Exclusive: Medics say children with poor access to outdoor play at school at higher risk of developing lifelong health problems

Michael Regan defends civil rights record and denies abandoning communities who face brunt of toxic pollutionRepublican-led states attacking protections shielding disadvantaged communities from industrial pollution will be confronted by the Biden administration, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned.In a Guardian interview, Michael Regan, administrator of the EPA, also denied abandoning those who face the brunt of air and water contamination in the US. Continue reading...

Increasing use of fans, air coolers and air conditioners is placing serious' strain on grid in north of countryEngineers in India have warned of the possibility of prolonged power outages in the north, where a heatwave has brought misery for millions of people.Demand for electricity has soared due to fans, air coolers and air conditioners being run constantly, placing a strain on the grid in Delhi and elsewhere in the north. Manufacturers of air conditioners and air coolers report sales rising by 40-50% compared with last summer. Continue reading...

NSW Liberal MP rules out running for federal parliament as he exits state politics after 13 years

Simon Birmingham contradicts Nationals' leader, saying renewables are an important part of the mix' while Queensland LNP leader rules out nuclear

Stark images of coal markets, coastal cleanups and a photographer who burns her own work all feature in this year's Earth Photo awards Continue reading...

David Littleproud claims Australia doesn't need large-scale industrial windfarms' like the planned offshore zone south of Sydney

Housing is at the centre of an otherwise restrained state budget

Mining magnate says investors need certainty as opposition's climate policy comes under increasing scrutiny

Investigation finds assessors providing inaccurate EPCs and unhelpful advice to homeownersThe consumer group Which? has called for an overhaul of the energy performance certificates (EPC) system after an investigation found assessments riddled with inaccuracies and unhelpful advice that could cost homeowners thousands of pounds.The investigation, which included Which? securing EPC assessments for 12 homeowners, found in one case an assessor had failed to mention a property's solar panels or wood burning stove in their final assessment, while the cost of upgrades recommended to another owner would not have been recouped for 29 years. Continue reading...

Cities in midwest and north-east brace for heatwave with some to experience highs of 105F - 25 degrees above normalExtreme heat has begun to hit the US, delivered by a high-pressure weather pattern that the federal weather prediction center says will be potentially the longest experienced in decades for some locations".According to meteorologists with WeatherBELL Analytics, about 265 million people in the US are forecast to see air temperatures reach or exceed 90F (32C), with many of them experiencing heat indices of about 105F by next Sunday. Continue reading...

University hires Brunswick Group amid anger from campus organizers at its sustainability school's fundingStanford University's sustainability school has hired a public relations firm to address potential reputational challenges" amid concern from campus activists over the institution's extensive ties with fossil fuel companies.However, that PR firm, the Brunswick Group, has itself faced criticism for working with oil and gas companies, disappointing the university's climate advocates. Brunswick says it is vital to engage with companies in the most complex sectors to decarbonize". Continue reading...

In more than one image from 1900s Japan, they look hungover

Almost half of those surveyed said target was unachievable and hurting the economy' and Australia should instead focus on 2050

Group that runs Oasis Academy South Bank warns councils prioritise private housing over space for children to breathe

Shorter playtimes and shrinking outside space in England have serious implications for children's wellbeing and mental health

Band say carbon emissions for vinyl production will be reduced by 85% thanks to new method, as they announce 10th studio albumColdplay are aiming to make the most ecologically sustainable vinyl record yet, for their newly announced album Moon Music.Each 140g vinyl copy of Moon Music, released 4 October, will be manufactured from nine plastic bottles recovered from consumer waste. For a special notebook edition", 70% of the plastic has been intercepted by the environmental nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup from Rio Las Vacas, Guatemala, preventing it from entering the Gulf of Honduras and the Atlantic Ocean. Continue reading...

The birds have not been seen for at least a decade - some for more than 100 years - but the authors of a new list of missing species have not given up hopeThe coppery thorntail and New Caledonian lorikeet are among the 126 birds lost" to science, having not been seen for a decade or more, according to the most comprehensive list of missing species composed to date.The new tally is based on millions of records collected by enthusiastic birders and amateur scientists documenting wildlife in some of the planet's most remote locations. To be part of the dataset, the bird must not have a recorded sighting in at least a decade, and not be assessed as extinct or extinct in the wild by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Continue reading...

With tickets doubling as public transport passes and recycled props, Hans Otto Theater is embracing a 3m federal project to make culture climate neutralA handful of Spanish conquistadors fight through thick undergrowth to emerge in the ivy-clad ruins of a fallen civilisation during a rehearsal of Austrian playwright Thomas Kock's Your Palaces Are Empty.Premiered last month at the Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam, south-west of Berlin, the bleak and unforgiving drama probes the wounds of a shattered capitalist world that has exploited its people and the planet's resources. Continue reading...

The founder of the Seahorse Trust explains how his life-long fascination with the enigmatic creatures helped us to understand and protect themI saw a seahorse for the first time when I was 14. There is something very unfishlike about the way seahorses swim upright, and their constantly moving eyes - it made me feel completely in awe of them. Fifty-one years later, and that feeling has never gone away. Even now, if I'm on a dive and I see one, I find it amazing.Seahorses are fish that don't fit into any category; they seem like an amalgam of lots of different creatures. They have horse-like heads, kangaroo-like pouches and prehensile, monkey-like tails - which often seem to have a mind of their own - plus they can change colour like a chameleon. It's quite remarkable. Continue reading...

Beavers' dams have created more places for water voles to hide from predators and hopefully flourish, say expertsBeavers reintroduced to a Scottish rainforest 15 years ago may have created the right habitat for the area's endangered water voles to flourish.The voles, once abundant in Scotland but now one of the country's most threatened native animals, could thrive in the complex boundary between water and land" that beavers have created in Knapdale in Argyll and Bute since their reintroduction there in 2009. Continue reading...

The Australian Bureau of Statistics updated its methodology and says there are 4 million more cattle than previously estimated

Jordanians died in Saudi Arabia after suffering heatstroke, said officials, with temperatures reaching 47C in MeccaAt least 14 Jordanian pilgrims have died while on the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as temperatures soar in the kingdom.Jordan's foreign ministry said 14 Jordanian pilgrims died and 17 others were missing" during the performance of hajj rituals. It said its nationals had died after suffering sun stroke due to the extreme heatwave" and that it had coordinated with Saudi authorities to bury the dead in Saudi Arabia, or transfer them to Jordan. Continue reading...

Party begins week of campaigning on economy under pressure to say if it will raise taxes to pay for 7.3bn plansLabour will create more than 650,000 jobs with its green investment plans, Rachel Reeves has said, as the party kickstarts a week of campaigning on the economy.The UK shadow chancellor has revealed new details about the 7.3bn green investment vehicle that Labour intends to create after the election, saying it will help create hundreds of thousands of new industrial jobs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: After months of speculation the fundraising giant has identified more electorates where independent campaigns meet its criteria for support

Meteorologists warn that heat will spread east through the week, with heat dome' expected to trap high temperaturesMillions of Americans are facing dangerously hot conditions", the National Weather Service said, with a heatwave set to hit the midwest and north-east US from Monday.Michigan, Ohio and western Pennsylvania were all under heat warnings starting Monday, with alerts in place until Friday evening. Meteorologists warned that the heat will spread east through the week, with a heat dome" expected to trap high temperatures across New York, Washington DC and Boston. Continue reading...

Guardian investigation finds pupils at England's wealthiest schools have much greater access to land, with implications for mental health

Scottish Highlands campaign has raised two-thirds of 300,000 target for footpaths on An Teallach. But more is needed to protect people and environmentOne of Scotland's most impressive and recognisable mountains will have its walking paths restored after hillwalkers and charities clubbed together to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds.Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (Oats) launched a campaign last May to raise 300,000 for essential path repairs on An Teallach in Wester Ross, in the north-west Highlands, asking walkers and climbers to give the hill a few quid". The It's Up to Us campaign has announced that 218,000 has already been donated. Continue reading...

With half a dozen US rail projects in the works, Andy Byford thinks Americans will soon clamor for 200mph train linesAfter years of dashed hopes, delays and the all-consuming dominance of the car and airplane, high-speed trains may finally be about to have their breakthrough moment in the United States, according to one of the country's top rail executives.Half a dozen high-speed rail projects across the US are currently planned or have already started construction, with a gush of federal infrastructure dollars, a supportive White House, and rising angst over snarled highways and the climate crisis all helping bring the prospect of bullet trains, belatedly, closer than ever before to the American public. Continue reading...

Wang Wang and Fu Ni have lived at the city's zoo for 15 years but are due to head home by the end of 2024

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Campaigners find PFAS, which can contaminate the soil and water supply, in more than 80% of 27 companies' productsHikers may be inadvertently damaging the environment and risking their own health by wearing clothes made waterproof with forever chemicals", according to research by EthicalConsumer.The campaigning magazine examined 27 companies that make outdoor clothing such as fleeces, waterproof jackets, walking boots and rucksacks, and found 82% were still using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Continue reading...

GOP-controlled committee thwarting distribution of $125m budgeted by legislature until polluter immunity approvedWisconsin Republicans are withholding $125m designated for cleanup of widespread PFAS contamination in drinking water and have said they will only release the funds in exchange for immunity for polluters.The move is part of a broader effort by Republicans in the state to steal power from the Democratic governor, Tony Evers, the funding's supporters say, alleging such political games" are putting residents' health at risk. Continue reading...

Juneau agrees deal with industry body to curtail visits but critics say it does not go far enough to protect quality of lifeAlaska's capital city is to limit the numbers of cruise ship passengers arriving at the port amid concerns over tourism's growing impact, but a leading critic of the industry has said further measures to protect Alaskans' quality of life are needed.Located on the Gastineau Channel in southern Alaska, Juneau has a population of 32,000 and last year received a record 1.65 million cruise ship passengers - a 23% increase from the previous high. Continue reading...

Zone will be 20km off the coast and exclude areas significant for little penguin and for southern right whale migrationThe federal government has given the green light to an offshore windfarm zone south of Sydney, making it Australia's fourth such zone to be declared.Announcing the project in the Illawarra on Saturday, the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, said the move would bring thousands of new jobs and help power Australia's clean energy future". Continue reading...

Scorching temperatures have already swept south-east where Florida is now grappling with severe floodingThe scorching heatwave that has swept the US south-east in recent weeks will soon spread to the country's midwest and north-east regions, affecting nearly 250 million Americans.Temperatures are stuck at 90F (32C) or above for at least the next week in much of the US, the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted. The NWS defines a heatwave as a period of temperatures exceeding 90F for two or more days, and this one could last until 26 June. Continue reading...

Representative from Europe's biggest economy and key player in global climate talks says deep emissions cuts by 2030 essential' to limit climate heating to 1.5C

Birth control is being trialled as a humane way to limit growing numbers of grey squirrels, pigeons and wild boarThe invention of the contraceptive pill heralded the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and now scientists are looking to revolutionise wildlife control by getting animals in on the action. Trials are under way in the UK and elsewhere in Europe of how to get contraceptives into pigeons, wild boar and grey squirrels, with scientists also proposingother rodents, invasive parakeets and deer as other target species.As destruction from invasive and pest species grows, researchers are looking to fill special feeders and bait boxes with hazelnut spreads and grains laced with contraceptives. They believe this could be a more humane and effective way of controlling populations that have previously been poisoned, shot or trapped. Continue reading...

Campaigners say next government must reduce use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too lateThe UK's insect populations are declining at alarming rates and the next government must put in place plans to monitor and reduce the use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too late, wildlife experts say.In recent years, concerns have been raised over earthworm populations, which have fallen by a third in the past 25 years. A citizen science project that monitors flying insects in the UK, meanwhile, found a 60% decline between 2004 and 2021. The overall trajectory, as government monitoring figures show, has been downwards since the 1970s. Continue reading...

The best of this week's wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Results show increase in symptoms such as wheeziness in presence of high aviation-related ultrafine particlesAs the public hearings for London Gatwick airport's northern runway resume, researchers from the Netherlands have found greater inhaler use in children living near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.Stand close to a large airport and, if the wind is in the wrong direction, each cubic centimetre of air that you breathe will contain tens of thousands of ultrafine particles (UFP). Continue reading...

Makah people, whose right to hunt whales is noted in treaty, granted waiver by US government to kill two or three a yearAfter facing decades of legal and bureaucratic hurdles, the Makah Tribe in Washington has won approval from the US to resume whale hunting for the first time in 25 years.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) Fisheries announced on Wednesday that it would grant the tribe a waiver, allowing the Makah a limited subsistence and ceremonial hunt" under an 1855 treaty. The Makah will be permitted to hunt up to 25 eastern North Pacific gray whales over 10 years. Continue reading...

Fear of being seen as unclean drives overwashing of clothes at expense of environment, Swedish scientists sayHow often should you wash your clothes? Doctors don't really know, but the decision is more cultural than medical, anyway. Worried about leaving the house in sweaty shirts or stained shorts, people often chuck clean clothes in the laundry basket after wearing them just once.But the urge to avoid whiffy garments carries a climate cost that has largely been ignored. New research shows that feelings of disgust and shame encourage excessive clothes washing even among those who care about their carbon footprint. Continue reading...

Researchers made 161 sightings of whales - some of them endangered - south of Martha's Vineyard and NantucketAn unexpected number of whales is visiting the waters off New England, including an unusually high number of an endangered species, said scientists who study the animals.A research flight made 161 sightings of seven different species of whale on 25 May south of Martha's Vineyard and south-east of Nantucket, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Thursday. The sightings included 93 of sei whales, one of the highest concentrations of the rare whale during a single flight, the agency said. Continue reading...

Minister should have assessed climate damage that would be caused by two large developments, advocates say

Conservationists urge Tanya Plibersek to call in Daly River pastoral clearing application for assessment under commonwealth nature laws

Farmed kelp could produce plastic substitutes, beauty products and food supplements. Just steer clear of seaweed chocolate

Porto Alegre's poorest neighborhoods, often closest to rivers and with the worst infrastructure, bore brunt of crisisIt had been raining for nearly a week when the floodwaters first reached Marcelo Moreira Ferreira's home in Porto Alegre, the capital of Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul.His wife and their four children left to seek shelter with relatives, but Ferreira, 51, wanted to stay: his father had built the modest one-story structure and he had lived there his entire life. Continue reading...

Pennsylvania families worry about rising cases of rare cancer with well pads near homes and stalled House billsOne evening in 2019, Janice Blanock was scrolling through Facebook when she heard a stranger mention her son in a video on her feed. Luke, an outgoing high school athlete, had died three years earlier at age 19 from Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer.Blanock had come across a live stream of a community meeting to discuss rare cancers that were occurring with alarming frequency in south-western Pennsylvania, where she lives. Continue reading...

Diving with marine life such as blue sharks is growing in popularity in the UK, spurred by footage of encounters on social mediaWe have only been waiting in the grey Atlantic swell a few moments when the first flash of metallic blue appears in the water. A blue shark, a few miles from the coast of Penzance in Cornwall, emerges from the depths. It is time to get in the water - but part of my brain rebels.It's not what you think it will be like ... not that ingrained fear that everyone has about sharks. But until you get in the water with them, that fear will remain," the guide says to the group. Continue reading...