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The Nimmie-Caira project could mean the restoration of one of the largest wetlands in the Murray-Darling basin
• Murray-Darling: when the river runs dry

The New South Wales government is close to deciding who will run one of most ambitious environmental projects that have come out of the Murray-Darling basin plan.

If successful, the rehabilitation of the Nimmie-Caira property could result in the restoration of the largest wetlands on the Murrumbidgee river. It will create a sanctuary for water birds, extend vital wetland habitats and preserve a unique area rich in Aboriginal cultural heritage – all under private sector ownership.

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Non-farmed bugs and scallops also listed as red in latest conservation guide

Wild-caught Queensland prawns, bugs and scallops will be off the menu if consumers heed warnings about unsustainable fishing practices from conservationists.

The shellfish varieties have all been downgraded to a red rating in the latest sustainable seafood guide published by the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS).

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Finland’s government has opted to ban coal in energy production from 2029, a move that the power sector branded "cosmetic" for reducing a tiny amount of residual emissions for €100 per tonne of CO2.

Several US senators expressed their concerns that a new bill to support the development of carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies could undermine environmental regulations during a committee hearing on Tuesday.

With its punky green mohican the striking Mary river turtle joins a new ZSL list of the world’s most vulnerable reptiles

It sports a green mohican, fleshy finger-like growths under its chin and can breathe through its genitals.

The Mary river turtle is one of the most striking creatures on the planet, and it is also one of the most endangered.

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An Atlantic Ocean circulation system that warms Europe's climate is weaker today than it has been in 1,000 years, say scientists.

Warm current that has historically caused dramatic changes in climate is experiencing an unprecedented slowdown and may be less stable than thought - with potentially severe consequences

The warm Atlantic current linked to severe and abrupt changes in the climate in the past is now at its weakest in at least 1,600 years, new research shows. The findings, based on multiple lines of scientific evidence, throw into question previous predictions that a catastrophic collapse of the Gulf Stream would take centuries to occur.

Such a collapse would see western Europe suffer far more extreme winters, sea levels rise fast on the eastern seaboard of the US and would disrupt vital tropical rains. The new research shows the current is now 15% weaker than around 400AD, an exceptionally large deviation, and that human-caused global warming is responsible for at least a significant part of the weakening.

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My campaigning colleague Jerry Pearlman, who has died aged 84, left his legal mark on landscapes and paths from Yorkshire to Devon through his role as honorary solicitor for the Ramblers’ Association (now the Ramblers) for more than 30 years.

A leader in the campaign for the right to roam, Jerry drafted the bill that formed the basis for the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. In the appeal court in 2002 he helped me in the campaign to reopen the heavily blocked path across land belonging to the businessman Nicholas van Hoogstraten in East Sussex.

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First batches appear on shelves before the start of the traditional season and despite cold snap

UK supermarkets have begun stocking the first batches of British-grown asparagus this year, despite the impact of the recent “beast from the east” cold weather system.

Marks & Spencer was first off the block with British asparagus on sale in selected branches last week – nearly three weeks before the traditional start of the eight-week season on 23 April – while Waitrose put the first spears on sale on Wednesday. Sainsbury’s is likely to stock small quantities from the weekend.

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The chemical fog used to hide the Tirpitz battleship in WWII stunted the growth of trees.

A new early warning satellite system reveals countries where shrinking reservoirs could lead to the taps completely drying up

Shrinking reservoirs in Morocco, India, Iraq and Spain could spark the next “day zero” water crisis, according to the developers of a satellite early warning system for the world’s 500,000 dams.

Cape Town recently grabbed global headlines by launching a countdown to the day when taps would be cut off to millions of residents as a result of a three-year drought. Drastic conservation measures have forestalled that moment in South Africa, but dozens of other countries face similar risks from rising demand, mismanagement and climate change, say the World Resources Institute (WRI).

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EUAs hit a one-week high on Wednesday as a stronger auction prolonged bullish momentum while traders played down prospects of a near-term correction.

Australia’s Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg wants the final rules of the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) agreed by August and legislated by the end of the year, he said Wednesday, showing little interest in compromising on issues that critics have identified as shortcomings of the scheme.

Pharmaceutical drug waste is causing unexpected changes in aquatic wildlife.

Next week, state and federal energy ministers will meet to discuss the government's National Energy Guarantee.

Annual monitoring shows many native species suffered further falls, and two declining species had their worst seasons on record

Last year was the seventh worst on record for butterflies in Britain, and for two declining butterfly species it was their worst since records began.

Fewer grayling and grizzled skippers took to the skies than in any year since the scientific monitoring of butterflies began more than 40 years ago.

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This is a speech made by energy minister Josh Frydenberg to the National Press Club in Canberra on April 11th, 2018

Chocolate production generates a lot of pollution and consumes precious resources. So how can you indulge, and keep a clear conscience?

Frydenberg calls for an end to ideology and culture wars on energy, while presenting - with breathtaking cynicism - a policy that panders to right wing ideology and culture wars. It's the NEG or nothing, he warns. Many might suggest that nothing is more attractive.

Sustainable catch limits on key species after Brexit would also boost the economy by more than £300m a year as stocks recover, analysis shows

Moving to sustainable catches of the most important species of fish would generate 5,000 new jobs and add more than £300m a year to the economy, after the UK leaves the EU’s common fisheries policy, a new report has found.

Sustainable management of fish stocks would require limits on fishing for several years, as the current EU policies allow catches greater than populations of some key species can readily recover from, but within about seven to 10 years of setting its own policies the UK could be reaping the benefits, according to Oceana, a non-governmental organisation that focuses on fishing.

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