Guardian experts give their view on the main parties’ public service manifesto pledges. Here, our environment editor looks at energy, pollution and recycling

66% spike in captures as bumper wet season connects major river systems in Northern Territory, allowed deadly reptiles to move around more freelyThe number of crocodiles caught in the Top End has soared after Territorians endured the third wettest wet season on record.There’s been a 66% spike in crocodile captures around Darwin and Katherine in the past year, the NT Parks and Wildlife Commission says.

Wenlock Edge, Shropshire The stripy sun fly joins the summer swarm of insects to the opening of the festival of flowersThe sun fly alights on a bramble leaf and alters its position as if by the clockwise clicks of an invisible dial. Gold on black, black on gold, it radiates. The sun fly is one of the syrphid flies, a hoverfly of rough flowery places such as this verge of a long-abandoned railway line through the woods.It’s a chunky little fist of bling, folding up a cut-glass wingspan of 25mm. Its thorax is black with three vertical yellow stripes – which has earned it the nickname of the footballer or the common tiger hoverfly. It presents a regal, black-banded backside of an abdomen with crescentic yellow markings like the folded gold of Saxon hoards. Continue reading...

The famous Mount Rainier has prepared an environmental assessment to allow Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T to extend coverage, but some aren’t happy about itThey already paved Paradise and put up a parking lot. Now the famous site on the south slope of Mount Rainier National Park’s 14,410ft-tall volcano could be wired for cellular service.The park, which encompasses 230,000 acres of the Cascades mountain range in Washington state, has prepared an environmental assessment for a proposal to allow Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T to affix a wireless antenna to the park’s Jackson visitor center.

Falling solar and wind prices have led to new power deals across the world despite investment in renewables fallingRenewable energy capacity around the world was boosted by a record amount in 2016 and delivered at a markedly lower cost, according to new global data – although the total financial investment in renewables actually fell.The greater “bang-for-buck” resulted from plummeting prices for solar and wind power and led to new power deals in countries including Denmark, Egypt, India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates all being priced well below fossil fuel or nuclear options. Continue reading...

Members of environmental organisations state their case. Plus Sylvia Milner decries the Conservatives’ record on frackingAs the Trump administration prepares to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement, we believe the UK must use its trade policy to reaffirm and strengthen a globally coordinated response to climate change – one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced. As such, we call on the next UK government to:• Require ratification of the Paris agreement and a commitment to its goal of avoiding more than 1.5 degrees of warming as a precondition for entering into trade and investment agreements with the UK. Continue reading...

Campaigners in call to action as it emerges EU does not intend to make extra cuts to account for US withdrawal from Paris dealEuropean leaders have been urged to scale up their efforts to tackle climate change as it emerged the EU does not intend to make extra emissions’ cuts to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of the US from the Paris agreement.

Real Junk Food Project co-founder summoned to formal hearing after trading standards inspection at Leeds premisesA charity that campaigns against food waste may face prosecution after a trading standards inspection found produce that was past its use-by date at one of its warehouses.The Real Junk Food Project, which has 127 affiliated cafes worldwide, aims to combat food waste by collecting produce that would otherwise be thrown away and preparing it for the general public. Continue reading...

Elliott D Woods spent time in Phillips County in northern Montana, where public land is a source of life to which ranchers are intimately connected. If the plan to transfer lands to the states succeeds, it will mean a radical restructuring of the economy and the culture of the west

Ranchers in the west have been struggling for decades. Now a new threat looms: public land might be taken away from them

A small but vocal cohort is leading efforts to transfer federal land to the states. Is your congressional representative on the list?The Trump administration has so far attempted to shrink the federal government’s role in healthcare, environmental protection – and even Meals on Wheels. Some Republicans now see another area ripe for giveaway: public lands.During the Obama administration, Republicans made numerous attempts to open up federal lands for development or cede control of areas to the states. This push was largely made by representatives from a few western states, where the federal government manages roughly half of all land. Continue reading...

The rangers, who are police reservists, were killed while trying to recover cattle stolen by nomadic herdersTwo game rangers have been shot dead in Kenya’s restive north while on a mission to recover stolen cattle.For the last year, Laikipia, one of Kenya’s most important wildlife regions, has been the scene of vicious farm invasions and battles between private ranch owners and communities bordering them. Continue reading...

For too long, liberals have been treating climate change as a third or fourth tier issue. As the US exits the Paris Climate Accord, it’s time for liberals to re-evaluate an issue that subsumes all others.On Thursday when the announcement hit that Trump was taking America out of the Paris Climate Accord, my social media feed predictably blew up. As an environmental journalist with a lot of left-leaning friends, you can imagine what it looked like: anger, frustration, shock, sadness, another outrage from the world’s most outrageous leader. All of a sudden every one I knew was talking about climate change; I’ll admit it was a nice change of pace, but after nearly ten years of covering climate change I also knew it would be fleeting.Liberals have been the champions of climate action for decades, but they’ve largely championed it as an after thought, something that comes near the end of a long to-do list, like the brussels sprouts you conveniently forget to pick up at the grocery store (polling bears this out). When I bring up climate change during chats with left-leaning friends, I often get that pause – that suspended moment – when I can see someone in the group look askance. I can see what they’re thinking, “Again, Jeremy, with the climate change?” Continue reading...

More than 50 charities say they have changed key messages during election campaign due to ‘unreasonable and unfair’ restrictionsCharities have been forced to change their key messages to the public during the general election because of the “chilling” effect of the controversial Lobbying Act, a group of leading UK organisations has warned.Democratic debate on some of the biggest issues in the election campaign has been stifled by the law, a group of more than 50 charities writes in a letter sent to the main party leaders. Continue reading...

The state, hit hard by global warming-intensified flooding, has elected numerous climate-denying politicians

Funnel web, trapdoor and redback spiders: their names alone are enough to provoke a thigh-clenching chill in most of us. A new publication from the CSIRO, A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia, attempts to change this. ‘No one has actually died from a spider bite in Australia for more than 30 years, but plenty of people have been injured panicking at the sight of a huntsman.’Authors Robert Whyte and Greg Anderson have produced a comprehensive guide, introducing the reader to fabulously named species like sparklemuffins, the alien butt spider, disco mirror ball spiders and dancing peacock spiders. Here are a small selection of the 1,350 photographs from the book. Continue reading...

Claxton, Norfolk Every year the house martins check properties for suitable nest sites, even examining our nonexistent eavesAs if minted out of the soil that morning, suddenly house martins were around our garden a fortnight ago. Every year the pairs in the village perform an almost ritualised house inspection, when they check properties for suitable nest sites.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Adani officially announce the company’s intention to invest in the proposed Galilee basin mega-mine

High-profile doctors say Carmichael coalmine poses a ‘grave danger to public health’, including from air pollution and black lung diseaseLending money to Indian mining giant Adani to build a rail line for the Carmichael coal project is akin to supporting big tobacco to transport hundreds of tonnes of tobacco to market, an eminent former surgeon and the chair of Doctors for the Environment Australia, Prof Kingsley Faulkner, said.

Unnamed sources said David Rank had resigned as he could not support Donald Trump’s decision last week to withdraw from the Paris climate agreementThe most senior career diplomat at the US embassy in China has stepped down, amid reports that he opposes the Trump administration’s decision to quit the Paris agreement to fight climate change.David Rank, a 27-year veteran state department officer, was appointed to serve as chargé d’affaires in Beijing in January last year. Continue reading...

Survey ahead of the release of the Finkel review of the electricity sector also suggests two-party-preferred gap narrowing between major political partiesVoters are more focused on reducing power prices than on emissions reductions or electricity grid security according to the latest Guardian Essential poll, which comes ahead of the release of the Finkel review of the electricity sector late this week.Voters in this week’s survey were asked to rank priorities ahead of the release of Friday’s much-anticipated Finkel report, after being reminded of the Turnbull government’s repeated pledge to deal with a “trilemma” of issues: lowering power costs, boosting energy security and reducing emissions. Continue reading...

Diesel sales in May are down 20% with industry insiders blaming lack of government clarity for consumer uncertaintyDemand for new diesel cars plummeted by a fifth last month amid rising concerns over air pollution.Approximately 81,500 new diesel cars were registered in the UK in May, down 20% on the same month last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. This represented a fall in market share from 50% to 43.7%. Continue reading...

On Last Week Tonight, the host mocked the president for his decision to withdraw from the Paris agreementJohn Oliver addressed Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, calling the president a “fucking egomaniac”.Related: Late-night hosts on climate deal: 'Even Israel and Palestine are on the same side' Continue reading...

With hundreds of properties around Britain set to be lost to erosion, some are arguing that historic coastal landmarks should be allowed to decay gracefullyDo all heritage sites deserve to be saved or should some be permitted to fall into natural ruin? According to Caitlin DeSilvey, a cultural geography professor at the University of Exeter, some historic landmarks should be permitted to decay gracefully through a policy of managed “continuous ruination”. In other words, thanks to a perfect storm of falling budgets, climate change, rising sea levels, and, well, loads more storms, is it time to stop viewing heritage loss as a failure but instead as a necessary, even natural process of change?“Yes, but it’s not about abandoning stuff,” stresses Phil Dyke, coast and marine adviser at the National Trust, which owns 775 miles of coastline and cares for more than 500 coastal interests. “It’s a form of adaptation. There are 90 locations around England, Wales and Northern Ireland where we’ve got significant change that we’re going to have to deal with over time. It’s going to become increasingly difficult to hang on to structures in these locations.” Continue reading...

Snap election and reality of EU referendum result have led to confidence levels and investment falling, farmers’ union poll showsDespite overwhelmingly being in support of leaving the EU at the Brexit referendum, farmers are increasingly gloomy now that they are staring down the reality of what leaving will entail.In two years, confidence levels on the outlook for the next three years, as measured by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), have plummeted to just above zero from a high of 19 points on the positive side, in the wake of the general election being called and Brexit being set. Continue reading...

There are few issues as bipartisan as public lands. They underpin American traditions and are central to the US economy. But they are now threatened like never before. Under the influence of special interests, the Trump administration has paved a path to give away 640m acres of national land, a third of US property. Limiting public access and input, this Congress has been called the worst for public lands in US history. In response, the Guardian is launching a weekly series to look at the role of public lands in American life and the threat posed by efforts to do away with them

In a divided country, support for US public lands is a rare bridge issue – yet the Republican platform has opened the door to disposing of 640m national acresAt a moment of deep political division, few issues draw as much bipartisan support from the American public as the sanctity of public lands. Yet conservative lawmakers have quietly laid the foundation to give away Americans’ birthright: 640m acres of national land. Continue reading...

As Congress moves to give away federal land and diminish public access, we want to hear from US public land owners. How do you use these spaces?

For over 100 years, a small minority have battled the very idea of national land. As efforts are renewed, all Americans must face the fight

Exclusive: Powerful regional officials to ask administration to end 20-year ban, saying it is unlawful and inhibits economic opportunity

Energy minister delivers warning to party conservatives and resources sector ahead of Finkel review, which is expected to recommend implementing a low emissions targetThe energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, has warned internal and external critics that the Turnbull government’s policy has to change, because doing nothing will drive up power prices – as Australia’s resources sector fired the first public warning shot against a new low emissions target.

Abney Moor, Derbyshire Despite the proximity to the Peak District’s honeypots, a feeling of remoteness pervades hereAround the musically winding path leading up Bradwell Edge, spring is thickening into its richest texture. The meadows are rampant with cow parsley, the shade is restless with midges and the hawthorn blossom is dense as clotted cream.At the top of the ridge my friends and I lie on a blanket of grass and look over the Hope Valley. Sunshine swells over the fields and lights up the cement works, while a pair of buzzards drift along the skyline, occasionally stopping still in some unseen updraft with an almost kestrel-like precision. I wonder how it feels to tread air like that, to be your own parachute, senses attuned to the subtlest ebbs and flows of the atmosphere.

Food wastage is a global problem affecting our economy, society and environment. Australians throw out $8bn to $10bn worth of food every year. OzHarvest is a food rescue organisation that collects excess food from commercial outlets across the country and then delivers it to those in need. Guardian Australia takes a ride with OzHarvest driver Steve Negrine to see first-hand the organisation’s innovative approach to minimising food waste Continue reading...

When it finally opens in September, the complex will have the latest energy efficiency technology – but will it be worth the $2.3bn spent?When it comes to the power consumption of hospitals, the diagnosis isn’t pretty: they rate as the second most energy-intensive of all commercial buildings, behind only food service providers.

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 5 June 1917Upwards of sixty members of a Manchester lads’ club spent Whit-week near Redesmere; two pairs of willow wrens nested in the fields the boys camped and played in. These boys are not slow, and found some nests, but they failed to discover the neat little domed, feather-lined homes of the warblers. Perhaps, however, the presence of so many lively youngsters was too much for one pair, although the nest was in the safest corner of one field, for the birds deserted their spotted eggs about the middle of the week. The other nest was close to a busy roadway to the farm, along which, in addition to the boys, cyclists, vehicles, and motors passed constantly; perhaps this traffic saved the birds, for on Sunday, after the lads had left, one of the pair was sitting undisturbed.Naturally many city boys know little about nature, though they are sharp enough in other ways. Taking birds’ eggs is forbidden, but rules are sometimes broken, and three juveniles brought me an egg to look at and tell them what bird had laid it; probably that particular egg would never hatch, though it was returned to the nest. Each of the boys was asked to guess what the egg was, and the three birds named were the waterhen, thrush, and wild duck; it was an egg of the reed bunting! It is fair to add that these boys had not attended the classes now held at the Manchester Museum. Continue reading...

UN ambassador Nikki Haley says president believes pollutants play role, as EPA head Scott Pruitt avoids directly responding to queriesThree days after Donald Trump announced that the US would pull out of the Paris climate accord, senior members of his administration could not present a united front in response to questions about the president’s beliefs on climate change.Related: Why Trump's attempt to pit Pittsburgh against Paris is absurd | Lucia Graves Continue reading...

Green market could expand from 2% to 13% of UK economy by 2050 with the right policies, says low-carbon group that includes Ikea, Siemens and M&SThe UK could be a green business powerhouse in the next three decades, but only if given proper support by government, a group representing more than 30 low-carbon companies has said.The low-carbon economy in the UK employs at least 432,000 people, with a turnover of more than £77bn in 2015. This is larger than industries such as car-making and steelmaking, which are frequently given the spotlight when politicians discuss industry and jobs. Continue reading...

Ambitious and long-term policies are needed so that Britain can take advantage of the rapidly growing global market for low-carbon goods and servicesDespite the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement on climate change (Anger at US as Trump rejects climate accord, 2 June), the global market for low-carbon goods and services is rapidly growing and the UK must make the most of this opportunity. Spurred in particular by major investments in low-carbon technologies by countries such as China, India, Mexico and South Africa, the Paris agreement could open up $23tn (£18tn) worth of opportunities for low-carbon investments in emerging markets between 2016 and 2030. The commitments made by six world leaders at the recent G7 summit and the decision by China and the EU to collaborate more closely on climate change support this trend.Related: UK needs government backing to unlock billions in green business, says industry Continue reading...

A new gold rush is targeting rich ores on the ocean floor containing valuable metals needed for smartphones and green technologies, but also hosting exotic ecosystemsMining the deep ocean floor for valuable metals is both inevitable and vital, according to the scientists, engineers and industrialists exploring the world’s newest mining frontier.The special metals found in rich deposits there are critical for smart electronics and crucial green technologies, such as solar power and electric cars. But as the world’s population rises, demand is now outstripping the production from mines on land for some important elements. Continue reading...

Sustainable fish is the only option if we’re not going to wipe species out. So it’s a big round of applause for new Princes tuna with the all-important blue tickWhenever a sustainable seafood product reaches the shelves of UK stores I feel like doing a little dance. Step forward tinned tuna from Princes. Prosaic it may be, but it’s the first certified tuna from the Western Pacific wearing the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) blue tick.It’s time to remove all non-sustainable fish from shelves and menus Continue reading...

His withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement belittles his country, but could galvanise the worldLife here in the US feels surreal lately, like a very bad reality TV show, thanks to Donald Trump. In no case is this more evident than the president’s decision – and the process and theatre around it – to abandon the Paris climate agreement and nearly every other country in the world.The Paris agreement was a groundbreaking deal that allowed each country to decide its own contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even though it is non-binding, the agreement puts the world on the path to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2C, which scientists warn would be disastrous for our planet. Continue reading...

White House has dodged declaring president’s view on climate change, but Haley says leaving Paris accord ‘doesn’t mean we don’t care about the environment’Donald Trump “believes the climate is changing” partly because of pollution, according to the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.

Former New York mayor says during surprise trip to Paris on Friday that Americans ‘don’t need Washington to meet our Paris commitments’. Bloomberg, who is the UN’s special envoy for cities and climate change, says cities, states and businesses will instead step in to ensure the targets are met

This week in Trumpland: a quiet start to the week was enlivened by covfefe – and then the president exited Paris, after which criticism was swift and brutalA bit of a quieter week for Donald Trump – except towards the end, when he did his best to push the planet into a watery grave.

Teifi Marshes, Pembrokeshire Bilidowcar the cormorant’s called in Welsh – Billy the DuckerBound for hides in the Teifi Marshes reserve, I paused to lean against railings on the riverside path and a cormorant arrowed into view, threw up its broad, webbed feet to brake, and touched down on the water.Seeing it reminded me of a morning 20 years ago in a fishing boat careening into Roonagh in County Mayo on green combers that were the aftermath of an Easter storm. A cormorant had kept us close, wave-skimming company. I asked the skipper, Jack Heanue, what the folk of Inishturk – an English-speaking island – thought of these weirdly beautiful birds. Continue reading...

Former New York mayor, now UN cities and climate ambassador, says Trump may have withdrawn from Paris accord but American people haven’tThe United States will meet its Paris accord greenhouse gas targets despite Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has said.

Draft decision says Australia would not, at this rate, meet interim or long-term targets in the Reef 2050 reportUnesco has expressed “serious concern” about the impact of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef and warned Australia it will not meet the targets of the Reef 2050 report without considerable work to improve water quality.The criticism was contained in a draft decision published as part of the agenda for the upcoming world heritage committee meeting (pdf), which will take place in Krakow, Poland, in the first two weeks of July. Continue reading...

It’s clearer than ever the economic interests Trump claims to defend can only be served by acting on global warmingFor precious decades experts have explained, over and over, that the science of climate change is incontrovertible, the consequences of blindly sticking with fossil fuels catastrophic and the costs of inaction far higher than switching to a low-emissions economy.But these facts had no impact on the sceptics, who cling to a worldview where they find “alternative facts”, where fossil fuel power is the only path to prosperity and mounting environmental and economic evidence to the contrary is some kind of dastardly leftwing plot. Continue reading...