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44 years ago energy expert Lord Ritchie-Calder warned about the climate effects of burning fossil fuels.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

This summer has brought a bounty of butterflies to the buddleias, but not the small tortoiseshell, which is in precipitous decline

Every summer, I read despairing messages about the absence of butterflies on buddleias. These observations fit my own experience.

The buddleias from my Norfolk childhood in the 80s and 90s reliably contained a dozen nymphalids – brightly-coloured small tortoiseshells, peacocks and red admirals.

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Australian soybeans in short supply in the drought and NSW prepares for a 'fish Armageddon' as fierce hot-dry summer looms

Albatross expert Dr Jaimie Cleeland listens to the gurgles and bellows of albatross as they nest on a tiny Atlantic island called Gough.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was joined by hundreds of American teenagers protesting outside the UN headquarters in New York on Friday calling for adults to act on the crisis of global heating. Holding her trademark “skolstrejk för klimatet” (Swedish for “school strike for climate”) sign, Thunberg sat in the middle of the rally where young activists gave speeches calling for action on the climate crisis

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One of the largest emitters in the EU ETS is likely to come under pressure to cut its normally round-the-clock operations after a German court ordered its neighbouring mine to close due to environmental concerns.

Swedish climate activist and young strikers gathered in New York to call on adults to act on the climate crisis

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was joined by hundreds of American teenagers protesting outside the UN headquarters in New York on Friday calling for adults to act on the crisis of global heating.

Related: Greta Thunberg 'wants a concrete plan, not just nice words' to fight climate crisis

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Ian Duncan responds to letter on energy targets, Carol Blumenthal defends activists, Wendy Mulville recalls her experiences about air conditioning in Texas, Joseph Nicholas on the apocalypse, Michael Cook on forests, and world-class athletes step up

The letter on Wednesday (Clearer green energy targets are needed, 28 August) was quite right in recognising the UK’s lofty ambitions to become one of the cleanest and most innovative energy systems in the world on our path to becoming a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. But I take issue with the suggestion that our ambitions are not matched by our actions. We’re investing £274m to develop cheap, high-performance and durable batteries. We’re removing regulatory barriers to allow more storage facilities across the UK. We’re supporting small-scale localised energy generation through our smart export guarantee – continuing our world-leading support for the solar industry.

As members of the EU, we were obliged to implement the VAT increase for solar technology and storage. Once we leave, it may be possible to review this. All of this is supported by upgrades to the country’s energy infrastructure through our smart meter rollout and smart systems and flexibility plan. This enables homeowners to save money by putting them in control of their energy use, such as by charging electric vehicles or storing energy in a battery when it is cheapest.

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Average of 0.7% of total second-quarter electricity generated came from most polluting power plants

The share of coal in the UK’s electricity system has fallen to record lows in recent months, according to government data.

The figures show electricity generated by the UK’s most polluting power plants made up an average of 0.7% of the total in the second quarter of this year. The amount of coal used to power the electricity grid fell by almost two-thirds compared with the same months last year.

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In order to prepare for the major planned expansion due to the implementation of ICAO’s CORSIA on a global basis, and to build up a team of professional auditors, Verifavia is recruiting aviation auditors for its Paris and Chandigarh offices. 

The Q3 WCI advance auction settlement has surprised market participants, who had anticipated the Vintage 2022 sale to clear closer to the current vintage auction price with stronger bids.

Closing prices, ranges and volumes for China's regional pilot carbon markets this week.

A rabbit in a buckwheat field and armadillos and snakes challenged by wildfires in Bolivia and the Amazon

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Hundreds flock to St Ives, Cornwall to catch a glimpse of the yellow-footed seabird

Hundreds of birders have flocked to Cornwall to seek what could be the first ever UK sighting of a brown booby.

The large, yellow-footed seabird is usually found fishing in tropical waters on the far side of the Atlantic, around the Caribbean and Venezuela.

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EUAs lifted early on Friday amid a stronger energy complex and more bullish technical outlook, though carbon is on course to end the month almost 10% lower than where it began as higher auction supply looms.

A report downgrades the reef's long-term health from poor to very poor due to climate change.

Activists protesting against climate emergency set up camp kitchen in busy Deansgate

Extinction Rebellion protesters have begun blocking Manchester’s Deansgate in protest at the “huge contradictions” of a city region that has declared a climate emergency planning to massively expand its airport.

A yellow boat bearing the words “Planet Before Profit” was parked at the John Dalton Street junction and a tipper truck arrived packed with straw bales. Soon, guerrilla gardeners had set up a nursery of plants on what is one of Manchester’s most polluted streets, and a camp kitchen began to be erected.

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World leaders are unlikely to heed the UN secretary-general’s calls for countries to ramp up their Paris Agreement ambition next month, as domestic concerns and indifference from the US administration and other global heavyweights outweigh increasingly alarming evidence of a climate emergency.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator issued more than 730,000 carbon credits week, nearly seven times as many as the previous week as energy firm LMS applied for a large amount.