Members of Congress claim that oil company’s ‘sustained deception campaign’ could be prosecuted through truth in advertising and racketeering lawsMembers of Congress have asked for a federal investigation into whether ExxonMobil broke the law by intentionally obscuring the truth about climate change.

Interior Department cancels two future offshore leases in Chukchi and Beaufort seas and will refuse requests from oil companies to renew existing leasesBarack Obama blocked off the prospects for future oil drilling in the Arctic on Friday, imposing new lease conditions that make it practically impossible for companies to hunt for oil in the world’s last great wilderness.The Department of Interior said it was canceling two future auctions of Arctic offshore oil leases in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, and turned down requests from Shell and other oil companies for more time on their existing leases. Continue reading...

Former executive testifies Massey Energy was more concerned about having to pay fines than actually keeping mines safe under Don BlankenshipA former coal executive who was dealt a prison sentence for mine violations testified on Friday that his company sometimes took shortcuts to produce coal under his top boss, ex-Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship.Taking the stand in Blankenship’s criminal trial, former Massey subsidiary president David Hughart said that under Blankenship and former COO Chris Adkins, the company was more concerned about having to pay fines than actually keeping mines safe. He said his mines would sometimes be short-handed and still producing coal. Continue reading...

The party doesn’t enjoy the same high profile in Canada as in Europe, but the tenacious May could very well wind up a power broker in a minority government

Parent company says government does not support solar development, as Zep Solar UK becomes fourth UK solar business to close in a fortnightzA solar power company backed by the billionaire inventor Elon Musk has pulled out of the UK, blaming the government for not supporting the technology.Zep Solar UK, which is owned by SolarCity where the Tesla boss is chairman, becomes the fourth UK solar business to close in a fortnight. SolarCity laid the blame squarely on cuts to solar subsidies announced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the summer. Continue reading...

A new report reveals that the Rajasthani sandstone sector relies on child labour and urges businesses and the government to take actionBest known for its gemstones and jewellery trade, Rajasthan is also home to a far less glittering industry. The Indian state’s sandstone sector employs millions of people , thousands of whom are child workers, some as young as five.Related: Child labour in the fashion supply chain - where, why and what can business do? Continue reading...

Any dissent was kept well off stage in Aberdeen, with anti-fracking and land reform hardliners quickly voted downThere was genuine excitement on the conference platform. At last a vote that was close enough to require a count rather than a unanimous show of hands. A vote to challenge the SNP’s anti-fracking commitment on the grounds that it wasn’t hardline enough. It was also something of a surprise, as there didn’t appear to have been any arrangements put in place for such an eventuality.“Can we have some stewards please?” asked an astonished Susan Aitken, the session chair. Five minutes later some stewards appeared, and it was eventually agreed that the official anti-fracking position had been adopted. The extreme anti-frackers had been defeated. Continue reading...

With less than one week to go before the government consultation on major cuts to solar subsidies closes, now is the time to have your sayThe public has less than one week to influence planned government policy changes that are expected to dramatically scale back the solar industry.The government is proposing to cut the solar feed-in tariff by 87%. The subsidy supports householders, small businesses and community groups to invest in solar energy. The changes are currently scheduled to come into force next year, but the public can still contribute to the consultation and potentially influence the outcome. Continue reading...

This has been a bumper year for solar energy in the UK, and polls show it has become our favourite kind of power. But with drastic cuts threatened, is the industry racing off the edge of a cliff?“The biggest challenge was the grid connection,” says Donna Clarke with satisfaction. Clarke has worked in renewables for 15 years, and developed the UK’s only biodiesel plant before moving into solar energy. When the company she now works for, Scottow Moor Solar, arrived at RAF Coltishall in May last year, there was no means to plug the 50MW (megawatts) of power they thought could be generated on the former airfield – enough to run 15,000 homes – into the electricity supply. Continue reading...

Commitment to setting a carbon price dropped and green groups remain critical that the statement amounts to little more than hot airThe heads of 10 major oil and gas companies have denied they are paying lip service to climate change initiatives while conducting business as usual.Eight of the 10 companies’ CEOs met in Paris on Friday and issued a joint statement saying they would “play their part” in battling climate change, ahead of the United Nations climate summit which opens in November. Continue reading...

Voters on Monday shouldn’t be pulled in by ‘wedge issues’. Canada simply can’t afford to continue with the Conservatives’ commitment to carbon pollutionAsk Canadians about the most pressing issues facing their country and, alongside concerns about the economy and healthcare, they will inevitably raise the need for action on climate change. And no wonder: British Columbia and the Prairies were in the grips of a serious drought this summer and, only weeks after our election, world leaders will head to Paris to try to come up with a serious plan to stop global warming.Yet, encouraged by Conservative leader Stephen Harper, much of the election debate has been narrowed to focus on “wedge issues” such as cultural differences. But Canadians cannot afford to be pulled in by the politics of diversion and division. Continue reading...

Healthy forests protect our climate and moderate our weather. As the ‘Godzilla’ El Niño builds in the weeks ahead of Paris talks, it is a timely warning that deforestation is partly to blame for its impactsIndonesia is smouldering and Godzilla is to blame. But even though this is reality, not a monster movie, there is still a hero: the tropical rainforest.

Conservation group will track down and vilify hunter who allegedly paid £40,000 to kill one of Zimabwe’s largest elephantsA Zimbabwean conservation group has vowed to identify a German hunter who shot one of the largest elephants seen in the country, so the man can be publicly vilified like the killer of Cecil the lion.Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe conservation taskforce, confirmed that the man, as yet unnamed, had a permit when he shot the male elephant last week. The animal was unknown to Zimbabwean experts and is believed to have wandered across the border from South Africa, he said. Continue reading...

Rescued orangutan babies, a feeding whale and coral reefs are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

The 90,000 tonnes of rubber, 400 metres from a housing development south of Madrid, pose a fire and environmental riskSpanish authorities are struggling to dispose of five million tyres dumped on a site close to a housing development north of Toledo.The 90,000 tonnes of tyres that have been dumped there since 2002 cover 117,000 square metres straddling the Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha regional boundaries. Continue reading...

The Conservative prime minister pledged to make the country an ‘energy superpower’, but with the election ahead and many Alberta residents struggling to make ends meet, a promise has become a liability for HarperIt’s 11.30am in the pumping heart of Canada’s tar sands industry, on a day when local crude is trading at a rock-bottom $29 a barrel. For the down-and-out men and women heading down to the free lunch in the basement of a Fort McMurray church, it’s hard to see a way back up.“It’s depressing not having work. I used to make $3,400 a week. Now look at me. I’m eating in a soup kitchen,” said Brian Earl, a construction worker. Continue reading...

Pledges from 149 countries to reduce their emissions already take us half way to the target. Four key agreements in Paris could close the gap to a 2C worldThere are still seven weeks to go before the crunch UN climate change conference in Paris, at which a new international legal agreement is due to be negotiated. Yet it can already chalk up a remarkable success.

From noise and pollution to street harassment and anonymous crowds, readers share their experiences and thoughts on what makes cities stressful – and which places are the biggest offenders. Is it time to relocate?Are some cities more stressful than others? Places such as Cairo and Mumbai are often cited as exceptionally noisy, busy, overwhelming metropolises. But many city dwellers across the world will make a case for why their own urban environment causes so much stress – from transport nightmares and lack of greenery to high costs and social anonymity.You shared your thoughts, stories and experiences of what makes cities stressful, which places are most stressful and which succeed in being anxiety-free. Here’s a selection of what you said. Continue reading...

CEOs of top oil and gas firm unite in call to limit emissions but stop short of outlining any clear goals towards thisOil and gas industry leaders on Friday launched a final charm offensive to highlight the sector’s relevance in the global fight against climate change before a key summit in Paris later this year.

The Liberals and Nationals are busy tussling over water but they’re not the only ones. Irrigators, environmentalists and communities all want their share. And as Bill Heffernan points out, you can’t possibly please everyoneSometimes, just occasionally, a politician deviates from their speaking notes or the carefully-calibrated party line and calls bullshit on something important.This week that’s what Liberal senator Bill Heffernan did on water policy. Heffernan is often described as “colourful” or “maverick” or other euphemisms for a bloke who made a point about federal parliament’s security by brandishing a fake pipe bomb in a committee hearing and about New South Wales state parliament security by walking in (undetected) with a knife with which he had personally castrated several hundred calves. Continue reading...

In November, nearly 200 countries meet in Paris for United Nations talks to agree a new climate deal. Find out below how their pledges - known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs - compare in our in-depth analysis of 14 key countries and blocs

Species scooped more than 40% of the votes, easily beating closest contenders the seven spot ladybird and emperor dragonflyIt’s official: the buff-tailed bumblebee is the nation’s favourite creepy crawlie, according to a nationwide poll.In the end, the winner came in head and wings above the rest, with 40.5% of the vote. The seven spot ladybird was in second place with 15% of the vote, with the emperor dragonfly a close third with a 14.5% share. Continue reading...

Jill Barklem, the creator of Brambly Hedge, has got together with the Wildlife Trusts to bring us this beautiful gallery of fictional and real wood mice, voles, shrews, harvest mice – and the natural world they live in Continue reading...

The Horizontal Falls, or Garaanngaddim in the local Worrorra language, are the centrepiece of one of two new marine parks proposed for a remote stretch of Western Australia’s Kimberley region. It is one of the most pristine marine environments in the world, ranking alongside Antarctica and the Arctic in terms of freedom from human interference. The parks are in the saltwater country of the Dambimangari people Continue reading...

South Uist, Outer Hebrides A mere 30ft away the small otter holds my gaze until, overtaken by a breaking wave, disappearing in a flurry of foamMiles of empty white beach stretch ahead and there is not another soul in sight. Piles of creamy cumulus drift across a summer blue sky while along the horizon a band of deeper but entirely unthreatening clouds only strengthens and enriches the colours of the sea.There is an unexpected warmth in the sun and not even a hint of approaching autumn in the breeze crossing this Outer Hebrides island. The tide is almost but not quite at its height. Rank after rank of small waves break on the beach, the occasional one reaching just a short distance further up the still dry sand. Continue reading...

Marine life has been halved in a single generation, according to the WWF Living Blue Planet report. In 18 years as a National Geographic photographer, Brian Skerry has seen these losses. He’s snapped the sub-marine world of Mexico, remote coral reefs in the central South Pacific, and countless endangered animals. Touring Australia, Skerry will speak on the value of storytelling, and how pictures can make a difference

Miami zoo announced on Thursday that Patty, their Matschie’s tree kangaroo became the oldest of her species ever documented. Patty is 27 years, two months and 12 days old. Tree kangaroos are native to the Huon peninsula of north-eastern New Guinea. Under International Union for Conservation of Nature classification, they are an endangered species Continue reading...

Measures announced on Thursday aim to avoid up to 1bn tonnes of carbon pollution globally by 2025 ahead of December’s climate change summit in ParisBarack Obama used his executive authority to fight climate change once again on Thursday, targeting the powerful “super pollutants” used in air conditioners and refrigerators that account for a rising share of carbon pollution.

The Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation has formally told Energy Resources Australia they are against extension plans of the Jabiluka uranium depositShares in Energy Resources of Australia have plunged more than 20% after Kakadu’s traditional owners rejected the miner’s plans to expand development of the Jabiluka uranium deposit.The community’s opposition could mean the Rio Tinto-owned miner has to write down the value of its assets. Continue reading...

South expected to be cooler and drought-stricken California may get more precipitation than usualEl Niño this winter will leave a big, wet but not necessarily snowy footprint on much of the United States, including parched California, forecasters said Thursday.The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration issued its winter forecast and “the driver of this winter’s outlook is El Niño”, said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s climate prediction center. Continue reading...

Theo Bronkhorst, accused of failing to stop Walter Palmer’s illegal hunt of lion, says he believes he will be vindicatedA Zimbabwean hunter accused of failing to stop the killing of Cecil the lion has said that his family and business were destroyed amid the outcry that followed the lion’s death and that charges against him should be dropped.The Zimbabwean government said on Monday it would not charge American dentist Walter Palmer, who killed its most prized lion with a bow and arrow in July, because he had obtained legal authority to conduct the hunt. Continue reading...

Business secretary Sajid Javid announces further step in government’s privatisation of bank designed to fund renewable energy and waste projectsThe government’s controversial plan to privatise the Green Investment Bank (GIB) has taken a major step forwards on Thursday, as business secretary Sajid Javid announced plans to repeal the legislation that gives ministers control over the bank.In a written ministerial statement, Javid said the government intended to repeal sections of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 which was passed alongside the bank’s launch. The centrepiece of the legislation gives ministers a veto over any move to change the articles of association of the bank, including the five governing principles that require it to fulfil a green remit. Continue reading...

Volkswagen announces plan to remove emissions-rigging measures from vehicles after German authorities reject proposals for voluntary schemeVolkswagen is to recall 8.5m diesel cars across the European Union in the wake of the emissions scandal.The full extent of the work required by the manufacturer to deal with the defeat devices in its diesel vehicles became apparent on Thursday after German authorities rejected its proposals for a voluntary scheme.

Southern Solar’s 22 employees will lose their jobs as chief executive Howard Johns blames government cuts to feed-in tariffsAnother solar company has gone out of business, blaming the government for “killing off” support for the industry.

From snake bites to TB, big pharma is pulling out of investment into diseases affecting the poorest, but many argue non-profit medicines aren’t their jobWhen pharma company Sanofi Pasteur was criticised last month for ceasing its production of Africa’s only snakebite anti-venom, the spotlight fell once again on the industry’s apparent lack of interest in the developing world.

The grid says electricity margins will be ‘tight but manageable’ and has asked companiesto be ready to cut output at peak timesNational Grid has said it is more likely to draw on additional sources of power to keep the country’s electricity running after the chance of blackouts rose to its highest in a decade.The operator of pipes and pylons said it had enlisted power stations to provide extra capacity and asked companies to be ready to reduce usage to help it meet peak demand. Continue reading...