The controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing continues to spread, even though critics say it can potentially poison water supplies and cause earthquakes. Here’s a series of postcards that would make anyone want energy companies to get the frack out of their neighborhood Continue reading...

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Concern over potential terrorist attacks and violent protests in Paris leads interior minister to announce month-long restrictionFrance will reinstate controls on its borders – normally open to countries in Europe’s free-travel zone – for the period around a UN climate conference in Paris, the interior minister has said.Authorities are on alert for violent protesters as well as potential terrorist attacks around the conference, which takes place from 30 November to 11 December. Eighty heads of state, including President Barack Obama, and tens of thousands of other people are expected in Paris for the opening. Continue reading...

The hugely expensive and polluting power stations the government is planning won’t solve the systemic problems of an inefficient, over-centralised energy systemThe National Grid’s urgent request for extra generation this week has been widely hyped as an emergency, with the country at risk from blackouts.On closer examination, it turns out that the National Grid has been calmly explaining that a “notification of inadequate system margin” (NISM) is not a last resort. It’s simply part of the standard toolkit for balancing supply and demand, issued this time because of multiple breakdowns at some large power stations. Given that almost all the UK’s coal-fired power stations are over 40 years old, it’s not terribly clear why anyone would expect them to be particularly reliable in the first place. But even if, behind the hysteria, we didn’t come that close to an outage, this episode should nevertheless serve as a wake-up call to a government beset by short-term, last-century thinking on energy. Continue reading...

Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading...

Governments will need to increase efforts to limit carbon emissions in order to stop climate change, says UN report ahead of Paris summitCurrent global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions leave about half of the reductions needed still to be found, according to a new analysis by the UN.The report suggests that governments will have to go much further in their pledges to limit future carbon dioxide emissions, which have been submitted to the UN ahead of the crunch conference on climate change taking place this December in Paris. Continue reading...

Dozens of people still missing after dam burstsiron-ore mine in south-eastern Brazil, with village destroyed by mudslidesA dam that burst at an iron-ore mine in south-eastern Brazil on Thursday is thought to have killed at least 15 people, devastating a nearby town with mudslides and leaving officials in the remote region scrambling to assess casualties.Forty-five people were still missing after the disaster at the Germano mine near the town of Mariana in Minas Gerais state, a local union told the G1 news portal. Continue reading...

Cromer, Norfolk I choose the easterly path lit by a luminous streak of sunshine pouring between bulbous purple cloudsOut to admire the abundance of sea buckthorn on the clifftop, I meet only one other person. I have paused to listen to the churning of the sea and to decide which path to take when he ambles by. “Not a bad day,” the man tells me with certainty and without a backward glance. Before I can gather myself to reply he is lost from sight, disappearing into the copse of sycamore scrub that circles the townward side of the cliffs.I choose the easterly path lit by a luminous streak of sunshine pouring between bulbous purple clouds. It is the peak of a high tide and out at sea two cormorants circle restlessly while slim-winged gulls flit like paper caught on a breeze. The heaving water is olivine in colour and crested white by winds blowing to shore. A kestrel hangs like a ragged scrap of polythene over the cliff face face. Continue reading...

Dramatic footage shows the aftermath of a burst dam in south-eastern Brazil, which has left homes and streets flooded and at least 15 people feared dead. A further 45 people are still missing following the disaster, which happened on Thursday near an iron-ore mine partly owned by Australia’s BHP Billiton Continue reading...

Hydroelectric power, wind energy, biomass and solar provide 100% of electricity for 1.65 million peopleAustria’s largest state said Thursday that 100 percent of its electricity is now generated using renewable sources of energy.

New York attorney general subpoenas Exxon and Peabody Energy, two giants of the fossil fuel industry, over claims it misled the public and investorsThe New York attorney general is investigating whether ExxonMobil misled the public and investors about the dangers and potential business risks of climate change, sources familiar with the investigation said on Thursday.

However, more than two-thirds of Chinese people support global deal to reduce emissions, part of marked support seen in all but one of 40 countries surveyedConcern about climate change among people in China – the world’s biggest carbon polluter – has plummeted in the past five years, according to new research. The Chinese were the least concerned among 40 nations surveyed.

Thanks to seed money from the Illinois department of corrections, Sweet Beginnings employs 40 people a year and enjoys a recidivism rate of just 4%Reggie Davis was only nine years old when he started selling drugs, before living the next three decades in and out of prison.His story isn’t uncommon in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, where unemployment is almost triple the city’s average. More than one-third of households are below the poverty line, and more than half of the neighborhood’s adults have had some involvement with the criminal justice system. Continue reading...

Uniting art and science, the award-winning Dutch photographer’s project has led him all over the world, from ice formations in Greenland to Shark Bay in AustraliaLife started with the humble horseshoe crab. Not life itself, but Life: A Journey Through Time, nature photographer Frans Lanting’s multi-year experiment travelling the globe, searching for places and specimens as old as the planet itself. The idea came to him when he was on assignment photographing the horseshoe crabs that gather every spring in a place as prosaic as the New Jersey shore. He realised the scene must have looked much the same aeons ago.Lanting’s big bang came in 2006 with a book, a documentary, a TED Talk and a Philip Glass symphony all dedicated to the ever-changing peripatetic photo show. Now the project has culminated with an exhibition at Los Angeles’s Annenberg Space for Photography, with added video elements and regular screenings of the documentary, which features interviews with biologists including Harvard professor Andrew Knoll. Continue reading...

Attendance at orca theme parks in San Diego and San Antonio continues to fall after 2013 documentary criticizing the company’s treatment of whalesSeaWorld on Thursday warned investors that its full-year profits will fall by a further $10m this year, due to continuing collapsing attendance at its orca theme parks in San Diego and San Antonio.Related: SeaWorld lawsuit alleges orcas are drugged and confined in 'chemical tubs' Continue reading...

More than 60% of English bathing waters rated ‘excellent’, with 97% passing minimum standardA number of English beaches have made dramatic improvements, with almost two-thirds of the country’s bathing waters now meeting the new “excellent” standard set by the EU.Blackpool’s three beaches have reached the tougher standards, with one achieving the highest level after improvements to sewage works. Sewerage infrastructure on one pier has been rectified and further piers have been checked. Other actions included fixing leaking pier toilets and working to stop donkey and starling droppings polluting beaches. Continue reading...

Conservationists hope the US-born rhino will breed with female ‘hairy rhinos’ at the sanctuary and boost population of the critically endangered speciesA US-born Sumatran rhino ate leaves and wallowed in mud at an Indonesian sanctuary, as the US formally handed over the animal on Thursday in hopes he will have offspring and help save his critically endangered species from extinction.The eight-year-old rhino is now in quarantine at Way Kambas national park after traveling more than 10,000 miles (16,000km) from a zoo in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Continue reading...

More than 100 green groups warn that changes to tax relief on community solar and wind projects will be the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for their prospectsEfforts by local communities to install their own solar panels and wind turbines will be decimated by Treasury changes to tax relief, more than 100 green energy groups have warned.In a letter to the chancellor, George Osborne, the groups claim that a move to axe tax relief for so-called “community energy” projects will be the “final nail in the coffin” for their prospects. Continue reading...

Alternative protein sources will be needed for humans and livestock to reduce land and energy use, says UK government’s waste agencyInsects should become a staple of people’s diets around the world as an environmentally friendly alternative to meat, according to a report by the UK government’s waste agency.But persuading consumers to overcome “the yuck factor” will be a key issue, says the report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) which assesses challenges to the development of the food system in the next 10 years. Continue reading...

Sculpture sent as gift to mark 20th anniversary of the environmentalist’s execution seized by Lagos customs officials because of its ‘political value’A sculpture created as a memorial to Nigerian environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists has been denied entry to Nigeria, where it had been sent as a gift to mark the 20th anniversary of their execution by the military government.

Researchers in Hawaii are using an assisted evolution experiment to grow coral that can withstand the hotter and more acidic oceans caused by global warmingScientists at a research centre on Hawaii’s Coconut Island have embarked on an experiment to grow “super coral” that they hope can withstand the hotter and more acidic oceans that are expected with global warming.The quest to grow the hearty coral comes at a time when researchers are warning about the dire health of the world’s reefs, which create habitats for marine life, protect shorelines and drive tourist economies. Continue reading...

The 43-year-old former schoolteacher and son of late prime minister Pierre Trudeau will face the media with members of his cabinet later on WednesdayJustin Trudeau has been sworn in as Canada’s prime minister, following in the footsteps of his storied father.The 43-year-old Trudeau, a former schoolteacher and a member of parliament since 2008, on Wednesday became the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history. Continue reading...

Build on brownfield? Not so fast. Nature can thrive in railway sidings, disused quarries and rubbish dumpsThe Ebbsfleet elephant died about 420,000 years ago, killed by early humans with bits of flint. His substantial remains – he weighed the same as four Hondas – were uncovered in 2003, during the construction of the HS1 high-speed rail link from St Pancras to the Channel tunnel. To pay a trip to his penultimate resting place (Southampton is now home to the bones), you need to exit Ebbsfleet International, walk down Station Road, and head for the junction with the B259.It’s unmarked. The cars roar by, past a pristine verge. Not even the place for a picnic, let alone a quiet prayer. For maximum atmosphere you’d be better off having a look at the painting that accompanies an academic report on the find. In this, our doomed elephant cheerfully waves its trunk at some deer across the swamp. Other animals wander around (also uncovered was evidence of rhinos, lions, aurochs and monkeys). All are unaware of the butt-naked hunter watching from the shore. Continue reading...

A haunting new series by photographer Mário Macilau documents the children living in the city’s shadows, without access to electricity. African Digital Art reports Continue reading...

State Department spokesman says there was no legal requirement to pause US review, a request seen by many as an attempt to avert rejection from ObamaThe United States has formally denied a TransCanada Corp request to pause the US review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.John Kirby told a briefing there was no legal requirement to pause the Keystone review based on the developer’s request. Secretary of state John Kerry has not given a timeline for making a recommendation. Continue reading...

Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders unveils a new bill aimed at stopping future production of oil and other fossil fuels on US land. Sanders made the announcement along with the bill’s author, Senator Jeff Merkley. The bill is called the Keep it in the Ground Act. Sanders also laid down a challenge to Barack Obama to categorically reject the proposed extension of the Keystone XL pipeline Continue reading...

Now that Guinness is to be made without isinglass (Pass notes No 3,575: Guinness, G2, 4 November) I may start drinking it. Let’s hope the rest of the drinks industry follows Guinness’s example and removes not just isinglass but also albumin (from egg whites), milk protein, chitin (from shellfish) and gelatine (from the bones and tissues of cows and pigs).A first step would be to label the ingredients in drinks. This is only required for low alcohol drinks, as full labelling has been resisted by the drinks industry. Shamefully, the European commission has not acted, despite pressure from the European parliament. It is surely time that drinks as well as foods had all their ingredients listed.

Hard on the heels of the diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen has come forward with new data discrepancies relating to CO levelsThat is the implication of the oblique statement released by the German carmaker on Tuesday. VW said it found “irregularities” and “unexplained inconsistencies” in the levels of carbon dioxide emitted by its cars. It admitted that CO levels and fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the testing process. Continue reading...

Company uses last resort emergency powers for first time, only lifting request after 40MW of extra power made availableNational Grid has for the first time used “last resort” emergency powers to tell companies to reduce their electricity usage in an effort to avoid the risk of blackouts.

The Experimental Farm Network seeks to preserve the world’s biodiversity one seed at a time. The best case for a plant’s survival is for people to grow it widelyOwen Taylor gently blows on tiny lettuce seeds from the Syrian region of Homs, sending fluff flying through their air and into a dust on his skin, as though he’d just emerged from a pillow fight.“I lose my breath pretty quickly, and I’m getting little bits of lettuce in my throat,” said Taylor. “It’s scratchy.” Continue reading...

Senator co-sponsors Keep it in the Ground Act in bid to ban all new fossil fuel leases on public lands, something activists view as a gap in Obama’s climate planBernie Sanders launched a new climate campaign on Wednesday, aimed at fighting global warming by banning new coal, oil and gas mining on public land.The Keep it in the Ground Act co-sponsored by the senator and Democratic presidential candidate aims at plugging one of the big gaps in Barack Obama’s climate change plan: his administration’s continued sanction of fossil fuel extraction on the government’s lands and waters. Continue reading...

Double U-turn as controversial technique for extracting shale gas will not be allowed in Sites of Special Scientific Interest after allThe government has backed down on its plan to allow fracking in some of England’s most important nature sites.The controversial technique for extracting shale gas will not be allowed in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) after all, ministers said on Wednesday, after previously opening the door to fracking in such sites in July. Continue reading...

Canadian Dennis Mazur raises thousands online to cover cost of treating three pets, one of which was severely injuredThe owner of three dogs who was landed with a hefty vet bill after his pets encountered a prickly situation with a porcupine has raised thousands of pounds in a crowdfunding campaign.Dennis Mazur, a youth worker, was out walking his dogs – Mahalo, Nestah and Solijah – when they came across the spiny rodent and were stabbed with its quills in Saskatchewan, Canada. Continue reading...

Second round of Live Earth music concerts promised by former US vice-president and Pharrell Williams were due to be broadcasted to billions around the worldPharrell Williams and Al Gore’s promise of a second round of Live Earth concerts on seven continents that would be broadcast to an audience of billions has been downgraded to a webcast in Paris, organisers have confirmed.Related: Everything you need to know about the Paris climate summit and UN talks Continue reading...

The Hyundai ix35 is the Korean company’s first attempt to bring hydrogen-fuelled cars to the mass market, promising zero-emissions and more convenience at the pump. But with electric vehicles being backed by most of the big car-makers now, is hydrogen off to a late start in the race for green driving? Adam Vaughan takes it for a spin to find out more

Billed for the last decade as a clean alternative to petrol or electric vehicles, hydrogen cars are no longer a car show concept but a driving reality. The challenge for manufacturers now is widescale adoptionThe first mass production hydrogen cars, billed for more than a decade as a clean alternative to petrol and diesel vehicles but only glimpsed as concepts at automotive trade shows, have arrived on British roads.The most abundant element in the universe has added allure for carmakers in the wake of the Volkswagen pollution scandal and revelations about the gap between lab and real-world emissions tests. Continue reading...

Deputy environment minister says country’s green image has not been harmed by scandal that could force car manufacturers to come up with improved clean-energy designsVolkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal could force German carmakers to come up with new and better ways to build more climate-friendly vehicles, a senior government official said on Wednesday.Deputy environment minister, Jochen Flasbarth, said he did not believe the scandal had damaged Germany’s image as a leader in environmental protection ahead of a UN climate summit in Paris in December. Continue reading...

Use-by and best-before dates have been endowed with an authority they do not deserve, and allow food manufacturers and supermarkets to play around with the concepts of freshness and safetyRekindled by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s War on Waste programme, contributions to the seemingly intractable food-waste debate are piling up like an overstuffed compost bin. Environment secretary Liz Truss admitted that she ignores best-before dates; hardly a shocker that, because most people who have a grasp of the keeping properties of food do the same. Such is our creeping disillusionment with supermarkets, many of us are now inclined to trust our intuition as to whether a food can safely be used in some way or other. Such scepticism is a wholly positive trend – the best-before date has always been deeply dubious.Related: Produced but never eaten: a visual guide to food waste Continue reading...

Revelation may mean China has emitted close to a billion additional tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each yearChina, the world’s largest carbon emitter, has been dramatically underreporting the amount of coal it consumes each year, it has been claimed ahead of key climate talks in Paris.Official Chinese data, reported by the New York Times on Wednesday after being quietly released earlier this year, suggests China has been burning up to 17% more coal each year than previously disclosed by the government. Continue reading...

Communities in Germany, Canada and Uganda are already reaping the benefits of moving away from fossil fuels to more decentralised energy systemsAs the world’s energy system shifts from fossil fuels to renewable sources, the question is no longer if the world will transition to sustainable energy, but how long it will take and whether the transition can be made in ways that maximise the benefits today and for future generations.Changing our energy system is about more than replacing fossil resources with sun and wind. In fact, the economic model for renewables is completely different: 100% renewable energy can lead us to a more equal distribution of wealth. Continue reading...