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Exclusive: Leaked document says it will be impossible to ensure current environmental and food safety standards are kept in Britain or the EU

Conservative MEPs have said Brexit will make it “impossible” to guarantee that current environmental standards can be maintained in Britain or the EU.

A leaked document seen by the Guardian also calls for “the closest possible working relationship” between the EU and UK after Brexit, and for a “no regression clause” in future British trade deals.

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New analysis suggests part of a nation-changing army of Vikings was buried in a town churchyard.

A leading maker of straws says greener alternatives are too costly and their development has stalled.

The ancient animal would have shared its home with dinosaurs, say Bristol researchers.

Golden monkeys, whooper swans and a giant tortoise are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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Exclusive: 197 people killed last year for defending land, wildlife or natural resources, new data reveals. In recording every defender’s death, the Guardian hopes to raise awareness of the deadly struggle on the environmental frontline

The slaughter of people defending their land or environment continued unabated in 2017, with new research showing almost four people a week were killed worldwide in struggles against mines, plantations, poachers and infrastructure projects.

The toll of 197 in 2017 – which has risen fourfold since it was first compiled in 2002 – underscores the violence on the frontiers of a global economy driven by expansion and consumption.

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Presidential order reduced protections for land once part of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments

Hundreds of thousands of acres of land that were part of two US national monuments shrunk by Donald Trump are being opened Friday to mining claims for uranium and other minerals.

It is a symbolic step in a broader conflict over the fate of America’s public lands, on which Trump hopes to encourage greater access for extractive industries.

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The lonely bird died beside a concrete bird replica he had courted - and nested with - for years.

Nigel the lonely gannet, who spent much of his time surrounded by concrete birds on Mana island, has died. Conservation officers lured Nigel to the island off New Zealand with the imitation gannets in the hope of encouraging a colony to settle on the reserve

• Nigel the lonely gannet dies as he lived, surrounded by concrete birds
  

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Volcan de Fuego sent ash over a mile into the sky.

As 2018 enters its second month we’d like to see your photos of the wildlife you’ve discovered where you live

What sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps this month? We’d like to see your photos of the February wildlife near you, whether you’re a novice spotter or have been out and about searching forcreatures great and small for years.

Related: Has spring come early where you live? Share your pictures

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Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: Trying to find enough shelter to keep warm and conserve energy without increasing the risk of attack is a juggling act for a small bird

The torchlight cut through the dark, searching the canopy of a tall cedar as it swayed in the last gusts of the storm. A splash of white 15 metres up caught my attention: bird droppings, bright against the dark bark. Just above it, a wood pigeon was resting cosily against a jackdaw. A cock pheasant turned its head to observe me, that russet and red enhanced by the torch beam.

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To celebrate World Wetland day, WWF is highlighting its work in the Pantanal, the world’s biggest wetland. This pristine environment in South America supports a rich variety of wildlife and plants, while its enormous water reserves are vital for the 8 million people who depend on the Pantanal’s fresh water, fish, climate control and tourism.

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Australian Greens call on federal Labor to take a stance on ownership of the nation’s electricity grid, after unveiling a policy proposal that would seek to return it to public hands.

A new housing development in the ACT will trial a gas-free residential precinct initially incorporating 350 homes.

About 800MW of utility-scale renewable projects confirmed in the past six weeks. That's a pretty hot run-rate. And while the excitement has largely been about PV, the growth of wind is quite significant.

New report says Turnbull government's proposed National Energy Guarantee would fail in all of its stated goals, particularly that of boosting energy system security. On this, it says the approach proposed in the NEG "has no precedent in any power system anywhere, ever.”

New player in Australian renewables market backed by one of world's oil majors has big plans for solar and storage.

President Michelle Bachelet says Chile will not build new coal plants without carbon capture and begin talks to replace existing capacity with cleaner sources.

2018 will be the first triple-digit year for the global solar market -- but it will also have some bumps.