The 100-mile on- and off-road bike-packing event is undoubtedly a challenge, but there is a true sense of adventureTwenty-two miles from the end of a gruelling, beautiful and intensely varied 100 mile cross-country bike ride through Dorset, the rear derailleur on my bike clacked, pinged and, in the manner of a wounded fly, ended its journey upside down, immobile and missing several parts.I stood on the dirt track peering down at it, wondering how I’d finish the ride, before my riding buddies set about trying to get me pedalling once more. Continue reading...

Cefn Garw, Migneint, Snowdonia: Decades ago old Mr Roberts, who shepherded on horseback, departed his remote tyddyn, leaving the moor to fox, raven, pipit-hunting merlinThere are places among the Welsh hills where you may “grow rich/ With looking”. In my copy of RS Thomas’s Collected Poems, the verse from which that’s taken is marked with a curlew’s feather, picked up by Cefn Garw, perhaps the loneliest house in Wales. I’ve often followed the four-mile, climbing track to it alongside the Serw river. Rough ridge, place of quagmires, silken stream – such perfect simplicity in the way Welsh toponymy describes landscape’s essence. Continue reading...

Low light imaging data being used to expose unregulated and unreported fishing on the high seasNew data is being used to expose fleets of previously unmonitored fishing vessels on the high seas, in what campaigners hope will lead to the eradication of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.

Florida woman was identified from evidence collected from a necropsy after she disappeared while walking her dogs by a lakeA woman who disappeared while walking her dogs near a lake in Miami, Florida on Friday was bitten and likely killed by an alligator that was later captured, wildlife officials said.A necropsy confirmed the alligator bit Shizuka Matsuki, 47, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said in a statement. They believe Matsuki was killed and were searching for her body. Commission spokesman Rob Klepper said they were able to positively identify the woman from evidence collected from the necropsy of the alligator, but he wouldn’t specifically say what that evidence was. Continue reading...

Conservationists say federal environment minister has obligation to protect areas of national significanceConservationists have called on the federal environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, to intervene to protect the Kosciuszko national park from brumbies after a New South Wales bill was passed giving heritage protection to the feral horses.The Australian Conservation Foundation says the federal government has an obligation under national environment law to protect areas of national significance, including the national heritage-listed Australian Alps national parks and reserves. Continue reading...

June, generally considered a ‘moderate’ month, surprised us last year with searing heat and teeming rainJune is usually thought of as a rather moderate month, weather-wise. Heatwaves tend to happen in July and August, and although there were famous falls of snow in parts of England on 2 June 1975, such events are mercifully very rare.Occasionally June will surprise us. Last year, the month started with unsettled conditions and heavy rain. But from the middle of the month temperatures began to rise, with very warm air from continental Europe bringing temperatures above 30C every day from the 17th to 21st, reaching a peak of 34.5C (94.1F) at Heathrow Airport on the 21st, the highest June temperature since the long hot summer of 1976. That helped push the average temperature up for the month, so that, despite a return to cooler, fresher weather, this was the equal fifth warmest June in the UK since records began in 1910. Continue reading...

A new report found the seafood contains an alarming amount of plastic – and in fact no sea creature is immune. It’s as if the ocean is wreaking its revengeShellfish are the natural filter systems of our seas, mechanisms of purity. So, to discover in a report released on World Oceans Day that mussels bought from UK supermarkets were infested with microplastic seems like a final irony in the terrible story of the plasticisation of the sea. According to the study by the University of Hull and Brunel University London, 70 particles of microplastic were found in every 100 grams of mussels.There’s a vital disconnection here – highlighted by the bottled water you drink to wash down your moules-frites, and the fact that 89% of ocean trash comes from single-use plastic. No sea is immune from this plague, nor any ocean creature, from the modest mussel or zooplankton to the great whales. Continue reading...

Readers look at past battles over the third runway and its likely future impactThe battle to construct a third runway has been going on for much longer than your estimate of 31 years (Editorial, 6 June). It first gained government approval as long ago as 1946 but was abandoned by the incoming government in 1952. Since then there have been further attempts and in 2009 it once again gained parliamentary approval. This was overturned by the coalition government one year later when David Cameron declared: “No ifs, no buts, no third runway.” This might have been the end of the matter but the ‘aviation mafia’ is nothing if not persistent and never gives up.

Pumping £5bn into a new plant in north Wales as a way to fight climate change is a solution at odds with the rest of the worldFor once, ministers have put their money where their mouth is – into taking another stab at nuclear power. This week the business secretary, Greg Clark, announced plans to pump £5bn into a new nuclear power station at Wylfa in north Wales. It was a reversal of a longstanding Conservative policy not to underwrite nuclear construction. So why the sudden enthusiasm? And what does Clark know that the rest of the world does not?For almost everywhere else, governments and corporations are pulling the plug on nuclear. Even in a world fearful of climate change, in which nations have promised to wean themselves off fossil fuels by the mid-century, almost no one wants to touch nuclear. Continue reading...

Activists to escalate action in opposition to environmental impact of proposed expansionActivists opposed to the government’s Heathrow expansion plans have vowed to escalate their protests in the coming weeks to avoid what they say would be an “environmental catastrophe”.

Scheme will cover North and South Circular roads, as well as capital’s centre, in 2021Sadiq Khan has unveiled details of his plan to introduce an “ultra-low emission zone” covering a huge swath of London in the next few years.The scheme, which will see the most polluting vehicles charged for entering the centre of the capital from April next year, will be extended to the North Circular and South Circular roads in 2021. Continue reading...

A recent Citizens’ Assembly ballot shows that there is a huge public appetite for strong action on emissions

Summer tourists cause a 40% spike in plastic marine litter in the region, new figures revealTourists are being urged to reduce their use of plastic as new figures reveal holidaymakers cause a 40% spike in marine litter in the Mediterranean each summer.Nearly all the waste created by the surge in tourism over the summer months in countries like Italy, France and Turkey is plastic litter, says WWF in a new report. Continue reading...

This week marked World Environment day and World Ocean day, both of which highlighted plastic global pollution as the most urgent problem facing our planet. So as a parody of our popular Week in wildlife gallery, from dead pelicans to trapped turtles and garbage-eating cows, we bring you ... the Week in plastic. Continue reading...

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.