Prayer Guide
“O joyful day, Lord Jesus, when you returned
You are the resurrection, our hope and our life
O glorious and victorious Redeemer”
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Wednesday 25th March
In Lagos, a maize seller recently doubled her prices within a single year. In Morocco, pipelines stretch across barren plains, carrying desalinated water to farms that once relied on rainfall. Across much of the continent [of Africa], the pattern is unmistakable: in the regions most exposed to climate shocks, the future of food security is becoming increasingly uncertain, writes Asamoah Oppong Zadok. While the severity varies from one country to another, climateflation is tightening its grip most sharply in rain-dependent and water-stressed zones, from the Sahel and the Horn of Africa to Southern Africa’s drought stricken corridors. Erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and heat waves are no longer isolated events; they are reshaping the price of food and testing the resilience of millions… While climateflation grabs headlines, water scarcity may prove the bigger long-term threat. Agriculture consumes about 80 percent of Africa’s freshwater, even as aquifers are being drained faster than they can refill, rivers dry before reaching the sea, and rainfall patterns grow increasingly erratic. Water scarcity, not a lack of arable land, is the true constraint on Africa’s agricultural potential.
Thursday 26th March
In the A’i Cofán community of Sinangoe [in the Ecuadorian Amazon l], the Indigenous Guard’s youth learning initiative, known as Chipiri Kuirasunde’khu — Little Defenders of the Forest — was established, writes Ana Cristina Alvarado. The guard is made up of 47 children between the ages of three and fifteen and seeks to revitalize their mother tongue and cultural practices through direct contact with their territory. The initiative also aims to nurture future leaders who will protect the 64,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest from threats such as illegal mining and unconsulted concessions. It is part of a community-led education model — an approach grounded in a constitutional right that has yet to be officially recognized — and was conceived by a 12-year-old girl who now coordinates the initiative.
Friday 27th March
Chinese companies should relinquish control of cutting-edge technologies and form joint ventures with EU firms to access the bloc’s single market, according to the head of a leading European critical minerals processor. Euractiv journalist Nikolaus J. Kurmayer continues: Bart Sap, CEO of Umicore, told Euractiv that introducing conditions on Chinese firms’ ability to sell to the EU’s 450 million consumers – which would mirror restrictions that Beijing has long imposed on foreign investment into China – is necessary to “rebalance” relations between the EU and the world’s second-largest economy. “The reality is, we are behind the curve,” said Sap, whose Brussels-headquartered firm refines 17 minerals, including cobalt, nickel, and antimony, that the EU has designated as strategically critical. China accounts for roughly 70% of global critical mineral processing, giving Beijing an effective chokehold over elements used in the production of numerous high-tech civilian and military technologies, including fighter planes, radars, and computer chips.
Saturday 28th March
The PFAS Plan sets out how the UK Government intends to deal with the growing problem of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals’, as they last for so long in the environment.
It’s split into three sections;
- Understanding PFAS sources
- Tackling PFAS pathways and
- Reducing ongoing exposure to PFAS
Each section has several actions associated with it, with 49 different actions in total, including everything from a new statutory limit for PFAS in drinking water, further monitoring of PFAS in water, sediment, fish and invertebrates, and reducing contamination through sewage sludge, all of which [the Marine Conservation Society] have called for in [their] work on the water sector reform… [The MCS] fully support Minister Hardy’s analysis that “acting now is essential to prevent irreversible harm and to ensure that our regulatory framework keep pace with scientific evidence”. This is why [they] want a universal PFAS restriction - being precautionary with all forever chemicals is the only way to ensure true protection for the sea, wider environment and humans.
https://www.mcsuk.org/news/pfas-plan/
Sunday 29th March
Palm Sunday
Dear God, in whose great name comes Christ the friend of noisy children; welcomed by branches, cheered by the stones sneered by power, shirking in silence the protest of faith ‘gainst sin that harms the Earth! With branches in our hands may we join the commotion undeterred by disapproval or denial of what needs change for Earth’s new healing As we cheer and follow Christ who comes for us in the Name of the Lord who is alive and reigns with you, One God for every place and time.
Taken from Green Collects from Eco Congregation Scotland
https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Lent-green-collects-.pdf
Monday 30th March
It’s no secret that the Trump Administration wants coal to make a comeback, writes Jason Lam. As America’s appetite for electricity grows, Trump and his appointed officials have stated, often and plainly, that they want to use “clean” coal to meet this demand. “Clean” coal isn’t new – it’s the same coal with added pollution controls, and it still carries major environmental and health harms. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) sounds promising, but it's rare, expensive, and can consume up to 25% of a coal plant’s own energy. Only two coal plants worldwide use CCS, largely because the economics make it difficult to scale. Propping up aging coal plants raises costs for operators and consumers, especially as coal’s share of U.S. power continues to decline. “Clean” coal doesn’t address upstream pollution, such as spontaneous coal combustion, which releases large amounts of greenhouse gases and toxins. Renewables like solar and wind are now cheaper, faster to build, and better suited to meet growing electricity demand than coal.
https://drawdown.org/insights/clean-coal-isnt-all-its-cracked-up-to-be
Tuesday 31st March
The National Trust has legally released into the wild a family and pair of Eurasian beavers at two sites as part of a wider release across the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor in Somerset, to contribute to one of the most ambitious and innovative river and wetland restoration efforts undertaken by the conservation charity…The wild release is the second by the charity granted under licence from Natural England since a major policy shift on species reintroductions in England came into force early last year,
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/services/media/wild-beavers-released-in-somerset
Wednesday 1st April
Tonight at 7pm is a Green Christian online workshop: Creation Care as the Fifth Mark of Mission with Margaret Roberts. Margaret is a Licensed Lay Minister and Pioneer 5th Mark of Mission: Creation Care for the Peak Deanery. What does it mean to be a Pioneer 5th Mark Missioner? What does she do? What are the Five Marks of Mission? Come with your own suggestions on how we all might become unofficial 5th Mark Missioners in our own churches.
https://greenchristian.org.uk/creation-care-as-the-fifth-mark-of-mission-green-christian-workshop/
Thursday 2nd April
Businesses and households across Britain are set to reap financial rewards from adjusting how and when they use electricity under new rules introduced by the National Energy System Operator (NESO), writes Sidhi Mittal. The changes expand access to the grid’s Balancing Mechanism and allow the owners of assets such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers, heat pumps and battery storage systems to participate in balancing the electricity network through suppliers or third-party aggregators. Previously, participation was largely limited to large generators due to metering requirements. Under the new framework, devices can automatically respond to grid conditions. The changes remove the need for specialist metering, allowing standard domestic and commercial technologies to take part. When renewable generation is high, EVs or batteries may charge more quickly, or heat pumps may preheat buildings to absorb surplus energy. During periods of high demand, charging may be slowed or paused, or stored electricity exported back to the grid, within agreed limits. Participants receive incentives such as lower tariffs or bill reductions.
https://www.edie.net/uk-businesses-and-households-to-reap-rewards-from-flexible-energy-use/
Friday 3rd April
Risen Lord,
shed your light on those who live in the shadow of death
and warm the hearts of those who have lost hope,
that they who daily bear the cross of hunger
may find your Promised Land,
and move from slavery to freedom.
As we proclaim your Easter song
help us to die to greed and rise to justice,
to abandon apathy and take up action,
that rich and poor together may travel the road to freedom,
and be restored to your resurrection life.
Amen.
Annabel Shilson-Thomas/CAFOD
https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/overcoming-the-cross-of-hunger
Saturday 4th April
A huge wall of water and debris swept down the Teesta valley in the eastern Himalayas on October 3 2023, causing widespread devastation and the tragic loss of over 50 people, writes Jamie MacManaway. This powerful flood in India was the result of a landslide which caused a glacial lake higher up the valley to spill over. This phenomenon is known as a glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF. In a 2025 study of glacial lakes across the Bolivian Andes, [the author and colleagues] found that 11 are highly susceptible to producing potentially hazardous GLOFs. Such lakes are increasing in size and number as glaciers retreat around the world. In Bolivia, [they] saw 60 new lakes form in just six years. Over the same six-year period, glaciers in the region shrank rapidly. If they continue to melt at the same rate, Bolivia will be entirely ice free by the 2080s. Unfortunately, this is likely to be a conservative estimate. [They] modelled the shape of the land surface underneath the existing ice to predict where lakes might form in future. [They] found more than 50 potential lake sites. Further monitoring will ascertain which of these emerging lakes might pose a risk to downstream populations or infrastructure.
https://theconversation.com/as-bolivias-glaciers-melt-new-lakes-threaten-mountain-communities-277678
Sunday 5th April
How wonderful, Lord Jesus, you came back
You suffered death but conquered it
You laid in the tomb but on the third day
You rose again
O joyful day, Lord Jesus, when you returned
You are the resurrection, our hope and our life
O glorious and victorious Redeemer
Help us not to be afraid of death
For we must pass through it to see you face to face
And on the last day we will rise again
For you said so
Let us rejoice and praise you
Our Blessed and triumphant Lord
On this happy, joyful feast.
Amen.
Diana Ng/CAFOD
https://cafod.org.uk/pray/prayer-resources/easter-prayers/you-are-the-resurrection
Monday 6th April
Escalating violence across parts of the Middle East is claiming civilian casualties, displacing communities, destroying infrastructure, and driving widespread environmental damage. Strikes on oil facilities, including those occurring close to – and within – urban areas such as Tehran, have been confirmed via remote sensing methods. Heavy smoke from burning oil, which includes hazardous compounds, is now being directly inhaled by people in Iran – including young children - raising serious concerns about long-term impacts on both human and environmental health. Experience from other conflicts shows that large oil fires and spills can cause extensive environmental contamination and pose significant health risks from exposure to smoke, particulates, and toxic emissions. Pollution from uncontrolled fires may also enter soil and water, leach into groundwater, and be absorbed by crops, contaminating food supplies. Oil spills have also been reported in marine areas, further impacting the health of coastal communities.
Tuesday 7th April
In January, an injured proboscis monkey was found near a railway track in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province and brought to a nearby clinic, writes Ana Norman Bermudez. Proboscis monkeys are an endangered species endemic to Borneo, and international trade is banned except for research or conservation purposes — no permits that would allow such trade exist for the species in Thailand. Historically, trafficking for pets or zoos has not been a major threat to proboscis monkeys because it is very difficult to keep them alive in captivity, but recent research has found an uptick in live trade of the species. The monkey is currently recovering from its injuries at a government-run rehabilitation center, and while he will never be able to live in the wild again, officers there say he may be transferred back to his native range once his health is stable.
Wednesday 8th April
A surge in gas prices triggered by the Iran war has caused a knock-on spike in the price of electricity in the UK, Italy and many other European markets, writes Simon Evans. This is because gas almost always sets the price of power in these countries, even though a significant share of their electricity comes from cheaper sources. This “coupling”, which is part of what UK energy secretary Ed Miliband calls the “fossil-fuel rollercoaster”, is due to the “marginal pricing” system used in most electricity markets globally. After another fossil-fuel price shock, just four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this coupling between gas and electricity prices is once again under the spotlight, in the UK and the EU. There are various alternatives that have been put forward as ways to break – or “decouple” – the link between gas and electricity prices. Electricity prices could be “decoupled” from gas prices by changing the way the market works, but ideas for doing this either have not been tested or have problems of their own. Some people have implied that the UK could insulate itself from high and volatile international gas prices by extracting more gas from the North Sea.
Thursday 9th April
The River Thames restoration demonstrates how decades of environmental action can revive a waterway once declared biologically dead, though climate change and pollution continue to threaten its recovery, writes Elena Kryvoshei. The River Thames restoration has transformed one of Britain’s most iconic waterways from an ecological disaster into a thriving ecosystem. The river, pronounced dead in the 1950s, now supports harbour porpoises and diverse bird populations. This turnaround shows what determined environmental action can accomplish. The latest health assessment reveals significant improvements across multiple measures. Toxic metal concentrations have dropped dramatically since 1990. Zinc levels fell by 50% while copper decreased to just 25% of previous amounts. These reductions mean safer water for the nine million people living along the Thames.
https://happyeconews.com/river-thames-restoration/
Friday 10th April
A coalition of 40 Democratic states, cities and counties sued the Trump administration [in March], challenging the recent termination of a longstanding policy allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate climate pollution, writes Ella Nilsen. The lawsuit, and others like it, will kick off a years-long court saga that could wind up at the Supreme Court and determine the fate of Trump’s plan to undo decades of climate policy.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/19/climate/trump-endangerment-finding-lawsuit-climate-blue-states
Saturday 11th April
Consignments of meat and animal product imports are avoiding British border checks in “drive-bys” that raise the risk of disease hitting the country, MPs have warned. Writer Emily Beament continues: Parliament’s Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee has published data showing the percentage of consignments of meat and plant products that were taken, after being flagged for checks, from Dover to the sole border control post at Sevington, 22 miles from the port. Data provided by the Environment Department (Defra) for three sample months, show that in November 2025, 18 per cent of flagged consignments of animal products such as meat and dairy were not taken to Sevington, despite being directed to by digital systems when they arrived at Dover. These so-called “drive-bys” were up from eight per cent in August 2025, the data show. The Efra committee warned limited checks could pose severe risks to UK livestock and plants, as diseases such as African swine fever, foot and mouth and plant-harming Xylella bacteria circulate in Europe.
https://theecologist.org/2026/mar/16/border-breaches-risk-meat-disaster
Sunday 12th April
God, thank you for Spring and the hope of warmer, longer, brighter days.
Thank you for the coming of growth and life and birth.
Thank you that things are coming awake in the world.
This is what our calendar says, and we do see some signs that it is real.
But we also still struggle with the residual layover of winter.
Now we ask that you bring into reality all that belongs in this season.Your word says that we will have provision, and hope, and joy, and health and loving relationships here and now in this life.
We ask that what belongs in this season would become actual in our practical lives.
We hope in you and in your promises. We hope in your gift of Spring.
- Author Unknown
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/spring-prayers
Monday 13th April
Europe is dangerously unprepared to tackle a growing wildfire crisis, and must overhaul its fleets of firefighting aircraft and step up investment, according to a report, writes Gisela Vagnoni. The paper - commissioned by Portugal-based Avincis, which leases firefighting planes and helicopters - said the increased risk across southern Europe was down to climate change, falling rural populations and build-ups of burnable vegetation. Wildfires that typically rage from early June to mid-September were breaking out earlier and later in the year, the report drawn up by consulting firm Lead by Thought said. Blazes were also spreading northwards, added the paper that will be presented at the Aerial Fire Fighting Conference in Rome on Wednesday. A total of 1,100 hectares burned in Sweden last year, a rise of more than 120% above the recent average, it said. Finland and Denmark also recorded figures exceeding their long-term baselines. Concerns about the bloc's readiness to deal with the growing threat were echoed by independent EU advisers last month.
Tuesday 14th April
The ocean along Africa’s coast is changing, writes Sanjana Gajbhiye. What once felt far away is now part of daily life, as rising water and stronger climate patterns become harder to ignore. Scientists are no longer talking about slow change. The pace has picked up, and the risks are growing faster than expected. Using 30 years of satellite data, researchers from the University of Cape Town tracked ocean changes across Africa’s surrounding waters. The findings point to a clear shift. Sea levels have risen by more than 11 centimeters (about 4.3 inches) since 1993, and the increase is happening faster than the global average. The data comes from a wide region, including the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea. Instead of a steady climb, the rise now looks uneven and sharper in recent years. That change matters. When the ocean rises faster, cities and coastal areas lose time to prepare, and even small delays can turn into serious damage during floods.
https://www.earth.com/news/africas-coastlines-hit-by-fastest-sea-level-surge-on-record/
Wednesday 15th April
Tesco, Danone and Arla Foods are among the 50+ British businesses calling for immediate interventions to maintain the credibility of deforestation-free claims in the soy supply chain, writes Sarah George. The call to action from the UK Soy Manifesto, which convenes businesses representing more than 60% of UK soy demand, comes after some of the world’s largest soy traders withdrew from a landmark initiative to curb deforestation in the Amazon region. Trade body the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (ABIOVE) withdrew earlier this year from the Amazon Soy Moratorium. The move followed the prior departure of several of its members. The Amazon Soy Moratorium was established in 2006 to promote nature protection in soy supply chains, following the expansion of soy production in the Amazon by one million hectares, which contributed to rapid deforestation over a five-year period. Moratorium members committed not to source soy from Amazonian land cleared after 2008. The UK Soy Manifesto wants assurances that global shippers will maintain this deforestation cut-off date on an individual company basis until a long-term solution is found.
Thursday 16th April
Tonight at 7pm is an online introduction to Green Christian. Want to know who we are, what we do and how to get involved? Green Christian is, we hope, a friendly and welcoming community of people who are simply trying to respond to God’s call on us all to “tend and care” God’s world. The plan is to introduce ourselves, to briefly explain what Green Christian is and does and how you can get involved, and then have a bit of time to chat in breakout groups with a member of the board so you can talk about where you are in your eco-Christian journey (should you wish to) and ask questions.
https://greenchristian.org.uk/introduction-to-green-christian/
Friday 17th April
India is home to the world's most polluted city, according to IQAir's newly released World Air Quality Report. Article writes Angela Symons continues : Only 14 per cent of cities worldwide breathe safe air, a drop from 17 per cent in the previous year. Swiss pollution monitoring company IQAir analysed data from 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories, for its newly released 2025 World Air Quality Report. It found air quality is deteriorating globally, largely due to human-caused climate change. Wildfire smoke, in particular, drove poor air quality in 2025, along with dust storms and other extreme weather events intensified by the burning of fossil fuels. In the worst wildfire year on EU record, blazes swept across Europe, reaching their record-breaking peak in August when they lay ruin to farms, woodlands and homes. Extreme weather caused at least €43 billion in short-term economic losses across the continent, driven by deadly heatwaves, floods and droughts…In Europe, Andorra, Estonia and Iceland are the only countries that met the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline – 5 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) – in 2025. They’re among just 13 countries and territories globally that remained within safe limits…That means 130 of the 143 countries covered – or 91 per cent – did not meet safe guidelines.
Saturday 18th April
Emissions from the new data centres set to drive the UK’s AI “revolution” could be hundreds of times higher than government estimates, according to analysis by Carbon Brief. Article author Josh Gabbatiss continues: There are dozens of data centres being developed across the country, potentially driving a surge in electricity demand. Amid uncertainty about the scale and pace of this expansion, there are mounting concerns that new data centres could pose a threat to the nation’s climate goals. UK government analysis concluded that the emissions from data centres would be negligible, even if they expand rapidly – a finding one campaigner tells Carbon Brief is “nonsense”. In contrast, Carbon Brief analysis finds that emissions from powering data centres could be far higher than the government figures suggest, if at least a small amount of the electricity they need is generated by burning gas.
Sunday 19th April
For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
For blue of stream and blue of sky;
For pleasant shade of branches high;
For fragrant air and cooling breeze;
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/spring-prayers
Monday 20th April
With conflict in Iran in its third week, the downstream economic impacts are becoming clearer, writes Sam Chetan-Welsh in mid March. Oil and liquefied natural gas prices have dominated the reporting, but another ripple effect is receiving far less attention: food. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes, has pushed up fertiliser prices. Sixty per cent of the fertiliser used by British farmers is imported, meaning geopolitical shocks can quickly translate into higher production costs and, ultimately, higher food prices. But the impact of this latest crisis is not simply about the availability of fertiliser. It is a reminder of something more fundamental: that the UK food system is highly exposed to external shocks. Today the trigger is geopolitical instability. But, increasingly, the biggest shocks will come from climate change.
Tuesday 21st April
Climate change and related disasters are driving millions from their homes, writes Nicholas Beuret and Matilda Fitzmaurice. Now, a new UN initiative aims to put these very refugees to work offsetting the emissions of the world’s biggest producers. Facing a US$7 billion (£5 billion) funding shortfall, the UN’s refugees agency has launched its Refugee Environmental Protection (REP) fund. The plan? To plant trees and install sustainable cooking stoves in camps, generating carbon credits to sell on the global market. It sounds like a win for everyone: money for camps, jobs for refugees, and trees for the planet. But … research, carried out with our colleague David Harvie, suggests a darker reality. This is a system that generates questionable climate benefits, while locking refugees into low-wage labour to service the same economies that displaced them.
https://theconversation.com/the-un-is-turning-refugees-into-carbon-offset-workers-273724
Wednesday 22nd April
On paper, the sea is increasingly protected, writes Rhett Ayers Butler. Governments have designated vast marine protected areas (MPAs) and pledged to conserve 30% of the ocean by 2030. Maps shaded in reassuring blues now circulate widely. Yet the reality offshore often looks much the same as before. Industrial vessels still trawl through restricted waters, longliners set gear near vulnerable habitats, and sanctions for violations are sporadic. The problem is not a shortage of rules. It is the unevenness of enforcement. Creating an MPA is politically attractive. It signals ambition at relatively modest cost, especially when the protected waters lie far offshore. Policing those areas is harder. Patrol vessels are expensive to operate, legal cases can drag on, and fisheries agencies are rarely flush with funds. In many countries, officials face a dilemma: announce new protections and earn international praise, or spend scarce resources enforcing existing ones and risk confrontation with powerful domestic interests. Evidence presented in a widely-cited 2014 Nature paper suggests that compliance depends less on the size of protected areas than on whether rules are visible and credible. Studies comparing MPAs across regions consistently find that ecological benefits correlate with enforcement capacity. A reserve that exists only in legislation may deliver little more than reputational gain. One that is monitored, even lightly, can produce measurable recovery of fish biomass within a few years.
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-oceans-enforcement-gap/
Thursday 23rd April
Germany has commissioned the world’s first utility-scale vertical floating solar technology, demonstrating a new approach to renewable energy generation on artificial water bodies, writes Cyrene Oraya Reyes. Vertical floating solar technology reached a milestone in October 2025 when Sinn Power launched its SKipp system on Lake Jais in Bavaria. The 1.87 megawatt facility generates approximately 2 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually. It marks the first commercial deployment of vertically mounted panels on a floating platform. The plant sits on an artificial lake created by gravel extraction in the Starnberg district of southern Germany. Arrays of vertical east-west-oriented solar panels are separated by at least four meters. This configuration provides stable electricity generation throughout the day and increases output during morning and evening hours when conventional solar systems produce less energy.
https://happyeconews.com/worlds-first-vertical-floating-solar-technology/
Friday 24th April
Indigenous leaders who protested against efforts to overturn Guatemala's 2023 election results now face a wave of criminalisation and attacks on social media. Luis Pacheco had served as Guatemala’s deputy energy minister for eight months when police came to his home and arrested him on charges of terrorism and sedition. A Maya K’iche’ leader from the country’s forest-cloaked western highlands, his detention in April was the first in a wave of arrests of Indigenous leaders through 2025, ahead of critical judicial elections the following year. Both before and after his arrest, thousands of posts on Facebook, X and TikTok accused Pacheco of money laundering, terrorism, corruption, and conspiring with foreign powers to commit electoral fraud.
Saturday 25th April
Researchers have identified 24 new deep-sea creatures and a whole new evolutionary branch in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a wide swath of ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, writes Johnny Sturgeon. The findings surface as the Trump administration, via a January mandate from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has fast-tracked permits for deep sea mining in that zone, one of the planet’s richest rare-earth metal regions. The identification of a new branch of life underscores the stakes of an international regulatory vacuum: Mining might be allowed to occur before scientists even have the chance to name species that call the seabed home. Tammy Horton, co-author and researcher at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, explained the significance of a new evolutionary branch this way: “If you imagine that on planet Earth, we know about carnivorous mammals, we know that bears exist and we know that the families of cats exist, it would be like finding dogs.”
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26032026/scientists-discover-new-deep-sea-creatures/
Sunday 26th April
Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful,
Where your streams of abundance flow, blessed be your name.
Every blessing you pour out may we turn back to praise of you,
O God when the sun's shining down on us when the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be your name.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Blessed be your name.
You give and take away our hearts will choose to say Lord,
Blessed be your name.
Lyrics by Matt Redman
Monday 27th April
Yemen is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, and for the past decades political conflicts have fragmented its society, strained its economy, and caused extreme humanitarian suffering. In this context of multifaceted political, humanitarian, and environmental crises, innovative entry points for dialogue are sorely needed. The Environmental Pathways for Reconciliation (EPfR) project set out to support local and national actors to identify these entry points, with an innovative approach using environmental issues as a starting point for dialogue, reconciliation, and trust-building in Yemen…The EPfR project is implemented by the European Institute of Peace and is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
Tuesday 28th April
While smoking is a well-known carcinogen, what’s less appreciated is that scientists have observed some species of birds adding bits of cigarettes to their nests, writes Warren Cornwall. Scientists in Poland say they have discovered one possible reason why: The cigarettes might be boosting the health of nestlings by warding off parasites. “Our study indicates that cigarette butts may be used by urban blue tits as an opportunistic adaptive strategy, mimicking the function of aromatic plant materials in parasite control,” the scientists write in a paper published earlier this year in Animal Behavior. Add this to the mountain of evidence about how species are finding clever adaptations to urban life in the Anthropocene. There are glaring examples, such as raccoons turning into suburban “trash pandas.” There are more subtle cases, such as bacteria that have evolved to feed on plastic.
Wednesday 29th April
Oil and gas interests pollute the carbon crediting rulebook and invest heavily in a marketplace flush with low-quality carbon credits, writes Gavin Mair. A new Carbon Market Watch report demonstrates how some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies use their oversized leverage to influence major decision-making bodies in the voluntary carbon market. For the last three years, the world’s largest corporate buyer of carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market has been oil and gas supermajor Shell. While at first glance such a buying spree might be understood to represent climate consciousness and commitment, what is actually purchased is the illusion of meaningful environmental action bought at bargain basement prices.
Thursday 30th April
The butterfly-mad British are celebrating what seems to be a permanent return of this large and spectacular species after Dutch elm disease killed it off from the island, writes Andy Corbley. Unlike the small tortoiseshell butterfly, the large tortoiseshell butterfly hasn’t been a resident of the UK since the 1960s, but after several years of continuous widespread sightings, it’s clearly no longer just a migratory visitor. Indeed, having been seen in Kent, Dorset, the Isle of Wight, Sussex, Hampshire, and Cornwall, Britain’s Butterfly Conservation has officially designated it as the 60th ‘resident’ species in the UK.
Sources:
Text and links compiled by Emma King. Links accessed March 26th 2025.
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