Michael Gove says move prompted by rising population and decline in certain habitatsA new wave of national parks could be created after the environment secretary, Michael Gove, announced plans for a review of protected areas.

Guardian readers respond to Michael Gove’s defence of what the government is doing to address air pollutionWe must cut through the smog of rhetoric if we are to have clean air. Through deft political sleight of hand, the environment secretary Michael Gove’s defence of what the government is doing to address air pollution (Letters, 24 May) diverts attention from the cause of dirty air in most of our cities: diesel-fuelled vehicles. This risks slowing down the action required to tackle air pollution at a moment when more and more people are becoming aware that it is a serious risk to health in places beyond London.As city leaders, we are keen to work with ministers to tackle the wider challenges of air pollution, but this requires a government strategy that has cleaner transport at its heart. We need a national framework so that residents and businesses can make the shift as quickly as possible to less polluting ways of moving around. Continue reading...

Warning by expert panel says up to 400,000 wildfowl a year may suffer lead poisoningSeveral rare bird species, including a breed of red-headed duck listed as “vulnerable”, are under threat from lead poisoning linked to shooting, a new report says.Numbers of common pochard, a duck species at risk of global extinction, have fallen substantially over the past 30 years, a decline partly attributed to the fact that they eat some of the 5,000 tonnes of lead pellets discarded in the countryside by people shooting game, according to the Lead Ammunition Group (LAG). Continue reading...

Government promises action on collisions to avoid slaughter on busy shipping routesIn an office up a steep hill in a seaside suburb of Athens, a tiny blue light flickers from a computer terminal. Dr Alexandros Frantzis, Greece’s foremost oceanographer, points it out. The light, he says, tracks marine traffic “in real time”.It is key to saving one of the world’s most endangered whale populations. Continue reading...

Campaigners demand that post-Brexit Britain matches the EU’s plan to tackle wasteThe EU is to ban plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, cotton buds and balloon sticks in a bid to tackle the rising tide of plastic waste, a move that has prompted urgent calls for the environment secretary, Michael Gove, to guarantee that the UK will follow Brussels’ lead after Brexit.The restrictions on “single-use” plastic will be launched on Monday by the European commission as part of its plan to ensure that 55% of all plastic is recycled by 2030. About 80-85% of all litter in the oceans is plastic, and half of that is made up of throw-away items such as plastic straws. Continue reading...

Pests could cost the state in billions if the spread continues, Invasive Species Council warns• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon One of the world’s worst invasive pests, red fire ants, have been detected outside a containment zone in Queensland’s scenic rim.The ants, destroyers of crops and harbingers of doom for many forms of outdoor recreation, are considered a potential $45bn problem should they become widely established in Queensland. Continue reading...

In the hills on the border of Virginia and West Virginia protesters – mainly women – are defying police and energy companies in non-violent environmental activismWay out in the Appalachian hills, on the line between Virginia and West Virginia, after an hour-long backwoods hike up Peters Mountain, an orderly clutch of tents were surrounded by a plastic yellow ribbon that read, “police line do not cross”.Past that, a woman sat on top of a 50ft pole. Continue reading...

British microbiologists find that American technique at heart of Brexit trade row does not kill listeria and salmonellaThe chlorine washing of food, the controversial “cleaning” technique used by many US poultry producers who want access to the British market post-Brexit, does not remove contaminants, a new study has found.The investigation, by a team of microbiologists from Southampton University and published in the US journal mBio, found that bacilli such as listeria and salmonella remain completely active after chlorine washing. The process merely makes it impossible to culture them in the lab, giving the false impression that the chlorine washing has been effective. Continue reading...

Mike’s Wood, River Kent, Cumbria: There are dozens of black gates along the valley, marking the route of the Thirlmere to Manchester aqueductLike little beacons among the hazel trees, stitchwort flowers lead me onwards towards the enclosure. There is always a moment, before passing through the black gate into this woodland “room”, of wondering about the motives for creating a separate space within the wood. The deeply mossed encircling wall strides over the crags and boulders of precipitous ground – a fine exemplar of the drystone-waller’s art. But why an enclosure here? Continue reading...

Newly released emails show senior officials from the Environmental Protection Agency worked closely with conservative thinktank the Heartland InstituteNewly released emails show senior Environmental Protection Agency officials working closely with a conservative group that dismisses climate change to rally like-minded people for public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and tout Scott Pruitt’s stewardship of the agency.John Konkus, EPA’s deputy associate administrator for public affairs, repeatedly reached out to senior staffers at the Heartland Institute, according to the emails. Continue reading...

Scientists have discovered an opioid pain reliever in mussels and say its likely other marine life are also affectedScientists who track pollution have discovered traces of the pain reliever oxycodone in some mussels in Seattle’s Puget Sound.Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife obtained clean mussels from Penn Cove on Whidbey Island and put them in different areas to test for water contamination, KIRO-TV reported this week. Continue reading...

As the most popular national parks get more crowded, where do you go to escape? Send your tips to publiclands@theguardian.com and we’ll share them below

The Trump administration is quietly seeking to create more African American monuments. For some, it’s been a long waitNearly two decades ago, Jim Hunn was wandering around a cemetery in Lincoln county, Kentucky, when a small headstone caught his eye. He stared at the name etched on it: Jordan Wallace. Hunn can’t explain exactly why, but he felt an instant attachment.

Church in Wales | Is there a God? | Friendly bus passengers | Cooking for one | Herring gullsIt is not only the Church of England that is forbidden in law to conduct same-sex marriages (Letters, 25 May). The same legislation applies to the Church in Wales, disestablished in 1920.

Japanese group believed to be demanding direct financial support with consumers making up the differenceBritain’s hopes for a number of new nuclear power stations could collapse if the government and the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi fail to make a breakthrough on talks for a plant in Wales, a top nuclear lobbyist has warned.Hiroaki Nakanishi, the firm’s chairman, met Theresa May earlier this month, to press the prime minister for financial support for two reactors at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey. Continue reading...

Wild horses, an Ethiopian wolf and a dolphin attacking a porpoise are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

A surging NDP can defeat Canada’s Trump – whose folksy act is a front for an assault on working people and the environmentA recent episode perfectly captures the appeal of Ontario Tory leader Doug Ford. Asked about a delayed mining plan in the province’s north, this is how he answered: “If I have to hop on a bulldozer myself, we’re going to start building roads..it will benefit local people but it is also going to benefit everyone in Ontario.” The statement quickly went viral.In a single gesture, witness the dizzying acrobatics of right-wing populism. There’s the posture of an unflinching maverick, spitting on his hands and getting the job done. There’s the plain-spoken concern for the common man and woman. And then there’s the actual result: a resource scheme that would enrich multinational corporations – who’d help themselves to a 10-year tax holiday – while trampling Indigenous rights and razing one of the last intact wild areas in Canada. Continue reading...

Minister accused of letting political lobbying interfere with listing a year after recommendation by independent committee• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noonConservation groups have accused the environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, of allowing political interference in the scientific assessment of threatened species listings.Frydenberg has delayed, for the third time, granting an endangered listing to woodlands eligible for protection under Australia’s national environment laws. Continue reading...

Park visitation is at a record high – good for tourism, not so good for peace and quiet. From Acadia to Zion, Bryce Canyon to Yosemite, leading writers and environmentalists share their alternatives to the most popular spots

WHO database lowers Beijing’s particulate ranking from 40th worst in world to 187th, as coal plants flagged as key culpritBeijing is slowly shedding its image as the world’s most polluted city. In 2013, it ranked as the 40th worst city for the particulate PM2.5 in the World Health Organisation global database. Four years on, thanks in part to a crackdown on polluters, it stands in 187th place.Air pollution in the 62 Chinese cities tracked by the WHO dropped by an average of 30% between 2013 and 2016. China’s air pollution problems are often blamed on the country’s rapid industrial growth but the problems probably date back to the 1950s. Continue reading...

Michael Gove, the enviroment secretary, responds to a Guardian editorial on his clean air strategyYou write that “the main contributor to the air quality crisis … is road transport” (Editorial, 23 May). Road transport contributes 34% of nitrogen dioxide emissions and 12% of particulate matter emissions. The majority of air pollution comes from other sources. In particular, domestic burning contributes 38% of primary particulate matter – the most damaging pollutant to human health, according to the World Health Organisation.You write that our clean air strategy “purported to tackle a public health crisis by getting families to open their windows more often because ‘air pollution inside the home can often be higher than outside’.” Those 11 words are taken from almost 40,000 in the document, which sets out action on domestic fuel, farming, ports, aviation and in other areas. Continue reading...

Taxpayer’s right to healthcare | ‘Falling’ pregnant | Female film critics | Nancy Banks-Smith | Clothes mothsYou report (24 May) that Pauline Pennant, a UK citizen living overseas, pays UK taxes through her pension, earned after 30 years working with the NHS, yet is no longer entitled to free healthcare. If she is no longer entitled to this because she lives overseas, then why does she still pay UK tax on her pension and what, or who, is this deducted tax being used for?

Exclusive: study of schools in capital finds dangerous levels of fine particulate pollution within classrooms, putting children at riskChildren in London schools are being exposed to higher levels of damaging air pollution inside the classroom than outside, putting them at risk of lifelong health problems, a new study has revealed.Related: Clean-air campaigners call for ban on school run to cut pollution Continue reading...

Litigants from eight countries claim EU institutions are not protecting fundamental rightsLawyers acting for a group including a French lavender farmer and members of the indigenous Sami community in Sweden have launched legal action against the EU’s institutions for failing to adequately protect them against climate change.A case is being pursued in the Luxembourg-based general court, Europe’s second highest, against the European parliament and the council of the European Union for allowing overly high greenhouse gas emissions to continue until 2030. Continue reading...

Holyrood says ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions are ultimate aim but climate campaigners say target is disappointingNew targets will set Scotland on course to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve a 100% reduction in carbon emissions, the Scottish government has claimed, although it has stopped short of committing to becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.The draft climate change bill, published on Thursday morning, sets a target of a 90% reduction by 2050 – which the UK Committee on Climate Change states is currently “at the limit of feasibility” – with the aim of achieving 100% reduction, or “net-zero”, as soon as possible.

Pigs outstripped people in Duplin county long ago - but now the residents are fighting back

Most MEPs on the influential agriculture committee have business ties, new research shows, raising concerns about conflicts of interest

Dozens of fast-flying butterflies released in a secret location in Northamptonshire forest after disappearing in 1976It mysteriously vanished from England after the long hot summer of 1976, but the chequered skipper butterfly is taking to the skies again as part of a bid to revive 20 endangered species.Several dozen mostly female butterflies have been collected in Belgium and released in a secret location in Rockingham forest, Northamptonshire. Continue reading...

Footage captured by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy shows the construction of world’s largest cat-proof fence. Completed in central Australia, the 94 square kilometre sanctuary will provide protection for endangered marsupials.The 44km fence – made of 85,000 pickets, 400km of wire and 130km of netting – surrounds the Newhaven wildlife sanctuary, a former cattle station that has been bought by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Continue reading...

National Trust finds 12% decline since 2013, with the population of one island off Northumberland down 42%Puffin numbers at one of Britain’s most important habitats have fallen sharply, raising fears they could die out completely there within a century.Every five years National Trust rangers carry out a census of the birds on the Farne Islands, and the latest survey has potentially grim news for the colourful seabird. Continue reading...

If the bill becomes law, restaurants that continue to use plastic straws would be warned, then face fines between $100 and $400A New York city council member announced on Wednesday his plan to ban plastic straws from the city of 8.5 million people, amid a growing effort across the globe to cut back on plastics.

Feral cats kill a million native birds every night and have caused extinction of 20 native speciesThe world’s largest cat-proof fence has been completed in central Australia, creating a 94 square kilometre sanctuary for endangered marsupials.The 44km fence – made of 85,000 pickets, 400km of wire and 130km of netting – surrounds the Newhaven wildlife sanctuary, a former cattle station that has been bought by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

Queensland government takes Kingvale station to court over clearing that Olkola people say threatens sacred sites

Costly rehabilitation to be largely left to developers, including on Melbourne site involving 130 chemicals• Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

When scientists exposed the crop to higher levels of carbon dioxide vitamin levels fell significantly

Almost all nations would benefit economically from keeping global warming to 1.5C, a new study indicates

Undercover footage recorded more than 100 incidents over 10 days, with workers apparently kicking pigs in their heads and stomachs

Water shortages could stretch into the 2050s, according to the Environment Agency. It’s time to do your bitThe sun is shining and we are due a hot bank holiday Monday, so it must be time for a drought story. And not just any old drought, but one stretching into the 2050s and beyond, according to the Environment Agency, which warns that our use of water is unsustainable. While the agency puts much of its focus on the need for companies to change their behaviour, especially by reducing leakage, there are practical steps we can all take. Continue reading...

The news that Mediterranean whales have died after ingesting our plastic waste comes as no surprise – but seems to be an omen for fallout from our disruption of the natural worldPlastic bags have been blamed for the deaths of sperm whales in the Mediterranean. The Athens-based Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute found that more than a third of the sperm whales found dead in Greek waters had stomachs blocked by plastic waste. But this comes as no surprise to whale watchers.In a plangent 2011 report by same researchers on a mass sperm-whale stranding, a combination of factors – noise from naval exercises, dehydration and stress that caused toxic chemicals and heavy metals to be released from the whales’ body fat – was found to have caused them to beach. The scene of the dying whales moved the scientists to unusually emotive language as they recorded finding them “agonising on the shore”. Continue reading...

Ban will stop 214,000 vehicles from using two key roads as part of pollution crackdownHamburg is to become the first German city to ban some diesel cars to improve air quality, setting a template for other urban centres in the country.The ban will affect about 214,000 cars, more than two-thirds of the diesel vehicles registered in Germany’s second-largest city. Continue reading...

Farmers take their lives at a rate higher than any other occupation, and at twice the rate of military veterans. Two bills to help farmers were included in the federal farm billIn early May, Kansas farmer John Blaske is waiting for the rain to stop so he can begin planting. From the front door of his farmhouse, a green yard decorated with bird feeders slopes down to a series of fields where the corn will be planted. Beyond the fields, there’s a tree line and a small bridge with a creek running below. It’s peaceful here, and mostly quiet, except for the sound of the occasional car or tractor, or the cows calling from the paddock.

Hot oceans fueled Hurricane Harvey, generating more intense rainfall

Wasted water from leaking pipes and overuse in homes is causing damage to rivers and wildlife and putting increasing pressure on overstretched supplies, warns the Environment AgencyPeople need to use less water and companies must curb leaks to prevent future water shortages and damage to rivers and wildlife, the Environment Agency (EA) has warned.Many sources of water supplies are already overstretched and, with climate change and a growing population, much of England could see significant supply shortages by the 2050s – particularly in the south-east. Continue reading...

Bodnant Garden, Gwynedd: Rhododendrons and azaleas flash white, pink, red, orange and blue as the oaks awaken from a long winter dream

Exclusive: Study finds 12,000 items worth $4m, including ivory, live orangutans and a huge number of reptiles and birds for the pet tradeThe online sale of endangered and threatened wildlife is rife across Europe, a new investigation has revealed, ranging from live cheetahs, orangutans and bears to ivory, polar bear skins and many live reptiles and birds.Researchers from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) spent six weeks tracking adverts on 100 online marketplaces in four countries, the UK, Germany, France and Russia. They found more than 5,000 adverts offering to sell almost 12,000 items, worth $4m (£3m) in total. All the specimens were species in which trade is restricted or banned by the global Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species. Continue reading...

Yacht club members can finally take to the ephemeral lake in South Australian outback after tracking water from western Queensland• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noonAfter weeks of tracking the slow progress of flood waters through outback Queensland, members of the improbable Lake Eyre Yacht Club have been able to return to the water.Water reached Lake Eyre, or Kati Thanda, in South Australia on 15 May, two months after falling in the upper Diamantina catchment in western Queensland, some 1,000km away. Continue reading...

With insect numbers falling because of pesticides, natural controls are being sought for a pest threatening valuable oilseed rape cropsOne of the pests that troubles British farmers is the pollen beetle, Meligethes aeneus, which is particularly fond of yellow flowers and is a menace to oil seed rape. On some plants it is a beneficial pollinator, but on oilseed rape it destroys the plant’s ability to produce the all-important seed.Related: Our wildlife can be saved – but only with political will | Letters Continue reading...

Potentially deadly plumes of volcanic gas and particles are polluting the Big Island in the wake of recent eruptions

The Associated Press, CNN and the environmental-focused news organization E&E were barred by the EPA from Scott Pruitt’s eventJournalists from national news organizations were barred from a summit in Washington on harmful water contaminants on Tuesday, convened by the embattled environmental protection agency (EPA) chief, Scott Pruitt. One reporter was manhandled out of the building.Pruitt is already engulfed in a scandal over his use of taxpayer money and closeness to lobbyists, actions he has been obliged to defend in a string of congressional hearings in recent weeks, amid calls for him to quit or be fired. He is being investigated for possible federal ethics violations including spending for round-the-clock security guards, first-class plane tickets and a $43,000 soundproof telephone booth. Continue reading...

Proposal would repeal Obama-era rules that ban shooting of bear cubs and other controversial hunting practices in AlaskaThe Trump administration is attempting to repeal a rule that bans the shooting of bear cubs, use of dogs and bait to hunt bears, and killing caribou from motorboats in Alaska’s federal wildlife refuges.The proposal would scrap a 2015 regulation by the National Park Service that restricts controversial hunting and trapping practices on about 20m acres of federal land in Alaska. Continue reading...