Lawmakers cite studies linking weedkiller to Parkinson’s as pressure mounts for a wider US ban
Vermont is the first US state to ban the weedkilling pesticide paraquat, backed by lawmakers who cited concerns about research showing the chemical substantially increases the risk of the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.
Phil Scott, the governor, signed the legislation on Tuesday. The new law takes effect on 1 November, though it contains a provision allowing state regulators to issue special permits for paraquat use on fruit-producing tree orchards, berries and other “small fruit” crops up until 31 December 2030.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
05/26/2026 - 15:46
05/26/2026 - 09:17
Temperature reaches 35.1C at Heathrow on Tuesday after 34.8C high at Kew Gardens in London on Monday
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The UK has recorded its highest ever May temperature for the second consecutive day, as thermometers hit 35.1C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London, the Met Office has said.
The latest high was recorded the day after the country’s provisional hottest meteorological spring temperature, of 34.8C in Kew Gardens in south-west London. The previous May peak of 32.8C had stood since 1922.
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05/26/2026 - 09:01
Owners’ lack of motivation due to ‘split incentive’ is main reason rental properties are missing out on energy upgrades, research finds
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Renters make up nearly a third of Australian households, yet many are missing out on energy upgrades – such as insulation, appliances and rooftop solar – that could slash their power bills and improve home comfort.
The problem, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), is landlords’ lack of motivation.
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05/26/2026 - 07:00
The EPA said it was cutting Biden-era regulations on Pfas in drinking water, but advocates say the move will harm public health and benefit industry
A new Trump administration plan to ditch Pfas drinking water regulations and instead attempt to destroy “forever chemicals” on a wide scale tears a page from the fossil fuel industry’s carbon capture playbook, and will benefit the industry while harming public health.
The US Environmental Protection Agency last week announced it is moving to kill strong Biden-era drinking water limits around four Pfas compounds, and delaying implementation for two more. It represented a blow to public health – advocates say strong limits and a dramatic cut in the production of the dangerous chemicals are imperative.
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05/26/2026 - 06:56
Investigation finds number of dairy farms where cows cannot go outside has more than doubled since 2015
There has been a huge rise in factory-style dairy farming of “battery cows” in the UK as farmers struggle with increasing costs and face selling milk at a loss.
The number of intensive dairy farms that permanently confine some of their cattle indoors has more than doubled in the past 10 years, an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) has found. Data suggests there are now at least 180 dairy farms where cows have no access to the outdoors, up from about 70 in 2015.
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05/26/2026 - 06:29
A sweeping new study of wild snakes in the southeastern US has revealed a hidden health crisis slithering beneath the surface. Researchers found that many snakes are carrying multiple infections at once, with a dangerous fungal disease called ophidiomycosis — or snake fungal disease — emerging as one of the biggest threats. Pygmy rattlesnakes appeared especially vulnerable, frequently infected with both the fungus and a parasitic “snake lungworm.”
05/26/2026 - 04:19
Extreme early summer event across western Europe also brings highest temperatures for month in UK and Ireland
Seven people have died in France in an extreme early summer heat event affecting a swathe of western Europe, with record high temperatures for May recorded for a second day in several countries.
In France, which logged its hottest ever May day on Monday and again on Tuesday, the weather agency Météo France said the heatwave could last through the week and predicted temperatures could reach 39C in some areas.
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05/26/2026 - 04:00
Trump campaign accelerating climate crisis as officials move migrants to detention jails and deport them from US
US immigration enforcement flights are producing hundreds of thousands of metric tonnes of climate-damaging carbon emissions as officials shuttle unprecedented numbers of people to detention centers far from home and deport them to countries across the world.
Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign has spurred at least an 80% increase in such flights year over year, accelerating the climate crisis by emitting massive amounts of carbon dioxide, according to data analysis shared exclusively with the Guardian.
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05/26/2026 - 02:46
The Lincolnshire seaside town is often written off by YouTubers as a place defined by deprivation and decline. But for many young people it's a place they love and are proud to call home, even though high unemployment limits their opportunities. The Guardian follows 19-year old Cohen, who is desperate to find a permanent job while running a mascot hire company and chasing his dream of becoming a professional wrestler
This video is part of a year-long project, Against the tide, from the Guardian’s Seascape series, reporting on the lives of young people in coastal communities across England and Wales
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