The Guardian

A third of Drax’s coal power station will switch to biomass after European commission approves government subsidies

The share price of Britain’s biggest power station operator has jumped to a five-month high after the European commission approved subsidies for its conversion to burn wood pellets instead of coal.

Drax was awarded a renewable energy subsidy contract by the government in 2014 to switch the third unit of its coal power station in North Yorkshire over to biomass. That prompted a state-aid investigation by the commission, which was concerned the estimates of the plant’s performance were too generous and Drax would be overcompensated.

Other finds in the biodiverse greater Mekong region include a rare banana species from Thailand and a tiny frog from Cambodia and Vietnam

What’s it like to live among elephants, to know that at any moment you might find yourself face to face with something so awe-inspiring – and so dangerous?

My family and I have lived on the edge of the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary in the Nilgiri mountains, south India, for over three decades now. The children grew up here. Yet the thrill of knowing there’s an elephant in the garden is a feeling we all still savour. We cherish our elephant memories and can’t ever seem to become blasé about them.

Our elephant adventures began in 1984 when, with our one-year-old daughter, my husband and I crossed the jungle in a dilapidated jeep, sticking behind a lorry for comfort and company. The herds of elephants standing like sentinels on either side of the Bandipur-Mudumalai forest highway had us frantically praying for our safety. Mostly, one elephant, the matriarch, would trumpet loudly, warning us off, especially if there were young calves with the herd. Then she would angrily paw the ground as a prelude to charging. We would race away before she could carry out her threat.

Originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 23 December 1916

Surrey, December 21
Rabbits could be seen playing in the meadow at the bottom of the down right up to the time when darkness came. There was no evening. The afternoon sky was just tinged with a strip of dull red in the west, and this patch of colour moved a little towards the north; then it died out. Nothing was visible except a planet and a few stars shining faintly, and seemingly very far away. Clouds in the higher sky came and completely blotted them; you lost all sense of direction; a mist began to spread upward; it was only by the tread of grass underfoot you had knowledge of being on the earth at all. The light, cold air died away; there seemed to be nothing but a chill, dead vacancy for almost an hour. Then a rustle, very slight, came moving along low down, as of something creeping over the meadow face. Bending, it was possible to discover that this was but the first movement of a light wind, just playing along the grass and hardly to be felt a few feet above the ground. But before the top of the down could be reached it could be heard sweeping among the elms a few yards on the other side; it had driven off the mist, and the great limbs could just be perceived swaying now this way and now the other. In the bottom, by the farmstead, strangely, a barnyard cock crowed hoarsely and twice, with a long pause in between. After another interval a bantam sounded a long shrill note. The wind dropped. But this morning it was wild again, scurrying heavy rain through the bare hazels. We knew then why the rabbits had been so frolicsome.

$145 wildlife warning devices are designed to scare devils off road and have limited resale value

Thieves in Tasmania are stealing electronic fence posts designed to save the lives of endangered Tasmanian devils.

The thefts have bewildered the manufacturers, who say the $145 wildlife warning devices serve no purpose other than deterring wildlife and have limited resale value.

Video footage of the rare Hydrolagus trolli, also known as a chimaera or ghost shark, has been taken for the first time off the coast of California

Also known as chimaeras, the creatures have tooth plates instead of teeth and a retractable penis on their heads

American scientists surveying the depths of the ocean off the coast of California and Hawaii have unwittingly filmed the mysterious ghost shark for the first time.

The team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Center had sent a remote operated vehicle down to depths of 2,000 metres (6,700ft) when the creature appeared on their screens.

Encountering a peacock in the wild is a surreal experience. Just one of the sightings among a wealth of exotic and unfamiliar birds at the Uttar Pradesh Bird Festival

There was a flash of the richest blue, as the bird emerged from the forest and strutted across the path in front of us. Instantly recognisable, yet at the same time oddly unfamiliar, it lifted its neck and flicked an enormously long tail, before melting into the vegetation, never to be seen again.

Encountering a peacock in the wild, in its native India, is a surreal experience. I regularly see them in the grounds of Bath Spa University’s Corsham Court, where they strut around as if they own the place. Yet now I was watching them in the fields and forests of India’s most populous state, home to the second Uttar Pradesh Bird Festival.

Patrick Barkham is rightly worried about the impacts of urbanisation on our wildlife (Notebook, 13 December). London is home to more than 13,000 species of fauna, flora and fungi, but we are expected to accommodate a population increase equivalent to the size of Leeds by 2050, and building density can only go so far before our needs override those of others we share our city with. While flowering buddleia, dashing parakeets and curious foxes demonstrate adaptability to this brave new world, there are many more species that simply can’t cope – with higher density we’ll lose precious diversity. The London assembly is currently looking at how new housing can do more to conserve wildlife, and we’re encouraged by Mayor Khan’s talk of “good growth” as he sets out his early plans for the capital. We need real commitment to making room for nature and, importantly, room for London to breathe.
Mathew Frith
Director of conservation, London Wildlife Trust

• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com

There’s good news and bad, it’s a bit of an ethical pick and mix

This is a glorious time of year for confectionary lovers, and in a few days time I’ll embark on my annual mission to hoover up boxed chocolates with customary enthusiasm.
My mission includes house visits, so although I would favour Fairtrade artisanal chocolate brands with top notch ethical sourcing, I can’t always choose.

The good news is that there is evidence the big chocolate brands are wising up with regard to their supply chain. Ethical labels are now widely used on Christmas chocolates in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Actor and environmental activist tells UN awards ceremony that truth about climate change has spread like ‘wildfire’ despite prominent science deniers

Tackling climate change is the “biggest economic opportunity” in the history of the US no matter who holds political office, the Hollywood star and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio said on Friday.

Related: Leonardo DiCaprio meets Trump as climate sceptic nominated

Dispute over major tourist attraction and conservation area is tearing local communities apart

“There’s, like, 50 people on the way up, so take your photos,” said a young American man, shirtless, his face daubed with paint, as he came striding through the forest towards the look-out. The view was spectacular: lush tropical foliage clinging to the sheer rock-face of a canyon plunging several 100 feet to a series of stunning turquoisey pools where tourists could be spotted swimming.

This was Semuc Champey, a must-visit on the Central American backpacker circuit and increasingly one of Guatemala’s most well-known tourist destinations. “Hidden”, “unique” and “natural paradise” are all thrown around to describe it. Lonely Planet calls Semuc “arguably the loveliest spot in the country”, while CNN dubbed the River Cahabón, which flows under the pools, the world’s “third best river for travellers” after the Amazon and Zambezi.

关闭全球合法象牙交易市场对拯救大象具有重要意义，但要彻底根除偷猎大象和非法象牙消费，我们必须对非法象牙贸易宣战。 (翻译：金艳/chinadialogue)

• Why the Guardian is publishing its elephant reporting in Chinese
  

目前看来，一个不可避免的趋势是几乎所有合法象牙交易市场最终都将关闭。这是一个由多家动物权利及福利组织共同提出的大象保护首选方案，其目的就是阻止大象偷猎行为。这些组织认为，象牙合法贸易会为非法交易提供掩护，并刺激象牙需求。

支持该计划的人认为，废除合法贸易，需求就会下降。禁止一切象牙销售有两大益处，一是方便执法，二是可以避免消费者买到非法产品。现在，认同这一观点的人越来越多。今年9月，世界自然保护联盟通过一项提议，建议全球所有国家关闭自己的国内象牙市场。几星期后的10月，《濒危野生动植物物种国际贸易公约》第17届缔约方会议召开，会上也通过了类似的提案。

Red Shoot wood, New Forest A pony will strain every muscle in its neck to reach the most tender branch-end leaves

As we press on along the ridge above the wood, on the north side of the path we find ponies raising the browse line as they stretch high into the hollies. A large white one strains every muscle in its neck to get at the most tender branch-end leaves. Forest ponies eat a huge quantity of holly during the cold weather. People often cut branches to make life easier for them, but this group don’t need any help.

On the other side, we spot one of the woodland’s giants that has come to grief. Possibly dating from the origins of Red Shoot Wood in the 17th and 18th centuries, this huge oak has been caught by some vortex-wind, and lifted enough to break the myriad of cable-like roots anchoring it into the shallow clay that coats the underlying gravels.

Ministers claim soaring number is a success in effort to cut bovine TB in England but charities question cull’s effectiveness

The number of animals shot in England’s controversial badger cull soared to more than 10,000 this autumn, as part of the government’s attempt to cut tuberculosis (TB) in cattle.

Ministers claimed the result as a success but a leading scientist said there was “no basis” for suggesting the cull was effective, while wildlife charities said badgers were being used as a scapegoat for failures in the intensive livestock industry.

The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox

Feeding Bryde’s whales, fighting seals and a Harry Potter spider are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

Patrick Muhayirwa was trapped in an ambush while patrolling to protect gorillas in Africa’s oldest national park

• Another day, another dead wildlife ranger. We must do more to help them
  

A 26-year-old wildlife ranger has been gunned down by militia operating in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to park authorities, Patrick Prince Muhayirwa was part of a group of rangers and DRC army personnel patrolling the huge park to prevent poaching.

Improved light, ventilation and heat control can boost workers’ productivity by thousands of dollars a year and reduce instances of sick building syndrome

People working in green buildings think better in the office and sleep better when they get home, a new study has revealed.

The research indicates that better ventilation, lighting and heat control improves workers’ performance and could boost their productivity by thousands of dollars a year. It also suggests that more subjective aspects, such as beautiful design, may make workers happier and more productive.

Scientists stepped outside their comfort zones to protest the attacks they face from the incoming administration

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and for scientists, these are desperate measures.

Tuesday in San Francisco’s Jessie Square, approximately 500 people gathered for a ‘rally to stand up for science.’ Many of the attendees were scientists who had migrated to the rally from the nearby Moscone Center, where some 26,000 Earth scientists are attending the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference this week.