Environmental activists attempt set up barricades in bid to stop Cengiz Holding gold mine being built in lush Artvin region on the Black SeaTurkish police fired teargas Wednesday to disperse hundreds of protesters trying to prevent a gold mine from being built in an ecologically pristine area in the Black Sea region, an AFP photographer said.There has been a growing standoff over plans by the Cengiz Holding conglomerate to build the mine in the Artvin region on the Black Sea. Continue reading...

New study suggests the knock-on effects of delivery trucks may worsen traffic congestion and transport-related carbon emissions, reports Conservation magazineOn the surface, shopping online seems good for the environment: it eliminates car trips and associated carbon emissions.But what about the emissions from fleets of delivery vehicles bringing orders to houses? Delivery trucks also contribute substantially to the burden of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, in the air, which is associated with many effects on human health. Continue reading...

The best use of resources is to adopt a triage approach to climate change – deal with the direst circumstances first, and work from thereClimate change, and human resistance to making the changes needed to halt it, both continue apace: 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history, we may be on the brink of a major species extinction event in the ocean, and yet political will is woefully lacking to tackle this solvable problem.Related: Why don't we treat climate change with the rigor we give to terror attacks? | Ruth Greenspan Bell Continue reading...

Italian photographer Davide Lopresti has been named Underwater photographer of the year 2016 for his stunning seahorse image titled Gold. Showcasing some of the most breathtaking images captured beneath the depths in the UK and around the world, the annual competition receives thousands of entries from talented photographers

Bears, birds and butterflies at risk as Bulgaria prepares to build EU-funded road through the stunning Kresna valley conservation areaBulgaria is planning to carve a motorway to Greece through a spectacular gorge famed for its golden eagles, griffon vultures and peregrine falcons, in defiance of an EU order to tunnel the road.The 11-mile Kresna valley is also a crucial migratory path for bears, wolves and jackals, with a warm micro-climate that bridges the southern fringe of the Balkans with the northern tip of the Mediterranean. Continue reading...

St Dominick, Tamar Valley: The first primroses are splashed and muddy; pennywort and moss drip in the slate cuttingsTall jonquils protrude through flailed woody growth on the top of hedgebanks near Dairy Mill. These fragrant narcissi, like the Double Lents or Van Sions, were valued as an early crop by the valley’s market gardeners but only a few throw-outs survive. Mild weather has also expedited flowering of trumpeted daffodils but, around Burraton and Bohetherick, the blooms have been battered (and spoiled) by gales and heavy rain. Buds of later narcissi are opening in one of the few remaining bulb fields but these are too early for the traditional Mother’s Day and Easter markets. The main outdoor crop is now eucalyptus (cut throughout the year for its foliage) with fruit and flowers grown in polytunnels.Related: Signs of the industrious Continue reading...

Residents post images of discoloured water and children’s sores and rashes, which parents say appeared after bathing in or drinking the waterHealth authorities have assured residents of a regional New South Wales city its water supply is not contaminated after panic spread that children bathing in Broken Hill’s water were developing sores and rashes.Some of Broken Hill’s 19,000 residents have been posting images to social media showing skin conditions they say their children developed after bathing in or drinking the city’s water. Photos are also appearing on Facebook of murky or discoloured water residents say they fear to use. Continue reading...

Severe droughts and floods have ruined harvests, and left nearly 100 million people in southern Africa, Asia and Latin America facing food and water shortagesSevere droughts and floods triggered by one of the strongest El Niño weather events ever recorded have left nearly 100 million people in southern Africa, Asia and Latin America facing food and water shortages and vulnerable to diseases including Zika, UN bodies, international aid agencies and governments have said.New figures from the UN’s World Food Programme say 40 million people in rural areas and 9 million in urban centres who live in the drought-affected parts of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Swaziland will need food assistance in the next year.

Bipartisan accord signed by governors of 17 states sets out commitments to expand energy efficiency and use more solar and wind generation for electricityA bipartisan group of governors from 17 states has pledged to accelerate their efforts to create a green economy in the US by boosting renewables, building better electricity grids and cutting emissions from transport.

Consequences of Zika outbreaks could be ‘staggering’ says WHO as it advocates further trials and assessments for controversial mosquito control techniquesNew and potentially controversial techniques including releasing genetically modified or irradiated mosquitos could be deployed to hamper the spread of the Zika virus, according to a statement from the World Health Organisation (WHO) today.Zika is a disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The disease originated in Africa, but in the last decade has spread to French Polynesia in the Pacific, and to Brazil and Colombia. More than 13 countries in the Americas have reported sporadic infections. Continue reading...

Stirling University study shows dams mitigate flooding by acting like a sponge, storing and then slowly releasing waterA population of beavers in Scotland that was blamed for flooding may actually be preventing it, a study has shown.Dams built by beavers in eastern Scotland act like a sponge, experts say, and mitigate flooding by storing and then slowly releasing water. Continue reading...

Whether you’re talking about appliances, cars or clothing, it’s true: they don’t make ’em like they used to. Here’s an easy way around a persistent problemWhen eight different people send me a link to the same website in the span of a week, I know I have to write about it.The site is called Buy Me Once. I’m in love, and I think the site and its mission are incredibly important. Continue reading...

Green campaigners say commission’s continued reliance on fossil fuel imports as part of sustainable energy security package is at odds with Paris climate dealThe future of Europe’s energy supply is to rely heavily on natural gas for the coming two decades and beyond, according to a new strategy set out on Tuesday by the European commission.

The Thames Vision project wants London’s great waterway to be a bustling enterprise zone again – but can the waterfront property developers be kept at bayThe first day Chris Healy came to see the Thames, he was so excited he almost killed his father. Aged five, he was helping pump air down to Healy senior, a Port of London Authority diver – until he abandoned the wheel to see what all the activity on the river was about.Fifty years later, Healy’s patrol boat is passing a safer-looking dive operation, surveying the riverbed to build London’s super sewer. “It’s all changed dramatically,” he says. “But the river changes every hour. From the height of summer and top of the tide it’s totally different. You’ve not seen London until you’ve seen it from the river.” Continue reading...

US climate envoy says threats by Republican presidential candidates to withdraw from the global agreement would be ‘diplomatic black eye’President Obama’s special envoy for climate change has warned Republican presidential hopefuls including Donald Trump and Ted Cruz that any attempt to scrap the Paris climate agreement would lead to a “diplomatic black eye” for the US.

Developers have abandoned their original goal of building the world’s first zero-carbon city in the UAE desert. With completion originally scheduled for this year, just how much of the once-revolutionary vision has actually been realised?Years from now passing travellers may marvel at the grandeur and the folly of the futuristic landscape on the edges of Abu Dhabi: the barely occupied office blocks, the deserted streets, the vast tracts of undeveloped land and – most of all – the abandoned dream of a zero-carbon city.Masdar City, when it was first conceived a decade ago, was intended to revolutionise thinking about cities and the built environment. Continue reading...

UK Oil & Gas Investments says the well has produced 463 barrels a day under its own pressureOil flowing easily from a well near Gatwick airport proves large quantities can be brought to the surface, bringing the prospect of an oil bonanza in Sussex closer, the company responsible for the site has said.Shares in UK Oil & Gas Investments jumped more than 40% after it said oil had flowed to the surface under its own pressure at a rate of 463 barrels a day at Horse Hill in Sussex’s Weald Basin. UKOG owns just over 20% of the licence for the HH-1 well. Continue reading...

Final decision on investment in Hinkley Point still pending, with analysts and activists casting doubt on the projectEDF plans to extend the life of four nuclear power plants in the UK and has said it is close to announcing a decision on its investment in two new reactors at Hinkley Point.The French energy company said the lives of the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool plants would be extended by five years until 2024, and the closure dates of Heysham 2 and Torness will be delayed by seven years to 2030. Continue reading...

Resources minister believes China ‘not the only game in town’ but acknowledges global demand for coal will fall as percentage of overall energy mixAustralia’s resources minister has predicted India’s demand for coal will increase, even as some analysts warned him against relying on “overly bullish” forecasts.

Flinders University researchers reveal the extinct megafauna were adept climbers, tore meat cleanly off bones and reared their young in cavesWhen humans first set foot in Australia about 50,000 years ago, they could have faced ferocious marsupial lions that ambushed prey from trees and grew to the size of African lions. A new study reveals the now-extinct megafauna were adept climbers, could tear meat cleanly off bones, and reared their young in caves.Related: 'Like a demon in a medieval book': is this how the marsupial lion killed prey? Continue reading...

Blackwater Carr, Norfolk Silky dark fur squirming on the duckweed, looking like a paintbrush head writhing through green paintThe other day I was using my crome in one of the dykes. It is a tool dating to the Middle Ages with a name said to derive from Celtic (crom meant ‘crooked’). Although it was a gift from a friend, it sometimes feels like a curse.The thick ash handle is well over 2m long and the heavy iron head resembles a massive fork, but the tines are bent at more than 90 degrees back from the line of the shaft. Continue reading...

Critics react with disbelief as car companies suggest EU should spend public money to resurface roads so that mandatory car emissions cuts are not requiredEurope’s car industry has suggested that the continent’s entire road network be resurfaced at a cost of hundreds of billions of euros as a “climate initiative” so that it does not need to make mandatory car emissions cuts by 2030.

The Met Office must have been tempting fate when it began naming storms. Since then the country has had to endure a run of stormy weather, and so far nine storms have been powerful enough to earn a name.But has the new system been worth all the hype, or has it just been a storm in a teacup? The Met Office would argue that the move has garnered lots of media attention and alerted everyone to the dangers of the storms, and so is well worth the effort. Continue reading...

As market leader John West commits to sustainably sourced tuna, WWF Australia CEO says the move will drive fishery reform, helping to provide food security for Pacific islanders as well as save vulnerable marine speciesThere has never been a more urgent time for seafood businesses and fishing nations to make a commitment to sustainability. The world’s oceans are in trouble, with marine life plummeting and the people who are dependent on the sea for income and food left increasingly vulnerable. Data shows populations of fish and other marine vertebrates, including marine mammals, reptiles and birds have halved since 1970.Fourteen years ago when I was based with WWF in the Pacific – where most of Australia’s tuna is sourced – I saw first hand the stress that was being placed on the ocean ecosystems. Valuable fish stocks were declining as foreign fishing nations began eyeing the western and central Pacific’s tuna stocks as their next goldmine. Continue reading...

Merlin in the Highlands, harriers in the Fens, peregrines in Coventry cathedral … James Macdonald Lockhart on how he travelled the length of Britain to capture the wild beauty of its thriving raptorsThere is a spring-like buoyancy in the air and the rolling countryside of south Warwickshire is filled with the see-sawing song of a great tit. A wood pigeon clatters through the trees where buzzards are nesting, sparrowhawks dash, and red kites float. When James Macdonald Lockhart moved to the Cotswolds five years ago, there were no red kites. Now these “least linear of raptors”, which spend their time “unravelling imaginary balls of string in the air” as Lockhart puts it in Raptor, his beautifully written first book, are another charismatic presence in his local patch.

Parliament unanimously agree to ratify UN climate treaty ahead of signing ceremony in April in New York, reports BusinessGreenFiji has become the first country in the world to formally approve the UN climate deal agreed by 195 nations in Paris in December.The island nation’s parliament unanimously agreed to ratify the Paris agreement on Friday, according to local news reports. Continue reading...

Scientists from the UK’s Cetacean Strandings Investigation team are trying to determine the cause of the biggest mass stranding in a centurySlicing cleanly through two inches of skin and blubber, Rob Deaville considers the possible causes of death of the sea mammal on his dissecting table. “It’s a female, juvenile, stranded in north Devon,” he says. “No signs of parasite infestation. It looks healthy. It may have just come too close to shore.”This porpoise, in the process of being dismembered with small parts of its vital organs tested for disease and pollutants, is one of hundreds that come to the labs in the Zoological Society of London each year, awaiting a post-mortem – a necropsy, in the scientific term – that will help to establish how the animal lived and why it died. Continue reading...

Farms are springing up in cities across Europe, but if they exclude lower income groups they’ll do little to help shift towards sustainable food systemSpending on ethical food and drink products – including organic, Fairtrade, free range and freedom foods – hit £8.4bn in the UK in 2013, making up 8.5% of all household food sales.By leveraging environmental credentials, such as local, sustainable and transparent production, a new wave of urban agriculture enterprises are justifying a premium price. But while a higher price point might better reflect the true cost of food production and help build a viable business, it can also exclude lower income groups, fuelling perception that local, sustainably produced food is the preserve of food elitists.

They’re both extreme hazards, but evolutionary responses favor real-time threats, not those that take place on an extended time scaleExtreme weather, water shortages and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like Zika are all having very real effects on everyday realities globally, and they are all linked to a fast-heating earth system. Yet we still don’t treat climate change with the reverence we reserve for something like a terrorist attack.Maybe the blame goes deeper, into our very natures: evolution did not design our bodies to treat climate change with urgency. Continue reading...

Leaked European commission document calls for wide-ranging debate on how to keep global warming to 1.5CEuropean countries should prepare for a far-reaching debate on the “profound lifestyle changes” required to limit climate change, according to a leaked European commission document.The commission will tell foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday that a Europe-wide debate is needed on how to limit global warming to 1.5C, according to a staff working document for ministers seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...

A new US law allows commercial space ventures – but is it responsible and safe? Four experts discuss the issue.Related: American 'space pioneers' deserve asteroid rights, Congress says Continue reading...

Carrock Fell, Lake District “Trough Gully! It’s as good as a Scottish ice climb.” Given that the Highlands are where Britain’s Alpine-style winter climbs are found, here’s praise indeedThe northern outlier of Carrock, 2,168ft (661m), is a craggy dumpling, like its old Cumbrian and Norse name “Rock Fell” suggests. En route to visit Doug Scott I drive past Carrock fell boulders jumbled by the Mungrisdale to Hesket Newmarket road. As abrasive as an angle-grinder, these big gabbro rocks, more akin to the Cuillin of Skye than Lakeland, become as frosted in winter as glacier mints. It is apt then that Scott, 74, has such an electrifying mountain so nearby.Barrel-chested and busy – one minute telephoning Kathmandu where his charity Community Action Nepal (CAN) raises money for Sherpa families, the next forking his garden – he tells me over instant coffee how Carrock gives cliffhanging winter ice climbing. I heft one of the two short ice axes he wields on steep ice. Perfectly balanced, it swings like a tennis racket, arcing overhead. Next I feel the front points of his crampons. Sharp! Clipped under his plastic winter boots – rigid like ski boots – crampons and boots are clamped together by a toe bar and heel clip. Continue reading...