Officials check for avian flu at farms surrounding original site as outbreaks of disease reported in Denmark, Finland, Germany and SwedenSome 190,000 ducks were destroyed on Saturday at six farms in the Netherlands following an avian flu outbreak, the country’s first cull in response to an epidemic sweeping northern Europe.Outbreaks of avian flu, primarily the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain, have been reported in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden over the past week. Continue reading...

Engineer corps says the main encampment must be cleared in nine days because of the onset of winter weatherThe US Army has ordered the closure of the main encampment established by activists opposing the Dakota Access pipeline, according to a letter released by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.Citing federal regulations governing public lands, Colonel John W. Henderson of the army corps of engineers wrote to Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Dave Archambault that he was ordering the closure by 5 December. Continue reading...

UK’s biggest coffee chain will take paper cups from any brand at recycling points in all of its storesThe UK’s largest coffee chain Costa Coffee is to launch a recycling scheme in all of its stores to ensure that as many as possible of its own takeaway cups – and those from its competitors – are recycled.In a move designed to reduce the millions of used disposable cups that end up in landfill, the chain’s customers will be encouraged to leave or return them to a Costa store, where they will be stored on a bespoke rack. Costa’s waste partner, Veolia, will transport them to specialist waste processing plants which have the capacity to recycle takeaway coffee cups – potentially as many as 30m a year from Costa alone. Continue reading...

Poppit Sands, Cardigan Often I encounter him fishing here, with an oystercatcher or redshank for company, watching acutely, spearing for small fish and crustaceans.On ebbing or flowing tides, the muddy rhine that curves behind the dunes is a fascinating place. This time of year the estuary throngs with geese. Plangent calls tug at your emotions as they pass in V-formations overhead. Occasionally – all too seldom nowadays – a curlew’s bubbling call pitches to crescendo, then cascades down, the massed choirs of thousands a thing of the past.What memory might the few survivors hold of legions so drastically dwindled away? I harbour a strong belief in the intelligent connection between living creatures, have seen it manifest time and again in the natural world. It gives rise to some odd liaisons and intriguing behaviour. Continue reading...

Official review finds failures in Levy Control Framework and says overshoot will have to be paid for by householdsFormer energy ministers have contributed to an overspend of more than £1bn on renewable power subsidies that consumers will be forced to pay for, a government report has said.The review by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, published on Friday, says “political unwillingness” to curb support for solar and wind power projects has contributed to the cap on green energy subsidies being breached. Continue reading...

Families v people | Autumnul cheer | Ukip doner | Arctic alarm | Far-right dismay | Front-page gloomAccording to the very first words in your front-page story (Chancellor to crack down on letting fees, 23 November) “millions of families” are to be offered relief from spurious letting charges. Funny, I hadn’t realised that the measure was targeted only at families – I guess this must mean that people living alone, house-sharers and childless couples will have to go on paying the fees? Can you please make an effort not to bandy about the word “families” as though it were a synonym for “people”?

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...

Food and Agriculture Organisation says 330,000 people are on verge of ‘a food security catastrophe’ following sustained drought that has decimated cropsThe severe drought afflicting southern Madagascar has left 330,000 people on the brink of famine, a senior UN official has warned.

Natural management is ‘vital’ as well as other flood defences says environment secretary, reports The Ends ReportThe Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will spend £15m on natural flood management projects, the environment secretary has announced.On Thursday, Andrea Leadsom confirmed to parliament that, although flood defences such as concrete barriers are “very important”, natural flood management is “vital” as well.

Greg Clark signals post-Brexit policy as Jaguar Land Rover confirms it plans to create 10,000 jobs in the UKGreg Clark, the business, energy and industrial strategy secretary, has said making Britain a world-leading hub for next-generation electric vehicles will be at the heart of the government’s new industrial strategy, providing one of the clearest indications yet of the sectors it wants to focus on in a post-Brexit economy.Clark said the automotive sector, particularly electric vehicles, driverless cars and battery storage, will be a “emblematic area of focus” and is going to be “one of the big features of the world and Britain’s industrial policy during the weeks, months and years ahead”. Continue reading...

Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic safeguards 200 jobs with order for 65-metre high steel foundation jacketsThe Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic has won a contract believed to be worth £20m to expand a huge windfarm off the East Anglian coast.Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd has secured the manufacturing of 60 steel foundation jackets for the East Anglia One offshore windfarm, which will safeguard 200 jobs. Continue reading...

Canada has joined a growing list of countries phasing out the most polluting fossil fuel and global demand has fallen. Is this the start of a low-carbon energy era or just a blip in coal’s dominance?This week Canada joined the growing list of major developed countries saying they will phase out coal power.The announcement comes against the backdrop of global demand for coal falling last year for the first time in nearly two decades, a development that could presage a new era of lower-carbon energy generation – or merely a blip in the long-term dominance of the highly polluting fuel. Continue reading...

Airport expansion plans may breach climate change legislation if other sectors do not make big cuts to emissions, warns Committee on Climate ChangePlans to build a third runway at Heathrow may breach the Government’s own climate change legislation if other sectors do not make big cuts to emissions, an independent advisory body has warned.

Ministers deliberately delayed a report showing fracking could affect house prices, health and the environment until after a crucial planning decision, documents revealMinisters deliberately delayed a controversial fracking report it was being forced to publish until after crucial council decisions on planning permission, according to newly revealed documents.The documents also show ministers acknowledged they were open to a charge of double standards, having granted local communities the final say over windfarm applications but overruling fracking decisions. Continue reading...

Ketton Quarry, Rutland Withered stems of white bryony lash together clumps of little red globes hanging in garlands, and hedges blush with hawthorn berriesThe incoming polar air mass and clear night sky produces this year’s heaviest frost. Water crystallises into bristly masses on every surface. The blazing morning sun rapidly scorches most of it away, but in the deepest still hollows of Ketton quarry the thick, white, dusting endures into the afternoon.Related: Birds and berries: A fertile feast Continue reading...

Queensland Resources Council chief executive welcomes decision and tells activists to get out of Adani’s wayAdani’s Carmichael coalmine has passed its latest legal hurdle – the Queensland supreme court has dismissed a challenge against grants of a mining lease and environmental authority for the $21m project in the state’s Galilee Basin.Environmental groups had challenged the move on legal grounds, saying the Queensland government had erred in granting the approvals for the Indian mining group’s huge project. Continue reading...

Josh Frydenberg says coal ‘vitally important’ after former Great Barrier Reef official calls said its future depended on an end to miningJosh Frydenberg has defended Australia’s coal industry as “vitally important” days after a former Great Barrier Reef authority chief called for a ban on new mines.Speaking after a forum on the reef with state and territory ministers in Sydney on Friday, the federal environment minister said other countries would simply “fill the void” if Australia did not export coal. Continue reading...

Opposition leader had earlier pledged to phase out the bags from shopping centres if LNP elected at next state pollThe Queensland government plans to ban single-use plastic bags from 2018 but the public will have its say first.On Friday the environment minister, Steven Miles, released a public discussion paper on the ban of lightweight single-use plastic shopping bags. Continue reading...

It is staggering that in 2016, the hottest year on record, the chancellor can present a budget that has no mention of climate change (Report, 24 November). Indeed, most policies and spending plans are heading in the wrong direction. We have more money for new roads and fracking keeps its subsidy, but cuts to the local authorities who subsidise bus services.The freeze on fuel duty is another backward step and shows that the government cares nothing about climate change, air pollution or public health. Last year saw a record number of vehicles on our roads, especially in rural areas where bus services have been decimated. The government could bring us healthier air and less congestion by raising fuel duty and using the money to reverse the devastating cuts to buses. We need to give people the choice of travelling by public transport, walking and cycling, but that can only happen if we make the polluter pay and use the money raised to invest in things that are good for our health and our environment.

Hurricane makes landfall on Nicaraguan coast just north of border with Costa RicaHurricane Otto strengthened to a category two storm as it made landfall on the sparsely populated Caribbean border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica as an unusually strong late-season event.The US National Hurricane Center said Otto hit land near the town of San Juan de Nicaragua with winds of 110 mph around midday local time. Continue reading...

The claim that Greece may receive an unfair exemption to increase lignite use (Report, 3 November, theguardian.com) is not justified – it is based on misinterpretations:1) Greece is not trying to “revive its lignite-based model”. In fact, retirements of fossil fuel plants in 2014-23 amount to 4,095MW, including 2,671MW of lignite capacity. Continue reading...

Move hailed as first formal reintroduction of a once native mammal in the UKLarge populations of wild beavers living in the southern and western Highlands of Scotland are to be allowed to expand naturally after ministers granted them protected status.

Environmental groups hope Utah, Nevada and Grand Canyon will be included in rapid conservation efforts as Trump plans to expand fossil fuel extractionBarack Obama’s administration is rushing through conservation safeguards for large areas of public land ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House, presenting a conundrum for the new president’s goal of opening up more places for oil and gas drilling. Continue reading...

All of the supermarket’s own-brand cosmetics and cleaning products will be free from the tiny plastic pieces within a monthTesco will have phased out microbeads from all its own brand cosmetics and household cleaning products within a month, it was announced on Thursday.While UK ministers recently said personal care products containing these tiny pieces of plastic will be banned from sale by the end of 2017, it is not clear yet whether the ban will extend to other types of products that rely on their abrasive properties. Continue reading...

The Natural History Museum has chosen 25 of the year’s best images from its Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016 shortlist. Voting is open until 10 January to find the people’s choice winning photo of the year• Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London Continue reading...

Europe’s bioenergy plants are burning trees felled from protected conservation areas rather than using forest waste, new report showsProtected forests are being indiscriminately felled across Europe to meet the EU’s renewable energy targets, according to an investigation by the conservation group Birdlife.Up to 65% of Europe’s renewable output currently comes from bioenergy, involving fuels such as wood pellets and chips, rather than wind and solar power. Continue reading...

Release of captive-bred marsupials into 7,800ha Mt Gibson wildlife sanctuary part of ongoing attempt to save critically endangered species in Western AustraliaFourteen numbats will be released into a predator-free wildlife sanctuary 350km north of Perth in an ongoing attempt to save the critically endangered species.It is the first release of captive-bred numbats into the 7,800ha Mt Gibson sanctuary, which has been declared free of feral cats and foxes following an extensive baiting program. Continue reading...

With 83% of the fund spent, the government’s central climate policy is almost exhausted, with no further funding committedThe federal government’s Direct Action carbon reduction policy appears to be running out of steam, with participation from industry dropping, the cost of the program rising and the budget for emissions reduction nearly exhausted.The Clean Energy Regulator announced on Thursday it would pay a further $367m to polluting industries, in return for a commitment for them to reduce carbon emissions by 34.4m tonnes. Continue reading...

Sandy Bedfordshire The sycamore’s leaves, free to swing in the gappy canopy, seem to dance in a soundless jigIn the past fortnight, winter has descended into the branches of a big sycamore tree. As if they were the hangers-on at a party, a scattering of leaves are still flying the flag, wearing ready-to-drop yellow. Liberated from the constrictions and crowding of their erstwhile neighbours, they are free to swing in the gappy canopy. As the breeze lifts, they are raised up as one into a rocksteady beat.Never have the leaves looked so alive as when so close to death. The great pointy-edged plates are picked up wonderfully by the wind as with no other tree around, and seem to dance in a soundless jig. Continue reading...

The former Smiths frontman wrote to automaker CEO explaining that animal-friendly option would ‘only broaden appeal’ of Chevy Volt and Bolt modelsMorrissey has a complaint: the leather that runs smooth on the passenger’s seat isn’t vegan.The former Smiths frontman has penned a letter to General Motors’ chair and CEO, Mary Barra, asking the automaker to consider adding the option of vegan leather to its interiors. “Given that the Volt and Bolt are being marketed to eco-conscious buyers, entirely vegan options would only broaden their appeal,” the singer-songwriter wrote. Continue reading...

Plastic packaging | The lure of London | Lewis Carroll’s Latin pun | ‘Ultra-high-net-worth individuals’ | Yugoslavia | Humanities v sciences | HyggeIf we are not recycling all our plastic waste, largely because many councils cannot deal with all the variations (Just a third of plastic is recycled, survey shows, 22 November), why are the major supermarkets allowed to keep inventing new wrappings consisting of mixed materials and marked “Not currently recyclable”?

The money for new roads and freezing fuel tax overwhelms support for electric cars, further fuelling the nation’s air pollution crisisDrive, baby, drive - that was the message from chancellor Philip Hammond’s autumn budget statement, with more money paving the way to new roads and a freeze on fuel tax.The problem is the UK already has an air pollution crisis that causes tens of thousands of early deaths – more traffic will only make it worse. Furthermore, rising transport emissions are one of the biggest obstacles to the nation meeting its legal targets for cutting carbon emissions. Continue reading...

Nearly 400 companies and nonprofits signed a letter to express support for the Paris climate agreement. We asked a handful to tell us whyMany businesses that supply the goods and services we use every day understand that they have a role to play in keeping global warming in check. Their profits depend on it. The long term rise in global temperatures will change where and how we extract raw materials and produce the many things we take for granted, from the grapes crushed to make wine to the cotton spun to make the shirt you are wearing.Nearly 400 companies and nonprofits signed a letter last week urging president-elect Donald Trump to stay in the Paris climate agreement and support policies that combat global warming. The list covers a wide range of industries and includes Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia and Sierra Nevada Brewing. It also contains surprising signatories: companies that aren’t known to take part in environmental initiatives, such as Tiffany & Co, Monsanto and Staples. Continue reading...

As winter finally arrives across the US, we take a look back at the annual dazzling display of color across the continent Continue reading...

Only Italy has more annual deaths from nitrogen dioxide, according to a report by the European Environment AgencyThe UK is second only to Italy in Europe for the highest number of annual deaths from a major air pollutant, a report has found just days after a court gave UK ministers a deadline for drawing up a stronger air quality plan.

They may be cheap and expendable, but XBTs provide crucial data about the oceans

With a reality TV demagogue in power, it’s crucial that we find a story in which people can discern a better futureClimate change is like the type of film director who, having already thrown the audience into seemingly inescapable peril, keeps piling on the jeopardy. The carbon budget to stay below the Paris climate accord’s target of 1.5C of warming is all but used up, and staying below even its lower goal of 2C now requires elaborate leaps of faith. Continue reading...

Police looking for Russell Sherwood, 69, from Neath, South Wales, find body at river OgmorePolice divers involved in the search for an elderly man who went missing during this week’s storms have recovered a body.Russell Sherwood, 69, went missing after leaving his home in Neath, South Wales, on Monday morning. Continue reading...

43 UK universities have pledged to dump investments in fossil fuels, having accepted the arguments of campaignersPretty much all we know about climate change comes from academia, which makes the news of a leap in fossil fuel divestment by universities in the UK particularly important.On so many issues over the decades, where universities lead, society follows. Now, as I report here, 43 UK universities have pledged to dump investments in fossil fuels, having accepted the arguments of campaigners that funding these companies is both economically and morally bankrupt. Continue reading...

Gavin Williamson refuses to get rid of ‘ruthless killer’ Cronus, despite Westminster banThe Conservative chief whip has declined to remove a tarantula called Cronus from his office despite a House of Commons ban on pets.Gavin Williamson, appointed by Theresa May as her parliamentary enforcer in July, has spoken in recent days about his unusual deskmate, who is kept in a glass tank and named after a Greek god who castrated his father and ate his children. Continue reading...

The worst drought in 25 years in Bolivia is affecting at least seven major cities. In La Paz alone, water rationing has hit almost half of the city’s 800,000 inhabitants while, elsewhere, peasants and miners are competing for the use of aquifers. Continue reading...

Environmental Protection Authority allows for threefold expansion of Andrew Forrest’s Solomon mineThe Environmental Protection Authority has cleared the way for a threefold expansion of Andrew Forrest’s Solomon iron ore mine which would see it remain in production for the next 35 years.But Western Australian authorities have raised concerns that a new field of water bores needed for the production could affect Hamersley Gorge, which is 4km south of the mine, in Karijini national park. Continue reading...

Wenlock Edge, Shropshire There is something about the combination of sky-blue, red and black that fascinates me – I don’t understand whyFor a moment before dusk, the sky was sky-blue. Like looking into a pool, only overhead, the sky’s edges around its horizons were pale, chalky, blackbird egg blue, deepening through Wedgwood into the above as it thickened ultramarine and darkened inkily towards space.Oddly, the colour gained more substance as the atmosphere became thinnest, so that light itself was the material of air. From high on the Edge, the blue replaced everything I noticed about the sky: crazy shoals of rooks and jackdaws, arrowheads of geese, wraiths of starlings speeding towards murmurations. Continue reading...

Critically endangered bird – down to just 14 in the wild – not helped by being ‘morons’ with poor survival instinctsScientists are scaling trees in Tasmania in an attempt to save the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot after the wild population dropped to the “stupidly low numbers” of just 14 individuals.Three of those wild-born birds are females that have begun the process of selecting nest boxes in Melaleuca, a blustery outpost in the wilderness world heritage area near the southwest tip of Tasmania. Continue reading...

‘We need more gas,’ Australia’s environment and energy minister says, urging state governments to follow US leadAustralia’s environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, has welcomed Donald Trump’s commitment to lift Obama administration’s restrictions on fossil fuel exploration within his first 100 days in the White House, saying the move will be a boon for consumers.

Asked by the New York Times whether he would pull the US out of the Paris climate accord, the president-elect wavered on his previously stated positionDonald Trump has said he has an “open mind” over US involvement in the Paris agreement to combat climate change, after previously pledging to withdraw from the effort.Related: Donald Trump drops threat of criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton – live Continue reading...

A privatization spree in Canada could cost regular people billions, erode democracy and undermine the fight against climate changeWhile prime minister Justin Trudeau flogged our public assets last week, he had a soothing message: rest assured, we’ll be well-served by the private sector. Bankers and billionaires lined up to sound a note of confidence. “I think it’s unprecedented,” exclaimed Canada’s top business lobbyist John Manley. “A once-in-a-generation opportunity,” enthused Trudeau’s economic advisory council.These corporate figures are rubbing their hands because Trudeau is about to put one of our great crises in their hands: the need for historic investment in the country’s infrastructure, for so long the domain of the state. Continue reading...

US president-elect does not deny pushing interim leader Nigel Farage and key associates to fight development of windfarms in ScotlandDonald Trump urged the interim leader of a British political party and his key associates to lobby against the development of windfarms, which he has fought against having built near his Scottish golf courses.Related: Donald Trump drops threat of criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton – live Continue reading...

In response to concerns from the former cycling commissioner, the deputy mayor for transport insists plans are on trackSadiq Khan is committed to being the most cycling-friendly mayor that the capital has ever had – and is already delivering real results. However, there have recently been a number of inaccurate reports about his plans and I’d like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.Making cycling safer and easier will be a significantly higher priority for Sadiq than it was for the previous administration. Continue reading...