Accelerating rates of land clearing in Queensland are undermining Australia’s Direct Action greenhouse gas cutsAccelerating rates of tree clearing in Queensland are wiping out any cuts to greenhouse gas emissions the federal government has made through its $2.55bn Direct Action fund, according to the latest data released by the Queensland government.The results also point again to apparent holes in the federal government’s greenhouse gas accounting, as its official figures maintain that land clearing in Queensland is reducing, and that changes in land use across the whole country are cutting emissions rather than adding to them. Continue reading...

Dungeness, Kent This is an exposed environment, buffeted by maritime winds, the closest the UK gets to a desert. But lichen heath is taking holdThe vast shark’s tooth of shingle that is Dungeness protrudes into the strait of Dover. Though the sky is overcast, as I drive on to the promontory the light intensifies, reflecting from the sea on to the flint pebbles. It’s like walking into a room with glass walls.This is an ancient, undulating, beach dotted with old abandoned boats and sheds. Millennia ago the sea deposited 40 square kilometres of shingle here, sifting it into ridges of smaller pebbles and troughs of bulkier ones. Above the shoreline, Dungeness is a static shingle platform, a huge, flat cairn. Continue reading...

A wet July and August in Britain put a dampener on our midsummer butterfliesI am still seeing butterflies almost daily, sunning themselves when they can and feasting on late-flowering ivy. Most are red admirals, a large, dark and powerful presence sailing through autumnal skies or feeding on rotten fruit in orchards.It has been a vintage red admiral year, with numbers up by 75% on 2016 in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count. But sadly it has not been a vintage butterfly summer. Continue reading...

Neonicotinoid insecticides are found in 75% of global honey samples and half contain a cocktail of chemicalsHoney from across the world is contaminated with potent pesticides known to harm bees, new research shows, clearly revealing the global exposure of vital pollinators for the first time.Almost 200 samples of honey were analysed for neonicotinoid insecticides and 75% contained the chemicals, with most contaminated with multiple types. Bees range over many kilometres to collect nectar and pollen, making the honey they produce an excellent indicator of the pesticide pollution across their local landscape. Continue reading...

26-year study reveals natural biological factors kick in once warming reaches certain point, leading to potentially unstoppable increase in temperaturesWarming soils are releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than previously thought, suggesting a potentially disastrous feedback mechanism whereby increases in global temperatures will trigger massive new carbon releases in a cycle that may be impossible to break.The increased production of carbon comes from the microbes within soils, according to a report in the peer-review journal Science, published on Friday. Continue reading...

Scientists confirm creatures discovered on Ball’s Pyramid in 2001 are the same species rats were believed to have killed off a century earlierScientists have confirmed that giant insects found on a rocky outcrop off Lord Howe Island are a genetic match for the island’s stick insects that were believed to have gone extinct almost 100 years earlier.The species were assumed to be one and the same. However significant morphological differences between the Lord Howe Island stick insects collected in the early 1900s and stored in museum collections, and the phasmids discovered in 2001 on Ball’s Pyramid (a remnant volcano about 23km off the main island), created a suspicion the latter could be a related species – rather than the original back from the dead. Continue reading...

WWF says alternatives to industrially farmed animal feed must be developed to stop biodiversity lossFarm animals could be fed on insects and algae, potentially preventing significant amounts of deforestation and water and energy waste, according to environmental campaigners.“We’re a bit squeamish about eating insects in the UK,” said WWF’s food policy manager Duncan Williamson at the Extinction and Livestock conference in London. “But we can feed them to our animals. We are going to need animal feed for the foreseeable future, but algae and insects are an alternative to the current system.”

People warned not to eat animals from the Heart Morass wetland, but fishing industry says ‘ranching’ practice may have already spread the threatPotentially carcinogenic firefighting chemicals discovered in a Victorian wetland may have been spread across the state because of a commercial fishing practice known as “ranching”.The Victorian Environment Protection Authority said testing by the Department of Defence had discovered “elevated” levels of per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – commonly knows as PFAS – in animals from the Heart Morass wetlands near Sale in eastern Victoria. Continue reading...

Prince says catastrophic hurricanes are consequence of climate change and welcomes growing awareness of plastic pollutionThe world’s oceans are at last receiving the attention they deserve, as the scale of plastic pollution is finally becoming clear, the Prince of Wales has said, hailing this growing awareness as the first step to saving the marine environment.Prince Charles said it had taken years for the enormity of the problem to emerge, but promised to make it a key priority of his campaigning, alongside rainforests. Continue reading...

Response: an opinion piece by Laura Laker accused me of hypocrisy, but our review examining the law and cycling aims to make the roads safer for everyoneLaura Laker accuses me of “headline-grabbing hypocrisy” in relation to the safety of cyclists. That’s quite an extreme reaction to my announcement of a review whose specific purpose is to improve the safety of all road users, especially in relation to cyclists.As I made clear, the review will address two key issues. The first is legal: whether the law is defective in the case of bodily harm or death from a cyclist, and specifically whether, as the rule of law demands, there is an adequate remedy here. Our aim is to complete this work early in the new year. Continue reading...

Tokyo has targeted some 40 traditional gardens in need of immediate repair, with a team set to travel to Romania and the USTokyo plans to send green-fingered experts to every corner of the world on a mission to spruce up Japanese-style gardens that have fallen into disrepair.

WWF report finds 60% of global biodiversity loss is down to meat-based diets which put huge strain on Earth’s resources

Deputy premier brands Australia ‘deforestation hotspot’ after a 45% jump in her state’s reef catchment clearingQueensland underwent a dramatic surge in tree clearing – with the heaviest losses in Great Barrier Reef catchments – in the year leading up to the Palaszczuk government’s thwarted bid to restore protections.Figures released on Thursday showed a 33% rise in clearing to almost 400,000 hectares in 2015-16, meaning Queensland now has two-thirds the annual rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Continue reading...

Interior department had moved to delay to 2019 methane regulation governing oil and gas production on federal landRebuffing the Trump administration, a federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Interior Department to reinstate an Obama-era regulation aimed at restricting harmful methane emissions from oil and gas production on federal lands.The order by a judge in San Francisco came as the Interior Department moved to delay the rule until 2019, saying it was too burdensome to industry. The action followed an earlier effort by the department to postpone part of the rule set to take effect next year. Continue reading...

If we stop fighting change, Australia can be the land of endless energy powering generations of manufacturing industriesThe shift to decarbonise our economy is portrayed by opponents of such a shift as the death of Australia as an energy superpower.Nothing can be further from the truth. Continue reading...

Crook, County Durham Within a day of uploading a picture of what I thought was one species of harvestman, I was told it was a more interesting alienWe may be living in a golden age for natural historians. The old naturalists’ field clubs, rooted in the Victorian passion for collecting and sharing knowledge of flora and fauna, may be in decline, but, thanks to social media, it has never been easier to correspond with a helpful expert when you need one.Post a picture of, say, an unfamiliar spider on the internet and it’s likely that someone out there will identify it for you. Continue reading...

Climate change blamed as continent logs hottest September day on record, with average maximum temperature of 33.47CAustralian temperature records tumbled again in September this year, with the country experiencing the hottest day since records began, and New South Wales breaking that record twice within a few days.As always, particular weather events caused the records to be broken. But in a special climate statement, the Bureau of Meteorology said climate change also played a role, and earlier research has shown global warming has massively increased the chance of these records being broken. Continue reading...

Men in late 20s and early 30s with alcohol or drugs in their system the most frequent victims of fatal river drowningRisk-taking young men who drown trying to swim Melbourne’s Yarra river are making it the deadliest inland river per metre in Australia.New data shows alcohol, drugs, tourists and young men who dare each other to swim the river are contributing to regular drownings. Continue reading...

Fish and Wildlife Service decides Pacific walrus may be able to adapt to loss of sea ice and is unlikely to be seen as endangered ‘in the foreseeable future’The Trump administration has declined to list the Pacific walrus as endangered after deciding that the huge tusked mammals may be able to adapt to the loss of the sea ice that they currently depend upon.The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said that the walruses were unlikely to be considered endangered “in the foreseeable future”, defined as from now until 2060, adding: “At this time, sufficient resources remain to meet the subspecies’ physical and ecological needs now and into the future.” Continue reading...

Supermarket boss says he was ‘shocked’ after Guardian/ITV investigation revealed poor hygiene standards at 2 Sisters plantTesco has pledged to continue with its “exclusive” Willow Farms poultry brand despite a hygiene scandal at the factory supplying the product and identical chicken being sold more cheaply by rival Lidl.

Exclusive: Every area of the capital breaches global standards for PM2.5 pollution particles, with most areas exceeding levels by at least 50%The scale of London’s air pollution crisis was laid bare on Wednesday, with new figures showing that every person in the capital is breathing air that exceeds global guidelines for one of the most dangerous toxic particles.The research, based on the latest updated London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, shows that every area in the capital exceeds World Health Organisation (WHO) limits for a damaging type of particle known as PM2.5. Continue reading...

Research by World Animal Protection in Brazil and Peru has revealed rise in photos with wild animals on Instagram, as well as growing instances of cruelty, and is launching a Wildlife Selfie CodeSome of the Amazon’s most endangered creatures are under threat from the growing trend of tourists taking “wild animal selfies”, according to a new investigation by the charity World Animal Protection released this week.Selfies with animals has become a trend in recent years, with a 292% increase in the number of images posted to Instagram from 2014 to present. However, behind the scenes animals are kept in cruel conditions with many dying soon after being snatched from their natural habitat. Continue reading...

When two Dutch journalists travelled to the DRC to report on illegal gold mining in the vast Okapi wildlife reserve, they ended up running for their livesConflict is never far away in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a country rich in natural resources such as gold, diamonds, coltan and tin – and the country is on the brink of a new civil war. Tensions have been rising since December, when President Joseph Kabila postponed the elections. Continue reading...

It’s time the world woke up to the real impact of modern, industrial farming, says Philip Lymbery, author of Farmageddon and the DeadzoneThe world desperately needs joined-up action on industrial farming if it is to avoid catastrophic impacts on life on earth, according to the head of one of the world’s most highly regarded animal campaign groups.Philip Lymbery, chief executive of Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and the author of Farmageddon and more recently Deadzone, said: “Every day there is a new confirmation of how destructive, inefficient, wasteful, cruel and unhealthy the industrial agriculture machine is. We need a total rethink of our food and farming systems before it’s too late.” Continue reading...

Tepco, still struggling to decommission Fukushima Daiichi, gets initial approval to start two reactors at Kashiwazaki-KariwaThe operator of Japan’s stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been given initial approval to restart reactors at another atomic facility, marking the first step towards the firm’s return to nuclear power generation more than six years after the March 2011 triple meltdown.

South Africa’s rising poaching problem has seen a shocking 6,115 rhinos killed in the last nine years. Saving the Survivors’ ground-breaking initiative sees a small team of vets race to the scene to try and treat the animals before it’s too late Continue reading...

Renewables accounted for two-thirds of new power added to world’s grids last year, says International Energy AgencySolar power was the fastest-growing source of new energy worldwide last year, outstripping the growth in all other forms of power generation for the first time and leading experts to hail a “new era”.Renewable energy accounted for two-thirds of new power added to the world’s grids in 2016, the International Energy Agency said, but the group found solar was the technology that shone brightest. Continue reading...

Morfa Harlech, Gwynedd They have drifted on ocean currents for 500m years, pulsing gently towards landfallThe wave smudges out something written in the sand with a stick. I imagine it as a spell cast to charm ashore those lost at sea. And so it does, as tides ebb and flow, stranding the barrel jellyfish. These extraordinary creatures, also known as dustbin-lid jellyfish because of their size and shape, have been shipwrecked after an epic voyage.Rhizostoma pulmo or R octopus is the largest jellyfish in British waters (they can grow to nearly 90cm in diameter) and is harvested around Wales for high-value medical-grade collagen. It feeds on plankton and its sting does not injure humans any more than do nettles; it is fed upon by leatherback turtles and sunfish. Continue reading...

Plant’s operator seeks approval for a phased development in the face of residents’ opposition and concerns over air qualityPlans for the world’s biggest waste-to-energy plant in Sydney’s west have been cut in half, in an effort to address concerns from health and environmental authorities, and residents.The Next Generation, a company owned by one of the largest waste operators in Australia – Ian Malouf, founder of Dial A Dump – has lodged new documents seeking a phased development of the plant. Continue reading...

Number ‘staggering’, researchers say – and likely to be driving the decline of threatened native speciesMore than 1 million native Australian birds are killed across the country by cats every day, new research shows.The study, published in the journal Biological Conversation, estimates feral cats kill 316 million birds a year, while pet cats kill 61 million birds annually. More than 99% are native. Continue reading...

The service industries on which the agricultural sector depends need to modernise the range and quality of the services they provide, writes Dr Jessica Cross. Plus Jason Downes sees strikes as an opportunity to embrace flexibilityAfter nearly three decades of working in the mining industry and financial sector, I traded my stiletto heels for wellies and went sheep farming. It immediately became apparent that the traditional business model of farming was unsustainable; the reliance on EU subsidies, the volatile and seasonal price of lamb subject to the big supermarkets importing cheap meat, and a wool price that barely covered the cost of shearing. So I applied my City of London background to diversifying my business. From my farm, I now ship locally and internationally a range of luxury wool bedding made from the fleeces of much of the UK’s Southdown pedigreed flock. I also offer disabled-accessible self-catering accommodation for a working farm experience.The problem with this business model is its dependency on three sectors, whose services I am finding totally inadequate and antiquated, to the point where my entrepreneurial initiative is being undermined. Continue reading...

The launch of China’s national carbon market could also harm the competitiveness of Australian productsFor a brief and shining moment in 2012, Australia was at the global forefront of climate change action, as one of the first countries to implement a carbon pricing mechanism. It lasted only two years, and was repealed amid much fanfare by the Abbott government in July 2014.During its time, Australian companies and industries exposed to the carbon pricing mechanism took a long hard look at the emissions liabilities embedded within their supply chains and worked to reduce them. Continue reading...

Policy includes target of 20 gigawatts by 2030, is modelled on the renewable energy target and contains incentives for households and small businessThe Greens are proposing a new national energy storage target of 20 gigawatts by 2030 to help drive the switch to renewables at both the household level and across the energy grid.The new policy will be announced on Wednesday ahead of meetings between the Greens climate and energy spokesman, Adam Bandt, and key industry players, such as the Australian Energy Storage Council, Tesla, the US firm AES Energy Storage, and Suntrix. Continue reading...

Energy minister Paul Wheelhouse says allowing unconventional extraction of coal and gas would put climate goals at riskThe Scottish government has banned fracking after a consultation found overwhelming public opposition and little economic justification for the industry.

Occupation by Sarah Green, 62, later joined by other protesters, is intended to be part of rolling campaign along rail link’s routeA 62-year-old environmental protester has spent more than 20 hours underneath a large digger as part of a new campaign to block the construction of the controversial HS2 high speed rail link.Sarah Green, a member of the Green party and a businesswoman in Hillingdon, started her protest under the digger, which is to be used for preparatory demolition work, in part of the Colne valley nature reserve at around lunchtime on Monday. Several other activists later joined her under the digger. Continue reading...

Environmentalists say holy ceremonies such as 10-day Durga Puja overwhelming already polluted Yamuna riverSections of a major river in Delhi are choking with plastic, flowers and debris after an annual Hindu festival in which hundreds of idols were immersed in Indian waterways.Related: Murder most foul: polluted Indian river reported dead despite 'living entity' status Continue reading...

Major high street retailers back drive to encourage recycling after poll shows more than half throw batteries away in the binMajor high street retailers have joined forces to encourage people to recycle their used household batteries as a new poll revealed that more than half of respondents admitted they throw them in the bin.Asda, B&Q, Currys PC World, Marks & Spencer and Morrisons are all backing the drive to make it easier for consumers to recycle dead batteries and avoid millions ending up in landfill every year and wreaking environmental havoc. Continue reading...

More than 40 Catholic institutions will make largest ever faith-based divestment, on the anniversary of the death of St Francis of AssisiMore than 40 Catholic institutions are to announce the largest ever faith-based divestment from fossil fuels, on the anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.The sum involved has not been disclosed but the volume of divesting groups is four times higher than a previous church record, and adds to a global divestment movement, led by investors worth $5.5tn. Continue reading...

Claxton, Norfolk When the amount of aerial plankton in the atmosphere drops, the birds head for AfricaIn natural history, it is easy to notice a first for the year, but to be mindful of the last is more difficult. I know that the house martins are gone, yet their going from our village entailed an unremarkable dwindling of sights and sounds, but slowly, like a loss of moisture in a puddle.I did have one memorable sighting last week in the Yare valley. Over Blackwater, about 40 were pooled above a poplar plantation and in and out of their midst swirled a single lost swift. The martins were smaller, busier, each one with a swept-back wing silhouette, which, depending on the way it turned, was shaped like a broad smile, or frown. Continue reading...

Jacob Brown would like to expand his menu to include possums, wasps, ants and wild Canadian geeseAn environmentally minded New Zealand chef is selling hundreds of plates of imported jellyfish a month after becoming frustrated that the seafood is being wasted in his homeland.

As horizontal drilling starts in Lancashire this month, the Guardian talks to protesters and staff at the Cuadrilla wellMike Hill, sitting in his living room a few miles from a fracking site outside Blackpool, is brandishing a government letter brushing aside his concerns about the industry. “You, Theresa May, overruled democracy to force fracking on the residents of Fylde,” he says, referring to his own letter to the prime minister, in which he urges her to heed experts’ calls for tighter shale gas regulations.“And then you won’t pay attention, the slightest attention, to anybody in regards fracking regulation, fracking monitoring, public health risks, risks to indigenous industries,” says the chartered engineer, who used to work in the oil and gas sector. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Australia Institute polling finds 49% support moratorium in their state while 24% opposeDespite the Turnbull government’s insistence that state-based restrictions on unconventional gas extraction are putting Australia’s ­energy security at risk, twice as many voters support the bans as oppose them.A new poll, conducted by the progressive thinktank the Australia Institute, has found 49% of Australians support a moratorium on fracking for gas in their own state, while just 24% oppose it. Continue reading...

Environment secretary says working group will look at how a deposit return scheme could help reduce plastic waste in EnglandA deposit return scheme aimed at slashing plastic pollution has moved significantly closer after environment secretary Michael Gove said he would work with the industry to see how a scheme can be implemented in England.Gove, speaking at the Conservative party conference in Manchester, announced a four-week call for views to inform how a deposit return scheme (DRS) would be designed. The government’s working group on the issue will also consider DRS for metal and glass containers. Continue reading...

Savings from a new scheme will cover the £350-£400 annual cost of charging a Nissan Leaf, says electricity supplier OvoElectric car owners will be paid for letting an energy company use their vehicle’s battery in a pioneering scheme to increase take-up of the cleaner vehicles and help power grids manage the growth in green energy.Nissan and one of the UK’s biggest challenger energy suppliers, Ovo, will offer the “vehicle-to-grid” service to buyers of the Japanese carmaker’s new Leaf from next year. Continue reading...

Bristol’s open-air arts trail sees large-scale images of ocean life by some of the world’s leading wildlife photographers come to the city’s suburbs, to raise awareness of the species and their fight for survival

Use separate bags for raw foods, ready-to-eat foods, and household products to avoid bacteria spreading, warns food safety watchdogReusable “bags for life” can spread deadly food poisoning bacteria if they are used to carry raw foods such as fish and meat, consumers have been warned by the government’s food safety watchdog.In revised guidance on its website, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is recommending that shoppers use separate bags to carry raw foods, ready-to eat foods and non-food items such as household cleaners and washing powder. Continue reading...

There will be further autumnal signs in the northern hemisphere now October has shown up, while the southern hemisphere can finally begin to enjoy springtime. We’d like to see your photos of this month’s wildlife near youFor the northern hemisphere the leaves will only get browner, and the ground frostier, with October signalling a further shift towards the colder darker winter months ahead. For the southern hemisphere the month should be pleasant, with new signs of life emerging in the wild and warmer spring sunshine to be enjoyed by all. So what sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps? We’d like to see your photos of the October wildlife near you.Share your photos and videos with us and we’ll feature our favourites on the Guardian site. Continue reading...

Some have argued that consensus messaging is counter-productive. Here’s why they’re wrong.

Increase puts Coke’s production at more than 110bn single-use plastic bottles a year, according to analysis by the green groupCoca-Cola increased its production of throwaway plastic bottles last year by well over a billion, according to analysis by Greenpeace.The world’s biggest soft drinks company does not disclose how much plastic packaging it puts into the market. But analysis by the campaign group Greenpeace reveals what they say is an increase in production of single-use PET bottles from 2015-2016. Continue reading...

Legal loophole means landlords won’t need to comply with regulations aiming to protect tenants and cut carbon emissionsTenants in the UK’s draughtiest homes risk paying £1bn extra in energy bills because of a government loophole letting landlords off the hook, a charity has warned.Landlords will be banned from letting poorly insulated homes from next April under new regulations designed to protect vulnerable tenants and cut carbon emissions. Continue reading...