The Guardian

From the Sycamore Gap to Wrexham’s sweet chestnut, Britain is increasingly vocal about its love of our historic trees

Henry VIII was still on the throne when the shoots of a sweet chestnut first broke through the soil of Wrexham in what is now Acton Park. Copernicus was about to publish his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. The Ming dynasty ruled China. More than 480 years on, the tree stands 24 metres tall and on Wednesday was crowned as tree of the year in the annual Woodland Trust competition. Generations have scavenged its chestnuts, taken the sticks that have fallen for firewood and sheltered beneath its splendid branches. It is not merely part of the landscape; it is part of community life.

This year’s contest highlighted urban trees, particularly vulnerable to felling and disease. There is now a host of evidence on the benefits that trees bring, not only in forests but in cities too. They range from boosting mental health, and even immunity, to reducing noise and air pollution, helping to cool the air, and reducing runoff in heavy rains – increasingly important as global temperatures rise. Beyond those lies the sheer pleasure that people take in them. The instinctive bond people feel was highlighted by the outrage and grief that greeted the overnight felling of the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall last month by unknown vandals. Though practically a sapling compared with Wrexham’s tree – it was planted a mere 130 years ago – it had attracted marriage proposals and scatterings of ashes, as well as starring in countless photographs. Though the stump is expected to regrow, few of us will see anything approaching its former might in our lifetimes.

The UK government has forced asylum seekers to return to the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset, more than two months after it was evacuated when legionella bacteria were discovered in the water supply. Just Stop Oil protesters managed to stop the coach carrying the men to the vessel in Portland port by blocking the causeway to the island and claimed that the vehicle put their lives in danger by pushing through them. About 50 other local people and campaigners gathered at the gates to the port to object to their return to the facility

• Chaotic scenes as first asylum seekers return to Bibby Stockholm barge

‘We need … to maintain our roads in a way that’s fair, and aimed at helping, not hindering, electrification of transport’, says Monique Ryan

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Teal independent MPs have welcomed the high court’s decision to strike down Victoria’s electric vehicle tax, urging the federal government to instead legislate national road-user charges.

Zoe Daniel, Allegra Spender, Monique Ryan and Kylea Tink have all called for road use charges to apply fairly to all vehicles, with a nationally consistent scheme that does not target EVs.

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The state levy was a good example of what not to do to support a transition to EVs, plaintiffs Chris Vanderstock and Kathleen Davies say

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Kathleen Davies remembers driving an electric vehicle in 2012, and how it felt as if she was commuting in a spaceship.

“There were hardly any on the road – it felt quite bizarre,” she says.

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Exclusive: Blueprint Institute says nuclear ban should be lifted, but disagrees with Coalition opposition to green energy rollout

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A centre-right thinktank is calling for “drastically accelerated deployment” of renewable energy, batteries and electricity transmission infrastructure and acknowledged there is no prospect of nuclear energy playing a role in Australia before 2040.

The report by the Blueprint Institute, not yet released but seen in draft form by Guardian Australia, says the ban on nuclear energy should be repealed and argues small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) could play a “small but vital role” in minimising costs in reaching net zero emissions in the power grid by 2050.

The company released wastewater from treatment plants despite overflow levels not being hit

Welsh Water has admitted to spilling untreated sewage near a rare dolphin habitat for at least a decade.

A BBC investigation found the water company had been illegally discharging untreated wastewater at dozens of sewage plants, often for years at a time.

North Atlantic right whales are being killed in collisions with vessels that are flouting go-slow zones in US waters, report warns

The lives of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are being put at risk by ships speeding in designated “slow zones”, according to a new report.

Only about 340 of the species remain, and collisions with boats are a leading cause of injuries and fatalities as the whales often swim close to the surface, and their dark colour makes them difficult to spot.

Undeterred after being charged over separate demonstration, Thunberg joined fossil fuel activists outside JP Morgan in Canary Wharf

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Greta Thunberg has taken part in climate protests in London for the second time this week, protesting outside the JP Morgan headquarters in Canary Wharf.

Apparently undeterred after being arrested and subsequently charged with a public order offence after a protest on Tuesday, the Swedish campaigner joined fellow activists in the east London financial district on Thursday morning.

Increase of virus in wild birds is driving evolution and spread of new strains, researchers found

The epicentre of deadly bird flu outbreaks has shifted from Asia to Europe and Africa, a new study has found.

For 25 years, bird flu viruses typically emerged from Asia, but major changes in the virus and its spread among wild birds mean the outbreaks are shifting. Research shows that while outbreaks in 2016 and 2017 started in China, two new H5 viruses emerged in 2020 in African poultry and in 2022 in European wild birds.

Treasurer Tim Pallas says refunds being considered after high court ruled charge was unconstitutional

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Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas says the government will consider refunding a tax paid by electric vehicle owners after the high court deemed it invalid, but suggests registration costs could rise or a national levy could be implemented in its place.

The high court on Wednesday ruled in favour of two electric car drivers who argued the imposition of the Victorian tax, charged per kilometre ​driven, was unconstitutional because the states do not have the power to impose such excise taxes on consumption.

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The coal and gas we provide internationally makes us powerful – and we waste it being craven to the mining industry

The Australian government likes to say we can be a renewable energy superpower, but it ignores that we already are an energy power that fails utterly to use that power for good.

The past weekend was the 10th anniversary of the Abbott government releasing the draft legislation to repeal of the carbon tax, and also of a report noting that IPCC suggested that “global warming could kill thousands of Australians”.

Targeting EV drivers is not good for consumers nor the country’s targets for decarbonising transport – something more coherent and jurisdiction wide is needed

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The looming electrification of road transport is something that motorists, fleet managers, bus operators, logistics companies, transport agencies, automotive manufacturers, and all levels of governments are grappling with.

Wednesday saw a landmark case showing just how precarious it can be with a major setback for the Victorian government and any other states thinking of introducing road user taxes for electric vehicles.

Tree that’s withstood storms and firewood collectors wins contest highlighting those in urban areas

A 480-year-old sweet chestnut that has withstood storms, firewood collectors and, increasingly, parties and picnics beneath its boughs has been crowned tree of the year.

The stately ancient tree in Wrexham’s Acton Park fought off competition from 10 other urban trees in the Woodland Trust competition, which this year highlighted city trees which are widely enjoyed by the public but are often still vulnerable to destruction.

Industry lobbying and rightwing politicians are involved in this decision. The pushback against green policies must be resisted

• Geoffrey Lean is a specialist environment correspondent and author

Can there be a better example of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory? In a disclosure that threatens to go relatively unnoticed, it emerges that at the last minute, vital steps to protect Europeans from toxic chemicals have fallen foul of the growing political backlash against green measures. Continent-wide rules that would have banned the use of dangerous substances have been delayed and may now be abandoned altogether, with huge consequences for human health and the chemical industry.

As exclusively reported by the Guardian, the European Commission has dropped plans to regulate chemicals from its latest work programme after lobbying by industry and opposition from rightwing politicians. The measures – whose details had been virtually finalised ready for publication – would, among other things, have outlawed all but essential use of thousands of hazardous substances believed to cause more than a quarter of a million cancers in Europe each year.

More than 100 species, from frogs to killer whales, contaminated with long-lasting chemicals with serious health effects

More than a hundred species of wildlife found across every continent are contaminated with highly toxic flame retardants, and the pollution is probably responsible for population declines in some species, a new analysis of published research shows.

The dangerous chemicals have been detected in everything from sea urchins to bobcats to Arctic foxes, and at alarming levels in endangered species such as red pandas, chimpanzees and killer whales.

Forest fires leave Manaus with second worst air quality in the world, while low river levels cut off communities

A withering drought has turned the Amazonian capital of Manaus into a climate dystopia with the second worst air quality in the world and rivers at the lowest levels in 121 years.

The city of 1 million people, which is surrounded by a forest of trees, normally basks under blue skies. Tourists take pleasure boats to the nearby meeting of the Negro and Amazon (known locally as the Solimões) rivers, where dolphins can often be seen enjoying what are usually the most abundant freshwater resources in the world.

Journey Castillo’s parents say she is the youngest person to have gone to every one of the country’s national parks

A three-year-old girl has visited all 63 US national parks to complete a goal her family set only weeks after she was born.

The aptly-named Journey Castillo’s parents, Eric and Valerie Castillo, have also staked the claim that their daughter is the youngest person known to have gone to every one of the country’s national parks. The couple from San Antonio, Texas, has said they want to inspire other families to get outdoors together and savor the sights and sounds that the world has to offer.

From deals on electric cars to investment in solar panels, there is room for all sides in the global green industrial revolution

Our polarised world is failing to tackle the climate crisis at the required speed. The only way to reverse this catastrophic situation is to get the three largest historical emitters – the US, Europe and China – to join forces, directly or indirectly, to accelerate the global shift to green energy.

After months of rising tensions, the possible visit to Washington of the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, later this month could pave the way for a highly anticipated but still unscheduled summit between presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, and kickstart a reset.

Simone Tagliapietra is a senior fellow at the Brussels-based thinktank Bruegel

Permitted levels of PFAS should be lowered tenfold and national chemicals agency created, says Royal Society of Chemistry

Acceptable levels of “forever chemicals” in drinking water should be reduced tenfold and a new national chemicals agency created to protect public health, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has told the UK government.

The chartered body wants to see a reduction in the cap on levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in tap water. PFAS are a family of about 10,000 widely used chemicals that do not break down easily in the environment. Some have been linked to cancers, liver and thyroid disease, immune and fertility problems, and developmental defects in unborn children.

NSW premier Chris Minns says ruling on electric vehicle charge is ‘complex’ as governments scramble to understand its impact

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A potential revenue hit worth “billions” has been flagged by the New South Wales government as a result of the high court ruling striking down Victoria’s electric vehicle tax, as state and territories scramble to understand its full impact.

On Wednesday a majority of the high court ruled Victoria’s road-user charge for EV drivers was unconstitutional because the states did not have the power to impose excise taxes on consumption.

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