They may be delicious and sure, there are lots of them, but next time you’re chomping down on your barbecued octopus, just remember they were the first intelligent beings on Earth and have more genes than you doWhen Inky the octopus made global headlines for his eight-legged getaway from a New Zealand aquarium, I seemed to be the only person on the internet whose imagination was not caught up in his “great escape”.Chalk it up to tall poppy syndrome. But Inky’s “daring” (ABC) pursuit of “liberty over security” (NPR) was no more “amazing” (the Telegraph) a feat than that which any no-name captivity octopus, anywhere in the world, is capable of any day. Continue reading...

Engie tells French senate committee that it plans to withdraw from coal-fired power generation and is looking at possible shutdown of Victoria’s Hazelwood power stationThe Hazelwood coal-fired power plant in Victoria may be closed or sold by its owner, French utility Engie, as part of its move away from operating any coal-fired plants, the company said on Wednesday.Engie’s chief executive, Isabelle Kocher, told a French senate committee on Wednesday that the utility planned a gradual withdrawal from coal-fired power generation in the coming years and that following the sale announced earlier this year of two plants in Indonesia and India the share of coal in its energy mix would fall to about 10% from 15%. Continue reading...

Shareholders win vote that could support board candidates concerned about climate as Rex Tillerson faces turbulent annual meetingRex Tillerson, the boss of oil giant ExxonMobil, said cutting oil production was “not acceptable for humanity” as he fought off shareholders’ and activists’ attempts to force the company to fully acknowledge the impact of climate change on the environment and Exxon’s future profits.During a long and fractious annual meeting in Dallas on Wednesday, Tillerson, who serves as Exxon’s chairman and chief executive, beat back several proposals to force the company to take more action on climate change. Continue reading...

The decision of North Yorkshire county council to allow fracking (Campaigners vow to fight fracking permit, 25 May) was based on limited information. I enquired some weeks ago whether there was or would be a social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA), and was told in essence this was too difficult and not required for a planning decision. An SCBA would examine not only the economic viability of a scheme but also the social costs to the community of pollution and damage to the local amenities. One clear social cost will be the damage and repair costs caused by thousands of heavy lorry movements on rural roads. These costs would be borne by the taxpayers of North Yorkshire, as now sanctified by the council, and not the drillers and government so enthusiastic for the fracking.

Activists consider ‘more confrontational’ action to prevent energy firms drilling for shale gas in Yorkshire and LancashireAnti-fracking campaigners are threatening to set up protest camps in Yorkshire and Lancashire to prevent energy companies drilling for shale gas. Fracking firm Third Energy was given permission on Monday to carry out test drilling at a site in Kirby Misperton in Rydale, North Yorkshire, even after 99% of locals voiced their opposition to the application.The decision prompted fears around the country that other fracking sites would be given the green light. Those fears are particularly acute in Lancashire, seen as the “next frontier” in the fight against the extreme form of energy extraction. Ian Roberts, the chair of Residents Action on Fylde Fracking, which opposes fracking on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, said his group was ready to start “more confrontational” action. Continue reading...

Ripple claims its non-dairy milk made from yellow split peas is more eco-friendly than its competitors – despite the main ingredient being shipped from overseasOn a recent Thursday night at trendy West Hollywood vegan outpost Gracias Madres, bartenders served up cocktails, including George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila, cocoa and … pea milk.Yes, pea milk, a liquid derived from yellow split peas, is the latest non-dairy milk to hit grocery store shelves. It joins hemp milk, brown rice milk and cashew drinks on the growing list of other alternatives in the now booming business of dairy alternatives. Non-dairy milk sales rose 9% in 2015 to $1.9bn, while dairy milk sales fell 7% in 2015 to $17.8bn and are expected to drop another 11% through 2020, according to a study released in April by market research firm Mintel. Continue reading...

The World Wildlife Foundation surveyed 2000 UK adults about their knowledge of endangered species. Roughly a third didn’t know giant pandas and snow leopards are under threat, while a fifth thought cows and grey squirrels are. One in four thought the dodo and brachiosaurus still exist!

Campaigners fear more sites will get green light after decision to let Third Energy carry out test drilling in Kirby MispertonAnti-fracking campaigners are threatening to set up protest camps in Yorkshire and Lancashire to prevent energy companies drilling for shale gas.The fracking firm Third Energy was given permission on Monday to carry out test drilling at a site in Kirby Misperton in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, despite 99% of locals opposing its application. Continue reading...

People could be deterred from eating meat by increasing its price further up the supply chain, stemming rise in consumption and environmental damageGovernments should tax meat production in order to stem the global rise in consumption and the environmental damage that goes with it, according to a UN expert.The world faces serious environmental problems if emerging economies such as China emulate Americans and Europeans in the amount of meat they eat, Prof Maarten Hajer, the lead author of a report into the impact of food production and the environment, told the UN environment assembly in Nairobi. Continue reading...

Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsWhy is it that you never see bird corpses (except those the cat brings in) when the countryside should be littered with them? Where do they go to die?John Parke, London SW14 Continue reading...

Three climbers have died on Mount Everest in the past week, all succumbing to altitude sickness after reaching the summit. The increasing number of deaths on the world’s tallest mountain is raising fresh fears about overcrowding and the ethics of commercial mountaineering on Everest

More than 8 million people were employed worldwide in the renewable energy sector last year as rapidly falling costs drove growth in the industryA boom in solar and wind power jobs in the US led the way to a global increase in renewable energy employment to more than 8 million people in 2015, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).More than 769,000 people were employed in renewable energy in the US in 2015, dwarfing the 187,000 employed in the oil and gas sector and the 68,000 in coal mining. The gap is set to grow further, with jobs in solar and wind growing by more than 20% in 2015, while oil and gas jobs fell by 18% as the fossil fuel industry struggled with low prices. Continue reading...

Newcastle University latest to announce it will pursue investment decisions that are compatible with its sustainability values, reports BusinessGreenAs the world’s leading oil and gas majors this week face a series of questions about their ability to respond to escalating climate risks, two of the UK’s leading universities have become the latest institutions to announce new investment strategies designed to curb their exposure to fossil fuel assets.Newcastle University yesterday followed hot on the heels of the University of Southampton inannouncing plans to modify its investment strategy to better embed Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations. Continue reading...

Paula Kahumbu: A global alliance to end wildlife crime is within reach. Let’s start talking about how it can be made to workToday the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is hosting a high level dialogue on wildlife crime at the UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA) which is taking place in Nairobi. The session will open with the launch of the UN Wild for Life campaign that is calling on citizens, governments and corporations to pledge to act on this issue. Participants at the event are expected to announce initiatives to take forward the implementation of resolutions made by UNEA-1 and the UN General Assembly on illegal trade in wildlife.These resolutions, and the incorporation of specific targets to end poaching and trafficking of wildlife in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, have helped raise this issue to the top of the international agenda. Continue reading...

Oil firm accuses newspaper of ‘lack of objectivity’ on climate change reporting in ‘campaign’ against energy companiesKeep it in the ground, this newspaper has argued for ages on fossil fuels. Then keep out of our annual meeting, replies ExxonMobil.Or, to quote Exxon’s media relations manager, Alan Jeffers: “We are denying your request [to attend Wednesday’s meeting] because of the Guardian’s lack of objectivity on climate change reporting demonstrated by its partnership with anti-oil and gas activists and its campaign against companies that provide energy necessary for modern life, including newspapers.” Continue reading...

Indonesia’s national bird, the Javan hawk-eagle, is among 13 species threatened by illegal trade, warns a wildlife watchdogThirteen species of Indonesian birds, including the country’s symbolic Javan hawk-eagle, are at serious risk of extinction mainly due to the pet trade, a wildlife watchdog warned Wednesday. Continue reading...

Perhaps 2015 wouldn’t have broken all temperature records had they acted then – but it’s not too late to do something nowRelated: Let's give up the climate change charade: Exxon won't change its stripes | Bill McKibbenAt Wednesday’s ExxonMobil shareholders meeting, CEO Rex Tillerson will have to answer tough questions about the company’s role in causing climate change, including one from my family. Continue reading...

Most of us ignore our environmental responsibilities in the workplace, research suggests. We asked you to share your experiences – and this is what you told us

The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities programme has unveiled the final tranche of 37 cities it is helping to prepare for – and bounce back from – shocks and stresses such as flooding, terrorism, earthquakes and hurricanes Continue reading...

A hole is seen alongside the Arno river in Florence on Wednesday, with parked cars slipping into the chasm near the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Nearby residences are evacuated as firefighters report a broken underground pipe to be the cause of the hole

Leading seafood suppliers, including McDonald’s, Tesco and Birds Eye, say suppliers won’t expand cod fisheries into pristine Arctic regionFishermen and seafood suppliers struck a major deal on Wednesday that will protect a key Arctic region from industrial fishing for cod.Companies including McDonald’s, Tesco, Birds Eye, Europe’s largest frozen fish processor, Espersen, Russian group Karat, and Fiskebåt, which represents the entire Norwegian oceangoing fishing fleet, have said their suppliers will refrain from expanding their cod fisheries further into pristine Arctic waters. Continue reading...

Remain supporters point to latest water quality tests as an example of how EU membership has spurred a dramatic clean up of UK beachesAlmost 95% of British beaches have been given a clean bill of health in the latest EU survey of coastal water quality, down slightly on two years ago.As recently as 1991, around a quarter of British bathing waters were too dirty to swim in but the threat of EU infringement cases and beach closures, has spurred a dramatic change since then. Continue reading...

Thousands of bees swarm over the back of a Mitsubishi car in Haverfordwest in west Wales after their queen was thought to be stuck in the boot. Tom Moses, a ranger at the Pembrokeshire coast national park, noticed the bees on Sunday after the owner parked it to do some shopping. Beekeepers removed the swarm by luring the bees into a cardboard box

Washington and Seattle, Nairobi and Lagos, Manchester and Belfast are all included in the final list of member cities as 100RC programme reveals it has had more than 1,000 applications since 2013Less than three years after its launch, the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities programme has reached a notable landmark, with the announcement of its third and final tranche of members – taking this global initiative up to its full quota of 100 cities.With fast-growing megacities such as Lagos, Jakarta, Seoul and Nairobi among the 37 revealed today in a joint launch in the Kenyan capital and Washington DC, the multimillion dollar programme looks to be tackling the most ambitious and difficult aspects of “building resilience” (a phrase describing the process of discovering how multiple shocks and stresses are interlinked and related). Continue reading...

Student and staff campaigners and activist group 350.org welcome university’s plan to completely divest from fossil fuels over the next five yearsLa Trobe has become the first university in Australia to commit to a complete divestment from fossil fuels, the university council endorsing a plan to do so over the next five years.

Parasite fron China attacks eggs and larvae of Asian insect pest that has wiped out tens of millions of trees and is on march to Europe and BritainMillions of tiny wasps that are natural parasites for the emerald ash borer have been released into wooded areas in 24 states of the US to try and peg back the tree-killing insect’s advances.The US Department of Agriculture has researched and approved for release four species of parasitic wasps that naturally target the larval and egg stages of the ash borer, which has killed an estimated 38m ash trees in urban and residential areas. The estimated cost of treating, removing and replacing the lost trees is $25bn, according to a report written by USDA and US Forest Service entomologists.

New research by WWF as part of the Wear it Wild campaign has revealed that millions of Britons are unaware of how many of the world’s animals are vulnerable, endangered or even critically endangered Continue reading...

The ama divers of the Shima peninsula, who harvest shellfish from the seabed, see the nearby gathering of world leaders as a chance to promote their cultureMichiko Nakamura can personally vouch for the provenance of the oysters and clams bubbling away on the grill inside her hut in Osatsu, a fishing village overlooking the Pacific ocean.Related: Japanese vagina kayak artist found guilty of obscenity Continue reading...

Taskforce head reportedly tells Queensland government ‘we’re stuffed with a capital S’ if water quality isn’t improvedA cap on pollution from farms close to the Great Barrier Reef has been proposed by advisers to the Queensland government.The Great Barrier Reef water science taskforce, which advises the Queensland government on how to meet pollution targets on the reef, said sugar cane, grazing and other sectors should be given pollution load limits for their industries in each catchment. It also called for incentives such as auctions for pollution reduction, greater monitoring and regulation, along with “significantly more investment” in the problem. Continue reading...

Wenlock Edge Dark, gnarled trunks of old hawthorns have suddenly become lithe and sinuous, like shadow dancers behind curtains of haze‘May-time, fair season … blackbirds sing a full song, if there be a scanty beam of day,” sang an unknown Irish poet in what we now call the dark ages. Today, the light through the trees is as green and sour as a gooseberry. A high canopy of ash, latest to leaf and still sparse, lets sunshine and showers through to lower levels a-swamp with leaf; each one a crucible in the alchemy turning light into life.Dark, gnarled trunks of old hawthorns have suddenly become lithe and sinuous, like shadow dancers behind curtains of hazel, on carpets of dog’s mercury, in chambers full of birdsong. When the sun’s out, the birds drawl softly in the heady air; when it rains they hold their breaths; when the rain stops and the labyrinths are rinsed clean, they release their voices, cool and sweet. Continue reading...

A report ranking cities most at risk from coastal flooding is a stark reminder that the paradigm of economic development and prosperity no longer holds trueIn January this year, I visited friends in Miami. One of the most urgent topics of conversation was about what they saw as the greatest problem faced by the city – rising water levels, and a long-standing reluctance on the part of government and business to take the necessary steps to control the extensive damage.From inundated homes, shops and roads, to fresh water pollution and sewage being forced upwards, the impacts are widespread. In a Christian Aid report (pdf) published last week, Miami ranked ninth in a list of cities most at risk from future coastal flooding as a result of sea level rises. Supported by data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, projections for the year 2017 suggest that Kolkata and Mumbai, both in India, are most exposed to coastal flooding. Bar Miami, the top ten cities are all in Asia. Continue reading...

More than 180,000 cubic metres of forest to be cut down in area that is home to Europe’s largest mammal and tallest treesPoland has started logging in the ancient Bialowieza forest, which includes some of Europe’s last primeval woodland, despite fierce protests from environmental groups battling to save the World Heritage site.

Giant animals will light up Sydney’s Taronga zoo as part of the Vivid festival. The festival centerpiece features 10 animal lanterns representing the endangered species the zoo is committing to helping, as part of its centenary celebrations. The animal sculptures will include a Sumatran tiger, Asian elephant, sun bear and a platypus, which will go on display as part of the annual lights festival, starting Friday Continue reading...

The US insurance industry is the second largest institutional investor in oil, gas and coal – but it risks losing money if it doesn’t change its investment strategyThe US insurance industry, the country’s second largest institutional investor in oil, gas and coal with $459bn in fossil fuel investments, needs to divest or face serious threats to its financial stability, according to a report released Tuesday.The report, funded by Ceres, a Boston-based sustainability advocacy group, analyzes investment data from the country’s 40 largest insurance companies, including Prudential, AIG, Metlife, State Farm and Allstate. The report doesn’t quantify the potential financial losses but points out the economic challenges that have bedeviled the fossil fuel industry, such as low oil prices and the bankruptcy filings of 69 North American oil and gas producers since the beginning of 2015. Continue reading...

South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory take the green podium for their efforts and policies pushing renewable energy targetsNew South Wales is the worst Australian state at driving renewable energy, and South Australia and the ACT lead the pack, a report produced by the Climate Council has found.The results came just weeks after South Australia closed its last coal power station, and the ACT announced a target to source 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Continue reading...

Imposing the extraction of shale gas on communities in England undermines our already fragile democracyDrinkers in the Ashfield Country Manor Hotel face a dilemma. There is no other pub in the quiet working village of Kirby Misperton in Ryedale. But the landlord has banned discussion on his premises of the very topic that people most want to talk about, because of the strong feelings it arouses. Those feelings are about to get stronger.In the face of overwhelming local opposition, North Yorkshire county council has authorised fracking operations at Kirby Misperton, and in doing so has breathed new life into a faltering industry and placed the village on the frontline of what looks set to become a bitter national struggle. Continue reading...

Drone footage shot by Khmer Times shows mass pollution in the Cambodian Phnom Penh waterways, with the canal system blocked by rubbish ranging from plastic to sewage. The canals and waterways in Phnom Penh are some of the most polluted in the region, leading environmental activists to call on the government to immediately take action Continue reading...

Letters from Vickie Hawkins of Médecins Sans Frontieres UK, Margaret Batty of WaterAid, Professor Stuart Reid of the Royal Veterinary College and two othersJim O’Neill’s report has rightly brought into focus the urgent need to finance and develop new antibiotics (Radical plan to halt scourge of drug resistance, 19 May). But what about the tools that already exist?We know that vaccinations dramatically reduce the number of infections taking hold in the first place. Jim O’Neill says that if every child was vaccinated against pneumonia, it would potentially avert 11.4 million days of antibiotic use per year in children under five. What his report doesn’t do is join the dots and recommend that the companies that already produce these life-saving vaccines lower the price to improve coverage rates. Continue reading...

Park ranger and beekeepers help remove thousands of bees after queen was thought trapped in back of a car in HaverfordwestThousands of bees left a town buzzing after swarming on to the boot of a car.The insects are believed to have swarmed on to the back of a silver Mitsubishi Outlander after their queen got stuck in its boot. Continue reading...

Group of largest shareholders will vote for resolution calling on firm to publish annual assessment of business impact of policies such as Paris AgreementExxonMobil will face a revolt from some of its biggest and most influential shareholders on Wednesday as they fight to force the world’s largest oil company to open up about the effect of climate change on its future profits.

Judge finds festival had low culpability for incident in 2014 that led to death of 42 fish in Whitelake river and is ‘impressed’ with its response to incidentGlastonbury festival has been ordered to pay £31,000 after thousands of gallons of human sewage leaked out of a steel container tank, seeped into a stream and killed fish.The Environment Agency claimed during a hearing that the event had grown more quickly than its ability to deal with so much waste. Continue reading...

Programme in partnership with World Land Trust will create corridors of natural habitat to prevent threatened species from being cut off from each otherA programme to regenerate thousands of acres of forest and link habitats in wildlife-rich parts of the world has been launched.The “bio-bridges” scheme, which creates corridors of natural habitat to prevent threatened wildlife populations being cut off from each other, is being run by the Body Shop in partnership with the World Land Trust. Continue reading...

Industry welcomes decision in Kirby Misperton but campaigners vow to fight council’s approvalAnti-fracking campaigners have accused North Yorkshire council of declaring war on people’s rights to clean air and water after it approved the first operation to frack for shale gas in five years.

On the road and lab test discrepancies undermining efforts to curb toxic air levels as UN environment assembly admits global response is not up to scratchThe growing gulf between laboratory tests and real world air pollution from cars is hampering efforts to cut the toxic air that kills millions of people a year worldwide, a leading expert has warned.The UN admitted on Tuesday that the global response to air pollution is not up to scratch, after it was revealed last week by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that harmful airborne particulates had risen by 8% in cities around the world. Continue reading...

Energy minister tells MPs that no time limit has been set for EDF to make a final investment decision on the much-delayed nuclear plantThe UK has set no deadline for the final go-ahead to the much-delayed Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, energy minister Andrea Leadsom told a committee of MPs on Tuesday.The head of the company aiming to build the new reactors, French state-owned EDF, told the same hearing he could not give a date for the decision nor confirm that it would start generating electricity in 2025, as previously pledged. Continue reading...

Despite thousands of objections shale gas tests in Kirby Misperton were approved on Monday. Locals living in the area tell us their concerns

Countries urged to outlaw possession of wildlife and timber illegally harvested or traded elsewhereGovernments around the world need to pass national laws outlawing the possession of wildlife and timber that has been illegally harvested or traded elsewhere, a new report by the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) urges.At present, unlisted but endangered flora and fauna can be legally sold in other nations, even if it was illicitly taken from the countries of origin, due to a lack of coverage in the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). Continue reading...

New regulations open up an unexplored market for solar in heavily populated areas such as favelas, led by co-operatives, social startups and small businesses