Figures reveal overseas migration accounted for 54% of Australia’s increase last year, and that the population is now expected to reach 50 million by 2086The Australian population is expected to tick over to 24 million at 12.51am on Tuesday, with more than half of that growth driven by new migrants.The milestone will see Australia draw level with the population of Shanghai, which houses 24 million people in a thousandth of the space. Continue reading...

Draft findings of royal commission in South Australia back nuclear fuel storage and expanded uranium mining, but rule out nuclear energy industryThe storage and disposal of used nuclear fuel from other countries is likely to deliver substantial economic benefits for South Australia, a royal commission into the nuclear fuel cycle has found.

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 18 February 1916The fury of the gale has abated, but the gusts, swinging the tree-tops, are still severe. There has been, however, less damage to twigs and branches than in earlier gales, not because the wind had less force but because the trees are now better able to withstand the assault. This morning the sun is lighting up the poplar tops, the pliant willows, and the red dogwood in the covert with a warm glow; the sap is running and the twigs are full of life and energy; they are now tough and elastic, not stiff and brittle, and the fierce gusts which bring down chimneys and hoardings bend but seldom break these healthy branches.Writing from Whitchurch, a Manchester correspondent tells of a huge roosting-place of starlings, fifteen to twenty thousand arriving in about half an hour is his rough estimate. It sounds a large army, but I have known roosts in Cheshire, Derbyshire, and North Wales which were probably quite as crowded. When the birds had settled he disturbed them, and the noise of the rising multitude was like “some great waterfall”; I know the sound, which reminds me of the rush of an express train through a station. During autumn and winter the starling is one of our most sociable birds, and these roosts are the nightly gathering-spots for the birds, which during the day hunt over very many square miles of country. They are most interesting places to visit. Continue reading...

The country’s highest court is likely to be deadlocked on cases involving abortion, guns, immigration and the environment that it had been due to rule onThe death of Antonin Scalia on Saturday, at the age of 79, created an opening on the US supreme court.Related: Antonin Scalia: man of his word who shaped America in life and in death Continue reading...

I was told I could claim £140 but because I chose a green energy provider, I can’tIn October last year I received a letter from the government telling me not to miss out on £140 help with my energy costs through the Warm Home Discount scheme. I qualified as I receive the guarantee credit element of pension credit. However, I have since learned that this only applied to customers of the bigger electricity suppliers.I am with Good Energy, which I chose because it supplies electricity from sustainable sources, but it is not in the scheme. So I lose out on £140. This seems grossly unfair. I have phoned Good Energy but there is nothing it can do. I also sent a message to my MP, to no avail. £140 would mean a lot. What a strange situation to be in. RS, Littleborough, Lancashire Continue reading...

The carbon footprint of a vegetarian is half that of a meat eater, but it’s not all bad news for carnivoresInstead of the steaks and pork chops in our fridges, should we be investing in clean, green protein? Well, yes. Methane from livestock is responsible for 14% of global warming, and the gas is 25 times more potent than CO. The more meat and dairy you eat from ruminants, particularly cows, the more burping and farting you are responsible for. The 2014 documentary Cowspiracy focuses on the idea that this is the great neglected greenhouse gas source.By 2050, experts predict, the demand for meat will have doubled, and meat-related emissions will boom at 12bn tonnes of carbon to feed a population of 9 billion. Our consumption has to tail off if we are to achieve Paris emissions goals. Continue reading...

Xylella fastidiosa has wreaked havoc in the US and Europe and could dwarf the impact of ash dieback in the UKIt has caused severe damage to plants and trees in the US and southern Europe and now there are fears it is heading this way. With experts warning that it could make the devastating ash dieback disease seem like “a walk in the park”, the UK is on red alert for signs that Xylella fastidiosa has entered the country.First confirmed in Europe three years ago when it ran rampant across olive plantations in southern Italy, a subspecies of Xylella has since been detected in southern France, where it has destroyed vines and lavender plants, and in Corsica. Xylella fastidiosa has also been found in both South and North America where it is commonly referred to as “phony peach disease” and where it has caused severe damage to citrus and coffee plantations. In New Jersey it has attacked more than a third of the state’s urban trees. Continue reading...

After a 400-year absence, the industrious rodents are back. On a river near Okehampton their reintroduction has led to biodiversity and cleaner water“Look at these teeth marks!” Professor Richard Brazier pauses, mud oozing over his Wellington boots, to admire the work of a pair of beavers who have been introduced into a patch of Devon woodland. “Just look at the size of them!” He runs his fingers along the incisions left in the exposed trunk of a recently toppled tree, before turning to survey the devastation around him.The devastation is part of a scheme that backers hope will provide a template for a more balanced approach to flood prevention. The government is spending £3.2bn on flood management in the course of this parliament. As flood events such as those seen in Cumbria at the end of last year become more common, so attention has turned to flood management, with a call for resources to be allocated not to building flood defences to deal with the water when it arrives downstream but prevent it getting there at all. Continue reading...

Boost for UK’s power industry promised by revolutionary cementBritish scientists are designing a revolutionary cement that could withstand the impact of intense radiation for thousands of years. The project could prove vital in dealing with the challenges of Britain’s proposed expansion of its nuclear industry.Related: UK radioactive waste disposal site search continues despite opposition Continue reading...

An estimated 150,000 Adelie penguins living in Cape Denison, Antarctica, have died after a giant grounded iceberg forced them to trek 60km to the sea for food. In 2010 a colossal iceberg measuring 2900sq km became trapped in the bay, rendering the colony effectively landlocked. The iceberg had apparently been floating close to the coast for 20 years before crashing into a glacier and becoming stuck

Gastornis was also discovered in Wyoming but scientists confirm finding of fossils on Ellesmere island as bird thought to migrate during dark Arctic wintersA giant, flightless bird with a head the size of a horse’s roamed the Arctic 53m years ago when the icy wilderness was more like a swamp, scientists have confirmed.A joint study by American and Chinese institutions found that the massive beast, known as Gastornis, existed on what is now known as Ellesmere island, found above the Arctic circle. It’s estimated the bird was 6ft tall and weighed several hundred pounds. Continue reading...

Among 21,000 documents released by Michigan’s governor one shows officials due to discuss Flint ‘water issues’ in June 2014, within weeks of supply switchMichigan governor Rick Snyder’s top aides were probably apprised of water quality issues in Flint just weeks after the city switched its water source, according to documents released on Friday.Related: Flint water crisis: What's in that contaminated water Continue reading...

Mark Ruffalo says that David Cameron should respect the wishes of people in Lancashire and not overturn the county council’s rejection of fracking bidsThis weekend I have the pleasure and honor of coming to London for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards for Spotlight, a film honoring the victims of a terrible injustice and celebrating exceptional journalism that brought the story to light.I’m also taking this opportunity to lend my voice to residents of Lancashire who are fighting to prevent another kind of injustice, drilling and fracking in their neighbourhoods. Fracking is an extreme form of oil and gas extraction that leads to water contamination, air pollution, earthquakes, illness, exacerbates climate change, and turns communities upside down. Continue reading...

Community empowerment, an inclusive economy and small initiatives with big effects are key elements of the Green idea for running the capital

Penguins of Cape Denison in Antarctica effectively trapped by iceberg the size of Rome and face 120km round trip to feedAn estimated 150,000 Adelie penguins living in Antarctica have died after an iceberg the size of Rome became grounded near their colony, forcing them to trek 60km to the sea for food.The penguins of Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay used to live close to a large body of open water. However, in 2010 a colossal iceberg measuring 2900sq km became trapped in the bay, rendering the colony effectively landlocked. Continue reading...

Moscar, Derbyshire The view from here is one of the best in the Peak: west is Win Hill and Mam Tor; to the right, the broad, bleak weight of Kinder Scout; at my back, the crisp blocks of Crow Chin set against the gathering darkness

More than half of the deaths were in India and China, and researchers compared air pollution problem to the conditions under centuries of industrial revolutionAir pollution caused more than 5.5 million people to die prematurely in 2013, according to research presented on Friday, with more than half of those deaths in India and China and illnesses in those countries almost certain to rise.

Water shortages affecting two-thirds of world’s population for a month every year and the crisis is far worse than previously thoughtAt least two-thirds of the global population, over 4 billion people, live with severe water scarcity for at least one month every year, according to a major new analysis.The revelation shows water shortages, one of the most dangerous challenges the world faces, is far worse previously than thought.

A wild elephant in a city, a grey wolf in the snow and monk parakeets munching on guava are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

Move by India’s popular tourist state could lead to mass culling of the country’s national birdIndia’s popular tourist state of Goa has ruffled feathers with its proposal to reclassify its national bird, the peacock, as vermin, reports said.The move, which is aimed at making the bird easier to cull, comes just weeks after Goa’s legislative assembly caused similar consternation when it ruled that the resort state’s beloved coconut trees were not in fact trees, but palms. Continue reading...

The inshore fishing fleet at Redcar originated in the early 14th century with crab, lobster and fish bringing much-needed income to local fishermen. As the industry has declined, the Teesside town’s fleet has reduced in size, so that today only a small number of boats are still put to sea to continue the fishing heritage on England’s east coast Continue reading...

Amateur footage shows the Thames Barrier after it was closed on Thursday in Greenwich as the river overflows its banks. The Environment Agency issued alerts for a vast stretch of the river, from the flood defence in Greenwich, south-east London, to Putney, in the south-west of the city. The river overflowed on to flood plains in Greenwich, and levels were high in suburban areas as well as at the Embankment in central London

Our exploration of the physical world is becoming an exploration of vulnerabilities to rapid climate changes

A non-profit is trying help farmers build a profitable almond sector in the West Bank, where water and government aid are in short supply

Thames Barrier closed after river overflows in Greenwich and water nears pavement level in some areas of central LondonFlood alerts have been issued across London after the river Thames overflowed its banks and the Thames Barrier was closed for the first time this winter.Related: UK's winter floods create 30,000 tonnes of landfill waste Continue reading...

80% chance that potentially fatal virus in sheep and cattle will arrive from France, carried by midges that transmit the disease, say scientistsBluetongue virus, a potentially fatal disease in sheep and cattle, is very likely to arrive in the England in 2016, according to the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency.The virus, which does not affect humans or food, flared up in France in 2015 and the scientists estimate there is an 80% chance that the biting midges that transmit the disease will be blown across the channel this summer. Farms in southern England suffered the first ever outbreak in 2007 but the virus was quickly eradicated after a vaccination campaign. Continue reading...

Oulu in Finland and Winnipeg in Canada are two winter cities with remarkably different stories. Oulu is just like Winnipeg – except for the bike paths stretching for miles in every direction and the thousands of people riding bicycles in the snow – says Winter Bike to Work Day founder Anders SwansonIt happened for me three years ago in Turku: the moment I realised that cycling in the snow was going to become normal. I was winding my way up Finland, en route to the world’s first ever Winter Cycling Congress, hosted by a city called Oulu some 400 miles north. It had been snowing non-stop for a week.I thought I had already found somewhere quite special. Earlier that afternoon, I had watched what I believed to be an impressive number of people riding their bicycles on Turku’s main shopping street in the falling snow. I remember thinking, as I ran around with my camera taking as many pictures as possible before sunset: “Oulu must be like this.” Continue reading...

Though well needs to be permanently sealed and inspected, announcement marked first time leak has been under control since it was reported in OctoberA blowout at a natural gas well that gushed uncontrollably for 16 weeks and drove thousands of residents from their Los Angeles homes was plugged on Thursday, a utility said.The leak is expected to cost Southern California Gas Co, a division of Sempra Energy, at least $250m, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Continue reading...

National Trust installs wooden pellet boilers at Upton House in Warwickshire, once owned by petroleum tycoon Lord Bearsted

Certified native oysters, prized for their fuller flavour, will be sold at branches of Whole Foods MarketNative European oysters that are certified as sustainable have gone on sale for the first time in the UK.

Warblington, Hampshire One particular slab had always proved to be the most desirable dwelling, so I left this until last

Last month, 13 activists were tried in court for carrying out a peaceful protest against the expansion of Heathrow airport (Report, Opinion, 25 January, theguardian.com). They were found guilty of aggravated trespass, and await sentencing on 24 February.We believe it would be unjust for these people to receive prison sentences for their actions. Continue reading...

Photographer Bob Tabor specialises in horses – his minimalist portraits of them are powerful and emotionally resonant. His latest collection is Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond, which is published by Glitterati Incorporated in March Continue reading...

An investigation of a mine waste accident that polluted rivers in three states has found evidence that government workers knew a spill could occurAn investigation of a mine waste accident in Colorado that fouled rivers in three states with arsenic, lead and other toxic substances has found further evidence that government workers knew a spill from the gold mine was possible, according to documents released on Thursday by a US House of Representatives committee.Related: After Animas river spill, experts warn of next disaster: 'We were lucky this time' Continue reading...

Scientists find levels of mercury and cadmium in the whales’ brains increased with ageScientists have found clear evidence that whales are absorbing high levels of toxic heavy metals, with cadmium found in the brains of pilot whales which washed up in Scotland.