With non-target species such as turtles, rays and dolphins being ensnared, conservation groups renew calls to ditch the nets'

Natasha Fyles tells National Press Club that Northern Territory is not for turning' on the project

Exclusive: Mawson and Davis stations won't be fully staffed this summer, according to workers, and documents show remediation work will also be halted

In South Korea, 12 people died from heat-related deaths last weekend, while in Japan, three people died including a 13 year-old on her way back from schoolTwelve people have died from heat-related causes in South Korea as it swelters through a heatwave, while in Japan it emerged a 13-year-old girl had died from heatstroke on her way back from a school club.South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that at least five of those who died over the weekend were farmers, and at least seven were over 70, including some in their 90s. Most of the country has been under a heatwave warning - issued when temperatures pass 35C - since Tuesday. Over the previous week, three people are believed to have died from heat-related causes. Continue reading...

Animal, found lounging in a Burbank neighborhood, climbed over a wall and headed back after it was done relaxingWith temperatures soaring across the US, people and animals alike are looking for a place to find relief. In southern California, one bear sought to beat the heat by taking a dip in a hot tub.On Friday, police in Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood. The bear was filmed calmly lounging in the hot tub. After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement. Continue reading...

Prime minister unveils plan to authorise more than 100 new North Sea licences on visit to ScotlandRishi Sunak has pledged to max out" the UK's oil and gas reserves as he revealed a new round of intensive North Sea drilling, which experts said could be catastrophic for the climate.Unveiling a plan to authorise more than 100 new North Sea licences on a visit to north-east Scotland, the prime minister also indicated he would approve drilling at the UK's largest untapped reserves in the Rosebank field, which hold 500m barrels of oil. Continue reading...

US tree nurseries do not grow enough trees and lack the plant species diversity to meet ambitious plans, research saysIn an effort to slash carbon emissions and provide relief from extreme heat, governments across the nation and globally have pledged to plant trees. But the US is not equipped with the tree seedlings to furnish its own plans, according to a new study.US tree nurseries do not grow nearly enough trees to bring ambitious planting schemes to fruition, and they also lack the plant species diversity those plans require, according to research published in the journal Bioscience on Monday, Continue reading...

York fire, with zero containment Sunday evening, one of two major blazes burning in California as region faces hot and dry weatherA huge wildfire burning out of control in California's Mojave national preserve is spreading rapidly amid erratic winds and high temperatures.The York Fire erupted on Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the wildland preserve. It crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley. Continue reading...

Many Conservatives concerned that push to woo motorists will alienate voters concerned about climateRishi Sunak must resist pressure and avoid backtracking on Britain's net zero goals or risk losing the support of an environmentally responsible electorate, Conservative MPs have warned.Many Tory MPs are privately very concerned that the prime minister's desperation to appear on the side of motorists could see him lose sight of the country's climate commitments. Many have, however, stopped short of publicly criticising him. Continue reading...

UN agency says Italian city faces irreversible' damage from effects of climate crisis and tourismVenice risks being placed on the Unesco world heritage site blacklist unless the Italian authorities do more to protect the fragile city.The United Nations cultural agency has recommended that Venice be added to the heritage danger list, saying in a statement on Monday that the city faced irreversible" damage due to a litany of problems ranging from the effects of climate breakdown to mass tourism. Continue reading...

Ministers urged to learn from success of single-use bag fee, amid criticism that other measures have been delayedEnvironmental campaigners have called on the government to learn from its own successes after official figures showed the use of single-use supermarket plastic bags had fallen 98% since retailers in England began charging for them in 2015.Annual distribution of plastic carrier bags by seven leading grocery chains plummeted from 7.6bn in 2014 to 133m last year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said on Monday. Continue reading...

The govnerment's former net zero tsar says Sunak's announcement is the wrong decision at precisely the wrong time'The Labour MP Jess Phillips has said the criminal justice system has suffered from total collapse and calamity", with her party claiming that more than 90% of crimes go unsolved.The MP for Birmingham Yardley and shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that criminals have never had it so good", adding:People don't expect anyone to be caught.The Home Office has watched while charging has dwindled over the years so that 90% of crimes currently go unsolved.This is about maxing out our oil and gas reserves and that means that we will be much more energy secure and less dependent on hostile actors like Vladimir Putin.The independent climate change committee understands that fossil fuels will play a major role in our energy base for years to come so we think it's essential that that fossil fuel comes from British water, ensuring the revenue comes to the British exchequer rather than paying to import, which would have a higher CO emission and rely on sometimes hostile foreign powers.I don't recognise that. We are committed to reaching net zero by 2050.We were the first parliament in the world to legislate for that. Carbon capturing plays a major role in delivering that. Continue reading...

The UK prime minister visited Aberdeenshire on Monday to announce more than 100 new licences for drilling oil and gas in the North Sea. Rishi Sunak insisted the announcement was 'entirely consistent with our plan to get to net zero', adding that domestic oil and gas saved 'two, three, four times the amount of carbon emissions' of 'shipping it from halfway round the world'. Environmental groups said the licences would obliterate the UK's climate commitments. Jess Ralston from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said it would jeopardise the UK's international standing on the climate emergency, adding that the government would export oil and gas 'to the highest bidder'

Greens, Jacqui Lambie Network and David Pocock offer government alternative to seeking Coalition support

Dartmoor National Park Authority had appealed against January high court ruling that outlawed practiceWild camping is once again allowed on Dartmoor after the national park won a successful appeal against a ruling in a case brought by a wealthy landowner.Camping had been assumed to be allowed under the Dartmoor Commons Act since 1985, until a judge ruled otherwise in January. It was the only place in England such an activity was allowed without requiring permission from a landowner. Continue reading...

Tory MP and environmental groups criticise Rishi Sunak's announcement of 100 new licences

Two people have reportedly been killed by severe flooding that has engulfed parts of Beijing after Typhoon Doksuri struck the Chinese capital. More than 31,000 people had been evacuated from the city as heavy rain continued to fall there, and in Hebei, Tianjin and eastern Shanxi, as the typhoon dissipated over northern China

The Penny chain has raised the prices of products including wiener sausage, cheese and yoghurtA leading discount supermarket in Germany has raised the prices of a selection of its products to reflect their real cost on people's health and the environment.In a week-long experiment in all 2,150 branches of the Penny chain, a range of nine products, mainly dairy and meat, will be priced at what experts from two universities have deemed to be their true cost, in relation to their effect on soil, climate, water use and health. Continue reading...

North East Forest Alliance say its surveys confirm populations of endangered species in state forests on north coast marked for logging

It could take years for the federal regulator Osha to set new heat rules as excessive temperatures are killing Americans at workBig-business lobbyists, including big agricultural and construction groups, are pushing to water down or stymie efforts at the federal and state levels to implement workplace heat protection standards.This summer, millions in the US have been exposed to some of the hottest days on record, inciting renewed urgency for federal protections from heat exposure for US workers. The Biden administration has proposed federal heat protections for workers. But those rules face stiff opposition and could take several years to be finalized under current rule-making processes and laws. They could even be scrapped depending on the outcome of 2024's election. Continue reading...

How a citizen vigilante in West Virginia uses his drone to uncover polluters who would rather stay hiddenCoal has stalked Junior Walk his entire life. He remembers his elementary school in the mountainous southern reaches of West Virginia being caked in coal dust, and the representatives from the nearby mine showing up to hand them out mollifying squeezable toys in the shape of lumps of coal.That school was subsequently shuttered and is now wreathed in weeds, a replacement established a few miles away to escape the shadow of the mine. Walk's childhood home sits a few hundred yards from another mine, Black Eagle, that spectacularly disgorges coal via a conveyer belt into a huge heap by the main road, like a sort of Stygian waterfall. Continue reading...

The Canadian town of Osoyoos has been ordered to evacuate after a wildfire crossed the border from the US state of Washington. Firefighters are using water cannon from planes to try to control the blaze, which local authorities estimate to be 885 hectares (2,200 acres) in size Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: The prime minister has tactically retreated from talking about the environment - but is it a route to electoral success? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. A sense of despondency is permeating Conservative party HQ. The government is flailing after losing two byelections and winning a third by the narrowest of margins. Inflation is not coming down as quickly as they would have hoped. The party's small boats bill suffered a series of defeats in the House of Lords last month, as Channel crossings by people seeking asylum hit record highs. And senior Tories are expecting MPs to quit in droves before the next election after years of political chaos and turmoil have left them exhausted.Rishi Sunak knows that, with an election looming, he needs to come up with a strategy and create a clear dividing line between his party and Labour. And it seems as though the lesson the prime minister has taken from that slim byelection victory in Uxbridge and South Ruislip - where opposition to an extension of London's ultra-low emission zone formed the central plank of the campaign - is that taking aim at the green agenda is a route to electoral success. Sunak has suggested that his government is willing to roll back, delay and even abandon climate policies that could come at a cost to consumers - and spent the weekend burnishing his pro-car credentials, with plans to restrict local councils' ability to institute a host of traffic calming and environmental measures.Society | The financial cost of the Grenfell Tower disaster has reached nearly 1.2bn - 4,000 times the amount that was saved by replacing fire-retardant cladding with a cheaper combustible alternative during the disastrous refurbishment. Most of the cost is coming from the public purse, dwarfing the compensation to the bereaved and survivors paid by companies involved in wrapping the west London council's block in combustible materials.Pakistan | At least 44 people have been killed and more than 150 injured in a bomb blast in the north-west of Pakistan that targeted a political party gathering. Police said the explosion was caused by a suicide bomb, adding that the initial investigations suggested the Islamic State group (IS) could be behind the attack, though investigations are ongoing. No group has claimed responsibility.NHS | A leading spinal surgeon's botched operations left patients with serious blood loss, long-term pain and mobility problems, a damning report has revealed. It found that John Bradley Williamson's unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour" severely or moderately harmed 20 patients at Salford Royal hospital, once regarded as one of England's safest.Finance | The biggest regulatory shake-up of UK retail financial services for two decades will come into force on Monday in an effort to crack down on rip-offs and poor customer service. Experts are predicting that some older financial products that do not meet the new standards are likely to be removed from sale.Policing | The Metropolitan police is expanding its use of precision policing", an approach that uses crime data to focus police activity, in an effort to remove some of the most serious criminals from the streets. Continue reading...

Laughing owl and bush wren among five extinct birds added to list of contenders in popular - and controversial - annual contestNew Zealand's fiercely competitive and often controversial bird of the year competition will be replaced this year by a bird of the century contest that will include extinct species to highlight the threats to native wildlife.This year five extinct species will be included among the 75 contenders, to bring attention to the pressures facing the natural world. In New Zealand, 82% of birds are threatened with extinction. Continue reading...

Concerns over water quality have discouraged a quarter of summer bathers from taking the plungeAlmost a quarter of the UK's sea swimmers may not take a dip in the ocean this year because of sewage dumping by water companies, according to a poll.Sewage was dumped into waters near England's most celebrated beaches for nearly 8,500 hours last year, analysis shows. A separate review earlier this year found there were 1,504 discharges in 2022 on beaches supposed to be free from such pollution. Continue reading...

Chris Minns rules out following Victoria in banning new gas connections, saying state has enough serious energy challenges

Visit to Aberdeenshire intended as chance for PM to criticise opposition with reports he could announce 100 new drilling licencesRishi Sunak is to make a visit to north-east Scotland focused on North Sea energy that is intended to draw a dividing line between the government and Labour's plan to ban new oil and gas projects.While No 10 said in advance only that the prime minister would use the trip to Aberdeenshire to commit to policies connected to energy security and net zero, he is expected to announce funding for a planned carbon capture scheme in the region. Continue reading...

Lack of official vehicle efficiency standards blamed for low supplies as demand for electric cars continues to exceed availability

Senator's bill calls for new conditions in Climate Change Act to influence decision-making on projects that could raise greenhouse gas emissions

Whitehall watchdog gives red rating to set of measures aimed to bring net-zero goals, amid backlash over retreat on climate policyRishi Sunak has been accused of showing disregard for the climate crisis after Whitehall officials warned that some of his key green pledges were already unachievable.With the prime minister facing a backlash within his own party after appearing to row back from his commitment to green policies, an internal government audit found that a series of measures designed to help meet Britain's net zero goals had been allowed to run off course. Continue reading...

Last-minute agreement reached at ISA meeting in Jamaica to discuss moratorium at next year's talksAn international meeting in Jamaica to negotiate rules over deep-sea mining has ended with no green light to start industrial-scale mining and with an 11th-hour agreement to hold formal discussions next year on the protection of the marine environment.The agreement ended intense week-long negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an intergovernmental body based in Kingston that regulates sea-bed extraction, over a proposal spearheaded by Chile, France and Costa Rica and backed by a dozen countries to discuss a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining to ensure the protection of the marine environment. Continue reading...

No active front' in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece blazes as more than 460 firefighters remain on alertWildfires that have scorched Greece for more than two weeks are under control, but firefighters remain in key hotspots as strong winds remain a threat, officials have said.Scattered fire pockets are being extinguished," the fire department said on Saturday, adding that there was no active front" in the three biggest wildfires in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece that forced thousands of people to flee. Continue reading...

Organisations including RSPB, National Trust and RSPCA urge prime minister to honour green promisesEnvironmental groups claiming to represent 20 million people will mobilise their members if UK ministers water down climate commitments, they have warned.Groups including the RSPB, National Trust and the RSPCA have written to the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who has signalled his willingness to back away from green policies should the Conservatives stand to benefit from it electorally. Continue reading...

Amid record-breaking heat, increased access to air conditioning could save lives - but AC units are damaging the environment. Are there other options?Much of the Earth sweltered under record-topping temperatures this month. Phoenix, Arizona, broke its record for most 110F (43.3C) days. California's Death Valley had its highest temperature ever. An airport in coastal Iran saw a heat index of 152F, while Beijing saw a record stretch of 95F days.Oppressive heatwaves have become more frequent and more severe as a result of the climate crisis - a trend that's expected to continue, and could worsen in proportion to how quickly we can transition from fossil fuels. Continue reading...

Eleni Myrivili, whose job is to help cities prepare for extreme heat, says many people do not understand how deadly it can beIt is shocking" how little people know about the danger of hot weather, the United Nations global chief heat officer has said, as high temperatures bake cities across the northern hemisphere and politicians backslide on climate promises.A study this month found that extreme heat in Europe last summer killed 61,000 people, most of whom were women and older people. As well as killing people through heatstroke, hot weather can push the bodies of people with heart and lung disease into deadly overdrive. Continue reading...

London mayor to expand charging zone for drivers after high court win and rejects pressure from Labour leadership to think againSadiq Khan has vowed to press ahead with the expansion of London's low emissions zone saying tackling the climate emergency and air pollution are bigger than party politics", despite the Labour leadership urging a rethink of the policy.After the high court dismissed a legal challenge brought by five Conservative councils, the Labour mayor said he understood concerns of some Londoners but it was right to charge the most polluting vehicles 12.50 a day to drive in the capital's outer boroughs from the end of August. Continue reading...

Arguments between and within parties have been inflamed by the apparent Ulez effect' in the Uxbridge byelection

Doctors and independent MPs say despite Labor's reassurances, work should have been conducted by public servants and a clear conflict of interest exists

Great Plains, midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-east hit by soaring temperatures, with New York City to reach 102F (39C)A blistering heatwave that has engulfed the southern US over the past four weeks has spread to the Great Plains, midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-eastern regions, placing about 190 million Americans under heat advisory alerts, the National Weather Service said.The extreme heat is expected to persist through Saturday, with Friday and Saturday forecast to be the hottest days of the summer so far for millions in the mid-Atlantic and north-east. Continue reading...

Project in Friesland aims to draw on residual warmth from Zuidwal volcano for sustainable energyHeat from an extinct volcano could be piped into homes under a plan in the Dutch city of Bolsward.The Netherlands may be known for windmills but Ynze Salverda is no fan of the wind turbines proliferating across the country. He believes sustainable energy could be generated underground using residual warmth from the Zuidwal volcano deep under the Wadden Sea. Continue reading...

Since the pandemic toilet paper has come out of the shadows to take centre stage in UK bathroomsHandbags and cars are more traditional status symbols, but in these topsy-turvy times the humble toilet roll is being treated with more reverence than you would expect for something used to wipe your bottom with. In the toilets of trendy restaurants or friends, proud pyramids of loo roll stand in bright, graphic wrapping. On Instagram, influencers now allow it to stay in the backdrop of bathroom selfies rather than hiding it.While Who Gives A Crap (WGAC) may be one of the more familiar brands, delivering its first striped and spotty rolls in 2013, others with similarly colourful packaging and eco-friendly messaging have sprung up such as Bazoo and Feel Good. There are also those in more muted tones including The Cheeky Panda, Bumboo and Naked Sprout. Using recycled paper or bamboo, they are not shy about advertising their sustainable credentials. Continue reading...

Caribbean Development Bank head urges help for countries classed as developing but not among poorestMiddle-income developing countries hit by devastating climate disaster risk missing out on rescue funds, the head of one of the world's development banks has warned.Hyginus Leon, the president of the Caribbean Development Bank, told the Guardian that some developing countries with per capita incomes that would disqualify them for some forms of overseas aid could be made ineligible for climate funds. Continue reading...

Fertiliser use on key crops down more than a quarter on 2010-19 average, while yields increased 2.4%Britain's farmers increased their yields of major crops last year despite significant reductions in fertiliser use, according to research.Making artificial fertilisers relies on natural gas, the price of which rose sharply last year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Fertiliser prices almost tripled, from 233 a tonne in 2020 to 766 a tonne in 2022, which farmers say led to a reduction in their use. Continue reading...

Decision is victory for mayor Sadiq Khan, with zone due to be extended at end of August

The best of this week's wildlife photographs, including deer in Greece, busy ants and the return of the kkp Continue reading...

Shemara Wikramanayake decries nickname given to investment bank by media as utility burdened by $26bn debtThe Macquarie chief executive, Shemara Wikramanayake, has delivered a fervent defence of the company's former stewardship of ailing utility Thames Water, labelling its management of debt levels as prudent and bemoaning the investment bank's UK nickname, the vampire kangaroo".Wikramanayake told shareholders Britain's ageing infrastructure required significant investment that would best be delivered by the private sector. Continue reading...

When Scotland's largest recorded mass stranding struck this summer, volunteers swung into action. Here they recall the hard work ... and the heartbreakAt 8.13am on Sunday 16 July, Mairi Carrey was wondering how to celebrate her wedding anniversary when her phone buzzed. At that same moment, Lyndsey Dubberley was looking down a steep hillside at the haunting sight of a sole figure - a local crofter - surrounded by 55 dead and dying whales strewn across the beach. It was eerie to see these beautiful creatures on land when they should be in the sea," she recalls.Fighting to save a pod of stranded pilot whales on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides was not in the plans of either woman that day. But Carrey, a trained archaeologist who now works for Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and Dubberley, a former member of the fire service's water rescue unit, were ready. Both volunteer for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), a charity that responds to strandings of whales, dolphins and porpoises across the UK. Continue reading...

Environmental groups and Property Council welcome move but opposition argues it could increase energy bills

The blog is now closed, but you can read more about Donald Trump's new charges here and about Hunter Biden's ongoing legal challenges here.Joe Biden will soon speak on his administration's efforts to protect workers from extreme heat, including by asking the labor department to issue a hazard alert" as swaths of the US struggle with scorching temperatures.The hazard alert will reaffirm that workers have heat-related protections under federal law. As part of the alert, the Department of Labor will provide information on what employers can and should be doing now to protect their workers, help ensure employees are aware of their rights, including protections against retaliation, and highlight the steps the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently taking to protect workers," the White House announced. Additionally, the Department of Labor will ramp up enforcement of heat-safety violations, increasing inspections in high-risk industries like construction and agriculture, while OSHA continues to develop a national standard for workplace heat-safety rules." Continue reading...

As long as a paperclip and as thin as pencil lead, Illacme socal is no ordinary SoCal denizen - it uses 486 legs to walk wherever it goesThe city of angels, a metropolis of freeways and traffic, has a newly discovered species named in its honor: the Los Angeles thread millipede.The tiny arthropod was found just underground by naturalists at a southern California hiking area - near a freeway, a Starbucks and an Oakley sunglasses store. Continue reading...