Spinner dolphins and a rehabilitated owl are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

Labour says Conservative government should have intervened earlierLabour has accused the Conservatives of costing British households nearly £1,000 in extra energy costs over the past seven years by failing to stop electricity and gas firms raising prices.While the government is now imposing an energy price cap, the opposition attacked what it said was a record of inaction by successive Tory governments. Continue reading...

Exclusive: extractive industry companies who met with Kathleen Benedetto later saw direct benefits from administration decisionsA key Trump administration official scheduled roughly twice as many meetings with mining and fossil-fuel representatives as with environmental groups, public records requests have revealed.Further investigation shows that some of the firms she met later benefited directly from administration decisions that weakened wilderness and wildlife protections.

Formal recognition would help protect those who increasingly risk their lives to defend the land, water, forests and wildlife, says the UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environmentIt is time for the United Nations to formally recognise the right to a healthy environment, according to the world body’s chief investigator of murders, beatings and intimidation of environmental defenders.John Knox, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, said the momentum for such a move – which would significantly raise the global prominence of the issue – was growing along with an awareness of the heavy toll being paid by those fighting against deforestation, pollution, land grabs and poaching.

Amid plans for an unnecessary law change targeting cyclists, a parallel government consultation on safety makes some unexpectedly sensible pointsFor those interested in the many benefits that come from getting more people cycling, there’s some bad news and good news today – and in another minor compensation, at least the bad news was widely expected.This is the confirmation from the Department for Transport (DfT) that, as widely trailed at the weekend, a review it commissioned has recommended there should be a new law about causing death or injury by dangerous cycling, as for driving. Continue reading...

Government accused of warm words but no action on reducing throwaway packaging wasteThe government has rejected calls for a “latte levy” to be introduced on takeaway cups to reduce the amount of waste they create.Mary Creagh, the chair of the environmental audit committee, accused ministers of being all talk and no action after they refused to adopt a charge on throwaway cups similar to the plastic bag levy. Continue reading...

Hulne Park, Alnwick, Northumberland The dawn redwood is unchanged since the Cretaceous era. No wonder they have a Lord of the Rings qualityContorted and deeply furrowed, the flared bole of this tree has a Lord of the Rings quality. I almost expect it to start moving and lumber towards me like an Ent. Beneath the point where each branch leaves the trunk there are shadowy elbow-deep clefts. Its muscular ridges are a rich burnt orange, and ripple down to the ground like anchoring roots, making the twisted trunk look like it is screwing itself down into the earth. This is a dawn redwood, Metasequoia glypstostroboides, one of an avenue either side of Farm Drive in Hulne Park.

Decision a blow to those wanting Rio to stop funding industry association membershipsA move urging Rio Tinto to rethink its funding of the fossil fuel lobby has suffered a setback – the Anglo-Australian mining company has refused to present a shareholder motion on the issue to its annual general meeting in the UK.Last week, institutional investors who manage a combined $84bn in funds – and hold about $100m of Rio Tinto shares – filed a motion to the Australian arm of Rio Tinto, calling for a review of the company’s funding of industry association memberships.

Seven years after the nuclear disaster, 50,000 people have yet to return to their homes, but the dream of going back enduresOkuma, on Japan’s east coast, used to host a busy community of 10,500 people. But today the houses stand empty.The town is empty because it is one of the closest to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and – seven years after the earthquake and tsunami that triggered a triple meltdown – it remains under evacuation orders with decontamination still not finished. Continue reading...

Harold Forbes says the principle of polluter pays is rarely implemented; Jeremy Tomkinson calls for clear policy on lowering petrol emissions; Chris Tidmarsh laments the sparsity of electric-car charging points in Southwark and LambethYour article on carbon dioxide emissions from new vehicles (Fall in CO output from new cars goes into reverse, 27 February) makes no mention of the eight-year freeze on fuel duty, which has contributed to UK fuel prices being 4% below their 2000 levels in real terms and 21% below the 2013 peak. The relative price of things is an enormously powerful driver of human choices and behaviour.Dumping the economic assumption that nature is a limitless source of materials and services that can be considered to come for free would be the single biggest leap that humanity could make in securing its future. At present we have few monetary incentives to avoid excess greenhouse gas emissions, single-use plastics or even excess animal manure. In fact, the economy encourages us believe it is “cheaper” to do such things. Continue reading...

Seyed-Emami family were boarding plane to Canada when security forces stopped widowThe widow of an Iranian-Canadian environmentalist who died in a Tehran prison under disputed circumstances has been barred from leaving the country, according to one of her sons.The family – all of whom are dual citizens of Iran and Canada – were boarding a Lufthansa flight for Canada on Wednesday when Maryam Mombeini, 55, was stopped by security forces and told she was forbidden from leaving the country. Continue reading...

Northern Territory government-approved land clearing likely to cause up to 3 megatonnes of C02-equivalent greenhouse gas emissionsA landmark court case in the Northern Territory is set to consider a challenge to a massive land-clearing approval based on its impacts on climate change.The case, brought by the Environment Centre NT, is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia, using the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions from clearing as a lever to seek to have an approval overturned. Continue reading...

South Yorkshire rejection of Ineos drill application adds to refusals, which include those from Tory councilsThe application by Ineos to explore for shale gas in South Yorkshire has been rejected by local councillors, bringing the number of planning decisions that have gone against fracking companies this year to seven.Rotherham metropolitan borough turned the application by the UK-based petrochemicals firm to drill a well near the village of Woodsetts on grounds that it could harm wildlife and cause traffic problems. Continue reading...

National park will bolster local economy while providing animals with unbroken habitatThe Bank of China has pledged at least 10bn yuan (£1.1bn) to create a vast panda conservation park in south-west Sichuan province, the Chinese forestry ministry has said.Related: What sound do pandas make? You asked Google – here’s the answer | Jules Howard Continue reading...

Chicksands Wood, Bedfordshire A shaft of sunlight enticed me to a place where the wood’s medieval heart beat stillAlmost seven centuries ago, a great calamity 50 miles out to the east sent men with axes and saws into priory-owned Chicksands Wood. The Norman central tower of Ely Cathedral had collapsed, and the architect of its replacement chose to bridge the gap not with stone, but with wood. To this day, the Octagon Tower has Bedfordshire oak timbers holding up its roof to heaven. Continue reading...

Regulator WaterNSW to begin court action against members of Harris and Barlow families, months after issue hit headlinesWaterNSW has moved to prosecute a number of landowners on the Murray-Darling river system for water theft, eight months after the ABC brought the matter into the national spotlight.Today’s announcement came on the day the state ombudsman, Michael Barnes, released a scathing report on the regulator, criticising it for giving him grossly inflated figures on the number of enforcement actions and prosecutions it had initiated to enforce water laws in the past 15 months. Continue reading...

Strong demand from China, as well as European fashion houses and US sportswear companies, is proving a boom for the industryThe price of wool has reached an historic high after decades of poor returns and Australian woolgrowers are saying the market is stronger than it has been in 30 years.The price signal, the eastern market indicator, reached a record $18.30 per kilogram this month, double where it was eight years ago. The hike has been driven by strong demand from China and European fashion houses, as well as growing interest from shoe and sportswear companies in the US. Continue reading...

Culture meets politics as environmental groups distribute scorecards rating the major parties’ environment policiesRenewable energy groups are targeting Adelaide’s festival season ahead of the South Australian election with scorecards rating the major parties’ environmental policies, with the Greens and Labor leading the way.A scorecard distributed by the Australian Conservation Foundation gives its only five-star rating for renewables to the Greens. Labor gets a glowing four-and-a-half star rating for its heavy investment in renewable energy; Nick Xenophon’s SA Best receives a lukewarm two stars, while the Liberals are panned with a scathing half-star rating. Continue reading...

California, Washington and Oregon have led criticism of Trump’s climate policies, but change hasn’t been easier closer to home

Third Energy to halt shale gas project in Kirby Misperton until completion of approval processThird Energy has postponed plans to frack for shale gas at a site in North Yorkshire until the autumn.Related: The village that took on the frackers Continue reading...

Eighteen hostages are alive and abductors are demanding a large ransom, local sources sayEighteen employees of a gorilla sanctuary in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have been abducted by a militia group, sources have said.An official with an NGO said the abduction took place on Monday in the area of Nzovu, in Kahuzi-Biega national park. They said an armed group called the Mai-Mai Raia Mutomboki was responsible. Continue reading...

Critics say legal move by UK Oil and Gas, that could see protesters at its sites jailed and fined, is draconian and anti-democraticAnother firm is seeking a sweeping injunction against environmental protesters, drawing accusations that the legal move is “draconian and chillingly anti-democratic”.UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) has applied for a broad injunction to prevent campaigners from mounting protests that it says would unlawfully interfere with its operations. Continue reading...

Josue Santiago, head of the We Care Wildlife Sanctuary, charged with the false reporting of a crime after claiming ad inspired theftsThe mysterious disappearance of dozens of exotic animals from a Florida wildlife sanctuary after a fake “help yourself” advertisement appeared online has been solved, according to detectives: the alleged late-night theft was nothing more than monkey business contrived by the sanctuary’s owner.Josue Santiago, 41, head of the We Care Wildlife Sanctuary, remained in his own cage at the Miami-Dade county jail on Wednesday, charged with the false reporting of a crime. Meanwhile, seven ring-tailed lemurs, five marmosets, three red-handed tamarins, a white-faced capuchin and assorted other “stolen” animals, including rare birds and tortoises, worth a combined $53,400, were being cared for at a refuge in North Carolina, where Santiago is alleged to have taken them before returning to Miami and staging Sunday’s break-in. Continue reading...

Several oaks and poplars cut down to dress Karl Lagerfeld’s catwalk at Grand Palais in ParisThe fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has been criticised by environmentalists after reportedly chopping down several old oak and poplar trees for his Chanel catwalk show.Campaigners said the grand couturier’s attempt to present Chanel’s green credentials had badly backfired and revealed the fashion house was “completely divorced from the reality of protecting nature”. Continue reading...

New law would ban the sale of all eggs, pork or veal from a caged animal, putting the state ahead of the EU – if campaigners can get enough signaturesThey call Chris Winn the signatures guy. A delivery driver by day, he spends his free time drumming up support for animal rights. “When I did the shark fin ban I got 4,000 signatures,” says Winn, 53. “Usually I’m the top guy in California.”Now he’s on a new mission. It’s a cold Saturday afternoon in San Francisco and Winn is jubilant, bundled in a hat and sweatshirt, scouting for signatories for a proposed law that would ban the sale of any eggs, pork or veal that comes from an animal that spent its life in a cage. If passed it would be the most progressive farm animal welfare law in the world. Continue reading...

A bill that would require some stores selling only cage-free eggs to offer lower-welfare eggs as an affordable option risks a ‘major set-back’ for animal welfare, say criticsIowa grocery stores selling cage-free eggs may soon be required to stock eggs from battery hens as well.The bill would affect two of Iowa’s largest supermarkets, HyVee and Fareway Stores, and national chains such as Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and Target, as well as smaller independent grocers. That’s because the bill is pegged to a government food-assistance program for low-income pregnant women, mothers and children, known as WIC. Stores that accept WIC vouchers would have to offer caged eggs alongside eggs that come from cage-free, free range or enriched colony cage environments.

6.4 million moved after large-scale flooding, droughts and other disasters, while 1.2 million were forced out by projects such as damsAt least 7.7 million Brazilians, or one every minute, have been forced to leave their homes since 2000, a pioneering study has found.Of those, 6.4 million moved after large-scale flooding, droughts and other natural disasters, while 1.2 million were forced out by large-scale construction projects such as dams. Continue reading...

Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, heir to the Saudi Arabian throne, grabbed the world’s attention with a series of reforms in the kingdom, pushing back against the highly conservative establishment. His aim is to make Saudi Arabia a more open nation. However, the war in Yemen and his diplomatic rivalry with Iran have caused the international community to question how radical his changes really are as he begins a series of diplomatic visits to the UK and US Continue reading...

Fisheries minister announces 28% increase, but environmentalists say steep drop in number of minkes killed is sign of a dying industryNorway has announced a 28% increase of its annual whaling quota to 1,278 whales in a bid to revive the declining hunt amid international controversy.Whalers have for several years failed to meet the quotas set by Oslo and the number of whaling boats has plunged. Continue reading...

Areas with growing pine marten populations have seen grey squirrel numbers fall as they provide easy prey for the predators – unlike native reds, a new study showsThe invasion of grey squirrels that has decimated native reds across the UK is reversed when pine martens prowl the woods, new research has shown. Unlike reds, grey squirrels appear to be easy meat for the predator.Pine marten populations have also been drastically reduced in the past. But where they are recovering, they send grey squirrel numbers plummeting while reds thrive, according to scientists. Continue reading...

Wenlock Edge, Shropshire: Some were like wisps of bonfire smoke, others formed rolling circles of spindrift or reel-shaped vortices that blew themselves apart after a couple of secondsWatching snow devils rise, dance and vanish in the field, as if they were beings composed of moonlight, was strangely compelling.It was really parky. For the past few days there had been intermittent snow showers, slow-motion flakes drifting without direction that settled into a sugaring. These were separated, like the flick of a switch, by moments of dazzling sunshine and blue skies but bone cold, nothing thawed. There was a storm coming and sheep folded themselves into the lee of tall trees as the wind picked up; redwings left the fields and leaves blew about like lost birds. At first the air was quiet except for the growl of a chainsaw and disconsolate tutting from 30 jackdaws in the high branches facing into the breeze. They were watching, too. Continue reading...

Experts warn the grid could be over-supplied during low demand periods

The treaty determines entitlement to Timor Sea oil and gas reserves, including in the Greater Sunrise basinAustralia and Timor-Leste have a permanent maritime border for the first time after the signing of a significant and unprecedented treaty in New York on Wednesday.The treaty finally determines each nation’s entitlement and ownership of the rich oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea, including the untapped Greater Sunrise basin, estimated to hold $53bn worth of gas reserves. Continue reading...

Sea ice has hit record lows for time of year as experts say global warming probably fueled big storms in Europe and north-eastern USThe Arctic winter has ended with more news that is worrying even the scientists who watch the effects of climate change closely.The region experienced its warmest winter on record. Sea ice hit record lows for the time of year, new US weather data revealed on Tuesday. Continue reading...

New deal replaces previous attempt at treaty torn up after it emerged Timorese negotiators had been buggedAustralia and Timor-Leste are expected to sign a historic maritime border treaty in New York, after decades of talks dogged by acrimonious dealings and accusations of greed and espionage.But negotiations remained bitter until the end, with former Timorese president and chief negotiator, Xanana Gusmao, accusing Australia of collusion and revealing no deal was reached on how to develop the resources. Continue reading...

Less than 50% of Australia’s original wilderness still exists, thanks to the colonialist view that development of land means eliminating native vegetationKate (not her real name) and her husband have run cattle grazing properties in central Queensland for more than 30 years. On remote and isolated properties like that, communities are close-knit and neighbours rely on each other to survive.But Kate says her neighbours hate her family. Their crime? Not cutting down enough trees. Continue reading...

There is still time to stop an imminent program that would allow facilities to increase slaughter speeds, while reducing the number of trained government inspectorsIf you care about animal welfare or food safety, this news will concern you: the nationwide expansion of a risky US Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-speed slaughter program is imminent. But the good news is there is still time to stop it.

Tax exemption for all-new zero-emission electric taxi brought forward in boost for new greener cabsProspects for London’s new electric taxi have been boosted after the Treasury brought forward a £1,550 tax exemption to this April.The British-built, zero-emission capable taxi had been liable for a luxury car tax, introduced in 2017, of £310 per year for five years, deterring cab drivers from upgrading to the greener vehicle. Continue reading...

Agency reports ‘insufficient evidence’ that Civil Rights Act was breached in case of huge landfill near mostly African American townThe US Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a civil rights case brought by residents of a small, overwhelmingly African American town in Alabama who have spent much of the past decade battling a toxic landfill they blame for causing a myriad of physical and mental illnesses.Related: A civil rights 'emergency': justice, clean air and water in the age of Trump Continue reading...

Niall Blair corrects statistics provided to state parliament from WaterNSWA New South Wales minister has been forced to correct the parliamentary record on the number of prosecutions by WaterNSW for breaches of water laws, saying that his department had provided him with figures found “not to be accurate”.The Guardian revealed last week that the New South Wales ombudsman was investigating whether WaterNSW – the body responsible for compliance with the state’s water laws – had misled the ombudsman when it provided data last year on the number of prosecutions and enforcement actions it had taken in the previous 15 months. Continue reading...

Labor leader’s position on proposed Queensland coalmine shifts againBill Shorten has adjusted Labor’s position on the Adani Carmichael coalmine again by dropping threats to use an investigation into alleged doctoring of scientific reports to cancel its licence.Shorten has been accused of inconsistency after offering highly qualified support for the mine last year, threatening to revoke its licence in January and February, stating that he does “not support” the mine on Monday and reversing the licence threat on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Video posted on YouTube shows water densely strewn with food wrappers, cups and sachets as tropical fish dart in and outA British diver has captured shocking images of himself swimming through a sea of plastic rubbish off the coast of the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali.A short video posted by diver Rich Horner on his social media account and on YouTube shows the water densely strewn with plastic waste and yellowing food wrappers, the occasional tropical fish darting through the deluge. Continue reading...

Claxton, Norfolk: All the elements have come together to create a moment of seasonal delightIt is one of the more subtle attractions of our parish but its seasonal window is brief and upon us right now. It is composed of four very commonplace elements, but their convergence is as special and unpredictable as the arrival of a rare migrant. Continue reading...

2017’s energy output equivalent to a medium-sized coal-fired power stationThe future of Australia’s solar industry is looking bright after a record 3.5m panels were installed on rooftops last year, giving the equivalent output of a medium-sized coal-fired power station.The record 1,057 megawatts of capacity in small-scale systems installed across the country smashed the previous record set in 2012, figures from the Clean Energy Regulator showed on Tuesday. It equated to 9,500 installed every day. Continue reading...

This map shows the scale of land clearing in Australia by visualising the extent of clearing in states where data is availableAustralia is in the midst of a land clearing crisis. Some estimate that 3m hectares of woodland will be cleared between 2010 and 2030.This is having a huge impact on the environment. Loss of habitat is one of the main threats to about three-quarters of Australia’s 1,640 plants and animals listed by the government as at risk. Land clearing, and land-use changes that follow it, have caused a fivefold increase in the sediment pollution pouring on to the embattled Great Barrier Reef, further diminishing its ability to deal with climate change. Continue reading...

Owners fear for health of lemurs, marmosets, monkeys, birds and tortoises removed from Miami site in incident police are treating as theftThe advertisement on Craigslist was specific: “Free exotic animals. We’re a sanctuary going out of business. Go around back and help yourself.”

Thousands sent home in West Midlands as Severn Trent prioritises households amid dwindling supplyThousands of staff at two Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) car plants have been sent home, while chocolate production has been halted at Cadbury’s Bourneville factory, amid water shortages in the West Midlands caused by burst water mains after the recent cold weather.The local water company, Severn Trent, said it had asked a “handful of big businesses” to shut down factories as it tried to prioritise household supplies. Continue reading...

New treaty compels states to investigate and punish killings and attacks on people defending their land or environmentOfficials from 24 Latin American and Caribbean states have signed a legally binding environmental rights pact containing measures to protect land defenders, almost two years to the day since environmental leader Berta Cáceres was killed in her home in Honduras.Last year almost 200 nature protectors were killed across the world, 60% of them in Latin America. The new treaty obliges states to “guarantee a safe and enabling environment for persons, groups and organisations that promote and defend human rights in environmental matters”. Continue reading...

Replacing the government-controlled system by private companies made the costs of the delivery process soar, writes David Reed. Plus letters from John Heawood and Mark LewinskiPrivatising our vital energy services was a disaster waiting to happen, though the Tories daren’t admit it (Row over rise in energy bills for 1m households, 3 March). Every house has one set of cables carrying electricity and one set of pipes with gas; in addition, all the key energy market prices are set nationally, regionally or even globally, so there can be little or no competition in supply costs. You could argue that having more buyers actually increases competition, pushing prices higher.We may not realise it, but it has been cold in all of Europe, so price rises are inevitable. As your report says, the 7.9% rise in prices in the last six months was “driven primarily by increases in wholesale gas and electricity costs”. How will the government’s much-vaunted price cap help with that? I have changed suppliers almost every year in the last five or more years, but my bills are higher than ever, for a very simple reason: replacing the government-controlled system by more than a dozen private companies, all with highly paid chief executives and shareholders to keep happy, made the costs of the delivery process soar. How could it not? Continue reading...