The Ride of the Falling Rain on the Hebridean island of Islay has no entry fee, route card or medals, but its laidback, friendly vibe keeps riders coming back despite the weatherThe Ride of the Falling Rain is an annual cycling event on the Hebridean island of Islay that proudly describes itself as “anti-sportive”.Held on the first Sunday in August, there is no entry fee, no feed stations, no timing chips and no medal or certificate at the end. Yet in its 14-year history, it has attracted a hard core of regulars who travel from all over the UK. Continue reading...

Prof John Underhill argues that geology is fundamental but has been forgotten in assessments of UK’s shale gas capabilityFracking for oil and gas in the UK may produce much less fuel – and profits – than has been mooted, according to research based on seismic imaging of the country’s underlying geology.Most of the areas in which deposits of onshore “unconventional” gas and oil are likely to be found were affected by tectonic activity along the Atlantic plate about 55m years ago. Continue reading...

Microgrids, promising energy self-reliance for communities, are growing in popularity as they become more affordableResidents of a social housing complex in Brooklyn, New York, can’t stop another tempest like Superstorm Sandy from crashing through their city, but they can feel secure that it won’t cause a power cut.In June, the 625-unit Marcus Garvey Village cut the ribbon on its very own microgrid, a localised network of electricity production and control. Rooftop solar panels produce clean power when the sun is up; a fuel cell takes in natural gas and churns out a steady current all day; when it’s more valuable to save the electricity for later, the largest lithium-ion battery system on New York City’s grid does just that. Continue reading...

Daddry Shield, Weardale The architecture of the flower choreographs the insects’ movements, making pollination likelyThe footpath to St John’s Chapel, through hay meadows long since cut, follows the south bank of the Wear. Today the water was shallow and clear. But after heavy rain in the upper dale the river becomes a torrent and it has eroded small terraces so stony and steep they are never cut at hay time. These places are refuges for a late-summer flora of Campanula rotundifolia, harebells as blue as the sky overhead.It’s a place to sit among the flowers on an afternoon when summer seems to be slipping past too quickly. Continue reading...

Sheffield’s protesters need to be aware of the danger of trees falling over, writes Paul FaupelThe sudden collapse of a 200-year-old oak in Madeira, killing 13 and injuring many others (Report, 16 August), is a salutary warning to the tree protesters of Sheffield (Report, 16 August). Local authorities and other custodians of parklands and highways have a duty to ensure that trees do not endanger the public when they deteriorate through age or disease. Inspecting trees is a specialist task best carried out by trained professionals. Doubtless Sheffield city council has been doing just that. If a tree collapsed on the protesters or damaged their properties they would be protesting against the council, and more likely suing them, for failing to safeguard them. The hapless council is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t take action.

Three wildlife rangers at DRC’s Virunga national park were killed this week in an ambush by Mai Mai rebels, bringing this year’s fatalities to eight

Exclusive: Nearly 12m barbecues in the UK likely to over-cater with food ranging from salads to burger rolls ending up in binsIt’s symbolised by dismal burgers and carbonised sausages served on paper plates with a splatter of ketchup. Yet with the great British summer well under way, Britons are this month set to throw away a staggering £428m worth of barbecue food, research reveals.In August the nation will brave the changeable weather to enjoy nearly 12m barbecues, with people on average either hosting or attending at least two of the seasonal gatherings. The new research from supermarket chain Sainsbury’s shows that hosts typically over-cater to impress friends and family, with more than half (49.2%) putting on a larger than necessary spread.

ABC’s Four Corners report alleging illegal dumping in Queensland needs scrutiny, Peter Whish-Wilson saysThe Australian Greens will push for a Senate inquiry into illegal waste dumping following damaging revelations on the ABC’s Four Corners program last week.Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson says federal parliament must scrutinise the issues raised in the program, which exposed a network of waste transporting and freighting companies allegedly sending waste by road and rail to Queensland to avoid paying New South Wales millions of dollars in tariffs. Continue reading...

Hundreds of people have been killed and millions displaced across the region as rescue missions set up shelters and strive to get food and water to victimsNearly 250 people have died in the last few days as a result of flooding and landslides that have devastated parts of northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh.Millions of people have been displaced across the region, and 245 people are recorded to have been killed by collapsed buildings or by drowning. Continue reading...

Behavioural evidence suggests marine organisms are not just ingesting microplastics by accident but actively seeking them out as food

Kennards House, Cornwall At the agricultural show white-coated exhibitors vie for prizes as the heavy horses are hitched and cocks crow in the poultry tentAfter noting the whereabouts of their parked cars relative to the windblown hedgerow trees, visitors converge on the entrance to Launceston’s one-day agricultural show.Cloud shrouds Kit Hill to the south but Caradon, Kilmar Tor and Hawk’s Tor on Bodmin Moor, as well as nearby wind turbines, are silhouetted against an increasing expanse of blue sky. Continue reading...

Consideration of loan described as ‘untenable’ after allegations hundreds of millions siphoned into tax havensThe government should immediately suspend any consideration of a federal loan to Adani or an any associated entity, environmental groups have said in response to the Guardian’s reporting on Wednesday about fraud allegations faced by Adani in India.The Adani Group allegedly fraudulently siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from India into tax havens – a practice enabled by Indian government tax breaks. Details of the allegations, and documents from India’s directorate of revenue intelligence, have been published by the Guardian today. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Allegations by Indian customs of huge sums being siphoned off to tax havens from projects are contained in legal documents but denied by company

National park which is home to thousands of indigenous people loses protected status to allow for construction of 190-mile road

Judge imposes orders barring councillor and others from taking unlawful direct action against tree-felling programmeCampaigners trying to halt a “politically controversial” tree-felling programme in Sheffield have vowed to continue their fight despite losing a high court battle with council bosses.A judge on Tuesday made orders barring residents from taking “unlawful direct action” to prevent the lawful felling of roadside trees. It is the latest development in a long-running row that last week prompted an intervention by the environment secretary, Michael Gove. Continue reading...

Dunwich Heath, Suffolk Brilliantly coloured jewel wasps use the living bodies of other insects to nourish their larvaeMuch of the basic storybook that supplies the raw materials for horror films and novels seems to me to be derived from entomology. And here, at this place of autumn purple and gold, scattered thinly all along the sandy paths that bisect the billowing tides of flowering heather, was a particular inspiration.It was a tiny 1cm-long creature that looked as brilliant an insect as I have seen in this country. The mid-thorax, hind legs and head were all glittering turquoise, while the abdomen and front thorax were shining burgundy. The unmistakable colours distinguish a small group that are known as jewel or ruby-tailed wasps (in German they are called Goldwespen, gold wasps), of which there are about 30 species in Britain. The commonest is one I see regularly even about our house, where they burrow into crevices among the loose masonry. Continue reading...

Santos wipes more than $1bn from its LNG plant in Queensland – just a week after Origin announced a similar devaluationAustralia’s natural gas export boom, which is causing soaring gas prices and pushing up carbon emissions, appears to be rapidly shedding value.Santos wiped more than $1bn off the value of its liquefied natural gas plant in Queensland on Tuesday, just a week after Origin announced a similar devaluation. Continue reading...

Environmental Justice Australia report says Australian coal-fired power plants regularly exceed lax limits imposed on themAustralian coal-fired power stations produce levels of toxic air pollution that would be illegal in the US, Europe and China, and regularly exceed even the lax limits imposed on them with few or no consequences, according to an investigation by Environmental Justice Australia.The report reveals evidence that operators of coal power plants in Australia have been gaming the systems that monitor the deadly pollution, while others have reported figures the federal government says are not reliable. Continue reading...

Dutch advertising watchdog’s ruling prompts company to change line to ‘least polluting fossil fuel’ as campaigners welcome action over ‘misleading’ adThe Dutch advertising watchdog will on Tuesday censure Shell and Exxon for claiming that natural gas was “the cleanest of all fossil fuels” in an advert earlier this year.It will be the second time this summer that the Netherlands advertising standards board has ruled against the fossil fuels industry, after it slapped down Statoil in June for calling gas a “clean energy” and “low emissions fuel”. Continue reading...

Neonicotinoid drastically cuts egg-laying by queens, affecting their ability to start new colonies and increasing chances of local extinction, say scientistsA controversial pesticide can potentially wipe out common bumblebee populations by preventing the formation of new colonies, research has shown.The neonicotinoid chemical thiamethoxam dramatically reduces egg-laying by queen bumblebees, say scientists. Continue reading...

Climate change, dams and diversion bring Iberian peninsula’s longest river, on which millions depend, to brink of collapseThe Tagus river, the longest in the Iberian peninsula, is in danger of drying up completely as Spain once again finds itself in the grip of drought.Miguel Ángel Sánchez, spokesman of the Platform in Defence of the Tagus, says “the river has collapsed through a combination of climate change, water transfer and the waste Madrid produces.” Continue reading...

Stellar work by group led by Anthony Leiserowitz on putting climate change research into public domain is empowering citizens and institutions

Over the past four decades, a huge amount of effort has gone into cleaning America’s heavily polluted waters. Is all of that progress about to be undone?

Jay Weatherill’s government says 150 megawatt plant will be biggest of its kind in the world and create about 700 jobsA proposed solar thermal power plant in South Australia’s mid-north has been contracted to supply all the state government’s power needs.Work on the $650m SolarReserve facility will start in 2018, creating 650 construction jobs and 50 ongoing positions. Continue reading...

Rye Harbour, East Sussex The omens are bad for the whimbrel, a summer visitor that has all but disappeared from the estuaryOnly a few years ago, they used to stage whimbrel walks at Rye Harbour nature reserve. In late summer, these birds, which look like small dark curlew, would stream from estuary to estuary in their thousands, on their way from breeding grounds on Orkney and Shetland to winter on the west African coast.Now, you’re lucky to see a single one out on the salt marshes amid the wheeling terns and plover, and Rye Harbour has re-branded its walks. Continue reading...

Market Forces says it will lodge shareholder resolution to force bank to implement stated commitment to Paris agreementThe Commonwealth Bank’s first climate policy statement has been criticised by environmental groups and sparked one group to lodge a shareholder resolution to force the company to implement its stated commitment to the Paris agreement.The bank released the statement, saying it was “reaffirming our support for a responsible global transition to a net zero emissions economy by 2050”. Continue reading...

Growth of intensive units has potential to increase antibiotic resistance and could result in spread of bird flu beyond regionThe use of antibiotics in factory farms in Asia is set to more than double in just over a decade, with potentially damaging effects on antibiotic resistance around the world.Factory farming of poultry in Asia is also increasing the threat of bird flu spreading beyond the region, with more deadly strains taking hold, according to a new report from a network of financial investors. Continue reading...

If we really want to tackle particle pollution we need carbon-free electricity and, even better, walk or cycle over short distancesWill our streets be pollution free when the last petrol and diesel cars are sold in the UK in just over two decades time? Sadly not. This is for two main reasons. First, we will still have diesel lorries and buses. Second, electric cars still release particle pollution into the air from wearing tyres, brakes and road surfaces. Already more particle pollution comes from wear than from the exhausts of modern vehicles.Related: The polluting effect of wear and tear in brakes and tyres Continue reading...

Social Democrat chief Martin Schulz says embattled sector’s failure to innovate and lead projects such as electric cars risks the future of country key exporterMartin Schulz, the main challenger to Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany’s September election, has accused the country’s car industry executives of putting the sector at risk by failing to plan for the future.The future of the automotive sector, Germany’s biggest exporter and provider of about 800,000 jobs, has become a hot election issue as politicians blame executives and each other for the industry’s battered reputation following the emissions scandal. Continue reading...

Dong Energy boss says falling price of renewables means they must power the electric car revolution or the environment will gain only a pyrrhic victoryThe rise of electric cars will be a pyrrhic victory for the environment if they are powered by fossil fuels instead of renewables, according to the UK boss of the world’s biggest offshore windfarm developer.

The window for hope is closing rapidly for the planet. But young activists are demonstrating their power at the ballot box to push for a different future

Lions, elephants and hippos have vanished from Kilombero valley after UK- and US-funded projects helped turn a once-thriving habitat into farmland, teak, and sugar plantations

OK, the Sixth Mass Extinction may be upon us, but there are still some reasons to be cheerfulLet’s begin with the bad news. First, Earth Overshoot Day – the point at which the world consumes more natural resources than the planet can renew throughout the year – shifted forward this year to 2 August, putting humanity in the red for longer.We are starting to unlink greenhouse gas emissions from production and consumption Continue reading...

Energy minister’s comments on market intervention leave open the possibility of government support of coal-fired powerNew high-efficiency low-emission (HELE) coal-fired power plants have a role in the energy mix and the government is prepared to intervene in the market, Josh Frydenberg has said.The energy and environment minister told Sky News on Sunday that new coal plants “need to be considered” alongside other sources of baseload power, and the government could intervene if the market failed to deliver the “best possible outcomes” in the electricity market. Continue reading...

Phone app offers households savings for a fraction of the cost of a top-of-the-range smart fridgeThe world’s first wireless fridge camera goes on sale in the UK next month aimed at helping households slash food waste by being able to check exactly what they have in their refrigerator at any time.As well as taking selfies to be sent to the user, the Smarter FridgeCam and app will also monitor use-by dates and send out automatic top-up reminders to buy more milk, for example. It will also encourage people to eat what they already have – typically festering at the back of the fridge or in the salad box – by suggesting recipes. Continue reading...

From Indonesia to India, wild birds are being sold as pets to families who want their own Hedwig. Ecologists call for protection to help species surviveThe Harry Potter phenomenon has broken publishing and cinema box-office records and spawned a series of lucrative theme parks. But wildlife experts are sounding the alarm over a sad downside to JK Rowling’s tales of the troubled young wizard. The illegal trade in owls has jumped in the far east over the past decade and researchers fear it could endanger the survival of these distinctive predators in Asia.Conservationists say the snowy owl Hedwig – who remains the young wizard’s loyal companion for most of the Harry Potter series – is fuelling global demand for wild-caught birds for use as pets. In 2001, the year in which the first film was released, only a few hundred were sold at Indonesia’s many bird markets. By 2016, the figure had soared to more than 13,000, according to researchers Vincent Nijman and Anna Nekaris of Oxford Brookes University in a paper in Global Ecology and Conservation. At around $10 to $30, the price tag is affordable to most middle-class families. Continue reading...

Some 500,000 birds will have been shot by the end of another inglorious season as a select few continue to trample on the interests of the rest of usAfter 150 years of being treated as a quaint rural pastime, grouse shooting is now under the microscope – unless it reforms it is doomed, and it may drag other country sports down with it.On Saturday, the start of the grouse shooting season, the social media hashtag #inglorious12th was trending, and a social media message, “I want to see an end to raptor persecution in the uplands. Criminal activity needs to be stopped”, set up by 15-year-old birdwatcher and conservation campaigner Findlay Wilde, was sent to more than 11 million people. Continue reading...

Thousands turn out in London and on Yorkshire moors as campaigners call for end to ‘killing for the psychopathic joy of it’

River Ouse, North Yorkshire Once so prolific it was turned into sequins, the endangered tansy beetle is clinging on at its Yorkshire hang-outSequins are a popular way to bring ethereal pizzazz to an outfit. But back before synthetic bling was mass produced in every shade of fabulous, the source of such dazzle could be ethically dubious but more iridescent still. For Victorian fashionistas a statement collar or cape might have been adorned with the wingcases of thousands of tansy beetles.Related: York's flood meadows get site of special scientific interest status Continue reading...

Paula Kahumbu: Ending ivory trafficking should be at the heart of a new vision for Africa’s development

Mayor is letting down Londoners by leaving out a manifesto pledge to create a not-for-profit energy company from his new environment strategy, say green groupsCampaigners have condemned the mayor of London’s new environment strategy for falling short by failing to announce the establishment of a publicly owned energy company for Londoners, one of his manifesto promises.Sadiq Khan published his environment policy on Friday, which aims to turn the capital into a zero waste and zero emissions city by 2050 and ensure that more than half of the city is covered in parks and green spaces in the same time frame. Continue reading...

As estates gear up for Glorious Twelfth, wildlife crime expert talks of direct link between grouse moors and persecution of birds of preyGrouse moors are to blame for persecuting endangered birds of prey in the Scottish Highlands and Uplands, according to a wildlife crime expert.Ian Thomson, the head of investigations at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland, said data from 77 birds of prey that had been satellite-tagged showed a direct correlation between dead and disappeared birds and grouse moors. Continue reading...

Only an experienced beekeeper could have pulled off raid in Anglesey ‘without getting stung to smithereens’, police sayAn experienced beekeeper is suspected of stealing 40,000 bees from Anglesey in one of Britain’s biggest bee rustling cases in years.Only someone with a bee suit and veil could have pulled off the heist on Paul Williams’s hive in Rhydwyn “without getting stung to smithereens”, police said. Continue reading...

Playful gelada and inquisitive sea lions are among our pick of images from the natural world this week Continue reading...

Former US vice president says the US will meet its climate commitments in spite of Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the global agreementDonald Trump has failed to knock the Paris climate agreement off course despite his efforts to derail it, according to the former US vice president Al Gore.“The US will meet its commitments [on emissions] in spite of Donald Trump,” he said in London, where his new film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power was released on Friday. “Every other country has pledged [to combat climate change]. I think the psychological message is that the train has left the station. The signal sent to investors, businesses, individuals and civil society is extraordinarily powerful.” Continue reading...

For 10 years, Nasa has been flying over the ice caps to chart their retreat. This data is an invaluable record of climate change. But does anyone care?• Read the text version hereSubscribe via Audioboom, iTunes, Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Acast & Sticher and join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter Continue reading...

Salvage operation under way after 12 sections of a giant pipe broke free from Norwegian tugs bound for AlgeriaSections of a giant pipe, one almost half a kilometre long, have washed up on the north Norfolk coast after breaking free from Norwegian tugs bound for Algeria following an accident involving an Icelandic container ship.A 480 metre (1,570ft) length of the plastic piping beached between Sea Palling and Winterton-on-Sea on Friday. Earlier this week a 200 metre section appeared at low tide further west at Horsey. Continue reading...

The odds of 2014, 2015, and 2016 naturally being as hot as they were are about the same as the odds you’ll be struck by lightning this year2014, 2015, and 2016 each broke the global temperature record. A new study led by climate scientist Michael Mann just published in Geophysical Research Letters used climate model simulations to examine the odds that these records would have been set in a world with and without human-caused global warming. In model simulations without a human climate influence, the authors concluded: Continue reading...

Controversial Queensland coalmine project is now without financing from any of Australia’s big four banksThe Commonwealth Bank has indicated it will not lend money to Adani’s proposed Carmichael coalmine, leaving the project without financing from any of Australia’s big four banks.A spokesman from Commonwealth Bank said the bank is “not among the banks who have been, or will be, asked to consider this financing”. Continue reading...