The emissions pledges are in and the world’s leaders are in town – but there is a risk that progress will be smothered by old sticking pointsAt the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009 world leaders arrived at the end and could not save it from failure. In Paris, 150 leaders came at the beginning and were confident of success.

David Cameron makes a passionate appeal to other world leaders, calling on them to do what it takes to agree on a global climate change deal. Speaking to the Paris climate change conference on Monday, Cameron says the world needs a deal with a binding legal mechanism, with a five year review so we can ‘see how we are doing.’ He also calls for the transfer of technologies from the richest countries to the poorest countries Continue reading...

Bristol zoo gets Lord Howe Island stick insect eggs in hopes of raising a colony 10,000 miles from Tasman Sea home

In anticipation of the Paris climate change summit, activists in New York looked to build ground support for global action on the environment over the weekend, with many sounding warnings that the deadline for meaningful change is fast approaching. ‘It’s almost too late,’ said one demonstrator. The Paris talks, known as COP21, are seen as a last chance for coordinated global action on climate change under the UN Continue reading...

Narendra Modi announces a new alliance of nations and industry on large-scale expansion of solar energy use in the tropics and beyondIndia’s prime minister has launched an international solar alliance of over 120 countries with the French president, François Hollande, at the Paris COP21 climate summit.Narendra Modi told a press conference that as fossil fuels put the planet in peril, hopes for future prosperity in the developing world now rest on bold initiatives. Continue reading...

1991 blev Växjö i södra Sverige först i världen med att gå ut med målet att bli fossilbränslefri. Hur många framsteg har då gjorts, och kan Växjö vara en modell även för större städer?

Sir David Attenborough expresses optimism as Paris climate talks get under way on Monday. The veteran British naturalist and broadcaster, known for his BBC nature documentaries, says that a vital part of any deal must focus on ensuring that renewable energy undercuts oil and gas prices

The singer performed the song for the first time at the global climate march in London. Here are the lyricsOn Sunday, Charlotte Church and her band were at the climate protest march in London at which over 50,000 people protested for stronger action for world governments to counter global warming. Globally, over 700,000 people joined protests in 175 countries.Church performed a new song co-written especially for the event with her partner Jonathan Powell. It is currently untitled. These are the lyrics: Continue reading...

Environmental Working Group has launched EWG Verified, a label that will help consumers spot products that meet stringent ingredient and transparency requirementsIt may soon be easier for shoppers to find beauty products without toxic chemicals. The Environmental Working Group nonprofit launched a new label this month called EWG Verified, which certifies personal care products as free from chemicals of concern.The program is an extension of the group’s work with the Skin Deep database, which for more than a decade now has given tens of millions of visitors information on the chemical contents and relative safety of their favorite cosmetics and shampoos. Continue reading...

World leaders including David Cameron and Barack Obama pose for a family photo on Monday, the opening day of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 at Le Bourget, Paris. Nearly 150 heads of state and government are meeting at the start of two weeks of talks with the hope of reaching a new agreement on climate change. Photograph: AP Photo/Jacky Naegeles

From Barack Obama to Vladamir Putin and Xi Jinping, presidents and prime ministers from over 150 countries have arrived for the opening session of the UN climate summit in Paris

Barack Obama says on Monday in Paris that the growing threat of climate change could define this century. The US president says the world should be optimistic, as the Paris climate conference was a turning point as nations share a sense of urgency about the challenge and understand it is within their power to take action

From the year a global agreement would come into force to the critical temperature threshold of global warming, here are the figures that matter

Countries most at risk from climate change warn of looming ‘disaster’ as they break from major blocs to call for more ambitious temperature targetCountries most vulnerable to climate change have seized the political initiative at the start of the UN climate talks in Paris by challenging the US, China and Europe to raise their ambitions and set a long-term temperature goal of 1.5C rather than the 2C target.As more than 140 world leaders made short opening statements on Sunday, 44 countries that are members of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis), along with other vulnerable countries, declared that the 2C goal being backed by all major blocs would seal the fate of hundreds of millions of people in countries like Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sudan and Vietnam. Continue reading...

US president salutes French people for going ahead with crucial climate talks in his address to heads of state on first day of the conferenceBarack Obama has told crucial UN climate talks in Paris that the negotiations represent an act of defiance after the barbaric attacks in the city two weeks ago in which 130 people were killed.Offering his condolences and pledging solidarity with the people of “this beautiful city” he said, “We have come to Paris to show our resolve ... to protect our people, and to uphold the values that keep us strong and keep us free. We salute the people of Paris for insisting that this crucial conference will go on.” Continue reading...

The Prince of Wales tells world leaders humanity faces no greater threat than climate change and urges action to tackle rising temperatures. He was speaking on Monday on the opening day of the climate change summit in Paris. Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images

Innovations are helping renewable energy become more accessible, powerful and effective. Emma Howard lists six inventions that are changing the sectorUnlike most solar panels, which use cells made of silicon, solar inks can be printed on to rolls of plastic up to A3 size. The ink can be applied through various methods, including spray coating and screen printing.

Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading...

Prince of Wales calls climate change the greatest threat facing humanity and urges leaders to protect the planet for future generationsGlobal warming is the greatest threat that humanity faces and world leaders meeting in Paris for climate talks on Monday must act now, Prince Charles has told delegates from 195 countries meeting in the French capital.“On an increasingly crowded planet, humanity faces many threats, but none is greater than climate change. It magnifies every hazard and tension of our existence,” the Prince of Wales told the summit, as he opened it along with the UN climate chief, Christiana Figueres and French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius. Continue reading...

Nearly a month’s volume of rain expected to fall in parts of Wales, with wintry showers forecast for Northern Ireland and ScotlandGale-force winds are making way for heavy rain, putting parts of the country on flood alert as the UK feels little respite from the unsettled weather.Almost a month’s worth of rain is expected in parts of Wales, the Met Office said. The Environment Agency has issued yellow flood warnings for Wales and the north of England for the next two days, with three to five inches of rain expected in some areas. Continue reading...

Many cities will showcase their green credentials in Paris. But greenhouse gas targets, and the lives of citizens, rely on making them more efficientWith more than 190 countries gathering in Paris this week the world still has a chance to avoid dangerous global warming – but only just. Already more than 160 countries have submitted pledges to reduce or limit their emissions of greenhouse gases by 2025 or 2030. Collectively these represent a substantial improvement on “business as usual”, but they are some way from a path that offers a reasonable probability of restricting the rise in global average temperature above its pre-industrial level to no more than 2C.There is a serious emissions gap over the next 15 years: under the current pledges, emissions will go on rising until at least 2030. Warming of about 2C creates deeply worrying risks of triggering the kind of consequences – such as rapid sea level rise or the release of methane from gas hydrates in the ocean – that could prove catastrophic, potentially causing hundreds of millions of people to move from receding coastlines and more extreme weather. That will mean more migration, more refugees, more conflict and a world without peace and prosperity. That is why the world community, via the UNFCCC, regards warming above 2C as dangerous. Continue reading...

An organic farmer turned politician, a woman with solar panels on her shed and a man who cycles in the snow – the city leaders who live greenWith more than half of the world’s population living in urban areas – responsible for up to 70% of greenhouse gas emissions – it’s vital that cities and their leaders commit to environmental policies. Ahead of COP 21 in Paris, a new report from C40 Cities shows that mayors of some of the world’s greenest cities are already making them more resilient and are even achieving economic growth by investing in sustainable development. As for the mayors themselves, tackling climate change is not just part of the job; from turning vegan to boycotting baths, city leaders are taking the fight home. Continue reading...

As world leaders convene in Paris for climate negotiations, the political and economic auspices are encouraging. Yet major obstacles will have to be overcome if the gap between rich and poor countries is to be bridged1 The world really wants a strong deal and this time will get it Continue reading...

On one side the hopes of reaching agreement, on the other the risk of failure to come together for global change1 The world really wants a strong deal and this time will get it Continue reading...

There has been a clampdown on demonstrations in the French capital, but UN bodies, international charities and academics are urging governments to act boldlyHas the moment of truth arrived? A traumatised Paris will be in lockdown this week as more than 140 world leaders, including Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping of China, fly into the city for the start of two weeks of climate change negotiations that the UN hopes will lead to a historic new global deal to reduce carbon emissions.No demonstrations will be allowed in France but hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march on Sunday in Britain, Australia, the US, South Africa, Brazil and mainland Europe. Continue reading...

Otley, West Yorkshire Usually as translucent as clear beer, the water has turned a monsoon brown, boiling with the force of countless tonnes and churning white as it surges under the arches of Otley’s bridgeThe river Wharfe has broken out of its enclosure. Normally lovely, languorous, and impeccably well-behaved, it has mutated in the heavy rain and now runs rampant through fields, climbs high up leaf-littered banks of ivy and alder, and carries huge tree trunks away with it like twigs in a game of Poohsticks.Scores of people have come out to watch the spectacle, milling around on roads cleared of traffic, friends and strangers alike chatting together. There is nothing like a bit of threatened calamity to get tongues wagging. Usually as translucent as clear beer, the water has turned a monsoon brown, boiling with the force of countless tonnes and churning white as it surges under the five arches of Otley’s bridge, leaving only a tight gap of air. Some houses are already swamped and the water is lapping at the Victorian terraces of Farnley Lane, but its residents seem impressively philosophical – or simply well-insured. Continue reading...

Ships to depart on 1 December for whale ‘research’ in the Southern Ocean despite global pressure to stop slaughter the UN says is a front for commercial huntsJapan will dispatch a “research” whaling mission to the Antarctic on Tuesday, the government said, defying international criticism and despite a UN legal decision that such activity disguises commercial hunts.Related: Japan under fire over decision to resume whaling Continue reading...

Guardian readers were among hundreds of thousands of people rallying against climate change in Australia and New Zealand over the weekend as part of a global campaign. They share their experiences of the marchesGuardian readers were among hundreds of thousands of people marching against climate change in Australia and New Zealand over the weekend as part of a global campaign to move away from the use of fossil fuels.Protests were held in Melbourne on Friday, and in Darwin, Brisbane and across New Zealand on Saturday, followed by Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Hobart and Perth. Continue reading...

US President Barack Obama touches down at Orly airport outside Paris on Sunday night, ahead of the COP21 climate summit which is taking place in the French capital this week. The summit, due to start on Monday and continue for two weeks, aims to agree on a common global approach to tackling climate change Continue reading...

The vow boosts a parallel initiative by global business leaders including Mark Zuckerberg and Ratan TataThe US and 18 other countries have pledged to double funds for clean energy research to a total of $20bn over five years, boosting a parallel initiative by Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and increasing the prospects for successful agreement at the Paris climate negotiations that start on Monday.The countries, which include the UK, Canada, China, Brazil, India and South Africa, span the biggest global economies and major emitters, oil and gas producers, and leaders in clean energy research, the White House said. Continue reading...

Crowds in numerous cities marched to pressure world leaders meeting in Paris into strengthening environmental policyHundreds of thousands of people around the world, from Sydney to New York, marched on Sunday to call on world leaders meeting in Paris to agree a strong climate change deal.In Paris, pairs of shoes given by Pope Francis and Ban Ki-moon were among a collection set out in the Place de la République to represent those who were unable to march due to a ban by the French authorities in the aftermath of 13 November terror attacks. People lit candles, sang songs and wandered around the shoes, many of which were later given to a charity for distributing to homeless people. Continue reading...

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 2 December 1915In these days of early winter one gets very vivid colour still in morning skies, and the reflection of this in water is sometimes even deeper than any we see in midsummer. Standing above the winding reaches of a narrow stream which ran through marshy land, we saw the steel-blue of wind-ruffled water thrown up in sharpest contrast by the soft, pale buff of the grass and the slightly darker buff of the sedges.No such contrast appeared when the grasses were lush in midsummer, or in so mild a winter as we had last year, when even meadow grass remained as green as green moss; reeds and rushes too, have all some grey in their outer sheathing which makes them, in their green season, tone softly into the tints of sky and water. But under the sharp touch of frost buff and blue stood keenly contrasted, uncompromising, almost harsh; and the outlines of the little compact white clouds that raced overhead were sharp, too, and dazzling. Continue reading...

Residents of Madrid became the latest to have their daily lives disrupted by the failure to control air pollution. New emergency laws were enacted for the first time in mid-November following a finding by the EU commission that the city’s air quality plans were insufficient. Nitrogen dioxide reached almost double the World Health Organisation guidelines in central residential areas during still weather on 12 and 13 November. Urban motorway speeds were reduced from 80-90kph to 70kph (44mph) and city centre parking was restricted to residents.The cap of polluted air that settles over Madrid is nicknamed la boina (the beret) but the city is not alone in having air pollution problems. Nitrogen dioxide limits were set in 1999 to be met by 2010 but the failure to clean diesel exhausts in real-world driving means that cities throughout Europe have yet to reach compliance. Continue reading...