The Guardian

Opponents say document contradicts company’s claim it will principally supply industries closer to home

The coal extracted from the planned Cumbrian mine may go further overseas, rather than be used in Britain and the EU as the company has claimed, the public inquiry into the scheme heard on its opening day.

West Cumbria Mining’s (WCM) proposals to extract 2.7m tonnes of metallurgical coal a year from a site off the Cumbrian coast at St Bees are being examined by the Planning Inspectorate.

Exclusive: At least nine mines have received special permission from regulators allowing them to avoid penalties

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Promised environmental offsets for new and expanded coalmines in New South Wales have been delayed for years because governments have allowed companies to push back deadlines for protecting sites for conservation.

At least nine coalmines in NSW, including several in the Hunter Valley, received special permission from federal and state regulators on multiple occasions that allowed them to avoid penalties for not securing permanent protection of habitat.

Study finds 40% of resident and regular migrant dragonflies and damselflies have increased in number since 1970

Six new species of dragonfly have colonised Britain in the last 25 years as dragonflies and damselflies boom in a warming climate.

More than 40% of resident and regular migrant dragonflies and damselflies have increased in number since 1970 with just 11% declining, according to a study of 1.4m dragonfly records.

Study finds agriculture and pesticide use threaten relatives of world’s most important crops, considered crucial to food security

Wild relatives of some of the world’s most important crops, including potatoes, avocados and vanilla, are threatened with extinction, according to a study.

Vanilla, an orchid native to South and Central America, is facing the highest risk of extinction, with all eight wild species found in the region listed as endangered or critically endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened plants and animals.

A man on a train told me to go back to where I’m from – and so I did. Walking alone in nature, I felt liberated from prejudice

I was sitting on a stage inside a tent recently, surrounded by the mountains and valleys of the beautiful Brecon Beacons national park, and gazing out into a sea of hundreds of faces – audience members, mostly silhouetted.

“Put your hand up if you’re a person of colour,” I said.

Livestock companies with large emissions receive billions of dollars in funding, campaigners say

Twenty livestock companies are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than either Germany, Britain or France – and are receiving billions of dollars in financial backing to do so, according to a new report by environmental campaigners.

Raising livestock contributes significantly to carbon emissions, with animal agriculture accounting for 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Scientific reports have found that rich countries need huge reductions in meat and dairy consumption to tackle the climate emergency.

Coal power has been the foundation for much of what Europe is today. But what has been the cost? Since 2016, half of the continent’s coal plants have closed, or are scheduled to close, as markets shift and the race to save the climate gathers speed. NGOs and grassroots organisations are working with communities to ensure the transition from coal is rapid, focused on renewables, and, most importantly, fair.

This increased attention on the people who have long lived with coal has revealed unsteadiness, illness and deep seams of injustice in communities across the continent. The photographer Dan Wilton joined the environmental law charity ClientEarth to investigate and document Europe’s journey beyond coal

Air pollution kills more than malaria, HIV/Aids and TB combined but receives only 1% of development aid

Governments around the world gave 20% more in overseas aid funding to fossil fuel projects in 2019 and 2020 than to programmes to cut the air pollution they cause.

Dirty air is the world’s biggest environmental killer, responsible for at least 4m early deaths a year. But just 1% of global development aid is used to tackle this crisis, according to an analysis from the Clean Air Fund (CAF).

Number of species of sharks, rays and chimaeras facing ‘global extinction crisis’ doubles in a decade

A third of shark and ray species have been overfished to near extinction, according to an eight-year scientific study.

“Sharks and rays are the canary in the coalmine of overfishing. If I tell you that three-quarters of tropical and subtropical coastal species are threatened, just imagine a David Attenborough series with 75% of its predators gone. If sharks are declining, there’s a serious problem with fishing,” said the paper’s lead author, Prof Nicholas Dulvy, of Canada’s Simon Fraser University.

Economic cost of climate crisis has cut 37% from global GDP this century, say researchers

A return flight from the UK to New York could cost the global economy more than $3,000 (£2,170) in the long run, owing to the effects of the climate crisis, according to a report.

Researchers examined the economic cost of the climate crisis and found it cut about 37% from global GDP this century, more than twice the drop experienced in the Great Depression.

Storm wreaked havoc on offshore oil production platforms and onshore oil and gas processing plants

The US Coast Guard on Monday said it was investigating nearly 350 reports of oil spills in and along the US Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

Hurricane Ida’s 150 mile per hour winds wreaked havoc on offshore oil production platforms and onshore oil and gas processing plants. About 88% of the region’s offshore oil production remains shut and more than 100 platforms unoccupied after the storm made landfall 29 August .

Measures at Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, hailed a success after strong breading season and return of flora

Electric fences to protect nesting birds from people walking their dogs have been hailed a success, as popular beaches work to reduce damage from trampling.

The beach at Holme-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk has breathtaking views, making it incredibly popular with visitors and dog-walkers.

The SA plan comes as manufacturers issue warning over ‘fractured’ Australian EV policy and call for states to scrap stamp duty on new vehicles

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South Australian treasurer Rob Lucas has defended his proposal for an electric vehicle user charge in the state as manufacturers warn a “fractured” national approach is only making a clean transition harder.

Under the policy, which was announced in August, South Australia delayed introducing the user charge until 2027 or when EVs represent 30% of the market, and offered drivers a time-limited $3,000 subsidy on the purchase of a new electric vehicle.

Band commissioned report on industry’s footprint and criticise ministers for not doing enough

A plan to ensure the live music industry meets climate targets needs to be urgently introduced by the government, according to the band Massive Attack, which commissioned a report on carbon emissions in the music business.

While the report by the University of Manchester recommends rock stars should take some responsibility, ditching private jets and reducing the amount of kit they bring on tour, Massive Attack’s Rob Del Naja, otherwise known as 3D, criticised the government for not doing enough to support the industry to reduce carbon emissions.

Editorial in publications worldwide urges leaders to take measures to stop ‘greatest threat to public health’

More than 200 health journals worldwide are publishing an editorial calling on leaders to take emergency action on climate change and to protect health.

The British Medical Journal said it is the first time so many publications have come together to make the same statement, reflecting the severity of the situation.

Social Market Foundation says more research could help people move ‘to more sustainable dietary habits’

The UK should back the development and sale of artificial meat to tackle the climate crisis, a thinktank report says, calling for the government to encourage the consumption of “alternative proteins” that do not come from animals.

The report, from the Social Market Foundation, also points to a wide array of benefits to supporting alternative proteins, including opening up a green export opportunity for British businesses, reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases and improving animal welfare.

Researchers say blue-tongues seem to have evolved a chemical resistance while goannas that feed on venomous snakes have not

Blue-tongue lizards have developed a resistance to the venom of the red-bellied black snake, according to new research.

The largest animals in the skink family, blue-tongues seem to have evolved a chemical resistance to the snake venom, while carnivorous monitor lizards – goannas – that feed on Australia’s venomous snakes have not.

Plantations are no replacement for biodiverse forests that have evolved over thousands of years

People need trees. A world without ilex, cinnamon and rosewood trees, a world devoid of magnolias, hornbeams and maples would be much the poorer. We rely on trees, of course, to absorb and store carbon dioxide. They provide us with food, fuel, medicine and construction materials. They shelter us from storms; they reduce soil erosion. Without them, other plants and animals would be lost for ever – in the UK, native oaks feed and shelter about 2,300 other species. We are only beginning to fully comprehend their social nature and the “wood wide web” which connects plants together through roots, fungi and bacteria. We need them, too, because their grace and beauty lift our spirits and restore our calm.

There are almost 58,500 tree species in the world, a richness few of us can truly comprehend. But a shocking new international study has warned that between a third and half of those are at risk of extinction in the wild – posing a risk of wider ecosystem collapse. The comprehensive report by Botanic Gardens Conservation International, which was five years in the making, found that twice as many tree species are threatened as mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles combined.

Coast Guard says suspected oil spill spotted in Gulf of Mexico after Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc in region last week

Clean up crews are rushing to try to locate the source of a suspected oil spill spotted in the Bay Marchard area of the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, after Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc in the region last week, the US Coast Guard said on Saturday.

The spill, which continues, appears to be coming from a source underwater at an offshore drilling lease about 2 miles (3km) south of Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The reported location is near the site of a miles-long brown and black oil slick visible in aerial photos first published Wednesday by the Associated Press.

Drone footage has captured the extent of destruction caused by Hurricane Ida in the barrier island town of Grand Isle in Louisiana. The US death toll from Ida has risen towards 60. In Louisiana, the confirmed storm-related death toll is nine. 

It is nearly a week since one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the US mainland made landfall in Louisiana. The White House has said the president, Joe Biden, will survey storm damage in New York City and Manville, New Jersey

• Hurricane Ida death toll nears 60 as states begin to comb through debris