Devices fitted on tail feathers record location as GPS tags creating a live flight path on website showing how far the birds are flying to find food for their chicks

Event in south-western city had previously drawn international condemnation, but now opposition to it is rising among China’s growing middle class

Vallis Vale, Somerset This place once rang with the clang and clamour of industrial toilOur invitation to the world of disused quarries, ironworks and lime-kilns in the wooded gorges carved out of Mendip rock near Mells came from a direct descendant of Professor John Morris, one of the first archaeologists to visit the place. Back in 1868, he had particularly admired the rockface that was now our destination.But first we had to pick our narrow way beside the stream, bending back overhanging branches, clambering up and down steep inclines, passing the overgrown ruins of iron workings and stepping over fragments of tram tracks. There was scarcely a sound but birdsong and the rush of water in this place that once rang with the clang and clamour of industrial toil. The thick woodland of ash, oak, lime and hazel is a rich wildlife habitat; crayfish live in the waters, and derelict tunnels and flues make homes for greater horseshoe bats. As we went, knowledgeable members of the group pointed out some of the flora and fauna (including the rare alternate-leaved golden saxifrage) that contribute to its status as an site of special scientific interest. Continue reading...

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 25 June 1915Purple vetches are climbing the hedgerows, where pink-tinged roses are far more abundant after the slight showers of yesterday. Skullcaps are out amongst the yellow flags which strive, without success, to reach the light amidst the tall, still lengthening reeds, and within the fringe of reeds and rushes the figwort shows its deep-hued lips. The green of the woodlands is flecked with white, massed, flattened bosses adorning every elder; abundant dead-white blossoms on the brambles give promise of future fruit. Even if the rain was insufficient it helped the scorched foliage and flowers and cleaned off some of the accumulation on the dusty hedges.The coch-a-bon-ddu (“cockybundy” is the angler’s corruption) is still swarming, later than usual. This small fern chafer, with brown wing-eases fringed with fine grey hairs and bottle-green body, has caused annoyance in at least one camp; when it blundered on to uniforms, into kit and food, the soldiers accused it of biting, blaming it with the crimes of midges, gnats, or clegs. Two which arrived for identification I released in the garden. Within a few seconds they spread their long wings, swept round clear of the trees like soaring pigeons, and rose swiftly towards the upper air, where the wheeling swifts and martins no doubt attended to them. Continue reading...

A low, insistent buzzing emerged from the depths of the reedbed. A bird was singing; but it was so shy, and so secretive, that I never saw it. A bird so rare, that only a handful choose to breed in Britain each year. Yet now one had turned up in this hidden corner of the West Country.Savi’s warbler is, like the much commoner grasshopper warbler, a member of the genus Locustella. Literally meaning “little locust”, this refers to these birds’ buzzing, insect-like songs. Savi’s warbler’s specific name, luscinioides, means “like a nightingale”, because of its plain, unmarked appearance. Continue reading...

Giles Fraser (Loose canon, 20 June) is far from alone in welcoming the pope’s encyclical Laudato Si’, but it seems that many politicians are not as concerned as the Holy Father. On 17 June I attended the mass lobby of parliament (Report, 18 June) to talk with my MP about climate change. Those of us from Central Devon constituency had informed our MP, Mel Stride, of our intention and asked to see him. None of us received any response then, or on the day, despite him being in the house. To date we have still not heard anything from our representative.Putting aside personal feelings about our treatment, I suggest that this is indicative of many politicians’ laissez-faire attitude to climate change. Continue reading...

Footage, believed to originate in Venezuela, shows two men standing on back of rare giant shark while being pulled by a speedboatConservationists have called for the prosecution of two men filmed “surfing” on the back of a rare whale shark while being towed by a speedboat.The three-minute video shows two men standing on the whale shark, the largest fish in the world, as people on board laugh and cheer them on. The pair then appear to taunt the giant fish as it continues to follow the boat. Continue reading...

A wildlife group has called for two men filmed 'surfing' a whale shark to be prosecuted, calling the incident a 'stupid stunt'. Marine Connection posted the footage online earlier in the week under the tagline: 'Wildlife harassment is never a laughing matter'. The men, who speak in Spanish, are seen climbing on top of the shark while being towed behind a boat. The footage was posted on a Facebook account in Venezuela earlier this month, according to the group, but then later deleted Continue reading...

Within five years Britain could have three power stations that capture around 90% of their carbon before it reaches the atmosphere. And in the US, a synthetic resin could absorb CO far more efficiently than trees. We examine the technologies involved in the battle against climate changeWith an immense scientific consensus that manmade greenhouse gases cause climate change, there is pressure to reduce carbon emissions, but little sign that governments can reach a binding agreement to cut back sufficiently. The answer may be a new material that is a thousand times more efficient at capturing carbon dioxide than trees.This substance, a synthetic resin, is a part of diverse attempts to make carbon capture and storage (CCS) practical. Mercedes Maroto-Valer, professor of sustainable energy engineering at Heriot-Watt University, defines CCS as “a portfolio of technologies that aim to separate carbon dioxide from other gases, then capture and store them in a permanent situation”. CCS is a pragmatic solution, recognising that we will continue to emit CO, and so need to remove the gas from the atmosphere and store it away where it can do no harm. Continue reading...

Drip brew systems are better for the environment but, if you really can’t do without your capsule, make sure you recycle it…

The first Formula E championship wraps up in London next weekend, having sold out in cities round the world. But organisers say the true measure of its success lies beyond the circuitEverything seems familiar. Piquet, Prost and Senna are all just millimetres off the ground in state-of-the-art racing cars, their breakneck speed round the track being watched by millions. But something is missing: the roar of engines.This is Formula E, the nascent form of motor racing coming to Battersea Park in London next weekend for the conclusion of its inaugural championship. Staged in 10 cities and featuring Nelson Piquet Jr, Bruno Senna (nephew of Ayrton) and Nicolas Prost (son of Alain), the championship is a showcase for the potential of the electric car. But despite the famous names, and the $100m that Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag says it has cost to launch, many people may know little about a competition that held its first race in Beijing only last September. Continue reading...

Proposed tax would only hit better-off who holiday more than once a yearPlans for a “frequent flyer” tax to curb demand for leisure flights and make a new runway in south-east England unnecessary have been unveiled by an influential group of transport campaigners, environmentalists and tax experts.Ministers, and candidates seeking to be the next mayor of London, including Tory hopeful and green campaigner Zac Goldsmith, are being urged to back the proposals, which supporters argue in a letter to the Observer would relieve ministers at a stroke from having to make the invidious choice between expanding Heathrow or Gatwick airports. Continue reading...

This year, environment correspondent John Vidal had heart bypass surgery – a wake-up call that prompted him to investigate the state of the air we breathe. With 29,000 UK deaths a year attributed to pollution, is it time we cleaned up our act?Three months ago, a surgeon at Liverpool Heart and Chest hospital took a saw, ripped through my sternum, levered open my ribcage, cut into the aorta of my still-beating heart and stitched in a vein from my leg. The long, brutal operation was a great success. But it knocked me out and left me unable to walk more than a few paces.As I recovered, I got to asking how had I got into this mess. I had always, I thought, kept pretty fit: I could happily walk all day in the hills, chop wood, play cricket and dig deep. I ate good food and loved exercise. So what else was there in my lifestyle that could have led to heart disease, Britain’s biggest killer? Continue reading...

A resumption would defy the International Whaling Commission, which says Tokyo has not proven the mammals need to be killed for researchJapan says it plans to resume whale hunts in the Antarctic later in 2015 even though the International Whaling Commission says Tokyo has not proven the mammals need to be killed for research.The IWC’s scientific committee said in a report on Friday it was not able to determine whether lethal sampling was necessary for whale stock management and conservation. In April an IWC experts’ panel made similar comments about a revised Japanese Antarctic whaling plan submitted after the international court of justice ruled in 2014 that Japan’s hunts were not truly scientific. Continue reading...

Sally Gap, Co Wicklow Few trees brave these windswept expanses, but some cluster in the valley bottomPerspective is everything. The hillside, smooth as a billiard table when seen from a distance, is ankle-turning with tussock grass when crossed. The rolling uplands rising from the Cloghoge river stretch to the horizon dominated by the surrounding heights of Djouce mountain, Luggala, Carrigvore, the Tondruffs and War Hill. Few trees brave these windswept expanses, but in the valley bottom, where rivulets drain from the tops, they cluster to form oases of greenery in the midst of a seemingly uniform tawny-blanket of heather and dried grasses.Breaking the monotony, groups of hare’s-tail cottongrass stand like mini bottle-brushes, ceaselessly swaying as the constant breeze buffets them. But look again, and this becomes a ravaged landscape. Here peat has been dug for generations, entrenching deep scars that will take millennia to heal, even though its removal has long since stopped. Yellowing sphagnum mosses cloak the surface of some cuts that hold their water longer than most. Blue heath speedwell and milkwort, and cream bedstraw add specks of colour to path edges. Continue reading...

Symbolic act of destroying more than one US ton of ivory seeks to ‘crush any hopes by poachers that they will profit by killing off our Earth’s elephants’

Study reveals rate of extinction for species in the 20th century has been up to 100 times higher than would have been normal without human impact

Word on the Curb’s young film-makers talk about why they wanted to focus on their generation’s apathy to the realities of global warmingWord on the Curb is a collective of artists who use film and spoken word as a tool to engage young people in important issues that affect them.We spoke to co-founder Hayel Wartemberg, 22, about their new film, ‘Don’t close your eyes’. The film was created specifically for the Guardian’s #GroundUp campaign which is showcasing stories from young people who will feel the worst impacts of climate change.

Free-market capitalism makes no distinction between human beings’ wants and needs. This is catastrophic for both the planet and our personal happiness alikePope Francis’s eagerly awaited encyclical, Laudato Si’, is misunderstood as just a theological echo of secular environmentalism, a churchy “count me in” with the fight against climate change. It is nothing less than a call to refigure our entire political mindset. No wonder Catholic Republicans like Jeb Bush are up in arms. It is a comprehensive counterblast against the root causes of an impending environmental catastrophe. And, as such, it means that the Roman Catholic church is now the foremost critic of capitalism. As the left fades in authority all over the world, the church has regained its voice.Related: Pope's climate change encyclical tells rich nations: pay your debt to the poor Continue reading...

Warthogs chase off a cheetah, a cougar takes down a wolf and goldfinches bask in the summer sun in this week’s pick of images from the natural world Continue reading...

Life on the beach isn’t always a vacation. Here are some postcards that nobody would want to send, courtesy of fossil fuels Continue reading...

International Whaling Commission demands more information to review country’s plan to target 3,996 mink whales in Southern OceanThe International Whaling Commission (IWC) on Friday demanded that Japan provide more information to prove that its revised Antarctic whaling programme was for scientific research, saying it could not reach a consensus based on documents submitted.

Pope Francis has identified the urgency and scale of the task we face, and those in industry who don’t respond to the groundswell of opinion will be left behindI am sure that many gay readers disagree with the pope on matters to do with sexuality. But I must confess that his call to action on climate change is right.Related: Pope Francis warns of destruction of Earth's ecosystem in leaked encyclical Continue reading...

It seems like Americans today don't care about producing good trash anymore. This fictional new organization warns that if we don't stop recycling, we could lose our precious dumps – slowing global warming to the point where we may one day hear our children ask, "Mommy, where has all the methane gone?"

The UK appears split down the middle on shale oil and gas extraction, with the Tories and Ukip in favour, but Labour, the Lib Dems and other parties against

If the fact that we’ve just experienced the coldest spring on record isn’t enough to sway you, I’ve got other anecdotal evidence that should be plenty convincingEverybody is talking about global warming. Clearly, it’s got a great publicist. My guess is it’s the same one that Amy Schumer uses. However, unlike Schumer – whom I have on good authority is real – Global Warming is a big fat lie.Related: Handle with humor: why we want you to laugh about climate change Continue reading...

In ignoring family planning – and overlooking women’s development role – the pope may have weakened his case on links between poverty and ecological crisisIt’s more than 150 pages long with lots of commentary on climate, water scarcity, waste, the state of humanity, poverty, consumption, justice, morality and technology. But for all the papal encyclical’s reliance on peer-reviewed science and state of the art environmental analysis, there is only one brief mention by Pope Francis of the massive population growth that has overwhelmed many countries in the last 50 years as a direct result of Catholic teaching; and there are just 11 mentions of women.These two whopping elephants in the Basilica of St Peter throw some doubt on whether the encyclical is really a radical analysis of the state of the world intended to speak to everyone, as Francis has said he wants it to be, or is aimed at the upper echelons of a divided church in need of fresh teachings. Continue reading...

Industry observers including Greenpeace have defended the confectionery firm on sourcing sustainable palm oil after a French minister urged citizens to stop buying its spread

Following the publication of the Pope’s encyclical on climate change, Catholics share their views on Laudato Si

Conservation efforts to save Spain’s iconic spotted cat are being undermined as record numbers are getting killed in car collisions

Is the topic of climate change too hot for people to handle? Maybe we need to throw some humor into the mixWith the historic People’s Climate March taking place in cities around the world last year, the landmark US-China deal, as well as record carbon-dioxide levels and the hottest year on record, awareness of the potential devastation of climate change continues to grow. Now, even the Pope has spoken about it – and yet, public concern over the issue remains low.There once was a time when climate change was very popular to discuss. Al Gore made that movie, Leonardo DiCaprio snuggled polar bears, there was a potential green economy and even dumb ol’ Congress debated carbon cap and trade. Then, somewhere along the way, our focus shifted to a crap economy, fighting terrorists and the government seeing our dick pics. Continue reading...

A Kenyan business is providing affordable access to electricity in rural Africa by tapping into the thriving mobile cultureKenya-based business SteamaCo is harnessing the power of mobile to bring affordable electricity access to rural, off-grid communities. SteamaCo’s smart technology allows solar micro-grid owners to monitor their performance remotely and capture consumer payments via mobile money platforms, thereby overcoming the traditional challenges of keeping grids working reliably and profitably.This simple but fundamental transition stands to make investment in solar micro-grids a truly compelling prospect, bringing electricity to millions and giving local entrepreneurs the tools to thrive. Continue reading...

The Abbott government is paying lip service to the renewable energy industry because it knows speaking its mind would be unpalatable to the publicEven to a long-term student of political ventriloquy, the Abbott government’s capacity to speak out of both sides of its mouth on climate policy is astonishing.

As the curtains close on Alan Rusbridger's editorship the first phase of the Keep it in the Ground campaign draws to an endIn this, our final episode, we look back at the highs and lows of the past five months. Have the Guardian's original campaign targets, the Wellcome Trust and the Gates Foundation, budged on divestment? Will it push political action at the climate summit in Paris, just six months away? Does the incoming new editor-in-chief Kath Viner even want to continue? As Alan Rusbridger packs his office the team gather one last time to pick over the bones of the project and work out whether they managed to move the needle on climate change.• Alan Rusbridger - Farewell Readers: Alan Rusbridger on Leaving the Guardian After Two Decades at the Helm Continue reading...

Rule of law, attorney general’s office, the Pope, crossbench senators and Bill Shorten – in the bin, the lot of you!

South Uist Blind, pink-skinned, with just the faintest dusting of down, the chicks were huddled together so closely it was impossible to count themThe blackbirds have chosen yet again to build their nest at virtually ground level. Last year they sited it within the tangle of shrubs beside the garden bench, forcing us to abandon one of the pleasantest spots in which to sit, as our every approach caused the incubating female to flee in panic.This summer, thankfully, it is on the opposite side of the garden, wedged between two slim stems of a large escallonia. Beautifully constructed from interwoven grasses now dried and brown, the nest is partially camouflaged by the slender branches of a fuchsia brought down in the winter gales and left lying against the fence in the hope of adding even a little more cover against future winds. Continue reading...

Greens leader Richard Di Natale has slammed critics of windfarms, saying there is no need to investigate them. 'We don't have evidence of alien abduction – should we be spending public funds looking into it? No, we shouldn't', he says. Di Natale says there's no evidence wind turbines adversely affect people's health and that 'every cent we spend researching this nonsense is one less dollar not spent in cancer research, in diabetes research' Continue reading...

Seven hundred years ago, the summer was not just bad, it was catastrophic.The year 1315 marked the end of the long medieval warm period. Weather historian Neville Brown describes the conditions as “quasi-continuous cyclonic circulation of moist air of polar origin” – endless days of grey skies and heavy rain. Brown calls it the Dantean Anomaly, because the bad weather continued until 1321 when Dante died. It might equally have been named after Dante’s visions of Hell. Continue reading...

It’s no surprise that pork products in UK supermarkets have been found to contain MRSA (Report, 18 June), nor that the majority of supermarket chicken is contaminated with campylobacter. Given their crowded conditions, factory farms have long been breeding grounds for disease, and routine medication has only compounded the problem by breeding drug-resistant micro-organisms. And yet councils across the UK continue to approve the building of broiler sheds and intensive pig farms. Only recently a planning application was made for a 30,000-capacity pig farm in County Antrim, which would be the biggest in the UK. With so many animals, it would be difficult to regularly check them individually, meaning that sick animals would go unnoticed, further spreading disease. Allowing such developments to go ahead not only results in animal suffering but also puts human health and life at risk.

The Vatican’s encyclical called on strong government action to protect the environment but political leaders really don’t like a call to conversionPope Francis’ encyclical on the environment was delivered to the entire world, but much of what he wrote was important for those of us in the US – especially our political leaders. It is a strong wake-up call that market-driven approaches to climate change and environmental degradation are not sufficient. Strong government action is needed, but most people, including political leaders, really don’t like a call to conversion.Pope Francis was right when he asked politicians: “What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?” He was referring to continued reluctance by leaders in the US and elsewhere to effectively tackle these crises. Continue reading...

While insecticides are a known deadly threat, two studies find that bees exposed to fungicides are smaller, sickly and declining in ‘chemical cocktail’ farmlandsWhile the relationship between insecticides and bees has made headlines – and controversy – for years, two recent studies have shown that another class of agricultural chemicals, little-appreciated but used in ever-increasing amounts, may also pose a threat to pollinators.