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Find is chance for species’ survival say scientists as DNA results confirm turtle found in Hanoi district is a Swinhoe’s softshell

The last known male giant Swinhoe’s softshell turtle is no longer alone on the planet after the discovery of a female of his species in Vietnam.

The female 86kg (13 stone) turtle was found in Dong Mo lake, in Hanoi’s Son Tay district, and captured for genetic testing in October.

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Charity calls for people to use alternative, less polluting heating and cooking options if they can

Campaigners and health experts are calling on people who have alternative heating not to use their wood burning stoves this winter amid growing concern about their impact on public health.

The Guardian recently reported that wood burners triple the level of harmful particulates inside the home as well as creating dangerous levels of pollution in the surrounding neighbourhood.

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In lockdown, beauty spots such as Snowdonia attracted new visitors – but also fires, parking rows and ‘fly-camping’

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For some years, Britain’s national parks have been wrestling with the same conundrum: how to attract a broader range of visitors.

This summer, they got what they all thought they wanted: the biggest influx of new visitors in their history. With foreign travel off the agenda for most and the shops closed, people who had never before walked up a hill, let alone worn Gore-Tex, heading to their nearest national park as soon as lockdown restrictions were eased.

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Climate scientist says another top 10 year is a ‘no shit, Sherlock’ moment, as temperatures across the country were 1.15C above average

Last year was the fourth warmest on record for Australia, continuing a run of record warm years over the past decade, according to provisional data released by the Bureau of Meteorology.

Across the country, temperatures in 2020 were 1.15C higher than average, putting the year behind 2005, 2013 and 2019, which remains the hottest year on record.

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Next year could be a "make or break" moment in the fight against global warming.

Eighteen entities opened California-based Compliance Instrument Tracking System Service (CITSS) accounts during the final quarter of 2020, as 10 others closed their accounts in the WCI-linked programme, data from state regulator ARB showed Wednesday.

There is surprisingly little formal research into how best to deal with bug bites and stings but there are some things that might help

It’s the holidays and we’re spending more time outdoors. This means we’re exposed to the more annoying and painful aspects of summer – insect bites and stings.

There are plenty of products at the local pharmacy to treat these. Some treat the initial bite or sting, others the itchy aftermath.

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The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on Wednesday announced a $125/tonne social cost of carbon (SCC) for use in agency planning, vastly exceeding rate the US federal government has used to account for the economic costs of GHG emissions.

In a year like no other, our photographers – and readers – captured images reflecting the beauty and diversity that could all too easily be lost in our fragile world

• Read more in our series Biodiversity: what happened next?

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From buying an electric car to starting a secondhand clothes business, attendees talk of the unexpected delights of the first UK citizens’ assembly

At the start of 2020, Sue Peachey could never have predicted how her life would change over the next 12 months. She was one of 108 people to take part in the UK’s first climate assembly earlier in the year, spending four weekends learning about a range of environmental issues before producing a final report of recommendations.

“The first weekend changed me really. I thought, ‘Oh my God, [climate change] is really going to happen,’ she said. “It made me want to learn and to live my life greener.”

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The concerted global response to the pandemic could be replicated for the fight against the climate crisis

In a world rife with disputes and divisions, there will be one emotion likely to unite most people at the stroke of midnight on 31 December: sheer relief that 2020 is finally over.

There’s no risk of overstating it: this past year has pushed our world right to the edge. A single virus leaping from animals to humans was enough to kill 1.6 million people, bring major economies to their knees, and cause untold anguish and suffering all over the world.

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Blipfoto members, or ‘blippers’, record a single photo from their day. Between them they have built up a fascinating archive of dramatic weather images taken during the daily recording of their lives.

Here we look back at a selection of photos and snippets of day-to-day reflections from some of their 2020 journals. The gallery was put together at Blipfoto by Rebecca Cole and Richard Hunt-Smith

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South Korea will auction more than 18 million CO2 allowances in 2021, with monthly volumes rising in the second half of the year when the third phase of the emissions trading scheme with tighter regulations kicks in, the annual auctioning schedule shows.

South Korea wants the share of coal in the nation’s energy mix to fall by a quarter over the next 14 years, but an increase in LNG consumption means the power sector’s carbon reduction target by 2030 is lower than for the overall economy.

The Wildlife Trusts and Sir David Attenborough call on public to help protect marine life

Sir David Attenborough has called for a halt to activities that damage the UK’s seas, as the Wildlife Trusts revealed the highs and lows of marine life around the British Isles during 2020.

Highlights included thousands of Atlantic bluefin tuna in a rare run up the Channel from Cornwall to Kent, at some points accompanied by porpoises, minke whale and dolphins in a feeding frenzy, the trusts’ living seas marine review reported.

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The BBC's global science correspondent Rebecca Morelle looks at what's coming up in the next year.

Found with most of its organs intact, the rhino is thought to have lived more than 20,000 years ago.

Notable environmentalists and scientists are among those recognised in the New Year Honours.

Germany's federal regulator Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) on Wednesday published a list of 25 GW worth of hard coal and lignite plants that will serve as a final ranking of plants at risk of forced shutdown if upcoming closure tenders are undersubscribed.

China on Wednesday released the final allocation plan for participants in its national emissions trading scheme, clearing one of the last hurdles left before the market can open.