US Environmental Protection Agency crew accidentally releases water containing sediment and metals from a disused mine into Animas river tributaryA team of US regulators investigating contamination at a Colorado goldmine accidentally released a million gallons (3.8 million liters) of orange-hued waste water containing sediment and metals into a local river system, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday.The waste water had been held behind a barrier near the abandoned Gold King Mine, but was accidentally emptied into Cement creek, which flows into the Animas river in San Juan county, said an EPA spokesman, Rich Mylott. Continue reading...

Scientists review rare climate science statement by petrochemical billionaire and Republican activist Charles KochFor many people around the world concerned about climate change, Charles Koch haunts their dreams like the ultimate boogeyman, provided of course they’ve never clapped eyes on Hector the Lump of Coal©.Koch is the Republican petrochemical billionaire who runs Koch Industries with his brother David. Continue reading...

Prime minister, ‘sabotage’ is something undertaken by enemy agents, not citizens testing the laws of the landIn yet another passionate defence of coal (in an interview with the Australian newspaper), Tony Abbott has made so many inaccurate and questionable claims it’s hard to know where to start. Here are some of his statements, juxtaposed with facts.If a vital national project can be endlessly delayed, if the courts can be turned into a means of sabotaging projects which are striving to meet the highest environmental standards, then we have a real problem in this nation … we have to remain a nation that gives people a fair go if they play by the rules.” Continue reading...

AGL and Origin energy argued for the renewable energy target to be slashed, now they’re spruiking their green credentials – breathtaking hypocrisyWelcome to the post-Renewable Energy Target (RET) twilight zone, where Australia’s biggest polluters are also apparently its biggest champions of renewable energy.But don’t bother looking out your plane window for a gremlin on the wing – this is just the topsy-turvy world of today’s Australian energy market, where some of our biggest power companies have decided they’d rather sell spin than cleaner energy. Continue reading...

Prime minister raises spectre of Australia becoming ‘a nation of naysayers’, two days after federal court set aside approval for huge Adani mine in QueenslandTony Abbott has reaffirmed his support for the huge Adani coalmine in central Queensland, arguing Australia has “a problem as a nation” if the courts could “be turned into a means of sabotaging” such projects.The prime minister warned against becoming “a nation of naysayers” two days after the federal court set aside the federal approval for the Carmichael mine because the environment minister, Greg Hunt, had not fully assessed its impact on two vulnerable species: the yakka skink and the ornamental snake. Continue reading...

Many butterfly names are inaccurate – the Essex skipper, for instance, is found far beyond that county – and some are becoming more so. The common blue is not common and lepidopterists are keen to identify its surviving colonies.We can help by looking for this blue-with-a-hint-of-mauve butterfly (the female is more brown than blue and harder to identify) during the last weekend of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count. Everyone is urged to spend 15 minutes recording butterflies, logging results online. So far, I’ve counted small and large whites in abundance but no common blues. Continue reading...

Prior to tackling Europe’s 2015 Haute Route, Peter Kimpton talks to two inspiring cyclists also preparing for the challenge – champion pro Emma Pooley, and remarkable disabled rider Christian HaettichAt first I wasn’t sure if my eyes were seeing correctly. I rubbed them, not merely because sweat was pouring in during a long, steep climb up Italy’s challenging, dramatic Passo di Pordoi in 2014, but because of the cyclist ahead of me. Then, breathing heavily as I slowly passed him, we exchanged a friendly nod, and I was filled with admiration and wonder.Christian Haettich, from Alsace in north-eastern France, lost most of his left leg and part of his left arm due to a road accident in 1976, when he was 15. He was hit head-on by a car while riding a moped. The amputations understandably made his life extremely difficult. He made it through dark times, got married, had children, yet it wasn’t until 1995 when he spotted a cyclist who also had one leg making his way up a col that his life changed again. Continue reading...

More sustainability leaders are beginning to understand, and respect, the relationship between people and the natural world, argues author Steve ScheinWhat turns a person into a sustainability crusader? Author and professor Steve Schein wanted to know, so he interviewed corporate sustainability executives – people who have dedicated their careers to doing business better – to find out what makes them tick.Many of these executives, from global companies including Nike, Sprint, Mattel, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Starbucks and Unilever, traced their commitments back to their childhood, talking about their families and teachers. One consumer products company executive told Schein about how her parents composted; another recalled spending time in her grandfather’s apple orchard. Continue reading...

Koch accepts human-caused global warming while engaging in economic alarmismThe Washington Post’s Matea Gold recently interviewed Charles Koch. When she asked if he was worried about climate change, Koch replied,Well, I mean I believe it’s been warming some. There’s a big debate on that, because it depends on whether you use satellite measurements, balloon, or you use ground ones that have been adjusted. But there has been warming. The CO2 goes up, the CO2 has probably contributed to that. Continue reading...

Government looking at how it can avoid a repeat of the ‘technical’ error that led to the federal court overturning the approval for the Queensland coalmineThe federal government is considering changing national environment laws in the wake of an embarrassing federal court setback that overturned its approval of what would be Australia’s largest mine.

What sounds conjure up the seaside for you? From seagulls cawing to the soft splash of waves, the National Trust and British Libarary have launched a poll of 10 sounds to find the UK’s favouriteFor some people the sound of the UK coast is the crunch of shingle under the feet of children playing, for others the mournful wail of a foghorn, the shrieks of happily terrified riders on a ghost train, the murmur of little waves, or the harsh squawk of seagulls undoubtedly plotting a raid on a bag of chips or an ice-cream cone.

New book investigates how corporate interests and ideologues worked to make Australia doubt what it knew about climate change and its risksThere’s something about climate change that almost everyone in Australia has either forgotten or never knew in the first place.In 1990 Bob Hawke announced his government wanted the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by the year 2005. Continue reading...

We asked you to share your July pictures of the wildlife around the world. Here’s a selection of our favourites

The Deal Or No Deal presenter has warned of mankind’s greatest danger, but it’s OK as ‘there isn’t such a thing as death’Name: Electrosmog.

Catch up on all the highlights from our live debate on the role of business in vocalising the environmental agenda2.46pm BSTThank you to our all our panel guests (see full list). As a final comment, I’d like to highlight a couple of interesting points from Andy Rowell and Eliot Whittington.Andy Rowell says: Can business leaders be expected to commit to legitimate, realistic pledges or could pledges turn into a publicity campaign in getting a positive reputation in an increasingly aware community of consumers? I am afraid the oil industry has a history of greenwashing on pledges to tackle climate change - BP’s pledge and multi-million campaign to go “beyond Petroleum” just after the Millenium being the most obvious one. Fifteen years later, the company is more dependent on oil and gas than ever.. So I think you have to be very careful of spin..2.39pm BSTNow for some closing comments from our panel guests. What advice would they give business leaders?Edward Cameron: I would tell them the world is changing. Climate change is already impacting their supply chains, operations, workers, and markets and if they fail to act they will exacerbate their risk. I would tell them that we have an unprecedented opportunity to create a better economy and that governments and other businesses are rising to the challenge. I would tell them that they cannot stand apart from this movement towards a new climate economy without running the risk of damage to their brand and ceding growth opportunities to others who are more innovative. but most importantly I would listen to them. Understand their business. Try to design a strategy tailored for them. And stop preaching.... as I do that far too much already. Continue reading...

We’ll get far greater biodiversity for out buck by investing in conservation in developing countries, rather than focusing on high-profile British projectsThe furore over Cecil the lion clearly demonstrates that the public are passionate about conserving wildlife – wherever it is. Yet conservation spending in richer nations is still trapped in a parochial “home first” mindset. Given most plants and animals, and particularly endangered species, are found in poorer countries where money goes further, why are we worrying about hedgehogs, red squirrels or wild boar?Last year £571m of public-sector funding was spent on UK biodiversity. However only £60m was earmarked for international biodiversity, barely 10% of the total budget. From a global perspective, the UK contains only a tiny proportion of the world’s biodiversity. In terms of diversity of species, it ranks 89th in the world, and that’s despite the country’s wildlife being recorded far better than most. Continue reading...

The World Rowing Federation Fisa agrees to test the waters in Rio de Janeiro for viruses, after a report suggests high levels of raw sewage at Olympic venues. Speaking on Tuesday, the executive director Matt Smith says Fisa is following World Health Organisation recommendations. The Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games begin in August 2016 Continue reading...

Ahead of a sponsored bike ride from Manchester to London next month — and with a new saddle causing her all sorts of mischief — Helen Pidd went for a professional saddle fitting session. But is it worth £150?I owe quite a few people an apology. To everyone over the years who got a new bike and moaned about their bottom hurting, only for me to say breezily, “you just need to break your bum in”: I’m sorry. I was wrong. Having hit it lucky with the saddle which came with my old road bike seven years ago, I didn’t understand the very real pain that comes with a seat that rubs you up in all the wrong ways.Then I got a new saddle. My old one was knackered. So, after crowdsourcing the sages of my cycling club, I decided to upgrade to a Selle Italia Diva Flow, which many women swear by. I’m training to cycle from Manchester to London (M2L) in one day next month (please do feel free to sponsor me: it’s for Ambitious About Autism) and I knew comfort was key. I recently spoke to one woman who did Rapha’s M2L last year and confessed she couldn’t actually urinate for some time after the ride because her saddle had done her bits such a mischief. Continue reading...

A gang of poachers, said to have killed more than 20 elephants for their tusks, was busted by Kerala state’s forest departmentOne of the last members of an elephant poaching gang was arrested on 27 July. The total number of poachers and traffickers behind bars is now 24. Aikaramattom Vasu, the mastermind behind the diabolical operation that claimed up to 28 elephant lives, apparently committed suicide. South Indian forests haven’t seen poaching on this scale since the early 1990s.

And energy consultant says carbon dioxide emissions rose 0.4% in year to 31 July, which is about 80% of Australia’s electricity consumptionAustralia’s emissions from electricity generation had their largest recorded leap in more than a decade in July, an upwards trend that is set to continue over the coming year, new analysis has shown.Carbon dioxide emissions rose 0.4% in the year to 31 July across the national energy market, which accounts for about 80% of Australia’s electricity consumption. Continue reading...

Environment department says federal court decision to overturn Greg Hunt’s approval for $16bn project was ‘technical, administrative matter’The federal government has said it will take six to eight weeks to reconsider its approval of Queensland’s Carmichael coalmine after the federal court halted what would be Australia’s largest mine.