Blue-tongue lizards among species to get stronger international protections

A new Tourism and Conservation Alliance says doubling protected areas in the state will boost ecotourism and local economies

Talks stretch past deadline as governments are accused of trying to water down findingsThe world must abandon fossil fuels as a matter of urgency, rather than entrusting the future climate to untried “techno-fixes” such as sucking carbon out of the air, scientists and campaigners have urged, as governments wrangled over last-minute changes to a landmark scientific report.Talks on the final draft of the latest comprehensive assessment of climate science, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), stretched hours past their deadline on Sunday. Continue reading...

BushBank scheme aims to revegetate parcels of private land to create habitat for endangered wildlife and capture carbon

Grant Shapps says invasion is ‘wake-up call’ but onshore wind plan seems to have been scaled downA cabinet minister has rejected calls for the UK to consider rationing energy, as a plan to drastically increase onshore wind power also appeared to be significantly scaled back.The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had been a “massive wake-up call” for western nations about their dependence on imported oil and gas, which European countries are now trying to wean themselves off. Continue reading...

What are the pleasures and pitfalls of driving an electric car from Sydney to Melbourne and back? Guardian Australia’s economics correspondent Peter Hannam goes for a test drive. Plus: we hear from a wrestling champ who can’t compete, and about a new island forming in the Pacific

Just Stop Oil activists have been climbing on to tankers and glueing themselves to roads since FridayMore than 100 people have been arrested as climate change protesters continued to block UK oil terminals as part of a campaign to disrupt the fossil fuel industry.Supporters of Just Stop Oil began the action in the early hours of Friday morning at refineries near London, Birmingham and Southampton by climbing on to tankers and gluing themselves to roads. Continue reading...

Species moving north into Scotland as climate heats have been given names, as well as others introduced into countryA host of warm weather species moving north into Scotland have been given new Gaelic names, reflecting the subtle but significant environmental shifts brought by climate heating.Following work by dozens of lexicographers, naturalists and Gaelic artists, the firecrest, one of the UK’s tiniest birds, now luxuriates under the delicate Gaelic words for flaming, wee, little thing, or crìonag lasrach. Continue reading...

Talks ahead of the key Cop15 summit on halting mass extinction of life were slow – and much has been asked of the developing worldFor talks that are meant to be about halting the mass extinction of life on Earth, the slow pace of negotiations in Geneva ahead of Cop15, the major biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, later this year, was not a hopeful sign that meaningful action would follow. As discussions drew to a close this week, little progress was made on the targets and goals that are meant to herald nature’s “Paris moment”.Rhetoric from rich developed nations about the need for ambition on halting biodiversity loss was not being followed through with resources, negotiators from Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa complained. Continue reading...

Solar panels and cleaner-burning stoves have reduced dangers faced by residents of three camps“The camp has come from the dark into the light,” says Edson Sebutozi Munyakarambi, a refugee living in the Kigeme camp in southern Rwanda.“Before the solar-powered street lamps, the camp was dark. Some people would come and steal things from the houses,” says Munyakarambi, who chairs the committee that represents the 16,000 people in the camp. “But now no one can rob people on the street corners and the children can study or play outside while they wait for their dinner.” Continue reading...

Delayed strategy expected to focus less on onshore wind turbines in England amid Conservative backlashBoris Johnson wants his promised energy security strategy to “bet big” on nuclear despite Rishi Sunak’s reservations – but he has cooled on more onshore wind turbines in England amid a Conservative backlash.The prime minister is determined to press ahead with plans to build up to eight new nuclear power stations even though the chancellor has concerns about the cost, projected to reach more than £13bn. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Independent sources were seeing ‘a very concerning forecast’ at the same time as residents were headed for home

Activists climb on tankers and glue themselves to roads around London, Birmingham and SouthamptonHundreds of environmental protesters have blocked 10 oil terminals across the country as part of a campaign to paralyse the UK’s fossil fuel infrastructure.Early on Friday, supporters of Just Stop Oil began blockades at oil refineries around London, Birmingham and Southampton by climbing on top of tankers and gluing themselves to road surfaces. Continue reading...

Hedge fund manager Pierre Andurand is not believed to have made a political donation beforePriti Patel has accepted a £100,000 donation from a company run by one of the world’s most prominent oil traders.A new entry in the home secretary’s members’ interests register shows that she received the funds from Andurand Ventures Ltd. This company is run by Pierre Andurand, a leading oil trader. Continue reading...

Hundreds of climate change activists have blocked oil terminals across Britain, with some protesters climbing on top of oil tankers as part of their campaign to force the government to end the country's reliance on fossil fuels.Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil blocked refineries around London, Birmingham and Southampton on Friday.The protests are part of a planned series of protests against UK oil infrastructure. XR said the aim was to cause enough disruption 'to create a tipping point moment'

Russians leaving Chernobyl have taken Ukraine soldiers with them, say officials

African flamingo, who also goes by No 492, fled the Wichita county zoo in 2005 and was seen this month by a fishing guideIt’s been 17 years since Pink Floyd made a daring escape from a zoo in Kansas. Now the African flamingo – who also goes by No 492 – has been seen living the life of a fugitive 700 miles to the south, in Texas.The bird fled the Sedgwick county zoo in 2005 after keepers failed to clip its wings, the New York Times reported. The flamingo’s survival in the wild was unlikely – indeed, a buddy who also made it out, No 347, hasn’t been heard from since. But Pink Floyd, as No 492 was nicknamed by Texas officials, was spotted this month by a fishing guide, David Foreman, to his intense surprise.This article was amended on 1 April 2022. An earlier version said the flamingo had escaped from the Wichita county zoo. In fact it escaped from the Sedgwick county zoo, in Wichita. Continue reading...

Meghalaya state hopes for world heritage status for unique bridges, which can take decades to createIndia’s famous living bridges – the roots of trees coaxed and stretched into the form of a suspension bridge over a river – have been submitted to Unesco’s tentative list for the coveted world heritage site status.The mountainous state of Meghalaya in the north-east has more than 100 such bridges in 70 villages, unique structures created by a combination of nature and human ingenuity. Continue reading...

Range typically found in southern and central Europe is expanding north as climate warmsGiant orchids that can reach a metre tall have officially been found growing wild in the UK for the first time, having become established hundreds of miles north of their native range in the Mediterranean.The “stately” plants were discovered on a grassy slope near Didcot in Oxfordshire by Hamza Nobes, a 29-year-old trainee nurse, who wishes to keep the exact location a secret. Continue reading...

A band of 20-year-olds have made headlines disrupting football games, the Baftas and now oil facilities across the UK. But what do they want?

New law, which brings in fines of up to $22,000 and up to two years in jail, passes on extra sitting day of parliament

The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including a fluffy egret chick, escaped ostriches and migrating crabs Continue reading...

Local farmers and environment groups say Whitehaven’s project will drive further climate catastrophe

Clean Energy Council says Morrison government’s lack of ‘meaningful policies’ and leadership on climate could mark start of downturn

Government activates emergency plan to manage supplies and pleads with households and industry to be sparing with usage

With parks resembling wetlands thanks to persistent rain, the bin chicken has gone back to nature

UK project in conjunction with blindness charity aims to help people hear the near-silent vehiclesA universal sound for e-scooters is being developed by scientists at the University of Salford working with the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) to help pedestrians hear the oncoming vehicles.The silent motors of e-scooters can be dangerous for people who expect to be able to hear hazards approaching on roads and pavements, and the researchers have gained funding to explore a range of audible motor sounds to find one which is sufficiently noticeable to help safety, while being pleasant for those around, and avoiding unnecessary urban noise pollution. Continue reading...

The Climate Book will include contributions from scientist Katharine Hayhoe, economist Thomas Piketty and novelist Margaret AtwoodGreta Thunberg is releasing a new book this autumn, which aims to offer a “global overview of how the planet’s many crises connect”.“I have decided to use my platform to create a book based on the current best available science – a book that covers the climate, ecological and sustainability crises holistically”, Thunberg said in a statement. “Because the climate crisis is, of course, only a symptom of a much larger sustainability crisis. My hope is that this book might be some kind of go-to source for understanding these different, closely interconnected crises.” Continue reading...

Regulator gives gas exploration company another year to plug wells, amid UK energy security concernsThe UK’s oil and gas regulator has withdrawn a demand that the fracking firm Cuadrilla plug and abandon two wells in Lancashire, sparking accusations that the government is reopening the door to the controversial technology.Amid concerns about the UK’s energy security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Boris Johnson has appeared to waver over the government’s moratorium on fracking, which was imposed in 2019. Continue reading...

Rising costs threaten farms as NFU warns of huge drop in greenhouse crops such as cucumbersHundreds of egg producers are facing collapse as rising costs of fuel and energy combine with additional costs of keeping hens indoors during a bird flu outbreak.British free-range poultry farmers are calling on big retailers to increase the price of a dozen eggs by 40p as some smaller producers are already on the brink of shutting down. Continue reading...

Tragically, the Biden administration is choosing to expand the fossil fuel industry at this critical momentWe are spiraling further into climate and ecological breakdown. Now is the perfect moment to build out renewables and end the fossil fuel industry as if the future of humanity depends on it.Putin’s unprovoked and atrocious invasion of Ukraine has laid bare many things. One of these is our society’s precarious dependence on fossil fuels. Another is a burgeoning climate-driven food crisis. It’s time to phase out fossil fuels and industrial beef production with wartime resolve.Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist and author based in Los Angeles Continue reading...

Rainforests looked after by communities absorb twice as much carbon as other lands, analysis showsParis climate agreement goals will fail unless the rights of Indigenous people who protect rainforests are honoured, according to a new report.Forest lands stewarded by Indigenous people and communities in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru sequester about twice as much carbon as other lands, according to the analysis. Continue reading...

Data from 2021 released at same time as government plan to stop 40% of untreated sewage releases by 2040Water companies discharged raw sewage into English rivers 372,533 times last year, a slight reduction on the previous year.The water companies covering England released untreated sewage for a combined total of more than 2.7m hours; compared with 3.1m hours in 2020, according to data released by the Environment Agency (EA) on Thursday. Continue reading...

Investigation began after discovery of ‘deviated’ wells drilled from neighbouring properties

Peatlands hold double the carbon of the world’s forests, and scientists, gardeners and campaigners want a ban on peat salesMore than a third of all compost sold in the UK in 2021 was peat dug from carbon-rich habitats, new data has revealed.The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), which opposes a ban on peat sales, provided the figures in its response to a government consultation. The consultation proposes banning peat compost sales to gardeners by 2024 and ministers have said they aim to end sales to professional growers by 2028. An earlier voluntary goal of ending retail sales by 2020 failed. Continue reading...

Angus Rose, 52, has gone 17 days without food demanding meeting with minister Greg HandsA man has said he is willing to starve himself to death if the energy minister, Greg Hands, does not offer all MPs the same climate crisis briefing that Boris Johnson has described as his “road to Damascus moment”.For 17 days, Angus Rose, 52, has gone without food. Each morning he goes to Westminster to sit at the gates of parliament on a wooden folding chair, by a blown-up copy of a letter to Hands, in the hope the minister will meet him to talk. So far he has lost 10.9kg (1st 10lb) in weight but Hands has not shown up. Continue reading...

UK Export Finance used £5.24bn of taxpayer money to fund overseas energy and infrastructure ventures – despite its own review raising concernsThe British government has provided more than £5bn in the past three years to overseas energy and infrastructure projects linked to labour abuses and environmental damage, according to documents and interviews with workers.The funding – a combination of loans and guarantees – comes from the government’s export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), a government department to help UK companies access business contracts overseas. Continue reading...

Glaciers becoming ‘smaller and more skeletal’, annual end-of-summer survey of the snowline findsNew Zealand’s glaciers are becoming “smaller and more skeletal” due to the effects of climate change and scientists predict many could disappear within a decade.An annual end-of-summer survey that records the snowline of more than 50 South Island glaciers has revealed continued loss of snow and ice. Continue reading...

Unattributed extracts from an essay decrying renewables and electric vehicles are being used to undermine their environmental credentials

Pollution from wood burning causes half of all harm from home heating, but provides only 11% of heat, says public health groupThe air pollution from wood burning in homes is responsible for more than £1bn a year in health-related damages in the UK and €10bn (£8.5bn) across the EU, according to a report.The analysis from the European Public Health Alliance found the total costs of early deaths, illness and lost work resulting from outdoor air pollution produced by all home heating was €29bn a year. Continue reading...

More talks needed on targets to protect wildlife as developing countries call for payment for finds based on their biodiversity

Knock-on effect of rising gas prices, exacerbated by war in Ukraine, adding to cost of living crisis in UKThe UK government is to host a crisis planning meeting with farmers about rocketing fertiliser prices, as as ministers move to reduce the impact of rising costs on food production.Quotes for ammonium nitrate fertiliser prices have risen as high as £1,000 a tonne in recent weeks, compared with £280 a tonne a year ago. Continue reading...

Missing woman identified as Lismore’s levee overtops for second time in a month

Sightings of the leatherback turtle are rare in NSW and the species is considered endangered in the state

Heath fritillary among species helped by habitat restoration – but concerns over future remainSome of the UK’s most threatened butterflies weathered a poor year in 2021 thanks to conservation efforts, annual survey results have shown.The woodland-loving heath fritillary has doubled in abundance in the past decade, although it is 90% down on 1980 levels. The silver-studded blue also did well, recording its best year since 1996. Continue reading...

Swapping gas for zero-emission vehicles would also lead to 2.8m fewer asthma attacks and avoid 13.4m sick daysA speedy nationwide transition to electric vehicles powered by renewable energy would save more than 100,000 American lives and $1.2tn in public health costs over the next three decades, according to a new report.Analysis by the American Lung Association highlights the public health damage caused by the world’s dependence on dirty fossil fuels, and provides a glimpse into a greener, healthier future – should political leaders decide to act. Continue reading...

With waters breaching the Lismore levee, the SES has had to defend cancelling an evacuation order late on Tuesday

Rare white-tailed eagle had high level of rodenticide in its system but no further police action will be takenA rare white-tailed eagle found dead in Dorset was poisoned, police have confirmed – but they have shut the case, in a decision the RSPB has called “baffling”.The eagle was one reintroduced on the Isle of Wight, where a successful programme has been taking place since summer 2019. The white-tailed eagles had become extinct in the UK in the early 20th century after they were poisoned and shot by gamekeepers. Continue reading...

Kwasi Kwarteng pledges to turbo-charge investment in solar and wind power amid new energy security planThe business secretary has effectively ruled out a windfall tax on North Sea oil firms to fund discounted energy bills but promised much greater investment in solar panels, wind and nuclear to reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas.Speaking amid reports of a cabinet split over landmark energy security plans due to be published within days, Kwasi Kwarteng offered up a tax on oil companies, backed by Labour, as the one policy that definitely will not find favour with ministers. Continue reading...

Conservative Environment Network has 133 MPs in its ranks, while Net Zero Scrutiny Group has 19 publicly named membersHalf of Conservative backbench MPs are now in the party’s green group, after the former minister Jeremy Hunt announced he had joined.The Conservative Environment Network (Cen) now has 133 MPs, leading green-minded Tories to claim that those who do not want net zero are in the minority. There are 360 sitting Conservative MPs, but 95 are government ministers or whips and therefore ineligible to join Cen. Continue reading...