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Drone footage from the island of Rhodes in Greece, which has been hit be a string of fierce wildfires, gives an idea of the scale of destruction left by the blaze. The footage, from the towns of Asklipio and Kiotari, shows the charred embers of several burnt out cars and scorched trees and earth. Large areas of land were burnt grey and black, in fires that prompted the island's authorities to declare a state of emergency and carry out a mass evacuation of locals and tourists from affected areas. Greece is one of almost a dozen Mediterranean countries that struggled to control wildfires that broke out amid a record breaking heatwave in July

• Greece ‘at war with fire’ amid chaotic evacuation of tourists from Rhodes

• Climate crisis up close: a week of wildfires in Rhodes

• ‘Like a blowtorch’: Mediterranean on fire as blazes spread across nine countries

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European carbon prices stabilised at moderately lower levels on Thursday morning as the market appeared to find buying support after dropping by as much as €3.20 on Wednesday, while natural gas extended yesterday's sizeable losses as the August contract expiry neared.

Wildfires spread across nine Mediterranean countries, killing at least 40 people, most of them in Algeria. Algerian authorities said 34 people had died in the mountainous northern region, with neighbouring Tunisia similarly battling wildfires.

Across the Mediterranean, Sicily and large parts of Calabria were among dozens of wildfires, Italian authorities reported, amid a record-breaking heatwave. Two people were killed in their homes, said officials in Sicily. Firefighters also battled blazes in Turkey, Croatia, Syria, Gran Canaria and a natural park near Lisbon in Portugal.

The frequency and intensity of the blazes were 'unequivocally' linked to the human-induced climate emergency, said the scientist Izidine Pinto: 'In terms of heatwaves, more often we see that every study that we do, we see the fingerprint of climate change intensifying these type of events, of heatwaves. So, it's pretty clear'

• ‘Like a blowtorch’: Mediterranean on fire as blazes spread across nine countries

• Rhodes wildfires are climate wake-up call, says UK minister

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Biden had the last opportunity of any president to keep the world under 1.5C of heating. Instead he is squandering time we do not have

We’ve passed into a ferocious new phase of global heating with much worse to come. Biden must declare a climate emergency.

I’m terrified by what’s being done to our planet. I’m also fighting to stop it. You, too, should be afraid while also taking the strongest action you can take. There has never been a summer like this in recorded history: shocking ocean heat, deadly land heat, unprecedented fires and smoke, sea ice melting faster than we’ve ever seen or thought possible. I’ve dreaded this depth of Earth breakdown for almost two decades, and, like many of my colleagues, I’ve been trying to warn you. As hard as I could. Now it’s here.

Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist and author of Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution

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A weekly summary of our biodiversity news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).

Sixteen native NGOs and associations on Thursday came out in favour of a contested carbon offset deal in Malaysia’s Sabah state that officials last year signed with a Singapore-registered shell company.

Japan's proposed timeline for a domestic carbon pricing mechanism could be too slow for the country to get aligned with its Paris Agreement goals, given the current emissions trajectory, a report has found.

These hulking vehicles are lethal to pedestrians, disastrous for the environment and have no place on our city streets

Walking on a busy London street recently, I heard a shout. “Don’t hit me,” a cyclist screamed, as a Land Rover driver reversed into his path. Next, it was my turn to jump out of the way. The driver lurched forward, veering unexpectedly in my direction just as I was crossing a sidestreet.

A moment later, another panicked voice behind me; a little girl scooting in front of her mother overshot the pavement ever so slightly, and came just inches from the driver’s path. Behind the steering wheel the driver appeared impassive, apparently unaware of the consternation in her wake.

Laura Laker is a journalist who writes about cycling and urban transport

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The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure (TNFD) should make greater use of the Mean Species Abundance (MSA) metric in its framework as it is already used by many companies and would offer a number of benefits, according to a position paper issued by a group of European companies this week.

Reporter Narelle Towie found herself joining volunteers and marine officials trying to save a pod stranded on Cheynes beach in Western Australia

• As shots rang out, the battle to save Western Australia’s stranded pilot whales was over

It was the little cries of the dying young ones that hit me hardest.

The sound is hard to describe – like a high-pitched squeak, a forlorn whistle amid the noise of breaking waves.

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Australians are increasingly fighting climate change in court. With more than 127 cases in a new United Nations report, Australia comes second only to the United States for climate litigation. Jacqueline Peel, Director, Melbourne Climate Futures, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Airlines have missed 98% of their previous environmental targets yet they keep pushing to persuade more people to fly

Even with lethal wildfires licking around southern Europe’s holiday hotspots, airlines such as Ryanair are still flying people towards the flames. Aviation, dubbed “the fastest way to fry the planet’ by environmental campaigners, due to its high carbon emissions, is back as our default means of getting away. But our chosen means of transport, flying, incrementally wrecks the climates, prospects and lives of the places being flown to. This is no tragic, unforeseen irony, but a deliberate, heavily promoted act of self-destruction.

At precisely the moment when everything should bend to make less climate-damaging choices easier and more attractive, exactly the opposite is happening. Why?

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Miner Rio Tinto has written down the value of its Australian alumina refineries as it factors in the cost of buying Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) under the government’s reformed Safeguard Mechanism, saying it will continue to need to rely on offsets to meet its decarbonisation targets.

Australia’s largest state farming association wants a temporary ban on new large-scale solar projects as angst grows over "carrying the weight" of the transition.

The post Farming lobby wants ban on new solar farms, as renewables resentment festers in regions appeared first on RenewEconomy.

If confirmed, discovery of room temperature superconductors could be one of the biggest physics announcements this century, paving way for longer-lasting batteries and efficient grids.

The post Discovery of room-temperature superconductors could revolutionise energy systems appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Some undergraduates drop out of degrees after offers of roles by firms "desperate" for staff.

All four seasons were among top 10 hottest since 1884, with extreme heat likely to occur more frequently

2022 was the warmest year on record in the UK, the Met Office has confirmed, with experts warning the unprecedented heat is a sign of things to come.

It was also the first year in which a temperature above 40C (104F) was recorded in the UK. A record-breaking 40.3C was recorded on 19 July at Coningsby, Lincolnshire.

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You might see the heartbreaking videos of stranded whales and dolphins and wonder why we can’t rescue them. Sometimes we can – but time and tide make it harder Vanessa Pirotta, Postdoctoral Researcher and Wildlife Scientist, Macquarie University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

NSW considers following Queensland's tiered coal royalty scheme as it also mulls extending coal price cap.

The post NSW mulls tiered coal royalties as it contemplates end of coal price cap appeared first on RenewEconomy.

Energy analysts at BloombergNEF expect renewable hydrogen to be a cheaper option than existing "grey hydrogen" in five key markets by 2030.

The post Green hydrogen on track to be cheaper than fossil gas hydrogen by 2030 appeared first on RenewEconomy.