Golden monkeys, whooper swans and a giant tortoise are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

Exclusive: 197 people killed last year for defending land, wildlife or natural resources, new Global Witness data reveals. In recording every defender’s death, the Guardian hopes to raise awareness of the deadly struggle on the environmental frontlineThe slaughter of people defending their land or environment continued unabated in 2017, with new research showing almost four people a week were killed worldwide in struggles against mines, plantations, poachers and infrastructure projects.

Presidential order reduced protections for land once part of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monumentsHundreds of thousands of acres of land that were part of two US national monuments shrunk by Donald Trump are being opened on Friday to mining claims for uranium and other minerals.It is a symbolic step in a broader conflict over the fate of America’s public lands, on which Trump hopes to encourage greater access for extractive industries. Continue reading...

As 2018 enters its second month we’d like to see your photos of the wildlife you’ve discovered where you liveWhat sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps this month? We’d like to see your photos of the February wildlife near you, whether you’re a novice spotter or have been out and about searching forcreatures great and small for years.Related: Has spring come early where you live? Share your pictures Continue reading...

Average temperature for the month was 20.3C, more than three degrees higher than normalJanuary was the hottest month ever recorded in New Zealand, according to figures released on Friday, and experts say climate change is one factor.

Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: Trying to find enough shelter to keep warm and conserve energy without increasing the risk of attack is a juggling act for a small bird

To celebrate World Wetlands day, WWF is highlighting its work in the Pantanal, the world’s biggest wetland. This pristine environment in South America supports a rich variety of wildlife and plants, while its enormous water reserves are vital for the 8 million people who depend on the Pantanal’s fresh water, fish, climate control and tourism. Continue reading...

New Zealand conservationists mourn loss of celebrated bird that was lured by replica gannets in the hope of establishing a breeding colonyIf there is such a thing as a tragic life for a bird, then the life of Nigel “no mates”, a New Zealand gannet, probably fits that bill.Nigel lived for years on his own on uninhabited Mana Island off the north of the country, surrounded by concrete replica gannets. Continue reading...

Rodney Flowers has pleaded not guilty to quad bike driving on conservation area trackA Jacqui Lambie Network candidate in the Tasmanian election is facing a court hearing over allegedly driving on prohibited 4WD tracks along the heritage-listed Tarkine coast.Related: Jacqui Lambie hits out at major parties over Tasmanian election snub Continue reading...

Transport minister unveils new measures allowing government to prosecute carmakersCarmakers who cheat emissions rules with illegal devices could face unlimited fines and criminal charges for deceiving environmental tests under new measures set to be introduced in the wake of the Volkswagen scandal.

Global studies show that when wood stoves are replaced, particle pollution falls sharplyA new study shows how home wood burning is worsening air quality in UK towns and cities. Wood burning is adding between 24% and 31% to the particle pollution emitted in Birmingham and London. Many people think that this is a harmless form of heating, but it is often hard to see the impact of a pollutant until it is taken away.Related: Toxic air pollution particles found in human brains Continue reading...

Party urges $2.8bn commonwealth acquisition of privately owned interconnectorsThe Greens will on Friday call for electricity assets to be returned to public ownership, starting with a commonwealth acquisition of privately owned interconnectors, costing $2.8bn.The new energy policy from the Greens, to be released as the party gears up to contest the Batman byelection in Melbourne’s northern suburbs after the resignation of Labor’s David Feeney on Thursday, would seek to transition privately owned transmission infrastructure in three states, including Victoria, back to public ownership. Continue reading...

Renewed focus on food safety comes after ‘serious incidents’ at 2 Sisters and Russell HumeThe UK’s food regulators are launching nationwide review of all meat cutting plants in the wake of “serious incidents” at 2 Sisters Food Group and Russell Hume.The announcement comes days after the Food Standards Agency was criticised by a committee of MPs for failing to take “definite action” to improve food standards following a Guardian and ITV undercover investigation last year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Analysis shows federal and state environment spending cut while industry awarded $2.5bn in fuel tax creditsMining companies will receive more than twice as much in fuel tax credits as the Turnbull government will spend on environment and biodiversity programs this financial year, an analysis has found.Coalmining companies alone are expected to get more back than the diminishing funding allocated to the federal environment department. Continue reading...

Original report said to have showed more pollution flowed into sensitive Caley valley wetlands than company had allegedAdani submitted an altered laboratory report while appealing a fine for contamination of sensitive wetlands on the Queensland coast near the Great Barrier Reef, the Guardian understands.While appealing a $12,000 fine for spilling coal-laden water on to the beach at Abbot Point after Cyclone Debbie, Adani submitted a report detailing the nature of the spill. Continue reading...

Report says Neg will also undermine efficiency of renewable investmentThe Turnbull government’s proposed national energy guarantee will protect coal generators from competition provided by renewables and batteries and undermine the efficiency of investment in renewable generation capacity, according to a new analysis.The analysis of the government’s policy by Carbon and Energy Markets for the Australian Conservation Foundation also floats the idea that the Neg – which imposes new reliability and emissions reduction guarantees on Australia’s energy retailers and large energy users from 2020 – could mean the existing spot market will need to be disbanded. Continue reading...

Toxic NO2 pollution affects most of urban areas of the UK, but London is worst hit. View live data from the capital to see which sites are breaking legal limitsOn 30 January, Brixton Road in south London reached its annual legal limit for toxic nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – less than a month into the year. It breached the limit two days later.The rapid breaking of the limit is a dramatic illustration of the illegal air pollution affecting most urban areas in the UK, for which the government is being sued in the high court for a third time early in 2018. High NO2 levels are estimated to cause about 23,500 early deaths a year across the nation.

We’ve come to accept Trump’s ignorance, but it’s often dangerousDonald Trump has decimated all presidential norms to such a degree that it’s now difficult to feel alarmed or outraged when he inevitably breaks another. It was difficult to raise an eyebrow when the story broke that Trump paid off a porn star to remain silent about their affair, which happened just after his third wife had given birth to his fifth child, because it’s Donald Trump – of course he did.Likewise, when Trump made a number of grossly ignorant and wrong comments about climate change in an interview with Piers Morgan last week, my first reaction was ‘it’s Donald Trump – of course he did.’ Continue reading...

Warning over wider global health impacts after findings reveal hundreds of tonnes of colistin – the ‘antibiotic of last resort’ – are being shipped to India’s farmsChickens raised in India for food have been dosed with some of the strongest antibiotics known to medicine, in practices that could have repercussions throughout the world.

Get involved in our project mapping the change in UK seasons: tell us if you’re seeing an early spring near youHas spring sprung early where you are? Are you already noticing changes to the appearance or behaviour of flora and fauna in gardens, window boxes or local wild spaces? If so, we’d like to hear about it for a project mapping what appears to be a trend of shorter winters in the northern hemisphere.Related: Spring flowers in autumn, birdsong in winter: what a freak year for nature Continue reading...

Scientists say climate targets cannot be met using the technologies, which either risk huge damage to the environment or are very costlyWays of sucking carbon dioxide from the air will not work on the vast scales needed to beat climate change, Europe’s science academies warned on Thursday.

Durham city: Minute male capsules on the prothallus burst open, releasing sperm with whiplash tails that swim frantically towards the egg cells

Directive seeks better access to safe drinking water to reduce use of throw-away containersThe EU is to oblige national governments to provide greater access to drinking fountains, encourage restaurants to offer free tap water, and raise the standards required of suppliers, as part of a move to clamp down on plastic waste and improve the health of Europeans.

Campaigners ask Westminster to ‘drive war on plastic waste’ and Prince Charles calls for actionCampaigners are demanding that the UK parliament cuts its use of throwaway plastics, as new figures show the Westminster estate purchased more than 2m plastic straws, bottled drinks, plastic-lined coffee cups, food sachets and cutlery items last year.Freedom of information requests submitted by Surfers Against Sewage show that hundreds of thousands of items of plastic cutlery, more than a million takeaway coffee cups and nearly 22,000 plastic straws were used last year in the Commons and Lords. Continue reading...

Boxset comes with message from David Attenborough as PM hopes for China’s help to cut pollutionTheresa May will present Xi Jinping with a Blue Planet boxset when the two meet in Beijing on Thursday, but the Chinese president may have already seen the BBC series – considering its huge popularity in his country.The seven-part natural history series was watched by millions across the globe, and proved especially popular in China where an estimated 26 million people saw the first episode and approximately 100 million watched the second online, resulting in the country’s internet slowing to glacial pace.

Naturalist describes accolade as ‘Boaty McBoatface in book form’ after Fingers in the Sparkle Jar beats Wind in the Willows and The PeregrineWhen academics asked readers to vote for Britain’s favourite piece of nature writing, they probably didn’t expect a celebrity memoir about Asperger’s to trounce otters, badgers and peregrines.But Chris Packham has seen off famous poets and naturalists such as John Clare, Kathleen Jamie and Gilbert White, as well as much-loved children’s classics The Wind in the Willows and Tarka the Otter, to top the online poll organised by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Continue reading...

Study warns that use of anti-malarial nets may reduce people’s protection and affect fish stocks, and calls for urgent research into potential impactsAnti-malarial mosquito nets are being used to catch fish around the world, according to the first global survey, risking harm to people and fish stocks.More research is urgently needed to assess these impacts, say the scientists, but they also caution that the draconian bans on mosquito net fishing seen in some countries may cause more harm than good, particularly where people rely on the fish caught to survive. Continue reading...

Airline vows to eliminate use of nonrecyclable plastics on aircraft and at head offices and basesRyanair has pledged to become “plastic free” in the next five years, with the airline set to trumpet its relative green credentials as part of its ongoing makeover.The Ryanair chief executive, Michael O’Leary, has famously suggested shooting environmentalists, and repeatedly denies climate change is driven by carbon emissions, which aviation produces in abundance. Continue reading...

Lawmakers overwhelmingly vote for the bill to abolish trade by 2021, which will shut down a massive ivory market and throw a ‘lifeline’ to elephantsHong Kong has voted to ban ivory sales in a landmark move to end the infamous trade in the city.Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted for Wednesday’s bill, which will abolish the trade by 2021, following China’s complete ban on ivory sales that went into effect at the end of last year. Continue reading...

Three-person team reported to have been attacked by government forces while patrolling in the Keo Seima wildlife conservation sanctuarySoldiers in an area of north-eastern Cambodia where illicit logging and smuggling are rife are reported to have killed a forest protection ranger, a military police officer and a conservation worker in apparent retaliation for their seizure of equipment from illegal loggers, officials have said.Keo Sopheak, a senior environmental official in Mondulkiri province, said the three-person team was attacked late Tuesday afternoon after patrolling in the Keo Seima wildlife conservation sanctuary. He said the dead civilian was a Cambodian employee of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society. Continue reading...

Our buyer’s preferred lender won’t consider them for a mortgageWe bought a house in 2010 and had solar panels installed on a leasehold basis. We want to sell, but the buyer’s preferred lender won’t lend on properties with leasehold panels.We have tried to buy out the panels, as per a clause in the lease. It states that we have to compensate the company for the loss of their “feed-in tariff” – we know this will be around £20,000. Continue reading...

Footage taken at the Sealife Melbourne aquarium shows a green sea turtle that was rescued from a beach on the Mornington peninsula swimming laps alongside predators to prepare for his release into the wild. Terry the turtle has a phalanx of divers to act as bodyguards for his first foray into the tank Continue reading...

The stripy fields have been planted across England as part of a trial to boost the natural predators of pests that attack cereal cropsLong strips of bright wildflowers are being planted through crop fields to boost the natural predators of pests and potentially cut pesticide spraying.

The turtle washed up on a beach in August and will be released into the wild next monthA green sea turtle rescued from a beach has been swimming laps alongside predators at Sealife Melbourne aquarium to prepare for his release into the wild, with a phalanx of divers to act as bodyguards.The immature turtle was discovered washed up on a beach on the Mornington Peninsula in August, severely underweight and battling pneumonia. Continue reading...

Captain of the Rainbow Warrior who led many of Greenpeace’s most dramatic marine campaignsThe seaman Jon Castle, who has died of cancer aged 67, led many of Greenpeace’s most dramatic marine campaigns, including the occupation of the Brent Spar oil platform and the opposition to nuclear testing.After 25 years with Greenpeace he turned his skills to wider humanitarian causes, including rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean and sailing to the Chagos Islands in protest at the British refusal to allow people to return to their homeland following their eviction to allow the US to build a military base. He always acted, he said, not just out of a love of nature but for right against wrong. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ALP’s internal advocacy group wants sweeping reforms to protect natural heritage to be adopted as policy at next conferenceBill Shorten is facing rising internal pressure to make the environment central to Labor’s election pitch after 250 ALP branches passed a motion calling for strong new national laws and an independent agency akin to a “Reserve Bank for environmental management”.Branches from every state and territory have backed a campaign by the Labor environment action network (Lean), an internal advocacy group, for sweeping reforms to protect natural heritage to be adopted as policy at this year’s ALP conference. Continue reading...

UK and eight other states will need to take drastic measures on illegal air pollution to avoid court referrals next week, says EUThe EU has given Britain and eight other states until next Friday to show how they will comply with EU air pollution laws or face the European Court of Justice.The ultimatum came as London reached its legal air pollution limit for 2018 in just the year’s first month, and could lead to heavy fines being imposed on the UK even after Brexit. Continue reading...

Further indication that oil firms are planning for growth of battery-powered vehicle marketBP will add rapid charging points for electric cars at its UK petrol stations within the next two months, in the latest sign of an oil giant adapting to the dramatic growth of battery-powered cars.The British oil firm’s venture arm has invested $5m (£3.5m) in the US firm Freewire Technologies, which will provide motorbike-sized charging units at forecourts to top up cars in half an hour. Continue reading...

Slowing economy, mild weather and energy-efficient appliances among possible reasons for declineThe UK was the only country in the EU to reduce its electricity consumption last year, with power use growing or stable across the rest of the bloc’s 28 member states.Britain’s appetite for power has been waning for more than a decade as industrial activity declined and businesses and households opted for more energy efficient lighting and appliances. Continue reading...

Timing is a significant improvement, due in part to mayor’s measures, but campaigners say national government must ‘get a grip’ on toxic airAir pollution in London has reached the legal limit for the whole of 2018 less than a month into the year, prompting calls for the government to “get a grip and show they’re serious about protecting health”.Toxic air has been at illegal levels in the capital and most urban areas in the UK since 2010 and results in around 40,000 early deaths a year.

UK environment secretary told by Dutch fisheries minister to set out proposals after department missed Christmas white paper deadlineThe Dutch government has called on Michael Gove to provide a clear vision for the European fishing industry for when the UK leaves the EU’s common fisheries policy, amid growing insecurity in communities on both sides of the Channel.

The IPCC is taking guidance on how to communicate its crucial findings beyond speciality scientific and policy circlesThe remit of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one of the more complicated jigsaw puzzles in the world.Since 1988, it has overseen thousands of scientists pulling together tens of thousands of academic papers on atmospheric physics, meteorology, geography, marine science, economics, land-use and much more. A multi-layered process of expert assessment takes place every six or seven years where a set of carefully worded statements is approved by representatives of 120 of the world’s governments, specifying what we know about the defining challenge of the 21st century: climate change. Continue reading...

Researchers have made remarkable finds at sites such as Grand Staircase-Escalante, which the administration has shrunkThe paleontologist Rob Gay wasn’t expecting to find anything significant that day. He and a few of his students were scouting in the southeast Utah badlands in summer 2016 when they came across a hillside littered with hundreds of bones. Scattered haphazardly and protruding from the earth, they were the remains of of prehistoric reptiles that lived 220m years ago, at the same time as the earliest dinosaurs. Continue reading...

Australian states with bans in place see rise in consumers and retailers resorting to thicker bags to escape the ruleShoppers in states that have banned single-use shopping bags are reportedly buying reusable plastic bags then throwing them away.The Australian Capital Territory requested an investigation into the use of thicker plastic bags last month, after reports that retailers and consumers had simply switched their plastic bag consumption to thicker bags to escape the ban. Continue reading...

The blackouts appear to have been caused by fuses blowing in substations rather than being a problem with supplyBlackouts in Victoria this week caused by substation malfunctions have spawned a plethora of responses, many attempting to pin the blame on either a lack of coal or too much renewable energy.One national newspaper has argued that the focus on substations was a “smokescreen” to hide what it identified as the real cause – Victoria’s moratorium on gas exploration. Continue reading...

Schools will receive an alert every time air pollution is high enough to pose an acute health risk, under new plans announced by Sadiq KhanSchools in London will receive an alert every time air pollution in the capital is set to pose an acute risk to health as part of a renewed push to highlight the scale of the capital’s toxic pollution crisis.Air pollution causes about 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK – more than 9,000 in London – and the young are particularly vulnerable. Continue reading...

On this small, densely populated island, clashes between elephants and humans are rapidly increasing. Rangers and villagers are working to find ways to avoid the conflict and the devastating, at times deadly, impacts on both sides Continue reading...

Blended fuel powers 15-hour Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 flight between LA and Melbourne, reducing carbon emissions by 7%A Qantas plane powered partly by mustard seeds has become the world’s first biofuel flight between Australia and the United States, after landing in Melbourne on Tuesday.The 15-hour flight used a blended fuel that was 10% derived from the brassica carinata, an industrial type of mustard seed that functions as a fallow crop – meaning it can be grown by farmers in between regular crop cycles. Continue reading...