Environment

A single mum has been left suicidal and fearing for her children's lives after getting 'trapped' living in a mouldy, slug-infested house for almost SEVEN YEARS. Jessica Sparrow-Lewis, 29, has endured years of misery in her rented home which is filled with damp, black mould and exposed wiring that has been deemed a "risk to life". One of the rooms is so cold it is practically uninhabitable, with Jessica's children Freya, nine, Alfie, six, and Arlo, one, are sharing one...

Lighting up the night sky with greens and reds, these are the spectacular aurora by a photographer in the world's northern regions. These amazing pictures of the northern lights were taken by astrophotographer Juan Carlos Casado in Greenland, Iceland and Finland. He said: "Auroras are one of the most spectacular natural phenomena that can be seen. Bursting with colour in the night, these aren't fireworks but aurora lighting up the northern skies. "They are global spectacles, in the sense that...

Being exposed to short term spikes in air pollution even below legal limits leads to an early grave for the elderly, a study warned. When levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone were higher on a particular day, it leads to more deaths two days later. And the risk of a premature death was 25 per cent greater for elderly poor white and minority women than those who were male or white. Previous studies found evidence that short-term exposures...

A charity has received a generous gift this festive period of £4 million from a mystery donor for the homeless across the West Midlands. The anonymous benefactor has stunned staff at the Heart of England Community Foundation with the Christmas donation. The foundation has said it will use £3 million of it to fund major intiatives to help those sleeping rough and without homes in the New Year. The final £1 million will be invested to guarantee a legacy for...

Four out of five Brits take an Xmas break from caring about the environment a poll has revealed. OVER eight in ten Brits do not even attempt to justify creating extra waste and additional consumption at Christmas time. Two thirds of us commit unofficial 'eco-crimes' - such as throwing used batteries in the bin and not recycling Christmas cards - even though we know we shouldn’t. A poll of 2,000 adults found the UK throws out over 50 million platefuls...

Political instability could lead to some bird and animal and bird species being wiped out, warns new research. The study of changes in wildlife over three decades found that low levels of effective national governance are the strongest predictor of declining numbers - more so than economic growth, climate change or even surges in human population. The findings, published in the journal Nature, also show that protected conservation areas do maintain wildlife diversity - but only when situated in countries...

The world's first vending machine which is exclusively for homeless people has been unveiled in a British city letting rough sleepers order food and even SOCKS. People living on the streets are able to get hold of water, fresh food and warm clothes from the altruistic device. The machine, which was installed by charity Action Hunger, was unveiled at the Intu Shopping Centre in Broadmarsh, Nottingham, on Tuesday (19/12). The world’s first free vending machine for the homeless supplying food,...

Posh residents fitted trees with ‘anti-bird spikes’ in a bid to protect their expensive cars from droppings, outraging environmentalists. The spikes – which are usually used to stop birds resting and building nests on ledges and nooks on buildings – have been nailed to two trees in an exclusive part of Bristol. The trees, in the front gardens of Essendene House and Heathfield House, both privately owned flats near Clifton Down, have been described by a local Green councillor as...

Today the US President Donald Trump is expected to drop climates change from this list of global threats in his updated National Security Strategy. Obama, as President, had pushed for climate change to be seen as a threat to the nation. The Federalist website quoted the draft document as stating: “US leadership is indispensable to countering an anti-growth energy agenda that is detrimental to US economic and energy security interests. “Much of the developing world will require fossil fuels, as...