The Guardian

Conservationists blast Chris Gulaptis and Gurmesh Singh, saying ‘the demise of the koala’ would be expedited if they get their way

A conservation lobby group has pilloried two Nationals MPs for threatening to quit the New South Wales government and move to the crossbench if new koala protection regulations are not altered, saying “the demise of the koala” would be expedited if they get their way.

Chris Gulaptis, the MP for Clarence, said he would move to the crossbench if the government doesn’t review the Koala Habitat Protection State Environmental Planning Policy, which came into effect in March this year.

Groups hail result as vindication of removing chicks from nests to rear them in captivity

The much-persecuted hen harrier has enjoyed its best breeding year in England for nearly two decades, benefiting from good weather and high numbers of voles.

Grouse moor groups hailed the fledging of 60 chicks from 19 nests across the northern Pennines as a vindication of controversial “brood management”, whereby chicks are removed from some nests on grouse moors, reared in captivity and released elsewhere.

Mark Rylance and Zadie Smith join Writers Rebel event against Tufton Street lobbyists

A group of artists and writers including Zadie Smith and Sir Mark Rylance have spoken out against the thinktanks and lobbyists at the heart of Westminster, gathering with hundreds of protesters near their offices on Wednesday night.

Speakers from Writers Rebel, a group formed in support of the aims of Extinction Rebellion, blocked Tufton Street in London amid a noticeable police presence.

Politicians and industry use error to dismiss research showing logging can make the state’s forests more flammable

Pro-forestry politicians and industry groups have seized upon the retraction of a scientific paper on logging in Tasmania to claim there’s no evidence industry practices raise the risk of dangerous fires.

The study, published in May in the journal Fire, claimed logging had made forests in Tasmania more flammable, but was withdrawn last week at the request of its authors after a major error was discovered.

Margaret Atwood among those supporting Writers Rebel group set to protest in London

A number of famous novelists, poets and playwrights including Margaret Atwood and Zadie Smith have lent their support to an Extinction Rebellion campaign against the political influence of rightwing thinktanks fighting against climate action.

On Wednesday evening the Writers Rebel group will demonstrate outside 55 Tufton Street in London, a venue known to host meetings of thinktanks and lobbying outfits linked to climate science denial and the oil industry.

Shipment from Amsterdam has been approved despite health concerns, FoI request reveals

Sewage sludge containing human waste from the Netherlands has been passed for import to the UK, to be used on farmland as fertiliser, despite concerns over the safety of its use.

Spreading the sludge on farmland is banned in the Netherlands, where incineration is preferred, but allowed in the UK. Dutch water authorities are eyeing the UK as a possible destination for their sewage, after problems at an Amsterdam incineration company left them lacking disposal options.

Winners will be announced on 13 October at a virtual awards ceremony. The exhibition at the Natural History Museum will open on 16 October

Australia may be sailing perilously close to being cast by Biden’s team with other climate resisters Brazil and Saudi Arabia

This month the US Democrats wrapped up polling in Pennsylvania, a north-east industrial state that four years ago went to Donald Trump by 44,000 votes. Among other things the polling found that voters didn’t like Trump’s deregulation of methane. Voters supported a phasing out of fossil fuels.

This is happy news for Democrats given that Biden has already committed to impose “aggressive new methane limits” on gas and oil operations by presidential executive action on day one of his presidency. This was set out in his clean energy and environmental justice plan. It embraces decarbonisation as part of an economic rebuild.

Researchers in China saw big reductions in organisms that play a crucial role in recycling carbon and nitrogen

Microplastic pollution causes significant damage to populations of soil-dwelling mites, larvae and other tiny creatures that maintain the fertility of the land, research has found.

The study notes that discarded bags, cups, threads and other forms of plastic waste are concentrated more in the earth than the oceans, with similarly dire consequences for the abundance of species that live below the surface.

Swedish researchers measure the scale of peatlands, and the amount of carbon stored in them

How much of the Earth’s landmass is made of peat? We know that peatlands store as much as a quarter of all soil carbon, and if this were to be released we would face climate havoc. Until now, however, no one had made a comprehensive map of where peatlands occurred and how deep they were.

Related: Ultimate bogs: how saving peatlands could help save the planet

Thousands of Extinction Rebellion protesters have descended on Parliament Square in London, leading to at least 90 arrests, as the group kicked off 10 days of civil disobedience to demand government action on the climate crisis.

• Police arrest dozens of Extinction Rebellion protesters in London
  

Vessels off Galicia warned to keep well away from orcas after the whales damaged a Spanish navy yacht and a French boat

Maritime authorities in Spain have warned sailors off the coast of Galicia to give orcas a wide berth after a naval yacht lost a chunk of its rudder following a brush with two of the whales and a similar incident left a French boat with minor damage.

Both encounters took place hours apart on Sunday in the Rías Baixas area of north-west Spain. The French boat was found to have marks consistent with the orcas rubbing against its hull, while the Mirfak – a Spanish naval yacht en route to a regatta – lost part of its rudder after the boat attracted the animals’ attention.

Study warns sites must be protected in search for materials to build infrastructure

The mining necessary for producing renewable energy could exacerbate threats to biodiversity, researchers have found.

The production of renewable energy requires metals and other materials which are mined. Researchers mapped the areas around more than 60,000 mining properties to assess whether they overlapped with biodiversity conservation sites.

Italian scientists warn Marmolada has shrunk 80% in 70 years due to global heating

The largest and most symbolic glacier in the Dolomites could vanish within 15 years because of global heating, Italian scientists have warned.

The 3,343m Marmolada, located on the border of the Trentino and Veneto regions and known as the Queen of the Dolomites, has already lost more than 80% of its volume over the last 70 years.

Proposal would eliminate key environmental reviews and public notice requirements, according to environmental advocates

The Trump administration is proposing to make it easier for oil and gas companies to drill on US forest service lands.

A proposed rule would eliminate key environmental reviews and public notice requirements, according to environmental advocates.

Protests planned in London, Cardiff and Manchester to demand action on climate crisis

Extinction Rebellion protesters are to begin two weeks of disruption in London, Cardiff and Manchester as they take to the streets from Tuesday to demand government action on the climate emergency.

In the morning XR activists will march towards Parliament Square in London from four different locations, where they plan to sit in the streets until MPs agree to back the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill.

Snake catcher says two male snakes ‘some of the biggest and fattest’ he had seen, and appeared to be fighting over a female

It’s every Australian’s worst nightmare – well, probably everyone’s worst: making a cup of tea in the kitchen, only to have two massive snakes fall through your kitchen ceiling.

Retiree David Tait received a bit of a shock on Monday when he found two carpet snakes had tumbled on to the kitchen floor at his home north of Brisbane, before slithering away to the bedroom and living room.

• Steam-based plants third biggest source of toxic wastewater
• Pollutants released into water linked to cancer and other illness

The Trump administration is loosening rules for toxic water pollution from coal-fired power plants.

Related: White House spokeswoman refuses to say if Trump condemns Kenosha shooting suspect – live

Coal generation at power plants in NSW and Queensland may be falling faster than anticipated, due to cheaper solar and wind energy

Coal power plants in New South Wales are running less than 60% of the time due to an influx of renewable energy, increasing the likelihood some could become economically unviable and close earlier than planned.

An analysis by Hugh Saddler, an energy consultant and ANU honorary associate professor, also found coal generation in Queensland had dropped to less than 70% of capacity as more cheap solar and wind came online.

Number of glacial lakes rose by 53% in 1990-2018 to reveal impact of increased meltwater

Glacial lakes have grown rapidly around the world in recent decades, according to satellite images that reveal the impact of increased meltwater draining off retreating glaciers.

Scientists analysed more than quarter of a million satellite images to assess how lakes formed by melting glaciers have been affected by global heating and other processes.