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Compensation offered to encourage local communities to allow test boreholes is described as ‘completely inadequate’

MPs from both major parties have attacked the government’s latest incentive to entice communities into volunteering to host Britain’s first deep underground store for nuclear waste as “completely inadequate”.

Ministers have offered up to £1m per community for areas that constructively engage in offering to take part in the scheme, and a further sum of up to £2.5m where deep borehole investigations take place.

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Former ministers condemn new body’s lack of power for legal action against government

A former Tory cabinet minister is backing efforts to force through tough green laws after Brexit, amid anger over plans that would weaken environmental protections once Britain leaves the European Union.

Four former environment and climate change secretaries from three parties told the Observer they had concerns about “toothless” plans announced by the government last week, which suggested the new post-Brexit green watchdog would lack the power to take the government to court.

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Gabon’s wild and beautiful rainforest is on the frontline against ivory poachers, part of international criminal networks that also fund terrorists

Deep in the steamy rainforest of Gabon, a poaching gang’s night-time fire is smouldering and two long elephant tusks lie among the tangled roots. The axe that hacked them off lies nearby.

Just after dawn, the insect buzz and bird chatter is suddenly pierced by a whistle blast and camouflaged park guards burst out from their forest cover, swiftly pinning the poachers to the ground.

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The wailing calls of the red-tailed black cockatoos that live in Australia's South East are being used to help change the future for the failing species.

Researchers identify 15 new species of sneaky bees hidden in museum collections and in an ancient thesis.

Anyone born in the next 20 years is eligible to apply for a seat at the Westminster Abbey service.

In this book extract, Geoff Cousins describes how the farmer, the activist, the tourism operator and ‘an old bald man with hope in his heart’ travelled to India to protest against Adani

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I settled back into the seat as the Air India flight took off from my hometown of Sydney, unaware of just how relieved I would be to return there. I had been warned the Indian government might take a dim view of our mission to intercept the Queensland premier on her journey to have lunch with chairman Gautam Adani, who would be intending to impress on her the force and majesty of his major asset, the Mundra power plant – ironically, now for sale for one rupee.

I’d also been told there was a chance that either the government or Adani or both were intercepting all my communications. So there was a degree of apprehension even as I passed through customs in New Delhi, since I was travelling on a tourist visa and the sites we would be visiting did not include the Taj Mahal.

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The space agency says it will be the first test of a heavier-than-air aircraft on another planet.

Presenting CP Daily, Carbon Pulse’s free newsletter. It’s a daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. Subscribe here TOP STORIES Switzerland approaches countries to host pilot crediting under Paris Agreement Switzerland has begun talks with several developing nations to test pilot GHG-cutting initiatives, aiming to secure carbon credits that could […]

The California rocket company SpaceX conducts what is arguably its most important launch to date.

A bloom of bioluminescent phytoplankton has dazzled San Diego residents as the abundance of the algae along the coats lights up the water.

The bloom was cause by a red tide, resulting in a higher level than normal of the plankton in the water. When the small organisms are disturbed, they let off light, making them more visible. 

Red tides can be dangerous as the explosion of algae can release an excess of toxins into the air and water, but most are dispersed by currents and wind before they can become too dangerous 

• 'Incredible' bioluminescence gives California surf an eerie blue glow

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Sturt National Park prepares for an animal release; making the switch from cows to chooks; a disability support group embarks on a mushroom-led recovery; and raw honey straight from the hives.

An unusual algal bloom, known as a red tide, has drawn many to the beach in the hopes of witnessing the stunning spectacle

A dense bloom of bioluminescent algae off the coast of southern California has lit up the Pacific Ocean with an eerie and fantastical neon blue glow, sending photographers and spectators to the beach at night in hopes of witnessing the natural phenomenon.

The algal bloom, also known as a red tide, was observed this week lighting up the waves along a 15-mile stretch of coastline.

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EU carbon prices hit a new seven-year high near €15 on Friday, extending this week's strong gains in thinner holiday trade despite next week’s return to normal auction levels.

Fossil fuel-based projects in developing and eastern European countries have been the largest individual beneficiaries from selling offsets to emitters in the EU ETS since 2014, while more than 75% of the credits came from just two countries.

Average credit prices in California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) in April marched back towards record highs set earlier this year, while data from the Oregon Clean Fuels Program (OCFP) revealed a credit surplus for the state’s clean fuel standard in 2017.

In 62 separate meetings, 13 teams of athletes and advocates made their ask of politicians: protect public lands by supporting funding

Alex Honnold was stuck in traffic.

The world’s most renowned rock climber was due on Capitol Hill for a US Senate reception with other top climbers from around the country, who had descended en masse on Washington to lobby for greater protections for public lands.

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We now use 14,000 of the handy cloths every second - but they are increasingly clogging rivers and putting wildlife at risk. So how can we wean ourselves off them?

On the eighth-floor isolation ward of London’s University College Hospital, nurses have two lines of defence against the spread of life-threatening diseases. First are the airtight double lobbies in every room. Second – and, arguably, more importantly – are the disinfectant wipes they rely on to prevent the spread of germs and viruses.

For nurse consultant Annette Jeanes, the disposable flannels are a godsend that allow her and her staff, not only to protect themselves from superbugs such as C difficile and other viruses, but also to make the most of their time, a crucial factor in the National Health Service.

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The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox

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A nesting stork, a rescued bobcat, and flamingos at sunset are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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