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New rules to limit air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and mercury could save more than 20,000 lives a year, say NGOs

Power plants in the EU will have to cut the amount of toxic pollutants such as nitrogen oxides they emit under new rules approved by member states and widely applauded by environmental groups.

Friday’s decision imposes stricter limits on emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide, mercury and particulate matter from large combustion plants in Europe.

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The DNA of extinct humans can be retrieved from sediment in caves - even in the absences of skeletal remains.

A hellbender salamander, a red kite in flight and a hawksbill turtle are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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The climate event that helped supercharge global warming to record levels in 2015 and 2016 is 50-60% likely in 2017, says World Meteorological Organization

The El Niño climate event that helped supercharge global warming to record levels in 2015 and 2016 is set for an early return, according to a forecast from the World Meteorological Organization.

Related: What is El Niño?

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Studies show that oxybenzone, a common chemical found particularly in spray-on sunscreens, contributes to coral bleaching and leaves reefs deformed

For years we’ve been told to slap on sunscreen to protect against the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays. But eco-conscious beachgoers may want to take care with their sunscreen this summer, as studies show that many contemporary sunscreens pose a threat to the ocean environment.

Oxybenzone is a common chemical found in all types of sunscreen, but particularly in the spray-on variety, that researchers have found harms coral, and is in high concentrations at some of the most world’s most popular reefs.

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President expected to sign executive order to review areas potentially rich in fossil fuels that were put out of reach of drilling by the Obama administration

Communities along the east coast are steeling themselves for a fresh round of angst and protest over offshore drilling, with Donald Trump set to throw open vast swathes of the Atlantic seaboard to oil and gas companies.

Related: The climate change battle dividing Trump’s America

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OzHarvest Market in Kensington offers donated or surplus grocery products that would otherwise be thrown out

Australia’s first rescued-food supermarket has opened in Sydney, providing donated or surplus produce to customers on a pay-what-they-can basis, in an effort to reduce the estimated $8bn to $10bn of food discarded each year.

The OzHarvest Market provides food, from blemished apples to frozen sausage rolls, as well as other items such as sanitary products and toothpaste, which would otherwise be thrown out, sourced from the excess of major supermarket chains, caterers and cafes.

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Spanish photographer Jordi Ruiz Cirera documents the fallout from Paraguay’s booming agriculture sector, where families are forced from their homes and rivers are filled with pesticides

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Here’s the one minute of pure enjoyment that you didn’t know you needed to see. Keeper Jess Stockton gives Melbourne zoo’s Brazilian tapir a good raking over for World Tapir Day (27 April)

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Merry’s Meadows, Leicestershire Ancient disturbance created ridges and troughs, letting a wide range of plants colonise the meadow grassland

There is no better way to mark the land’s springtime rejuvenation than a sunny morning whiled away botanising in a floristically diverse meadow.

Merry’s Meadows – there are three fairly large fields – huddle together surrounded by a sea of bright yellow oilseed rape. The shallow corrugation of ridges and furrows indicate that a good proportion of the nature reserve was ploughed and cropped in mediaeval times.

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ACT, NSW Greens visit Barnaby Joyce's electorate to celebrate jobs and investment from renewables plan the deputy PM called "crazy".

Australian Energy Regulator report links market operator's flawed forecasting methods with blackouts, high prices.

A comedian's take on the "ridiculous" energy market business model, the win-lose equation of rooftop solar, and why our PM is the wind turbine that won't spin.

The anticipated shortfall in the gas market - which prompted the Turnbull government to intervene this week - may be short-lived, thanks to the huge investment in new wind and solar farms.

According to a new CSIRO and ENA report, not nearly as much as the naysayers would have you think.

The federal government has pledged to bring in legislation that would allow it to restrict gas exports and force Australian producers to reserve supplies for domestic consumers, amid continuing fears of an east coast supply crisis.

The move comes after the apparent failure of crisis talks earlier this month, aimed at easing the forecast price squeeze.

But experts are split on whether domestic gas reservations are a wise move. In a survey of 32 economists by Monash Business School and the Economic Society of Australia, 38% agreed with the following statement, whereas 47% disagreed.

In response to energy shortages around Australia, government policies requiring gas producers to reserve some production for domestic consumption are a good way to ensure that Australian consumers have access to sufficient gas supplies while still allowing for gas exports.

Weighting the scores by confidence pushed the balance even further towards a negative verdict, as shown below.

David Prentice, principal economic adviser at Infrastructure Victoria, who summarised the results, said the forthcoming gas supply problems had “raised a lot of concern” as Australia heads into winter.

Lucrative export contracts have sent huge amounts of Australian gas overseas, meaning it is now cheaper to buy Australian gas in Japan than in Australia.

Western Australia already has a domestic gas reservation policy aimed at holding local prices in check amid a boom in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. But Prentice said many of the economists arguing against a similar policy for the eastern states feared that it would distort the market, pushing gas prices artificially low.

“A common theme in many of the arguments of those that disagree with the policy is that the appropriate response to rising gas prices overseas is to let the domestic price rise and firms and households work out the best way to adjust to higher prices – that is, let the ‘invisible hand’ work,” he said.

In contrast, several of those who favoured the policy argued that higher prices could pose a risk for many consumers, such as businesses that may struggle to compete internationally if their gas bills are too high.

Read the panel’s full responses below.

The ESA Monash Forum is a joint initiative between Monash Business School and the Economic Society of Australia.

Coalition frontbencher calls for Queenslanders to boycott Australia’s second-largest bank after it says it will now only lend to mines in established coalfields

All of Australia’s big four banks have ruled out funding or withdrawn from Adani’s Queensland coal project, after Westpac said it would not back opening up new coalmining regions.

Westpac, the country’s second-largest bank, released a new climate policy on Friday, saying it would limit lending for new thermal coal projects to “only existing coal producing basins”.

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There’s plenty of sizzle but what exactly is the sausage?

In the 100 days since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has embarked on an all-out assault on the environment. Here's a timeline.

Malaysia-based IOI Group announces further moves to address deforestation and exploitation in its supply chain

Greenpeace has suspended its campaign against one of the world’s largest palm oil traders in recognition of its “significant commitment” to address deforestation and exploitation in its supply chain.

One year after its sustainability certificate was suspended, IOI Group announced further commitments to improve its environmental practice in a nine-month progress report released on Friday.

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