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Michael Myer says size of grant ‘unheard of’ as Josh Frydenberg refuses to say where idea originated

The environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, would not say whose idea it was to award a $444m government grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, on the same day a former member of the foundation’s board described the allocation as “unthinkable”.

Michael Myer, of the Myer family, was a member of the reef foundation’s board from 2001 to 2004 until he became concerned at what he called the growing “corporatist” direction of the organisation.

NGO says it used GPS units to track waste from collection points outside Officeworks to Hong Kong and Thailand

Electronic waste dropped at government-approved recycling points outside Officeworks stores was allegedly exported to developing countries, potentially breaching a global waste treaty, a non-government organisation has said.

The US-based Basel Action Network (Ban) – which embeds GPS units inside discarded electronics and monitors them – said in a report to be released on Thursday that two LCD monitors the organisation placed at Officeworks’ “Bring IT Back” drop zones in Brisbane were tracked to an area of Hong Kong’s New Territories known for “e-waste trafficking”.

Research shows geoengineering method intended to combat climate change would have adverse effect on agriculture

Proposals to combat climate change by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space would cause widespread crop failure, cancelling out any benefits to farming from the reduction in warming, according to new research.

By examining the effects of volcanic eruptions on agriculture – which has a similar effect to proposed artificial methods of scattering solar radiation through aerosols – scientists have concluded that such methods could have unintended consequences.

Tragic event of grieving mother carrying dead calf for days sparks renewed effort to save killer whales as they fight for survival

Seattle’s orcas are dying. That they are dying publicly and painfully may save them.

First was Tahlequah’s calf. Born on 24 July, she died minutes later. Tahlequah buoyed her for a week before mother and calf disappeared.

Leicestershire fire and rescue service have captured spectacular footage of an unusual occurrence while tackling a plastic pallet blaze at the Ravensbourn plastics factory in Woodville, near Swadlincote. Fire tornadoes – also known as fire whirls – happen when cool air combines with hot air above to create a swirling effect

Distrust in government mingles with fears for cannabis industry while fires spread across hundreds of square miles

Haze from the largest fire in California history filled the air near the town of Clearlake on Tuesday as Jim Steele, a local supervisor, drove his pickup truck through a landscape of smoldering hillsides and charred trees to check on the homes of citizens in his district.

Related: Largest wildfire in California's history expected to burn for rest of August

The popularity of plant-based diets has created huge demand for the oil-rich seeds, prompting a farm in Essex to plant a crop

The first UK-grown chia seeds go on sale this week, as demand for the plant native to the Americas is fuelled by the explosion in the popularity of plant-based diets.

The company Hodmedod, pioneers of British-grown pulses, grains and seeds, has been working with farmers Peter and Andrew Fairs, of Great Tey in Essex, to bring the new British crop to market.

Three scientists explain the unprecedented danger facing the western US and call for new solutions to a growing threat

California is no stranger to fire. The temperate winters and reliably dry summers that make the Golden state such an attractive place to live are the same conditions that make this region among the most flammable places on Earth.

But even for a region accustomed to fire, the continuing wildfire siege has proven unprecedented. Although it is only early August, numerous very large, fast-moving, and exceptionally intense fires have already burned vast swaths of land throughout the state – consuming hundreds of thousands of acres and thousands of homes and claiming at least nine lives, including four firefighters. State and national firefighting resources are stretched to their limits; choking smoke inundated the state capital of Sacramento; and much of Yosemite national park is closed indefinitely.

A total of 77% of the state is either in drought or drought affected, while 23% is experiencing intense drought

The entire state of NSW is now impacted by drought, official figures show.

A drier-than-expected June and July has left many farmers with failing crops, a short supply of water and diminishing livestock feed.

Richard Di Natale joins Labor in calling for money to be handed back

The awarding of $444m in taxpayers’ money by the prime minister to the small Great Barrier Reef Foundation without consultation “stinks” and the money should be handed back, the Greens have demanded.

The party leader, Richard Di Natale, joined Labor in demanding the return of the huge sum given to the private foundation – which had just six full-time staff – and called for the whole process to be put to tender.

The bird was one of five heron species that day, including the normally shy bittern

Looking like a snake with wings, the purple heron (Ardea purpurea) was surprisingly well hidden, perched in the dense foliage near the top of a tree. I was watching this scarce visitor to southern Britain from the hide at Noah’s Lake, on the Avalon Marshes, Somerset.

For me, this serpentine bird was a very welcome sight, as it was only the second I had ever seen in the UK, and the first in Somerset – having been on a fruitless wild goose chase after one a decade ago.

Subsidies similar to those for offshore wind could help meet emissions targets and boost exports, experts say

Britain should offer developers of mini nuclear plants subsidies similar to those made available to the offshore wind industry, an independent review commissioned by the government has recommended.

Britain needs to invest in new power-generating capacity to replace ageing coal and nuclear plants that are due to close in the 2020s, and is seeking low-carbon options to help meet its emission reduction targets.

Bar Council say planned new UK watchdog lacks teeth, as it will not be able to take the government to court

A new watchdog supposed to safeguard the UK’s environment after Brexit will lack the legal “teeth” necessary to hold the government to account, the country’s top lawyers have said.

Under current proposals, the body to be charged with overseeing the UK’s environmental protections would not be able to take the government to court, a key power under the current legislation which comes from the EU.

Anna Marsden tells ABC’s 7.30 the foundation is ‘uniquely placed’ to deliver government objectives

The head of the foundation given a $444m grant to protect the Great Barrier Reef said it is uniquely placed to fundraise and deliver environmental projects, in response to criticism from Labor about the grant.

Anna Marsden, the managing director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, conceded the grant came as a “complete surprise” when first proposed by Malcolm Turnbull and the environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, but rejected Labor claims about the foundation’s fundraising record and plans for the money.

The Mendocino Complex blaze has become California's biggest ever fire. By Monday afternoon the fire had destroyed 87 residences and 82 other structures, and news agencies reported seven deaths so far across California.  Covering an area of 443.4 sq miles, the fire has surpassed the scale of the Thomas fire, which broke out in 2017

• Mendocino Complex fire becomes California's biggest ever

Money was awarded at a meeting with Malcolm Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg, with no tender process

Labor has called for a $444m government grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to be returned.

It comes after the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, defended the decision to award the money to the small private foundation and said it had been subject to “a very thorough process”.

The deadly Mendocino complex fire in the north may be the second-largest in state history

Plumes of smoke towered over flame-engulfed mountains in northern California on Monday as firefighters grappled with what may be, by some measures, the second-largest wildfire in state history.

At a community hall in a small farming community 121 miles north-east of San Francisco, Renato Lira, an American Red Cross disaster services worker, looked through photos on his phone of the fire he had just driven through to set up an evacuation center. As he flicked, his screen turned red.

Agriculture minister David Littleproud tells ABC audience he doesn’t ‘give a rats’ whether climate change is man-made

The agriculture minister says linking the drought affecting much of Australia to man-made climate change is a “big call” and he does not “give a rats if it’s man-made or not”.

David Littleproud made the comment on the ABC’s Q&A program on Monday, which was filmed in Lismore in the northern rivers region of New South Wales. His comment was booed by the audience.

Project already showing signs of deterioration months after it was officially completed

A multimillion-pound flood defence project protecting thousands of homes has started to deteriorate just months after it was unveiled.

Engineers from a construction company were on Monday accused by local councillors of botching the four-year scheme in Blackpool, which cost £27.1m.