Environment | The Guardian

Crackdown comes amid concerns about illegal persecution of birds of prey shot, poisoned or trapped by gamekeepers and farmers in ScotlandHighland estates could be forced to apply for licences to shoot grouse in a further crackdown by Scottish ministers on the illegal persecution of birds of prey.

As Christmas recess begins, government departments and quangos release 424 publications. We reveal the ‘best’ bad news

Activist John Jordan’s conviction was overturned after undercover officer’s involvement in prosecution was exposedA judge has refused to order the disclosure of an official document that would shed more light on how an undercover operation caused the wrongful conviction of an environmental campaigner.Activist John Jordan had his criminal conviction for assaulting a police officer overturned last year after the hidden role of an undercover policeman in his prosecution was exposed. Continue reading...

Embattled industry wins rebate on energy costs but unions say concession does not go far enoughThe government has won EU approval to compensate steel producers for the cost of green taxes, but unions warned that the concession was not enough to save the industry.British energy-intensive industries such as steel paid 80% more for electricity in the first half of 2015 than the EU average, which is itself about twice as high as in the US. High energy costs have contributed to thousands of job losses at British steelmakers, including 2,200 at Redcar in north-east England. Continue reading...

With above-average seasonal temperatures hitting the UK, we’d like to see the unseasonal signifiers you have discovered this DecemberThe mild December weather has seen daffodils blooming as far north as Chester and Northern Ireland. The unseasonably warm temperatures across the UK is sure to disappoint anyone longing for a white Christmas this year, as forecasters report the one of the mildest starts to the month in over 50 years.Have you spotted any signs of unseasonal December weather where you are? Whether it’s daffodils in bloom, or other unusual natural features you don’t associate with the month, share your images with us. We’ll feature the most interesting on our site. Continue reading...

Saving plants from extinction doesn’t just happen in botanic gardens and seed banks - we can get involved in our own back gardens. Here’s howGardeners, by their very nature, are intrinsically conservationists. What we do in tending and caring for our plants is surely conservation in its strictest sense. I don’t know any individual gardener who doesn’t show a deep empathy for the natural world and the wonders it brings humanity. Put a gardener out in the countryside and the thing they invariably notice first is the plants. Most gardeners do not suffer from plant blindness. Continue reading...

Campaigners warn that awarding of 159 licences for onshore oil and gas exploration could open up swaths of the country to frackingThe government’s controversial attempt to establish a shale gas industry in the UK took another step forward on Thursday when it handed out new licences for onshore gas and oil exploration in 159 blocks, in a move campaigners say could open up swaths of the countryside to fracking.Companies must undergo a series of safety and environmental safety checks before they can start producing oil and gas commercially, though campaigners have maintained these are insufficiently tough. Continue reading...

Huel and Ambronite are touting powdered meals as a low-cost, sustainable way to feed people and help protect the planet

Manufacturers are revealed to be exploiting a loophole in European tests to exaggerate the brightness and energy use of their productsLightbulb manufacturers are misleading consumers about the brightness and energy use of their products by exploiting a loophole in European tests, lab results seen by the Guardian show.Ikea, Philips, GE and Osram are among the companies exaggerating energy performance up to 25% higher than that claimed on packaging, according to the Swedish Consumer Association tests. Ikea told the Guardian as a result it would refund customers who were dissatisfied with bulbs they had bought from its stores. Continue reading...

Conservative government cuts financial aid by 65% despite its own review showing the move puts 18,700 jobs at riskThe government has decided to cut subsidies to householders installing rooftop solar panels by 65% just days after agreeing to move swiftly to a low-carbon energy future at the climate change conference in Paris.An impact assessment study by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) admits the move could wipe out up to 18,700 of the industry’s 32,000 jobs. Continue reading...

Committee will be set up to investigate Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scam and regulatory oversight of the car industryThe European parliament plans to set up a committee to investigate Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and whether regulatory oversight of the car industry was too lax.Members of the European parliament will vote on the issue around midday on Thursday, but lawmakers said that was a formality after leaders of the various political groups decided on Wednesday to establish the committee. Continue reading...

UK Met Office estimates 2016 will be at least as hot as 2015, which would mean the three hottest years ever had occurred in a row2016 is set to be the warmest year ever recorded, according to a forecast issued by the UK Met Office on Thursday.Climate change and the peaking of the El Niño weather phenomenon are expected to drive the global average temperature next year above the record now certain to be set for 2015, which itself beat a new record set in 2014. Continue reading...

Rio de Janeiro’s new museum, focusing on ideas rather than objects, ecology more than technology, is a little trippy, a little hippy, very worthy but rarely dullJutting diagonally into the sky from the old port of Rio de Janeiro is an other-wordly edifice that looks like a cross between a solar-powered dinosaur and a giant air conditioning unit.The Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), which opens on Thursday, must already rank as one of the world’s most extraordinary buildings. But once the public starts to visit this weekend, it may soon also become known for one of the planet’s most powerful arguments for sustainability. Continue reading...

A victim of the Cumbrian floods tells of what is was like to see her business destroyed in one afternoon – and of the amazing support of locals and strangers

Flowers usually more associated with Easter than Christmas seen around the country in a week of above-average seasonal temperaturesUnseasonably warm weather across the UK has seen daffodils begin to bloom as far north as Chester and Northern Ireland, as forecasters reported one of the mildest starts to the month of December in over 50 years.The flowers, more usually associated with Easter than Christmas, have been seen around the country in a week when daytime temperatures were as much as 10C above the seasonal average. Continue reading...

Republicans in Congress argue that the restriction has been rendered obsolete, but members of Oil Change International call it ‘a disaster for the climate’Environmentalists have condemned a budget deal in Congress to lift a 40-year ban on US crude oil exports as “a disaster for the climate”.

Patrick Barkham (Report sounds a ‘final warning bell’ over vanishing butterflies, 15 December) describes the decline of butterfly populations over the last 40 years. The reason we had so many species in the first place is that natural landscapes are non-uniform, with many distinct ecological niches in which unique species can evolve and thrive. Any move to increase the uniformity of farmland will therefore result in a loss of species. Over the last 40 years, 60% of the UK’s farms have gone out of business and, according to the RSPB, so have 60% of farmland birds. The low price of milk now means that a UK dairy farm is going out of business every day, while the government does nothing or, worse, enforces greater uniformity on what farmers can do. In the 70s, agricultural colleges taught farm managers of the importance of the diversity of crops and the use of livestock to enrich crop rotation, but in the 80s many were closed. Since then, farmers have been forced to concentrate on economic survival, rather than care of their land. Climate change is an aggravating factor, and pesticides are nasty (I have only bought one litre in 15 years), although they do produce the cheap food that the public wants. Pesticides are one of many factors that are damaging our wildlife. All factors must be considered if butterflies are to be saved, but there are no easy solutions to this problem.

Labour and Lib Dem accuse government of sneaking plans through ‘back door’ after giving no time for Commons debateMPs have voted to allow fracking under Britain’s national parks, drawing accusations that the government has sneaked the measure through parliament without a proper debate.Ministers used a statutory instrument – a form of secondary legislation – to push through the new rules, which means legislation can pass into law without a debate in the House of Commons. MPs voted in favour by 298 to 261.

The Guardian environment editor John Vidal reports from the UN climate change conference in Paris, on what the deal might mean for developing countriesListen to the podcastReports and presenters:JV: John Vidal Continue reading...

More cod, haddock, plaice and sole will be permitted to be caught in UK waters next year but conservationists warn that overfishing continues to be a threatConsumers can expect to see more plaice, cod, haddock and sole on sale in shops and restaurants following recoveries in fish populations around the UK coast and more relaxed catch fish limits as a result of overnight negotiations between EU ministers.From next year, fishermen will be allowed to catch twice as many plaice in the Channel, 15% more cod and 47% more haddock in the North Sea;15% more sole in the western Channel and 20% more Celtic Sea hake. Continue reading...

At the exact moment in which we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel, we’re being told that renewable sources can’t meet our energy needsAfter the signing of a historic climate pact in Paris, we might now hope that the merchants of doubt – who for two decades have denied the science and dismissed the threat – are officially irrelevant.But not so fast. There is also a new, strange form of denial that has appeared on the landscape of late, one that says that renewable sources can’t meet our energy needs. Continue reading...

Trump hits back at ‘hasbeen’ former first minister after losing appeal against planning permission for offshore turbines near Aberdeenshire golf courseHe may be the clear poll leader in the Republican presidential race and have been found by his doctor to be in “astonishingly excellent” health, but the singular charms of Donald Trump have failed to work on the supreme court in London.Five justices at Britain’s highest court have rejected the property mogul’s attempt to prevent an offshore windfarm being built within sight of his golf course in Scotland, dismissing his appeal against planning permission for the turbines that was granted by Scottish ministers. Continue reading...

Older people, asthma sufferers and those with breathing difficulties are most at risk as pollution levels expected to riseA Saharan dust cloud is expected to settle over parts of the UK on Thursday, prompting health experts to issue warnings to elderly people and those who suffer from breathing problems.High levels of pollution are expected over southern and central England, with Lincolnshire bearing the brunt of the cloud. Continue reading...

A debate over the words ‘should’ or ‘shall’ in the final draft was passed off as an undetected error thanks to some timely French diplomacyCould the fate of the world hang on a single word? Could the whole Paris climate agreement have been scuppered at the very last minute? History will record a diplomatic triumph but it may skate over events that took place in the dying moments when all countries believed they had a deal.

Conservationists celebrate after four critically endangered Yangtze porpoises are successfully relocated to a secure reserveConservationists are celebrating after a successful relocation of endangered finless porpoise in China marked another milestone in the journey to save the species from extinction.

When the port town of Lyttleton was devastated by a series of earthquakes, time banking helped the community harness the resources to rebuildThe port town of Lyttelton in New Zealand is best known for its beautiful landscapes and as a major trade gateway to the South Island. What visitors to the town might not know is that this is also the home of New Zealand’s first time bank, which has helped the local community through some very tough times.

On 5th December, Guardian Cook readers and contributors congregated at London’s Mary Ward House for the supplement’s inaugural Christmas Bazaar hosted by Guardian Live. Yes, we marked the festive season but, more than this, the event celebrated all the talent that Cook has cultivated in its three years. And what a celebration it was ...... Guardian Live features events, discussions, debates, interviews, festivals, dinners and private views – exclusively for Guardian members. Find out more about other events coming up here. Continue reading...

Lowering the global warming ceiling means the world can burn only a fraction of existing fossil fuel reserves. But the chancellor is still supporting oil and gasOne of the biggest transformative signals that 195 governments sent to energy markets via the Paris agreement at the weekend was a goal for the global warming ceiling to be set well below 2C, and as low as 1.5C if possible. The scientific advice given to governments explains why. At 2C, coastal plains and island nations are submerged, food and clean water supplies shrivel, and social cohesion comes under threat as a consequence.Related: Climate deal: the pistol has fired, so why aren’t we running? | Bill McKibben Continue reading...

A simple, elegant book about how to fell trees is this year’s most surprising bestseller. In the age of mediated reality, wood is back in fashion

Critics say the PM should make no move to cut subsidies until he knows how it would affect the UK’s ability to meet its Paris accord obligationsThe prime minister has been urged to intervene in planned cuts to solar power subsidies as a response to the signing of the Paris agreement on climate change at the weekend.The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) is expected to announce a slashing of the subsidies for solar panels, potentially by nearly 90%, in line with a concerted push by the government in recent months to roll back green measures. Continue reading...

The rise in popularity of English wine is such that a staggering 12 million bottles are expected to be produced across the country by 2020There used to be a joke popular among English wine producers: “How do you make a small fortune? Start with a large fortune and then open a vineyard.” But if that was once painfully accurate, the burgeoning industry now appears to be on a roll.

Rick Spinrad, chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), announces global warming in the Arctic circle has hit new heights in the past year. Stating that warming is happening ‘more than twice as fast’ in the Arctic than in the rest of the world, Spinrad says the average air temperature reached 1.3C above its usual level, the highest since observations began Continue reading...

Neighbouring region of North Rhine-Westphalia unhappy as Tihange 2 power unit gets clearance to operate until its permanent closure in 2023Belgium has restarted an ageing nuclear reactor after a nearly two-year shutdown, angering neighbouring Germany which fears the danger of a Fukushima-style meltdown.

The Michigan city has declared a state of emergency over contaminated water, affecting the entire city of 100,000 residents and those who commute thereThe city of Flint, Michigan, has declared a state of emergency over contaminated water supplies amid calls for a criminal investigation, the resignation of the state governor and a class action lawsuit that could top $1bn.The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) sent 28,000 bottles of water to the city on Monday just hours before the mayor declared: “The city of Flint has experienced a manmade disaster.” Continue reading...

The Western Australian government wants to close down the town linked to deadly mesothelioma risk, but a few still cling to their ‘beautiful’ placeWestern Australia is threatening to pass legislation to evict the last six residents refusing to leave the mining town of Wittenoom, infamous for a deadly asbestos mine that has been connected to a toll of more than 2,000 cancer deaths.The town, about 300km south-east of Karratha, was founded to house the workforce for two blue asbestos or crocidolite mines, which were shut down in 1966, four years after Australia’s first case of mesothelioma was diagnosed in one of the mine workers. The state government began to “phase down” the town in 1978 and has made repeated attempts to encourage the final few residents to move on, most recently in 2013. Continue reading...

Winter clothing sales are taking a hit from record high temperatures in the US, according to industry reports – a stark contrast from last year’s outerwear frenzyDown is down: warm winter weather has cost retailers scores of millions of dollars as sales of everything from winter coats to snow boots have failed to take off, according to multiple reports across the clothing industry.November was the planet’s warmest month on record, in addition to an unusually strong El Niño effect heating up the US and Europe, and the change has carved a chunk out of retailers who rely on the weather for clothing sales. Continue reading...

Latest Noaa report reveals 2015 temperatures were in some cases 3C above long-term average and 70% of ice pack in March was made of first-year iceThe Arctic experienced record air temperatures and a new low in peak ice extent during 2015, with scientists warning that climate change is having “profound effects” on the entire marine ecosystem and the indigenous communities that rely upon it.

Zoe Williams misses the point about Cameron’s negotiations with EU member states (There is no master plan. On the EU, Cameron is flailing, 14 December). Restricting benefits to EU migrants may or may not be a sensible, legal or logical way to meet the concerns of people, be they “Ukip-minded” or not. But once our PM had to ask permission to do so, the issue was completely transformed. It is no longer one of EU migrants’ access to benefits, but the far more fundamental question of who decides how British taxpayers’ money is spent. It became a question of national sovereignty. That’s why organisations such Trade Unionists Against the EU are not awaiting the outcome of “negotiations” and are campaigning to get the UK out. The issue is as simple as it is clear: if the British people take a democratic decision to do something – in this case change the benefit system – they should be able to do so without having the prime minister scuttering around Europe asking permission. This will continue to be the case while the UK remains a member of the EU.