The Guardian

Radical overhaul in farming and consumption, with less meat eating, needed to avoid hunger and climate catastrophe

The global food system is broken, leaving billions of people either underfed or overweight and driving the planet towards climate catastrophe, according to 130 national academies of science and medicine across the world.

Providing a healthy, affordable, and environmentally friendly diet for all people will require a radical transformation of the system, says the report by the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP). This will depend on better farming methods, wealthy nations consuming less meat and countries valuing food which is nutritious rather than cheap.

42.6C temperature in Cairns broke a November record that has stood since 1900 by 5.4C

A record-breaking heatwave in north Queensland will further increase above-average marine temperatures, heightening the risk of another coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef next year, scientists say.

Dozens of record November temperatures have been recorded in the region, most along the reef coastline, this week.

Specialist diving group teams up with British conservation charity to lower impact of scuba tourism on threatened reefs

The threat posed to coral reefs by scuba diving in Egypt and Thailand is so serious that officials have banned certain operators or suspended the sport altogether, but now moves are afoot to make diving tourism more sustainable.

A partnership between the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi), the world’s largest training group, and the UN-backed Reef-World Foundation, a British conservation charity, will encourage the industry to sign up to the Green Fins scheme, which helps dive centres to reduce their environmental impact and mitigate the damage the burgeoning sport causes to coral reefs worldwide.

Migratory shorebirds populations down by average of 70% from 1985 to 2015

Populations of threatened bird species in Australia halved in the past 30 years, according to a new national Threatened Bird Index.

The index is the first part of a large data consolidation project being undertaken by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub, along with the University of Queensland and Birdlife Australia.

Analysis suggests 116m tonnes of dairy products are wasted globally, with almost half lost before they even reach a store

One in six pints of milk produced around the world is lost or wasted, according to research conducted at Edinburgh University for the Guardian.

Sixteen percent of dairy products – 116m tonnes – is lost or discarded globally each year, according to Prof Peter Alexander, a member of the newly formed Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security. He calculated that retailers, distributors and consumers are responsible for half of this waste, throwing away roughly 60m tonnes of dairy a year.

Government scrapped £1bn plan in 2015 but now aims to build project within a decade

The UK wants to build its first project to capture and store carbon emissions from industry within the next decade, as part of a rebooted push by ministers to support the technology.

The government scrapped a £1bn carbon capture and storage (CCS) competition in 2015, with the then-chancellor George Osborne saying it was too costly. Earlier efforts had also collapsed.

About half of the G20 countries will fall short of their Paris agreement pledges, scientists warn

• Hundreds of students striking over climate change descend on parliament

Australia is not on track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction targets and global greenhouse gas emissions are showing no signs of peaking, a new UN report has warned.

In its annual emissions gap report, which looks at the gap between carbon reduction policies countries have in place and what is required to keep global warming to well below 2C, the UN says global emissions have reached record highs.

Chemical cocktail suppresses periwinkles’ ability to avoid crabs and disrupts food chain

Toxins leaching from microplastics leave shellfish at the mercy of predators, research has found. The chemicals completely suppress the ability of the periwinkles to detect and avoid the crabs that eat them.

Microplastics plague the world’s rivers and oceans and absorb poisonous chemicals from the water. Previous work has shown mussels are harmed by these toxins when they eat microplastics, but the latest study is the first to show disruption of the relationship between predator and prey. This is likely to disrupt the entire food chain, researchers say.

Management of UK rail lines fails to take environmental best practice into account

An independent review into the scale of tree felling by Network Rail is calling for a complete cultural change by the company to focus on valuing nature and the environment.

The review, published on Wednesday, was sparked after Guardian articles highlighted a threat to millions of line-side trees from Network Rail’s approach to managing the environment around its tracks and the scale of tree felling taking place in nesting season.

Humpback whale and 27 pilot whales among those beached in Croajingolong national park

A humpback whale and 27 pilot whales have stranded themselves on a remote beach in a Victorian national park.

Most of the beached animals have died, according to authorities.

Laminaria hyperborea forests soak up carbon and provide food and shelter for sea life

This week’s storms are washing up quantities of Laminaria hyperborea kelp on our shores. Removing the rotting and smelly stems, or stipes, can be a big task for local authorities.

This species of kelp, which has 3-metre leaves, among the most numerous of the seven that grow in British waters and form undersea forests, mainly on the west coast. It grows on rocky shores in water from a metre to 32 metres deep, wherever there is sufficient light. These forests soak up vast amounts of carbon and are good for stabilising the climate as well as providing food and a habitat for many sea creatures.

Rapid emissions turnaround needed to keep global warming at less than 2C, report suggests

Countries are failing to take the action needed to stave off the worst effects of climate change, a UN report has found, and the commitments made in the 2015 Paris agreement will not be met unless governments introduce additional measures as a matter of urgency.

New taxes on fossil fuels, investment in clean technology and much stronger government policies to bring down emissions are likely to be necessary. Governments must also stop subsidising fossil fuels, directly and indirectly, the UN said.

We’d like to know if you changed your opinion on climate change and whether there was a moment that convinced you of its impact

This year has seen more than 200 natural disaster events take place across the world. In February, the Beast from the East swept across Europe bringing snow and strong winds causing the UK’s worst weather in years, and in November California experienced the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history.

With a UN agency predicting a 75-80% chance of a climate-warming El Niño event next year, which could bring global droughts and floods, “there is evidence that climate change is making the effects of El Niño more severe”.

More than half of countries use censorship, harassment or violence to repress public debate, warns a report

Nearly six in 10 countries are seriously restricting people’s freedoms, according to a new report that warns of a growing repression around the world.

According to the study, there is little or no space for activism in countries such as Eritrea and Syria, and also worrying signs in countries where democracy is considered well established, such as France, the US, Hungary and India.

Natural cycle has major influence on global weather, bringing droughts and floods

There is a 75-80% chance of a climate-warming El Niño event by February, according to the latest analysis from the UN’s World Meteorological Organization.

The last El Niño event ended in 2016 and helped make that year the hottest ever recorded by adding to the heating caused by humanity’s carbon emissions. The 2019 event is not currently forecast to be as strong as in 2016.

Premier Mark McGowan defies protesters, farmers and MPs to allow controversial drilling, which he says will create jobs

Western Australian premier Mark McGowan has lifted a statewide moratorium on fracking amid intense opposition from large parts of the community.

The controversial drilling practice, which fractures the ground to release trapped gas, will now be allowed on existing titles and subject to veto by Aboriginal groups and farmers.

Traffic emissions responsible for at least €70bn damage every year, report says

Air pollution from roads causes at least €70bn (£62bn) in health damage every year in the European Union, according to a new report, with diesel fumes responsible for three-quarters of the harm.

The research, commissioned by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), found the vast majority of the costs were borne by taxpayers through government-funded health services. But these costs could be reduced by 80% by 2030 if ambitious action were taken, the report concluded.

This week, school students plan to go on strike in protest against inaction on climate change. Whether you approve of the strike or not, we welcome your questions, which will be answered here by climate experts and young campaigners

5.31am GMT

A great question from Eva in year 8 at Glenunga international high school in Adelaide

What is your opinion on Australia’s role in climate change?

Australia is one of the largest exporters of coal and gas in the world, and also the windiest and sunniest continent on the planet.

This means that Australia has an incredible opportunity to lead the way when it comes to moving beyond all fossil fuels, and transitioning to 100% renewable energy.

5.22am GMT

Our first video question is from Lily.

What is one thing I can do right now as an individual to help slow down climate change?

Hi Lily,

I think that the best thing you can do right now to help slow climate change is to talk to a politician. The more they hear people telling them to take climate change seriously, the more they’ll be inclined to do something about this problem.

Storm-damaged support ship means Ben Lecomte, 50, has to divert to Hawaii

A French-American plastic pollution campaigner has given up his attempt to swim across the Pacific ocean after a storm broke the mainsail of his support ship, organisers have said.

Ben Lecomte had completed about 2,780km (1,500 nautical miles) of the 9,260km (5,000-nautical mile) journey. The trip was to take him through 1,600km of the “Great Pacific garbage patch”, in an attempt to raise awareness of plastic pollution.

Donald Trump rejected the central conclusion of a government climate report finding by his own administration

• Trump says he does not believe own administration’s climate report - US politics live