Regional voters are often stereotyped so I propose a new demographic category ahead of the election: conservative, uncommitted rural voters with environmental sympathies

Laura Leaf had a sick possum for company when she spent three nights in a spare room at Mallory Wilson's Nerang home

Number of animals affected by neurological toxin increases in past week as experts warn of impact from climate crisisThe number of marine mammals in California affected by a neurological toxin from algae has surged in the past week, in what could be another deadly year for animals such as sea lions, seals, dolphins and larger whales.According to the Marine Mammal Care Center, a rescue facility based in Sausalito, California, the facility is treating more than 30 animals affected by a toxic algal bloom, with eight animals admitted on Wednesday. The algae bloom off the California coast has been on the rise in recent years, producing a neurological toxin called domoic acid. Continue reading...

They prefer to carry branches in their teeth, like dogs. And when they swim, they hold their front paws to their chests, like a severe governess in a Victorian novelThe heads of beavers, large rodents known for building dams, are their own kind of highly complex dam structure, with various retractable walls that let water in or keep it out. They can close valves in their nostrils and ears and a special membrane over their eyes; their epiglottis, the flap that stops water entering the lungs, is inside their nose instead of their throat; they use their tongue to shield their throats from water; and their lips to shield their mouths - their lips can close behind their front teeth. Their teeth are rust-orange, because they are strengthened with iron.Their back feet are webbed like a duck's; on land, their front feet act like hands, digging, grasping and carrying things from the riverbed to the surface - rocks, for example, tucked under their chins and cradled by their arms. When they swim, they do so while holding their front paws to their chests, like a severe governess in a Victorian novel, or a child pretending to be a rabbit. They prefer to carry branches in their teeth, like dogs. The biggest beavers weigh 50kg.As boats will sometimes lie along the shore,

Biodiversity is great in theory, but there are reasons to fend off invasive species and the knock-on effect of their presenceBritain would be a wasteland if it weren't for immigration. Fifteen thousand years ago, most of the country was buried a kilometre deep in ice - not ideal conditions for life. That all changed as we moved out of the last ice age into the current, milder climate phase. The ice sheets retreated, leaving an empty landscape for anything with the wherewithal to seize the opportunity and move in. Tens of thousands of species did, mainly heading north from the European continent to which Britain was then joined. The result was a native biota where almost every species is an immigrant. Our ancestors were among them.Immigration is a natural process, but it's one that has been fundamentally changed thanks to humanity's wanderlust. As we've moved around the world we have taken many other species along with us - some deliberately, some accidentally - to areas they couldn't have reached without our assistance. These include many of the most familiar denizens of the British countryside. Grey squirrel, ring-necked parakeet, horse chestnut, rhododendron - none of these would be in Britain if they hadn't been brought by people. They are what ecologists call aliens. Anywhere people live you'll also find aliens.Tim Blackburn is professor of invasion biology at University College London and author of The Jewel Box: How Moths Illuminate Nature's Hidden Rules

Rainfall in Bahia Blanca led to 10 deaths, swept away vehicles, destroyed bridges and left areas underwaterThe city of Bahia Blanca in Argentina had a new rainfall record on Friday, after a recent heatwave. More than 400mm (15.7in) of rain was recorded in just eight hours, more than twice the city's previous record of 175mm set in 1930, and roughly equivalent to a year's worth of rainfall.The heatwave primed the atmosphere for heavy rainfall by creating high instability and raising humidity levels. Then on Friday, as a cold front swept across the region, this warm moist air was able to rise, cool and rapidly condense, leading to severe thunderstorms across the region. As the front then continued northwards towards Buenos Aires over the weekend, further severe storms were triggered, containing heavy rain, hail and strong gusts. Continue reading...

Pfas are poisoning our soil and polluting our lungs. The EPA is finally sounding the alarm - but that's not enough

Two Italian cacti smugglers have been fined for illegally trading plants from Chile - and for the cost of restoring the environment. Conservationists hope more cases will followChile's Atacama desert is one of the driest places on Earth, a surprisingly cool environment, sucked clean of moisture by the cold ocean to the west. This arid, golden landscape is home to many rare species of cacti, which attract professional and amateur botanists from around the world keen to make discoveries and experience the thrill of naming a new species.But they are not the only ones prowling the sands: Atacama has become a hotspot for succulent smuggling. Continue reading...

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The toxic Tasmanian salmon industry has gone too far this time

Bureau urged to review its systems after Fraser Coast mayor says Hervey Bay was pelted with 260mm of rain after being told it was not in firing line

Chris Minns stresses that the New South Wales evacuation centres set up for people fleeing flooding will be closed once the immediate threat from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred is over. The premier says his government contributed $5bn for social housing in its last budget. 'Evacuation centres are not going to be long-term solutions for homelessness on the northern rivers,' he says. 'And I just want to be really transparent and clear ... They can't operate longer than they were intended to'

Environment secretary points to measures to stop lake being choked by unacceptable levels' of pollutionThe government has said it will clean up Windermere" after criticism over the volume of sewage being pumped into England's largest lake.The environment secretary, Steve Reed, pledged only rainwater" would enter the famous body of water in the Lake District, putting an end to the situation where it Windermere was being choked by unacceptable levels of sewage pollution". Continue reading...

Damage to trees in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene was extraordinary and humbling' but urban areas face particular problemsThe city of Asheville and its surrounding areas have been left vulnerable to floods, fires and extreme heat after Hurricane Helene uprooted thousands of trees that provided shade and protection from storms.Helene was catastrophic for the region's trees - in part due to the heavy precursor rainstorm that pounded southern Appalachia for two days straight, drenching the soil before Helene hit, bringing yet more heavy rain and 60-100mph winds. Continue reading...

Millions of people in northern NSW and south-east Queensland are bunkering down for dangerous conditions including flash flooding, heavy rain and intense winds after the storm now downgraded to a tropical low crossed the coast

In the Zuleta community in Ecuador, farming is about more than just sustenance: it is about cultivating a deep relationship with the land based on ancestral knowledge. In her travels in the region, Colombo-Ecuadorian photographer Yinna Higuera collaborates with rural women, who in exchange share their understanding of medicinal plants and give her leaves from their gardens. In her Traces series, which has been shortlisted for a Sony world photography award, Higuera uses chlorophyll printing to superimpose the women's portraits on banana leaves, vegetables and herbs. Each of these women has a unique story," she says, yet they all share a profound bond with the land. Through these portraits, my goal is to make their strength and wisdom visible, honouring their role as stewards of the earth."

BoM path tracker shows ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred reaching mainland between Maroochydore and Brisbane

Biden-era suit sought to curb emissions of the carcinogen chloroprene at Denka plant formerly owned by DuPontThe Donald Trump administration has formally agreed to drop a landmark environmental justice case in Louisiana's Cancer Alley" region, marking a blow to clean air advocates in the region and a win for the Japanese petrochemical giant at the centre of the litigation.Legal filings made public on Friday morning reveal that Trump's Department of Justice agreed to dismiss a long-running lawsuit against the operators of a synthetic rubber plant in Reserve, Louisiana, which is allegedly largely responsible for some of the highest cancer risk rates in the US for the surrounding majority-Black neighborhoods. Continue reading...

Bob Brown Foundation's drone footage appears to show farm workers pumping live salmon into a tub carrying dead fish and then sealing it

Trump pulls out of Cop28 loss and damage deal that recognises harms done by richer, polluting economies to vulnerable nationsThe Trump administration has withdrawn the US from a global agreement under which the developed nations most responsible for the climate crisis pledged to partly compensate developing countries for irreversible harms caused by global heating.The loss and damage fund was agreed at the Cop28 UN climate summit in late 2023 - a hard-won victory after years of diplomatic and grassroots advocacy by developing nations that bear the brunt of the climate crisis despite having contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions. The fund signalled a commitment by developed, polluting countries to provide financial support for some of the irreversible economic and noneconomic losses from sea level rise, desertification, drought and floods already happening. Continue reading...

Government considering such a move over state-owned firm set up by Labour in June's spending review, say reports

Council of Europe says Swiss government failing to respect human rights court's ruling on emissions

Using high-definition camera traps on trails in Congo's Nouabale-Ndoki national park, Will Burrard-Lucas, a photographer for the Wildlife Conservation Society, has captured Africa's most elusive and rarely seen animals Continue reading...

Investor-state dispute settlements don't just mean growing debt burdens for countries: they are also a barrier to action on the climate crisisDonald Trump has thrown a hand grenade into the global economic architecture, destroying some things that are working well. But amid the devastation, some things seem to be surviving that really should be taken down. Among the most notable of these is an arcane set of international agreements by which private investors can sue governments, known as ISDS: investor-state dispute settlement. These disputes are litigated not in public courts with impartial judges but in private arbitration - behind closed doors, and rife with conflicts of interest.Early on, when they were snuck into many trade agreements, no one paid much attention. For instance, these provisions in Nafta, the so-called free trade agreement between the US, Mexico, and Canada, never got a discussion within the cabinet while I served in the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton when Nafta got adopted. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Cameras stationed by Swellnet to monitor swells on Australia's east coast show the difference a couple of days can make when a tropical cyclone like Alfred approaches. The cameras record how eight beaches, in Queensland and New South Wales, change from Monday to Thursday. Continue reading...

Cyclone Alfred formed in the Coral Sea towards the end of February when sea surface temperatures were almost 1C hotter than usual

Cyclone Alfred is heading for the south-east Queensland coast, causing high winds and big surf. It's expected to make landfall late on Friday or early Saturday between Noosa and Coolangatta.Alfred's slow progress to the mainland could prolong already severe conditions to the south of its projected path, particularly in parts of the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales

Drop in line with rate of overall insect loss as scientists point to habitat loss, pesticide use and the climate crisisButterflies may be among the most beloved of all creatures, routinely deified in art and verse, but they are in alarming decline in the United States with populations plummeting by a fifth in just the past two decades, according to the most comprehensive study yet of their fortunes.The abundance of butterflies in the US slumped 22% between 2000 and 2020, the new analysis of more than 76,000 mostly regional surveys, published in Science, found. For every five butterflies fluttering daintily around at the start of the century, just four remain today. Continue reading...

Caroline Cotto's research group taste-tests meat alternatives so plant-based companies can attract new customers - and help the climateI am sitting in a Manhattan restaurant on a frigid Thursday in January, eating six mini servings of steak and mashed potatoes, one after another. The first steak I am served has a nice texture but is sort of unnaturally reddish. The second has a great crispy sear on the outside, but leaves behind a lingering chemical aftertaste. The next is fine on its own, but I imagine would be quite delicious shredded, drenched in barbecue sauce and served on a bun with vinegary pickles and a side of slaw.If you peeked into this restaurant, you'd see nothing out of the ordinary - just a diverse range of New Yorkers huddled over plates of food. But everyone present is here for more than just a hot meal. We're participating in a blind taste test of plant- (or sometimes mushroom-) based steaks, organized by a group of people who hope that better-tasting meat alternatives just might be a key to fighting the climate crisis. Continue reading...

Murray Auchincloss paid 5.4m in 2024 as oil company ditched green investment strategyBP cut the pay of its chief executive after a chastening year in which the British oil company missed profit targets and ditched its green investment strategy as it came under pressure from a US-based activist investor.Murray Auchincloss's pay decreased by 30% to 5.4m for 2024, according to the company's annual report published on Thursday. Continue reading...

The term polycrisis' has gained traction as we face one disaster after another. It's overwhelming - but diagnosing the catastrophe is the first step to addressing itTwo months into 2025, the sense of dread is palpable. In the US, the year began with a terrorist attack; then came the fires that ravaged a city, destroying lives, homes and livelihoods. An extremist billionaire came to power and began proudly dismantling the government with a chainsaw. Once-in-a-century disasters are happening more like once a month, all amid devastating wars and on the heels of a pandemic.The word unprecedented" has become ironically routine. It feels like we're stuck in a relentless cycle of calamity, with no time to recover from one before the next begins. Continue reading...

Move to expand landfill for US hazardous waste stirs disputes between leaders in Quebec and Montreal suburbThe proposed expansion of a Quebec landfill that accepts hazardous waste from the United States has ignited a turf war between the Quebec provincial government and local leaders, who say they oppose putting US trash into a local peat bog.Local leaders are protesting against the move - saying the province is capitulating to a US company in the midst of a tariff war between Canada and the United States. Continue reading...

Exclusive: More than 3,000 critically endangered Baw Baw frogs set free in a high-altitude forest to bolster dwindling population

As chief scientist says state should drop zero tolerance', former EPA official says many problems could be solved during demolition process

Companies can sue governments for closing oilfields and mines - and the risk of huge damages is already stopping countries from passing green laws, ministers say

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Vow in 2020 aimed to keep shot out of human food chain but study finds most game carcasses still contain leadA voluntary promise to phase out toxic lead shot in the UK has failed, meaning wildlife and human health are being put at risk, a study has found.The vow, made in February 2020 by the UK's nine leading game shooting and rural organisations, aimed to benefit wildlife and the environment and keep toxic lead out of the human food chain. They aimed to phase lead shot out by 2025, and hoped to avoid a full government ban. It is recommended birds are shot with non-toxic cartridges made of metals such as steel instead. Continue reading...

Only 20 miles from Italy's capital, Isola Sacra was ignored for years but now Royal Caribbean has plans to turn it into a major new portOn a cloudy day in January, Isola Sacra, a hamlet in Fiumicino, 20 miles from Rome, does not look like a place that would attract masses of tourists. Low-rise family homes with small gardens alternate with meadows and fields and life has the sedate pace of a provincial town.An old lighthouse now lies in ruins and not far away is the darsena dei bilancioni, the beach that takes its name from the stilt houses, or bilancioni, once used for fishing. Continue reading...

Scientists called the news particularly worrying' because ice reflects sunlight and cools the planetGlobal sea ice fell to a record low in February, scientists have said, a symptom of an atmosphere fouled by planet-heating pollutants.The combined area of ice around the north and south poles hit a new daily minimum in early February and stayed below the previous record for the rest of the month, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday. Continue reading...

Wildlife experts claim nutria, which destroy habitats with voracious eating habits, taste like rabbit or dark turkey meatWildlife officials are encouraging California residents to add a rodent to their daily diet as part of efforts to control the invasive species' population.The nutria, a large, semi-aquatic rodent native to South America, is threatening the state's ecosystems by destroying habitats and outcompeting native wildlife. The nutria's harmful impacts have prompted wildlife officials to promote hunting and consumption as possible solutions. Continue reading...

Group claims regulator signed off on broken system' making customers pay for industry's neglectAn environmental group is to take legal action against Ofwat, the water regulator, accusing it of unlawfully making customers pay for decades of neglect by the water industry.River Action will file the legal claim this month, arguing that bill rises for customers that have been approved by the regulator could be used to fix infrastructure failures that should have been addressed years ago. Continue reading...

Plaintiffs say Florida Crystals' farming method that blights minority neighborhoods belies its climate-friendly claimsA major sugar company has been accused of harmful environmental practices while claiming to be a leader in the fight against the climate crisis, in a class-action lawsuit filed on Wednesday.Florida Crystals, one of the US's biggest sugar firms, and its parent company, the Fanjul Corporation, are accused of deceiving consumers and endangering public health by continuing to use environmentally harmful pre-harvest burning. Continue reading...

Gas and oil industry cautiously welcomes government proposals that could ease tax burden on sectorThe UK government has unveiled proposals that could ease the tax burden on the offshore oil and gas sector but confirmed that it would also ban new drilling licences as part of a pledge to unleash the North Sea's clean energy future".The windfall" tax on North Sea drillers, introduced in 2022 to help support households facing rising energy bills after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, would be scrapped from 2030, the Treasury confirmed on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Conservationists say the rodents will fix ecosystems and bring wildlife back to wetlands

Guardian investigation had revealed gas emissions could be linked to cognitive impairment in children living nearby

He is surrounded by people who have grandiose plans and dreams beyond our planet. Vengeful nihilism is a big part of the Maga projectIn thinking about the war being waged against life on Earth by Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their minions, I keep bumping into a horrible suspicion. Could it be that this is not just about delivering the world to oligarchs and corporations - not just about wringing as much profit from living systems as they can? Could it be that they want to see the destruction of the habitable planet?We know that Trump's overriding purpose is power. We have seen that no amount of power appears to satisfy his craving. So let's consider power's ultimate destination. It is to become not only an emperor, but the last of the emperors: to close the chapter on civilisation. It is to scratch your name indelibly upon a geological epoch. Look on my works, ye vermin, and despair.George Monbiot is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Another day, another health scare. I'm struggling to know which dangers I should take seriouslyIf you want to stir up online controversy, wooden spoons are the perfect tool with which to do so. Every few years, influencers go viral with warnings about how the wooden spoons in your kitchen are covered in disgusting gunk and if you don't boil them immediately you will poison yourself and everyone you love.In 2023, for example, a woman called Lulaboo Jenkins posted a TikTok video of her boiling spoons. Millions of people watched the water turn brown and it triggered a deep-cleaning craze. The Guardian's Tim Dowling had a go, detailing the results in an article that prompted more than 1,000 comments. Who knew spoons could inspire such a feverish response? (Well, Jenkins, I suppose.) Continue reading...

Guardian analysis finds fossil-fuel and mining firms have won $92bn of public money from states, with a growing number of cases backed by financial speculatorsRead more: Fearing toxic waste, Greenland ended uranium mining. Now, they could be forced to restart - or pay $11bnFinancial speculators are investing in a growing number of lawsuits against governments over environmental laws and other regulations that affect profits, often generating lucrative awards, the Guardian has found.For a long time, litigation finance thrived primarily in the realm of car crashes and employment claims. Had an accident that wasn't your fault?" was the industry's billboard catchphrase, offering to finance lawsuits in exchange for a cut of any payout. Continue reading...

The plant multiplies quickly, is rich in vitamins, and eaten across Asia. Why isn't it on supermarket shelves?In the summer sun, duckweed (Wolffia globosa) can be a menace. It grows so fast it covers a pond in a few days, blocking out the light for the life below. But it is this ability to multiply and its high nutritional value that has made it a potentially valuable food.Although commonly eaten in Asia, where varieties of duckweed are also known as water lentils or watermeal, it has taken nearly 10 years for scientists to convince the European Food Safety Authority that it is a vegetable that is safe to eat. Continue reading...