Aquaculture is bringing jobs and money to rural regions, but a huge escape of farmed fish in August could devastate local salmon populationsClad in black waders, Gumundur Hauker Jakobsson jumps into the River Blanda, whose freezing waters run down from the Hofsjokull glacier. Armed with a net, he casts around the ascending pools of the river's fish ladder", built to aid wild salmon migrating up this powerful waterway from the sea.Within minutes, he pulls out a 15lb silver fish, which thrashes and writhes against the net, then another, then another - five in all. The wild salmon of the Blanda here in north-west Iceland are some of the largest and most athletic in a country where the rivers are considered among the world's best. King Charles has fished for salmon here, as have David Beckham and Guy Ritchie; Eric Clapton is a regular.Gumundur Hauker Jakobsson draws a salmon from the river Continue reading...

Perhaps it's naive not to imagine that all of life itself is about accepting the fragility of how easily things break

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Low-traffic neighbourhoods and fines also face clampdown under plans condemned by active travel groupsRishi Sunak has pledged to end anti-car measures" as he set out a series of ideas to prioritise the needs of drivers at the likely expense of other road users such as bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.Outlining what he called a long-term plan to back drivers", the prime minister unveiled a clampdown on 20mph limits, bus lanes, low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), and the ability of councils to fine drivers who commit offences. Continue reading...

The interior department's contingency plan emphasizes the need to protect park resources and ensure visitor health and safetyNational parks across the US will close to visitors as soon as Sunday if Congress is unable to avert a government shutdown, the Department of Interior has announced.Gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed," the interior department wrote in a news release on Friday. Accordingly, the public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety." Continue reading...

Rising temperatures could be passing tolerance threshold for endangered animals as Lake Tefe reaches 39CThe sudden die-off of more than a hundred Amazonian river dolphins in recent days has prompted fears that rising global heat could be passing the tolerance threshold of species in vulnerable areas.The floating corpses of the endangered mammals, along with thousands of dead fish, have appeared at Lake Tefe where the temperature is now like a hot bath after a protracted drought has dried up most of the water. Continue reading...

Party urged to commit to revoking licence for site in North Sea and back comprehensive Green New DealYoung climate activists staged sit-down protests outside the offices of every member of Labour's shadow cabinet on Friday, calling on the party to take a tougher line on the proposed new Rosebank oilfield and back a comprehensive Green New Deal.This week the UK's biggest untapped oilfield was given the go-ahead despite widespread opposition from scientists, poverty campaigners and climate and energy experts. Continue reading...

Fish Legal win permission to summon firm to face allegations linked to diesel pollution of River TestA judge has given permission for a private prosecution to go ahead against a water company accused over the pollution of one of the UK's most cherished fishing rivers.Southern Water will appear in court in February to face allegations linked to diesel pollution in the River Test in Hampshire. Continue reading...

Administration releases plan, which represents lowest number of lease sales since 1980, but is still set to increase oil productionThe Biden administration on Friday released a plan to sell as many as three offshore oil and gas leases over the next five years, garnering criticism from some climate advocates.Set to govern potential sales through late 2028, the hotly anticipated plan from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a part of the interior department, includes no auctions for next year, and represents the lowest number of lease sales since the program began in 1980. Continue reading...

Disgust spreads across country as travellers post videos apparently showing insects on Paris public transportFrance's growing bedbug crisis has sparked a political row as Paris city hall said the invasion of bloodsucking insects must be tackled before next year's Olympic Games and the transport minister summoned train and bus operators to prevent the bugs multiplying on seats.A wave of panic and disgust has spread across the country as travellers have posted photos and videos purportedly showing the insects on the Paris local transport system, high-speed trains and at Charles de Gaulle airport. Continue reading...

Competition aimed at encouraging Gotland residents to save water is being copied elsewhereDry, brown grass is no longer a source of shame on one Swedish island where residents have been competing over the ugliest lawn" in an attempt to save water - and it seems the trend is spreading.It was the easiest competition to win, I didn't have to do anything," said this year's winner Stina Ostman, a resident of Sweden's largest island of Gotland, who has mixed feelings about her victory. It's always nice to win, even if you are the worst," she said. Continue reading...

Robert Macfarlane says tree's felling was part of hostile culture and calls for forest to be planted in its honourThe felling of the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall symbolises a wider attack on nature in the UK, according to an award-winning landscape writer and poet.Robert Macfarlane said the sight of the downed 300-year-old tree made him and many others feel sick. I just see this as part of a piece with a much broader hostile environment towards the living world in this country," he told the BBC. Continue reading...

NSW Environmental Protection Authority alleged company had exceeded standard concentration of solid particles under air pollution laws

Cape Town mayor declares major incident as roads closed and 80,000 people left without electricityExtreme rain and strong winds across South Africa's Western Cape province have caused flooding, torn off roofs, destroyed crops and damaged roads this week. It is estimated that the 48-hour rainfall totals between Sunday and Monday were between 100mm to 200mm (4-8in) in this region.According to the Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre, 12,000 people were affected, but a further 80,000 people were left without electricity, according to the national power utility. The mayor of Cape Town signed a major incident declaration for additional resources and relief measures as 80 roads have been closed, 200 farm workers have been stranded and rail services have been suspended in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including a hummingbird hawk moth, capybaras and a newly discovered tarantula Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: A stunning new report lays bare the threats to British wildlife's biodiversity, however all is not lost Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Sorry to bring you more bad news, but with this one there is - hopefully - something we can collectively do to make it less bad.A frankly alarming 16% (or one in six) of all the 10,000 wildlife species in Great Britain are at risk of extinction, according to a report by 60 research and conservation organisations. Among those at risk are some of the country's most well known and loved birds, animals and plants, including turtle doves, water voles, lady's slipper orchids, hazel dormice and European eels. The future is particularly bleak for birds, with about 43% of species facing the risk of extinction.Tax | UK households are facing an average tax rise of 3,500 a year by the next election, the country's leading economics thinktank has said - the biggest increase over a parliament on records dating back more than 70 years.Conservatives | Rishi Sunak is to set out his plan for motorists" that will limit the number of 20mph speed restrictions and favour drivers over bus passengers - setting ministers on a collision course with local authorities.Prison | Growing numbers of criminals in England and Wales are being spared jail sentences because of overcrowding, the Guardian has revealed.UK news | The victim of a stabbing on a busy street in south London during morning rush hour has been named by police as 15-year-old Elianne Andam, who was described by family as the light of our lives".Environment | A 16-year-old boy was been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage in connection with the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in the north of England, police said. Continue reading...

After 180 years, flowers and floral sculptures make a return to the famous stone circle this weekendWith the autumn equinox gone and the winter months not far away, Salisbury Plain can take on a rather chilly, sombre air.But not this weekend when displays of 5,000 blooms - cerise pinks, deep crimsons, vibrant oranges - will light up the landscape to celebrate a largely forgotten Victorian tradition: the Stonehenge dahlia shows. Continue reading...

The 300-year-old tree, set in a dramatic dip near crumbling Roman walls, drew photographers and tourists from all over the world until it was felled in a suspected act of vandalism

Members of Sunrise Movement refused to vacate House speaker's office entrance until he pledged to avert US government shutdownScores of young activists with the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate organization, protested in the office of the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, on Thursday morning, demanding he avert a complete government shutdown.Capitol police arrested 18 of the youth who blocked the office entrance and refused to vacate until McCarthy pledged to support bridge funding to keep the government open, including to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). Continue reading...

Green campaigners relieved after last week's decision to delay ban on petrol and diesel carsThe government has confirmed the majority of new cars sold in Britain will have to be electric by 2030 despite Rishi Sunak's decision last week to delay a ban on petrol and diesel cars by five years.Under the long-awaited zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate, 80% of sales must be fully electric, or another alternative, within seven years. Carmakers would have to pay 15,000 for each petrol or diesel engine above that threshold, the Department for Transport said on Thursday. Continue reading...

Toxic substances pollute the Boeing and government-owned site and are probably contaminating nearby river used to water cropsTwo highly toxic chemicals polluting a former Nasa research site are also probably contaminating the Los Angeles River and aquifer from which the region's agricultural growers draw their water, watchdog groups and a whistleblower charge.The Santa Susana field laboratory about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles is already notorious for its radioactive waste, but the site, which is owned by the federal government and Boeing, is also now suspected of leaching polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) forever chemicals" into the water. Continue reading...

Lloyd's of London, Zurich and Swiss Re among top 10 insurers of largest US coalmines, study findsLloyd's of London and other big European insurers are underwriting almost a third of US coal production despite their net zero pledges, according to research, with the Lloyd's insurance market emerging as the second-biggest player.A report from the Insure Our Future campaign group found that Lloyd's, Zurich and Swiss Re are among the top 10 insurers of the 25 biggest US coalmines, which produced more than 60% of the country's output last year. They underwrite 13 mines producing 30.7% of US coal. Continue reading...

Police investigating after former tree of the year winner, estimated to be several hundred years old, felledA police investigation has been launched into the felling of one of the most photographed trees in the UK, the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland, which was found cut down on Thursday morning.The world famous tree, voted English tree of the year in a Woodland Trust competition in 2016 and featured in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, is thought to have been deliberately felled. Continue reading...

Thirty years ago, when the people of Haida Gwaii blockaded logging roads in British Columbia, few foresaw the result - the remarkable Gwaii Haanas agreement that has reshaped how to manage contested areasOn summer days, Haley and Samantha Garvie hop barefoot between barnacle-crusted black rocks, scouting for tiny crabs and periwinkle shells. Depending on the tides, they might even spot colourful glass fishing floats - a rare treat carried by ocean currents to the southern tip of Haida Gwaii all the way from Japan, more than 4,000 miles away. In the evenings, they join their mother, Grace, and older sister, Joey, treading the paths their ancestors once walked, gathering the same berries and listening to the same birds.There's always so much to learn here, like the path of the kingfisher or the way the oystercatchers chase off hawks," says Grace, a member of the Haida Watchmen programme, tasked with guarding a string of historic sites. Continue reading...

Pao Ling Tsai thought his chickens were being taken by a cat but instead he trapped an animal thought extinct on the Limestone Coast

The climate crisis has intensified the rodents' bloodthirsty fighting. From a chalet high on the French-Italian border, scientists are documenting their battlesThe ecologist Christophe Bonenfant strides down the mountainside, a metal cage strapped to his back. Inside, a hessian bag twitches and squirms. His cargo is 4kg of befuddled alpine marmot, a mountain rodent admired by hikers, immortalised by Goethe and Beethoven, and the star of a beloved French ad for Milka chocolate.The creatures' cuddly reputation, however, belies a vicious reality. The life of an alpine marmot is a never-ending bloody battle for dominance. They are, Bonenfant's colleague Rebecca Garcia says, mega-violent". And now the climate crisis is making their fight for survival in the Alps more deadly than ever. Continue reading...

Emails show David Bernhardt of interior department overrode superintendent of California park, causing chaos and destruction'By the time superintendent David Smith decided to close Joshua Tree national park on 7 January 2019, the list of problems was already long. Tire tracks wove through the wilderness mapping a path of destruction where rare plants had been crushed and trees toppled. Charred remains of illegal campfires dotted the desert, and historic cultural artifacts had been plundered. Trash piles were growing, vault toilets were overflowing and park security workers were being pushed to their limits.It was week three in what would become the longest shutdown of the US government, and the famed California park was feeling the consequences of operating without key staff, services and resources. Continue reading...

Volume lost during hot summers of 2022 and 2023 equal to total depletion between 1960 and 1990, says reportSwiss glaciers have lost 10% of their volume in just two years, a report has found.Scientists have said climate breakdown caused by the burning of fossil fuels is the cause of unusually hot summers and winters with very low snow volume, which have caused the accelerating melts. The volume lost during the hot summers of 2022 and 2023 is the same as that lost between 1960 and 1990. Continue reading...

The photographer Victor Moriyama follows an Indigenous fire brigade as they try to fill the gap left by the Brazilian state in Rondonia, one of the most deforested regions of the AmazonPreserving the world's largest tropical forest poses an immense challenge for the governments of Latin America. This task is exacerbated by the inefficiency of public policies and the escalating land conflicts that plague various Brazilian biomes.In response to these threats, Indigenous peoples have taken matters into their own hands, rallying to oversee and protect their territories. Continue reading...

International regulators unable to properly monitor Russian-held site, says dossier sent to western leadersInternational regulators are incapable of properly monitoring safety at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, according to a critical dossier compiled by Greenpeace that is being sent to western governments on Thursday.The environmental campaign group concludes the International Atomic Energy Agency has too few inspectors at Europe's biggest nuclear plant - four - and that there are too many restrictions placed on their access. Continue reading...

Rising risk of heatwaves and bushfires means politicians will be put to the test about the effect of the climate crisis. Already, some have roundly failed

The longest serving premier of NSW throws support behind new alliance calling for overhaul of land-clearing laws

Clean Air Fund says despite increased spending on air pollution, projects still receive less than 1% of fundingGovernments, agencies and development banks have spent more aid money on clean air than fossil fuels for the first time on record, a report has found.However, such projects still receive less than 1% of international development funding, according to the Clean Air Fund, an environmental charity. Continue reading...

Sweet Briar Marshes has been created in heart of city with fewer public footpaths than any other in England and WalesHidden between a hectic ring road, a chemicals factory and housing estates are 36 hectares (90 acres) of a green beating heart, pumping nature" into the surrounding city.Traffic noise and sirens are muffled by ancient oaks, while late-season dragonflies sweep over hawthorns laden with blood-red haws as a kestrel hovers, head down, searching for field voles hiding in the tufty grasses. Continue reading...

Campaigners including Greta Thunberg had called for halt to Rosebank project involving Oslo-listed EquinorBritain has given the go-ahead to develop the UK's biggest untapped oilfield off Shetland, sparking outrage from environmental campaigners.The UK oil and gas regulator's decision to grant the Oslo-listed Equinor and the British firm Ithaca Energy permission to develop the Rosebank oil and gas field in the North Sea was condemned by the Green party MP Caroline Lucas as the greatest act of environmental vandalism in my lifetime". Continue reading...

Campaigners and parliamentarians gear up to fight reckless proposals' on pollution from new developments

Exclusive: PM says the right decisions' are needed to ensure Australia emerges a winner in the global race to renewable energy

Claimants say European countries are breaching their human rights by failing to take adequate action to tackle global heatingAn 11-year-old girl from Portugal sat inside the grand chamber of the European court of human rights on Wednesday to face 86 lawyers from 32 nations in the world's largest climate legal action.Mariana Agostinho was alongside her brother and sister, and her cousins, two rows back from 17 human rights judges. Continue reading...

NSW EPA to test two brush turkeys and several pigeons found in Mosman to identify likely cause of death

There's a bowerbird building a bower in my backyard, so this year I'm on Team Bowerbird

Ex-president attacks clean energy by making multiple false statements at South Carolina rallyDonald Trump has launched a lengthy and largely baseless attack on wind turbines for causing large numbers of whales to die, claiming that windmills" are making the cetaceans crazy" and a little batty".Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, used a rally in South Carolina to assert that while there was only a small chance of killing a whale by hitting it with a boat, their windmills are causing whales to die in numbers never seen before. No one does anything about that." Continue reading...

European Commission president welcomes agreement among EU governments on Euro 7 pollution standardsMore from NGO Transport and Environment's Anna Krajinska, who criticised EU governments' compromise decision yesterday on pollution standards for cars, vans and trucks.The fight to secure an effective Euro 7 is a reminder of the political and economic power of the car industry," Krajinska told the Guardian in an email this morning. Continue reading...

Tribes say Line 5 is a ticking time bomb' for the Great Lakes, which contain a fifth of the Earth's surface fresh water, and risks destroying their relationship with land and waterIt's little known to the throngs of tourists who gawp at the wonder of the Great Lakes but at the meeting point of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, a combined system that forms the largest lake in the world, there is a 70-year-old pipeline, battered and dented by dropped boat anchors.The pipeline pushes a million gallons of oil each hour through the heart of this vast ecosystem. Continue reading...

Thinktank Create Streets calls for people to be allowed to grow plants and trees in barren urban areasA right to plant and grow trees and other greenery in public spaces should be given to people across Britain, an adviser to Michael Gove has said.Nicholas Boys Smith, who heads the Office for Place in Gove's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), also chairs the thinktank Create Streets, which has released a report calling for more greening of cities. Continue reading...

Country already trails well behind Europe and PM's backtracking on climate policies could widen the gapThe UK has fallen well behind the rest of Europe in the growth of electric vehicle sales and risks falling further back after Rishi Sunak's screeching U-turn" on its climate policies, according to industry analysts.UK sales of electric vehicles grew by 31% in the 12 months to July, one of the slowest rates of growth in Europe, according to data analysed by Cornwall Insight and the law firm Shoosmiths. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Pan-European investigation looked at thousands of transactions since Paris climate agreement in 2016Banks including some of Europe's largest lenders have helped fossil fuel companies to raise more than 1tn (869bn) from the global bond markets since the Paris climate agreement, according to an investigation by the Guardian and its reporting partners.In the push to zero carbon, Europe's biggest lenders face growing pressure to limit their financial support for fossil fuel companies through direct loans and other financing facilities. Continue reading...

Experts blame rising sea temperatures caused by climate crisis for cub deaths at Unesco heritage siteAs many as eight in 10 brown bear cubs born this year in a remote part of northern Japan have died amid a shortage of salmon, with experts blaming rising sea temperatures caused by the climate crisis.Along with acorns, pink salmon are an important source of food for the estimated 500 brown bears living along Hokkaido's Shiretoko peninsula, a Unesco world heritage site known for its dramatic coastline and wild animals. Continue reading...

IEA's Fatih Birol says uptake of solar power and EVs is in line with net zero goal but rich countries must hasten their broader plansThe prospects of the world staying within the 1.5C limit on global heating have brightened owing to the staggering" growth of renewable energy and green investment in the past two years, the chief of the world's energy watchdog has said.Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, and the world's foremost energy economist, said much more needed to be done but that the rapid uptake of solar power and electric vehicles were encouraging. Continue reading...

Robert Habeck said supporters of climate action must have the most compelling arguments

Scientists fear global heating may have shifted region into new era of disappearing ice with far-reaching consequencesAntarctica has likely broken a new record for the lowest annual maximum amount of sea ice around the continent, beating the previous low by a million square kilometres.The new mark is the latest in a string of records for the continent's sea ice, as scientists fear global heating could have shifted the region into a new era of disappearing ice with far reaching consequences for the world's climate and sea levels. Continue reading...