern Italy are experiencing their worst drought in

Forecasts of rain have been welcomed by many gardeners following the UK heatwave but planting for increasingly drier and warmer weather is now a consideration. Visionary plantswoman Beth Chatto OBE, a multi-gold medal winner at RHS Chelsea, pioneered the idea of choosing the right plants for the right conditions. Her legacy lives on at Elmstead

Two Argentine paddleboarders were surprised to see a whale swimming next to them in the coastal town of Monte Hermoso. The pair can be seen paddling next to a whale and at one point they said they were surrounded by 12 of the animals. During the video one paddleboarder is knocked off of their board

Melting glaciers in the Alps are on track for their highest mass losses in at least 60 years, according to data seen by Reuters. The area saw two early summer heatwaves and little snowfall last winter. Zermatt, a Swiss mountain village which usually sees July temperatures in the twenties, has had recent highs of 30C