Decision to allow shale gas tests in village of Kirby Misperton could be challenged in court, Friends of the Earth saysAnti-fracking campaigners have claimed that a decision to allow energy companies to drill for shale gas in Yorkshire could be challenged in court.The fracking firm Third Energy was given permission last month to carry out test drilling at a site in Kirby Misperton in Rydale, North Yorkshire, even after locals opposed the application. Continue reading...

Coral bleaching is becoming an increasingly frequent and severe problem in a hotter world

Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire The breeding season has started late and male great bustards are still performing their elaborate courtship displaysWe follow a pitted farm track over the brow of the hill and into the valley, then climb off-road to the hide. The 38,0000 hectare chalk plateau is a haven for wildlife with its patchwork of close-cropped grass, golden oilseed rape and small strips of soil ploughed bare to create stone curlew nesting plots.In 1998 the Great Bustard Group began exploring the possibility of reintroducing this vulnerable species, which became extinct in the UK in 1832. Annual releases of imported bustards began in 2004 and the first eggs were laid by reintroduced birds in 2007, but the population is not yet self-sustaining. Although breeding has taken place every year, survival rates are low and not all surviving juveniles are recruited to the adult population. Lekking usually peaks in April, but this year the breeding season started later than usual and I’ve been told that there is still a chance of seeing the males perform their elaborate display. Continue reading...

Scientists say finding is alarming, and shows that harm caused by air pollution to the lungs, heart and brain has been underestimatedAir pollution has become a major contributor to stroke for the first time, with unclean air now blamed for nearly one third of the years of healthy life lost to the condition worldwide.In an unprecedented survey of global risk factors for stroke, air pollution in the form of fine particulate matter ranked seventh in terms of its impact on healthy lifespan, while household air pollution from burning solid fuels ranked eighth.

Exclusive: Proposed mines to produce aluminium are putting the habitat of vulnerable Cape York palm cockatoo at risk, sparking calls for stronger environmental lawsAustralia’s spectacular palm cockatoo is being put at risk by proposed bauxite mines, conservationists have said.The Cape York palm cockatoo, Australia’s largest cockatoo, is listed as vulnerable under Australia’s federal environment laws. About 3,000 mature birds are thought to exist, and their numbers are declining. Continue reading...

Radical new technique promises a cheaper and more secure method of burying CO2 emissions underground instead of storing it as a gasCarbon dioxide has been pumped underground and turned rapidly into stone, demonstrating a radical new way to tackle climate change.The unique project promises a cheaper and more secure way of burying CO2 from fossil fuel burning underground, where it cannot warm the planet. Such carbon capture and storage (CCS) is thought to be essential to halting global warming, but existing projects store the CO2 as a gas and concerns about costs and potential leakage have halted some plans. Continue reading...

Tiny Spanish island takes first delivery of electric vehicles as it sets out to become the first in Europe to banish petrol and diesel cars from its shoresThe tiny Mediterranean island of Formentera has taken delivery of six electric cars as part of an ambitious plan to be the first island in Europe to banish traditional cars from its shores.

Toxic air set to cause as many as 9 million premature deaths a year around the world in the next four decades, with economic costs rising to trillions a yearAir pollution is becoming a “terrifying” problem around the globe, one of the world’s leading economic organisations has warned, and will get much worse in the coming decades if urgent steps are not taken to control the pollution.The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Thursday that pollution of our air from industry, agriculture and transport was set to cause as many as 9 million premature deaths a year around the world in the next four decades, and the economic costs are likely to rise to about $2.6 tn (£1.8tn) a year over the same period. Continue reading...

Wildlife hospital uses washing-up liquid to clean bird that was scavenging for food at factoryA seagull turned bright orange after it fell into a vat of chicken tikka masala.The bird fell into the container while trying to scavenge meat from a food factory bin on Monday. It was rescued by workers at the site in Wales, and picked up by a volunteer for Vale wildlife hospital, near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Continue reading...

Copenhagen-based company happy with IPO while in process of moving from fossil fuels to renewablesDong Energy, a Danish company that owns offshore windfarms around the UK, was valued at Kr 98.2bn (£10bn) as it successfully pulled off Europe’s largest stock market flotation this year.

New low-carbon heating network is first stage of a plan to transform Bristol into a carbon-neutral city by 2050, reports BusinessGreenBristol’s newly elected mayor, Marvin Rees, has approved the city’s first major step towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050, giving the go-ahead for £5m in capital funding to build a low-carbon district heating network to serve the city.

EU vessels to catch shrimp, tuna and other fish in return for funds, but critics say there is little evidence that EU cash is helping Mauritanian fishing communitiesThe EU has renewed a four-year fishing agreement with Mauritania that will allow more than 100 EU vessels into Mauritania’s waters in return for funding that will support local fishing communities. But the deal has its critics.The agreement, which has just been greenlit by the European parliament, is an avenue for member states to help meet a burgeoning demand for fish that the bloc is unable to satisfy. Since 2009, EU fish imports have risen by 6% each year. In 2014 alone, the bloc imported €21bn (£16bn) – quadruple that of meat imports. Continue reading...

Sixty years on since the introduction of measures to reduce air pollution we’d like to hear your smog recollections

Bills introduced by city council members would require landlords to warn renters about lead piping and require testing by daycares and schoolsAs the Philadelphia water department faces continued scrutiny over how it tests for lead, bills introduced by city council members could push the city to the fore in warning residents about the dangers of lead in water.Related: Philadelphia water department faces class action lawsuit over water testing Continue reading...

The NGO accuses Malaysian palm oil company IOI of failing to act in accordance with its own sustainability policies and Indonesian law

Warmest spring on record helps push states’s year-to-date temperature more than 10F (5.5C) above average, reports Climate CentralAlaska just can’t seem to shake the fever it has been running. This spring was easily the hottest the state has ever recorded and it contributed to a year-to-date temperature that is more than 10°F (5.5°C) above average, according to data released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).The Lower 48, meanwhile, had its warmest spring since the record-breaking scorcher of 2012. Continue reading...

Independent candidate for New England speaks of donations from mining company to federal Nationals

Huge sections of the UK coastline were too polluted for swimming until EU legal action forced the government to clean upIn the 1980s, the British government tried to claim that the beaches of Brighton, Blackpool, Skegness and many other resorts weren’t used for bathing, to avoid dealing with the sewage, condoms and tampons that polluted them. Of the 27 beaches it agreed were used for swimming, nine were too dirty to reach the minimum bathing standard.Today, after legal action from the EU and directives on bathing water and urban waste water, 99% of the UK’s 632 designated beaches have been deemed safe for swimming. Continue reading...

Environment committee report criticises lack of long-term planning and raises doubts whether target of protecting 300,000 homes by 2021 would be metThe government is failing to protect communities at risk of flooding, according to a highly critical report from MPs, who said they were sceptical that the target of protecting 300,000 more homes would be met.

Dartmoor, Devon The beetle’s forelimb seemed to give a cheery wave to the world as it scooped at thin air then arced forwardWider than a thumbnail, almost as thick as a thumb, a black beetle with a shell like polished shoe leather was lumbering along a well-trodden path.Striking out in slow motion for the grassy edge with a six-legged doggy paddle, this bloody-nosed beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) gave the impression of a wind-up toy winding down. Watching this great tank on sticks was akin to seeing the open workings of a mill – a collection of mechanical parts moving in sequence to drive the greater whole. Continue reading...

Premier Daniel Andrews says Labor will legislate targets and reduce emissions via ‘pledge program’Victoria has announced a plan to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.The move places Victoria at the head of the pack of states and territories, along with South Australia, which has the same 2050 target, and the ACT, which has other strong emissions and renewable energy targets. Victoria’s move could be more significant, though, since it contributed significantly more to Australia’s overall emissions. Continue reading...

Nescafé’s one-use cups are aimed at busy commuters who want cheap on-the-go coffee, but we already have reusable cups for thatNestlé has made it possible to skip the queues and make coffee-to-go in the comfort of your own kitchen. For £4.30 you can buy a box of four disposable coffee cups, pre-filled with a mix of instant coffee and ground coffee sealed under some tin foil.

Greg Hunt defends conservative government’s actions in torrent of posts to the Finding Dory starThe Australian environment minister, Greg Hunt, has bombarded Ellen DeGeneres with tweets after she appealed to Australia to do more to protect the Great Barrier Reef.Following news of the death of almost a quarter of the coral on the reef this year, DeGeneres, who plays the fish Dory in the 2003 film Finding Nemo and its upcoming sequel, Finding Dory, released a video message as part of a campaign called Remember the Reef. Continue reading...

Policies and rhetoric around the Great Barrier Reef have rarely matched reality as the natural wonder suffers under the stress of pollutionIn late November 2015, as corals across the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef started to bleach white, the game was finally up.

In attributing the rise in air pollutants in London to the EU, Nigel Pollitt is being disingenuous (Letters, 6 June). As chairman of the UK Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards for a decade to 2002, I was regularly asked by journalists as to whether diesel or petrol vehicles were better, and always gave the same answer: it depends whether you wish to increase air pollution or to accelerate global climate change, since diesel was more efficient but also more polluting. Thus it would have been Hobson’s choice, were it not for the unasked alternative, which was to get out of the car or, if that was not always possible, to drive the car with the smallest possible engine and to do so with minimal use of accelerator and brake.Mr Pollitt should also know that all the evidence-based air quality standards that our panel proposed to the UK government were passed into law and then used by the EU for setting pan-European standards, resulting in a general reduction of pollution across Europe and in the UK. The recent rise in pollution in London is related to the selfish behaviour of those who purchase large diesel vehicles and use them for short journeys when efficient electric and hybrid vehicles are now available.

Environment committee criticises voluntary action to end the tiny plastic particles that pollute seas, and slam the lack of labelling on microbead productsVoluntary action by the cosmetics industry to phase out the use of microbeads in Europe came under strong attack from MPs on Wednesday, who criticised loopholes in the pledges and slammed the lack of labelling on products containing the plastic particles.Tiny plastic beads are widely used in toiletries and cosmetics but thousands of tonnes of them wash into the sea every year, where they harm wildlife and can ultimately be eaten by people. The US has banned microbeads and a petition signed by over 300,000 people asking for a ban in the UK was delivered to David Cameron on Wednesday. Continue reading...

This year could be worst ever for melt as data shows average sea ice extent for last month was more than half a million square kilometres smaller than the previous record of May 2012Arctic sea ice fell to its lowest ever May extent, prompting fears that this year could beat 2012 for the record of worst ever summer sea ice melt.Data published by the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) this week showed average sea ice extent for last month was more than 500,000 sq km (193,000 sq miles) smaller than May 2012. Continue reading...

He may have lost his campaign, but Sanders achieved major wins, making his rival promise more on green policies and climate change, reports GristHillary Clinton is her party’s presumptive nominee. Whether Sanders drops out tomorrow or the day he loses the roll-call vote at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, his campaign is over.But if ever there were a losing campaign that achieved some major wins, it’s Sanders’. Not only did he force Clinton to talk more about economic inequality, he pushed her to promise stronger action to fight climate change and rein in fossil fuel companies. If Hillary Clinton becomes president and keeps some of her more recent promises to restrict oil drilling and fracking, Sanders will deserve a share of the credit. Continue reading...

Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsI can’t help noticing that trees have so many different shaped leaves, yet according to Darwin’s theories, surely the single best shape should be able to out-compete the others. So, why in similar conditions, are there so many different shapes?Peter Hughes, Harrow Continue reading...

Move towards renewable energy and away from coal power helped stall emissions growth last year but slowdown may be temporary, says oil giantCarbon emissions stopped growing in 2015 for the first time in 10 years as the world turned its back on coal and embraced energy efficiency and renewable power with increased vigour, according to a new set of statistics.

The Atlas of Ocean Wealth, published ahead of World Oceans Day, brings together data from thousands of sources – from governments to Flickr photos – to provide insight into the economic and social value of our marine life. It is being used to pinpoint areas where even small-scale interventions can make a big difference to benefit local people and improve sustainability Continue reading...

Euro-MPs criticise G7-led food security programme, saying it pushes agribusiness and GM to the detriment of biodiversity and small-scale farmersFor a large majority of Euro-MPs, the G7’s decision to base its programme for food security in Africa on intensive agriculture is a mistake. The European parliament took its first official stance on the subject with the adoption of a report on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (NAFSN) on Tuesday.“We have already made the mistake of intensive agriculture in Europe. We should not replicate it in Africa because this model destroys family farming and reduces biodiversity,” said Mara Heubuch, a German Green MEP and rapporteur on the new alliance. Continue reading...

Companies should come clean on the harm plastic microbeads in their products is causing to marine life, says environment committee chairThe UK’s biggest beauty brands have been accused by an influential MP of showing contempt for their customers by refusing to appear in parliament to answer questions on the impact that their products are having on the oceans.MPs on the environmental audit committee will hear on Wednesday from the UK and European cosmetics trade bodies on the harm caused by plastic ‘microbeads’ in cosmetics, which are mistaken for food by marine life. Continue reading...

Environmentalists are sceptical that plans to quadruple maximum jail terms from five to 20 years will be effective.Indonesia plans to quadruple maximum jail terms for animal poachers and traffickers in a major overhaul of wildlife crime laws, but environmentalists expressed scepticism on Wednesday that the changes would be effective.

The microbead pollution contaminating our marine life does not respect borders. As UK ministers meet on World Oceans Day they must look to find solutions by working with our neighbours and partners in EuropeFrom the shallowest coastal waters to the depths of the oceanic trenches some 10,000 meters beneath the sea, our oceans are home to a vast amount of life on earth. Covering over two-thirds of the world’s surface, they provide food and support tourism and leisure in every part of the world.Our oceans are under pressure from warming and acidification, and on World Oceans Day, the environmental audit committee, which I chair, will be hearing about microplastic pollution. Continue reading...

40% of Americans don’t understand the risks posed by climate change or a President Donald TrumpCurrently, about 40% of Americans support Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and about 40% of Americans are not worried about global warming. While short of a majority, this is a substantial fraction of the American public failing to grasp the risks associated with a Donald Trump presidency and potentially catastrophic climate change impacts.In Business Insider, Josh Barro recently wrote about the former: Continue reading...

Asylum seekers, marriage equality and climate change top of issues those surveyed wanted addressedA survey of thousands of young Australians has found they are more interested in social and environmental issues than economic concerns, heading into the election.The Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth (ARACY), and a group called Youth Action, conducted a national survey of 3369 Australians aged between 12 and 25, between 4 April and 2 May. Continue reading...

The deputy prime minister rejects suggestion by constitutional expert George Williams that section 51 could be used to halt mine on environmental groundsBarnaby Joyce has rejected outright the use of an export power in the constitution to stop the Shenhua Watermark mine, saying it would be “economically and socially disastrous”.

As the vaquita – the world’s smallest porpoise – plunges toward extinction, scientists have a tough decision ahead of them: to attempt a super risky captive breeding programme or not?

Nathan McLaren, an electrician, captured the moment a 3.3m long shark breached out of the water behind a surfer on the east coast of AustraliaA once-in-a-lifetime photograph has caught the moment a great white shark breached its entire body out of the water behind an oblivious surfer.The photograph was taken by Nathan McLaren on Tuesday as he watched surfers off Swansea Heads, just south of Newcastle in New South Wales. Continue reading...

Heavy rain hits the capital on Tuesday, leaving cars submerged in flood waters in Wallington, south London. Three people became trapped in their cars. One was rescued by the London Fire Brigade and the two others managed to escape from their vehicles before the firefighters arrived. Almost a month’s rainfall fell in one hour

Image met with accusations of fearmongering, but after two fatal shark attacks in five days, Brett McCarthy says risk of mauling is ‘now clearly a public safety issue’The editor of the West Australian newspaper has defended the paper’s controversial front page, which featured a photoshopped image of children being chased out of the surf by a shark under the headline “Will it take this?”It followed calls from the paper for the government to restart its controversial shark cull policy after two fatal shark attacks in five days. Continue reading...

Meet the small businesses that rely on rubbish – trading unwanted apples in exchange for cider, or turning fishing nets into swimming costumesThe small businesses using rubbish as a revenue stream aren’t always on the lookout for waste. For Simon Wright, founder of independent drinks company Hawkes, the rubbish found him.With his successful line of ginger beer already turning a profit, the entrepreneur saw an opportunity. “When I found out about a load of apples that weren’t being used from community orchards around London, I came up with the idea for Urban Orchard cider.”

Wenlock Edge The blackbird’s wings have the flutter of panic as he tries to navigate through the house to find an escapeThe unmistakable fan-snap of feathers announces the arrival of a visitor. A dark blur up the stairs, a spike of electric current. There is a palpable disturbance to the order of things when there’s a bird in the house; perhaps that’s why it’s associated with ill omen. The blackbird hops through the back door following a trail of breakfast cereal.We have become familiar to each other. We share the same space in the backyard where he forages, and we leave crumbs and titbits. It could be that he was born in the garden and has known us all his life, as did his parents. Now he has a nest and a brood of chicks to feed, we listen to him sing; we live in parallel and have retreated to our separate worlds, until now. Continue reading...

Webs of tens of thousands of arachnids combine to form thick netting above trees in north-western Tasmania in ‘mass ballooning event’Deluged homeowners in Tasmania’s north-west are not the only residents of the waterlogged area to seek higher ground.Vast translucent covers have formed above trees in towns such as Westbury in the wake of storms and the state’s worst floods in 40 years. Continue reading...

The force behind Antony and the Johnsons joins more than 100 activists and traditional owners in walk through east Pilbara in Western Australia to raise awareness of threat posed by proposed Kintyre mineRight now, walking across the remote east Pilbara in the Western Australian desert, is a wagon train of more than 100 artists, activists and traditional owners.Along the way, stories are told about the land: where water is sourced, where the animals and the plants are, where traditional burial and hunting grounds may be, and why mining on this land must not go ahead. Continue reading...

Video message part of Remember the Reef campaign launched to coincide with release of Finding DoryEllen DeGeneres has joined the fight to save the Great Barrier Reef with a video message urging Australians to take action on “saving this amazing place”.The video message is part of a “Remember the Reef” campaign launched to coincide with the release of her latest film, Finding Dory, in which she plays a reef-dwelling blue tang fish with short-term memory loss, and coincides with a Guardian special report on the future of the reef and what can be done to save it. Continue reading...

In a message for Australia, the actor and chatshow host says she’s a big fan of ‘your beautiful, great, wonderful Great Barrier Reef, which is home to my favourite fish, Dory’. The video is part of the Remember the Reef campaign that coincides with the release of her latest film, Finding Dory. DeGeneres provides the voice of Dory in the sequel to 2003’s critically acclaimed Finding Nemo. Disney will work with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Great Barrier Reef marine park authority to help raise awareness of the reef’s decline. For more information visit rememberthereef.com Continue reading...

The Australian government has appointed Ian the Climate Denialist Potato to explain to the world what is really happening to the Great Barrier Reef

Party promise to compensate displaced fisheries and invest in shark research to assist in their conservation and protect humans from interactions with themMillions of hectares of pristine marine wilderness around Australia would be protected immediately, supertrawlers would be banned and millions of dollars would be invested in shark research under a new set of marine policies released by the Greens on Wednesday.“Australia is incredibly proud of our unique marine ecosystems, yet they are at risk from climate change, overfishing, oil and gas production and other challenges,” the Greens senator Rachel Siewert said. Continue reading...