Windfall of $1bn shows state remains reliant on resources even amid renewables pushSurging coal prices will help to underwrite the upcoming Queensland budget. The state is expected to announce it has earned about $1bn more than initially forecast from royalties.

8 June 1961: A light-buoy, or beacon, which derives its power from the sun is being developed with some successA striking mark of faith in the British climate has been made by the engineers of Trinity House, who are developing with success a form of light-buoy or beacon which derives its power from the sun. Continue reading...

Dan Wenk is being used as an example to undermine culture of conservation, say former park service workersThe superintendent of Yellowstone national park says he has been forced out of his job by the Trump administration over his wildlife advocacy.“It’s a hell of a way to be treated at the end of four decades spent trying to do my best for the park service and places like Yellowstone, but that’s how these guys are,” said Dan Wenk, referring to the US interior department. “Throughout my career, I’ve not encountered anything like this, ever.” Continue reading...

Reef no longer among top 10 reasons for Australians to visit Cairns, says survey

Agriculture minister says climate is changing and Australia must ‘use the best science available’The agriculture minister, David Littleproud, says the climate is changing and the transition in the energy market – with renewables displacing traditional power generation sources – is “exciting, not only for the environment but for the hip pocket”.In an interview with Guardian Australia, the Queensland National said the climate had been changing “since we first tilled the soil in Australia” and he does not care whether the change is due to human activity or not. Continue reading...

A community of Mexican nuns have formed an unlikely partnership with British conservationists to save an endangered amphibian species. Achoques once thrived in Pátzcuaro, Mexico’s third largest lake, but they are now close to extinction due to introduced fish species and deforestation. The nuns, who use the lizard-like animal to create a special cough medicine, have been breeding them in their convent. The sisters are part of an official breeding network that includes Chester zoo in the UK and the Michoacana University of Mexico Continue reading...

Simon Crump, Benoit Compin and Fran Grace walk free after contempt of court ruling relating to city tree fellingThree tree campaigners have avoided jail after being found in contempt of court for demonstrating against tree-felling work in Sheffield.Simon Crump, Benoit Benz Compin, and Fran Grace were taken to court by the city’s council as part of a long-running dispute over the city’s plans to fell up to 17,000 trees. Continue reading...

Global retailer with 363 stores says it wants to help customers live more sustainablyIkea is to phase out all single-use plastic products from its stores and restaurants by 2020 amid growing concern about the effects of plastic on the environment.Ikea said plastic straws, plates, cups, freezer bags, bin bags, and plastic-coated paper plates and cups would all be phased out and where possible replaced by alternatives. Continue reading...

There’s a lot of fear around abandoning an industry that has been an economic driver for decades – yet the rest of the world is moving onToday, I will gratefully accept an honorary degree from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. This is special to me, as it’s where I spent some of my early years as a scientist and kicked off my career in broadcasting.

Government says scheme for Warragamba dam lessens flood risk for residents, but activists say it jeopardises wildlife and Aboriginal sitesConservationists have written to the Unesco requesting a moratorium on New South Wales government plans to raise the height of Warragamba dam, which could flood parts of the Blue Mountains world heritage area.The group of 14 signatories, led by the former NSW environment minister Bob Debus and including Bob Brown, Christine Milne, the Australia Conservation Foundation chair Paul Sinclair, and Gundungurra traditional owner Kazan Brown, wrote to the chair of Unesco’s world heritage committee last month warning that natural heritage values of the area would be “significantly degraded” if the proposal were to go ahead. Continue reading...

From the birth of cyclotourisme to moon landings and the rise of 1990s mountain biking these mechanical marvels have played a small but crucial roleIf your bike has gears, the chances are it also has derailleurs. These mechanical marvels which move the chain when you move up or down a gear may be a small part of the bicycle, but the myriad designs reveal a lot about the history of cycling. Over the nearly 40 years I’ve spent working in bike shops, I have collected about 1,400 rear derailleurs. Here are just 10 of the most influential, interesting or just plain weird.Le Chemineau, France, 1912 Continue reading...

Wolsingham, Durham: There are aphids, hoverflies, spiders and beetles, but where are the small ermine moth caterpillars?

The eagles – and four other protected species – are alleged to have been poisonedMore than 100 wedge-tailed eagles have been found on a farm in eastern Victoria, prompting a criminal investigation.Officers from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) found the carcasses on a property at Tubbut, which is on the edge of the Snowy River national park near the New South Wales border in East Gippsland. Continue reading...

Environment groups condemn legislation protecting feral horses in national parkAustralia has become a “global laughing stock” after the New South Wales parliament passed legislation to protect the heritage of feral horses in the Kosciuszko national park, environment groups say.The Berejiklian government, with support from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party and the Christian Democrats, passed the Kosciuszko wild horse heritage bill 2018 through the NSW Legislative Council late on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Nation’s two largest Islamic organisations will call on network of 100 million followers to reduce plastic waste and reuse bags

‘We defend Peter’s right to make statements … until we are blue in the face,’ says deputy vice chancellorA James Cook University boss says media reports about its sacking of controversial marine scientist Peter Ridd are “misleading and untrue” and that his academic freedom had always been upheld.

Traces of microplastics and hazardous chemicals found in majority of snow and ice samples taken earlier this yearPlastic and traces of hazardous chemicals have been found in Antarctica, one of the world’s last great wildernesses, according to a new study.Researchers spent three months taking water and snow samples from remote areas of the continent earlier this year. Continue reading...

Testing of 55 North Carolina lagoons showed large discrepancies in levels of key pollutants compared to what was self-reportedAuthorities in North Carolina have launched an investigation into widespread underreporting of dangerous toxins in dozens of feces-filled cesspools on giant hog farms that dot the eastern part of the state.Testing of 55 waste lagoons at 35 hog-raising operations by regulators showed large discrepancies in levels of key pollutants compared with what was self-reported to the state by farmers. Excessive nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, which can poison the water supply, were, in many cases, much higher than that reported by the farms. Continue reading...

Shoreline communities may be inundated in the next two years as ocean levels rise amid serious climate change concernsThe frequency of coastal flooding from high tides has doubled in the US in just 30 years, with communities near shorelines warned that the next two years are set to be punctuated by particularly severe inundations, as ocean levels continue to rise amid serious global climate change concerns.Related: Man missing after Maryland flash flood was helping woman rescue her cat Continue reading...

Shadow chancellor hopes to help persuade undecided MPs to vote against expansion planJohn McDonnell has joined Conservative rebels against Heathrow’s third runway to attempt to persuade MPs who may still have reservations about the project to vote against it. Continue reading...

Farmers and National party voters say they are ‘increasingly frustrated’ at the lack of action on climate changeFarmers have challenged National party claims that conditions in drought-stricken regions in eastern Australia should not be politicised by attributing them to climate change.Farmer and former Nationals leader John Anderson said this week that while the drought was the worst he had experienced, it was not unprecedented. Continue reading...

If Labor decides to finance infrastructure for the Carmichael mine, it would be a betrayal of trust and break a key election promise, say anti-coal protestersActivists say they will relaunch a disruption campaign targeting Queensland government ministers and MPs after reports the government has considered financing road upgrades required for access to Adani’s Carmichael coalmine.

A huge clean-up is returning the world’s highest mountain to its former gloryJust over two weeks ago I was standing on the roof of the world, both figuratively and literally. I was 8,848 metres up on the summit of Mount Everest. It was the culmination of many years’ hard work, and the realisation of a childhood dream.I have been overwhelmed by the tide of goodwill and support but one thing has become increasingly apparent. In many people’s minds, Everest has lost her crown. She has become a mountain synonymous with death, exploitation and pollution. Continue reading...

Farmers concerned by Michael Gove’s recent environmental overtures welcome Defra vowThe government will take steps to ensure farms can operate profitably after Brexit, the environment secretary has insisted, as MPs challenged ministers to keep taxpayer funding for agriculture after EU subsidies are withdrawn.Michael Gove said food production was at the heart of British farming. He told the all-party parliamentary environment group: “It would be impossible to sustain everything we value in rural Britain without thriving food production. And we need a balance [with environmental protection].” Continue reading...

Other new research shows diesel vehicles cause 88% of the £6bn annual damage to people’s health from car and van exhaust in the UKEmissions tests that are impossible for carmakers to cheat show that almost all diesel car models launched in Europe since the “dieselgate” scandal remain highly polluting.The test uses a beam of light to analyse the exhaust plume of a car as it passes and automatic number plate recognition to link the measurement to a specific model. More than 370,000 such measurements taken in the UK, France and other countries have been compiled into new rating system called The Real Urban Emissions Initiative (True) and made available to the public on Wednesday. Continue reading...

What is and isn’t being phased out? And how effective will the new policy be?By the end of June, most of Australia’s major supermarkets will have stopped handing out single-use plastic bags.Woolworths, Coles, and the Queensland and Western Australian governments are all phasing out lightweight shopping bags, potentially preventing billions of bags from finding their way into landfill or oceans. Continue reading...

State and federal governments to confirm that 14 lake sites have been earmarkedPumped hydro projects generating energy at twice the scale of the much-vaunted Snowy 2.0 scheme will be identified across Tasmania on Wednesday, with modelling suggesting the proposal could deliver thousands of jobs between now and 2028.The Turnbull and Hodgman governments will confirm that 14 pumped hydro sites have been earmarked across the state with a combined potential generation capacity of up to 4,800 megawatts. Continue reading...

Ranger mine, which ceases operations in 2021, releases plan for rehabilitation, but fails to mention town of 1,000Operators of a controversial uranium mine inside Kakadu national park have released their plans to close it, but make no mention of how the shutdown will affect the nearby town that has relied on the mine for its survival.The Ranger mine, which in its more than 30-year existence has had a number contamination and fire incidents, including one that prompted a six-month shutdown, will stop operations by January 2021 and close by January 2026. Continue reading...

Move piles pressure on European states scrambling to salvage nuclear dealIran has launched a plan to increase its uranium enrichment capacity with new centrifuges, raising the pressure on European diplomats scrambling to rescue the crumbling nuclear deal after the US pulled out.“If conditions allow, maybe tomorrow night at Natanz [plant], we can announce the opening of the centre for production of new centrifuges,” said the vice-president, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, according to conservative news agency Fars on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Tory splits mean government may have to rely on Labour and SNP to win parliamentary voteThe government has finally given the green light to the plan to build a third runway at Heathrow after years of delays and opposition from campaigners.The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, told MPs the announcement represented a “historic moment” that showed ministers had a clear vision to build “a Britain fit for the future”. Critics claim it will damage the environment and could end up costing the taxpayer billions. Continue reading...

The plan to expand Heathrow still faces hurdles, including environmental impacts and whether the sums add upHeathrow has long argued it is in effect full, with the number of flights capped on its two runways. Its contention is that only a major hub airport, with connecting flights adding passengers from around Britain, can sustain the long-haul route network that an island nation requires, particularly in regards to trade with emerging markets and the post-Brexit environment. It is a point of view shared by many business leaders and the Department for Transport. Most international airlines want to fly to Heathrow rather than other London airports, and most cargo goes the same way. Continue reading...

A third runway at Heathrow airport is ultimately indefensible on environmental groundsThe decision to go ahead with the third runway at Heathrow was taken two years ago; Chris Grayling’s confirmation yesterday marked the point when it seemed to its promoters that enough of the opposition on the ground had been defeated, so it was safe to proceed with a final vote in three weeks’ time. If that is won, and all goes according to plan, the bulldozers will go in around 2021, when the inevitable cycle of cost overruns and slipping deadlines can begin, 31 years after the project was first mooted. By then the UK may be two years into a lengthy “transitional” post-Brexit period, and the bright economic forecasts which are used to justify the plan may be no more use than hot air balloons.There is a case that air travel has made life better for many people and that more of it would continue to do so. Nearly two-thirds of Heathrow’s present traffic is leisure flying. Mass tourism has boosted the economy of many countries and greatly enlarged our experience of the world, and perhaps our sympathies as well. However unpleasant the experience of a modern airport can be, through which we are run like rats in a maze of shopping malls and security checks, it still seems better to many of us than being trapped in our own countries all year round. Heathrow as it stands today is an unimposing portal to Britain. Failing to expand it is simply sabotaging the country. Beyond that, the country is dependent, like all others, on air freight. So the plans for expansion are in some ways well motivated. We can even overlook the fact that they are promoted by Mr Grayling, a man notoriously unable to make even trains run on time. Continue reading...

Country will also introduce a campaign against marine litter and a pledge to make 100 national monuments litter-freeIndia will eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022, prime minister Narendra Modi has announced.The pledge is the most ambitious yet of the global actions to combat plastic pollution that are taking place in 60 nations around the world. Modi’s move aims to drastically stem the flow of plastic from the 1.3 billion people living in the fastest growing economy in the world. Continue reading...

Government has given the green light, but there are still many more potential obstaclesThe cabinet has endorsed as official policy a revised national policy statement on aviation, whose key point is to enable Heathrow expansion, specifically a third runway to the north-west of the existing airport. A wider vote will now take place within 21 sitting days in parliament, or by 10 July. Continue reading...

Judge seeks assurances that legal action was brought at behest of elected councillorsTree protesters in Sheffield are being taken to court on the orders of the council leader, a judge has heard.

Early this year, the South African government announced that Day Zero was looming – a moment, after three years of unprecedented drought, when dam levels would be so low that taps would be turned off and people would have to fetch water at communal collection points.

To celebrate World Environment day, Reuters photographers met people from Athens to Singapore trying to play their part as the war on plastics becomes a key political topic

Drivers continue to shun diesel in the face of environmental and tax concernsSales of plug-in hybrid cars soared by nearly three-quarters year on year in May, dramatically outstripping the 3.4% overall growth in new car registrations.Nearly 4,000 plug-in hybrids, which typically run for about 50 miles on a battery before a combustion engine kicks in, were bought last month, up from 2,301 in May 2017. Continue reading...

Ex-minister says opponents of third runway should be allowed to have their sayThe government must allow a free vote on Heathrow expansion plans to allow ministers and MPs to represent their constituents, the former education secretary Justine Greening has said.Greening, a fierce critic of the plans, said ministers such as Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, should be allowed to register their long-held opposition to a third runway without breaking collective cabinet responsibility. Continue reading...

Call for fisheries changes after study says excessive fishing mostly to blameThe number of large fish species in Australian waters has declined by 30% in the past decade, mostly due to excessive fishing, a new study says.Marine ecology experts are calling for changes to fisheries management after publication of the study by scientists from the University of Tasmania and the University of Technology (UTS), Sydney. Continue reading...

Reef monitoring program shows northern section has lost half of its coral coverA steep decline in coral cover right across the Great Barrier Reef is a phenomenon that “has not been observed in the historical record”, a new report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science says.

Sadiq Khan should take heed of the evidence and push on with the changes needed to keep cyclists safe on London’s roadsThe decay of London’s cycling programme is starting to cost lives. In the last three and a half weeks, three cyclists have been killed at locations where schemes to make the road safe, or provide a safe alternative route, have been watered down or stopped under the mayoralty of Sadiq Khan.On 11 May, Oliver Speke died after a collision two days earlier with a lorry at Romney Road, Greenwich. On 18 May, Edgaras Cepura was killed by a lorry on the same road, a mile or so to the east. There was supposed to have been a new cycle superhighway avoiding Romney Road by now, and a safe, segregated junction at the roundabout where Cepura was killed. Both schemes were postponed indefinitely after Khan came to office. Continue reading...

We urgently need consumers, business and governments to cut consumption of single-use, throwaway plastics, writes the UN Environment chiefPlastic pollution has grabbed the world’s attention, and with good cause.More than 100 years after its invention, we’re addicted. To pass a day without encountering some form of plastic is nearly impossible. We’ve always been eager to embrace the promise of a product that could make life cheaper, faster, easier. Now, after a century of unchecked production and consumption, convenience has turned to crisis. Continue reading...

Scheme in north-west England could aid grids as wind and solar power growsA pioneering project in north-west England will turn air into liquid for energy storage to help electricity grids cope with a growing amount of wind and solar power.The world’s first full-scale “liquid air” plant is based on a technology that advocates say is cheaper and able to provide power for longer periods than lithium-ion batteries. Continue reading...

Ben Lecomte hopes to make it from Japan to San Francisco in 180 days while raising awareness of plastic pollutionA French anti-plastic campaigner has begun a six-month journey to swim through the giant floating rubbish mass known as the Great Pacific garbage patch.

Garron Point, Aberdeenshire: The wailing of the birds created a wraparound atmosphere of such density and chaos that I was almost unbalanced by itBeyond Sandend village and the slow white waves running into its sunlit bay, there was this wilderness of guano-nourished grass and three northward-facing ribs of metamorphosed sedimentary rock. The latter were tilted on end and weathered along their joints, and the gulls on the raised slabs of ancient stone were spaced in heraldic assembly.Through the luxuriant hummocks by the cliff edge I manoeuvred with caution that was more than just fear of falling. The wailing of the birds created a wraparound atmosphere of such density and chaos that I was almost unbalanced by it. Continue reading...

$1bn project in Queensland’s Bowen basin to consist of almost 200 turbinesThe Queensland government has approved the country’s largest windfarm, a $1bn project to build almost 200 turbines in the shadow of the Bowen basin’s coalmines.The 800-megawatt Clarke Creek project, in cattle country north-west of Rockhampton, received planning approval on Tuesday morning. The company behind the project, Lacour Energy, says it will create about 350 jobs during three years of construction and has the capacity to provide 3% of the generation required to power the entire state. It also includes a solar component. Continue reading...

GMB chief launches campaign to return England’s nine water firms to national ownershipThe bosses of England’s privatised water companies have been criticised for banking £58m in pay and benefits over the last five years while customers have been faced with above-inflation rises in their water bills.The GMB union said the chief executives of England’s nine water and sewage companies were “fat cats” earning “staggering sums” from the management of a natural resource. Continue reading...

Transport secretary will set out proposals amid growing rift over expansion schemeChris Grayling is to confirm the government’s final plans for a third runway at Heathrow as the Tories prepare to impose a three-line whip in favour and Labour considers whether to remove its backing for the project.

Ministers reach initial agreement with Japanese firm Hitachi over new Wylfa plantThe UK will take a £5bn-plus stake in a new nuclear power station in Wales in a striking reversal of decades-long government policy ruling out direct investment in nuclear projects.Ministers said they had reached an initial agreement with the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi to back the Wylfa plant but emphasised that no final decision had yet been made and negotiations were just beginning. Continue reading...