Saltwater crocodile attacked the 54-year-old as he tried to wade across a flooded causeway in the Daly river regionA 54-year-old man is recovering in hospital after being attacked by a saltwater crocodile in the Northern Territory.The man was wading across a waterway near Palumpa, a Daly river region community about 370km south-west of Darwin, when he was attacked by the two-metre animal. Continue reading...

Environmental activists seek to use Trump’s cabinet of fossil fuel millionaires to pressure New York City pension funds to divestEnvironmental activists held a rally inside Trump Tower in New York City on Tuesday, ahead of an expected decision from the president on whether to leave the Paris climate change agreement.

Pollution and climate change are election issues, write Professor Steve Tombs and Geoff NaylorThe government attributes 40-50,000 premature deaths each year to the effects of airborne pollution; there are some 1 million cases of foodborne illness, which result in 20,000 hospital admissions and 500 deaths a year; and up to 50,000 people die each year as a result of injuries or health problems originating in the workplace (Enemies of the state: the 40-year Tory project to shrink public services, G2, 9 May). Yet the rate of inspection and enforcement actions for environmental health, food safety and hygiene, and health and safety have all been falling. The statistically average workplace now expects to see a health and safety inspector once every 50 years.In the name of cutting red tape, governments of all political persuasions have attacked independent regulation and enforcement. Budget cuts in the name of austerity have compounded the problem – especially at the level of local authorities. There is now a plethora of schemes to outsource and privatise wholesale some regulatory and enforcement activities. Private companies are increasingly involved in “regulating” either other private companies, or themselves, or both. Such changes mark the beginning of the end of the state’s commitment to forms of social protection put into place since the 1830s.

Legislation is ‘cause for optimism’ as big body of laws is hard to reverseNations around the world have adopted more than 1,200 laws to curb climate change, up from about 60 two decades ago, a sign of widening efforts to limit rising temperatures, according to a new study.“Most countries have a legal basis on which future action can be built,” said Patricia Espinosa, the UN’s climate change chief, at an international meeting on climate change in Bonn, Germany. Continue reading...

Speaking at a global food convention in Milan on Tuesday, the former US president says he prioritised climate change while in office because it would be the issue that ‘defines the contours of this century more dramatically than any other’. His comments come as the Trump administration decides whether to keep the US in the Paris climate agreement

UK had just 47% of the average rainfall for the month but water companies say there is no need to panicOne of the driest Aprils on record could ruin crops in the most arid parts of the country if it does not start raining soon, farmers have warned.Whisky and beer production could be affected if May and June prove similarly dry, with crops such as malting barley particularly vulnerable if not given enough water when they sprout in spring, according to Guy Smith, the vice-chair of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). “A good May may put them back on track but it’s last chance saloon for them,” he said. Continue reading...

As we kick off a series looking at how business can embrace sustainability, particularly renewables and the circular economy, tell us what you think we should be coveringWith millions dying prematurely every year due to air pollution, species becoming critically endangered as a result of hunting and deforestation, and water shortages emerging across whole regions of the world, the question of how companies can integrate sustainability into business strategy and investment decisions is more urgent than ever.In our new rethinking business series, we will be exploring how organisations can embrace sustainable business models and what support they need to make their goals a reality. Continue reading...

President promises decision on US involvement before this month’s G7 summit, but the debate reveals deep divisions within his core team

The critically endangered orangutan is under threat from hunting and habitat deforestation. A new book, The Orangutan’s World, is a photographic celebration of this great ape and its rainforest home in southern Borneo Continue reading...

Between 1934 and 1940 the UK built 280 miles of cycle paths with Dutch guidance. A Kickstarter campaign to rescue these lost cycle paths needs supportIn September 2012 the Google Street View car drove slowly along a road in Twickenham, London. It had to reverse when the driver found three wooden bollards blocking its way. The road was not a road at all, it was a cycleway. A cycleway built in – wait for it – 1937.Originally surfaced with red concrete, the cycleway has faded to light pink but the granite kerbs are still in situ and, fooling the Street View navigation algorithms, it looks like a narrow road instead of the normal kind of “crap cycle lane” we are so unhappily used to in the UK. Continue reading...

Waltham Brooks, West Sussex The golden reed along the river’s edge vibrates with the pulsing, chattering songs of the warblersIt’s a cold morning, and a glistening coating of frost clings to the green surfaces of the vegetation that is still in the shade. The sun is reaching through the trees, and plumes of mist rise from the river’s surface as it warms.The golden reed along the river’s edge vibrates with the pulsing, chattering songs of reed warblers and sedge warblers – the sound of a wetland summer. They began to return to Waltham Brooks about a month ago, and now I count more than 30 singing around the reserve. I hear a whirring from a sedge warbler in the brambles next to me, and I turn to watch as it inches up to the top of the bush. Continue reading...

Gemini windpark off the coast of the Netherlands will eventually meet the energy needs of about 1.5 million people, according to its ownersDutch officials have opened what is being billed as one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, with 150 turbines spinning far out in the North Sea.

Defending decision not to finance mine, Brian Hartzer says coal needed for economy to 2050 can be met by existing minesThe Adani Carmichael coalmine is not needed to support the economy, the Westpac chief executive has said in defence of his bank’s decision not to finance the mine.On Radio National on Tuesday, Brian Hartzer said Westpac’s decision to set a climate policy, which in effect rules out financing the Adani Carmichael coalmine, was based on its acceptance that climate change should be limited to 2C by 2050. Continue reading...

Friends of the Earth urges other retailers to follow suit after studies show damaging effects of neonicotinoids on beesAll flowering plants sold by B&Q are to be grown without using pesticides that are harmful to bees, the retailer has announced.A series of scientific studies have shown that bees are exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides in fields and suffer serious harm from the doses they receive. The European commission has drawn up draft legislation to ban the pesticides, citing “high acute risks to bees”. Continue reading...

Northern tundra’s autumn carbon dioxide emissions increased 70% between 1975 and 2015, researchers find, blaming warming temperaturesAlaska’s soils are taking far longer to freeze over as winter approaches than in previous decades, resulting in a surge in carbon dioxide emissions that could portend a much faster rate of global warming than scientists had previously estimated, according to new research.Related: Worried world urges Trump not to pull out of Paris climate agreement Continue reading...

Theresa May talks big but doesn’t deliver on cleaning up Britain’s polluted citiesTheresa May recognises that air pollution is one of the biggest threats faced by millions of citizens: last November, after a judge ordered the government to produce a plan to tackle an avoidable cause of up to 40,000 premature deaths, she told MPs: “Nobody in this house doubts the importance of the issue of air quality. We have taken action, there is more to do and we will do it.” Roll forward six months to last Friday, and, after a further court appearance and another ruling, a plan was finally produced. It came out almost without warning on the day when most media organisations were preoccupied with the aftermath of the local elections. In the previous week, some ideas had been trailed all of which seem to have been too radical for inclusion in the plan, at least for a government on an election footing.What emerged was a vacuous, flimsy ragbag of half-formed proposals that try to pass the buck to local government while denying it the powers councils need to act. ClientEarth, the group of environmental lawyers that brought the case, says the plan is barely worth the paper it is written on. They think it is actually weaker than the plan that was ruled inadequate in November. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called it “woeful”. Continue reading...

Cross-section of MPs urge £612m pension fund to show greater leadership and “take climate change seriously”A campaign calling on parliament’s £612m pension fund to divest from fossil fuels has won the backing of 50 MPs from across the UK’s main political parties.The Divest Parliament campaign has announced it has secured support from a cross-section of MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens, SNP, SDLP and Plaid Cymru, who are all urging the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) to show greater leadership on tackling climate change. Continue reading...

Two forest patrollers have been killed and four hospitalised in what is believed to be retaliatory action from illegal settlers in Sapo National ParkTwo forest rangers have been killed by a violent mob in a Liberian rainforest after discovering a community illegally settling and hunting in the park, according to authorities.Related: Another day, another dead wildlife ranger. Where is the outrage? | Sean Willmore Continue reading...

A daring Australian Museum expedition to Balls Pyramid near Lord Howe Island has succeeded in its search for the rare and elusive Lord Howe Island stick insect Continue reading...

Villagers express delight after entire beach that vanished in Achill Island storms in 1984 turns back sands of time

A new study finds that explaining the techniques of science denial makes people resistant to their effects

The tragic death of Mike Hall, hit by a car in an Australian road race, left a hole in the world of endurance cycling. Craig Cunningham is one of many he inspired to ride an audax and experience the thrill of these most extreme ridesOn 31 March I remember waking and looking at my phone to find an abundance of posts commemorating the life of cyclist Mike Hall. Hall was hit by a motorist in Australia and killed, just hours from completing the Indian Pacific Wheel Race which saw contestants ride across Australia unsupported, with the hardest riders pushing themselves for as much as 20 hours a day.These incredible achievements aren’t done for giant cheques or coloured jerseys – the tangible rewards are just byproducts of a more personal journey. Such motives didn’t become clear to me until I took the plunge. I only realised the true extent on completing the London Wales London (LWL) audax – a 400km ride with a 27-hour time limit, vicious climbs including Yat Rock. The name alone held gravitas, bringing to mind professional races such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the legendary audax events of Paris-Brest-Paris. Continue reading...

Email mix-up blamed after historically significant plant samples incinerated by quarantine officialsAustralian biosecurity officials have destroyed historically significant plant samples from 19th-century France and damaged the reputation of Australian researchers, the head of the peak herbaria body has said.In two separate incidents, quarantine officials have incinerated specimens sent to Australian research facilities from overseas. Continue reading...

Zed Seselja says Turnbull government committed to climate change agreement, but if the US pulls out, it would put a question mark over the dealA leading government conservative has put a question mark over Australia’s continued participation in the Paris climate agreement in the event Donald Trump decides the United States will pull out.

Clarach, Ceredigion Some like the smell, others endure it. In my case, the scent of Allium ursinum makes me feel hungryMy route through the beech woods was chosen to avoid the worst of the cold northerly wind that was cutting across the valley. Though the majority of leaves were still to open, the trees broke up the breeze and let me slacken the pace I’d needed to keep warm.The acoustic of this woodland is softened by its deep, moist leaf litter; outside sounds are dramatically attenuated, letting you focus on the spring birdsong and the occasional creak of high branches stirring in the wind. Continue reading...

World Bank argues structured migration program would prevent forced migration in future generationsAustralia and New Zealand should allow open migration for citizens of Pacific nations threatened by climate change, to boost struggling island economies and prevent a later mass forced migration, a paper from the World Bank argues.The policy paper, Pacific Possible, suggests as one climate change adaptation measure, open access migration from Tuvalu and Kiribati – for work and permanent settlement – to Australia and New Zealand. Continue reading...

With the UK government ending subsidies for onshore wind and the Trump administration pushing for a return to coal, you might think the wind power revolution had run out of puff. Far from it. The cost of energy from offshore wind in Britain has fallen by a third since 2012, and wind accounts for over 40% of new capacity in the US, representing an annual investment of $13bn. Now next-generation wind technologies promise to make wind energy safer and more affordable – if they can make the difficult jump from research prototypes to commercial products Continue reading...

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 11 May 1917The bees are exceedingly busy amongst the flowers, the stocks and flowering currants perhaps getting most attention in the garden, but the gooseberry bushes and other blossoms on the fruit trees also prove attractive. Enjoying their feast of honey, these insects bustle from flower to flower, poking in their tongues and dusting their hairy heads and bodies with pollen; they comb it off with their legs until their “thighs” are thickly loaded with yellow, brown, or white lumps. The earth bees, many of them ruddy-haired, are the smallest but most numerous; they but lately emerged from pupal sleep, but are now filling their newly-excavated burrows in grass plot, path, or sunny bank with pollen food for their infant grubs which will shortly emerge from the eggs. They have various parasitical enemies, and it is amusing to see them enter the burrow, see that all is well within, back out and back in again, remaining then looking out from their doorway, alert and on guard.The round-bodied flower bees, many of them with long, hairy legs, are larger; they too, inhabit burrows which they excavate themselves. The biggest of all are the bumble-bees, some banded with brown and black, some with white, some with reddish tails, others warm brown all over, and the biggest and handsomest of all black, with big red tips to their ample abdomens. Often after a feast these bumble-bees are so lethargic that they halt to snooze on the flower heads, the stones, or, at the peril of their lives, on the public paths. If we touch them gently they raise an expostulating leg, one of the second pair, waving away the approaching finger. They do not sting readily; they are far too busy when really awake and too sleepy at other times to be troublesome, but it is well not to handle them roughly. Continue reading...

Clean air and low emission zones, one proposal in the government’s new air pollution plan, are already in place across Europe. Do they work?Following a high court order the government have launched their new clean air plan. One proposal is for clean air or low emission zones in many UK towns and cities aiming to reduce traffic pollution by restricting vehicles with weaker exhaust controls.There are over 200 zones across Europe, but do they work? Europe’s largest is in London. Before the scheme the capital had one of the oldest delivery fleets in the UK. This changed in the run-up to the implementation of the zone and exhaust particles decreased alongside busy roads in outer London. Continue reading...

As environmentalists turn to the courts to make the government clean up its act, we survey a week of victories for ClientEarth and its founder, James ThorntonIt has been a richly satisfying week for James Thornton, founder and chief executive of the environmental law group ClientEarth. On Tuesday the government admitted defeat in its lengthy battle with the firm over atmospheric pollution and pledged that it would publish its strategy to improve air quality in Britain – which it did on Friday.Ministers have, for the past decade, resolutely refused to acknowledge their obligations in dealing with a problem that is believed to be shortening the lives of thousands of people in the UK. Their change of mind, enforced by Thornton and his team of young lawyers, was a major, humiliating climbdown for our leaders and a significant victory for ClientEarth. Continue reading...

Busselton Ironman 70.3 reduced to a duathlon after about 100 swimmers brought to shoreDozens of swimmers at a triathlon in Western Australia’s south had to be removed from the water after a shark was spotted.Most of the individual competitors in the Ironman 70.3 in Busselton on Sunday had already completed their 1.9km swim when the shark was seen, but those who remained in the water were removed by Surf Life Saving WA and the beach was closed. Continue reading...

Microfibres in synthetic clothing are one of the biggest menaces when washing your clothes, says Lucy Siegle. A mesh laundry bag is the best solutionI almost yearn for the days when 80% of a garment’s ecological impact was down to the phosphates and optical brighteners in detergent. Oh, and climate emissions from the energy used to heat the water.Cleaning up all that was straightforward: turn the machine down to 30C and use an eco detergent. Continue reading...

US president prepares to undermine historic deal on climate changeTheresa May is facing calls from Britain’s leading environment and development groups to use her influence to persuade Donald Trump that the US must remain committed to the Paris climate change agreement.In a strongly worded letter, the heads of Oxfam, the RSPB, Greenpeace, WWF, Christian Aid, Cafod and other groups have called on the prime minister to “pick up the phone” to the US president to warn him of the consequences of leaving the Paris accord, something Trump pledged to do within 100 days of coming to power, a timeline that passed last week. Continue reading...

Ministers’ latest proposals, published on Friday after high court intervention, criticised by climate groups calling for stronger action on illegal pollution levelsEnvironment lawyers are expected to take the government back to court over its controversial plans to tackle the UK’s air pollution crisis. They say the proposals are so weak they flout ministers’ obligation to protect public health.The government published its plans to cut levels of diesel fumes, nitrogen oxides and particulates in the atmosphere on Friday – after being forced by judges to act on the crisis. Medical experts say toxic air is responsible for tens of thousands of premature deaths every year. Continue reading...

Nashville and Blackburnian warblers among birds of more than 20 species that hit American National Building, possibly after mistaking lights for moon or sunNearly 400 migratory birds of brilliant plumage were killed when they smashed into an office tower in Texas while flying in a storm, officials said on Friday.

Feeding the gulls in this part of East Devon can now bring a hefty financial penalty. Will it stop the problem?Perry King takes a break from cleaning windows in the seaside resort of Sidmouth. “Some of the seagulls do look fat,” he muses. “You look at them and think, that’s a chip bird.”In this part of East Devon, however, the days of seagulls surviving on a diet of chips, doughnuts, ice-cream and pasties may be coming to an end. Last week the district council became the first in the country to attempt to control the birds’ fondness for junk food through financial sanction. Anyone found deliberately feeding the seagulls in five Devon seaside towns can now be fined £80 under a public spaces protection order. Continue reading...

The prospect of departure from the EU has thrown several key power projects – from emissions trading and undersea cables to nuclear research – into questionThe Brexit spotlight swung last week away from the familiar cast of bankers quitting the City and coffee-shop chains worried about recruiting staff to the fate of the energy industry tasked with powering the economy when the UK leaves the EU.The loudest warnings came from MPs, peers, engineers and the industry itself over the impact that blocks to trade or freedom of movement would have on the nuclear and oil sectors. Continue reading...

The world’s rapid population rise risks turning Africa into one giant farm with no room for wildlife. We need to think again, says the head of UN Environment

River Teifi, Cardigan They plunged into the water to emerge with twigs, which they threw in the air and caught like childrenAbove Pont y Cleifion, tidal reaches of the river Teifi run wide between banks of feathery, blond phragmites. White mist clung to the water as I walked along the southern bank, the sky an unsullied blue. Upriver the sun rose through thinning vapours. Gilded streamers followed the draining tide as it swirled through whirlpools under the bridge. The morning world glistened.

Penalising UK drivers in the heat of an election campaign promises a political car crash, so the government has hit the brakes and slammed clean air policy into reverseFor seven years, people in Britain have been forced to hold their breath and wait for a comprehensive plan to tackle the nation’s toxic air crisis. After a series of humiliating defeats in the courts, Friday’s government plan was meant to finally deliver.But instead ministers hit the brakes and slammed the policy into reverse – the farcical new strategy has even less detail than the one already ruled illegal. What was the impassable roadblock in the way of finally starting to cut the 23,000 early deaths diesel pollution causes every year? Nothing but pure political expediency. Continue reading...

The idea of towing an iceberg from Antarctica to the UAE sounds fantastical, but might not be entirely beyond the realms of plausibilityWho is doing what?

The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox Continue reading...

Lawyers who forced ministers to deliver new proposals to tackle toxic air crisis say government is not taking responsibility for public health emergencyThe government’s new plan to tackle the UK’s toxic air crisis is “much weaker than hoped for”, according to the environmental lawyers that forced ministers to deliver the proposals.James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth, said the government was “passing the buck” to local authorities and said he failed to see how the central proposal – clean air zones for urban areas – would be effective without charges to deter the most polluting vehicles. Continue reading...

An albino orangutan, a wolverine and an oleander hawk moth are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

Water company advises customers to cut back on use now to avoid restrictions laterHouseholds in southern England are being urged to save water after the driest winter period in 20 years.The driest October to March since 1995-96 has been followed by less than half the average rainfall for April, creating challenging conditions for farmers. The south-east has been worst affected and one water company has advised its customers to take action now to prevent restrictions being imposed later this year. Continue reading...

A new report breaks down climate impacts on health by US region

The Nicobar pigeon, which is native to islands in Indian and Pacific oceans, was found by Indigenous rangers near BroomeA rainbow-coloured pigeon native to islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans has been found on the Australian mainland for the first time, by Indigenous rangers working near Broome.The Nicobar pigeon, Caloenas nicobarica, the closest living relative to the dodo, is named for India’s Nicobar Islands, more than 4,000km north of Broome. Continue reading...

Trump’s climate plans have sparked anger and upset – but businesses are finding alternative solutions. Oliver Milman runs down today’s top climate innovationsPeople in the US and beyond concerned about climate change may be alarmed at the Trump administration’s policies and attitudes – but there are plenty of businesses and innovators doing work at various scales.From solar to fake meat and low-carbon concrete, Oliver Milman explores some of the best examples of climate change-tackling innovations and innovators. Continue reading...