Many are saying that Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency pick is disastrous. If Pruitt is confirmed, he must accept his mandateThe Environmental Protection Agency has been perhaps the most visible and influential organization of its kind in the world since Richard Nixon created it in 1970. Since then, it has managed a portfolio of pollution control laws and programs and provided science-based, economically reasonable environmental protection for nearly half a century.The fear shared by many of us who have been part of the agency and its mission is that Donald Trump and his nominee to run the agency, Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, are set on taking the EPA to a place where it may no longer be able to carry out these vital responsibilities. Continue reading...

A grey crane, bright red autumnal leaves and Tibetan gazelles are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

EU emissions pledge could be undermined by bank’s investments in oil, gas and auto industries, new analysis showsThe European Central Bank’s (ECB) quantitative easing programme is systematically investing billions of euros in the oil, gas and auto industries, according to a new analysisThe ECB has already purchased €46bn (£39bn) of corporate bonds since last June in a bid to boost flagging eurozone growth rates, a figure that some analysts expect to rise to €125bn by next September. On Thursday the bank said it would extend the scheme until 2018. Continue reading...

Langstone Harbour, Hampshire The black swan shrank back as the mute swans stomped up the mud bank towards us and jostled for a handoutThe tide was out and as I approached the mill outflow I could see a black swan hunkered down on the exposed shingle. Native to Australia, black swans were introduced to Britain in 1791 as ornamental birds in captive wildfowl collections. Due to inevitable escapees and deliberate releases, sightings in the wild are widespread. Now, the number of breeding sites are increasing at such a rate that Cygnus atratus may be on the brink of establishing a self-sustaining population.This was the fifth black swan to visit the creek in a fortnight and, as they often pair up during the winter months, it is likely that these birds were roaming in search of a mate. This swan didn’t sport the jet black velvet lustre of mature adult plumage – its sooty feathers had a charcoal grey cast and were fringed with taupe, which gave it an almost scaly appearance. Continue reading...

Increasing population | Theresa May’s cliches | Rich and poor | European mothsI have just scoured eight pages of your Climate Change supplement (7 December). I found not a single reference to one of the key drivers of climate change, the relentless increase of population, now scheduled to be 11.5 billion by 2100. Whatever action we take to reduce emissions, those efforts will be negated by the births of 4 billion more people who, even in the old “third world”, will want to be consumers.

Trump’s pick to lead Environmental Protection Agency has supported fossil fuel firms and sought to hobble public health regulations he will be responsible forIf environmentalists were to sketch out the government official of their nightmares, it would likely look much like Scott Pruitt. The Oklahoma attorney general has been a raucous supporter of fossil fuel companies and repeatedly sought to hobble the public health regulations he will soon be responsible for as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Government says it will not support highly polluting method of releasing gas from coal seamsA highly polluting method of extracting gas has been effectively killed off in the UK after the government said it would not support the technology.Underground coal gasification, which involves injecting oxygen and steam underground to release gas from coal seams, would massively increase UK carbon emissions if exploited, according to a government-commissioned report. Continue reading...

Two activists and a lawyer involved in campaign are claiming aggravated damages from K2 Intelligence LtdA leading corporate intelligence firm infiltrated the worldwide campaign to ban asbestos in a sophisticated and long-running espionage campaign, the high court in London has heard.Over a period of four years, the court was told, a spy working for K2 Intelligence Ltd masqueraded as a sympathetic documentary maker in order to gather a mass of sensitive material about the leading figures in the campaign, their methods, funding and future plans. Continue reading...

The giraffe is at risk of extinction after a large decline in numbers over the past 30 years, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which released its latest ‘red list’ of threatened species on Thursday. The eastern gorilla and whale shark are also deemed at high risk

A new article helps scientists communicate how humans are intensifying extreme weather clearly and accurately

Independent review shared with agriculture ministers in May calls for an urgent $38m eradication of invasive insectsAggressive, venomous red fire ants have the potential to be a threat in even Australia’s biggest cities and require a multimillion-dollar, 10-year program to wipe them out before it’s too late, agriculture ministers were warned in May.An independent review into the ant, which is of South American extraction, prepared for a meeting of federal state and territory agriculture ministers in May but made public this week through the Senate, calls for a doubling of funding to $38m a year for 10 years to eliminate the scourge for good. Continue reading...

Latest update to the red list of threatened species shows world’s tallest animal is on the brink, but some good news for Madagascan freshwater fishThe world’s tallest animal is at risk of extinction after suffering a devastating decline in numbers, with nearly 40% of giraffes lost in the last 30 years, according to the latest “red list” analysis.The authoritative list, compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has also added more than 700 newly recognised bird species, but 13 of these are already extinct. Continue reading...

Companies say the task has been made difficult by differences in recycling rules in different parts of the UK and EuropeThree of the world’s biggest consumer goods brands, Unilever, P&G and Kraft Heinz, have been criticised by recycling campaigners after failing to use a recycling label on all their products.An estimated 2.26m tonnes of plastic packaging is produced every year in the UK, of which three-fifths (61%) ends up being dumped. Plastic bottles are one of the worst culprits, with 15m being binned every day. Meanwhile, the recycling rate for plastic film is just 3%. Continue reading...

Sandy, Bedfordshire The birds’ summer song has become a spit of rage, broken chirrups rendered to our ears as “get lost!”The skylark’s summer song is reduced in winter to spits of rage, each broken chirrup rendered to human ears as “get lost!” or something far ruder. Such angry chatter broke the stillness of a recent frost-becalmed morning in the fields. The strident cries told of an aerial dogfight.Related: David Adam on the decline of Britain's skylarks and other bird species Continue reading...

Jay Weatherill says he will discusss emissions trading with premiers before meeting with prime ministerStates could go it alone on a carbon scheme for the electricity sector after the federal government ruled one out, South Australia’s premier says.A report by the chief scientist, Alan Finkel, to be presented at Friday’s Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra, is expected to recommend an emissions intensity scheme. Continue reading...

Two-thirds of those polled in the state seat of Dalrymple think the government should not lend to the Indian mining giantTwo-thirds of voters in the Queensland region that would host Adani’s Carmichael mine think the miner should not be eligible for commonwealth funding, according a new poll.The ReachTel poll of 544 voters in the state seat of Dalrymple found 66% were against the idea of “an Indian mining company worth over $12bn being eligible for this taxpayer funding towards their Galilee Basin project”.

EU president abandons plan to overhaul flagship birds and habitats directives following a huge public campaignThe European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, has been forced to abandon an overhaul of flagship nature laws after an unprecedented campaign that mobilised over half a million people in protest.The popular birds and habitats directives protect almost a fifth of Europe’s landmass, about 200 wetlands, meadows and marine habitats, and more than a thousand animal and plant species. Continue reading...

Vehicles with odd-number plates were banned on Tuesday and, on Wednesday, it was the even numbers’ turnParis authorities restricted traffic in the city for a second day after a “lid of pollution” sealed the capital, causing concern over public health.Photographs showed a grey veil of dirty air trapped over the city, masking the horizon and, at times, landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower. Experts said it was the longest most intense spike in pollution for at least 10 years and was expected to continue for at least another day if not longer. Continue reading...

Cuts made to workforce at home and overseas despite ministers saying climate diplomacy should be a top priorityThe UK has cut the number of Foreign Office staff working on climate change, despite ministers arguing the issue should be a top foreign policy priority.The Liberal Democrats said it was “appalling” and sent “the wrong signals” to the world, after a minister revealed the figures in a recent parliamentary answer. Continue reading...

Lobbyists dismayed by Coalition ruling out carbon trading, warning those fighting it ‘are going to get almost exactly the outcome they’re trying to prevent’Business and environment groups have expressed dismay at the federal government for scrapping consideration of an emissions intensity trading scheme in the electricity sector as part of its 2017 review of climate change policies, just a day after floating the possibility.On Wednesday a range of experts said the abrupt backflip by the environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, on Tuesday night would create further regulatory uncertainty, which was a recipe for higher power prices down the track. Continue reading...

Deputy prime minister uses worse-than-expected GDP figures to urge Queenslanders to show ‘spunk’ and ‘get the thing built’The deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, has declared the Adani mine needs to proceed, and he’s endorsed giving the project a concessional loan in order to “get the thing built and get the money flowing”.

Voters received the flyer hailing progress on schemes in the minister’s electorate of KooyongVoters have received a newsletter boasting about environment minister Josh Frydenberg’s commitment to green army projects just days after a report the program will be axed in December.On Monday the Australian Financial Review reported the green army would be abolished in the budget update on 19 December, after a decision by the Coalition’s budget razor gang, the expenditure review committee. Continue reading...

Duncansby Head, John O’Groats As the wind rises the timbre alters and I struggle to place it – the howling of wolves, infants wailing, dissonant chords on a pipe organ?At the far north-eastern corner of the British mainland the land rises up from the sea like cake from a tin: edges are clean and sharp, layers of sediment cut through the red sandstone like jam.The sun is out, the air is still, and the residents are busy making their preparations for winter in this rare break in the weather. Continue reading...

After many young people fled in the face of worsening droughts, tropical storms, coral bleaching, coastal inundation and flooding, some are choosing to returnSurrounded by 750,000 square miles of ocean, the low-lying Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is emblematic of the threat climate change poses to small island nations. This Micronesian country of coral atolls faces worsening droughts, tropical storms, coral bleaching, coastal inundation and flooding – all exacerbated by rising temperatures and sea levels.Related: Lives in the balance: climate change and the Marshall Islands Continue reading...

Wangan and Jagalingou opponents, who say project would override native title on most of their land, dispute Queensland mining minister’s approval of leasesTraditional owners have launched a fresh legal challenge to Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine, declaring they would go all the way to the high court to stand as the last “line of defence” against the contentious project.Wangan and Jagalingou opponents of the mine on Tuesday went to the Queensland court of appeal to dispute the state mining minister’s approval of Adani’s mining leases. Continue reading...

Move comes after Energy Transfer Partners was denied a key permit to drill under the Missouri river, and as Standing Rock leader urges protesters to go homeEnergy Transfer Partners, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, has responded to the Army Corps of Engineers’ denial of a key permit by asking a federal judge to allow it to drill under the Missouri river immediately.The court filing came as thousands of activists remained at the Standing Rock encampments, despite being buffeted by a blizzard and a plea from a tribal council leader for them to return home. Continue reading...

Prime minister says Josh Frydenberg has to explain himself in wake of climate change policy backdownMalcolm Turnbull has said he will not impose a carbon tax or an emissions trading scheme.The prime minister said he would not do anything that increased electricity costs for consumers, especially when households were struggling to pay their bills. Continue reading...

Forget climate policy intricacies – through this pathetic retreat the government has again revealed its true natureWhat an extraordinary capitulation.

Energy and environment minister downplays Monday’s comments about a possible scheme for the electricity sector after internal pressureThe energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, has folded in the face of internal pressure, declaring the Turnbull government will not pursue emissions trading as part of adjusting its climate policy to meet Australia’s international emissions reduction targets.