The Guardian

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.

Edinburgh declaration calls on leaders to work far more closely with communities

The worldwide effort to combat critical levels of biodiversity loss will fail without far greater involvement from local communities, according to an international declaration.

The “Edinburgh declaration”, published on Monday, urges leaders to work more closely with sub-national governments, indigenous peoples, national parks, local councils and wider society in meeting 20 biodiversity goals set out in the Aichi accord, signed in Nagoya, Japan, 10 years ago.

Birmingham and Liverpool among local authorities with lowest rates, analysis shows

Recycling rates for household waste are significantly lower in the most deprived areas of England, a Guardian analysis has found.

A breakdown of data from 303 local authorities in England has found that for 2018-19 85% of local authorities that are among the top 20% most deprived have household recycling rates below the overall average of 42%.

About half of staff at poultry plant in Norfolk have had to self-isolate after 75 tested positive for coronavirus

At least 400,000 chickens are being culled in the UK as Covid-19 infections disrupt slaughterhouse routines. About 300,000 birds are due to be culled in England and 110,000 have been culled in Scotland.

Chickens that cannot be slaughtered for food are usually gassed with CO2 and their bodies rendered for fat and other animal byproducts. They do not enter the food chain.

Exemption for smaller shops to end, and campaigners say ‘bags for life’ are next target

The government is to double the charge for single-use plastic carrier bags in England from 5p to 10p and end the exemption for smaller shops from April 2021, as it steps up efforts to tackle plastic pollution.

Since the introduction of the charge in October 2015, shoppers have used billions fewer thin-gauge plastic shopping bags.

Analysis shows state and federal governments not exercising their powers to require companies to increase offsets

Only 1.2% of the greenhouse gas emissions released by Australia’s top 65 emitting companies had to be offset under federal and state laws last financial year, an analysis has found.

The analysis by Footprint, a sustainability news site, examined both regulatory constraints imposed on businesses with emissions greater than 1m tonnes and any voluntary offsetting commitments they made.

Giantess is one of the biggest geysers in the national park, and typically explodes between twice and six times a year

In these troubled times there comes a point where we all need to let off steam.

For this huge geyser in Yellowstone park, the moment was now and the eruption was spectacular, after a six-year wait.

One of the largest geysers at the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming has erupted for the first time in more than six years. The Giantess Geyser shot a column of steam up to 60m in the air on 25 August as it ‘roared back into life’, the National Park Service said. The six-year gap was the longest since at least the 1980s

Seeing a wild, swooping kestrel hunt its prey near my Melbourne home was exhilarating. I could taste its freedom

The nankeen kestrel hovered over a patch of saltmarsh, eyes down, wings slowly flapping. After a minute or so, it flew off, displaying gorgeous black and brown plumage, before returning to hover and watch. It dropped suddenly, like a stone flung by a god, then took its prize – a cricket or grasshopper – to a fence post to be eaten in seconds.

The sight of this bird of prey, late in my second week of Melbourne’s hard lockdown, opened something inside me. Like millions of others, I was stuck in the city under curfew, unable to venture more than five kilometres from my home. I yearned for the bush, to be in a place free of cars or houses, where I didn’t have to hear other people’s conversations as we marched up and down the same few paths on our measly hour of daily allotted exercise. That wild, swooping kestrel was exhilarating. I could taste its freedom.

Peak employer body warns Australia faces ‘costly increase in climate-related impacts and risks’ even in best-case scenario

The Morrison government should spend $3.3bn over 10 years on renewable energy and $500m over two years on capital grants to improve energy efficiency and management, according to the Australian Industry Group.

The peak employer body made the calls in its pre-budget submission, released on Monday, which also proposes it bring forward income tax cuts, cut business tax, extend the coronavirus supplement on jobseeker and make a further round of $750 payments to households.