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Epping Forest For centuries commoners were allowed to lop the beeches here for firewood. Now this ancient pollard is big enough to create its own microclimates

Centuries of sunlight have solidified into this beech’s massive presence, which creates its own woodland world. I stand beneath the grandeur of its shaded columns in veneration. But it was not always this way. This great beast was made to bend to the will of generations of commoners, lopped for the humblest of produce, a 10-yearly crop of firewood. It was a labourer, a working tree.

Until the mid 19th century, that is, when cropping ceased. Today, 20 poles, each the size of a mature tree, thrust skywards from the lumpen head of this ancient pollard. And around its great girth, in its crevices and creases, the microclimate changes with the compass. Dominating the trunk’s north-west curve, like a coral outcrop, the bracket fungus Perenniporia fraxinea fans out dramatically in three layers more than 120cm wide. For 20 years I’ve watched this veteran grow so large that its soft, skin-coloured underbelly is now punctured by a million tiny spore-producing pores.

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The Coalition's proposed National Energy Guarantee is not a policy at all, just the idea of one. And attractive as it may be on a notional level, it is a long way short of being "workable" or even remotely effective. Here are 30 reasons why it should be approached with caution.

Bertrand Piccard wants to show governments 1,000 innovations that together will make it possible to reduce energy consumption and cut greenhouse gas emissions by half.

NEG design could have immediate impact on large-scale renewable energy projects, particularly those looking to by-pass control of big gen-tailers" and go "merchant".

Genex Power is pleased to provide an update in relation to the development of the 250MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro project at Kidston.

This plan to provide a plan is almost the worst outcome possible for investment certainty. If more detail doesn't emerge soon, it could be as bad for renewables as the Abbott years.

Victorian Labor's VRET of 40% renewable energy by 2025 passes Legislative Council, without a single show of support from Liberal or National parties.

We sharpen up the knives for a home butchering session; country kids become super sleuths at a science camp; and Lyn Wearing hand-rears poddy lambs on Elabe Station.

The great naturalist tells our science editor David Shukman why he'll never tire of his work.

Enova Energy has won "Best of the Best" Regional Sustainability Award, which recognises outstanding achievements of an organisation who has come up with an original and successful initiative in regional or rural areas of New South Wales

The integration of advanced energy storage and software with hydroelectric generation is seen to be a world's first hybridized system of its kind to provide ancillary services.

The eight-year study finds infant sea creatures will be especially harmed by more acidic oceans.

A report backed by the Australian Automobile Association found some new cars were pumping out seven times the legal limits of some noxious emissions in to the atmosphere.

Historical data from studies on museum bird specimens, combined with current research, gives us a picture of the long-term harm from air pollution

There is growing evidence about the lifelong harm from air pollution. The air that we breathe as children can stunt our lung growth, potentially causing problems later in adult life. Air pollution breathed decades ago has been shown to shorten lives in the UK today. However, investigating these lifelong impacts is hampered by a lack of historic measurements.

Can the natural environment help us? Starting with lichens in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris in 1886, biomonitoring has helped to track air pollution. In a new twist, researchers in the US have constructed a 135-year history of pollution in America’s rust belt by studying soot in the feathers of museum bird specimens. Tests on 1,347 birds showed that air pollution between 1880 and 1920 was worse than we thought. The birds also revealed useful data for climate modellers. It appears that soot pollution started to decrease around 1910, earlier than thought; with dips in the great depression and a rise for the second world war.

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Some 10,000 young char have been released into Kielder Water with the aim of saving this ancient fish, an important relic of our past

The Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, is a remarkable survivor from the ice age in Britain, having been trapped in various lakes and Scottish lochs for 10,000 years. As a result, if you manage to catch one, the fish may look considerably different from those in other lakes, because they have had many generations to evolve to survive in local conditions after being cut off from the oceans when the ice retreated.

Some scientists went to the trouble of designating each of these populations of Arctic char as separate species because of these different characteristics, but this idea has generally been dropped as too difficult, not least because there are dozens of cut-off populations, some yet to be described.

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AAA says motorists are being misled by lab tests of emissions and fuel efficiency but green groups accuse it of delaying tactic

Australia’s motoring lobby is launching a campaign for “real-world” vehicle emissions testing, arguing the current system needs an overhaul because it is misleading consumers and regulators.

The Australian Automobile Association will on Monday release results from emissions and fuel consumption tests on 30 passenger and light commercial vehicles showing discrepancies between real world and official fuel consumption established in laboratory testing.

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Invasion of site in North Yorkshire comes as campaigners say they have seen letter stating exploration is due to start

Protesters in a tiny North Yorkshire village have vowed to put their lives on the line to prevent the first fracking operation in six years from taking place this week.

Two campaigners had to be rescued from an 18-metre (60ft) rig on Sunday after scaling the structure and waving flares – leading police to warn them of “the serious risk created by open flames and sparks on a live gas site”.

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Placard-bearing angry activists have their place, but their are other, gentler ways to make a difference

Activists are the vital foot soldiers of the environmental movement. But is the classic activist model – placard-bearing and angry – actually effective? There’s a suggestion that if you’re not shouting in the face of The Man 24 hours a day, do you actually care?

Sarah Corbett warns that angry activists are in danger of burning out

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Adani and the loggers should watch out – we have a right to peaceful protest to protect our environment

The high court has drawn a line in the sand against laws which burden the right of Australians to peaceful protest.

The court made no judgement on Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman’s decision to flatten the Lapoinya state forest in northwest Tasmania against the wishes of the local community. But it struck down his Workplaces (Protection from Protesters) Act 2014 aimed at stopping people from protesting effectively against such forests being logged.

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This week, five Anglican archbishops urged world leaders to keep their promises ahead of climate summit in Bonn, Germany, next month.