City’s beautiful Baroque centre now on Unesco’s at-risk list over plans to build 66-metre high tower near the StadtparkThe centre of Vienna, with its grand Baroque buildings, monuments and gardens, has been added to the Unesco list of sites in danger because of a high-rise project that the UN body says will undermine the area’s historic value.The project, still in development, is set to extend over an area of 6,500 sq metres (70,000 sq ft) just south of the famous 19th-century Stadtpark. Continue reading...

Prospect of seasonal labour crisis prompts calls for introducing new scheme to ensure UK farms have enough workers to pick fruit and vegThe price of British strawberries could rise by 50% if ministers fail to plug growing gaps in seasonal labour which are expected to get worse after Brexit, MPs have heard.The prospect of a £3 punnet of strawberries was raised by MPs as they called for a new seasonal agricultural workers scheme to be introduced by next year – or sooner – to stop the shortage of EU labour becoming a crisis. Continue reading...

World’s ‘largest ever’ seizure of 7.2 tonnes of ivory has street value of £7m, officials sayAuthorities in Hong Kong have announced what they say is the world’s largest ever seizure of about 7.2 tonnes of ivory tusks with an estimated street value close to HK$72m (£7m).If the size of the haul is verified, it will replace the current record held by Singapore for a seizure of 7.138 tonnes of ivory tusks in 2002. Continue reading...

British government failed to abide by Aarhus convention that says major projects must consult citizens on environmental impactsThe UK has been censured by an international committee for its failure to notify the German public of the potential environmental impacts of Hinkley Point C, the new nuclear power station being built in Somerset, south-west England.In a political embarrassment for the government, the verdict found that the UK had not complied with the Aarhus convention, an international agreement on involving citizens in environmental matters. Continue reading...

Move by Emmanuel Macron’s government comes a day after Volvo said it would only make fully electric or hybrid cars from 2019France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under the Paris climate accord, Emmanuel Macron’s government has announced.The announcement comes a day after Volvo said it would only make fully electric or hybrid cars from 2019 onwards, a decision hailed as the beginning of the end for the internal combustion engine’s dominance of motor transport after more than a century. Continue reading...

There are more than 300 fires a year at UK waste and recycling plants. New guidance hopes to reduce this statisticFire crews were called out on Tuesday to extinguish a major fire at a waste plant in the West Midlands town of Oldbury. It’s very likely another recycling centre will be calling the fire services this month.There were on average more than 300 fires per year at waste and recycling plants in the UK between 2001 and 2013. In May, 40 firefighters tackled a blaze that burned for two days at a recycling plant near Rotherham. The same month, 24 residents were evacuated from their homes in Manchester after computer parts went up in flames at a recycling plant in Swinton. Continue reading...

Exotic migrants to the UK have set up home in a quarry owned by a sand mining company – an industry that is destroying wildlife habitats worldwideAt the end of June some exotic migrants flew into the country who have been enthusiastically welcomed by the Daily Mail. Following a hazardous journey from southern Europe a gang of seven bee-eaters have set up home in a desolate quarry in Nottinghamshire.But while their presence is an inspiring example of the benefits of free movement, their choice of a quarry owned by Mexican minerals multinational Cemex raises some difficult questions about the relationship conservation has with big business. Continue reading...

A week after the dockless, cashless Chinese bike sharing scheme hit Manchester, the Guardian’s North of England editor Helen Pidd is already hookedI was sceptical about Manchester’s new hire bikes, fearing they would all end up at the bottom of the Ship Canal.Yet just a week after Chinese firm Mobike plonked 1,000 silver and orange two-wheelers on the streets of Manchester and Salford, I’m already a convert. Yes, there have been a few glitches with the app (you’re supposed to be able to reserve a bike for 15 minutes but I haven’t been able to for a few days), and I’ve no idea what those messages say that they’ve sent me in Chinese. But Mobikes are significantly better than London’s hire bikes, or any I’ve tried in other cities across the world. Here’s why: Continue reading...

Charities have obtained supplies of the vaccine following a shortage last year but the government’s vaccination programme won’t resume until 2018Wildlife charities have resumed vaccinating badgers against bovine TB after a global shortage of the vaccine caused it to be suspended last year.But more badgers than ever before are set to be culled this summer as Wales follows England in introducing a targeted cull in a bid to reduce bovine TB. Continue reading...

Elephants are being exploited to entertain tourists in south-east Asia, and kept in harsh conditions, says a new report from an animal rights NGOThousands of elephants being used for entertainment across Asia are kept in cruel, abusive conditions fuelled by the growing tourism industry, World Animal Protection has found.Three out of four elephants surveyed in south-east Asia’s popular tourist destinations are living in harsh conditions where they are being used for rides, with mostly steel or wooden saddles, and tied in chains less than three metres long. Continue reading...

Egglestone, Teesdale For some, rain came as a blessed relief after days of drought and the downpour coaxed snails out to grazeThe storm faded away to a distant rumble of thunder over the hills, taking with it the sticky heat of the past few days and leaving us shivering, in wet clothes, under a sheltering oak.As we emerged, so did the insects. I watched a shield bug ease itself around the edge of a leaf back into the light, picking a path between wobbling water droplets. Spiders abseiled between grass stems, repairing webs. Within a few minutes bumblebees were at work again, shaking rain from water-laden bramble flowers. Continue reading...

PM will use summit meeting with US president to say climate change agreement doesn’t need renegotiationTheresa May will raise the issue of climate change with Donald Trump this weekend when the pair meet for the first time since she lost her majority in the general election. They will talk at the G20 summit in Hamburg, which runs on Friday and Saturday.The two leaders will hold a formal bilateral meeting, at which the prime minister plans to tell the US president she does not believe the Paris climate change agreement needs to be renegotiated. Continue reading...

Christopher Jessop on why the UK is still backing nuclear power as others dump it; Andrew Warren on how energy efficiency can save us from the ‘energy gap’; Brian Price on the inaccuracy of a 2007 prediction by the head of EDFYou report (4 July) that the cost of Hinkley C power station has just bumped up £1.5bn, and its completion date slipped 15 months. Notwithstanding, pro-nuclear politicians will assure us that it still represents good value for the consumer, despite the National Audit Office judging it “risky and expensive” (Report, 23 June). Had we invested that £1.5bn in green generation, what might it have bought? At current median project prices of £1.3m per megawatt (MW), we could have had 1,150MW of extra onshore wind turbine capacity.The Digest of UK Energy Statistics onshore wind load factor is 27.3%, therefore that extra hardware would on average generate 314MW of clean electricity, with no risk of reactor meltdowns, and without producing bomb material or the wherewithal for nuclear terrorism. Furthermore, wind turbine projects bring with them well-distributed inward UK investment, installation and maintenance jobs, wayleave revenue for landowners, rates revenue for local authorities, and local community income. They bring home-generated power – without the need for oil wars or fracking, and no damaging balance-of-payments issues. Continue reading...

Mike Ashley’s ‘worth’ | American signal crayfish | String theory | Bacon sandwiches | Undergarments | Corbyn on violinThe word “earn” has become meaningless in today’s society, the word “get” being far more appropriate. In the same spirit, please could I urge you to refrain from repeating the misleading use of “worth” when referring to individuals and their personal wealth (Front page, 4 July). Mike Ashley is apparently “worth” £2.2bn – not to me he’s not.

Parliamentary triangle is ideal for bees because Canberra’s centre is relatively free from pollution and has a good range of plantsIt is a fact that Canberra has its fair share of honey-tongued politicians but parliament is about to produce its very own product.Three beehives have been installed in the grounds around Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra to produce honey for sale in the shop and to give as gifts for visiting dignitaries. Continue reading...

Oliver Yates says any taxpayer money facilitating the proposed Carmichael coalmine carry reputational risks for the government• Support our independent journalism and critical reporting on the environment by giving a one-off or monthly contributionAny loan the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (Naif) gives to Adani’s Carmichael coalmine project would likely be unlawful, according to the former head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), which operated under an almost identical mandate.Naif, which was set up to give $5bn of concessional loans to support the development of northern Australia, operates under an investment mandate that includes a clause saying it “must not act in a way that is likely to cause damage to the commonwealth government’s reputation, or that of a relevant state or territory government”. Continue reading...

Take-up of electric and hybrid cars has disappointed so far but Swedish firm’s chief executive says industry is changing fastVolvo’s decision to exclusively build electrified or hybrid cars is the beginning of the end of the company’s relationship with fossil fuels, according to one motoring organisation.One Swedish carmaker starting down the road to a zero emissions future will not solve global warming alone. But the whole automotive industry following suit would begin to make a serious difference in reducing oil demand and emissions. Continue reading...

High court instructs ministers to publish full proposals by the end of JulyThe government has won the latest court challenge over the UK’s air pollution crisis.Environmental lawyers ClientEarth had argued that ministers’ draft proposals to improve air quality – which contributes to tens of thousands of deaths each year – were unlawful. Continue reading...

Volunteer army should act as caretakers and local authorities should consider crowdsourcing and philanthropy as alternative means of funding the capital’s green spaces, report saysAn army of green volunteers should be recruited across London to protect and preserve parks as some local authorities plan to withdraw all funding by 2020.Parks and green spaces make up half of the capital, but they face an uncertain future as funding is cut and their management is taken over by a diverse collection of organisations, a report said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Investigation to look at how technique can affect drinking water as well as public attitudesScientists will investigate how fracking can affect drinking water and its role in earthquake tremors of the kind caused by shale gas operations near Blackpool, as part of a taxpayer-funded £8m research project.The programme, backed by the Natural Environment Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council, will examine hydraulic fracturing’s environmental impacts on land, water and air, as well as public attitudes to the controversial extraction technique. Continue reading...

Subverting superhighways with sorry quietways; preserving motor vehicle capacity even if it brings conflict with cyclists – the mayor must do betterDo you remember that Blackadder scene where General Melchett proudly unveils a map representing the territory gained by his troops? Dimensions: 17 sq ft. Scale: actual size. London mayor Sadiq Khan’s cycling programme – formerly Britain’s bike flagship – is starting to feel a bit like that.More than a year since he took office pledging to “make London a byword for cycling”, “accelerate” the existing programme and “triple” to 36 miles the length of segregated cycle superhighways, the mayor has by my count built and opened 80m (260 ft) of new segregated lane. Work is progressing, extremely slowly, on another half-mile or so. And that is about it. Continue reading...

Powis Castle, Wales A dangerous beauty stolen by European adventurers and hinting of vast plains a world wayThe anchor plant, Colletia paradoxa, with its geometric architecture, looks like trouble among the summer flowers in the herbaceous borders on the terrace gardens. And yet its very oddness makes it fit with an assembly of plants few, if any, of which would grow together in the wild. A paradox indeed.Plants from the Americas, the far east and Europe grow cheek by jowl according to an aesthetic based on colour and form rather than geography. Although many do share similar ecological characteristics, some appear suited for other planets. Continue reading...

Soft loans, subsidies and World Bank funding mean nations are ‘talking out of both sides of their mouths’ on climate, says reportThe G20 nations provide four times more public financing to fossil fuels than to renewable energy, a report has revealed ahead of their summit in Hamburg, where Angela Merkel has said climate change will be at the heart of the agenda.The authors of the report accuse the G20 of “talking out of both sides of their mouths” and the summit faces the challenge of a sceptical US administration after Donald Trump pulled out of the global Paris agreement. Continue reading...

Rights group says widespread practice to kill pest species is desensitising children to acts of violenceAn animal rights group is calling for an end to New Zealand’s “barbaric” war on possums after joeys were drowned in a bucket of water at a school fundraiser.

CFMEU’s national president says job losses are avoidable and interim wood supply offer is not enoughThe union representing workers at Victoria’s Heyfield sawmill says it will fight to increase the native timber supply after the Andrews government bought the business for more than $40m on Monday.The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union national president, Jane Calvert, said the government’s in-principle agreement to buy the mill from the Hermal Group had removed the threat of forced redundancies, which Hermal was scheduled to begin in August with a view to closing the mill by 2018. Continue reading...

The slug has an impressive physiology, engages in acrobatic sex and is a handy scavenger of waste – TV naturalist Chris Packham is right to stick up for themSlugs are much maligned. Having the temerity to wear their slime on the outside of their bodies, they are about as far removed from our notion of cute and cuddly as is possible without being tapeworms. But they are misunderstood and persecuted beyond necessity – with ecological knock-on effects for the slow-worms, thrushes, hedgehogs, badgers and other animals further up the food chain. True, some slugs will eat your plants, but naturalist Chris Packham recently made a plea for greater tolerance for the mollusc: with that in mind, here are five reasons to admire slugs:1. Most slugs are scavengers, but that can be handy. They eat that catch-all substrate, “decaying organic matter”, which includes dead and rotting plants; leaf litter; fungoid wood; fallen fruit; animal droppings; carrion; deliquescent toadstools; and mouldering compost. If they sometimes nibble idly at a leaf, it is probably because the leaf is already damaged or diseased. Continue reading...

最新调查显示，中国的象牙交易禁令的效果初步显现：越南象牙价格暴跌，而一些象牙贸易商也被迫退出。(翻译：子明/chinadialogue)

In my single-handed fight I have collected 180,000 items – 50 pieces of litter a day for 10 years. If only the world didn’t find this weirdWho’s that weirdo? Sadly, the answer is me. I can feel the question following me as I dive into the gutter or duck around the feet of my fellow Londoners to sweep up the bottles and cans and newspapers they have abandoned.The question hasn’t changed in the the decade or so that I’ve been waging what seems a lone fight against the plastic tide threatening to engulf us. And I doubt it will change now, even as the Guardian reports that a million plastic bottles around the world are bought every minute – that’s a staggering 20,000 every second. Continue reading...

Since January, the White House, Congress and EPA have engineered a dizzying reversal of regulations designed to protect the environment and public healthDonald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate deal may have followed months of anguished division amongst his closest advisers, but his administration has proceeded with quiet efficiency in its dismantling of other major environmental policies.The White House, Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency have dovetailed to engineer a dizzying reversal of clean air and water regulations implemented by Barack Obama’s administration. Continue reading...

Warming temperatures caused perilous ice up to eight metres thick to drift south from the Arctic to clog the coasts of Newfoundland, Labrador and Quebec. It trapped boats and ferries as late as June, with Canadian scientists blaming climate change. These dramatic photos capture the rare event.All photographs by Louis Helbig unless otherwise credited Continue reading...

Oil companies planning to drill near mouth of the river have calculated that the ecosystem has a 30% chance of being affected in the event of a spillOil companies planning to drill near a vast coral reef at the mouth of the Amazon river have calculated that the unique ecosystem has a 30% chance of being affected in the event of an oil spill.

Opposition parties increase pressure for deposit return initiative to boost recycling and keep litter off streets and beachesThe UK government is under growing pressure to introduce a money-back return scheme for plastic bottles, in order to tackle huge volumes of waste in a country where 400 bottles are sold every second.Opposition parties have called on ministers to introduce a deposit return scheme that experts say would drastically reduce the number of plastic bottles littering streets and seas around the UK. Similar schemes have been successfully introduced in at least a dozen countries.

Buxton, Derbyshire One summer we dammed the brook by the bridge where the dippers bred and swam with the tiddler troutHogshaw Brook, which runs below my late mother’s house, is part of the very first landscape in my story as a naturalist. Every night when I went to bed, I’d hear its ceaseless journey to join the river Wye. I remember one year how we dammed it by the bridge where the dippers bred, and its four-inch flow rose eventually up to the heaving chest of my nine-year-old self. We swam in it that summer, along with its tiddler brown trout and the caddis fly larvae that we loved to uncover beneath the cold stones. Continue reading...

Don Harwin tells Committee for Economic Development of Australia the ‘self-indulgent climate culture war’ should endThe Liberal New South Wales energy minister has delivered a speech marking a sharp departure from his federal colleagues saying the coal-fired power industry should accept the clean energy target that will see the industry close in the coming decades as “the best deal that coal will get”.He also ridiculed claims that expanding gas exploration in NSW was the key to fixing Australia’s gas crisis, saying such an idea was “curious”, and pointedly called for an end to the “self-indulgent climate culture war”. Continue reading...

BBC Springwatch host urges gardeners to manage molluscs without killing them or risk losing hedgehogs and song thrushesThe naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham has advised the nation to encourage the ecosystem of their gardens by ceasing to kill slugs.Extolling the virtues of tolerance, Packham said “draconian choices” like “I don’t want slugs and snails to eat my plants” puts the gardener at risk of losing other wildlife such as hedgehogs, slowworms and song thrushes. Continue reading...

Environmental Protection Agency had announced stay in rule that would require oil and gas companies to fix methane leaks in equipmentThe Environmental Protection Agency cannot freeze the implementation of a rule requiring oil and gas companies to fix methane leaks in their equipment, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday in a setback for Donald Trump’s push to cut environmental regulations.

EDF has admitted the nuclear project is £1.5bn over budget – we shouldn’t be bullied into paying moreHinkley Point C in Somerset will cost £1.5bn more than planned, says developer EDF, and completion could be delayed by 15 months beyond the 2025 target date. In one sense, this news lacks any element of surprise. EDF only seems to build nuclear reactors that are late and over-budget, as witnessed in Finland and on its own patch at Flamanville in Normandy.Yet the timing of EDF’s “clarifications” is a shock. It is very early in the life of this £18.1bn (now £19.6bn, possibly rising to £20.3bn) project to be recasting the numbers. The tricky stages of construction, like pouring the right mix of concrete, lie ahead. The additional costs relate to mundane matters, such as “a better understanding” of UK regulators’ requirements and “the volume and sequencing of work on site”. Continue reading...

Lord Alan West says vessels involved in fisheries enforcement are ‘very, very few’, with one recently diverted on long Caribbean tourBritain’s plan to enforce its new control of fishing waters is “amazingly complacent”, according to a former first sea lord and Royal Navy admiral, who said the three vessels used were far too few.The government announced on Sunday that it was “taking back control” of the waters between six and 12 nautical miles from the British coast, by leaving a treaty called the London Convention. But Admiral Lord Alan West said on Monday that Britain would be a “laughing stock” if it was unable to enforce the new rules. Continue reading...

Shadow energy minister says Ofgem plan ‘falls far short’ of Theresa May’s general election promiseLabour has accused the government of betraying millions of households after the energy regulator published proposals to extend a price cap for vulnerable customers that fell well short of the Conservatives’ election promises.Theresa May had pledged a price cap on energy bills for 17m families during the general election campaign, but the policy was missing from the Queen’s speech.

A C4 Dispatches investigation reveals tonight how ultra-fine particles emitted by cruise liners’ engines are worrying both medical scientists and environmentalistsPassengers on cruise ships could be exposing themselves to dangerous levels of pollution, according to an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches team that found some public areas on the ships’ decks were more polluted than the world’s worst-affected cities.The undercover investigation, which will be broadcast tonight at 8pm, focused on the levels of “ultra-fine particles” found in the air on and around cruise ships, from the fuel the ships’ engines burn. These particles are so small – around a thousandth of the width of a human hair – that they can enter the bloodstream via the lungs. Continue reading...

Sainsbury’s launches packaging that shows how long its own-brand ham has been open to stop slices being thrown awayA major UK supermarket is launching a new “smart” label on packets of its own-brand ham in a bid to reduce waste by telling consumers how fresh it is.Ham is Sainsbury’s top-selling cooked meat product, but many buyers find it difficult to remember how long it has been open. Figures from Wrap, the government’s waste advisory body, reveal that British households throw away 1.9 million slices of ham a day – equivalent to 32,500kg – at a cost of more than £170m a year.

Whether basking in sunshine in the northern hemisphere or fighting cooler temperatures in the south, we’d like to see the wildlife you discoverAfter the June heatwaves in the northern hemisphere, July has got off to a slightly more uneven start, but there will still be plenty of sun rays around. As winter takes hold of the southern hemisphere, the temperatures will get even cooler. So what sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps? We’d love to see your photos of the July wildlife near you.You can share your July wildlife photos, videos and stories with us by clicking on the blue ‘Contribute’ buttons. Or if you’re out and about you can look for our assignments in the new Guardian app. Continue reading...

Cost of controversial nuclear power plant in Somerset has risen to £20.3bn and delayed by 15 months, says French energy firmThe UK’s first nuclear power station for more than two decades is at least £1.5bn over budget and could be completed 15 months behind schedule, its developer has admitted.French state-owned EDF said the cost overrun for two new reactors at Hinkley in Somerset could hit £2.2bn, taking the total spend to £20.3bn, up from £18bn previously. Continue reading...

Group of 13 people lock themselves to objects to stop vehicles entering Cuadrilla site at Fylde, as part of month of actionProtesters have blockaded the entrance to a fracking site as part of a month of action to resist the controversial drilling process.The group of 13 protesters, including three local councillors, arrived at the site on Preston New Road in Fylde, Lancashire, in the early hours of Monday morning and locked themselves to objects in an attempt to prevent vehicles entering the site. Continue reading...

Illegal fishing, logging and poaching are damaging two thirds of the 57 natural world heritage sites monitored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which is drawing attention to their plight. The 41st session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in Kraków runs until 12 July Continue reading...

In barely a decade, nature has reconquered a West Sussex estate – but conservationists, farmers and even broadcasters are divided over the R wordJust down the road from Gatwick, the neatly hedged English countryside gives way to an exuberant, utterly alien-looking landscape. Arable fields are obliterated by dense thickets of sallow. Eight metre-wide blackthorn hedges spill into flowery meadows. Wild pigs and red deer run rampant through ragwort, thistles and other weeds. The air is alive with birdsong rarely heard in Britain today – spectacular bursts of nightingale and the purring of turtle doves.In barely a decade, rewilded nature has conquered Knepp Castle in West Sussex. Rewilding appears to be conquering conservation too. As Brexit and the savaging of agricultural subsidies loom, farming may also be engulfed by this new wild. But as rewilding blossoms, so do controversies. Scientists recently warned that wild boar illegally released into Scotland could carry the CC398 strain of the MRSA superbug that is resistant to antibiotics. Continue reading...

Taskforce head says complexity, scale and political resistance mean key protections could be lost during rollover into lawA taskforce of environmental lawyers is drawing up plans to stop thousands of EU rules protecting rivers, wildlife, coastlines and air quality from being dropped by the government after Brexit.The EU is the source of most environmental protection in Britain and for 40 years has acted as a monitoring body and enforcer, with powers to fine member states for breaches in the law. Continue reading...

Appletreewick, Yorkshire Dales Its body is as dark as the river at its deepest, where the peat-stained water turns as black as molassesThe heatwave hits its stride before breakfast, building to a dog day intensity that will relent only with the last red moments of the sunset. For the long hours between, an endless afternoon, the light ceases to move, training its intensity on the elderflower, oxeye daisies and buttercups of Wharfedale until their colours take on the bleach-brightness that signals high summer in England.The weather brings people out of hibernation, and into encounters with unfamiliar forms of life. “Look at the size of that crayfish!” The woman paddling in the untypically warm river Wharfe near Appletreewick points near her feet, causing half a dozen swimmers to coalesce around the spectacle. Children express something between amazement and open-mouthed horror. Continue reading...

Victoria’s agriculture minister, Jaala Pulford, says all 250 jobs at the Heyfield mill will be safe during negotiations, but faces criticism from Nationals and GreensThe Victorian government has signed an agreement to buy the Heyfield timber mill, one month after its operator, Australian Sustainable Hardwoods, rejected a $40m offer from the government to buy it.The agriculture minister, Jaala Pulford, announced the deal on Monday, and said all 250 jobs at the mill would be safe while negotiations took place. Continue reading...

Research shows 50% rise of new homes planned for greenfield sites with more than 70% not classed as ‘affordable’The Conservatives have been accused of failing to protect the countryside after research revealed that the number of new homes being planned on green belt in England had increased by over 50% since last year and the majority were not classed as affordable.