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Green Gold: Turning E-Waste Into a Treasure Trove of Rare Earth Metals

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Saturday, July 13, 2024

ETH doctoral student Marie Perrin presents the new recycling approach. In her left hand, she is holding the raw material in the form of a fluorescent lamp and, in her right, the yellow reagent that can separate rare earth metals. Credit: Fabio Masero / ETH ZurichScientists are developing a process inspired by nature that efficiently recovers europium from old fluorescent lamps. The approach could lead to the long-awaited recycling of rare earth metals.A small molecule that naturally serves as a binding site for metals in enzymes also proves useful for separating certain rare earth metals from each other.In a proof of concept, the process extracts europium directly from fluorescent powder in used energy-saving lamps in much higher quantities than existing methods.The researchers are now working on expanding their approach to other rare earth metals. They are in the process of founding a start-up to put the recycling of these raw materials into practice.Rare earth metals are not as rare as their name suggests. However, they are indispensable for the modern economy. After all, these 17 metals are essential raw materials for digitalization and the energy transition. They are found in smartphones, computers, screens, and batteries – without them, no electric motor would run and no wind turbine would turn. Because Europe is almost entirely dependent on imports from China, these raw materials are considered to be critical.However, rare earth metals are also critical because of their extraction. They always occur in compound form in natural ores – but as these elements are chemically very similar, they are difficult to separate. Traditional separation processes are therefore very chemical- and energy-intensive and require several extraction steps. This makes the extraction and purification of these metals expensive, resource- and time-consuming and extremely harmful to the environment. Innovative Recycling Techniques“Rare earth metals are hardly ever recycled in Europe,” says Victor Mougel, Professor at the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry at ETH Zurich. A team of researchers led by Mougel wants to change this. “There is an urgent need for sustainable and uncomplicated methods for separating and recovering these strategic raw materials from various sources,” says the chemist.In a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the team presents a surprisingly simple method for efficiently separating and recovering the rare earth metal europium from complex mixtures including other rare earth metals.Inspired by NatureMarie Perrin, a doctoral student in Mougel’s group and first author of the study, explains: “Existing separation methods are based on hundreds of liquid-liquid extraction steps and are inefficient – the recycling of europium has so far been impractical.” In their study, they show how a simple inorganic reagent can significantly improve separation. “This allows us to obtain europium in a few simple steps – and in quantities that are at least 50 times higher than with previous separation methods,” says Perrin.The key to this technique can be found in small inorganic molecules featuring four sulfur atoms around tungsten or molybdenum: tetrathiometallates. The researchers were inspired by the world of proteins. Tetrathiometallates are found as a binding site for metals in natural enzymes and are used as active substances against cancer and copper metabolism disorders.For the first time, tetrathiometallates are now also being used as ligands for the separation of rare earth metals. Their unique redox properties come into play here, reducing europium to its unusual divalent state and thus simplifying separation from the other trivalent rare earth metals.VIDEORapid recycling of europium from fluorescent lamps. Credit: Marie Perrin / ETH ZurichPractical Applications and Environmental Impact“The principle is so efficient and robust that we can apply it directly to used fluorescent lamps without the usual pre-treatment steps,” says Mougel.Electronic waste is an important but as yet underutilized source of rare earth metals. “If this source were tapped into, the lamp waste that Switzerland currently sends abroad to be disposed of in a landfill could be recycled here in Switzerland instead,” says Mougels. In this way, lamp waste could serve as an urban mine for europium and make Switzerland less dependent on imports.“Our recycling approach is significantly more environmentally friendly than all conventional methods of extracting rare earth metals from mineral ores.”— Victor MougelIn the past, europium was mainly used as phosphor in fluorescent lamps and flat screens, which led to high market prices. As fluorescent lamps are now gradually being phased out, demand has fallen, so that the previous recycling methods for europium are no longer economically viable. More efficient separation strategies are nevertheless desirable and could help to utilize the vast quantities of cheap fluorescent lamp waste whose rare earth metal content is around 17 times higher than in natural ores.Strategic Recycling EffortsThis makes it all the more urgent to recover rare metals at the end of a product’s life and keep them in circulation – but the recovery rate of rare earth elements in the EU is still below one percent.In principle, any separation process for rare earth metals can be used both for extraction from ore and for recovery from waste. With their method, however, the researchers are deliberately focussing on recycling the raw materials, as this makes much more ecological and economic sense. “Our recycling approach is significantly more environmentally friendly than all conventional methods for extracting rare earth metals from mineral ores,” says Mougel.New Ventures and CommercializationThe researchers have patented their technology and are in the process of founding a start-up called REEcover to commercialize it in the future. They are currently working on adapting the separation process for other rare earth metals such as neodymium and dysprosium, which are found in magnets. If this is successful, Marie Perrin wants to build up the start-up after her doctorate and establish the recycling of rare earth metals in practice.Reference: “Recovery of europium from E-waste using redox active tetrathiotungstate ligands” by Marie A. Perrin, Paul Dutheil, Michael Wörle and Victor Mougel, 3 June 2024, Nature Communications.DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48733-z

Scientists are developing a process inspired by nature that efficiently recovers europium from old fluorescent lamps. The approach could lead to the long-awaited recycling of...

Marie Perrin

ETH doctoral student Marie Perrin presents the new recycling approach. In her left hand, she is holding the raw material in the form of a fluorescent lamp and, in her right, the yellow reagent that can separate rare earth metals. Credit: Fabio Masero / ETH Zurich

Scientists are developing a process inspired by nature that efficiently recovers europium from old fluorescent lamps. The approach could lead to the long-awaited recycling of rare earth metals.

  • A small molecule that naturally serves as a binding site for metals in enzymes also proves useful for separating certain rare earth metals from each other.
  • In a proof of concept, the process extracts europium directly from fluorescent powder in used energy-saving lamps in much higher quantities than existing methods.
  • The researchers are now working on expanding their approach to other rare earth metals. They are in the process of founding a start-up to put the recycling of these raw materials into practice.

Rare earth metals are not as rare as their name suggests. However, they are indispensable for the modern economy. After all, these 17 metals are essential raw materials for digitalization and the energy transition. They are found in smartphones, computers, screens, and batteries – without them, no electric motor would run and no wind turbine would turn. Because Europe is almost entirely dependent on imports from China, these raw materials are considered to be critical.

However, rare earth metals are also critical because of their extraction. They always occur in compound form in natural ores – but as these elements are chemically very similar, they are difficult to separate. Traditional separation processes are therefore very chemical- and energy-intensive and require several extraction steps. This makes the extraction and purification of these metals expensive, resource- and time-consuming and extremely harmful to the environment.

Innovative Recycling Techniques

“Rare earth metals are hardly ever recycled in Europe,” says Victor Mougel, Professor at the Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry at ETH Zurich. A team of researchers led by Mougel wants to change this. “There is an urgent need for sustainable and uncomplicated methods for separating and recovering these strategic raw materials from various sources,” says the chemist.

In a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications, the team presents a surprisingly simple method for efficiently separating and recovering the rare earth metal europium from complex mixtures including other rare earth metals.

Inspired by Nature

Marie Perrin, a doctoral student in Mougel’s group and first author of the study, explains: “Existing separation methods are based on hundreds of liquid-liquid extraction steps and are inefficient – the recycling of europium has so far been impractical.” In their study, they show how a simple inorganic reagent can significantly improve separation. “This allows us to obtain europium in a few simple steps – and in quantities that are at least 50 times higher than with previous separation methods,” says Perrin.

The key to this technique can be found in small inorganic molecules featuring four sulfur atoms around tungsten or molybdenum: tetrathiometallates. The researchers were inspired by the world of proteins. Tetrathiometallates are found as a binding site for metals in natural enzymes and are used as active substances against cancer and copper metabolism disorders.

For the first time, tetrathiometallates are now also being used as ligands for the separation of rare earth metals. Their unique redox properties come into play here, reducing europium to its unusual divalent state and thus simplifying separation from the other trivalent rare earth metals.


Rapid recycling of europium from fluorescent lamps. Credit: Marie Perrin / ETH Zurich

Practical Applications and Environmental Impact

“The principle is so efficient and robust that we can apply it directly to used fluorescent lamps without the usual pre-treatment steps,” says Mougel.

Electronic waste is an important but as yet underutilized source of rare earth metals. “If this source were tapped into, the lamp waste that Switzerland currently sends abroad to be disposed of in a landfill could be recycled here in Switzerland instead,” says Mougels. In this way, lamp waste could serve as an urban mine for europium and make Switzerland less dependent on imports.

“Our recycling approach is significantly more environmentally friendly than all conventional methods of extracting rare earth metals from mineral ores.”

— Victor Mougel

In the past, europium was mainly used as phosphor in fluorescent lamps and flat screens, which led to high market prices. As fluorescent lamps are now gradually being phased out, demand has fallen, so that the previous recycling methods for europium are no longer economically viable. More efficient separation strategies are nevertheless desirable and could help to utilize the vast quantities of cheap fluorescent lamp waste whose rare earth metal content is around 17 times higher than in natural ores.

Strategic Recycling Efforts

This makes it all the more urgent to recover rare metals at the end of a product’s life and keep them in circulation – but the recovery rate of rare earth elements in the EU is still below one percent.

In principle, any separation process for rare earth metals can be used both for extraction from ore and for recovery from waste. With their method, however, the researchers are deliberately focussing on recycling the raw materials, as this makes much more ecological and economic sense. “Our recycling approach is significantly more environmentally friendly than all conventional methods for extracting rare earth metals from mineral ores,” says Mougel.

New Ventures and Commercialization

The researchers have patented their technology and are in the process of founding a start-up called REEcover to commercialize it in the future. They are currently working on adapting the separation process for other rare earth metals such as neodymium and dysprosium, which are found in magnets. If this is successful, Marie Perrin wants to build up the start-up after her doctorate and establish the recycling of rare earth metals in practice.

Reference: “Recovery of europium from E-waste using redox active tetrathiotungstate ligands” by Marie A. Perrin, Paul Dutheil, Michael Wörle and Victor Mougel, 3 June 2024, Nature Communications.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48733-z

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Labor is close to a deal on environmental law reforms. There are troubling signs these will fall short

Labor is close to a deal on its environmental law reforms. Will they strong enough to protect nature?

Chris Putnam/GettyThe Albanese government has hinted it is close to a deal with the Coalition over the long-awaited overhaul of Australia’s environment laws. Environment Minister Murray Watt plans to introduce new legislation to parliament in November. Can Watt deliver what is sorely needed to turn around Australia’s climate and nature crises? Or will we see a continuation of what former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry called “intergenerational bastardry”? However the bill is passed, the new laws must include substantial improvements. But with pressure from all sides – including the Opposition and minor parties, mining companies, green groups and big business – will the new laws be strong enough to protect Australia’s embattled environment? Here are some of the ways our environment laws should be reformed. Not fit for purpose Australia’s key national environmental law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is 25 years old. Two major reviews, ten years apart in 2009 and 2020, criticised it variously as “too repetitive and unnecessarily complex” and “ineffective”. At the 2022 election the Albanese government promised to overhaul the laws. But most of its proposed reforms were abandoned in the lead up to the next election in 2025, citing a lack of parliamentary support. In 2022, Labor was talking up its plan to reform Australia’s broken environmental laws. A strong watchdog The success or failure of the reformed laws rests on developing well-defined National Environmental Standards – legally binding rules to improve environmental outcomes. These would apply to environmental decisions that affect nationally important plants, animals, habitats and places. Examples include land clearing in areas where threatened species occur, regional planning and Indigenous consultation. Alongside strong standards, we need a well-resourced and fearlessly independent Environment Protection Agency to assess proposals, such as applications for new gas wells or to clear native vegetation for mining. A strong EPA is essential for legal compliance. The Coalition doesn’t support an EPA and wants final approval powers to rest with the minister of the day. But if an EPA can be overruled by the minister, it could further reduce public confidence in the protection system, especially given recent examples of real or perceived industry pressure on government decisions. If the minister is given powers to “call in” proposals to assess them they should be very specific and restricted. For example, for responding to national disasters but not for purely economic purposes. The reasons for calling in a decision should be published and made public. The endangered southern black-throated finch is just one of many threatened Australian species. Geoff Walker/iNaturalist, CC BY-NC Habitats are homes for wildlife and need greater protection New laws should also clarify what are considered “unacceptable impacts” of new projects. For example, irreplaceable natural areas should be saved from destruction or damage by new developments. Destroying or damaging habitats that are home to rare and endangered species should be illegal. Protected, “no-go” areas could be recorded on a register to guide project decisions, as Watt has discussed. It is vital that environmental offsets, designed to compensate for unavoidable impacts from developments, are legislated as a last resort. Climate change The EPBC Act lacks a “climate trigger” that explicitly requires consideration of climate change impacts of greenhouse gas-intensive projects. At least ten previous attempts to introduce a climate trigger have not succeeded, and Watt has all but ruled it out in these reforms. Instead, Watt suggests “the existing Safeguard Mechanism as an effective way of controlling emissions”. The Safeguard Mechanism legislates limits on greenhouse gas emissions for Australia’s largest industrial facilities. But it only applies to the direct or scope 1, greenhouse gas emissions. It does not include emissions produced from Australia’s fossil fuel exports of coal, oil and gas. Nearly 80% of Australia’s contribution to global emissions comes from its fossil fuel exports. Even without a climate trigger, reforms to the EPBC Act must reflect the impact of climate change on Australia’s environments. They could require climate is taken into account in all decision making to achieve environmental outcomes under the Act, and prohibit development in places that offer refuge to native species during extreme events. First Nations to the front Environmental decision making must include genuine Indigenous engagement and a required standard should be part of the Act. A Commissioner for Country would help to ensure this expectation was adhered to. Furthermore, calls have been made by First Nations for new laws to include the protection of species based on their cultural significance. No more logging loopholes There must be an end to industry carve outs, including regional forestry agreements. A pact between the national government and certain states, these agreements define how native forests should be managed, harvested and protected. For decades, they have allowed the logging of forests that are home to endangered native species, including the koala and greater glider. In 2024, Victoria and Western Australia both ended the native forestry industries in their states. In August 2025, Watt confirmed that bringing regional forest agreements under the operation of national environment standards “remains our position”. But so far he has avoided questions about how that would work in practice. Clear targets If the Labor government is serious about delivering on its promise of “No New Extinctions” these reforms must include clear targets to better protect threatened animals, plants and their environments. Preventing further extinctions will take far greater, long-term funding than Australia currently provides. We need a better understanding of how endangered species and ecological communities are faring. The newly-created Environment Information Australia body will collect data and track progress against an agreed baseline, for example the 2021 State of Environment Report. Conservation leader not pariah Australia is known globally for its unique and much-loved wildlife, and its diverse and beautiful nature places. However, in the face of enormous pressure to enable increased development, we are gaining a reputation for our gross failures to care for and conserve this extraordinary natural heritage. Australia must step up as a global leader in nature conservation through strong environmental laws and biodiversity recovery strategies. As we bid to host the UN’s global climate summit COP31 next year, the eyes of the world will be on our environmental and climate ambition. Euan is a Councillor within the Biodiversity Council, a member of the Ecological Society of Australia and president of the Australian Mammal Society.Phillipa C. McCormack receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Natural Hazards Research Australia, the National Environmental Science Program, Green Adelaide, the North East NSW Forestry Hub and the ACT government. She is a member of the National Environmental Law Association and International Association of Wildland Fire and affiliated with the Wildlife Crime Research Hub.Yung En Chee receives/has received funding from the Australian Research Council. She also receives funding and research contracts from Melbourne Water through the Melbourne Waterway Research-Practice Partnership 2023-2028. Yung En is a member of the Society for Conservation Biology.

Nature
Animals
Climate

Scientists Are Uncovering the Secrets of How Fluffy, White Dandelions Spread Their Seeds

Their seed dispersal strategies have helped these ubiquitous plants flourish all over the world, new research suggests

Scientists Are Uncovering the Secrets of How Fluffy, White Dandelions Spread Their Seeds Their seed dispersal strategies have helped these ubiquitous plants flourish all over the world, new research suggests Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent October 6, 2025 2:50 p.m. Dandelions are strategic about when to disperse their seeds, new research suggests. Pixabay Chris Roh and his 4-year-old daughter have developed a sweet father-daughter ritual: Whenever they see a fluffy dandelion while they’re out walking, they pick up the flower and blow on it. But Roh is not just a dad, he’s also a fluid dynamicist at Cornell University. So this shared activity got him thinking: How, exactly, do dandelions disperse their seeds? Roh and his colleagues answer this question in a new paper published September 10 in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, describing the mechanisms that enable the ubiquitous weed (Taraxacum officinale) to spread its white tufts on the breeze. Did you know? Dandelions of many names Dandelions have many nicknames around the world, from "Irish daisy" to "cankerwort." The weed is also sometimes called "wet-the-bed"—likely because of its diuretic effects. “How the seeds are attached to the parent plant, how they enable or prevent [detachment] based on environmental conditions—that moment is so important,” Roh says in a statement. “It sets the trajectory and governs a lot of how far they will go and where they will land,” he says, adding that the initial detachment process “is probably one of the most crucial moments in their biology.” For the study, scientists glued a force sensor to individual dandelion seeds. Then, they slowly tugged the seeds away from the stem in different directions, recording the force required to free them in each scenario. The scientists say this is the first time anyone has ever formally measured the force needed to detach dandelion seeds, per Science News’ Susan Milius. Pulling downward required nearly five times as much force to release the seeds from the plant than pulling upward, according to the researchers. The seeds were the most stubborn when the scientists pulled straight out from the seed head, requiring more than 100 times the force of pulling upward, per Phys.org’s Sanjukta Mondal. Next, the team looked at the plant under a microscope to see how the seeds were attached to the stem. The seeds are connected to the plant by a slender tether with a horseshoe-shaped structure providing support on one side, they discovered. The researchers theorize that when the wind blows the seed tuft toward the supported side of the horseshoe, it doesn’t budge. Only when the breeze blows the tuft toward the open side does the seed detach and float away. These findings won’t surprise anyone who has ever blown on a fluffy dandelion—only the closest tufts take flight, while those on the opposite side of the seed head remain firmly attached. Rotating the plant, while continuing to huff and puff, is the only way to free all the seeds. This asymmetrical arrangement is likely an adaptation to help ensure the plant’s seeds only detach when a wind gust is optimal for dispersal—that is, when the wind is poised to blow the seeds upward and away from the parent plant, instead of downward toward the ground. This, in turn, gives the species better chances of surviving and proliferating. “Seed dispersal over a wide area … offers seedlings the chance to thrive by avoiding being in close proximity to their relatives, which would limit resources for seedlings and the parent plant,” writes Mary Abraham for Nature News and Views. This unique, microscopic seed attachment architecture is likely a big reason why dandelions grow anywhere and everywhere—much to the chagrin of groundskeepers trying to maintain unblemished, manicured lawns. “Its seed dispersal strategies are at least partially responsible for its nearly worldwide distribution and evolutionary success,” the team writes in the paper. The researchers see dandelions as a model for other wind-dispersed plants, such as cotton and lettuce, so they hope their findings will have broader implications. Understanding the basic structural mechanics of dandelion seed dispersion could prove useful for scientists modeling plant and disease population dynamics, for instance, or for growers managing their fields. The findings may one day help improve “how crop seeds are distributed, especially in large-scale farming,” says study co-author Sridhar Ravi, an engineer at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, in Australia, in a statement. “It could lead to more efficient planting techniques that reduce waste and increase yield.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

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Waste

Beach lowering has begun across Cape Town: Why is the city pushing sand back into the sea?

As work begins at four key beaches, this coastal management practice reveals a delicate balance between infrastructure and nature. The post Beach lowering has begun across Cape Town: Why is the city pushing sand back into the sea? appeared first on SA People.

With Capetonians in a fuss about the recently announced beach lowering programme, many are asking the obvious question: Why are bulldozers pushing sand back into the ocean at Fish Hoek, Muizenberg, Gordon’s Bay, and Bikini Beach? Aren’t we supposed to protect our beaches, not remove sand from them? The confusion is understandable. As the annual programme kicked off this October, the sight of heavy machinery on beloved beaches naturally raises concerns. But the answer lies in understanding Cape Town’s unique coastal challenge: the relentless power of wind-blown sand during the Mother City’s notorious summer winds. The Problem Cape Town’s coastal areas exist in what officials call “highly altered coastal systems”: urban coastlines where infrastructure sits close to dynamic natural forces. During winter, sand accumulates naturally. But when summer arrives with the infamous southeaster winds, this sand becomes a moving threat. “The lowering of beach sand levels enables greater areas of the beach to become wet during high tides, therefore limiting the potential for wind-blown sand to inundate adjacent roads and infrastructure,” explains Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor. Without intervention, wind-blown sand can smother parking areas, block stormwater outlets, and threaten electrical infrastructure. At Hout Bay, a giant dune once endangered key facilities. The Science Beach lowering is different from simply removing sand. The City pushes sand from the upper beach to the low-water mark, where wave action transports it back into the coastal circulation system. “Beach lowering mimics a natural scour event which is common on our shorelines, and puts the sand back into the sea where it returns to circulation within the oceanic system,” the City notes. By lowering the beach profile, more surface area becomes wet during high tides. Wet sand is significantly heavier than dry sand and far less susceptible to wind transport, effectively anchoring it in place during the windy season. Environmental Balance Beach manipulation raises important environmental questions. Research worldwide has identified both benefits and concerns. On the positive side, the practice maintains natural sediment circulation, protects infrastructure without hard structures like seawalls, preserves beach access and tourism, and represents a reversible intervention. Potential concerns include temporary disruption to beach organisms, short-term water turbidity during work, and disturbance to shorebirds during operations. Cape Town’s approach minimises impacts by scheduling work between 1 October and 8 November, before peak summer season and bird nesting periods. Critically, sand isn’t removed from the coastal system entirely but returned to natural ocean circulation. Why Not Just Build Walls? Hard structures like seawalls might seem simpler, but they accelerate erosion on adjacent properties, reflect wave energy, permanently alter natural processes, and prove inflexible as sea levels rise. Beach lowering represents a “soft” engineering approach that preserves the beach as a natural, dynamic feature while managing wind-blown sand. Looking Forward As sea levels rise and extreme weather intensifies, Cape Town’s approach of minimal intervention offers lessons for coastal cities worldwide. “Our intention is to intervene as little as possible,” says Gregg Oelofse, head of the City’s Environmental Policy and Strategy. “We have learnt that the more you intervene, the more you mess the situation up.” The mechanical work runs through early November, completing before summer winds intensify. Beaches remain accessible, though visitors should stay clear of machinery. For most beachgoers, results will be largely invisible. Beaches won’t look dramatically different, they’ll simply function better with less sand blowing onto infrastructure. The sand being pushed back into the sea isn’t wasted. It’s being returned to its natural home, to be redistributed by the forces that brought it ashore. Sometimes the best solution is working with nature rather than against it. A Sandy Perspective For South Africans living abroad, particularly in the UK, Cape Town’s beach challenges offer an interesting contrast. British beaches are often rocky affairs, frequently backed by concrete seawalls built to hold back the sea. When the weather is actually good enough for a beach day, you’re more likely to find pebbles than sand. Cape Town’s problem isn’t a lack of beaches but managing an abundance of sand that wants to go where it shouldn’t. It’s a uniquely South African coastal challenge, and one that makes those sprawling False Bay beaches all the more precious. Beach lowering runs from 1 October to 8 November 2025, weather dependent. For updates, visit the City of Cape Town’s official website. The post Beach lowering has begun across Cape Town: Why is the city pushing sand back into the sea? appeared first on SA People.

Nature
Energy
Waste

‘Desecration of landscape’: the fight over development in areas of outstanding natural beauty

Residents of Woodgate estate in West Sussex enjoy its open spaces and wildlife but conservationists say it has set worrying precedentUK fifth-worst country in Europe for loss of green space to developmentRevealed: Europe losing 600 football pitches of nature and crop land a dayA flock of goldfinches circle before settling on a rooftop as Sue takes her morning walk around the Woodgate estate in Pease Pottage, West Sussex. Rounding a corner, she reaches a large wildlife pond where eight signets and a swan are feeding. Dragonflies circle overhead.For the last three years, the estate a few miles south of Crawley built within the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) has been Sue’s home. Her son and daughter-in-law also live on the estate, where the 600 homes range from shared ownership flats to £1.4m luxury detached houses. Continue reading...

A flock of goldfinches circle before settling on a rooftop as Sue takes her morning walk around the Woodgate estate in Pease Pottage, West Sussex. Rounding a corner, she reaches a large wildlife pond where eight signets and a swan are feeding. Dragonflies circle overhead.For the last three years, the estate a few miles south of Crawley built within the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) has been Sue’s home. Her son and daughter-in-law also live on the estate, where the 600 homes range from shared ownership flats to £1.4m luxury detached houses.Cycleways, leisure parks, a village green and wildlife ponds give the estate a lush and green backdrop.Analysis by the Guardian found that the estate was the largest land grab of an AONB by developers in Britain in the five years between 2018 and 2023.At 45 hectares, the development sprawls across the High Weald AONB. These precious, natural landscapes, which have been renamed national landscapes, are supposed to be some of the country’s most protected areas.There are 42 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, awarded the designation for qualities including their relative wildness, tranquillity and any distinctive habitats they may support.The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) fiercely fought the plans for the Woodgate estate, saying it created a worrying precedent and appeared to undermine the protections behind national landscape designation.Kia Trainor, a director at the CPRE’s Sussex branch, described the development as the “desecration of our most beautiful landscape’”. In a later report, the CPRE released data showing that AONBs were facing an insidious threat in the form of a dramatic increase in major housing applications.Sue, on her walk with her friend Sarah, however, points out the large village green at the centre of the development, the pathways, the primary school and community shop, before heading into the woodland walk that takes you into the depths of Tilgate Forest, which is next to the estate.The development sprawls across the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian“We were just saying to each other how beautifully they have created this estate,” Sue says. “There are big open spaces and we see a lot of wildlife. The large pond at the bottom of the estate is amazing, it has brought in so much wildlife.“Before this estate was built, the land was farmland and they held a car boot sale here. This estate is great for children with all the open space, they can cycle and walk everywhere. They are planting an orchard here and creating a walking trail, which goes all around the development, and a games field for ball games.”The developers, Thakeham, told the Guardian that from the beginning they integrated infrastructure, biodiversity, and green spaces and pathways into the design. “Wildlife-friendly enhancements such as bird boxes, bat boxes, swift bricks, hedgehog highways, and insect hotels can be found across the development,” said a spokesperson. That includes the Meadow Maze, which includes over 50 varieties of wildflowers to attract pollinators and contributes to the broader B-Line project. “Thakeham made a commitment to deliver BNG of 10% on its developments three years before it became a statutory minimum in February 2024.”Balancing housing requirements with the need to protect and enhance nature in the UK, where there have been significant declines in species and habitats since the 1970s and less than half of its original biodiversity remains intact, will always be difficult.The 600-home estate has a large village green, primary school and community shop. Photograph: Jill Mead/The GuardianMid Sussex district council has assessed that it is required to build 19,741 new homes for the period 2021-40 to comply with national planning targets. Existing commitments will provide 8,696 homes and the council needs to find locations for the remaining 7,558.The CPRE says there needs to be a balance of economic, social and environmental considerations and that building large developments away from existing residential areas will force people into cars and does not amount to sustainable development.In addition, the UK has committed to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 – a target contained in the Environment Act. But the Labour government’s determination to roll back environmental laws in its push for growth will put some of the UK’s most precious and protected land at risk of destruction by housebuilding, experts say.Jackie Copley, a campaign lead for the CPRE, said: “Areas of outstanding natural beauty are supposed to enjoy the highest status of protection for landscape reasons and that is supposed to stop major development taking place on them. A development of 600 houses with a school and district centre is unarguably a major development.‘The large pond at the bottom of the estate is amazing, it has brought in so much wildlife,’ resident Sue says. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian“Very soon if we continue to allow piecemeal developments across areas of outstanding natural beauty, they are going to cease to have any landscape value.”Her words are prescient. Another large development within and adjacent to the High Weald national landscape is in the pipeline: 1,450 homes to be on agricultural land between Cuckfield and the village of Ansty.As campaigners join the CPRE to fight the development, a High Weald national landscape officer has recently warned of serious adverse impacts from the proposed development, citing major effects on the landscape character, visual quality, and a failure to conserve and enhance the area’s natural beauty.The Guardian’s Green to Grey team included Pamela Duncan, Zeke Hunter-Green, Tural Ahmedzade and Patrick Barkham with additional reporting by Rachel Keenan, Raphael Boyd, Olivia Lee, Yassin El-Moudden, Gracie Daw, Matthew Holmes, Mariam Amini, Gabriel Smith, Dominic Kendrick and Emma RussellFor more, visit greentogrey.euThe next phase of this project will be planet-wide: join a crowdsourced citizen science initiative to measure global nature loss here

Nature
Forests
Science

Inspired by Nature: 10 Powerful New Memoirs and Biographies

These new books showcase moments where embracing nature led to personal discoveries or scientific breakthroughs. The post Inspired by Nature: 10 Powerful New Memoirs and Biographies appeared first on The Revelator.

Everyone experiences life-altering events — the sudden loss of a loved one, professional or personal disruptions, natural disasters, or periods of burnout that stop us in our tracks. These times can leave us feeling lost, but they’re not forever. Several new books published in 2025 feature life-affirming stories of how the natural world has helped people find new directions in life. These memoirs and biographies can help us to similarly embrace nature and wildlife to reaffirm, reawaken, and restore our creativity, resilience, and selves. We’ve excerpted the books’ official descriptions below and provided links to the publishers’ sites. You should also be able to find these books in a variety of formats through your local bookstore or library. All Humans Outside: Stories of Belonging in Nature by Tommy Corey A reflective look at the varied ways people’s lives are forever changed by nature through sustainability and conservation work, outdoor sports and recreation, community building, and more. Corey traveled across the United States and conducted more than two hundred interviews to chronicle these diverse experiences, sharing them through documentary-style photography and both first-person and third-person stories. Subjects include backcountry horse rider Gillian Larson, Triple Crowner and sponsored athlete Jack Jones, self-described “seminomadic van-dwelling grandma” Pacific Crest Trail hiker Karen DeSousa, Filipinx immigrant and park ranger Francis Eymard Mendoza, adaptive athlete Annijke Wade, New York Hunters of Color ambassador Brandon Dale, bestselling author and runner Mirna Valerio, and many more. Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor Most people don’t really know birds — or rather, they aren’t aware of them. Lili Taylor used to be one of those people. She knew birds existed. She thought about them, maybe even more than the average person. But she didn’t know them. And then something happened. During a much-needed break from her work as an actor, Lili sought silence and instead found the bustling, symphonic world of birds that had always existed around her… Through a series of beautifully crafted essays, Taylor shares her intimate encounters with the birds that have captured her heart and imagination — from tracking flitting woodpeckers through oak trees to spotting majestic blue jays perched on a Manhattan fire escape; from the exhilaration of witnessing a migratory flock from the top of the Empire State Building to the quiet joy of observing a nest of hatchlings in her own backyard. Through simply paying attention to birds, Lili has been shown a parallel world that is wider and deeper, one of constant change and movement, full of life and the will to survive. Hope Dies Last: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future by Alan Weisman The bestselling author of The World Without Us returns with a book ten years in the making: a study of what it means to be a human on the front lines of our planet’s existential crisis. To write this book, Weisman traveled the globe, witnessing climate upheaval and other devastations, and meeting the people striving to mitigate and undo our past transgressions. From the flooding Marshall Islands to revived wetlands in Iraq, from the Netherlands and Bangladesh to the Korean DMZ and to cities and coastlines in the U.S. and around the world, he has encountered the best of humanity battling heat, hunger, rising tides, and imperiled nature. He profiles the innovations of big thinkers — engineers, scientists, conservationists, economists, architects, and artists — as they conjure wildly creative, imaginative responses to an uncertain, ominous future. At this unprecedented point in history, as our collective exploits on this planet may lead to our own undoing and we could be among the species marching toward extinction, they refuse to accept defeat. Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop by Paula Whyman When Paula Whyman first climbs a peak in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in search of a home in the country, she has no idea how quickly her tidy backyard ecology project will become a massive endeavor. Just as quickly, she discovers how little she knows about hands-on conservation work. In Bad Naturalist, readers meander with her through orchards and meadows, forests and frog ponds, as she is beset by an influx of invasive species, rattlesnake encounters, conflicting advice from experts, and delayed plans—but none of it dampens her irrepressible passion for protecting this place. With delightful, lyrically deft storytelling, she shares her attempts to coax this beautiful piece of land back into shape. It turns out that amid the seeming chaos of nature, the mountaintop is teeming with life and hope. Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace by James T. Costa Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) was perhaps the most famed naturalist of the Victorian age. His expeditions to remote Amazonia and southeast Asia were the stuff of legend. A collector of thousands of species new to science, he shared in the discovery of natural selection and founded the discipline of evolutionary biogeography. Radical by Nature tells the story of Wallace’s epic life and achievements, from his stellar rise from humble origins to his complicated friendship with Charles Darwin and other leading scientific lights of Britain to his devotion to social causes and movements that threatened to alienate him from scientific society. Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton In February 2021 Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare — a leveret — that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how difficult it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation. Through trial and error, she learns to feed and care for the leveret with every intention of returning it to the wilderness. Instead, it becomes her constant companion, wandering the fields and woods at night and returning to Dalton’s house by day. Though Dalton feared that the hare would be preyed upon by foxes, weasels, feral cats, raptors, or even people, she never tried to restrict it to the house. Each time the hare leaves, Chloe knows she may never see it again. Yet she also understands that to confine it would be its own kind of death. Raising Hare chronicles their journey together while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature, and folklore. The Bird Singers: How Two Boys Discovered the Magic of Birdsong By Jean Boucault and Johnny Rasse This captivating book brings together two birds of a feather: Jean and Johnny, boys from very different worlds growing up in a small village in France. Jean is the genteel pharmacist’s son, dressed in his Sunday best; Johnny’s father is a rough, working-class sheep herder, always with the odor of animals clinging to him. Each year, over 300 bird species visit their village, which intersects a major migratory flyway. The two boys’ stories converge when Jean enters a bird-calling contest. He places second, and at only eleven years old becomes a child celebrity on the bird-calling circuit. Then Johnny starts to compete as well. At the annual bird festival, both boys are standouts, and a long, admiring rivalry develops between them, eventually culminating in the European championships. North to the Future: An Offline Adventure Through the Changing Wilds of Alaska by Ben Weissenbach At the age of 20, college student Ben Weissenbach went north to Arctic Alaska armed with little more than inspiration from his literary heroes and a growing interest in climate change. What met him there was a world utterly unlike the 21st century Los Angeles in which he grew up — a land of ice, rock, and grizzlies seen by few outside a small contingent of scientists with big personalities… As these scientists teach Ben to read Alaska’s warming landscape, he confronts the limits of digital life and the complexity of the world beyond his screens. He emerges from each adventure with a new perspective on our modern relationship to technology and a growing wonder for our fast-changing — ever-changing — natural world. Take to the Trees: A Story of Hope, Science, and Self-Discovery in America’s Imperiled Forests by Marguerite Holloway Journalist Marguerite Holloway arrives at the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop as a climbing novice, but with a passion for trees and a deep concern about their future. Run by twin sister tree doctors Bear LeVangie and Melissa LeVangie Ingersoll, the workshop helps people — from everyday tree lovers to women arborists working in a largely male industry. As Holloway tackles unfamiliar equipment and dizzying heights, she learns about the science of trees and tells the stories of charismatic species, including hemlock, aspen, Atlantic white cedar, oak, and beech. She spotlights experts who are chronicling the great dying that is underway in forests around the world as trees face simultaneous and accelerating threats from drought, heat, floods, disease, and other disruptions. Holloway also comes to understand the profound significance of trees in her relationship with her family. The story of trees and their resilience meshes with that of people working to steward the forests of the future. A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory By Dr. Jagadish Shukla Until 40 years ago, we couldn’t forecast weather conditions beyond ten days. Renowned climate scientist Dr. Jagadish Shukla is largely to thank for modern weather forecasting. Born in rural India with no electricity, plumbing, or formal schools, he attended classes that were held in a cow shed. Shukla grew up amid turmoil: overwhelming monsoons, devastating droughts, and unpredictable crop yields. His drive brought him to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, despite little experience. He then followed an unlikely path to MIT and Princeton, and the highest echelons of climate science. His work, which has enabled us to predict weather farther into the future than previously thought possible, allows us to feed more people, save lives, and hold on to hope in a warming world. That’s it for this month, but you can find hundreds of additional environmental book recommendations, including many more memoirs and biographies, in the “Revelator Reads” archives. And let us know what you’re reading: drop us a line at comments@therevelator.org Previously in The Revelator: Earth Versed: 10 New Poetry Books About Our Relationship With Nature Republish this article for free! Read our reprint policy. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Scan the QR code, or sign up here.     The post Inspired by Nature: 10 Powerful New Memoirs and Biographies appeared first on The Revelator.

Nature
Animals
Conservation

Suggested Viewing

Salmon Secrets

Fish farming is pushing wild salmon to the brink of extinction. The federal government has promised to remove fish farms from BC waters by 2025, but now industry is pushing back with false solutions. Join Clayoquot Action’s fish farm watchdog program as a team of underwater cinematographers investigates an “experimental” fish farm near Tofino. What they find surprises them, and spells potential disaster for wild salmon. Featuring marine biologist and bestselling author Alexandra Morton, and traditional 'Na̱mg̱is Chief Ernest Alfred, who document the successful resurgence of salmon after the removal of fish farms from the Broughton Area and Discovery Islands.

Land Use
Activism
Nature

Dot

In the not-too-distant future, when depression and loneliness are rampant in modern lifestyles, human limbs have been bent by the extreme use of technological tools, and their field of vision has been limited to the digital screen in front of them. A young man who leads a regular and repetitive life, accidentally notices the beauty of nature and tries to see it again in different ways…

Animation
Technology
Nature

Idjanga, the Gorilla Forest

For more than fifteen years, Max Hurdebourcq, a solitary and passionate observer of gorillas, has been committed to the defence of the tropical forests of Central Africa. In particular, he is trying to find solutions to ensure a sustainable coexistence between forestry operators and the extraordinary wildlife that populates the forest concessions, veritable islands of biodiversity. At the CEB Precious Woods concession in southeast Gabon, Max is preparing for his latest exploration mission. His goal: to set up a refuge area for gorillas and local fauna within this area of nearly 6,000 km2. This is a first in Gabon, which has been imposing sustainable forest certification on operators active on its territory since 2018. This project, if it becomes a reality, could serve as an example throughout the Congo Basin. For Max, this would be the recognition and the outcome of his struggle. Anything but silent forests!

Animals
Nature

Among Giants

Among Giants begins three years into the McKay tree-sit- a response to Green Diamond Resource Company’s clearcutting of redwood forests. Atop his tiny platform a hundred feet up in the ancient redwood canopy, Farmer must battle the elements and avoid isolation as he fights for a sustainable future. The film uses a restrained verite style that reflects the pace of life in the tree village. As Farmer outlasts a vicious storm, counts the rings on a felled tree, and trumps through a recent clear cut, the film asks questions about what it means to follow one’s beliefs and make a difference in the world.

Forests
Activism
Nature

THE SPRAYER

In the land occupied with the sprayers army, no one has the right to grow any kind of plants either in public or private. So many of the people and soldiers do not even know how a plant grows or looks like, until one day one of the soldiers finds a seed buried deep down in the dust and his curiosity is just the beginning of something extraordinary, something big, something revolutionary.

Plants
CO2
Animation

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