Government urged to enforce more stringent rules amid target to build 1.5m new homes this parliamentLabour must stand firm against special pleading from housebuilders, who are likely to argue against fitting out new homes to stringent green standards, experts have warned.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, laid out sweeping changes to the planning system on Monday in her first speech on reviving economic growth while pursuing the climate goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Continue reading...

Rachel Reeves says she will revise planning policy and decisions should be taken nationally, not locally'

Laura Davy, who travelled from Tasmania to take part in a protest at a coal terminal, will appeal prison sentence

The lifting of a long-held ban has angered conservationists, but others argue trophy hunting can support local economies and even help protect threatened speciesIn the borderlands of Tanzania and Kenya, the super tuskers" roam. A combination of old age, genetic pooling and prolonged protection from poaching has created a population of bull elephants with enormous tusks, weighing up to 45kg apiece, large enough to scrape along the ground as the animals walk. To many, the bulls are living icons" of the African savannah. They are also highly prized by trophy hunters.Now, a series of super-tusker killings has sparked a bitter international battle over trophy hunting and its controversial, sometimes counterintuitive role in conservation. Some conservationists believe the killing of these extraordinary animals should not be allowed. Others say controlled, regulated hunting can actually contribute to elephants' long-term survival by providing jobs for local people and incentives for habitats to be preserved. Continue reading...

Copernicus Climate Change Service says results a large and continuing shift' in the climateThe world has baked for 12 consecutive months in temperatures 1.5C (2.7F) greater than their average before the fossil fuel era, new data shows.Temperatures between July 2023 and June 2024 were the highest on record, scientists found, creating a year-long stretch in which the Earth was 1.64C hotter than in preindustrial times. Continue reading...

Ruling, based on constitutional rights for natural features like Quito's Machangara River, appealed by governmentA ruling described by activists as historic," a court in Ecuador has ruled that pollution has violated the rights of a river that runs through the country's capital, Quito.The city government appealed the ruling, which is based on an article of Ecuador's constitution that recognizes the rights of natural features like the Machangara River. Continue reading...

One of the biggest consumers in a global market worth an estimated 2bn, trade in the cheap fish in the south American country is booming. But worried conservationists say most people do not realise they are eating shark

Rules allow hunting practices that target bears and wolves, including pups or cubs, on federal land in AlaskaThe Biden administration has reinstated controversial Trump-era rules allowing what critics say are barbaric" hunting practices that target bears and wolves, including pups or cubs, on federal land in Alaska.Sport hunters use the practices, like killing young in their dens, to eliminate predators of caribou, which are considered trophy animals. The killings are probably decimating predator populations on federal Alaskan preserves, said Jeff Ruch, Pacific director with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Continue reading...

Temperatures could crest 100F (38C) in many regions after breaking records and sparking dozens of wildfiresA long-running heatwave that has already broken records, sparked dozens of wildfires and left about 130 million people under a high-temperature threat is about to intensify enough that the National Weather Service has deemed it potentially historic".The NWS on Saturday reported some type of extreme heat or advisory for nearly 133 million people across the nation - mostly in western states where the triple-digit heat, with temperatures 15F to 30F higher than average, is expected to last into next week. Continue reading...

Polling shows voters in south of England switched because of Conservative inaction on polluted rivers and beachesThe sewage crisis was a significant factor in the Tories' losing support in the blue wall" in the south of England, electoral polling suggests.Seven out of 10 voters supported legal measures to eliminate sewage spills in ecologically sensitive areas by 2030, according to polling conducted for Greenpeace by Survation just before the election. Less than a third of voters thought the Conservatives were right to weaken their commitments on the climate crisis and the environment. Continue reading...

Local residents are mourning the planned removal of the trees, symbols of the state's northern-southern divideWhenever Cassie Yoshikawa drives through the Central Valley on the former US Highway 99, she looks for the century-old landmark that symbolizes the midpoint of California: the Palm and the Pine.Located on the highway median and towering over neighboring oleander shrubs, the Canary Island palm and the Deodar cedar tree are said to represent the spot where the balmy bottom of California meets its woodsier counterpart. In a state where north-south divisions run deep, the trees have long been a bright spot that speaks to the spirit of each half. Continue reading...

There's officially just one classification for wild dogs/dingoes', which lists them as pests

Critics point out political roadmap for a potential second term created by more than 20 officials Trump appointed'Donald Trump is trying to claim he has nothing to do" with Project 2025, a political roadmap created by people close to him for his potential second term.The project, which is led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank, seeks to crack down on various issues including immigration, reproductive rights, environmental protections and LGBTQ+ rights. It also aims to replace federal employees with Trump loyalists across the government. Continue reading...

French fire grows to more than 900 acres, as millions across US west face sweltering temperatures and dry conditionsA fast-moving wildfire burning near Yosemite national park is threatening rural communities as millions of people in California and across the US west swelter under a brutal heatwave that is predicted to persist through the weekend.The French fire broke out on Thursday and grew to more than 900 acres (364 hectares) by Friday afternoon. The fire is 15% contained with multiple evacuations and road closures in place", according to local fire officials.US swelters on Independence Day with over 150m people under heat alertsWildfire season has arrived. Here's why it could be an explosive summerBroken toilets, bed bugs and rats: US firefighters are in a housing crisis Continue reading...

The hit show shows how kitchens are pressure cookers of stress, but not how professional cooking ravages the bodyThe opening scene of the popular F/X drama The Bear's latest season opens with troubled chef Carmen Carmy" Berzatto gazing at a deep scar in his hand. He vaguely explains its origin to his doctor girlfriend, Claire; the now-healed injury seems like nothing much to him. Attuned to what Carmy leaves unsaid, she asks if the wound hurt so much that he couldn't feel it at the time.That delayed pain applies to Carmy's other wounds: the mental health damage sustained in an abusive kitchen and a harsh upbringing. But now he's passing his trauma on to his own restaurant staff as he pushes them toward their breaking points. Continue reading...

Former Oasis guitarist describes festival, which has long championed political causes, as kind of preachy and a bit virtue-signalling'Noel Gallagher has decried Glastonbury festival, long a champion of leftwing political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, as getting a bit woke now".Speaking to the Sun, the former Oasis guitarist said: It's getting a bit woke now, that place, and a bit kind of preachy and a bit virtue-signalling. I don't like it in music - little fucking idiots waving flags around and making political statements and bands taking the stage and saying, Hey guys, isn't war terrible, yeah? Let's all boo war. Fuck the Tories man,' and all that. It's like, look - play your fucking tunes and get off." Continue reading...

Working group to look at where birds might be introduced and engage with boroughs and local community in capitalWhite storks could soon be wheeling in the skies above London and building their huge nests among towers, flats and spires as a result of new rewilding plans.After the success of the charismatic birds' successful reintroduction into southern England since 2016, a white stork working group has been established to seek out habitat and gauge the political will to reintroduce the birds to Greater London. Continue reading...

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

Drone footage released by the Grenadian prime minister's office showed widespread destruction on the island of Carriacou after Hurricane Beryl struck. After his visit to Carriacou, Grenada's prime minister, Dickon Mitchell, described the aftermath of the category 4 storm as 'Armageddon-like'. Mitchell said about 98% of the buildings were either damaged or demolished, and the electrical grid and communication systems were almost entirely obliterated

Category 3 storm with wind speeds of up to 120mph continues to wreak utter devastation' in Caribbean

Projections of shortfalls - and calls for more production - come even as the bulk of gas produced in Australia is exported

Changes to menu are part of the All England Club's drive to be more environmentally sustainableVictoria sponge bursting with strawberry jam and cream has been a staple at Wimbledon for decades, but now the All England Club has created a plant-based version for the first time.The famous British cake has been transformed with Flora spread and coconut cream as part of a wider move to make the tournament more environmentally sustainable. The cake is being served to hospitality guests paying up to 2,000 a ticket. Continue reading...

Study that researchers say highlights chemicals' ubiquity also shows PFAS association with seafood and red meatNew research aimed at identifying foods that contain higher levels of PFAS found people who eat more white rice, coffee, eggs and seafood typically showed more of the toxic chemicals in their plasma and breast milk.The study checked samples from 3,000 pregnant mothers, and is among the first research to suggest coffee and white rice may be contaminated at higher rates than other foods. It also identified an association between red meat consumption and levels of PFOS, one of the most common and dangerous PFAS compounds. Continue reading...

The fastest birds in the world, peregrine falcons are sought after for racing and can sell for up to 250,000 in the Middle East. Poaching is a constant threat, with eggs and chicks stolen to supply the hidden market. Now, there are nationwide efforts under way to ring and take DNA from wild chicks - but just reaching their nests can be perilous

From wildflower retreats and Novid rooms to locking yourself in a disabled toilet, hospital staff reveal where they go when they need a moment's peace Continue reading...

Melbourne's pressure reading reaches 1,040.8hPa on Thursday, just below all-time high of 1,041.2hPa

It is no coincidence that ever more extreme politics has come at a time of ever more extreme weatherA disrupted climate and diminished natural world are widening the dividing lines of ideological debate. Left unchecked, this will undermine democracy.That may not be the first thing on the minds of British voters as they go to the polls on Thursday. It is probably also a minority view in the rest of Europe or the US, where people are too much in the thick of a polycrisis to consider anything outside politics and economics as usual. But from a distance, in my case from the Amazon rainforest, there is a very different explanation for the tremors being witnessed in the old world and the new. Continue reading...

A study of the sea cow population in the South Pacific islands is urgently needed, say experts, as numbers fall dramaticallyOn a bright spring day, the sun dances over the water of Havannah Bay on the island of Efate in Vanuatu. Below the surface, pockets of seagrass that can just about be seen from the shoreline, sway in the current. It's here, if they are lucky, that onlookers may spot a dugong bobbing in the shallow water, orbiting the seagrass meadows they feed on.It's wonderful seeing them swimming by and grazing off the seagrass in front of the resort," says Greg Pechan, the owner of a local hotel, the Havannah, which sits at the tip of the bay. Pointing out beyond the jetty that stretches into the Pacific Ocean, he says Vanuatu's sea life is a big attraction for visitors to the Melanesian country. Continue reading...

Thompson fire near Oroville destroys homes and vehicles as state simmers in brutal and potentially historic heatwaveThousands of homes are under threat from a raging wildfire that erupted in northern California on Tuesday, as the state simmers in a brutal and potentially historic heatwave.Roughly 28,000 residents have been forced to evacuate as the Thompson fire quickly swept across more than 3,500 acres (1,416 hectares) near the city of Oroville, about an hour outside Sacramento, California's capital. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ageing, flood-prone rail line carrying the city's waste to landfill increasingly vulnerable to disruptions, experts say

The entrepreneur claims agency exaggerated the costs of the Coalition plan despite it using best-case scenario South Korea as the benchmark

More plans afoot for compostable food use, says head gardener, as tournament commits to wildlife net gain' by 2030Rain or shine - usually more of the former - Wimbledon's stunning floral displays always manage to dazzle.For those hoping to give their gardens an SW19-inspired transformation, the tournament's secret has finally been revealed: coffee grounds from the staff room. Continue reading...

Light pollution acts as midnight fridge', drawing in young fish, then predators, according to tests in French PolynesiaArtificial light shining from coastlines around the world is acting like a midnight fridge" full of tasty snacks, threatening young fish who can be drawn to it and who are then eaten by predators also attracted by the brightness, according to a study.It has long been established that light pollution hampers people's ability to see the night sky and harms migrating birds, insects and other animals. But its impact on marine ecosystems has rarely been taken into account, said Jules Schligler, the lead author of the study at the international coral ecosystem research centre in Mo'orea, French Polynesia. Continue reading...

The ex-president is ranting about low water pressure and attacking mundane rules and technologies - and Republicans in Congress are now following his leadWhen Donald Trump embarked upon a lengthy complaint at a recent rally about how long it takes to wash his beautiful luxuriant hair" due to his shower's low water pressure, he highlighted the expanding assault he and Republicans are launching against even the most obscure environmental policies - a push that's starting to influence voters.In his bid to return to the White House, Trump has branded Joe Biden's attempt to advance electric cars in the US lunacy", claiming such vehicles do not work in the cold and that their supporters should rot in hell". He's called offshore wind turbines horrible", falsely linking them to the death of whales, while promising to scrap incentives for both wind and electric cars. Continue reading...

President hails proposal to protect millions of Americans from extreme heat - the top weather-related US killerPresident Biden on Tuesday trumpeted new rules from his administration that aim to protect Americans from extreme heat.Extreme heat is the No 1 weather-related killer in the United States," he said at the Washington DC Emergency Operations Center. More people die from extreme heat than floods, hurricanes and tornadoes combined." Continue reading...

Sweltering conditions and power shutoffs may overlap with errant fireworks or badly tended campfiresA brutal and long-lasting heatwave is threatening to wreak havoc across the US west this week, as sweltering conditions, power shutoffs and a severe uptick in wildfire risks coincide with Fourth of July celebrations.Nearly 90 million people were under heat alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) on Tuesday morning, as swaths of the south-central and western US were scorched. As pressure builds over the west through the week, the dangerous weather event is expected to stretch for days with little reprieve. Continue reading...

The season to tap trees is now earlier and longer, but new processes and generations are helping the industry thriveOn a warm May Monday, more than three dozen high school students took to the forest behind a former dairy barn at Vermont State University in Randolph.In teams of four, they ran blue plastic tubing from tree to tree, racing to connect the tubes across three trees in 30 minutes. One student leaned back and pulled it taut with his body weight while another secured tube to tree. Quickly, they dashed to the next in what appears to be a twisted tug-of-war. Continue reading...

Technical difficulties blamed for new blow to firm's sustainable energy plansShell has paused the construction of one of Europe's largest biofuel plants which was expected to convert waste into green jet fuel and biodiesel by the end of the decade.The oil company said on Tuesday it would temporarily pause" work on one of its biggest energy transition projects to address the technical difficulties that have delayed its progress so far. Continue reading...

Decision by supreme court means water companies could be sued for damage caused by dumping of human wasteWater companies could face a spate of legal challenges by people and businesses affected by sewage pollution after a ruling that United Utilities could be sued by a private company for damage caused by the dumping of human waste.Lawyers said it was a watershed moment" as the courts had previously ruled that penalties for water companies were a matter for the regulator, and companies could not sue firms for damage caused to their property by sewage pollution. Continue reading...

Federal review sparks fresh warnings that biodiversity scheme is increasing risk of animals going extinct

Trump appointee indicates he expects states' suit against Department of Energy to allow new LNG projects to succeedThe Biden administration cannot delay consideration of projects aimed at exporting liquefied natural gas while a legal challenge by 16 Republican-led states plays out in federal court, a Louisiana judge said on Monday.US district judge James Cain Jr, a Trump appointee, sided with the states, granting a preliminary injunction that puts the Biden administration's delay on hold. Continue reading...

Dropoff in government approvals put billions of investment in offshore wind schemes at risk, ports bodies warn

Activists from the award-winning Mother Nature found guilty on charges of plotting against governmentTen activists from a prominent youth-led environmental group in Cambodia have been sentenced to between six and eight years in jail in a case human rights experts have widely condemned.The activists from Mother Nature, an award-winning group of environmental campaigners, were found guilty on charges of plotting against the government, while three were also convicted of insulting the king. They denied the charges. Continue reading...

With solar module prices well down' in 2024 it could yet be a record year for installations, Sunwiz says

Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines calls Cop largely a talk shop' and beseeches west to honor commitmentsThe prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has decried a lack of political will in western Europe and the US to tackle global climate crisis as Hurricane Beryl has made landfall as an extremely dangerous" category 4 storm.Speaking from his residence in SVG on Monday, Ralph Gonsalves described the unfolding catastrophe as the monster" storm ripped off rooftops, including that of the 204-year-old St George's Anglican cathedral in the country's capital, Kingstown. Continue reading...

Exclusive: shadow energy security secretary promises to fill vacuum' left by Rishi Sunak's U-turn on net zeroLabour will promise to take the lead on global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, filling a vacuum of leadership" on the world stage and proving Rishi Sunak's U-turn on net zero has been a historic mistake", Ed Miliband has said.The shadow energy security and net zero secretary said the UK needed to change course and was off track". Continue reading...

Most rats, like most people, try to distinguish themselvesYou must go to the rats," the Great Owl tells Mrs Frisby in the Rats of Nimh.Mrs Frisby, a mouse, needs help: her son is sick and she has to move out of her house at the edge of a field, because the field will soon be ploughed. Continue reading...

Hit show's British host Graham Hancock has been criticized for promoting fringe beliefs about advanced lost civilizationControversial British writer Graham Hancock has abandoned plans to film a new season of his hit Netflix show Ancient Apocalypse in the US following an outcry from Indigenous groups over his depiction of their history and culture.Hancock is a former journalist who has been criticized by experts for his promotion of fringe beliefs in the show which presents theories about an advanced lost civilization active during the last ice age. Continue reading...

Agency rejected FOI request about potential conflicts of financial and business interests held by regional directorsThe Environment Agency is refusing to provide campaigners with details of potential conflicts of interests with water companies held by its directors across England.The refusal to provide the information comes after the head of the agency, Philip Duffy, admitted that freedom of information requests have been buried by the regulator because the truth about the environment in England is embarrassing". Continue reading...

Rain expected to ease but no respite from cold nights in New South Wales and Victoria until well into July, with just 1C forecast for Melbourne on Wednesday