Record low sea ice levels, the collapse of ice shelves, and surface temperatures 38.5C above average cited as concerns in new review

City dwellers just as likely to be too shy or lazy' to solve puzzle for food as their country cousins, study findsFrom rooting through our rubbish to stealing shoes and garden gloves, urban foxes are renowned for their intrepid behaviour. But although city life may have made them bolder than their country cousins, they are no more cunning - and most are likely to be too lazy to persevere at a problem to obtain food, research suggests.Globally, red foxes are among the most successful carnivores, and the number living in British towns and cities has exploded in recent years. But while some researchers have suggested that urbanisation might be making foxes and other wildlife bolder and smarter, few studies have directly tested how they compare with rural foxes when confronted with the same challenges. Continue reading...

No 10 backtracks on minister's claim 500 asylum seekers could be on barge by end of weekAccording to a report in the Times, Liz Truss named 16 people on her original honours list - four for peerages, and 12 people getting other honours. Two people have declined, but there are still 14 names on the list, the Times says, one person for every four days she was in office.The Labour MP Chris Bryant says resignation honours lists should be abolished. Continue reading...

World's tiniest marine mammal - found only in the Gulf of California in Mexico - has only 10 individuals left, study findsThe International Whaling Commission has issued the first extinction alert" in its 70-year history, to warn of the danger facing the vaquita, the world's tiniest and most critically endangered marine mammal.A recent study shows that the small porpoise, found only in the Gulf of California in Mexico, has only 10 individuals left. It has been driven to the edge of extinction due to entanglement in fishing nets known as gillnets", which are now illegal in the area. Continue reading...

Tyre Extinguishers claim responsibility for attack to highlight presence of grossly inappropriate private vehicles' on roadsAnti-SUV activists used a power drill to sabotage the tyres of more than 60 4x4 vehicles at a car dealership, in an attack they described as a reprisal for the deaths of two girls in a crash at a primary school last month.In the early hours of Monday morning, activists crept on to the forecourt of the Vertu Jaguar showroom in Exeter. They told the Guardian they went from vehicle to vehicle drilling holes in the sidewalls of all four tyres on each, so they must be replaced. Continue reading...

Soggy July has affected wheat, barley and hay crops as waterlogged soil makes some harder to harvestThe unseasonably wet weather is causing problems for this year's harvest, experts have said, with wheat, barley and hay crops affected.Many farmers have been signed up to a nature-friendly scheme called Mid Tier, which does not allow hay to be cut until July to help wildlife. Continue reading...

Oarfish swim vertically, moving up and down and side to side like a cursor. It would be easier to believe they do not existA giant oarfish, also known as the king of herrings", is an eight-metre long ribbon of silver, tapered at its tail and on its head wearing a permanently stunned face - as though moments ago it was a normal herring and then the world's largest chef slapped it down on a benchtop and rolled over it with a rolling pin.

Lobbying group's pushback is out of step with voters and raises questions about industry commitment to reducing pollutionThe main lobbying group for US electric utilities plans to oppose a Biden administration proposal to curb greenhouse gas emissions from existing gas power plants, raising questions about the industry's commitment to reducing planet-heating pollution.The pushback will put the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) out of step with many of its members' stated commitments to cut emissions, critics say. It also runs counters to the US voters' political views based on new polling shared exclusively with the Guardian and Floodlight.This story is co-reported with Floodlight, a news nonprofit that partners with local outlets and the Guardian to investigate the corporate and ideological interests holding back climate action. Continue reading...

Park bosses condemn bonkers' proposition that they say would cause untold damage to our landscapes'England's national parks would be destroyed" by proposed government rules that would allow landowners to convert barns into houses without planning permission, critics have said.The levelling up department has launched a consultation into new legislation that would change permitted development rights to allow farmers to turn agricultural buildings into homes. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ideal Heating's 50m investment aims to build 60,000 pumps and train 5,000 installers a yearOne of Britain's biggest boiler makers is to start manufacturing electric heat pumps to keep pace with what it describes as the biggest transformation since the switch from coal to gas devices in the 1930s.Ideal Heating has invested 50m in transforming the manufacturing facilities at its Hull headquarters, which have produced fossil fuel boilers for more than a century. Continue reading...

Electric ships, hydrogen, air lubrication' and even good old wind power are reducing emissions, but campaigners say true change will take guts'The passenger ferry MV Sea Change is due this month to make its maiden voyage across San Francisco Bay. But it won't be the usual hour-long chug for the 75 passengers travelling north to Vallejo, California. Guests might notice how quiet the engine is - and they could even drink the emissions it releases.That's because MV Sea Change is the first commercial ferry to be powered not by the usual diesel engine but entirely from hydrogen. Its only emission is pure water. Continue reading...

Reduction in primary forest loss in Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as Brazil and Colombia, offers hope for tropical forests across the worldFalling deforestation rates in countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Colombia and Brazil could provide a boost to climate and biodiversity efforts, experts say, in the run-up to a key summit on the future of the Amazon rainforest.In the coming days, the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, will host a pan-Amazonian summit on the future of the world's largest rainforest, with leaders from Venezuela to Peru hoping to present a plan at Cop28 to halt their destruction. Experts have said if rich countries provide backing to tropical forested countries it could help governments deliver on Cop26 promises to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Will a court case over wild camping on Dartmoor spark bigger campaigns to open up more private green space? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Camping - especially wild camping, outside a designated site - is a fairly Marmite activity. For some, it is an adventure that connects them with the natural world. For others, it is a laborious, uncomfortable, unsanitary pursuit. Regardless of individual sensibilities, however, most people support the right of others to roam and wild camp.However, this is not quite reflected in the current legislation. Only 8% of England is covered by the right to roam", an ancient custom that allows anyone to wander in open countryside, no matter who owns it. For centuries there has been a growing conflict between those who are in favour of it, and those who would like to restrict access to private land.Politics | MPs have been paid 10m from second jobs and freelance work over the past year, a Guardian analysis has found. The analysis looked at all MPs who made more than 1,000 in the past year, with the final tally largely driven by the size of Boris Johnson's earnings as well as former Tory ministers taking up a slew of highly paid rolesPolice | The only events for which Metropolitan police chiefs authorised the potential use of baton rounds in the past six years were black-led gatherings, documents show. The weapons, intended to be a less lethal alternative to regular firearms, have been cleared for use at Notting Hill carnival since 2017 and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.Niger | The west African country closed its airspace on Sunday until further notice, citing the threat of military intervention from a regional bloc after coup leaders rejected a deadline to reinstate the country's ousted president.Film | Barbie has broken the US$1bn mark since its debut more than two weeks ago. Barbie is now the biggest movie to be directed by one woman, supplanting Wonder Woman's $821.8m global total, and Greta Gerwig is the first woman to reach the US$1bn as a solo female director.Sinead O'Connor | A fleeting installation honouring Sinead O'Connor has been unveiled on a hillside overlooking the Irish seaside town of Bray, where she is to be buried on Tuesday. A message in 30ft-tall letters spelling out EIRE SINEAD" appeared on Sunday. Continue reading...

Clean-up operations continue after rainfall destroys infrastructure and floods entire districts in aftermath of Typhoon DoksuriAt least 14 people are dead after torrential rain hit China's north-eastern Jilin province, state media has reported, in the latest fatalities from more than a week of weather-related disasters across the country.Thousands of troops have been sent into affected areas of Jilin and neighbouring Heilongjiang to assist with the flood response, evacuations, distributing supplies and fixing damaged roads. State media outlet Xinhua said about 2,000 soldiers and 5,000 members of the People's Armed Police paramilitary force had been deployed. Continue reading...

NSW minister says the number of brumbies is too high and needs to be reduced to save threatened species in the Snowy Mountains

Release of contaminated water from the damaged nuclear plant has been criticised by fishers and countries in the regionJapan plans to start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean as soon as late August, Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported on Monday, citing unnamed government sources.The release is likely to come shortly after the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, meets the US president, Joe Biden, and the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, next week in the US, where Kishida planned to explain the safety of the water in question, it reported. Continue reading...

This video 'hyperlapse' follows the 145km Canberra Centenary Trail. The journey starts at the doors of Parliament House, invades the pitch at a Big Bash cricket match, and culminates with a stunning ride in a hot air balloon. It took videographer David Fanner a year to complete the project. He told the Guardian his aim was to 'capture the immersive experiences of a long-distance hike in a way the typical highlight reel approach doesn't'. He said he also wanted to showcase the stunning beauty that Canberra, in Ngunnawal and Ngambri country, has to offerSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube

Labour leader claims Conservatives' onshore turbine ban costs families 180 each and makes UK reliant on gas importsKeir Starmer has condemned the prime minister's climate policies, declaring the failure to invest in renewables such as wind turbines a gift to Putin".The Labour leader also described the Conservatives' onshore wind ban as ludicrous" and said it now means every family in the country is paying 180 more on their energy bills. Continue reading...

Invasive Species Council releases material showing contrast between original $133m plan to fully eradicate the ants and $89m revised work plan'

Campaigners voice hopes and fears for the rainforest before leaders of eight Amazon nations attend summit in BelemThousands of Indigenous activists and environmentalists have converged in one of the Amazon's biggest cities to voice their hopes and fears about the future of the world's biggest rainforest.The Brazilian city of Belem will this week host a two-day conclave bringing together the presidents of eight Amazon nations including Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. Continue reading...

Environment secretary says party is still committed to net zero, after Rishi Sunak's promise to max out' gas and oil reservesThe Conservative party has not given up its green agenda, the environment secretary has said.Therese Coffey said the party must show that it cared about the environment and insisted that despite the noise over the last week", the government was still committed to reaching net zero by 2050. Continue reading...

Over 80 public figures tell museum's director it would send a powerful message' on fossil fuel sponsorshipThe British Museum is facing demands to remove BP's name from its lecture theatre to send a powerful message" about fossil fuel sponsorship.The museum did not renew its deal with the energy firm this year after 27 years of BP funding exhibitions and other activities. Continue reading...

Jeff Goodell, author of The Heat Will Kill You First, found engine of planetary chaos' in travels from Antarctica to CaliforniaRacism is at the heart of the American government's failure to tackle the growing threat of deadly heatwaves, according to the author of an authoritative new book on the heating planet.Jeff Goodell, an award winning climate journalist, told the Guardian that people of color - including millions of migrant workers who are bearing the brunt of record-breaking temperatures as farmhands, builders and delivery workers - are not guaranteed lifesaving measures like water and shade breaks because they are considered expendable. Continue reading...

Human-caused climate disruption and El Nino push temperature in mountains to 37CExceptional winter heat in the Andean mountains of South America has surged to 37C, prompting local scientists to warn the worst may be yet to come as human-caused climate disruption and El Nino cause havoc across the region.The heatwave in the central Chilean Andes is melting the snow below 3,000 metres (9,840ft), which will have knock-on effects for people living in downstream valleys who depend on meltwater during the spring and summer. Continue reading...

Lowering pollution produced by houses, offices and factories is just as crucial as tackling vehicle emissionsImposing strict controls on car exhausts will only partially improve the quality of air people breathe in the UK, scientists have said. New measures to counter emissions of nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants will also be needed for buildings, heating plants and many other domestic and industrial sources in future.The warning follows the controversy that has surrounded London's ultra low emission zone (Ulez) in which drivers are charged for their vehicles' polluting impact. This month the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will expand the zone from inner London so it covers all boroughs in the city. The decision has provoked opposition from some drivers and was blamed by various Labour party figures for the Conservatives surprise byelection win in Uxbridge and South Ruislip last month. Continue reading...

Athletes competing on stretch of UK coastline where reduced water quality at centre of dispute over sewage dischargesAt least 57 people fell ill with sickness and diarrhoea after competing in sea swimming events at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Sunderland, health officials confirmed this weekend.About 2,000 people participated in the events last weekend, which included a swim off Sunderland's blue flag Roker beach. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it would be testing samples from those who were ill to establish the cause of the illness and any common pathogens. Continue reading...

Hotter summers are making it increasingly difficult to keep cool in what are basically like little ovens' as staff battle discomfortAs tortillas warm on the grill at Los Pookies - an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based food truck best known for its birria tacos - a swamp cooler blasts cool air and extractor fans try their best to suck the heat out of the metal trailer.But when temperatures in New Mexico hit the 100s in early July, owner Luis Dominguez says, the fans didn't feel like enough: so he completely removed the food truck's front window. Unlike air conditioning, swamp coolers, which use fans and water to create chilly air, actually perform better with increased circulation. Dominguez hoped taking out the window and opening the trailer's back door would let in more fresh air and improve ventilation for his staff. Continue reading...

Industry figures warn climate crisis goals cannot be met unless government pumps more money into renewablesBritain faces being left with no hope of meeting its crucial climate crisis goals and losing its status as a world leader in offshore wind energy without an urgent overhaul of government support, ministers are being warned.The sudden halting of one of the country's biggest offshore windfarm projects last month could signal a tipping point" in the construction of new sites unless ministers intervene, a number of senior energy industry figures told the Observer. Continue reading...

Plans to construct accommodation for students near wildlife oasis have sparked a row between conservationists and the collegeDusk is falling over Paradise nature reserve on the banks of the river Cam. Half a dozen bats burst out from their hiding places in the rare wet woodland, dipping and diving merrily through the darkening evening sky.With impeccable timing, a punt full of tourists on a bat safari" glides into view. The tiny 2.2 hectare reserve protects the river corridor between Cambridge city centre and Grantchester Meadows and boasts eight species of bat, including the rare and endangered barbastelle, along with voles, herons, kingfishers and otters. Renowned locally for its muddy paths past canopies of mature willow and alder trees, rich marshland and unique riparian habitats, it has been popular with Cambridge students, college dons and the town's nature-lovers for centuries. Continue reading...

Bureau of Meterology says most of the country is likely to be warmer than average, but El Nino pattern is hard to predict with certainty

Jody Freeman was a board member at the fossil fuel firm for over 10 years and received more than $350,000 a year in salary and stocksJody Freeman, a renowned environmental lawyer at Harvard University, has stepped down from a highly-paid role at the oil and gas giant ConocoPhillips, following months of public scrutiny and pressure from climate activists.I've stepped off the ConocoPhillips board to focus on my research at Harvard and make space for some new opportunities," she wrote on her website on Thursday. Continue reading...

Organisers of Stranraer oyster festival say shell of every eaten mollusc will be returned to bed in Loch RyanOrganisers of next month's Stranraer oyster festival have promised to recycle the shell of every mollusc consumed at the three-day event to help grow the last remaining wild, native oyster bed in Scotland.With about 12,000 oysters consumed last year, the circular collection scheme will ensure that this year's shells are returned to the protected bed on the shores of Loch Ryan, a few miles north of Stranraer. This reduces waste from the festival and also creates valuable shell habitat for young oysters. The native variety, Ostrea edulis, has been almost wiped out in UK waters by overfishing and seabed trawling. Continue reading...

Outdoor adventurers return to national park after ruling in appeal that restored right to wild campOutdoor adventurers have laced up their hiking boots and headed back on to Dartmoor to celebrate the restoration of the right to wild camp in the only national park in England where such a freedom exists.Adrian Partridge was among those spending a night under the stars to commemorate the court ruling on Monday. Partridge, 63, camped on Dartmoor on Thursday night with his son Oli, 22, who suggested the trip after the judgment. Continue reading...

Chevron component approved even though it could cause cancer in virtually every person exposed over a lifetime

City leaders say UK capital's scheme to improve air quality is inspiring and explain their own measuresMayors from cities around the globe have urged Sadiq Khan to stay strong in the face of harsh criticism of his clean air policies.The Conservative party narrowly held the constituency of Uxbridge in a recent byelection, with its victory attributed partly to opposition to the London mayor's upcoming extension of the capital's ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez). A culture war over the role of cars in cities has erupted which has included arch comments from Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, who suggested his party was doing something very wrong". Continue reading...

Climate activist pulls out of event, saying sponsor Baillie Gifford invests heavily in fossil fuel industryThe climate activist Greta Thunberg has pulled out of an appearance at the Edinburgh book festival, accusing its lead sponsor of greenwashing".Thunberg was scheduled to speak at the 3,000-seat Playhouse theatre to discuss her appeal for climate action, It's Not Too Late to Change the World, as part of a series of climate positive" events at this year's festival. Continue reading...

Average daily surface temperature of 20.96C breaks 2016 record, with experts saying warmest month for oceans to comeThe surface temperature of the world's oceans has hit its highest ever level as climate breakdown from burning fossil fuels causes the oceans to heat.Global average daily sea surface temperatures (SST) hit 20.96C this week, breaking the record of 20.95C reached in 2016, according to the Copernicus climate modelling service. Continue reading...

Move comes as campaigners call for wider access to land after court of appeal ruling on Dartmoor case says activity is lawful

Noaa and marine rescue groups work together in effort to preserve Florida's reefs as rising water temperatures cause concernA race is under way in Florida to rescue corals that are being bleached at alarming rates as a result of this summer's historic heatwaves and rising water temperatures.In recent months, marine rescue organizations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) have partnered to save coral and preserve Florida's reefs amid record-high ocean temperatures and an earlier-than-usual mass bleaching event. Continue reading...

Energy networks commissioner calls for action to ease backlog of renewables projectsHomeowners in Britain should be paid generous" compensation if they agree to have power lines built nearby in order to help speed the transmission of electricity from new generation projects, a government-commissioned report has urged.The document from the government's first energy networks commissioner, Nick Winser, calls for new power linesto be built twice as fast to ease the decade-long backlog of renewable energy projects waiting to connect to the grid. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including wildfires, kangaroos and a bear in a jacuzzi Continue reading...

Transparency would help MPs weigh up predicted wars, water shortages and supply chain collapses against every new coal and gas approval'

Families worry about where their children will go during the summer as crumbling playgrounds are left in disrepair

West African country is enduring hard times - and critics say plan to import liquefied natural gas will only make things worseJohn Gakpo has milled corn to make kenkey - a cornmeal dumpling and Ghana's staple food - in a dimly lit wooden shack in a suburb of the capital, Accra, for 15 years.In the past, his earnings have been sufficient to provide for his family - but not any more. Continue reading...

Exclusive: hundreds of consultants, GPs and others write to Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan over Labour's position on UlezHundreds of doctors have urged politicians to stand firm on initiatives to tackle air pollution, warning that they see its devastating health consequences" in patients on a daily basis.Air pollution is the single largest environmental risk to public health, linked to between 28,000 and 36,000 UK deaths a year. The estimated cost to the NHS and social care of air pollutants is estimated to be 1.6bn between 2017 and 2025.

Defence plan to build housing at Lee Point/Binybara put on hold after calls for habitat of Gouldian finches and black-footed tree rat to be protected

New analysis of Environment Agency data by Lib Dems shows more than 100 systems are faultyAn increasing number of sewage monitors in England's swimming spots are broken, new analysis has shown, meaning unknown quantities of raw sewage may be present in bathing waters.New analysis of 2022 Environment Agency data by the Liberal Democrats has shown that more than 100 sewage monitors in bathing waters were faulty. This is an increase on 2021, when 88 of the monitors were broken. Continue reading...

Capital's mayor moves to reduce political fallout over scheme's extension after Tory byelection win in UxbridgeSadiq Khan has expanded the grant scheme for London's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to cover any household with a heavily polluting car or motorbike, spending an extra 50m after intense pressure over the political fallout of the plan.The revised proposals, announced on Thursday, also notably increase the scrappage payments available for non-compliant vans owned by sole traders and small firms, as well as for minibuses and wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Continue reading...

Cactuses are commonly assumed to be made to endure scorching heat, but even they have their limits, as has been shown recentlyAfter recording the warmest monthly average temperature for any American city ever in July, Phoenix climbed back up to dangerously high temperatures on Wednesday. That could mean trouble not just for people but for some of the region's plants, too.Residents across the sprawling metro are finding the extended extreme heat has led to fried flora. Nurseries and landscapers are inundated with requests for help with saguaros or fruit trees that are losing leaves. Continue reading...

Heavy rain has hit China after Typhoon Doksuri, which has caused flooding that has destroyed roads, uprooted trees and knocked out power. Torrential rain in areas around Beijing has killed at least 20 people and left 27 missing. Thousands of people were evacuated to shelters in schools and other public buildings in suburban Beijing and in the nearby cities of Tianjin and Zhuozhou