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As annual three-week survey kicks off, there are signs weather has taken toll on populations of common species

Last summer’s drought may have reduced butterfly populations this year because grasses and flowers that would usually feed caterpillars withered and died in the heatwave, scientists say.

People are being urged to help researchers understand the impact of extreme weather on British butterflies by counting the number and species they see this summer as part of the world’s largest insect survey.

Energy secretary indicates cooling of government aspirations as concerns grow over costs, safety and efficiency

Controversial UK government aspirations to replace gas boilers in some homes with a hydrogen-based alternative are likely to be scrapped, Grant Shapps, the energy minister, has indicated.

Shapps said he believed hydrogen would form part of Britain’s overall energy mix but predicted it was “less likely” that the gas would be routinely piped into people’s homes, amid growing concerns about cost, safety and perpetuating a reliance on fossil fuels.

Climactic event will almost certainly strengthen throughout the year, US climate scientists predict

Mild El Niño climatic conditions brewing in the Pacific Ocean will strengthen throughout the year, with an outside chance of a record-breaking event that will further turbocharge already sweltering temperatures around the globe, scientists have forecast.

Last month saw a “weak” El Niño form, a periodic climatic event where the circulation of the equatorial Pacific Ocean shifts and its temperature rises, causing knock-on heat around the world, according to an update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).

Britain and Switzerland among countries that need to adapt most for heating, says research looking at impact of 2C global rise

The UK and Switzerland will see a 30% increase in the number of days of uncomfortably hot temperatures if the world heats by 2C, and are two of the countries which need to adapt the most for global heating, scientists have predicted.

The research, published in Nature Sustainability on Thursday, found that while central Africa will see the most extreme temperatures overall, it is mostly northern European countries that will experience the greatest relative increases in uncomfortably hot days.

In 2010, Barcelona’s nine city beaches were topped up with 700,000 cubic metres of sand. Since then, 70% of that sand has disappeared. In the past 20 years the rate of erosion along Spain’s east coast has been accelerating. It is partly to do with storms and rising sea levels but there are also other factors at play. The local authorities are in a bind, trying to balance economic needs and the environment, with no viable solutions to choose from. It is a tricky situation that could spell the end of Barcelona's beaches

Licensing for scallop dredging and trawling must comply with National Marine Plan after judicial review by Open Seas charity

The Scottish government should stop approving licences for fishing vessels using methods believed to cause harm to habitats, a charity working to protect marine life has urged, after a court declared a routine licensing decision to be unlawful.

Scotland’s highest court ruled that the Scottish government had failed to act in accordance with Scotland’s National Marine Plan (NMP) when varying fishing licences last December, after a judicial review by the conservation charity Open Seas. It is legally obliged to act in accordance with its environmental duties, as stated in the NMP, when making these decisions.

Investigation finds polluting farmers may not face action after breaking the rules

A loophole in the UK’s pollution legislation allows farmers to pollute rivers by spreading excess manure, an investigation has found, with those acting unlawfully not facing any action in most cases.

The government introduced new farming rules for water in 2018, aimed at cleaning up England’s waterways. However, after lobbying from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), including at least two meetings with ministers, the guidance was watered down.

ScottishPower expects Hagshaw Hill to produce five times as much energy with half the turbines by early 2025

• Hornsea Four offshore windfarm given green light after five-month delay

One of Britain’s oldest onshore windfarms will soon be “repowered” so it can generate five times as much green electricity as it did in 1995 – with almost half as many turbines.

The owner of the Hagshaw Hill windfarm, ScottishPower, began dismantling 26 turbines on its site in rural South Lanarkshire on Wednesday.

Exclusive: Sultan Al Jaber calls on world to up its renewable energy capacity and says oil and gas companies must be involved

The phase down of fossil fuels is “inevitable”, the president of the next UN climate summit has said, but can only happen when the world has ramped up its renewable energy capacity.

Sultan Al Jaber will host crucial climate talks, called Cop28, in the United Arab Emirates in November, while retaining his role as chief of UAE’s national oil company Adnoc, which is increasing its production capacity.

Fourth phase at giant project off Yorkshire coast is expected to have 180 turbines and generate 2.6GW

One of the UK’s largest planned offshore windfarms will move ahead after the government gave the green light to a giant project off the Yorkshire coast after a five-month delay.

The fourth phase of the Hornsea windfarm development is expected to include 180 giant turbines, capable of generating the equivalent of enough green electricity to power 1m homes.

Animals make first return to the county in 400 years as National Trust introduces family of four to Wallington estate

It was a genuinely tense tale of the riverbank as a family of four beavers were released into the Northumberland countryside on Wednesday, the first time in more than 400 years that the animals are making the county their home.

Would they even come out of their cages? Would they be as feisty coming out as they apparently were going in? Would they be happy with their new surroundings?

People will be able to claim back €6-€25 of cost of repairing clothes and shoes in latest environmental measure

A broken heel, a rip in trousers, buttons missing from a shirt? Don’t throw them away if you live in France, where the government will pay a “repair bonus” to have them mended in a new scheme aimed at cutting waste.

An estimated 700,000 tonnes of clothing is thrown away in France every year, two-thirds ending up in landfill.

The sea is becoming greener due to changes in plankton populations, analysis of Nasa images finds

Earth’s oceans are changing colour and climate breakdown is probably to blame, according to research.

The deep blue sea is actually becoming steadily greener over time, according to the study, with areas in the low latitudes near the equator especially affected.

Safe levels exceeded in 13,000km of rivers globally with ingredients potentially degrading into more persistent substances

Agricultural pesticides leach far from their original sources into the world’s waterways, according to new research which finds pesticides exceed safe levels in 13,000km of rivers globally.

Analysing 92 of the most common agricultural pesticides, scientists have estimated that 710 tonnes of pesticide active ingredients leach into the world’s oceans each year.

Longest trial so far of supplement derived from red seaweed produced 28% less of the greenhouse gas – much lower than previous studies

One of the world’s longest commercial trials of a seaweed supplement that the global meat industry hopes could slash methane from beef cattle has recorded much lower reductions in the potent greenhouse gas than previous studies.

Putting the supplement into the diets of 40 wagyu cattle in an Australian feedlot for 300 days cut the methane they produced by 28%.

WA EPA dismisses most grounds of appeal against extension of operation licence for gas processing facility in the Pilbara

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One of Australia’s biggest fossil fuel developments is a step closer to having its life extended for nearly 50 years after Western Australian officials dismissed appeals arguing it should be stopped on climate science and cultural grounds.

More than 750 organisations and individuals last year lodged objections to a WA Environment Protection Authority (EPA) recommendation that oil and gas company Woodside be allowed to operate its gas processing facility in the Pilbara until 2070.

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Volume of debris in the unexplored twilight zone is an ‘emerging threat’ to reefs already stressed by climate crisis, say scientists

No part of the planet is free of plastic waste, and coral reefs are no exception, but scientists have now made the discovery that the deeper the reef, the more plastic debris it is likely to have.

A study published in Nature found that not only is every coral reef encumbered with plastic, but almost three-quarters of the larger items were from “ghost gear” – fishing paraphernalia such as ropes, lines and nets. Food wrappers and plastic bottles were also common. The plastic constitutes an “emerging threat” to reefs already stressed by the climate crisis and overfishing, the researchers said.

A wildfire has consumed more than 4,000 hectares (9,984 acres) of a national park in eastern Bolivia over the weekend, Bolivian authorities said. Drone images showed plumes of smoke coming out of Otuquis national park in the Santa Cruz region, near the border with Brazil and Paraguay.

The fire entered a wet national park area on Tuesday, reducing its intensity but making it difficult for fire crews to fight the blaze

Country’s ministers echo European governments, scientists and environmental organisations in citing need for robust regulation of fledgling sector

Canada has joined a growing list of nations calling for a pause on deep-sea mining in international waters amid fears the nascent, untested industry could cause ecological devastation without further study and clear safeguards.

Three ministers, for the country’s foreign affairs, natural resources, and fisheries and oceans departments, issued a statement on Monday that “in the absence of both a comprehensive understanding of seabed mining’s environmental impacts and a robust regulatory regime”, they supported a moratorium on commercial deep-sea mining.

The joint chief executive of Thames Water has refused to apologise for allowing water companies to increase their debt during her time as chief of Ofwat, the water regulator. Cathryn Ross's comments came during a parliamentary committee session with Thames Water bosses as concerns mount over the financial viability of the company. Thames Water has secured £750m of emergency funding from its shareholders but the debt-ridden company warned it would need further funding in the years ahead

• Thames Water secures extra £750m from shareholders to help stave off nationalisation