The Guardian

Ministers set out plans for outlawing neonicotinoids but considering application by farmers to use Cruiser SB

Bee-killing pesticides are to be banned by the UK government, as ministers set out plans to outlaw the use of neonicotinoids.

However, the highly toxic neonicotinoid Cruiser SB could be allowed for use next year, as ministers are considering applications from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar.

From break dancing to nude bathers and the country’s best mullets, here’s a selection of our photographers’ finest work

Researchers say species is second-longest living mammal on Earth after bowhead whales

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In 1893, the World’s Fair was getting under way in Chicago, the world’s first number plates appeared on cars in Paris, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination would later spark the first world war, spent time hunting kangaroos and emus in the NSW town of Narromine.

Also, according to researchers, up to 10% of southern right whales in existence could have still been swimming the ocean today, if not for other factors.

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Labour seems gripped by a form of denialism. The danger is real and incremental change won’t avert it

• Jeremy Corbyn is independent MP for Islington North and was leader of the Labour party from 2015 to 2020

There is no need to overcomplicate things: a rise in global temperatures of 3.1C is not compatible with human survival. That is where we are heading, unless we act now. On our current path, the world will exceed 1.5C of warming, and could reach a rise of 2.6-3.1C by the end of the century.

For you, today, that might make the difference between wearing a jumper or a jacket. For humanity, it is the difference between survival and extinction. Paris and Berlin will bake under heatwaves. New York will be hit by frequent storm-surges. Coastal towns will be submerged; 800 million people are living on land that will be underwater.

Jeremy Corbyn is independent MP for Islington North and was leader of the Labour party from 2015 to 2020

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The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

New research comes as dozens of small potential fields have received some form of license from the government

Potential new North Sea oil and gas fields with early stage licences from the UK would emit as much carbon dioxide as British households produce in three decades.

The finding has led to calls to the government to reject demands from fossil fuel producers for the final permits needed to allow their operations to go ahead.

Scientists surprised to find so many animals unknown to science in Alto Mayo, a well-populated region

Researchers in the Alto Mayo region of north-west Peru have discovered 27 species that are new to science, including a rare amphibious mouse, a tree-climbing salamander and an unusual “blob-headed fish”. The 38-day survey recorded more than 2,000 species of wildlife and plants.

The findings are particularly surprising given the region’s high human population density, with significant pressures including deforestation and agriculture.

Campaigners say Queensland mine given go-ahead this week is a new development, not an extension of an existing mine

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Climate campaigners have challenged a claim by the Albanese government that it has not approved any new coalmines in 2024, saying a Queensland mine given a green light this week was a new development.

The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, approved four coalmine projects on Thursday, describing them all as expansions of existing mines that would mainly be digging up coal to make steel.

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McNeese State University in Louisiana building a liquefied natural gas center, prompting fears of ‘corporate capture’

One of Louisiana’s top public universities has prompted concerns about “corporate capture” over its expanding relationship with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, despite environmental warnings about pollution and prolonging fossil fuel use.

As the US’s LNG boom gained momentum in south-west Louisiana, McNeese State University courted the industry to help launch a new LNG Center of Excellence currently under construction, hired a director doubling as an LNG industry lobbyist, and approached federal regulators to co-locate their own research center at the university, according to emails obtained via public records requests by DeSmog and the Guardian.

Call for additional precautions as captive species including lions, tigers and cheetahs are killed by virus

Dozens of rare animals including tigers, lions and cheetahs are dying as bird flu infiltrates zoos, with potentially “grave implications” for endangered species, researchers have warned.

As a growing number of zoos report animal deaths, scientists are concerned that infected wild birds landing in enclosures could be spreading it among captive animals. In the US, a cheetah, mountain lion, Indian goose and kookaburra were among the animals that died in Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix, according to local media reports last week. San Francisco Zoo temporarily closed its aviaries after a wild red-shouldered hawk was found dead on its grounds, and later tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAIV). A rare red-breasted goose died at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, causing aviaries to close and penguin feeding for visitors to be suspended in November. These cases follow the deaths of 47 tigers, three lions, and a panther in zoos across south Vietnam over the summer.

Tanya Plibersek says projects in NSW and Queensland produce coal for making essential steel as critics say move ‘opposite of climate action’

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The Albanese government has approved the expansion of four coalmines that climate campaigners estimate will release more than 850m tonnes of CO2 over their lifetime – equivalent to almost double Australia’s annual emissions.

The four mines will target mostly coal to be used for steelmaking with some thermal coal for burning in power stations.

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Law around illegal wood burning in smoke-control areas is not being enforced, campaigners say

Only four fines out of 5,600 complaints have been issued for illegal burning of wood in smoke-control areas from September 2023 to August 2024 in England, data has revealed.

The new data, from freedom of information requests submitted by the campaign group Mums for Lungs, shows that the law around illegal wood burning is not being enforced in England, campaigners said.

Scientists race to discover new species before destruction of natural world drives them to extinction

From a toadstool with teeth to a vine smelling of marzipan and a flower that has cheated its way out of having to photosynthesise, a weird and wonderful host of new plant and fungus species have been discovered in 2024.

Other plants given scientific names for the first time include beautiful new orchids, a ghostly palm and a hairy plant that appears to have stolen a gene from an unrelated family. The species are among the 172 new plants and fungi named by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and their partners.

Gone are the pleasures of licking the foil cover on yoghurts and soft cheese. Plus no one consulted me about this dismal change to my home routines

All I want for Christmas is the return of yoghurt pot lids. And not just for me, for everyone. In this season of goodwill, I want everyone to get a share of the joy. The lids disappeared very suddenly, without so much as a goodbye. It didn’t seem right. And it wasn’t just yoghurt pots, either. Creams, buttermilk, cottage cheese, you name it, were suddenly minus their lids, hatless, naked.

For me, this was a blow. I’ve always taken my plastic pot management very seriously. I have strict rules. Not for me pulling back the foil cover, leaving it attached to the tub, and then replacing the lid on top of it. No, not neat. The foil would be removed completely, possibly licked, and discarded.

Climate-vulnerable pair add weight to proposed treaty seeking transition from coal, oil and gas in equitable way

Pakistan and the Bahamas have joined a growing bloc of climate-vulnerable countries seeking to broker a global pact to phase out fossil fuels in an equitable way, the Guardian can reveal.

The Bahamas is the 15th nation to fully endorse the proposed fossil-fuel non-proliferation treaty, which would provide a binding global roadmap to explicitly halt expansion of coal, oil and gas in a fair way – with wealthy nations responsible for the highest emissions transitioning first and fastest.

Trade can help protect species – and real skins are often more sustainable than synthetic alternatives, say conservationists

Conservation experts have criticised a decision by London fashion week to ban exotic animal skins from its 2025 shows as “ridiculous”, warning that it is ill-informed and could harm the protection of many snakes, crocodiles and reptile species.

Last month, the British Fashion Council’s deputy director for policy and engagement, David Leigh-Pemberton, told parliament that next year’s fashion shows would prohibit the use of skins from alligators, snakes and other animals. In a statement, the council said the ban was part of a wider range of standards to promote sustainable practices in the fashion industry.

BoM meteorologist says Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales will be generally dry and ‘fingers crossed it stays like this’

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Christmas Day should be calm and settled across much of Australia – on the weather front, at least – according to the weather bureau’s first look at the festive forecast.

Senior meteorologist Sarah Scully, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said a band of high pressure on Christmas Day would bring generally dry and settled conditions to south-eastern Australia, mild temperatures for west and south-west Western Australia, and typically hot and stormy weather in the north.

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Sydney – mininum 18C, maximum 28. Cloud clearing. Light winds becoming easterly 15-25km/h during the day.

Melbourne – min 14C, max 28. Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming south to south-easterly 15-20km/h during the day.

Adelaide – min 16C, max 35. Sunny. Winds easterly 15 to 20 km/h tending north-west to north-easterly 15-25 km/h during the morning.

Hobart – min 13C, max 23. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Winds westerly 15-20km/h shifting south-easterly during the day.

Canberra – min 9C, max 33. Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming north to north-westerly 15-20km/h during the day.

Darwin – min 26C, max 34. Possible shower or storm.

Brisbane – min 20C, max 29. Light winds becoming east to south-easterly 15-20km/h during the morning.

Perth – min 15C, max 25. Cloud increasing.

Researchers find winds affecting emissions from incinerators play role, though diet still thought to be largest factor

Toxic chemicals in breast milk have been identified in mothers living near waste incinerators in the UK, a study has found.

The study looked at complex chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins. These are found in the fumes from burning waste and can persist in the environment for a long time. They can also accumulate in the fat in our bodies, with more than 90% coming from food.

Researchers from St Andrews found rise in nitrogen dioxide exposure associated with higher admissions

Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased risk of hospital admission for mental illness, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind.

The research, involving more than 200,000 people in Scotland, found an increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide in particular was associated with a higher number of people being admitted to hospital for behaviour disorders and mental illnesses.

Former MP astonished that taxpayers are ‘literally paying’ to cut down forests sustaining koalas and greater gliders and providing clean drinking water

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Two reports revealing the extent of financial losses from native forest logging in New South Wales raise questions about the economic viability of the industry.

The state government’s forestry corporation “consistently made a loss” by paying contractors more for harvesting and haulage than it earned from delivery of timber to sawmills, a NSW Independent Pricing and Review Tribunal (Ipart) report found.

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