The Independent announces the return of its acclaimed Climate 100 List

Increasingly frequently, the world is suffering from more wild fires, flash floods, droughts, and hurricanes, caused by the human-induced climate crisis.

Recent data from Nasa revealed a dramatic rise in the intensity of extreme weather events which are happening more regularly, are lasting for a longer period of time and are more severe, such as the LA fires in January that devastated tens of thousands of homes, recent deadly flooding in Beijing, and long heatwaves in the Nordic countries that even reach the Arctic Circle.

Across the US, ‘heat streaks‘ are on the rise, a phenomenon that’s seeing an increase in the number of consecutive hot days across its cities, with life-threatening temperatures. It’s becoming a pattern as for the second year running, the planet has reached record temperatures, following 2024 becoming the warmest year on record.

Alongside the physical extremes on the environment, the effects of the USA’s climate-sceptic administration’s rollbacks are already being felt. Cuts to overseas aid, which many conservation areas like Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park rely on, as do vulnerable nations like Malawi who are now struggling to prepare for climate disasters, will have long-lasting and devastating effects.

Despite more awareness than ever, the climate crisis is only worsening and it’s never felt more urgent to react. The Independent has long been at the forefront of calling for action and change when it comes to the climate, as well as reliably reporting on the severity of the global climate crisis.

It’s this understanding and commitment to resolving the issues that sees the important return of The Independent’s Climate 100 List. Back for its second year, it will be published again next month, aptly during the United Nations’ Summit of the Future in New York, part of the 16th annual Climate Week NYC.

The list brings together 100 changemaking and inspiring people to celebrate their contributions in finding positive climate solutions. From around the globe, it includes those who have dedicated their lives to the cause, as well as lesser known newcomers to the movement who need their voices heard and actions seen, across industries as broad as science to activism, food to politics, and business to entertainment, to name a few.

We want to continue to celebrate their courage, innovation and much-needed efforts in paving the way for a cleaner and greener future for the next generation.

The unveiling of the list will also align with the Climate 100 event held in New York, hosted by The Independent’s Editor-in-Chief, Geordie Greig, bringing together global changemakers, business leaders, scientists, policymakers, and activists.

Geordie Greig, Editor-in-Chief of The Independent, says: “Now in the second year of Climate 100, we are excited to continue honoring leaders who are not just raising the alarm, but driving the solutions our planet urgently needs.”

The list is compiled by a team at The Independent, but as we know three out of four of our readers consider themselves to be environmentally friendly, a key part of the list is the Reader’s Choice category, which is returning after last year’s success.

We’re once again asking you, the readers, to get involved and submit your unsung climate hero – someone who has made a significant contribution to protecting the environment through their work and deserves to be properly recognised for it. Perhaps it’s a colleague, a classmate, a mentor, a peer or even a friend or family member.

Submit your nominations for The Independent’s Climate 100 List using the form below – and stay tuned: the full list lands in mid-September.

Trump threatens India with 50% tariffs for buying Russian oil

U.S. President Donald Trump‘s had signed an executive order subjecting Indian imports to a 50% tariff due to its purchase of Russian oil.

The order subjects Indian imports to an additional 25% in duties on top of an existing 25% tariff.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been urged by India’s opposition parties and the general public to stand up to Trump, labelling the move as ‘bullying’.

Trump has been warned his latest tirade threatens to undo two decades of diplomatic progress, analysts and officials say, and could derail other areas of cooperation as domestic political pressures drive both sides to harden their stances.

While India has emerged in recent years as a key partner for Washington in its strategic rivalry with China, its large U.S. trade surplus and close relations with Russia – which Trump is seeking to pressure into agreeing to a peace agreement with Ukraine – have made it a prime target in the Republican president’s global tariff offensive.

Trump’s taunt that India could buy oil from arch enemy Pakistan has also not gone down well in New Delhi, said two Indian government sources. India has also rejected repeated claims by Trump that he used trade as a lever to end a recent military conflict between India and Pakistan.

In an unusually sharp statement this week, India accused the U.S. of double standards in singling it out for Russian oil imports while continuing to buy Russian uranium hexafluoride, palladium and fertiliser. On Wednesday, it called the tariffs “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” vowing to “take all actions necessary to protect its national interests.”

But New Delhi knows that any further escalation will hurt it in matters beyond trade, said the sources. Unlike China, India does not have leverage like supplies of rare earths to force Trump’s hand to improve the terms of any trade deal, they said.

In recent years, successive U.S. administrations, including Trump’s first, carefully cultivated relations with India with an eye on it as a vital partner in long-term efforts to counter the growing might of China.

But analysts say Trump’s recent moves have plunged the relationship back to possibly its worst phase since the U.S. imposed sanctions on India for nuclear tests in 1998.

“India is now in a trap: because of Trump’s pressure, Modi will reduce India’s oil purchases from Russia, but he cannot publicly admit to doing so for fear of looking like he’s surrendering to Trump’s blackmail,” said Ashley Tellis at Washington’s Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“We could be heading into a needless crisis that unravels a quarter century of hard-won gains with India.”

Indian state refiners have in recent days stopped buying Russian oil as discounts narrowed and pressure from Trump rose, Reuters has reported.

A more pressing challenge for India, analysts say, is the stark divergence between its priorities and Trump’s political base on key issues such as work visas for tech professionals and offshoring of services. India has long been a major beneficiary of U.S. work visa programs and the outsourcing of software and business services, a sore point for Americans who have lost jobs to cheaper workers in India.

Relations with India risk becoming a “football in American domestic politics,” warned Evan Feigenbaum, a former senior State Department official under the Republican presidency of George W. Bush.

“Issues that directly touch India are among the most partisan and explosive in Washington, including immigration and deportation, H1B visas for tech workers, offshoring and overseas manufacturing by U.S. companies, and technology sharing and co-innovation with foreigners,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Since a 2008 deal to cooperate on civilian nuclear technology, the two countries have deepened intelligence sharing and defence cooperation and expanded interactions with Australia and Japan through the Quad grouping aimed at containing China’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific.

But fractures have appeared, despite Modi’s rapport with Trump in his first term and then former President Joe Biden.

Images in February of Indians deported by the U.S. on military planes, their hands and legs shackled, horrified the country just days before Modi went to see Trump seeking to stave off high tariffs.

The relationship was also seriously tested in late 2023 when the U.S. said it had foiled a plot with Indian links to kill a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil. New Delhi has denied any official connection to the plot.

“The Modi regime’s credibility in the U.S. has gone down,” said Sukh Deo Muni, a former Indian diplomat and a professor emeritus at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“And maybe there are people who think that India or Modi had to be brought back on track, if not taught a lesson. And if that trend continues, I’m quite worried that the challenge is quite powerful and strong for India to navigate.”

One Indian government source said India needs to gradually repair ties with the U.S. while engaging more with other nations that have faced the brunt of Trump tariffs and aid cuts, including the African Union and the BRICS bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

India is already making some moves with Russia and China.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit New Delhi this year and on Tuesday, Russia said the two countries had discussed further strengthening defence cooperation “in the form of a particularly privileged strategic partnership.”

India has also boosted engagement with China, a change after years of tensions following a deadly border clash in 2020. Modi is set to visit China soon for the first time since 2018.

“Russia will attempt to exploit the rift between the U.S. and India by proposing the restoration of the Russia-India-China trilateral and new projects in defence,” said analyst Aleksei Zakharov at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

“India will undoubtedly be mindful of structural factors such as sanctions against Russia and will seek to find a compromise with the Trump administration.”

Woman given terminal diagnosis says she plans to fulfil her life dream

A 27-year-old woman with a terminal illness is planning an ambitious solo round-the-world sailing voyage.

Jazz Turner, from Seaford, East Sussex, aims to take part in next year’s Royal Western Yacht Club of England’s WorldStar challenge.

Should she succeed, Ms Turner would become the first female, disabled sailor to complete the feat.

Diagnosed at 18, she lives with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a debilitating genetic condition that affects connective tissue, and causes fainting and seizures.

Due to complications, doctors have told her that her condition is now terminal.

“As my condition has progressed, the one thing I made sure of was that I never stopped sailing,” she said.

Next year’s challenge follows her recent circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, known as Project Fear, but she now needs to secure the right boat and sponsorship to carry her around the globe.

“I’ve always been drawn to challenges that push me to my edge,” she said.

“Project Fear was born off the back of the announcement of the WorldStar 2026. I face many a ‘no’ in my life, and I do my best to turn them into ‘yes’. The right partnership could turn this vision into reality.

“Whether it’s a boat owner willing to lend their yacht or sponsors eager to back a remarkable human and sporting story, I’m inviting them to join me on this journey.”

The WorldStar 2026 leaves Plymouth in September next year and tests sailors to circle the globe without outside assistance or stops.

Adrian Gray, commodore of the Royal Western Yacht Club, said: “Jazz is the epitome of why we created this Corinthian-style race.

“This is a race for sailors, run by sailors and the only one of its style in the UK.

“When we initially reached out to Jazz and she told us her ‘Project Fear’ campaign, a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, was started following our announcement of the WorldStar, we knew we wanted to help Jazz fulfil her life’s dream.”

IDF chief opposes Netanyahu plans to seize Gaza amid hostage fears

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing fierce pushback, including from the head of his own military, over a proposal to widen his devastating offensive and seize the remaining parts of Gaza.

Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military chief of staff, is understood to have warned the prime minister that attempting to take and hold the rest of Gaza – which the army physically withdrew from two decades ago – could corner their forces into a protracted conflict and endanger the lives of the hostages.

The warning came during a tense three-hour meeting held on Tuesday night in which they were set to decide on a strategy before a cabinet meeting on Thursday, an Israeli source briefed on the discussion told The Independent.

It is the latest voice of discontent from inside Israel, as the beleaguered premier has faced mounting pressure to wrap up the 22-month conflict, which has reportedly seen the highest death toll of Israeli soldiers in 50 years. There has also been global condemnation over a famine crisis and the rising Palestinian civilian death toll, which has pushed past 61,000 dead, according to local officials.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Zamir reportedly spoke of the decision to conquer the entire territory creating a “trap in Gaza”. Israeli Channel 12 quoted Zamir as saying that the extended boots-on-the-ground occupation would “significantly endanger the lives of the hostages and cause erosion in the army”.

This week, nearly 600 Israeli retired security officials wrote an open letter to Donald Trump urging him to intervene and pressure Israel to end the war. Just hours before Tuesday’s tense meeting, several former chiefs of Israel’s internal security services, the Mossad spy agency, the military and ex-prime minister Ehud Barak released an extraordinary joint video on social media, echoing those pleas. They said extreme-right members of the government are holding Israel “hostage”.

Netanyahu’s objectives in Gaza are “a fantasy”, Yoram Cohen, former head of Shin Bet, said in the video. “If anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon, and in parallel bring our hostages home – I think it is impossible,” he said.

Ami Ayalon, another former head of Shin Bet, added: “This is leading the state of Israel to the loss of its security and its identity.”

But Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure from the far-right members of his government, including national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who have railed against any truce deal or delivery of aid to Gaza as “surrender”.

According to reports in The Times of Israel and Haaretz, Smotrich and Ben Gvir have called for the destruction of Gaza City as part of the takeover plan.

The prime minister’s critics within Israel accuse him of pandering to them, fearing the collapse of his razor-thin coalition, as he faces ongoing corruption trials, which have cast a long shadow over his terms in office.

Israel’s security establishment also fears that an open-ended occupation would bog down and further strain the army – while risking the lives of dozens of troops.

“Israeli soldiers and reservists and everybody are just hugely tired,” one source told The Independent. Continuing the conflict will mean “more soldiers dead, all exhausted, more taxes on Israeli”, they said, adding: “More and more soldiers are dying every day – full occupation with your soldiers not on top form is an issue.”

Netanyahu is also facing condemnation from the families of hostages in Gaza held by military groups Hamas and others, who accuse the prime minister of “leading Israel and the hostages towards devastation”.

“I expect the prime minister to speak to the public, to explain the implications of this idea to the country and the price we’ll pay,” said Itzik Horn, the father of Israeli hostage Eitan and former hostage Iair, according to Haaretz. “We are the people. I want the prime minister to explain why he wants to kill my son.”

“The hostages have no more time,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum added on Wednesday. “Either we save them now, or we will lose them forever. There are moments in history when we must stand up and do the right thing.”

There are believed to be 50 remaining hostages and captives still being held in Gaza, but only 20 are thought to still be alive.

Amos Harel, a senior fellow at Brookings and an Israeli defence expert, told the Independent that risking the “mass death of hostages was a big gamble” for the prime minister, who would also have to call in more reservists to complete the plan.

“It would mean a break, from a massive amount of Israeli voters, including right-wing voters who would like to see the hostages home and have their own growing fears that this would fail as well and would mean more lives lost without actually reaching some sort of victory,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump said on Tuesday that the decision over whether to fully occupy Gaza is “pretty much up to Israel”, declining to support or oppose the potential expansion of Israeli military activity in the enclave. “I know that we are there now trying to get people fed,” he said when asked about the plan.

The move may also increase Israel’s growing isolation on the international stage, at a time when its allies are taking tougher stances towards the country amid reports of starvation in the Gaza Strip and near-daily reports of Palestinians being shot dead while seeking aid.

On Wednesday, Jordan said Israeli settlers attacked a Gaza-bound aid convoy in the second such incident in days, accusing Israel of failing to act firmly to prevent repeated assaults.

The convoy, carrying 30 trucks of humanitarian aid, was delayed in its arrival in a violation of signed agreements, said Jordan’s government spokesperson, Mohammad al-Momani.

“This requires a serious Israeli intervention and no leniency in dealing with those who obstruct these convoys,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, reports from Hamas’ information ministry in Gaza said that 20 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded after a truck carrying humanitarian aid in the strip flipped over.

Oasis gig tops chart for the most powerful seismic concert

Oasis’s 2009 performance at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium has been identified as the most “ground-shaking” concert at the venue in the past two decades, according to new seismic data analysis.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) revealed the Gallagher brothers’ last Scottish gig topped the chart for peak earthshaking power.

Their June 2009 show, registering a peak power of 215.06Kw, was more than twice as powerful as the next strongest event, the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ 2004 concert (106.87Kw).

It also surpassed Kings of Leon in 2011 and Taylor Swift‘s performance last June. Measurements were taken from a seismic monitoring station 4km from the stadium.

The findings emerge as Oasis’s highly anticipated comeback tour is set to arrive in the Scottish capital this weekend, raising the prospect of another “shakermaker” event.

The power output is not related to the volume of the band or the crowd, rather it is the movement of fans jumping and dancing in time to the music, with the height of the jumping and weight of the crowd also potential factors.

It means the current cohort of Oasis fans’ seismic output could perhaps be compared to those of previous years.

BGS seismologist Callum Harrison said: “In 2009, seismic signals generated by Oasis fans were consistent with a crowd energy of 215kW at its peak – enough to power around 30 of the scooters featured on the iconic Be Here Now album cover.

“Our network of sensors around the country is sensitive enough to pick up ground movement from a source miles away that may not be detectable to humans – and precise enough to register exact timestamps for when the events occur.

“The peak energy reading was recorded around 8.30pm on that June evening back in 2009, which correlates to the time the band first took the stage and performed Rock ‘N’ Roll Star, which couldn’t be more fitting in terms of topping our seismic music chart.”

The BGS keeps an archive of continuous ground motion recordings from seismic sensors around the country, dating back several decades.

Mr Harrison added: “In this instance we are only looking back over 20 years, however geological processes occur over vast time scales that can be difficult for humans to comprehend.

“Improving our understanding of historical earthquakes is an important part of BGS research in trying to understand and mitigate the seismic risk around the country.”

Ahead of the sold-out gigs at Murrayfield, which begin on Friday, Mr Harrison said it is “certainly possible” they could top the previous gig’s output in 2009, adding: “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

He said: “The main contributing factors are going to be how energetic the crowd is.

“If they’re jumping along with the music, how high or how fast are they jumping?”

Patients needlessly given cancer drug for years sue NHS trust

More than 20 patients who say their quality of life was wrecked when they were needlessly given a highly toxic cancer drug are suing the NHS trust involved.

Some people were prescribed temozolomide – which should normally be used for only six months – for more than a decade during treatment by the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

They say the overprescribing left them with side-effects including secondary cancers and crippling fatigue.

Earlier this year the Care Quality Commission was looking into at least 14 cases, but lawyers say more are emerging all the time.

An investigation by lawyers Brabners found that, over the past two decades, numerous patients with brain and spinal tumours under the care of Professor Ian Brown were routinely exposed to prolonged and in some cases “unnecessary” use of the chemotherapy drug, which has severe side-effects including extreme fatigue, confusion, sickness and seizures.

The time periods temozolomide was given for allegedly ran contrary to medical and scientific guidelines. Standard NHS procedure is to use the drug over six months, and the drug manufacturer advises it be used for up to 12 months.

One man said he was prescribed it for nearly two years longer than necessary, suffering extreme fatigue and low mood as a result.

A woman in her twenties said she was misdiagnosed with cancer, receiving the drug needlessly for about eight years.

Some patients are now having treatment for secondary cancers allegedly linked to overuse of temozolomide, the lawyers claim.

Others claimed its prolonged use left them unable to pursue career ambitions and normal day-to-day activities because the chemotherapy was debilitating, with a long recovery time. Some reported loss of fertility or abnormal blood test results.

The legal team says data shows that the trust’s spending on the drug of £3.6m from 2009 to 2024 is 10 times that of other NHS oncology departments.

The lawyers are now calling for an extended patient safety review and independent investigation, focusing in particular on treatment received by patients under Prof Brown dating back to 2006.

The trust has been conducting an internal patient safety review, covering 2017 to 2023, when Prof Brown retired.

A patient who identified only as Michael received an extra 22 cycles of temozolomide at the trust, despite his scans being stable.

Prof Brown was not present during consultations, and Michael said he was always seen by a clinical nurse specialist.

After suffering extreme fatigue and low mood, he learnt through news reports of mistreatment –not from the trust – that he should not have remained on treatment for so long, according to his lawyers.

Another patient, identified only as Becky, says she received at least 100 cycles of the drug unnecessarily after being misdiagnosed with a brain tumour.

Fiona Tinsley, head of medical negligence at Brabners, said: “The extent of this scandal, and the physical and mental impact it has had on Prof Brown’s patients cannot be underestimated.”

She added: “We believe there are many more patients out there who haven’t yet come forward and some who may have sadly passed away.

“While we welcome the ongoing investigations being undertaken by the General Medical Council and Royal College of Physicians, we believe a full independent inquiry is necessary – including an extension of the trust’s own review back to 2006 – not only to ensure justice for victims, but that processes are put in place to better identify and prevent such failings happening again.”

A spokesperson for the trust told The Independent: “We have comprehensively reviewed and spoken to all individuals who were receiving temozolomide (TMZ) treatment at the end of 2023 to ensure appropriate support and care plans are in place.

“A glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumour with fewer than two per cent of patients surviving longer than 10 years. This is an extremely complex condition and all modes of treatment – surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – carry the risk of complications and side-effects.

“National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) guidelines recognise that clinicians can exercise professional judgment appropriate to individual circumstances when offering treatment to patients.

“We have commissioned the Royal College of Physicians to conduct an independent review of a representative cohort of patients who received greater than 12 cycles of adjuvant TMZ between 2017 and 2023.

“As this process is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

It’s understood that CQC inspectors have been in touch with the trust to understand the details, and seek assurances that patients are not at risk. The regulator will be reviewing more information to judge whether it needs to be involved.

Crackdown on ‘cowboys’ over botched Brazilian butt lifts and Botox

Ministers want to clamp down on “cowboy” cosmetic procedures including Botox and Brazilian butt lifts after a string of horror incidents which left customers dead or with catastrophic damage.

Officials said the industry had been blighted by “dodgy practitioners and procedures”, with some patients “maimed” during botched treatments.

It follows the case of mother-of-five, Alice Webb, who is thought to be the first person to have died following a non-surgical liquid Brazilian butt lift (BBL) procedure at a UK clinic.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has proposed new restrictions on who can access and provide treatments in a bid to protect people from “rogue operators” with no medical training who often provide “invasive” procedures in homes, hotels and pop-up clinics.

The move should also reduce the cost imposed upon the NHS to fix botched procedures, DHSC added.

Tim Mitchell, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, hailed the proposals as an “important first step forward for patient safety.”

Health minister Karin Smyth said: “The cosmetics industry has been plagued by a Wild West of dodgy practitioners and procedures.

“There are countless horror stories of cosmetic cowboys causing serious, catastrophic damage.”

She said the government would take action too “root out cowboys” and support “honest and competent practitioners.”

“This isn’t about stopping anyone from getting treatments – it’s about preventing rogue operators from exploiting people at the expense of their safety and keeping people safe,” Ms Smyth added.

“We’re giving them peace of mind and reducing the cost to the NHS of fixing botched procedures.”

The government’s proposals include:

The timeline for the introduction and completion of these measures was not stated. But the DHSC said it will launch a consultation next year seeking views on the range of procedures which should be covered in the new restrictions.

Last month, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that fat injections, BBLs, Botox and fillers are being offered by untrained people in places such as public toilets.

Before the proposed regulations come into force, the government has urged people seeking cosmetic procedures to ask for the provider’s qualifications and insurance, and to be wary of “suspiciously cheap” offers.

Health officials launched an investigation after a number of people had reactions to Botox injections earlier this year.

Professor David Sines CBE, the chair and registrar of Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), said the move will “protect the public from untrained and inexperienced operators and it will save the NHS a considerable amount of time and money putting right the harm done through botched procedures.”

The statement added the need for the new measures had become increasingly clear in recent years with the “explosion of high street outlets offering high-risk procedures delivered by people with limited clinical knowledge and training.”

He warned this has led to long-term health complications and, in some cases, has led to patient deaths.

Mr Mitchell suggested the government must go further on liquid Brazilian Butt Lifts, which the RCS said the procedure should only be performed by a Cosmetic Surgery Board-certified surgeon.

The surgeon warned that the procedure needs medical oversight to prevent serious complications and said that while the government’s plans will improve the regulation of non-surgical interventions, it must also urgently improve the regulation of surgical procedures.

Millie Kendall, chief executive of the British Beauty Council, said: “Any measures that increase protection for the general public and professionalise the industry will help instil confidence as well as helping to prevent the normalisation of horror stories that have become synonymous with our sector.”